A Woman Made for Sin (5 page)

Chase laid out the map on his desk and looked at it carefully. What was so important
about a useless old map? Was the thief collecting them? Or was it one in particular
he was looking for?

“Did he see you?” Chase finally asked.

“I do not believe so, but it is impossible to tell. We were hiding and had not observed
him until he was making his way off the ship,” Jennelle answered in her typical logical
way, but the coldness of her tone was unmistakable.

Chase swallowed. His mind started moving quickly over what he knew about the robberies,
this time analyzing the events not as mere pranks but for what they actually were:
threats.

Every incident had been obvious, so whoever the thief was, he either did not feel
the need to hide his trespassing, or he wanted Chase and Reece to know they were being
robbed. More perplexing was that the thefts had happened in locations that were supposedly
guarded, and yet the perpetrator had been able to get in. A bold move, unless the
thief was skilled at handling any opposition should it arise,
or
was intimately familiar with the owners of W & H Shipping. Chase’s mind drifted back
to the small group of business associates he’d met with the previous night. He had
once thought all those closest to him to be honorable—but he would not be fooled again.

Chase looked down once more at the map in front of him. It made no more sense than
any of the others. Several symbols were scattered around and at the bottom there was
a legend that was illegible. There was an outline of what could be water, land, or
something altogether different. He and Reece had just assumed the drawing represented
water, but now he had no clue what it was. However, whoever was stealing the charts
most likely did know.

And that combination of facts made Chase very uneasy.

Someone thought the maps of great value and was willing to take great risks to find
them. And if he was brazen enough to break into guarded ships and the offices of W
& H Shipping, then it was more than probable he would eventually try to burglarize
Hembree Grove as well. Many people had been in and out of his home the past few weeks
in an effort to ferret out Sir Edward’s schemes. Most had met his wife, and with her
petite stature, dark hair, and unusual eye color, they would easily recognize her
even in men’s clothing. Chase could feel his heart tighten. If Jennelle was mistaken
and the three of them
had
been seen, they could have been recognized. No longer would the thief be seeking
a simple chart, but the opportunity to silence potential witnesses.

Chase balled his hands into fists, frustrated at what he now must do: get Millie and
Jennelle away from Town—immediately. He had no doubt that Millie would refuse to leave.
Her passionate nature would demand to stay there, with him, despite the danger it
put her in. But her staying in Town for even one more night was not an option. Telling
her about what he had learned about Aimee’s whereabouts, however, was. But it was
an option he refused to elect.

Chase took in a deep breath and tried to use a less harsh, but still stern tone. “I
need time, Mildred, to find Aimee, and I need . . . not to worry about you.” He hated
making Millie leave without letting her know the truth about his sister. Worse, he
hated using Millie’s guilt as a means of compelling her immediate departure. But his
self-loathing was nothing compared to his fear if she stayed. “Mother is not due to
return from Scotland until after the holidays, and I am not going to send her word
about Aimee until I know something definitive. Hopefully, she will have been found
and will be once again home and safe. Until then, I think it might be best if you
visit your father in Wareham for a while.”

Millie nodded, lowering eyes so that they looked at her clasped hands held rigidly
in front of her. “When do you want me to leave, my lord?”

Pain shot through him hearing
my lord
yet again. “I think it best if you pack and leave immediately. I will have the post
chaise readied to take you and Jennelle to Dorset. I’ll have the driver stop at Tarrant
Crawford at her father’s before taking you the rest of the way to Wareham.”

Millie kept her head bowed and replied, “Yes, my lord,” before running out of the
room.

Jennelle paused for a moment before following. And for the first time in her life,
she consciously broke a promise and stepped back into the study to confront Chase.

“You speak of consequences, my lord. Indeed Millie will have to live with hers, and
I will have to as well, including being forced to allow these proceedings without
interruption or interference. But I wonder, my lord, if you yet comprehend the consequences
of
your
actions today. I have my own reasons for believing that Aimee is well, and I judge
that you too suspect she is with Mr. Hamilton. So then that leaves me to wonder, why
would you intentionally injure your own wife? Revenge? Anger? Are these foul emotions
not just as damning as the reckless ones of which you just accused Millie? Why would
someone so proud of his self-professed restraint cause such pain? I pray, my lord,
you are not telling yourself that it was out of love.”

Chase’s jaw clenched and his defenses rose. He thought of Jennelle as a younger sister,
but he did not have to explain himself to her. “I have my reasons.”

Jennelle’s royal-blue eyes narrowed. “Well, then I hope those reasons bring you the
comfort you seek, for it will be quite lonely here and I predict for much longer than
you anticipate. At some point, my dear friend will reflect on all that happened and
the accusations you so damningly conveyed, and when she does, I doubt Millie will
be inclined to return. As for myself, I am quite certain it will be a significant
period of time before our paths cross again.”

Chase watched as Jennelle exited the room, her back rigid and her lips thin with fury.
It was the first time in his life he had ever witnessed her anger. He sat down and
forced himself to dismiss her words, as they were painful and incredibly accurate
in their assessment.

No
, he promised himself.
Jennelle is wrong
.
Millie loves me and she will forgive me
. When Aimee returned in a few days, all would be well. Until then, Millie would be
safe and protected. She would be angry at first, but she would forgive him.

She had to.

Millie helped Elda Mae fold another garment and place it in a large wooden trunk capable
of holding only a fraction of her things. “Just a couple of items from my dressing
table and that will be all, Elda Mae.”

The older woman, who had taken care of her and then her two best friends since they
were children, fidgeted with worry. Never had she seen her missus like this. Her Millie
was a fireball, never to be constrained, for to do so would kill her. And that was
exactly what she was witnessing now. The slow death of one of the world’s most beautiful
creatures. How could the master be sending her away now, when she needed him most?
Could he not see the cruelty of what he was doing?

“But, my lady, we have yet to pack your gowns or any of your jewels.”

Dark-haired ringlets bounced as Millie shook her head. “I will not be needing them.
Since I do not plan on doing any entertaining, it will only weigh the carriage down
with unnecessary weight. No, it’s best they stay here.”

Elda Mae turned around several times, searching for something to do. “I’ll help Jennelle’s
maid, my lady, and then go pack my own things.”

Millie’s eyes brimmed with tears as she clasped the older woman’s hands. “Please understand
when I ask this of you, Elda Mae, but you must stay here.”

Jennelle, who had been sitting in a chair across the room, stewing, popped out of
the chair at Millie’s words. “Stay here? Millie, you cannot do this! Elda Mae
is
coming.”

Tears from Elda Mae’s velvet brown eyes spilled onto her cheeks. “But, my lady, I
should be with you. You need me . . .”

For the first time since Aimee’s abduction, Millie’s look was firm and unwavering,
hinting that not all of her soul had been crushed with Chase’s indictments. “No,”
she stated forcefully to Jennelle. And then, looking back at her faithful companion,
she pleaded softly, “Elda Mae, what I need most is for you to apply those eavesdropping
skills you have perfected over the years and discover what Chase knows about Aimee.
Send word to me and Jennelle as often as you can. It is important, this thing I ask
of you. Please do not turn me down.”

“I could never turn you down, my lady. Haven’t in all my born days, and I’m not likely
to start now. I love you like you was my own flesh and blood. And if you need me to
stay, then I will. And don’t you worry none on Aimee. She’s a delicate-looking thing,
but you and I know differently. Our girl’s a scrapper and will be back here in England
giving her brother what for before you know it.”

Millie closed her eyes and looked out the window, watching Chase order another team
to be added to the post chaise. “Your words to God’s ears, Elda Mae. For I don’t know
how I shall go on if harm befalls Aimee because of my thoughtlessness.”

Jennelle marched over, grabbed her friend by the shoulders, and swung her around.
“Now you will listen to me and all that I say, Millie. I will not hear any more of
this. You refused to listen to me last night, but you will do so now.” Jennelle was
just as much to blame as Millie, and if she could not convince Millie that Aimee was
safe with Reece, then she herself would begin to doubt it, and the fragments of composure
she was clinging to would disappear.

“I did hear you, Jennelle. That Aimee would have screamed and fought if she were truly
captured? That based on what I told you, she intentionally got caught by Reece’s men
in order to seek him out? Maybe, but there were five ships that left the harbor and
four of them were
not
the
Sea Emerald
. If you are correct—and I hope and believe you might be—then Reece is most likely
turning around and returning at this very moment. Aimee will be reunited with her
brother.”

“And all will be forgiven.”

Millie sank down onto her bed and closed her eyes. “I do not know. Despite what you
heard, Charlie does love me and I so love him. His anger is in many ways justified.”

“But it was not your fault!
Aimee
practically made us go, and it was
she
who put herself in danger. Not you and not me. I love her just as much as you, but
I will
not
own responsibility for her abduction and neither should you!”

“I agree it was Aimee who made the choice that caused her to be captured. But you
cannot deny she would have stayed home if I had stayed firm and refused to go. She
could not have made it there safely without us, and I
knew
in my heart that we should not have gone. So it is
my
guilt that weighs heavily on me. Not Charlie’s anger.”

Jennelle crossed her arms and started pacing. “Aimee will be fine. You and Charles
will be fine. We will
all
be fine!”

Millie nodded. She did honestly believe Aimee was safe and with Reece. The more she
thought back and considered the events of last night, the more convinced she became.
Aimee had not been caught unaware. She had been hidden when the two men walked by
and actually had jumped in front of them. She then patiently waited as they got over
their shock and finally decided to grab her. Aimee had had ample opportunity to run
away, let alone scream for help. But as much as she believed Aimee would return and
all would be well, Millie was not convinced that the same could be said of her and
Chase.

He was furious with her, and though she was not to blame for much of what he had accused
her, there was one point he had made repeatedly that she could not deny—it was her
adventurous spirit that created the foundation for what had happened. Chase wanted
her to change. And though a piece of her would do anything for him, she was not sure
she
could
become someone else.

Even for him.

Even to keep his love, which she so desperately needed.

Chase watched the slim, petite figure dressed in gray enter the post chaise. A second
later she was followed by a redheaded figure in dark blue. His wife, the one who in
the past four months had brought him more joy than he could remember having in all
his life, was leaving him, and by his command. He wanted to kiss her good-bye and
tell her how much she meant to him, how much he loved and needed her. But he knew
if he took one step outside and felt her soft body against his in a good-bye embrace,
he would be unable to let her go.

Never had Chase seen Millie look so defeated or forlorn. So many things had been running
through his mind when he had spoken to her, he could barely recall half of what he
had said. The only truth he kept coming back to was that he needed her to be safe,
to know that she was cared for and away from any danger. As soon as he confirmed Aimee
was aboard the
Sea Emerald
, he would go to Millie, tell her the joyful news, and heal whatever pain he might
have caused her. Hopefully, his sister might even be back home by then.

Chase calmed his building guilt by reminding himself that Millie was on her way to
her father’s. He had initially thought to send her to the Wentworth country estate,
but with his mother in Scotland, Millie would be all alone there. So he sent her to
her father’s, where she could enjoy his company and take pleasure in one of her favorite
pastimes—riding. Chase would send Hercules, her monstrous black horse, to Wareham
first thing tomorrow.

The driver snapped his whip and the horses began to move. He let the thick gold curtain
slip through his fingertips and gripped the back of a nearby high-back chair. Millie
had not said more than a few words to him since he had announced he was sending her
away. She had avoided him whenever possible and had even left without saying good-bye.
Normally, that would have been a clear indication of her anger and resentment about
his most recent lecture. Yet the few glimpses of her he had stolen had indicated something
else entirely. Her cheeks were pale and the light in her eyes had vanished, leaving
only a chilling emptiness. Grief tore at her for her friend, and he had only added
to that pain.