Conquering a Viscount (5 page)

“I am going to get my sister you buffoon.” She told him impatiently.  “Now, kindly remove your hand from my person.”

He jerked his hand away.  “I don’t want to see you get hurt again.” He told her solemnly, looking straight into her eyes. 

She softened her expression.  “
Jonathan
, I must go, I can’t sit around and do nothing.”  Her eyes pleaded with him for understanding.  She knew the moment he accepted her presence.  She eyed the horses lined up and made her selection. 
Clinton
raised an eyebrow at her in question but the look s
he shot him silenced any remarks
.  It did not take her long to realize she was in for a miserable and exhausting ride.  An hour had not passed and she caught herself dozing in and out of sleep.

             
She knew not how long she was asleep when she felt a strong pair of hands lift her from her horse.  She was startled until she realized
Jonathan
was placing her in front of him on his mount.  She relaxed herself against his body and allowed herself to drift into a fitful sleep.

             
Jonathan
looked down at the sleeping bundle in front of him.  Was it just a few hours ago they had made love?  His body was painfully aware of her presence and he silently cursed it for its betrayal.  She was exhausted, with dark shadows fanning her eyes.  Her lips were still rosy from his passionate kisses.  

Even though she had been through hell in the past day, it had no bearing on her beauty.  Juliet had grown into a lovely and passionate woman.  He forced himself to keep his thoughts on the task.  He knew the circumstances behind Emily’s background and knew her uncle was probably unstable after
Clinton
had removed Emily’s inheritance from his grasps a few months earlier. 
Clinton
had saved Emily from her family upon meeting her at the gentlemen’s club her aunt and uncle operated, that in truth rightfully belonged to her.

             
He studied
Clinton
’s profile. He looked weary and more than angry. There was little doubt Emily’s uncle kept Olivia at the gentlemen’s club against her will. 
Clinton
rebuked their ownership to the club but allowed them to remain as employees.  It also explained the specific demand for their party to leave London.  Making them leave the area bought him valuable time to relocate once he realized his first attempt to collect the ransom failed. 
Jonathan
’s back and arm ached but he tightened his grip on Juliet.  She stirred and looked up at him sleepily.  He placed a kiss to her forehead before he thought about it.  She snuggled deeper into his arms. He looked up and met
Clinton
’s steely gaze.  He knew his friend noticed the tender moment. When this ordeal was over, he had no doubt
Clinton
would demand to know why
Jonathan
felt comfortable enough to kiss Juliet.

~~~*****~~~

             
Jonathan
pushed his way through the door into
Clinton
’s room.  He was in no mood to explain his actions towards Juliet.  Their party had discreetly checked into a small inn down from the gentlemen’s club to formulate a plan to rescue Olivia. 
Thomas
glanced up at him as he walked in. 
Clinton
however, ignored him.  He noticed the room fell silent upon his arrival.  His s
tomac
h clenched at the sight of Juliet sitting in the corner chair.  She had freshened up since their arrival and although she was pale, she portrayed a sensual sexiness attired in men’s britches.

             
She avoided making eye contact with him and abruptly cleared her throat and focused her attention on
Thomas
.  They quickly discussed a plan to send Juliet into the club under the disguise of a delivery boy. 
Thomas
would take her to the club and wait outside while she secretly searched the premises. 
Jonathan
could feel heat rising up the back of his neck.  So, this was how it was to be then?  She wanted
Thomas
to take her to the club.  He bit back an angry comment.  He must have made a noise however because
Clinton
and
Thomas
both turned to look at him, but he only raised his eyebrows in response.  He would be damned if he would be wrapped around any woman’s finger.  Juliet could play games if she wanted to, but he would not participate.

             
“I think it’s a fine idea for
Thomas
to be the one to take her.”
Jonathan
said after a few moments of silence.  “After all, he and I both were in and out frequenting different places every night; he should hardly be recognized if someone were to see him.”  Juliet shot him a look of loathing at the mention of his and
Thomas
’s escapades. 
Jonathan
felt strangely triumphant he had struck a nerve.

             
“Very well,
Jonathan
.”
Clinton
said, “You and I will be in the immediate area if Juliet should fail to emerge safely from the club.” 
Jonathan
nodded his head in agreement.  He was hardly aware of anything else spoken before they each departed to prepare for the search.  Juliet had not looked at him anymore the entire time.  He was trying to figure out why it made him feel as if he had lost his best friend.

~~~*****~~~

             
Juliet’s eyes narrowed as she followed
Thomas
and
Jonathan
out of the inn.  How dare he mention his liaisons with other women in her presence?  He knew she was untried, he had taken her innocence but still felt the need to throw his experiences in her face.  She shook herself free of those thoughts.  She reviewed the mental layout
Thomas
had given her of the club.  There was a room in the attic that Emily stayed in that he felt might be the place Olivia was being kept.  It would be the first place she visited.  Although Albert would know what she looked like as a woman, he should not be able to recognize her in the attire she wore. 
Thomas
even reached down, ran his finger through the dirt, and smeared it across her face to give her the look of an unkempt young lad.

             
She seen the rage in
Jonathan
’s face when
Thomas
touched her, but he stifled it quickly.  Good, he should feel jealous she thought.  Who was to say she could not move on from her ordeal with
Jonathan
?  His aloof attitude after their lovemaking was wearing thin on her nerves.  She felt so guilty for allowing herself to forget for one moment that Olivia was out there somewhere, possibly hurt.

             
She climbed into an unmarked hack
Thomas
that had rented and tried to settle her nerves.  She could do this.  If she spoke as little as possible and kept herself unnoticed, she could have Olivia back in her arms soon and this horrible nightmare would be over.  The hack came to a stop and before she could exit,
Thomas
grabbed her hand.  “Be careful, and remember I am right outside if something should happen.”  She gave him an appreciative smile and climbed down. 

             
Making her way quickly to the back, she grabbed a box of kitchen supplies
Clinton
had planted on the side of the building for her to “deliver”.  Pulling her hat down low over her eyes, she beat upo
n the back entrance door.  “Yes
, what do you want?” a stout man wearing an apron barked at her.

“Deliver
y
, sir,” she said in timid voice. 

“Come on in then, don’t just stand there like a dolt.” The man snapped.  She was too relieved to have gained entrance so easy to feel stung by the rude man’s harsh tone.  He pointed out the direction to the stockroom and she put the box down with a huff. 
Clinton
could have made it a little lighter.

             
Once she was sure she was alone, she made her way to the servant’s staircase.  According to
Clinton
and
Thomas
, this staircase led directly upstairs to an attic room.  With her heart in her throat she carefully inched herself up the staircase.  Luckily, she encountered no one and stood at the door to the room in a matter of minutes.  Taking every precaution, she peered through the keyhole to discern if anyone was in the room.

             
Seeing nothing, she slowly turned the doorknob, flinching with every squeak it produced.  She eased open the door and was greeted with the sight of her tiny sister hog-tied to a small bed.  She wasted no time in untying her sister and removing her gag from her mouth.  Olivia threw her arms around Juliet’s neck and sobbed.  “Shush,” Juliet crooned to her stroking her hair.  “We are not out of danger yet little one; I need you to be quiet.”  She felt Olivia nodding her head and she quickly picked her sister up and crept back down the staircase.  The hard part was going to be getting through the kitchen unnoticed. 

             
She sat Olivia down at the end of the stairs and snuck a glance around the corner.  A skinny young maid was approaching humming under her breath.  She reached out her hand and stopped her.  “Do you know where the cook is, someone was complaining about the food and he is needed out front.” 

             
“Oh, dear, I will get him right away!” she scurried away.  Juliet listened as she went to the kitchen to relay the message to the cook. The cook shouted an obscenity and made his way out of the kitchen.  She snatched Olivia up and ran towards the back entrance as if the devil himself were upon her heels.

Once
Clinton
was satisfied with Olivia’s well being, he wasted no time in loading both Juliet and Olivia in the rented hack to head back to the estates.  Juliet felt a pang of disappointment when
Thomas
climbed in the hack with them instead of
Jonathan
. 
She tried to keep
her face expressionless, but apparently,
Thomas
noticed.  He shrugged his shoulders to let her know he was unsure as to why he was chosen as their escort back home.

             
After a couple hours of silence, Juliet finally asked
Thomas
what
Clinton
and
Jonathan
had stayed behind before in London.  Olivia was fast asleep, eased in peace by Juliet’s gentle stroking of her hair. 

             
“They are going to make sure that Albert Turner spends the rest of his life rotting in a prison.”  

She raised her eyebrows in question.  “How are they even sure he was there in the first place?  Someone could have been keeping Olivia at the club while Albert is pulling the strings elsewhere.”

             
Thomas
pondered for a moment.  “You could be correct, however we have nothing to fear, I will see you both home safely.”

             
They fell back into a comfortable silence.  Juliet peeked from under her lashes and surveyed
Thomas
.  She could see why Elisabeth was smitten.  He was a very handsome man.  He had an aloofness about him, which was quite distracting, as if he kept every one at arm’s length.    She stared down at her sister’s tear stained face and said a quick prayer of thanks that Olivia was unharmed.  Her mother would be so happy and relieved.  Poor Olivia more than likely would not be let out of any of their sights ever again.

             
Juliet felt a small shrug against her shoulders and opened her eyes.  She had fallen asleep! No wonder, with all the madness she had gone through. 
Thomas
was standing over her; he had already lifted Olivia from the hack and was attempting to wake her.  They were home.  Juliet felt a rush of excitement and relief.  Her sister was home unharmed, now maybe everything would go back to normal. 

             
After she spoke with her mother, she planned on taking a bath and sleeping straight through the next twenty-four hours. There were tears of joy aplenty as all the women in the house coddled Olivia.  Juliet made her way upstairs after letting her maid know she would like a bath.  Once she bathed and swaddled herself in nightclothes, she pulled the covers over her head and fell into a deep sleep.

~~~*****~~~

             
“I have a bad feeling about this,
Clinton
.”
Jonathan
told him anxiously.  They had just proceeded to search the men’s club and to no avail.  Albert was not there.  Evelyn Turner proclaimed her innocence, and
Jonathan
knew she lied.  Someone had to be caring for Olivia in the attic room.  If Albert had not been there, it only left her. 
Clinton
promptly threw her out on the streets, heedless of her wailing and pleading. 
Jonathan
did not fault his friend at all in his decision of throwing the woman out.  He had concerns, however regarding the uncle’s whereabouts.  He was worried Albert could have followed the hack to the estates in which Juliet, Olivia, and
Thomas
had traveled.  He had hired help before and he could hire it again. 
Jonathan
put nothing past a man in his desperation.