The Star-Crossed Bride (25 page)

Valentine was shocked to hear the steel in Nan's reply. "Nancy McGarrity, my lord. Perhaps you recognize it? You did meet my sister once. Nellie McGarrity she was, before you killed her." Nan had not backed away, seeming oblivious to the marquess's slow approach. She was no longer trembling. The marquess had piqued her anger. Unfortunately, that made her careless of the danger she was in. "And that's what I'll tell them — my lady Emily and your wedding guests. You killed my sister."

Granbury stopped in his tracks for a second. He seemed lost in thought. "Yes. You'll tell them about your sister. I can't say as I remember her specifically." Then he nodded and said quietly as if commenting on the weather, "But I'm sure I can describe her. Blonde, delicate, without many scruples or morals to hamper her ambition to have the best in life?"

Nan hissed in anger. At the same time, she took a step toward the marquess, her hands outstretched as if to push him.

"I see my memory is accurate enough." The heavy dusk did not hide their figures well enough to prevent Valentine from seeing what happened next. The marquess caught Nan, effortlessly turning her away from him and lifting her off her feet so that her kicks landed uselessly in the air. Her arms were pinned to her sides.

In a moment she gave up her struggle, recognizing that it would do her no good. The trap sprang into place as Valentine abandoned his hiding place and stood, heart beating wildly at the sudden arrival of the moment of truth. He met the duke's eyes and the two men, as one, began to run toward the marquess.

Emily had barely stopped herself from letting out a scream when Granbury grabbed the maid, immobilizing her so quickly that there was no chance for the girl to escape. Thankfully she had not made a sound that might reveal her presence. Not only would a revealing sound surprise Granbury, but no doubt Valentine and the duke would be furious with her for putting herself in danger. They would not understand that she had promised Nancy as well. How could she keep that promise if she were hiding in the castle like a coward when the trap was sprung on Granbury?

She held her breath and watched from her perch high up in a nearby tree as Nancy's terrified eyes searched wildly for help. The marquess, as calmly as he sipped his after-dinner port, reached one hand to her throat even as his other arm bound her helplessly to him. With a little smile of pleasure, he began to squeeze the maid's throat very slowly. Nancy began to struggle again, but it did no good. Her face darkened as she fought to breathe.

Emily held her own breath as she watched. Valentine and the duke had risen from their hiding places and begun to run with almost no hesitation. Did they intend to overpower the marquess while he held Nancy captive? And if so, would Nancy be hurt in the inevitable struggle? Emily scoffed at her own foolish thought. No doubt the maid preferred a broken arm to death by strangulation.

Nancy's revelation, her fury, had spurred the marquess to make his move more quickly than any of them had expected. Emily could not bring herself to fault the maid for allowing her grief and anger to blind her to her own danger for a moment. The truth was that the marquess knew all too well how to take advantage of the maid's lapse in attention.

Emily prayed that Valentine would know what to do to rescue the girl. Granbury caught sight of the men running toward him and left off his strangulation to pull out a cord from his pocket and whip it around Nancy's neck. As the men approached he called out, "Halt now, or I'll tighten this until there's no hope for her." The men stopped paces from Granbury and his victim. Emily strained to see them. Their eyes seemed to be focused on Granbury. Occasionally, however, their glances strayed toward Nancy, whose face was rapidly turning a rich plum shade as she tugged at the slowly tightening cord fastened around her neck.

The duke's voice was thick with fury. "It's done, Granbury, for God's sake. Release the girl and come with us."

Emily held her breath. Her cousin had infused every ounce of regal command into his words. Would it be enough to convince Granbury to surrender? To release Nancy?

"Never underestimate me, my dear Kerstone. I have no intention of coming with you. And if you want the girl alive — " his eyes were alight with evil as he added, " — although I can assure you that dead would make her much more interesting — you will walk away now."

"We know your secrets, you will have nowhere to hide. The truth will come out." Valentine looked ready to spring.

Emily's heart skipped a beat with fear for him.

"The truth that you are no simple footman, you mean?"

Valentine, evidently having learned his lesson from Nancy's lapse, did not rise to the bait. "The truth that you are a murderer. Worse, that you have trapped and tortured those women who were helpless to escape you."

"I merely treated them as they deserved." For a second, Granbury's composed expression slipped.

Emily gasped at the darkness she saw there in his features. "They should not have wanted to escape. They did not appreciate their fortune in being adored by me — by a man whose station was far above their common one."

"No one deserves to die in such a manner," Valentine replied angrily.

Emily could see how it frustrated him not to be able to just rush forward to free Nancy.

The marquess, still as calm as he might be in a casual conversation, despite the maid struggling in his grasp, added, "I don't suppose you really care about the maids, though. No. You are most concerned my method of wooing wouldn't do for your little Emily now, aren't you Fenster?"

Valentine started, obviously surprised that Granbury knew his name. He did not reply to the taunt. Granbury laughed. "Do you think I don't know you covet her? She is a wild thing under that sweet frosting her mother has layered her with, isn't she? I will look forward to teaching her what it is to be a wife."

Emily felt the first drops of the threatened rain as she waited for Valentine to at last lose his own composure. But all he said, with great force, was, "You'll never get the chance."

To her surprise, she noticed that the duke was moving closer to the marquess as Valentine held the madman's attention. None of the three seemed aware of the gathering rain.

"Never poses such a challenge, does it not?" The marquess set Nancy's feet back on the ground, but held her close with the threat of the noose around her neck. "I do love a challenge."

He turned toward the duke's stealthily approaching form, jerking the cord at Nancy's neck to drag the girl backward toward the path that led to the stables.

Emily could not stand by silently any longer. There had to be something she could do to make sure she kept her promise to Nancy. Slowly, carefully, she began to climb down from her safe perch, just as the storm let loose.

Impotent with fury, Valentine stood in the rain and darkness and watched as Granbury retreated. The man was disappearing into the gloom, taking their hopes of exposing him further away with every step. Taking away his hope of keeping his promise to the maid. He could not bear it if Nan was hurt because he had allowed the marquess to goad him into carelessness. He would not let Granbury harm the maid. He had promised.

He followed, determined this was one promise he would not break. Carefully, moving as slowly as possible so as not to alarm the marquess, he angled himself to catch the maid's terrified glance.

Though she was frightened, he could tell she was alert for any possibility of rescue or escape. She watched him mutely, and her silent plea begged him to help her win her freedom. She had managed to get her fingers in the noose around her neck, but that would do little good if Granbury gave even one sharp twist. The cord would no doubt strangle her, but not before it cut through her neck and she bled to death. They had all known the risks, but somehow, facing them, deciding what to do, was more difficult than Valentine had imagined. Nan's life was in danger no matter what he did next.

He considered one solution after another, discarding them almost as fast as they occurred to him.

There was one which might work. Or might get her killed. Could she possibly bring the marquess down if she tangled her legs in his? And could he save her, if she did? There was no other choice. How could he convey the idea to her? As if she'd read his mind, the maid blinked at him twice, then swung her legs violently first forward and then backward. She managed to hook one struggling foot beneath Granbury's heel. The marquess stumbled.

It was enough distraction for Valentine to surge forward and grab for the terrified maid.

However, although Granbury loosened his hold on Nan to save himself from the fall, he did not release her — or his hold on the noose around her neck. "Step back, Fenster." The marquess tugged gently at the cord in his hand and Nan whimpered.

Valentine, fury in every ounce of his being, stepped back. There was nothing else he could do if he wished to keep the maid's neck from being severed. Damn. He had been so close, the wool of her cloak had been in his hand.

Like a dash of icy water even colder than the rain pouring down, he heard Emily's voice from behind him. "Let her go, my lord, please. She is a loyal servant, nothing more."

Granbury started at the sound of Emily's voice. His eyes swung to her and he took an involuntary step in her direction, dragging Nan along.

"No." Valentine stepped between them without conscious thought. Where had Emily come from? Why had she — he pushed back the questions that threatened to distract him. In the tone of a husband who intended to be obeyed, he ordered, "You must go back to the castle at once."

"I can't," she said softly, putting her hand on his arm gently, as if to soothe him. She pushed a drenched curl of hair away from her cheek and stood her ground. He looked into her eyes and saw a sense of certainty that filled him with foreboding. "Emily, this is not the time — "

She stepped past him, ignoring his words. Her eyes were focused on Granbury, with an occasional glance at Nan. "Would you not prefer to have me as your hostage, my lord?"

Granbury's eyes lit with delight as he glanced between Emily and Valentine. "So you prefer a marquess to a viscount, do you?"

Valentine found the urge to strangle him was hard to subdue.

Emily answered quite calmly, "Of course not."

Valentine smiled. He had no doubt her composure was hard won, but there was no sign of the battle in her voice. The marquess blinked and frowned. "Then — "

"l want you to release Nancy," Emily said patiently, as if talking to a recalcitrant child. "I realize you cannot do so safely unless you have another hostage."

At last, Granbury's composure cracked wide. "You would give up your freedom for the safety of this … this maid?"

Valentine, realizing at last what she intended to do, gripped her arm. "Emily — "

She broke his grip and moved forward without hesitation. "Of course I would."

Nan whimpered, "My lady, no — "

Emily looked at the maid, whose face glistened with rain — and probably with tears, as well — and was swollen from near-strangulation. "I keep my promises, Nancy."

Before Valentine could stop them, Granbury had released the maid, pushing her into the two men who had set out to trap and capture him. It was impossible to say whether Emily stepped into the marquess's embrace willingly, or was captured. In the end it did not matter. He had her.

She stood still, staring at Valentine. Her eyes were pleading with his, but he did not know for what. She was now in Granbury's grip. The noose lay loose around her neck and she did not choke or gasp. But the threat was enough to keep him from acting.

Granbury's grin was wide. "So, Fenster, the better man wins, inevitably."

There was nothing to answer the taunt. Emily's life was in his hands. Valentine closed his fists against his desire to batter the man with them. Emily's gaze begged him to keep his rage in hand. But all he could do was wonder what she had been thinking to offer herself up like a sacrificial lamb.

The marquess evidently preferred to see his victims lose control. He did not stop his goading remarks, even as he began to back down the path toward the stables once again. "Don't worry about her welfare, Fenster. I shall treat her decently — as long as she behaves herself."

Desperation was building in him and he fought not to let it show in his voice or his manner. "You can go nowhere, Granbury," he called. "We know what you have done. You will not escape justice this time."

"You sound as naive as that maid of Emily's. "Justice is in the eye of the beholder."

"Justice for you is to be tried for your crimes in front of all who used to respect and revere you," he snapped. "And I am the man to see that happen."

Granbury wiped rain from his face. "This is Scotland, Fenster. Remember that. A man can be married in an hour. Barbaric custom. But quite useful to me." Emily's eyes met the marquess's in horrified understanding, and then comprehension dawned and the blaze of fear in her gaze extinguished. She was already married. Granbury's threat was impotent, little did he know it.

All Valentine could do was thank God he had not fought her on the matter one day longer. For a moment, he was tempted to reveal the truth to the marquess.

As if she knew his desire, Emily shook her head almost imperceptibly. He knew she was right. Still, he fought the urge to proclaim her as his once and for all. He was tired of the secrecy.

"What hope do you have, married or not?" Kerstone asked, his voice steeped in reason. The question seemed simple, but Valentine noticed how the duke stepped forward slowly as he asked, moving ever closer to the pair.

"Would you ruin your cousin's life — the family honor itself--by accusing her husband of murder?" The marquess's smile was once again self-assured as he mocked the duke. "I think not, your grace."

Taking another step closer, the duke asked, "But what about Fenster? He's already tried to elope with her once."

"He cannot marry her once I have made her my wife. Even such a devoted lover cannot argue that truth."