Regency Rogues Omnibus (126 page)

Darth stepped forward slowly as Mary did her best to look at him. “Look closely for a while, Mary, but take care if you linger, for I will wonder why such a pretty lass pursues me.”

That did it
, Arabella thought with an inward smile.

“Oh, your lordship.” Mary blushed in pleasure and even managed a tilting curtsy. Then Darth did a wonderful thing and he stooped down to begin picking up the packages.

“I will get these, Mary. It is my fault that they are here to begin with. And could you go and fix Miss Ormonde a cup of tea?”

“Oh yes, your lordship,” Mary answered with a better curtsy. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, sir.” Another curtsy and Mary was gone, leaving Darth chuckling as he gathered the packages.

Arabella felt her heart warm at the sound, however she clutched it away. Just as she retreated into the room to achieve some distance from Darth, before she turned to face him. There was still warm amusement in Darth’s gray eyes and she hesitated for a moment. Then she remembered her feelings of shame and panic and she strove forward to do what she had to do. “I demand that you take me back to the slaver, as you called him. I will no longer stay here willingly, Darth. I will fight you at every turn. I will not obey you! I would rather be dead!”

“So would I, Arabella.”

“So would you, what, Darth?”

“Rather be dead, little dove.”

“Do not say that, Darth!”

“Then you should not either!”

“Oh, all right, Darth. I take your point, but still, you will have to beat me, and I...”

“Stop it, woman! Do not say that. I will not beat you ... ever again!”

“Well then, I do not know how you expect to ...”

“I don’t! How can I control you if I cannot even beat you just a little, and I know I could never do that again? It makes me skeptical about who is the master of this situation. And, Arabella, I apologize!”

Arabella’s rose-colored lips pursed in exasperation as Darth stepped closer and she backed up. But he only went over to the bed and set the packages down, not turning back around as he spoke. “An apology on my behalf is not good enough for my crime, Arabella. I want you to know that I realize that. I shamed you. I frightened you. I deserve your scorn. You have every right. Still, I can live with your scorn, but what I cannot live with is to take you back to Crom. Damnation, woman, he might sell you into even worse conditions!”

“Oh, Darth.” The sound of despair was tangible, making him turn. Darth told himself, after his earlier spectacle, he would not go to Arabella because it would not be right after how he had terrorized her. Yet the look in her golden irises drove him. She needed him, he could see that clearly and this was not a flowering sexual need. She was anguished and helpless against it. His arms were around her as he kept himself attuned to the fact of whether he was doing something she did not wish. No, it was all right. In fact her small body was clinging to him.

“Lord Peregrine, I apologize for having to disturb you, but there is a man creating a disturbance in the entrance foyer. Demanding to see, you and Miss Arabella.” Chicery huffed as though he had run a great distance.

The door had been open and Darth could not blame the intrusion, if a man was creating a fuss in his hall that was something he needed to know. “Miss Ormonde? Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes, sir, he said, sir …” Chicery stuttered to a halt looking highly uncomfortable.

“Go on, Chicery.” Darth held Arabella in the crook of his arm and he could feel her body starting to tremble.

“It might be better in private, sir.”

“I know no one here, except my step-!” Arabella gasped, with her words coming to a halt, then she buried her face in his shoulder.

“Arabella ... Arabella! Get yourself down here now, girl!” The man’s voice was shouted from the downstairs hall.

Chapter Twenty

“Oh, no!” Arabella nearly swooned, but Darth held her up in his arms.

“Stepfather? That is what you were going to say, wasn’t it, Arabella?”

“Oh, Darth, yes. Please ... please, you have to help me ...
and
Nicholas. He said that he would kill Nicholas!”

Another man’s name.
Darth’s gut tightened. It must be a man that Arabella held great affection for, to call out his name in her delirium, and then upon her first moment of waking. Darth’s jaw clenched tight, he did not like the direction of his thoughts at all.

“Stay here.” He started to disengage himself from embracing Arabella.

“No, if it is Nicholas, I must go. He could be here ... I cannot hide.”

Arabella appeared to try and collect herself, then she started toward the door. Darth tried to fight the black fury settling over him. A stepfather who had obviously abused Arabella, selling her to that villainous slave trader Victor Crom, might now be in his foyer. He
and
Nicholas. There was no other explanation. Darth had heard the caring in Arabella’s voice, she clearly loved this Nicholas. His control was cracking.

Once Arabella made up her mind to swallow back her fear, she moved forward with haste. If Nicholas was here, she had to go to him now. He would be so frightened. And if he wasn’t? Oh, God she could not think of that.

Darth’s arm came around Arabella’s slender waist, slowing her headlong journey. “You will stay next to me.” There was no time for her to answer him, because they had reached the top of the stairs and there was a man at the bottom, whose back was turned to them, while Beau gripped him by the lapels.

The man shouted as Darth looked on. “She’s my daughter, man, and he will answer to me for her disgrace, by damn!”

Beau looked up at Darth, appearing not to be having a difficult time holding the man in place. The look they exchanged held great significance. They were allied in the same cause and Darth was glad for Beau’s presence, especially since his arm around Arabella was the only thing holding her upright. It left him no room to maneuver with the intruding stepfather if things got ugly, which it appeared was imminent. Darth could only assume by the gray hair that he could see at the back of the struggling man’s head that this must be the stepfather, and not the mysterious Nicholas. Yet, he thought even from behind that the man looked vaguely familiar. Still no sign of the illusive Nicholas, though.

He and Arabella had nearly reached the bottom of the stairs when the gray-haired man broke partially free of Beau’s hold to his lapels. The man swung around, causing Darth to halt in utter amazement. Damnation, it was Victor Crom!

“Nicholas!” Arabella’s voice shrieked beside him, then she broke away from him, and he turned with an angry bellow caught in his throat. His gaze was searching for Arabella and he was not able to understand exactly why he was not seeing her right there in front of him. Then he realized that she was down on her knees and a small dark haired blur was suddenly caught up into her arms. It was a boy! Nicholas was only a small boy.

“I told you to stay outside!” Crom hissed at the boy. “Unhand me, you cur!” Crom yelled at Beau. “These are my children, and I will be let go!”

“Bella! Bella, I did not know what happened to you and I was so afraid,” Nicholas cried. The young boy was clutching Arabella as Beau hauled Crom further away and pushed him up against the wall, while Darth crouched beside Arabella.

“Oh, Darth.” Arabella could barely speak as her golden eyes ravished him with so much emotion, but the plainest one was fear.

Darth’s arm came around Arabella’s back in comfort, as Victor Crom hissed. “You have defiled her, you blackguard lord, and now you will answer to me!”

“Quiet!” Beau pressed his hand around Crom’s throat, until no more words came forth.

“He
did
not ... Lord Peregrine, did not!” Arabella wailed.

“Take the miscreant into my study and hold him there,” Darth hissed, looking up at Beau, who was following his orders even as the words were barely out of his mouth. Crom expelled a string of curses that finally became muffled behind the door Beau slammed.

Darth recognized immediately that both Arabella and little Nicholas were shaking in an unhealthy way, as he said, “Nicholas is it? I am Darth, Nicholas, and I need your help to get your sister to a chair. Could you help me?”

Children, they were the only people he had ever met that only looked curiously at his scarring. Never afraid, and usually full of questions about it. Nicholas appeared no different, however he was too upset to be curious at the moment. His little chin lifted bravely, reminding Darth of Arabella. “Yes, sir, we should help her to sit.” Then Nicholas unlatched his small arms from around Arabella’s neck and took her hand. “Come on, Bella.” He looked up. “And maybe we should get her a glass of water too.”

“I will see to it.” Chicery’s voice sounded behind them.

Darth lifted Arabella up by her waist and elbow, tears were streaming down her lovely cheeks and he thought for a moment that he might have to carry her. But she looked down at Nicholas and squared her shoulders a bit. However, when they reached the chair in the dining room, she slumped into it, burying her face in her hands as Nicholas hugged her skirts.

“Little dove, you have to trust me now,” Darth began slowly. “I swear to you that I am not going to let Crom harm either you or Nicholas.”

Darth knelt before Arabella as Nicholas popped in. “I won’t either, Bella, we will protect you.”

Darth could have smiled, but for the seriousness of the situation, yet he did ruffled Nicholas’ dark hair in comradeship. Then he took Arabella’s hands, gently but firmly, pulling them away from her face. The look on her face made him want to gather her up into his arms and whisk her away from all the hurt he saw there.

“Arabella, you need to answer a few questions for me, before I see to your stepfather.” Arabella nodded her head slowly, as Darth thought with a grimace, that these were questions he should have asked her much earlier than this. “You are not a bond’s maiden are you?”

It was a statement, but Arabella responded, “I do not know, Darth. Can he do that to me? I am only eighteen and he has control ...”

“No, Arabella. He cannot,” Darth interrupted her. “You are not a bond’s maiden. But he has threatened Nicholas’ life, to force you to say that you were, didn’t he?”

Darth’s heart wrenched at Arabella’s nod.
Christ
, he was as much to blame for this as Crom was. “Darth, what he said a-about the disgrace,” Arabella whispered. “I will swear to anyone, no matter what the circumstances that you
never
...”

“Hush now, little dove,” Darth interrupted her with a heavy feeling deep inside him. That Arabella would do this, after how he had despoiled her, held her prisoner to his darkest desires. “I will take care of that.” It was a silent and unbreakable vow to himself. No matter what it took, he would hold Arabella’s best interests to his heart. As he should have done long ago. “I do not want you to worry, Arabella,” he murmured. “In fact, I am going to have Chicery take you and Nicholas upstairs. Chicery will make up the room beside mine, for both of you.”

“Darth, what if he demands that we go with him?” she asked fearfully. “He has all the rights.”

“He will not,” Darth expelled, then he calmed his voice as he said, “Arabella, not tonight, I will not allow him to take you anywhere tonight, and then you and I can talk later.”

Darth helped Arabella to stand and he took her face into his hands, whispering. “I will make this right, Arabella, you are not alone anymore and your stepfather has yet to deal with an earl as angry as I am.”

“Darth, we are so grateful,” she exclaimed.

Darth could not help the light kiss he placed on Arabella’s lips sealing his vow, before he turned to Chicery. “Now, Chicery …” he began to say.

“I heard, sir, and the little Miss and young man are well in my care.” Then Chicery took Arabella’s elbow firmly to support her as he started to lead her away.

“I will stand by your side, sir, if you need me,” Nicholas proclaimed looking up at Darth. “She is my sister,” he added as if that made all the difference in the world.

Darth stooped, and said, “That is why I need you to stay with her. Arabella needs you right now, and I need you to take care of her for me.” Nicholas’ dark eyes looked relieved and Darth was impressed with his bravery, for there was no doubt that Nicholas would have faced Crom again, no matter that he was clearly frightened of him.

“You can count on me, sir,” Nicholas proclaimed with determination that belayed his tender years, then he was beside Arabella taking her hand and helping Chicery to lead her away.

Darth turned back toward the study taking a few moments to think. He had not lied to Arabella about tonight; Crom would not be leaving here with them. What worried him though was tomorrow, for by then Crom could get the magistrate and force him to give them up. No stretching of the law was going to change the fact that Arabella and Nicholas were Crom’s stepchildren and that gave him rights.

Furthermore, the man’s charges about disgrace made it all too clear that Crom had another agenda set. Darth wished that he could speak to Beau, but he could not see a way to accomplish it at the moment. It did not take much imagination to assume that Crom was after money. There was no hope for it though, he had to go into the study and play it by ear. He just prayed that he could keep his anger in check. He could not think straightforwardly and he did unreasonable things in his anger. But Arabella needed his help and he had no intentions of letting her down now, no matter what it took.