The Deception (Baron 3)

For several moments she was speechless. “This is too simple. You believe Napoleon will exchange my father for Edgerton? Drew is willing to allow Edgerton to go free? What if Napoleon will not accept the trade? What if the gentlemen in the Ministry refuse to allow it?”

“You have lived under an enormous strain far too long. Listen to me. Trust me on this. Napoleon, whatever else he may be, is loyal to his men. As to the gentlemen in the Ministry, ah, believe me, I do have some power. Now I must leave you. We must move very quickly before Edgerton realizes something is amiss. I should be back tomorrow or the next day at the latest. Stay close. Have you met Mr. Bullock, the Bow Street Runner?” “Yes. Edmund thinks he’s here to assist me with his lessons. I heard Mr. Bullock telling him about a highwayman who was hung just ten years ago. This pleased Edmund enormously.”

He pulled her against him, kissed her, and said into her mouth, “When this is over, you and I will marry, and I won’t let you out of my bed until next winter, if then.”

“Maybe,” she said as he released her, “I won’t let you out of my bed until the following spring.”

“Good God,” he said, grinning widely, “I have indeed found my mate.” He said at the doorway, “All will go well, Evangeline. Don’t fret.” He added, his eyes clear and brilliant, “Guard my son.”

He was gone. She walked to the wide bow windows and watched the carriage with its four horses until it disappeared from view. Nothing, she thought, nothing could ever be counted on to go well, could it?

It happened so quickly she barely had time to draw a breath, no time at all to yell. A man’s hand was over her mouth, his body pressing her hard against her mattress.

“You’re such a fool,” he whispered against her cheek. “Such a fool for believing for even a moment you could beat me.”

She stared up into John Edgerton’s face, leached of color in the pale dawn light. She knew utter terror. They’d failed. He’d somehow gotten into Chesleigh Castle, somehow found her bedchamber. She didn’t make a sound, just looked up at him, as if mesmerized, thinking, thinking.

“How lovely to have you speechless, my dear. Usually all I’ve seen in you is that helpless rage that quite enchants me. I’ve known you wanted to kill me to save yourself and your dear papa, but you knew just as well that you couldn’t. Impotence in a woman is a wonderful thing. But now you’re silent. You’re afraid, to your very bones, and you deserve to be.” Still she remained silent.

He straightened up a bit, smiled down into her face, and lightly pressed his palm over her mouth. “In case you decide to scream. Yes, just the light pressure of my hand will remind you that silence is best. Do you know I watched you sleeping for a little while, wondering what I was going to do with you after I killed Lord Edmund?” “No,” she said against his hand. “No.” “Oh, yes, I promised you what would happen if you betrayed me. Yet you did it anyway. That was beyond stupid, my dear. I hadn’t expected it of you, truth be told.”

She felt his dry palm against her lips as she whispered, “I didn’t, not really.”

His hand was heavier now. He didn’t want her to speak further. He ignored her words, saying, “You’re quite beautiful, you know that? Naturally, you do. You took the duke for your lover, didn’t you? How long ago? Did he make you scream? I’ve heard it said that he’s had women begging him to bed them. Do you think that’s true? Did you beg him?”

He lifted his hand just a bit then and she bit him as hard as she could. But she couldn’t bite deeply enough to hurt him. He lifted his hand again and slapped her hard, then slammed his palm back over her mouth. He paused a moment, then said, “You’re not a weak little girl, are you? No, I move an inch and you’ll be fighting me, perhaps even yelling. Do you feel the pressure of the gun barrel against your ribs, Evangeline? Good, you do. Try to hurt me again and I’ll simply pull the trigger and leave you here in your bed to bleed all over these lovely white sheets. Of course, you won’t care. You’ll be dead. I don’t want to do that, but I will. No, what I want to do is have you watch me kill Lord Edmund.”

“No,” she said again. “Please no. I’ll do anything you ask, just not Edmund.”

He laughed. “Tell me about how the duke pleasured you until you told him all about your transgressions.” He lifted his hand just a bit even as he pressed the gun barrel harder into her ribs.

“He believed me a traitor. I told him nothing until it was all over and there was no other choice. Don’t you understand? It made no difference. Drew Halsey and his men were already there on the cliffs above the beach, waiting.”

“Yes, I know all about that. Indeed, I managed to escape London just in time. That was a pathetic ruse they were attempting. Poor Drew, he does try so very hard, but he isn’t as smart as I am. Now he will realize that and he will be broken. As for your duke, he will lose you and his son. It is sufficient punishment for a man, I believe.”

She heaved up against him, jerking her arms free, and tried to smash her fists against his throat.

“Now you give me no choice. Well, there’s no hope for it.” He slammed his fist against her jaw.

When she opened her eyes, Evangeline didn’t know where she was. A sharp pain went through her head. She tried to raise her hand to rub her jaw, then realized he’d tied her wrists together, but at least in front of her and not behind her back. She lightly rubbed her fingers over her face. He hadn’t broken her jaw, the bastard. Her ankles were tied as well. There was a gag stuffed in her mouth, another cloth tied over the gag and tied behind her head.

“What a remarkable girl you are,” she heard Edgerton say. She shook her head and looked up. He was sitting in a chair, facing her. She was still in her bed, still in her nightgown, only now the covers were at her feet. “I’ve never told you how much I admired your lovely hair. And now it’s all tangled about your face and down your back. Does the duke enjoy that hair of yours? Ah, you aren’t going to say much to me right now, are you? I’ve always believed that a woman silent is a blessed thing.” He grinned at her. Then he rose. “Pray that we don’t see any servants, Evangeline, or I’ll just have to shoot them. Now, as much as I would like to remain alone with you, perhaps caress you and make love to you, I haven’t the time. Yes, I must leave very soon now. At least I will be with my beloved emperor again, very soon now. You betrayed me. I mustn’t ever forget that, else it makes me feel a certain amount of sorrow and regret. No, you’re nothing but a perfidious bitch, nothing more, nothing less. You have to die now. But remember that once I’m in Paris again, your father will follow you shortly to death. Yes, once I make a promise, I keep it. I can’t allow any weaker emotions to rule me, not like you let them rule you. Now, you and I are going to see Lord Edmund.” She heaved and bucked, but he managed to pull her over his shoulder. “Hold still,” he said finally, panting, “or I’ll just slam this gun down over your right ear. When you awake from a blow like that, you’ll wish you were dead.”

She held completely still. “Good,” he said.

She was hanging upside down, growing more dizzy by the moment. No, she had to keep her wits about her. She couldn’t let the fear swamp her. But her father, her boy, Edmund. No, she couldn’t let him kill them, she just couldn’t.

Her brain squirreled about madly.

Thank God they saw no servants on the way to the nursery because she ha

d no doubt whatsoever that Edgerton would shoot them with no hesitation.

Ah, but Ellen would be in the nursery. Evangeline closed her eyes and prayed. She remembered Mr. Bullock, short, bowlegged Mr. Bullock. Seeing him in her mind’s eye didn’t bring her a great deal of confidence, not now. He didn’t stand a chance against Edgerton. She was a fool to have believed that he would be sufficient to guard Edmund.

But the duke had believed him ready and able. She had to believe that he knew how to protect Edmund. Surely Mr. Bullock slept in the same room with Edmund? If he did sleep in Edmund’s room, then Edgerton would get them both. Who could be prepared for this? Poor Mr. Bullock, the chances were good that Edgerton would kill him as well.

One last chance. She reared up and brought her fists into Edgerton’s back. He nearly fell forward with the weight of her blow. He cursed, low and viciously. Then he simply turned quickly and her head struck the wall. She fell instantly into blackness.