9781618859594HerDeviantLordPimentel (12 page)

Clearly the woman
was beyond delusional. Cordelia shook her head, and
tsked
at her assailant. “You
shall never have him. If you think by killing me, you will gain favor with the
earl, you are mistaken. When you are caught, and I am certain you will be, they
will whisk you away to Newgate. Perhaps, they will even ship you abroad to
whatever that place is called…Botany Bay…and you will have to take up your
previous profession of lifting your skirts.”

“You wretched woman!”
Mary Elizabeth howled. The woman rushed over to her, slapping her across the
face.

Suddenly, the
sounds of men shouting and footsteps running through the hallway outside caught
both their attention.

Cordelia heard the
rattling of other doors before they stopped outside of the room. The pounding
on the wood shook the floorboards beneath them. “Open the door this instant,
Mary Elizabeth!”

Bastian!
He had found her. Tears welled
up, and relief washed over her.

But then, the door
burst open, Mary Elizabeth ran to where she had placed the pistol and pointed
it straight at the countess.

Bastian, the
marquess
, and two other men barrelled into the room.

“Apprehend her
this instant!” the shorter, unfamiliar man shouted.

The moment that
Bastian stepped forward, the gun fired. Mary Elizabeth looked horrified before
moving back toward the window and throwing herself out.

In the next
minutes, Cordelia struggled to understand what was happening around her. All
the shouting had faded into somewhere in the distance, and her belly burned.
She dared not look at what was causing the discomfort, only realizing that
Bastian had fallen to his knees before her and was holding a cloth at her
wound.

She tried to
speak, but words would not form.

“
Shh
…conserve your
energy my love. We shall get a surgeon to look at you immediately.”

This was the last
thing she heard before closing her eyes and drifting into unconsciousness.

* * * *

Bastian paced at
her bedside frantically. Cordelia had been asleep on and off for a whole day,
and their son was restless. He needed his mama, and the earl desperately needed
his wife.

The Marquess of
Stoughton had offered them to stay on at Stoughton Hall until his servants had
cleaned up their new home in Leicester. Every so often, the marchioness would
pop in and check on Cordelia, but she remained asleep. The surgeon had
cautioned them that the laudanum would prolong the sleep. Provided that they
did not give her anymore until she awoke, Cordelia would recover in no time.

The tissue damage
was repairable and would not affect her in anyway, should they choose to have
more children. There was, however, the distinct possibility that a scar would
remain in place of the entry wound.

Truth be told, he
cared not if her skin was blemished. As long as he had her in his arms until
the end of his days, ’twas all he could ask for.

Suddenly, Cordelia
murmured something and her eyes flickered open.

“Conserve your
energy, my love. How are you feeling?”

“Matthew… Where is
he? Where is my son?” she cried out.

Bastian crouched
down next to her. “He is fine, my love. I shall have Beatrice bring him in
shortly. He has been quite fussy, and I do not want to overwhelm you with more
excitement.”

The butler knocked
at the door before entering with a companion. “What is the meaning of this,
Duncan? The countess is not receiving guests.”

“My lord, pardon
the intrusion, but this man refused to return another time.”

Bastian scowled as
his muscles tensed. Rising from his haunches, he approached the familiar man.
“What is it that you want, Hugh? I did not realize that you still ran with Bow
Street.”

“I guess after my
last misunderstanding, they decided to give me one last chance. I am here about
the countess. A letter was given to me by way of Newgate prison, the women’s
wing. It is accusing the countess of murdering her late husband in his cell.”

The earl laughed
hysterically. “Not that you have ever been known to do your job, but if you had
sought the guard on duty, you would have known that the countess was never
alone with the Richard. Leave now, or you will find yourself without employment
by morning. Now, if we are quite done, I have my wife to return my attention
to.”

“Who said anything
about my being done?”

“Honestly, Hugh.
If you do not leave now, I will let your captain know about that shady business
of yours out of Martine’s establishment.”

The runner
scoffed. “You would not dare.”

“Are you certain
about that, Hugh? Imagine the headlines—‘Runner has an addiction to smoke
houses.’ I daresay, it would make an excellent read.”

Bastian glared at
Nathaniel’s servant, who had remained present. “Duncan, see this man out. He is
not welcome, and I am positive your master will not want to see his face here
again.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Shouting could be
heard throughout the house and all the way to the courtyard as Hugh was removed
from the property.

“Is he gone yet,
my love?” Cordelia queried, coming out of another daze.

“He is. You sound
rasp. Let me offer you some water. You must be parched.”

She nodded.

He tipped the
glass to her dry, cracked lips. The sooner she recovered from this ordeal, the
quicker they could resume living their lives in peace. Now that he had his
countess, all was right in the world.

“Bastian, tell me,
what ever happened to that woman, the one who shot me.”

He groaned loud
enough for all the house to hear. “Must I, dear? Truth be told, I’d love
nothing more than to put that wretched wench out of my mind, once and for all.”
Yet, he could not bring himself to keep her from the truth. Cordelia deserved
to learn what had transpired after she lost had consciousness, and preferably
by him.

“Well, after you
collapsed, she threw herself out of the window. Her intent was probably to end
her life, however, the good Lord sought to bring her to justice. The idiot
landed in a cart with some market wares, trapping her under some crates of
fruit, and she was apprehended. The last I heard, she was being held at
Newgate, and was bound for Sydney Cove on the next ship.”

“What do you mean,
Sydney Cove? They really mean to exile her with other criminals?”

Bastian snorted in
contempt. “Do not tell me you are sympathetic to her cause.”

“No.” Cordelia
winced and blew out a long, tired breath. “I am just surprised.”

“Do not be. She is
deserving of her punishment. Now, allow me to bring in our son. I am certain
you will be pleased to see him.”

Bastian rose from
the bed, walked to the bell, and rang for assistance. A moment later Duncan
arrived. “Sir, how may I assist?”

“Please have
Beatrice bring Matthew in. His mama wishes to see him.”

The servant nodded
and departed with haste. A few moments later, the sound of a waling baby
approached. The second the door opened and the child came into view, Cordelia
raised her arms. Beatrice gently placed the baby into them, and he began to
coo.

“Look how happy he
is to be finally reunited with his mama. I couldn’t have asked for a finer
moment. How do you feel, my dear?”

“Incandescently
happy, and glad for this drama to have ended. What news do we have from
Leicester?”

“Your ancestral
home is now ready for us. Matthew and some of the
marquess
’
servants went ahead to prepare the home for our arrival. They have even cleared
out a few rooms for any additions to our family unit in the future, and I
thought of creating a room just for ourselves. For our particular use of
entertainment when we are alone. What say you?”

Despite wincing
from discomfort, she managed a smile and stifled a giggle with the baby kicking
up a fuss in her arms. “I cannot wait to see what surprises you have in store
for me, my lord.”

Bastian chuckled.
She knew his style too well. He was, after all, her deviant lord.

*THE
END*

About the Author

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Layna
discovered her love of reading at an early age. When she isn’t devouring
salacious romance novels or writing, she enjoys losing herself in researching
ancient history and mythology, weaponry, and hiking. She lives in Northern
Ontario, with her husband and two daughters.

Other Books by Layna

A Gift from Fate

Hardened Desire

Scandal at Vauxhall
(Pleasure Garden Follies 1)

A Sinful Education (Pleasure
Garden Follies 2)

Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com