The Mischievous Bride (32 page)

He slipped the gloves into his pocket, looking up as Cleo padded down the stairs. “Ah, I assume your mistress is not far behind?”

The cat crept up to him and purred, curling about his ankle.

His black brows lifted in surprise. “Oh, so now you wish to be friendly, eh?”

“Hello, Uncle Marcus!”

Marcus turned to see a pink bonnet bobbing up and down the hall as Gabby ran toward him.

His silver eyes twinkled. “Aren’t you to be in bed, little queen?”

She tugged on his hand. “I saw the prince outside my window,” she whispered. “But he looked mean. I think he is the black prince. You need to make him go away.”

Marcus’s lips curled into a genuine smile as he tied her dressing gown tighter about her waist. “The black prince? You mean, the dastardly, evil villain who kidnaps the lovely and beautiful princess in the tower?”

She scowled, slapping at his hands. “You are laughing at me. You don’t believe me. I am not a baby!”

He knelt down and fixed her bonnet. The girl was adorable. “Of course, I believe you. But I have business with the duke.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, very well. I forgive you.”

Marcus straightened. “Why, thank you.”

She let out a dramatic sigh. “Do you know, I don’t think that prince is a prince at all?”

“Ah,” he said, smothering a laugh. “I don’t think so either.”

Her eyes beamed with delight. “He is a frog,” she whispered.

Marcus brushed a hand through her curls and clenched his teeth to keep from laughing. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings again, but thunderation, she was becoming more like Milli everyday. “Scoot up to bed, poppet. Your mother won’t be happy if she finds you missing.”

“Oh, she knows I’m looking for my prince. I have five minutes before she comes to get me. I better run!” Her little feet slapped down the hall toward the kitchen with Cleo not far behind.

He chuckled. He shook his head and entered the duke’s study where Roderick and Stephen were waiting.

“So,” Stephen said, handing him a snifter of brandy. “You did the deed.”

Marcus narrowed his gaze and grimaced, saying nothing.

The duke shook his head and scowled. “Why the devil would you offer for that woman when you could have something better?”

Marcus took a sip of his drink.

Stephen clanked his glass on the desk and swore. “Confound it! I believed you the smartest of all the brothers, but now, I believe you are the stupidest Clearbrook I have ever met!”

Marcus pursed his lips just as Clayton walked past the door with a dark expression clouding his handsome features.

“So, you did it,” Clayton said furiously, taking in the faces of the other men. “You offered for the general’s daughter.”

Marcus opened his mouth, but was halted as Stonebridge stomped into the room. “For the love of King George, why would you do something so stupid? You don’t love Miss Canton.”

Marcus slapped his snifter onto the desk. “Do you mind if I say a word in my defense?”

“Yes,” they answered in unison.

Stephen glowered at him. “You must have a hole in your head.”

“Do you want a hole in your head?” Marcus asked, his voice clipped.

Stephen threw his hands in the air. “I cannot believe you are my brother. You played with Milli’s affections. Elizabeth is lived. Milli is—”

“Gone!” came Elizabeth’s voice as she exploded into the room. “She’s gone!”

Marcus grabbed his sister-in-law. “What do you mean she’s gone?”

Elizabeth’s eyes were wild with panic. “She ran off with Lord Knightengale.”

“That’s preposterous,” Clayton said. “Knightengale would never do such a thing.”

Elizabeth hands were shaking. “Milli’s maid delivered a note to Knightengale less than two hours ago. The girl was feeling a bit guilty when she saw the window open in Milli’s room and the curtain half ripped from its holder.” Elizabeth let out a sob. “And now Milli is no where to be found.”

A sudden hush came over the room as the reality of the facts finally sank in.

Stephen strode toward his wife and pulled her close. “There, there. We shall find her.”

“He’s off to Gretna Green,” Marcus said harshly, feeling his entire world crumbling. Had he pushed Milli into that man’s hands? He would never forgive himself.

 “Your Grace.” All heads turned as the butler walked into the room. He handed the duke a letter. “Came by special messenger only minutes ago.”

The duke grimaced and handed the note to Marcus. “Open it. It has the name of the killer. The Home Office was trying to keep things quiet. I knew the web was wider than they thought. I sent for the information as soon as we heard they had a man in custody. In fact, I demanded to know the man’s name immediately.”

Marcus put the letter aside. “I don’t have time—”

“Open it,” the duke snapped. “If I it is who I think it is, Milli is in more danger than I thought.”

Marcus paled. He slipped his finger over the seal and opened the missive. “Hell’s teeth!” He looked up. “Knightengale’s father confessed to killing William Shelby.”

Elizabeth gasped and buried her head in her husband’s chest. “Oh, Stephen.”

Marcus read the rest of the letter, wanting to tear Knightengale to shreds. “The man also admits his son was involved. Seems they owed Shelby a good sum, and were up the River Tick. They could not pay their vowels. Their I.O.U’s were rampant in London. They mortgaged most of the lands that were not entailed. In essence, they were dead broke.”

His face became a mask of rage as he passed the paper to Stephen. “It seems they were waiting until Milli turned eighteen, so they could have access to her inheritance.”

“He is going to marry Milli, then kill her,” Elizabeth screamed. She tugged at Stephen’s cravat. “Do something. Oh, poor Milli. I’ll go myself. I can ride.”

Stephen’s eyes had turned black with fury as gazed at Marcus and patted his wife’s shoulders. “We will get Milli back, dear. But you will not ride.”

Clayton grabbed the letter, looked it over, and scowled. “I don’t understand. He knows we would kill him if he touches a hair on her head.”

Marcus could hear his heart beat against his chest as he stared out the window where the moon peeked past the clouds. He had been a fool. He had underestimated Knightengale, and now Milli’s life was in danger. “He may travel to America or somewhere in the new world. The man may believe we won’t find him. Who knows, he may take Milli with him. He cannot kill her until he has all her money.”

Elizabeth sobbed. “Oh, Stephen, do something!”

“Knightengale isn’t thinking correctly,” Stonebridge chimed in. “He must know we would be on to him, sooner or later. We would never give in. He must be insane.”

“Perhaps he didn’t know his father confessed,” Stephen said, patting his wife’s back. “But I’ll kill the man when I find him.”

Marcus grimaced. “Not unless I find him first.”

“But what if he didn’t take her to Gretna?” the duke replied.

Clayton frowned. “Perhaps south, to France?”

Marcus couldn’t get Milli’s huge gray eyes out of his mind. His gut coiled in dread. He wished he had told her he wanted to marry her. “I’m going north to Gretna. Clayton you take south to France. “

Stonebridge nodded, his face hard. “I’ll take west. But the man may have headed back to London.”

“I’ll take London,” the duke snapped.

Stephen frowned, looking at Elizabeth. “I think it best if I go with Marcus. If that is their direction, I believe Knightengale will take the back roads to avoid us. He will need to stay the night somewhere, at least for a few hours. Change horses, eat . . .”

The rest was left unsaid. Elizabeth’s blue eyes rounded with fear. “The night? What in the world will Milli do if—”

“Don’t even think it,” Marcus snapped. “I will find her.”

I must find her.

Milli kept her tears in check, not giving Knightengale the satisfaction of knowing he had bested her. If the man ever guessed how terrified she was, there was no telling what he would do. At the moment, he knew she was ready to fight for her life, and that was probably saving her from other things.

The driver wouldn’t make a move without Knightengale’s command, so even if she screamed, all she would get was a slap to the face. The man was more than twice her size. Her cheek still ached from his blow.

Knightengale gripped her chin in a painful hold. “We will be stopping at an inn, and if you say one word to anyone, you will regret it. Do you understand?”

Milli nodded, feeling more determined than ever.

His lips tipped into a wicked looking smile. “Most women would fall into hysterics, but not you. I believe that’s why I like you.”

Like her? How dare he try to manipulate her. He had killed Papa! Her courage came back like a roaring lion. If she could get a note to one of the innkeepers, then she could have a chance.

“And don’t even think of getting a note off to anyone. You will have no pen, no paper. I will make certain of that. And we will be staying in the same room.”

Here eyes widened. She could not hide her fear at that comment.

He squeezed her chin, making her look at him. “We are going to be married, so what does it matter, my little prude?”

“It matters,” she snapped. “You will never get away with this. Just let me go.”

“And leave you?” he asked with a sadistic chuckle. “I find you rather fetching, in an innocent sort of way. We will do well together . . . if you do what I say . . . and eventually, you will do what I say.”

She clenched her teeth, listening to the rattling of the carriage wheels. Anger swelled in her breast.
Papa! Papa! Papa!
He had killed her Papa!

“Ah, here we are,” he announced as the carriage slowed. “And yes, I have thought about the Clearbrooks coming after us. But I have paid the innkeepers to keep their silence. And this carriage is hired, like many of the other carriages at the inns. It will take your dear family a day or two to check every place along the way. By that time, we will be well underway.”

“They will find us. And you will regret this.”

He sneered, grabbing her shoulders. “You forget. I know Marcus and his brothers. He will look along the main road and then the back roads. But I have been planning this for two years. My men will send someone ahead to alert the innkeepers we are coming. They will keep silent upon our arrival. No one will ever find us.” His vile snicker sent shivers of fear down her spine. “In fact, I have left a trail that we have traveled south and are taking a ship to France.”

Milli paled at his words. She clenched her gown, determined not to be defeated.

“Sadly,” he continued, “whether we continue on the road or not, no one will want you, not even your precious Lord Marcus. Your reputation will be ruined. You will be gone overnight, my girl, nothing can save you from that. You will have to marry me, even if they find you.”

The carriage door opened. Moonlight slipped past the clouds, illuminating the shabby building. The thatched roof needed repairs, as did the windows and surrounding yard. Milli’s heart sank when she realized the lodging was off the main road. Her family would never find this, and what he said was true. She would be ruined either way. Whether he touched her or not, her absence tonight would seal her fate.

Knightengale yanked her from the carriage and kept a tight hold on her waist as they entered the inn. Without speaking to anyone, he hurried her up the stairs and shoved her into the chambers at the end of the hall. He quickly stuffed a rag into her mouth, tying it in back of her head.

His eyes darkened. “Forgive me, sweetheart, but I am going to have to bind you to the bed while I take a stretch of my legs.”

Her muffled voice only made him snort with laughter. He jerked her wrists, tied them together, then fastened her to the bedpost. His smile made her ill.

“Don’t worry. I won’t be gone but fifteen minutes.” He turned and closed the door behind him.

Milli couldn’t stop the tears that leaked from her eyes. How had it ever come to this? She felt she was in some Minerva novel, being held in a castle with the evil villain. She would have laughed at the folly of her adventures if things weren’t so dire.

She shifted her gaze to the window and held back a sob, not wanting to choke. The moon was a small lantern hanging above the little inn. It was perhaps two o’clock in the morning, a time when everyone was asleep. Her body ached and weariness claimed her. But she could not close her eyes. There had to be some way to stop Knightengale.

It seemed like hours, but it must have been only minutes when she heard heavy footsteps outside her room. That was no mere maid. The steps were too powerful. Too fast.

Her heart thundered in her ears. She had to have a plan. She decided to flop to the ground, and instantly felt a burning pain shoot up her arms as they stretched from the post. She closed her eyes, trying to appear dead. The door handle wiggled. She held her breath. Maybe this was a time her acting would eventually save her life.

The door whooshed open.

“Millicent!” Knightengale let out a string of curses as he crossed the floor and slapped her cheek. “Confound it! Wake up!”  

It took all her willpower not to wince. She was as limp as a rag doll. But she managed a groan, keeping her eyes closed tight.

“Heaven help me, Millicent. I didn’t mean to do this to you. You poor thing. I only meant to scare you. I needed you.”

You beast, she wanted to say, but stayed silent as he untied her wrists. He started rubbing her hands. “Wake up, sweetheart. We can be happy. We can. Please, wake up.”

She bit down hard on the back of her teeth.
Wake up? So, she could marry him? She thought not!

“We will do well together, you will see.”

Ha! You won’t obtain one single guinea of my money, you beast!

Knightengale cursed a blue streak as he picked her up, settling her on the bed. She kept her eyes closed. But it was hard not to squirm when he put a hand on her chest to feel her heart.

“Alive,” he muttered to himself. “Now what the devil do I do?” With another oath, he left the room, calling for his driver.