Tiger's Eye (7 page)

Paddy’s frown turned to a full-blown scowl, and he took a step forward. Isabella felt fear clench her stomach. She drew a great, ragged breath, pressing even harder against the wall.

“What are you doing out of bed, miss?” he asked gently, as if she were an errant child caught out in a misdemeanor. Isabella opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her eyes, huge and very blue with fright, slid guiltily to the tell-tale candelabra, then jerked back up to his battered face.

“She was on the verge of braining you with that candlestick there, friend. Fortunately for us both, I don’t sleep like the dead.”

Paddy turned reproachful eyes on her. Isabella saw that they were brown, and soulful. Strangely kind eyes for such a monster of a man.

“Aw, Alec, she’s frightened.” He might have been speaking of a puppy.

Alec snorted. “She wasn’t frightened until you woke up. She was bent on murder—yours, and probably mine after that.”

“You weren’t really going to hit me with that, were you, miss?”

“I—I…”

Lying had never come easily to her, but she was learning fast. Before she could frame a denial, though, she was interrupted by the sound of a key turning in the lock of the bedroom where she’d been.

All three of them listened as the door was locked again. Then soft footsteps crossed the other room, paused.

“Oh my heavens, where’d she get to?” The voice was female, slightly husky, and annoyed.

“In here, Pearl,” Paddy called. Isabella was vastly relieved to have attention diverted from herself. She was feeling muzzy-headed, and it took all her strength just to remain on her feet, much less defend herself against the giant and his handsome friend.

The woman came to the door of the dressing room and looked at the trio inside with obvious surprise. Isabella’s eyes widened at the sight of her. It wasn’t just that she was beautiful, which she was. Her hair was so blonde it was almost white. Her face was soft and round like a child’s, with the requisite cupid’s bow mouth, artfully reddened, pouting prettily below a nose that might have been a hair too retroussé but was lovely for all that. Her eyes were midnight blue, framed by incredible lashes that were astonishingly dark for such a fair-haired woman. It wasn’t any of that, or the amazing quality of her white skin, or the soft pink flush in her cheeks, that made Isabella’s eyes grow round. It wasn’t the trio of towering purple plumes in the elaborately upswept hair, or even the necklace of what appeared to be enormous, genuine sapphires around her neck.

It was her gown. Or rather, what wasn’t covered by her gown.

The woman had a figure that would stop a full-grown bull moose in its tracks. And a large portion of it was on display.

Full white breasts flowed lushly over the scanty bodice, which was of purple brocade edged with black lace. Above it her neck and shoulders and all of her breasts down to the very nipple were bare. Isabella could actually see the crescents of dark pink areolas.

After a shocked stare, Isabella finally managed to drag her eyes lower. Beneath the magnificent bosom the woman had a tiny waist that curved into generous hips clearly outlined by the clinging, ruched brocade. The dress hugged her lushly curved thighs until it reached her knees, where the purple brocade parted to reveal a petticoat of tiered black lace. The lace was semitransparent, allowing the viewer a peek at plump, silk-stockinged legs with a garter tied daringly just below one dimpled knee.

Never in her life had Isabella seen such a costume. The word indecent barely did it justice. Clearly designed to engender lust in a man, it was provocative, tantalizing, simmering with promise. Isabella thought of the two men in the room with her, undoubtedly ogling this flaunting exhibition, and her face flamed a brilliant red.

X

“M
y lord, angel, what’re you blushin’ for? We all got the same equipment, ain’t we?” Pearl addressed that question to Isabella with lively surprise.

“But some of you are … more abundantly equipped than others,” Alec intervened with a wry grin. Pearl’s eyes flew to him.

“Oh, Alec, you’re better! It’s so good to see you sittin’ up, darlin’!”

She rustled across the room, dropping to her knees beside the bed. Throwing her arms around him, the purple plumes scraping the wall as she lowered her head, she kissed him lingeringly on the mouth. Watching, Isabella felt a strange discomfort somewhere in the vicinity of her belly, and hastily averted her eyes. Then, when at last the kiss was done and Isabella thought it was safe to look again, Pearl pressed Alec’s head to her bare white bosom in a gesture so intimate that Isabella felt her face burn anew. Her eyes dropped to the floor for the second time in as many minutes.

“Ahem.” Apparently also embarrassed, Paddy cleared his throat and shifted his eyes from the embracing couple to Isabella. His cheeks, like hers, were a shade pinker than they had been before.

He shook his head at her. “You shouldn’t’ve got outa bed, you know. You’ve been lying there, out of your head delirious, for nigh on a fortnight. Wearing yourself to the bone ain’t gonna help you recover.”

Isabella fixed her eyes on him with a certain desperation. Rustling sounds and a soft giggle from the direction of the bed warned her that the embrace had resumed. For some reason her eyes wanted to turn in that direction, and she had to battle to keep them fastened on Paddy. If she hoped to make head or tails out of the situation in which she found herself, she had best keep her wits about her, and watching that woman’s lascivious display with Alec certainly did not help clear her mind. She understood nothing of what was going on, but clung to one fact: so far these people had shown no disposition to harm her. They might, though. Remembering the original kidnappers’ plan to murder her, she felt a cold frisson of fear quiver along the back of her neck.

Until she was safe at home again, no one could be trusted.

Her eyes slid past Paddy to the bedchamber beyond.

“I—I think I will go back to bed. If you’ll turn your back, that is. I’m not dressed,” she explained hesitantly, gesturing down at herself as he looked at her with a growing frown. The chair and her hair still shielded her body from view, but if she stepped out from behind the chair, her hair would cover only so much. Alec and Pearl were clearly too preoccupied to notice anything but themselves, but Paddy was not. She gazed at him pleadingly. To her surprise, he turned his back.

Risking a quick glance at Alec and Pearl—she was lying sprawled on the bed with him, and Isabella didn’t even want to think about what his hands were doing—she stepped out from behind the chair. As she walked toward the bedroom, her head began to swim. Her knees shook, and she suddenly felt icy cold. Another step and she had to catch hold of the doorknob to keep from falling to the floor. She must have made a slight sound, because Paddy was by her side in an instant, seemingly oblivious to her state of undress as he looked anxiously into her face. Isabella was not oblivious, though, and despite her weakness, tried to cover herself with her hair, cringing away when he would have touched her.

“Pearl, leave off fawning over Alec and come help this chit back to bed,” Paddy said.

“You do it, Paddy. You don’t need me—but I think Alec does.” A throaty, suggestive giggle punctuated the words.

“Go help the lady to bed, Pearl. I’m not up to much right now, anyway.”

“Oh, Alec!” Pearl protested, pouting.

“Do as I say, now. I need to talk to Paddy. Business.”

“Oh, you and your damned business! That’s all you ever think about!” Pearl snapped, flouncing off the bed. Out of the corner of her eye Isabella could not help but see Alec’s next appeasing gesture.

“All, Pearl?” He squeezed her bottom, his grin beguiling.

Pearl giggled, turned, and planted a kiss full on his chiselled mouth. “Well, maybe not all,” she agreed, relenting. Her good nature thus restored, she adjusted a drooping plume while apparently wasting little thought on the bosom that was even more daringly exposed than before. Then she moved over to where Isabella watched her with half-frightened fascination.

“Come on, angel, let’s mind Alec and tuck you back into bed.”

Isabella instinctively shrank as Pearl slid an arm around her waist. She was not used to being touched, especially by strangers. Especially not by a stranger like Pearl, who was absolutely scandalous in dress and behavior. But after a moment she permitted herself to be helped away from the door and led into the bedroom. Her weakness was not feigned, but her meekness was. Such meekness had helped her to escape before, by lulling the suspicions of her captors. It might help her again.

Although she was a little lightheaded, she was not so far gone that she did not notice the key that Pearl had left in the lock on the inside of the door. If she could just get away from Pearl, she could be out that door in a trice. And through that door lay the way home.…

If she took the key with her, and locked the door from the outside, Pearl and Paddy and Alec would be unable to follow her.

She would be free.

Behind them, Paddy shut the door to the dressing room, leaving the two women alone. Pearl helped Isabella toward the bed. Isabella’s thoughts were becoming sluggish even as her body was growing increasingly weak, but she fought to stay alert. Should she try, or bide her time?

She might never get another chance.

Isabella took a deep breath, inhaled Pearl’s pungent floral perfume, and succumbed to a totally unexpected fit of sneezing that nearly sent her to her knees. Pearl jumped back, shaking her head, and when the sneezes subsided, withdrew a lace-trimmed handkerchief from her bosom and passed it to Isabella.

“Here, angel, use this.”

Like Pearl herself, the handkerchief was drenched with scent. Isabella tried not to inhale as she accepted it.

“Come on, then, let’s get you into bed.”

Pearl put her arm around Isabella’s waist again. Isabella, realizing that it was now or never, prayed that her last remaining reserves of strength would be equal to the task. Then, gritting her teeth, she shoved the unsuspecting Pearl as hard as she could. Taken by surprise, Pearl staggered backwards and, tripping over the long train of her gown, crashed to the floor.

“Why, you little slut!” she cried, but Isabella was already at the door, fumbling with the key.

“Alec, Paddy, help! Quick!”

Pearl came after her, scrambling on all fours. The door to the dressing room flew open just as Isabella managed to turn the key in the lock. She jerked at the knob, got the door open. Paddy barreled through the dressing room door. Behind him, Alec had managed to get out of bed and was leaning, panting, against the jamb of the dressing room door, clearly able to go no farther. He was as white-faced and weak-looking as Isabella felt.

Stumbling through the opening, Isabella was felled by a violent jerk on the hem of her nightdress. She staggered forward, falling. Her knees hit the polished wood floor of the hall, and she cried out. A young female in a nightdress as diaphanous as her own was in the hall with a well-dressed gentleman in tow.

“What…?” the gentleman said, starting forward. Isabella noticed that Paddy had faded back into the bedroom, while Pearl hurried forward to yank Isabella to her feet.

“ ’Tis only one of my girls, out of her head with childbed fever. And she lost the child, too, poor creature.” Pearl jerked Isabella back toward the room.

“Can I help you, Miss Pearl?” the girl asked in a soft, dreamy voice.

“No, Suzy, you just take care of your gentleman,” Pearl snapped, then smiled at the gentleman as if to soften her words. Isabella, knowing herself defeated and too dizzy and exhausted to struggle against her fate anymore, allowed herself to be pulled back inside the bedroom.

“Ungrateful little besom,” Pearl muttered, shoving her to the center of the room. Isabella fell to her knees again, not caring any longer that Alec and Paddy were seeing her near nakedness or that they were all angry with her. She didn’t even care that she had failed to escape.…

“Be careful, Pearl, you’ll hurt her,” Paddy said in a scolding tone as he bent to pick Isabella up.

“If she gives Alec’s hiding place away, I’ll do more than hurt her.” Pearl carefully locked the door, then turned to glare at Isabella. “I’ll kill her!”

“Such fierceness, sweeting. I’m flattered,” Alec murmured from where he still leaned against the doorway.

“Darlin’, you shouldn’t’ve got out of bed!” Pearl remonstrated, flying to his side, casting Isabella a fulminating look as she did.

Isabella, held awkwardly in Paddy’s arms, glanced at the pair, then away. Paddy laid her on the bed, looming over her.

“Please don’t hurt me,” Isabella whispered, and amazingly, Paddy straightened away.

For the moment, it seemed, she was to be spared. Giving in to the weakness that now washed over her, she closed her eyes, and let exhaustion claim her.

XI

W
hen Isabella awoke the next time, the room was once again shrouded in darkness. Had she slept the clock round? Only a soft orange glow from the dying embers in the hearth provided any light at all. Disoriented, dry-mouthed and in some pain, she stared at the dark shadows around the bed, wondering what had awakened her. Then, for no reason at all that she could think of, she had the disquieting sensation that she was not alone.

Holding her breath so as to listen for the faintest sound, Isabella was conscious of her heart knocking against her chest. Lying on her stomach, her head sliding sideways off a deep, downy pillow, she was frighteningly aware of her own vulnerability. Someone was in the room with her, she knew it. And if they were creeping about under cover of darkness, what could their intent be but evil? Was she to be strangled—smothered—bludgeoned—while she slept?

A shadow moved near the foot of the bed, separating itself from the voluminous bed-curtains.

Isabella gasped, and wound or no wound, turned over onto her back, swarming up over the mound of pillows piled against the headboard.

“For God’s sake, don’t start screaming.”