Kidnapped (6 page)

“Good morning, my dear.” Alexis shivered at the endearment. “I had heard that you had been returned, your mother sent me a note this morning, and I had to come by and see for myself that no harm had befallen you.” Alexis pasted an uncomfortable smile upon her face.
 

“Thank you, my Lord, as you can see I am perfectly fine. The Earl of Adderly happened upon me and rescued me quite heroically from my captors. Do you know of him?” Alexis watched him closely, except for a heightened color, there was no response.
 

“Not very well, my dear.” He smiled; though it looked a little forced and did not reach his eyes.
 

 “So you say that Lord Adderly rescued you?” He was watching her closely now, and Alexis had to resist the urge to squirm.
 

 “Yes, he was very brave.” The Marquis suddenly looked mutinously angry.
 

 “You my dear, are a liar, a skilled one, but a liar all the same. Do you think that I am so stupid that I did not recognize that wretches voice when he held me at gunpoint in the church?” Alexis paled at his sudden vicious attack though she was determined to stick to the tale she and Gabriel had devised. Their future depended on it.
 

“I am sure I do not know what you mean Sir, it was a very trying time for us all, and I am sure that mistakes could have been made.” The Marquis looked like he wanted to strike her for her impertinence, but instead he pursed his lips and said nothing.
 

 “I am actually glad that you came over my Lord, for there was something of importance that I wished to discuss with you.” The Marquis arched an angry eyebrow at her but remained silent.
 

“I wish to be released from our betrothal; I am sure after all this scandal you no longer wish to be married to me either.” Alexis was stunned when the Marquis began to laugh, but it was not a deep chest rumbling humorous laugh like Gabriel’s, it was cold and sinister and put her instantly ill at ease.
 

“What is funny my Lord?” Alexis asked though she was certain she did not want to know.
 

 “I came over here to end this disastrous betrothal.” Alexis breathed a sigh of relief and smiled genuinely for the first time.
 

 “Then it is settled.” The Marquis eyed her coldly, a sneer upon his face.
 

 “No, it is certainly not” Alexis stared at him in confusion.
 

“I do not know what you mean?” Alexis was truly confused.
 

 “I no longer wish for our engagement to end.” Alexis grew cold at his words.
 

“But you just said…” She began to protest, but Delacourt cut her off.
 

“I
knew
it was Adderly in that mask. How could I not? It made me angry that he would dare take something that was mine, but I was prepared to drop you… after all what would a Marquis want with spoiled goods?” The look he gave her was as if she were an insect crawling across his boot.
 

“You should never play cards my dear; you have a terrible poker face.” The Marquis laughed ghoulishly. “You have given your entire hand away. I
will
keep this engagement because I can see how badly you want Adderly; he has had you, has he not? You whored yourself to him when you were his prisoner!” Alexis’s face turned red, not from embarrassment but from fury, though she forced herself to say nothing; it was apparent the Marquis did not expect a response.
 

 “As much as I hate him, Adderly is a disgustingly honorable man… he would never have fucked you if he did not care about you a great deal.” The Marquis looked gleeful now. “He wants you and I am not going to let him have you.”
 

Alexis could no longer hold her tongue. “You have forgotten an important part of that plan hinges on me agreeing to marry you.” Alexis dropped all pretense of Lady like decorum and actually smirked at the Marquis. “I would not marry you if I was starving on the street and you were my only salvation! Did you think Gabriel would not tell me what you did to his sister? You are a monster.” Much to Alexis’s frustration the Marquis only laughed at her impassioned speech.
 

“You will marry me, or I shall offer for one of your sisters.” He sent a disgusted look at her flame red hair. “I usually prefer blondes anyway… who is that blonde little sister of yours? Millie I believe her name is?” Delacourt smirked at her as Alexis turned suddenly quite pale. He knew he had her. Alexis felt ill at the thought of Delacourt married to her soft spoken, younger sister.
 

 Her parents would never believe her that Delacourt was evil, they were too dazzled at the prospect of having a Marquis in the family and Delacourt was smart, he had never given any of them a reason to believe he was a monster. Alexis felt helpless and ill at the thought.
 

 “You do not want me… It is as you said, I have been bedded by Gabriel, and you could not possibly want a wife like that!” She was desperate so she had thrown caution to the wind and despite the flair of embarrassment that flooded her cheeks she stared back at the Marquis stonily. He gave a casual shrug of his black clad shoulder.
 

“What do I care if you are not an untried virgin? I can buy one of those anywhere; I shall abstain from your wifely bed until I can be certain that you are not with child. I will not play father to some bastard.”
 

 “And what if I am?” Alexis challenged; certain she did not want to know.
 

“A short sojourn in the country and the little bastard can be shipped off to a work camp. It will be like it never happened. And then I shall be able to enjoy your many attributes, the best of them, being how tortured Gabriel will be when I take you.” The Marquis sneered, and Alexis felt her heart accelerate in fear. She would never agree to give her child up to a work house.
 

 “If I am with child… the baby must go to Gabriel.” Alexis bartered, her heart breaking in two even as she spoke the words for, despite everything she knew about this man, she could not sentence her sister to a fate worse than death, the fate of being this awful man’s wife. At least she had read the journals and knew what to expect, Millie was far too soft, he would kill her just as surely as he had killed Gabriel’s sister.
 

 She would be able to deal with it better than Millie; she could stand up for herself, perhaps even kill the bastard if he hurt her too badly. To her surprise the Marquis readily agreed to her terms. Seeing the obvious question on her face he laughingly explained it to her.
 

 “It will be all the sweeter revenge on Adderly, a constant reminder in the flesh of what he has lost.” Alexis was sickened by his words, but she nodded her head.
 

“Then I will marry you.” The Marquis left shortly after and Alexis sat down to pen Gabriel the hardest letter she had ever written. She could not tell him of the Marquis’s blackmail, for he would try to find a way around it and any way Alexis thought it through the only way out of it was to sacrifice her sister.
 

    Gabriel was meeting with his man of business; a lot had happened in the past two days since he had been away. He was in real danger of losing a massive shipping contract with the French. The contract was worth over half a million pounds and would sink his business if he lost it. Gabriel was going to have to go across the channel himself to France to sort it out. He was making preparations to leave the following day when an urgent letter bearing the Grant crest was delivered via a liveried footman.
 

 He had not yet had a chance to explain the situation to her, but had been planning on a visit later that afternoon. Excusing himself while he read the letter, his face blanched and he threw the paper into the flames of the fireplace after reading it. What in the hell did she mean she had changed her mind, and she
wanted
to marry Delacourt. Had the woman gone daft? She had written that she did not want him to try and stop her, nor, in fact, did she want to see him ever again.
 

Like hell, Gabriel thought as he shouted for his coachman, leaving his man of business sitting forgotten in the library.
 

 Outside the palatial Mayfair mansion, however, Gabriel found himself barred entrance, he even tried to force his way through, but Alexis must have been anticipating that and
several burly footmen were waiting to escort him unceremoniously back to the street. Cursing Gabriel penned Alex a note and waited tersely on the street for a response. The response was his letter returned un opened on a silver slather.
 

Sickened by her sudden change of heart Gabriel turned dejectedly and headed for home.
 

  Alexis watched him pace the street like a caged lion as tears streamed down her face until Alexis could no longer see at all... She felt her heart breaking into tiny pieces and when he turned and left, she felt her heart crumble and leave with him. Turning back to her bed, she curled up in a ball and sobbed. After she was wed she would write him a note and explain, it would be too late then, but for now she could not risk his interference.
 

He must hate her; she thought as pain so severe tore through her chest, leaving behind only a dull, empty ache, but it was better this way…
 

    Gabriel returned home and immediatly jumped aboard a ship for France. The ride across the channel allowed him time alone with his thoughts, which only served to haunt him with memories of Alexis. He could not eat; he had never before had sea sickness in his life, but he was terribly ill and it did not go away when he reached the shore, for it was his heart that was aching, not a sea sickened stomach.
 

   Gabriel arrived at his meeting with his French counterparts, dressed smartly in his best navy colored waistcoat, black jacket and snowy white cravat tied perfectly. He had not eaten a thing since he had left England four days ago, for he could not find the will to eat, nor could he keep anything down. He quickly smoothed over the issue and left, it had taken less than an hour to negotiate and had not been worth the trip, but when half a million pounds were on the line, he supposed even one second of his time was worth the trip.
 

 Gabriel stopped at a bistro and ordered a scorching hot cup of coffee, the only thing keeping him upright now was the caffeine.
 

 As Gabriel sat on the patio, he watched the people pass by. A tall red head, dressed in the latest fashion sauntered by in a group of young ladies, and Gabriel craned his neck to catch a better glimpse of her; for a moment, it had looked like Alexis, his mind was playing tricks on him.
 

Gabriel shook his head mournfully, after everything he had shared with her… for her to choose Delacourt over him. It was surreal.
 

 Gabriel paused, cup halfway to his lips. It
was
surreal. Alexis would never
willingly
choose to wed a monster like Delacourt, of that Gabriel was suddenly certain. The bastard had to be holding something over her head, or he had threatened her somehow. Gabriel shot to his feet; he had to get back to England and save her. He had once told Alexis that he would fight for her against one hundred armed men… well here she was facing only one, unarmed man, and he had run off to France.
 

 He felt a total cad; he only hoped that he was not too late. Not watching where he was going Gabriel came up short when he collided quite hard with another person. A woman,
“I am so sorry Madame.” Gabriel began to apologize; putting his hand out to steady the woman he had nearly run down and froze as he glanced up and saw her face.
 

 It could not be. The gasp of shock from the woman opposite him contradicted him. It looked like her, and it was.
 

   “Emmaline? How can this be? You died.” It was perhaps not the most couth thing to say to one’s sister. But when one’s sister had been dead for the past six years, a social faux pas here and there was probably allowed. Gabriel’s head spun, the woman quickly ducked her head murmuring away in French.
 

 “Non, non, Monsieur you are mistaken.” But he was not, he knew it.
 

 “Damn it Emmy! Look at me.” The woman grudgingly lifted her head, and Gabriel saw tears glittering in her eyes, his sister’s eyes.
 

 “Gabe, I am so sorry…” She began, but Gabriel cut her off, wrapping her up in his arms he embraced her, lifting her feet off the ground, he spun her around before he gently set her down. When he did so, his own eyes were damp.
 

“But how are you alive after all these years? I saw your body?” Gabriel was perplexed. Pulling him over to the seat he had just vacated Emmaline held his hand tightly in her own.
 

 “I hated to leave you… but I could not live that way another moment, it was
disgusting.
” Gabriel nodded his head; he was still too excited at finding his sister alive to be angry.
 

“He beat me so badly the last time that I pleaded with Doctor Perry, begged him to give me a sleeping draught that would make me appear as though I had died. I paid him handsomely to remove my body from the house. A few hours later, I awoke in his private parlor and fled for my life.”
 

 “So you were never sick?” Gabriel’s head was spinning at this tale straight from bedlam.
 

“Non, that part was true. I was terribly ill, and Delacourt was killing me day by day with all his menial tasks. I think he was purposely trying to kill me… I only gave him what he wanted.” She shrugged her shoulders helplessly
 

“Why did you not confide in me?” The hurt was obvious in his voice and on his face, and Emmaline’s eyes filled up with tears as she shook her head.