Kidnapped (2 page)

  Resisting the urge to try to pat her hair into place, she reminded herself that this was surely the same man who had kidnapped her, he was merely unmasked. Glancing at him once more, she studied him carefully and did indeed see the faint outline of a welt upon his cheek where she had struck him with the whip. She felt a fierce sense of satisfaction upon seeing evidence of her handy work.
 

 “You must have questions for me?” The man asked in his cultured aristocratic voice and Alexis jumped, realizing she had been staring at him, lost deep in her own thoughts. Alexis was just forming the questions she wanted to ask when the coach came to a halt. The coachman appeared, giving a quick bow to them both, not even batting an eyelash at her restraints.
 

 “We have arrived My Lord” Alexis stared at the man in shock. Of course, she had noted his aristocratic features, but to know that the man that had kidnapped her was a Peer, it was nearly inconceivable. The man seemed to be able to read her thoughts and sent her a small shrug even as he reached over and untied her bonds.
 

 As soon as she felt the rope fall free Alexis jumped into action, ready to attempt escape once more, but found that she was quite stiff from sitting so long, tied up no less, and
nearly fell on her face when she tried out her rubbery legs. Her odious kidnapper caught her easily and not releasing her as a proper gentleman would have done, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her from the carriage.
 

Alexis began to struggle once more, but the man only held her more firmly. Glancing around she saw that they were in the middle of nowhere with fields that stretched on and on, with only a rather small country home in sight. The man nodded to his coachman, who stood silently waiting.
 

“Is everything in order here?” He seemed to have almost forgotten that he still held her in his arms; he acted as though she weighed nothing at all. The coachman nodded, careful not to make eye contact with her.
 

“Then thank you, you may be on your way” The man commanded with an air of authority, the coachman hesitated a moment and her captor looked at him sharply.
 

 “Damn it Henderson, you know she is perfectly safe with me.” Henderson looked sheepish as he once more nodded; climbing up onto the coach, he gathered up his reins and drove off with a crack of his whip.
 

 “Where is he going?” Alexis demanded incredulously, watching the retreating view of the coach.
 

 “Away.” The man said simply before striding over to the cottage, he carried her over the threshold, and only then did he release her. “I could not leave the horses here in case you tried to escape.” Alexis glanced around frantically.
 

 “HELP!” She began to call at the top of her lungs.
 

 “There is no one here but you and I.” The man interrupted her mid bellow and Alexis began to feel truly fearful of just what this man intended.
 

 “Perhaps you should come into the library and allow me to explain?” He held out his arm gallantly, as if they were at some soiree, rather than the deserted home of a kidnapper. Alexis cast an arched eyebrow at his offer before folding her arms stubbornly across her chest. She wanted nothing more than to turn and run in the opposite direction, but she reluctantly followed him as he gave up and led the way to the library. Perhaps it would be best to have a little more information before she attempted another escape.
 

  The library was quite luxurious despite the outwardly dilapidated appearance of the cottage; Alexis chose a chair as far opposite her kidnapper as she could get and folding her hands in her lap; she waited stubbornly for him to begin.
 

   “I feel that given the circumstances, I should introduce myself. My name is Gabriel Pierce.” Alexis stared at him a moment; the name sounded familiar to her, but she could not place it, though it nagged quite insistently at the edges of her conscious, and then suddenly she knew.
 

She remembered hearing gossip about a Gabriel Pierce; a long lost Earl, that had just returned from the America’s. He had apparently made his fortune in shipping.
 

 “Why, you are the Earl of Adderly, are you not?” Alexis blurted out stunned, Gabriel nodded.
 

“You have heard of me?” He asked though it was obviously rhetorical.
 

“Everyone has heard of you, you’re in all the on dit’s…”
 

 “The Marquis of Evans was my brother in law.” The Earl explained, as if that explained anything.
 

Alexis frowned at the new information. “Your sister was his first wife?” Her brows knitted in a frown as she tried to understand. “I am afraid that I do not understand, if the two of you are family… then why would you steal his bride? He loved your sister very much; certainly I would never try and replace that affection.”
 

 Gabriel laughed then, though it was a humorless laugh that sent chills down her spine. “Is that what he told you?” He asked, his face darkening in obvious anger.
 

It had indeed been what Dante had told her, but somehow it did not appear to be the same memories that the Earl had. Alexis hesitated a moment; she truly did not want to get herself in the middle of a family squabble but it seemed that was exactly where she already was. “Surely whatever you think Dante did, does it really justify kidnapping an innocent woman?” She was more than a little angry; the Earl had used her to punish her fiancé, even if he did let her go, she would return to scandal. “I am ruined now, completely ruined because of what you did. Your man knocked my father unconscious with a gun, and you expect me to understand? I
expect
you to take me home this instant.” Alexis was working herself into a rage now; she could feel the blood begin pouring into her face.
 

 It was the curse of her fiery red hair, a fiery red temper to go with it; her father had always told her. Her sisters were all blonde and even tempered, but Alexis was certain her anger was a better comfort right now than lady like platitudes.
 

“Even if I wanted to, I cannot… the carriage and the horses are gone, we are here like it or not.” Alexis tried to take a deep calming breath to avoid jumping from her chair and striking him.
 

 “And if the horses were here? Would you really return me?”
 

 “No” It was only one word, but it spoke volumes. He had gotten up and now stood before her.
 

 “You are a horrible man, and I hate you” Alexis spat, swinging her hand trying to strike him across the face, but he easily caught her arm and held it immobile. He looked angry now too, and Alexis felt a bit fearful of him as his blue eyes flashed coldly.
 

“I know that you do not see it now, but one of these days you will see that I have saved you from a horrible fate.” Alexis felt a shudder run down her spine at his words, they were spoken with such passion that Alexis found herself morbidly intrigued. It was obvious, whatever his reason for hating Dante, this man believed it.
 

“Explain it to me?” He still held her closely, and it was a moment before either one of them realized it.
 

“You would not believe me” He said wearily as he quickly released her and took the seat opposite her on the settee.
 

“I think you owe me an explanation for kidnapping me, let me decide what I would or would not believe.” The Earl looked cynical, and for a moment, Alexis did not think he would speak. She was almost ready to get up and stomp from the room when he began to speak in a hollow voice.
 

“My parents died when I was two, leaving my sister and I alone. My sister married Delacourt when I was four, because of my father’s death, I was already the Earl of Adderly but my sister knew nothing about managing my estate. She married so that I would have a man to guide me; as her husband, everything went in trust to Delacourt to manage until I reached my majority…. At first everything seemed fine; I was too young to know the difference.” The Earl stopped speaking and scrubbed his hands over his face before continuing, he suddenly looked very tired.
 

“When I was ten or so, I walked in on my sister sobbing, there were bruises on her face- she tried to tell me that she had walked into the door, but I knew then.” Alexis began to feel a prickle of unease steal across her, his story had the bone chilling ring of truth. His face showed such real grief that she could have wept for him. Unconsciously Alexis reached her hand out and rested it on his arm, a sign of comfort. The Earl jumped at her touch, casting her a disbelieving look. How this woman he had just kidnapped could be showing
him
compassion, was bedlam.
 

 Leaving her arm on his as a warm, reassuring weight, he continued his story. “After that I started noticing the violence and my sister’s unhappiness more and more. I tried defending her… but I was not large enough and usually ended up being beaten for defying him.” Alexis felt her heart go out to him; crazily the man who had kidnapped her now had her sympathy.
 

 Gabriel shook his head, as though reading her thoughts and was trying to shake off her compassion. “I should have done more…” Alexis refused to let him shake her off, grabbing his hand she held on tightly when he tried to draw away.
 

 “You were only a
child,
there was nothing you could have done against a full grown man. He must have been so much bigger and stronger than you.” Alexis felt her heart aching for this man and what he had gone through.
 

 “When I was fifteen my sister got truly sick, but that bastard was still relentless. He made demands on her that no Lady should have had to submit to. He made her do menial jobs that the servants should have been doing. Delacourt would go out of his way just to humiliate and degrade her; it was a sport for him.” The anger was unmistakable; his body vibrated with it, and Alexis felt sickened by the man she had almost married. She did not know why she believed this stranger, but she did, totally and utterly.
 

 “I contacted my family solicitors and began making arrangements to rescue my sister; I was an Earl after all and nearly out of the school room.” This last bit was said with so much self-loathing and bitterness that Alexis flinched. “The courts were too slow to react, and my sister died, died like a servant… worse than a servant.
I
would never treat a whore on the street as badly as that man treated Emmaline.”
 

His voice was haunted with memories as he spoke and Alexis wanted to weep for him. “The night she died … I lost it, I surprised Delacourt in his study; he was half in his cups or I would have never stood a chance. I beat him within an inch of his life that night before I left, and I have never to this day been back to his home. It was still two months before I turned sixteen and received my majority. I lived on the streets of London fighting to survive, anything was better than living with that monster.
 

 When I finally did inherit, it was to find nothing was left except the entailed properties. In revenge, Delacourt mismanaged my estates so badly that I was completely broke when I reached my majority.” Alexis gasped; she found it nearly impossible to imagine that the same man who had courted her with such seeming sincerity was capable of such treachery, but for some reason, she could not doubt Gabriel’s words. Her heart knew it was true.
 

 “Is that why you went to America?” She had heard the gossip about the strange Earl of Adderly, who went against the convention of the Ton and worked for his money.
He is no better than a commoner working the wharf; s
he had heard the old biddies gossiping salaciously at balls, and now she wanted to strike out against them for their spite.
 

This man had been through so much; what right did the Matrons have to judge him so harshly? “Yes, I made my fortune back in shipping… but now I am back, and I have to make Delacourt pay” His voice chilled her, there was so much anger in it… but hurt too, and without thinking Alexis wrapped her arms around him and held him in an embrace. She felt him stiffen, but she refused to let go, there had been far too little comfort in his life.
 

    Gabriel could not have been more shocked if she had pulled out a knife and stabbed him through the heart. His first reaction was to pull away, but his mind and body were totally disconnected from one another. His body craved the closeness; it was then that he realized that he did not even know her name.
 

 “I do not know your name, not your true name?” Gabriel echoed his thoughts, for suddenly he
had
to know. All he knew was that her last name was Grant. Alexis felt his breath puff out to tantalize her ear when he spoke. It was true; he had bared his soul to her and she had not even told him her name.
 

 “Alexis.” She whispered as they still continued to cling to each other. Gabriel pulled back a little and caressed her cheek between his thumb and forefinger.
 

 “Alexis” He said the name almost reverently. “It suits you.” And then he was kissing her. His mouth descended upon hers and instead of pulling away as she should have done, Alexis felt herself respond. She had been kissed before by a bold suitor several years ago and once, a chaste peck from the Marquis on the cheek, but neither of those kisses had prepared her for this.
 

 His lips were demanding and soothing both at once, hard yet soft. Alexis whimpered at the space that still existed between them and Gabriel as though he could read her mind, pulled her even closer locking her in his iron grip as their bodies melded together. His tongue playfully prodded her lips, until with a sigh Alexis opened for him. She had never
before been kissed thus, but she had read about it, secretly in the penny novels she had secreted away in her room beneath the mattress. Young women seduced by tall roguish heroes; Alexis opened her eyes to stare briefly at Gabriel, yes, he matched the description; before twining her hands in his hair and becoming lost in his drugging kisses.