Regency Romance Collection From Christina Courtenay (18 page)

Ianthe stared at him in shock for a moment, before recovering her composure. She replied in French that she was Lady Wyckeham and that he was trespassing on her husband’s land. ‘Let me go, sir,’ she demanded.

‘
Nom de Dieu
, but I don’t think so,’ the man muttered, keeping hold of her as he raked her with his eyes from top to toe, making what she assumed to be appreciative noises. A grin spread over his dark features. ‘Surely,
Madame
has time to stay for a short while?’

‘No, I don’t. Let go of me this instant, or it will be the worse for you.’ Ianthe began to struggle, but his grip was impossible to break and when he hauled her up close to his body, one arm snaked around her and held her even tighter. Ianthe tried kicking his shins, twisting and turning, but this only seemed to encourage him.

‘I like a woman who fights a little.
C’est magnifique
.’ He chuckled.

In that case, Ianthe decided, the time had come to fight dirty. She had two younger brothers, who were boxing mad, and she’d heard them discussing fighting tactics on numerous occasions. Without further ado, she went limp in the man’s arms so he lost his grip slightly, then her hand shot out and she poked him in the eyes with two fingers. He yelled out a curse and let go of her to clutch his eyes, and Ianthe didn’t wait to see what he would do next. She picked up her skirts and ran.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Her rides with Harriet had taken her to the top of the cliffs once or twice and Ianthe quickly got her bearings once she’d scrambled up the steep path to the top. She thanked her lucky stars the man had been alone. He’d also been rather heavyset and she had no doubt she could outrun him if she had to. With her heart beating like a demented bird inside a cage, she continued on towards the Hall, looking behind her every few seconds to make sure the man wasn’t following. Thankfully there was no sign of him.

‘My lady! Where have you been? And your gown …’ The butler, Melmoth, stared at her in dismay when she barged into the main hall some time later, breathing heavily and sinking on to the nearest chair.

‘I … coast … Frenchman …’ she began, then realised she wasn’t making sense. She held up a hand to indicate that she needed to get her breath back, and Melmoth waited patiently, looking concerned. Just as she was finally able to speak again, Caroline entered from the back hall where the cellar door was situated. She stopped when she caught sight of Ianthe and a nervous tremor seemed to course through her.

‘Ah, there you are,’ she said in a voice that was as breezy as it was false. ‘I know you said you were going into the cellar, but you’d been gone so long I’ve just been to look for you.’

‘Oh, really?’ Ianthe scowled at her. ‘You don’t think the fact that you locked me in had anything to do with the matter?’

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, my dear.’ Caroline feigned surprise. ‘Why would I do such a thing? I only told you to go and inspect the wine.’

Ianthe knew Caroline was lying through her teeth, but as the woman was clearly shaken, perhaps she hadn’t intended to leave Ianthe downstairs for so long. She concluded the whole episode had only been intended to teach her a lesson.

‘My lady,’ Melmoth interjected. ‘You mentioned a Frenchman?’

‘Yes, I found a secret tunnel that leads down to the coast, to a cave.’

‘Ah,’ Melmoth said, ‘that must be the old smuggler’s tunnel. I thought it had been closed up.’

‘Evidently not, but I think perhaps you ought to see to it. I found a Frenchman in the cave, you see.’

‘Surely not!’

‘Oh, yes. No doubt about it, but I managed to escape. I have no idea whether he was a smuggler or a spy, but either way, I wouldn’t like to think of him coming into the house in the dead of night.’

‘Smugglers?’ Caroline laughed in a hollow sort of way. ‘Whatever next? You do have a fertile imagination, to be sure.’ But the woman had a strange look on her face and Ianthe could have sworn she wasn’t surprised to hear about this discovery. More likely discomfited if she was aware of such goings-on.
I shall have to tell Jason. No doubt he’ll get to the bottom of this.

Melmoth sent Caroline a disapproving glance before turning back to Ianthe. ‘I’ll see to the tunnel straight away, my lady, but first I’ll order you a bath and send for the physician. You must have been frozen down there. It’s very damp.’

‘I’m fine, Melmoth, really, there’s no need.’

‘Nevertheless, I’m sure his lordship would insist, so if you don’t mind, I shall send for the doctor all the same.’

‘Very well, thank you. And remember, not a word to anyone except his lordship.’

‘You can count on me, my lady.’

They both stared at Caroline, who held up her hands. ‘Who would I tell?’ she protested. ‘I’m being banished to the Dower House after all. And I believe that’s the carriage I can hear outside now so I’ll be on my way. Good day to you both.’

‘I don’t believe it! Of all the … honestly, Ianthe, if I’d thought her capable of such malice, I never would have left you here alone with her.’

Jason had returned and was pacing up and down next to Ianthe’s bed, where she was recovering from her exhausting day. She’d had her bath, which helped to thaw out her frozen limbs, and the doctor had been to see her and prescribed bed rest for a day or two.

‘But I’m not ill,’ she protested.

‘Perhaps not, but you’ve had a shock and trust me, tomorrow you may feel a bit wobbly if you don’t rest,’ the doctor said with a smile. ‘It’s just a precaution.’

The doctor had been on his way out when Jason arrived home, and Jason came straight up to Ianthe’s room, alarmed.

‘It’s all right,’ she said now. ‘I’m fine. I don’t think she meant to leave me down there indefinitely. I just managed to escape before she had time to free me. Besides, the tunnel has been boarded up and Caroline won’t be setting foot in the house for quite a while if I know Melmoth.’ She smiled. ‘He can be very fierce when he wants to be.’

He grinned back. ‘Don’t I know it, but in this instance I’m glad of it. If I have to set eyes on that woman again this side of Christmas, I’ll probably wring her scrawny neck. I’m going to lower her allowance and I’m very tempted to cut it off altogether.’

‘No, please don’t do that. She’ll only come and pester us and I’d rather not see her again either.’

‘You’re right, of course.’ He came to sit on her bed and took her hands in his. ‘I was looking forward to spending some time with just you for a change, but I suppose it will have to wait a day or two now.’

‘I’ll be as right as rain by tomorrow,’ she said. ‘Perhaps we can have dinner for two then?’ She felt herself blush at her own boldness, but throughout the long hours in the cellar her thoughts had kept returning to her husband and she’d been distraught to think she might never see him again. Now he was here, and she knew she had to try and make him love her somehow.

She couldn’t bear it if he didn’t.

He kissed each of her hands in turn and smiled. ‘That sounds like a good plan. I shall look forward to it.’

After a good night’s sleep, Ianthe saw no reason why she should stay in bed. But she rose much later than usual and when she sat down to breakfast, Melmoth informed her that Jason had already gone out for a ride.

‘Just left a moment ago, my lady. I’m sorry, but I believe he thought you would be resting today, else I’m sure he would have waited for you.’

‘Yes, well, I probably ought to take it easy. I’ll just go and write some letters or read a book, I think.’

She had barely sat down at her desk, however, surrounded as usual by her canine companions, when Melmoth knocked on the door to announce that she had a visitor. ‘I’ve put him in the blue salon, my lady. It’s his lordship’s ramshackle relative, Mr Warwycke.’

‘Who?’

‘Mr Gervaise.’

‘Surely not?’ Ianthe frowned.
How dare he show his face here after what he did to me!
Anger surged through her momentarily, then she took a deep breath. ‘Very well, I’ll go and see what he wants, but please stand by in case I need assistance.’

Gervaise was lounging by the French doors that opened on to the vast expanse of lawn at the back of the house and turned with a sardonic smile when she entered. ‘Well, well, quite the grand lady now, aren’t you,’ he mocked, looking her fashionable morning dress up and down. ‘No more outmoded gowns, eh? Looks like country life suits you. Are you breeding yet?’

Ianthe gasped at such crudeness. ‘That is none of your business,’ she said. ‘What do you want? Why have you come here?’

‘Came to visit my relatives, of course, offer my felicitations, that sort of thing. Isn’t it allowed?’ He smirked and Ianthe felt like hitting him to wipe the smug expression off his face.

‘I doubt you’re very welcome here, after what you did to both myself and Robert. If I were you, I’d leave now, before Jason returns and finds you in his house. He won’t be best pleased.’

‘I expect you’re right.’ Gervaise gave an exaggerated sigh, then bowed to her with a mocking flourish. ‘I had hoped to call a truce, but I can see there’s no hope of that. A pity, but I will bid you goodbye then.’

She curtseyed briefly, then stood and watched as he made his way towards her. He had to pass near her in order to reach the door, but although her impulse was to move away from him, she stood her ground.
I’ll show him I’m not afraid of his ilk any longer.

He passed with a smirk, and she half closed her eyes in relief that he was going. But it was short-lived and a gasp of indignation hissed out of her as Gervaise turned unexpectedly and darted behind her. He grabbed her arms and twisted them up behind her back before she could so much as blink. Anger flooded her once more. ‘No! What are you doing? Let go, this instant.’ She tried to fight him off, kicking at his shins, but her thin slippers didn’t have much effect and besides, he sidestepped easily while holding on to both her slim wrists with one strong hand. He quickly produced a small but lethal looking knife from his coat pocket and she stopped struggling at the sight of it.

‘Don’t make a sound if you know what’s good for you,’ he warned. ‘One peep out of you and you’ll be no more.’ His tone of voice was deadly and Ianthe felt a chill snake down her back, freezing her into immobility as the menace implied in his words registered. ‘Now, if you would be so kind as to come with me?’ he added, opening the French doors. ‘We are going for a little walk in the garden.’

‘But I …’ Ianthe was about to protest that she would need to change her shoes, then thought better of it as he brandished the knife.

‘Put your hand on my arm as if we are walking companionably and go, or you’ll feel the point of this,’ he hissed.

Ianthe had no choice but to obey. There was no doubt he was in earnest and she didn’t wish to antagonise him. If she cried out for help, Melmoth would come to her rescue, but by then it may be too late. She simply couldn’t risk it. Somehow, she made her feet move forward, one after the other, even though her whole being was focused on the sharp knife, hidden by his hand and aimed at her.

The French doors lead on to a wide terrace, with steps down to the lawn and rose garden beyond. They stepped outside, Gervaise taking care to close the doors as quietly as possible behind them. ‘This way,’ he whispered and led her to the left, pausing at the top of the stairs to look around for a moment, presumably making sure no one else was about.

Ianthe shivered, although not from cold. Thankfully, she was wearing a spencer since she’d been feeling chilly that morning.

‘Let’s go,’ Gervaise said quietly, but just before she could begin to descend the stairs, he gave her a hard push so that she almost lost her balance and thought she was going to tumble down, head first on the hard stone steps. At the very last moment, he pulled her back to safety, then chuckled at her gasp of fear. ‘No tricks now,’ he warned, ‘or you’ll go the way of Jason’s first wife.’

Thoughts of Elizabeth whirled through her head and Gervaise chuckled again. ‘Did you think I was going to finish you off as well?’ he asked. ‘Not quite yet, my sweet. I have other plans for you first.’

‘As … as well?’ she stammered, turning to stare at him, feelings of horror welling up inside her.

He shrugged. ‘Elizabeth was a nuisance and Jason ought to have been grateful to me for getting rid of her.’

Ianthe couldn’t help asking, ‘But why? I mean, why you?’

‘We’d been having an affair, but I had tired of her. Elizabeth threatened to tell Jason, who was at that time paying me a meagre monthly allowance which I couldn’t do without. The stupid bitch. And as for you, you cost me any chance of ever receiving so much as a penny from Jason again, thanks to that little escapade in London. He sent me a letter afterwards. A very nasty letter.’

‘H-he did?’ Jason hadn’t mentioned this, but she knew it made sense. He’d talked of punishing Gervaise in some way.

‘And you’ve cost me dear in other ways too,’ Gervaise snarled, obviously warming to his theme. ‘You should have kept your mouth shut about meeting the Frenchman. Now my smuggling business is ruined. We’ll have to find another base.’

‘But I only told …’

‘Caroline, yes, and the butler, who I understand has already shut off the tunnel. That’s a damned nuisance.’

Ianthe clamped her mouth shut. She didn’t want to know any further details. It was clear to her now that she was dealing with a very dangerous man, possibly even deranged. If she was to have any chance of survival, she needed her wits about her.

Gervaise said no more, just marched her down the stairs and across to the rose garden. A gardener was pruning nearby, but Ianthe managed to smile and nod at him as if nothing was wrong. ‘Good girl,’ Gervaise hissed. ‘Keep going, a bit faster if you please.’

‘Wh-where are we going?’

‘To France,’ he said. ‘After we have made a few deliveries along the coast.’

‘What? But why?’

‘I have some business to see to in France, but before that I need to get rid of the smuggled goods I was going to leave in the cellar, which thanks to you,’ he scowled at her again, ‘I will no longer be able to use as a hiding place.’

‘That is not my fault, surely?’

‘If you hadn’t found the secret passage, it wouldn’t now be boarded up, would it?’ he sneered. ‘Meddling females, can’t leave anything alone.’

‘Well, I had to find a way out. Caroline locked me in.’

‘She would have let you out eventually. She may be stupid, but she’s not capable of killing anyone.’

‘Did … did she know about your, er … activities?’

‘Yes. She received her share of the profits for turning a blind eye and helping to deceive the revenue men if they came looking. Not that they did. We only move the goods on nights when we know they’re elsewhere. With the cave at the end of that tunnel, it was easy enough to do. Don’t know why the foolish woman had to go and lock you in there, of all places, but then using her brain isn’t one of Caroline’s strong points.’