An Inconvenient Wife (41 page)

“I see.” Even after that
horrid scene he had been concerned for her?
Gracious, Anne. Why are you
surprised? You cannot imagine Nicholas would be otherwise, no matter his anger.
You know how protective he is.

Bill gave her hand a final
pat and stepped back. “Everyone’s on the watch so don’t be worrying too much.
Lord Westcott will see to the Major. Go in now. I’ve got to get on.”

“Yes, of course.” Anne
waited until he disappeared around a corner before walking slowly toward the
house, only becoming aware of her surroundings when her skirts brushed a clump
of tansy. The sharp odor of the herb tickled her nose, reminding her of
Danielle, who just recently had mentioned her mother’s use of the plant to
preserve clothing. The girl must certainly have returned from her walk by now.
She would ask Martin if he had seen her, after she had consulted with Cook and
read her almost forgotten letter.

An odd sort of missive, she
thought, curious now, as the note was simply folded and sealed with a dab of wax.
Pausing by one of the window embrasures that graced the long passageway, she
sat on the wide sill.

The opening lines literally
knocked the air from her lungs.
Dear sweet heaven, not Danielle,
not
that poor child
. She wheezed in a gulp of air and read the short directive
with growing horror. The Major and Meraux had Danielle! If she wanted to see
the girl again, she was to come alone to a designated place. Today. He, the
Major, would consider an exchange—Danielle for Anne. She was to tell no one.

“
I won’t miss a third
time, dear Anne. The bastard deserves to die for taking you from me.”

Slowly, Anne crumpled the note
in her hand and struggled to her feet, fighting the nausea that gripped her.
She had to decide what to do.
You have no choice but to go. You are not a
helpless maid anymore. Think! Don’t just run stupidly into this trap.

She dared not involve anyone
else, and risk Danielle’s safety, or Nicholas’. The Major had no reason to
harm
the girl but being put in Meraux’s hands was unthinkable and Nicholas dead? No!
Anne leaned against the wall, willing her heart to steady and her mind to
clear, burying the fear deep inside.

First, she must see Cook,
since it was expected of her. Then decide how to evade Bill and the other men
and be gone before Nicholas returned. She
had
to go alone, and she would
never be able to hide this from him.

Amazed at her playacting,
Anne met with Cook in a perfectly normal manner. Then, equally astonished at
her daring, she went to the gunroom. She was never comfortable with weapons,
but her father had insisted she learn to at least load and fire a pistol. What
she needed now was something small enough to hide in the pocket of her cloak.
Whether she would have the need to use it, or even
could
use it, was
uncertain, but having it made her feel less helpless. Reynald was the villain
here, and she
would
shoot him
if that’s what it took to protect
her family.

For all the supposed
watchfulness of the staff, it proved unexpectedly easy to escape the grounds
unnoticed, which in all likelihood had more to do with their trust in her not
to wander heedlessly than lack of vigilance.

Early though she was, a
closed carriage waited on the lane edging the field she had to cross to reach
the appointed meeting place. A burly, disreputable looking man sat on the box
and the unmistakable broad shoulders and blond hair of Major Reynard identified
the man standing by the vehicle. The horrible memory of his heavy body holding
her down swept over her and for a second she wavered.
If you allow him to see
your fear he will use it as a weapon. Stand up to him!
Wishing the bracing
words would quiet her hammering heart, Anne wiped every expression from her
face. He was smiling, damn the man, and his triumphant smirk did more to
stiffen her spine than her inner admonitions.

“Major.”

“I am so pleased to see you,
Anne dear, and so promptly, too,” he purred, flipping back the hood of her
cloak. His meaty hand gripped her chin in a painful hold and turned her face
from side to side. “Tsk, tsk, I see you are not looking your best. Much too
thin. I prefer my women a bit more rounded, but we’ll soon get you fattened up.
I plan to take
very
good care of you.” He laughed, moved his hands to
her waist and half-threw her into the carriage. “Get moving, Grant,” he
ordered, climbing in after her and closing the door.

Anne managed to brace her
arms against the cushions, avoiding the sprawl he’d intended, and twisted to
face him. With pretended calm, she rearranged her skirts and cloak, the pistol
a reassuring lump beside her leg. Heaven help her if it went off accidentally
and she shot herself in the foot! Swallowing a hysterical giggle, she endured
his avid scrutiny without flinching, although the hot hunger in his eyes
threatened to make her ill.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention
of taking you in a carriage,” he sneered, seeing her fear in spite of her
efforts.

“Nor anywhere else,” Anne
said sharply. “Danielle…”

“I will take you wherever
and whenever I choose.”

“Not willingly as long as
you hold the child.”

His smile held a malevolence
that struck terror into her heart. The man
was
mad.

“Why, I enjoy a spirited
woman, Anne. Taming you will be especially rewarding, after waiting so long for
the treat, but since I want your full attention, the girl can go. It’s nothing
to me, although Meraux may fuss at losing his tasty little morsel.” He
shrugged. “I would not mind a piece of her myself.”

Revolted by his remark, Anne
blocked the image of Danielle in this man’s hands.
Stay calm, Anne. He wants
you to react.
“I am surprised at your choice of companion, Major. The
Frenchman is so…
common
. However did you take up with him?” Anne asked,
with just the slightest hint of interest.

“Meraux is less than
nothing, but he is not without funds for the fleecing. He was sniffing around
Oporto trying to find you and those brats of his. It was easy enough to
persuade him to finance a little trip to England.” Reynard discarded the
Frenchman with a flick of his hand. “I do find him more tiresome every day,
however.”

This said in an off-hand
manner that led Anne to believe
Monsieur
Meraux did not have an assured
future. Perhaps this animosity was something she could use, and she made a
mental note of it. She had expected the difficult conversation to continue, but
silence reigned and she dared to close her eyes. For a time she felt his gaze
on her, then nothing, and when she peered at him from under her lashes his face
was turned to the covered window.

By the time the vehicle
stopped, hours later, she had lost any sense of where they were, but knew they
had long since left Westhorp land.
If you have guessed wrong and he has not
taken you to the Grayson estate Nicholas investigated yesterday…
Anne’s
heart plummeted when she stepped from the coach and saw the tenant cottage
crouched before them. Only the sight of a manor house in the near distance kept
a sob from escaping. Numbly, she moved forward at the Major’s prodding and
entered the shabby dwelling.

“It’s about time you got
here.” Meraux threw a handful of cards on the table and stood, staring at Anne
with dislike. “With our new guest. No trouble, I suppose?”

“Of course not. Our
guest
has done everything she was instructed to do. Haven’t you, Annie?” The Major
tugged at the ties binding her cloak and pulled her close to him. “That is the
case, isn’t it? You did keep your mouth shut.” He slipped his hand under her
cloak and dug his fingers into her breast. “Isn’t that right,
Lady Westcott
?”
He pinched her nipple until she felt her legs quiver.

“Yes,” Anne choked out,
cursing the weakness that had her eyes swimming with tears.

Staggering as he thrust her
away, she careened into the wall and clung to the rough planks. Where was
Danielle? Anne could do nothing until she had the girl safely away. Fighting
back despair, she concentrated on following the conversation, her French
deserting her at first, until she fell into the way of it.

“So, she did not tell.
She’ll be missed and that will bring someone running to the rescue. Westcott
was sniffing around the main house yesterday. It’s time we got out of here,”
Meraux said. “I’ll get the girl and we can be on our way.”

“No.” The Major took off his
coat and threw it on a chair along with his hat. “I’m hungry, and thirsty,” he
said, splashing some spirit into a glass. “You.” He pointed to Anne. “Get rid
of that wrap and serve me some stew.”

Anne removed her cloak and
after a quick glance around, hung it on a nail jutting from the ladder she
supposed led to the upper floor. The thick folds hid the bulge of the pistol
and as long as no one brushed against it, she was safe. Her mind racing, Anne
located a bowl and utensils, ladled some so-called stew, and placed all in
front of the Major. It did not look too appetizing to her, but then nothing
would, since she was hard put to retain what little breakfast she’d had.

Danielle must be upstairs.
How was Anne going to get to her? What in heaven’s name would she do if the
Major decided to leave now? She stood passively beside his chair, as ordered,
refilling his glass when told to do so.

Meraux, who looked even less
appealing than he had in Portugal, with his pasty complexion and forehead
glistening with perspiration, dropped into the chair opposite the Major and
pushed his glass toward her. Anne had the wits to look at the Major for
permission before filling it and was rewarded by an almost imperceptible
lessening of his attention to her.
No doubt he thinks you are too afraid of
him to offer any resistance—which is not far from the truth.

“I am not ready to leave
this charming abode,” the Major said when he’d eaten his fill, “but you are
free to go whenever you like.”

“You’ve got the carriage,”
Meraux bleated. “Unless she learned since I saw her, Danielle doesn’t ride.”

“You are not taking the
French girl. I have another use for her.” The Major stretched out his legs,
sipped at his drink, and watched his companion with veiled amusement. Meraux
did not disappoint.

“
Merde!
” The
Frenchman surged to his feet. “What the hell do you mean by that? The girl is
the reason I came to this god-forsaken country and I won’t leave without her!
She’s
mine
. I paid plenty for her, damn you."

“Sit down or walk out that
door now.”

Anne shivered at the menace
in the low voiced words, and with a coward’s sense of self-preservation, Meraux
sat back in the chair, a repellent scowl twisting his face.

“The girl is worth more
money than any amount you put up. Buy yourself a couple of whores to warm your
bed.”

“I want the one up there.”
Meraux thrust his finger toward the loft, his expression so avid that Anne
shivered.

“You are becoming a
nuisance, Meraux. Much more of this grousing, and I’ll start regretting this
partnership.”

“If it hadn’t been for me,
you never would have found out what happened to your doxy,” Meraux sneered.

Reynard laughed, and took
another swig. “You fool. I never needed anything from you but your money. The
idiots at the Consulate told me everything I wanted to know.”

Meraux’s expression held
such loathing that Anne stepped back. The man was a weasel, the kind who would
stab you in the back if given a chance. Sickened by the both of them, Anne
suppressed a shudder. She
had
to get to Danielle.

Desperate for a chamber pot,
she shifted again. Perhaps she could use it to her advantage. Much as she
chanced by drawing attention, it was worth it if it got her up the ladder.

Reynard suddenly pushed back
his chair, and her breath quickened.

“I believe I told you to be
still, woman,” he said as he stood and loomed over her.

Anne hung her head
submissively. “I need a chamber pot,” she whispered, waiting tensely for his
reaction.

Reynard hesitated, and then
grabbed her hair and forced her head up. “I ought to make you pee where you
stand, but then I’d have to put up with the stink.” He jerked his head toward
the ladder. “Go up there. You can join that damn brat. But first.…”

His mouth came down on Anne’s
in a brutal kiss, teeth grinding against her lips, biting, his tongue thick in
her mouth, until she believed she would die from want of air. He raised his
head, smiling as he watched her suck in breaths in noisy gulps. “We are going
to have
such
fun.” He shoved her from him. Anne staggered to the ladder
and clung to the rungs. “Take care of my little hostage.”

Anne stared at him, not sure
she understood.

“You didn’t think I would
release the bitch on your say so? She’s my ticket to some real prey. Your bloody
viscount will be glad to take her place—and pay well to do it.” He roared with
laughter. “Enough money and a dead viscount might even make up for all the
hours I sat waiting in those filthy woods. And I would bet a monkey that the
bastard is hot on your pretty little tail.”