The Offer (Baron 2)

“If I may inquire, my lady. Is there any word of Lady Sabrina?”

Elizabeth knew that servants had their ways of discovering things. Surely this old fool of a butler knew that Sabrina had disgraced herself. Yet he had the temerity to approach her, the now undisputed mistress of Monmouth Abbey, to inquire after the little slut.

“I fear, Ribble,” she said coldly, “that my sister could not have survived the blizzard. The men are still searching, as you know, but soon his lordship will realize the futility of it and call them back. Her body will undoubtedly be recovered when the snow melts.”

She saw a spasm of grief pass over the old man’s smooth forehead.

“It’s naturally a tragedy,” she continued more coldly still, moving away from him, “and a loss to all of us. But life continues. We continue. You may follow me to the drawing room now, Ribble. I don’t wish to keep the marquess waiting.”

12

The marquess was standing by the windows, staring out at the snow. Elizabeth felt her belly muscles clench at the sight of him. She’d never wanted another man, just Richard Clarendon. He was magnificent, all strength and muscle, beautifully made, his face hard and cold, drawing her easily to him, and any other woman he wanted. She swallowed and stretched out her hands. “Richard, why ever are you in Yorkshire, now of all times? Surely London is a more pleasant place than Yorkshire at this time of year.”

The Marquess of Arysdale straightened from his negligent pose at the bowed windows. He strode across the room, his grace stunning her, making her hot and breathless. He raised her hand to his lips. “It’s a pleasure to see you, Elizabeth. Marriage appears to agree with you. I only regret that I wasn’t able to attend your wedding.”

Elizabeth trembled when his mouth touched her wrist. She couldn’t help it. She also knew that he was quite used to such a response. He was a rake, a womanizer, enjoying himself with any woman that pleased him at the moment. She had long known it, but she’d never cared. Now that she was married and knew well what men wanted of women’s bodies, she wondered how different lovemaking would be if Richard were her husband. A stain of red deepened on her cheeks as she pictured Richard naked over her. He wouldn’t be soft and smooth as Trevor was. He wouldn’t be cruel.

“Where is Sabrina, Elizabeth?”

Sabrina, he wanted to see Sabrina. She felt the heat cool in her bo

dy. She lowered her eyes and said in a shaking voice, “Please sit down, Richard. The news I have for you isn’t pleasant.”

“Damn you, woman, what the devil do you mean by that?” She felt more than saw the instant difference in him. The lazy animal grace had disappeared. He was alert now, ready to kill, if need be.

“Please, Richard.” She waved to a blue brocade settee.

“Enough of this. Where is Sabrina?” He took his seat unwillingly beside her. She felt the barely leashed energy in him. The violence so very close to the surface. It thrilled her and frightened her.

She wished she could tell him what Sabrina had done, tell him that the little princess was nothing more than a trollop, that she’d disgraced herself and run away from home, but she wasn’t stupid. Richard was unpredictable. It was very possible that he’d go into a rage, perhaps even kill Trevor. If that happened, she wouldn’t have anything. No, she had to be calm, to think clearly. “Sabrina has vanished,” she said. She lowered her head and waited in silence.

“Sabrina’s not a damned witch. I have never seen her with a broomstick. What the deuce do you mean, she’s vanished?”

“It’s just as I said, Richard. She fled the Abbey last Sunday, before the blizzard. She left Grandfather a vague letter telling him she intended to go to Aunt Barresford in London. But, of course, we have heard nothing. We fear that she could not have survived.”

The marquess roared to his feet and stared down hard at her, his dark eyes hard and dangerous. “Damnation, Elizabeth, what is this idiocy? Sabrina knew that I was coming to visit her. Indeed, there is no doubt in my mind that she knew the reason for my coming.”

Elizabeth kept the smile hidden. He didn’t realize that he’d just given her immense power, and all so very innocently. She raised her pale eyes to his harshly beautiful face. “Perhaps, Richard, you have just provided us with the reason for her running away.”

If she’d been a man he would have struck her. She knew it and gloried in it. He had to rein himself in. “That’s a damned lie, Elizabeth, and you know it.” He turned on his heel and strode toward the door.

Elizabeth jumped to her feet, alarmed now. “Where are you going, Richard?”

He said over his shoulder, not even turning to face her, “I’m going to see the earl. It appears I won’t get a sensible answer from you.” He turned then, to look at her fully. “You know, Elizabeth, you haven’t changed at all.” Then he was gone and she was left standing there, alone, in the middle of the huge drawing room. She rubbed her arms. She was cold. What had he meant?

Sabrina was running down a long, narrow room. People were staring down at her, yet they made no move to help her. She whirled about in her flight at the sound of footsteps closing behind her. Trevor was coming toward her and she saw lust burning brightly in his eyes. She backed up. Something sharp dug into her back and she cried out as she turned. The people’s eyes were watching her, uncaring and cold. He was nearly on her. He stretched out his hand. She screamed as a hand clutched her shoulder.

“Sabrina, wake up.”

But her terror held her back in that room with all those faces staring at her. The hand shook her again, harder this time.

“Wake up, you’re having a nightmare. Come, sweetheart, you can do it.”

Her eyes flew open and she stared up at Phillip’s face. She felt such tremendous relief that she didn’t think. She reared up and threw her arms about his back. She said against his chest, “The faces. There were so many faces and none of them said anything, they just stared at me. They didn’t care. None of them would help me.”

Phillip held her tightly against him, smoothing tangled hair back from her forehead. “It’s all right now, Sabrina. There’s nothing to fear now. You’re here and I’m here and I won’t let that damned nightmare get close to you again. What faces did you see?”

She drew a deep, shuddering breath and leaned back in the circle of his arms to look up into his face. “Yes, the faces. They must have been the portraits in the gallery. So many of them, all long dead, they couldn’t have helped me.”