Wicked Wager (35 page)

“The truth? What does that mean?”

“The thing is…” James sighed. “There’s no easy way to say this. Lily has seen Penny since she left your townhouse two days ago. Indeed, she was with Penny when she wrote the note saying she couldn’t marry you.”

Marcus jerked back. “I don’t believe you.”

“Lily has no reason to lie. And believe me, it wasn’t easy getting her to tell me this.”

“But it’s still possible Penny was under coercion when she wrote the note. Withersby might have threatened her with harm if she didn’t do so.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t sound like that’s the way it was. I’m sorry, Marcus. I’m sure it would be much easier for you if Penny wasn’t part of Withersby’s scheme.”

Marcus faced James defiantly. “Part of Withersby’s scheme? What are you talking about? It’s clear he was holding her captive!”

“Is it? You said you found some pieces of cloth. Does that really mean she was tied up? Couldn’t the strips of cloth have been used for something else?”

“What about what Robin told me—that they saw Penny leave the house hours before I arrived with Withersby? Clearly, she was running away!”

“Isn’t it just as likely she was leaving because she’d fulfilled her part in the plan?”

Marcus walked to the settee and sat down. Dash this awful headache! He couldn’t think clearly. Somehow he had to make James understand that Penny despised her cousin and would never intentionally collaborate with him.

But was that true, or was it simply what he wanted to believe?

When he looked up, James was gazing at him sympathetically. “Maybe I’m wrong, Marcus. At least about her plotting with Withersby. But I do think she left here of her own accord. I also think there’s nothing you can do tonight. You’re obviously half dead on your feet. And since you blacked out, you probably aren’t thinking very clearly. Penny was last seen hours ago. How do you propose to pick up her trail now, when everyone you might ask is undoubtedly asleep?

Marcus nodded slowly. James had a point…or several points. In his current condition, Marcus was no use to anyone. “Very well,” he said, “I’ll go to bed.”

****

Penny woke to the sun shining into her room.
I’m home! I’m safe!

Rising from the bed, she started to dress. She could hardly believe she’d slept so late. But the mail coach hadn’t arrived at the station in Harting until late in the evening. Thank heavens she’d known the innkeeper Mr. Boggs for years. He’d had no problem paying her fare and then having his son take her to Horngate.

She smiled to herself as she recalled greeting Mrs. Foxworthy. The housekeeper had impulsively embraced her, then scolded her about the lateness of the hour and her disheveled appearance. But when the housekeeper learned what happened with Adrian, she immediately fetched Mr. Foxworthy. They locked all the doors, and Mr. Foxworthy had vowed to sit watch throughout the night with his hunting gun on his lap.

By now the whole staff knew about Adrian. She’d be well-protected, if a bit of a prisoner. As much as she wanted to go out to the stables to see the horses, she’d have to wait until someone could go with her. Despite the bright sunshine coming in through the window, it seemed as if a dark cloud hovered overhead. Part of it was her fear of Adrian, but adding to it was her sorrow over leaving Marcus.

She’d tried to avoid thinking about him, but could not. What had he done when he got Adrian’s ransom note? He’d probably been furious, absolutely outraged at the idea he should pay a ransom for a woman who’d treated him so coldly. He might even believe she was part of Adrian’s scheme.

The thought made her sick inside. Penny hated to think he would imagine she was as ruthless and mercenary as her cousin. But it was probably better if he did believe that. Then Adrian couldn’t manipulate him and extort money from him. If Adrian believed Marcus wanted nothing to do with her, he’d finally leave Marcus alone and he’d be safe.

What would her cousin do when he realized his plan wouldn’t work? If only he would give up his scheming and accept his situation. Marcus would never want to marry her now, which meant she could stay here and run the horse operation. It was fairly prosperous. There should be enough money to give Adrian a decent living. If he didn’t gamble it all away.

A futile hope. Adrian would never change. And as long as he was around, she’d never be free to reveal her feelings to Marcus. Not that there was any chance he still felt anything for her.

She swallowed to dislodge the lump in her throat. There was no point grieving over what might have been. She had to go on from here and be happy she was alive and safe. And she still had Horngate. After breakfast, she’d get Mr. Foxworthy to accompany her to the barn. She so wanted to see Tad and the other stablemen. And the horses. Ah, the horses.

****

“It’s so good to have you home, miss. Even if the circumstances aren’t what we might hope. Do you think your cousin will follow you here?”

“I don’t know, Mr. Foxworthy,” Penny responded as they followed the well-worn path from the house to the barn. “Once he realizes that Mar…that Mr. Revington won’t pay the ransom, maybe he’ll give up. I was a bit overwrought last night. I’m probably not actually in that much danger from my cousin.”

“Well, we can’t take any chances. I’ll make certain everyone knows you must never be alone when you’re away from the house.”

Penny’s heartbeat quickened as they approached the barn. There was nothing like the familiar smell of hay and horses. Inside the barn, Tad was dragging a sack of oats to the main feed bin.

Seeing her, his eyes lit up; he let go of the sack.. “Penny! That is, Miss Montgomery!” He gave Mr. Foxworthy a sheepish look.

“Hello, Tad. It’s wonderful to see you.”

“And you, too…miss. You look different.”

“So do you, Tad.” And he did. He seemed taller and more filled out. Was it possible he’d changed so much in less than a month?

“Where’s everyone else?” Mr. Foxworthy asked.

“Out in the training pens.” Tad motioned with his head. “We’re working with Echo’s new colt.”

“A colt? Oh, I can’t wait to see him!” exclaimed Penny.

“Looks just like Hero, he does. Born about a week ago. Everything went well and Echo’s a great mum.”

“I have to see him,” said Penny. “And Hero, too.”

“I’ll take her down, Mr. Foxworthy,” said Tad.

The estate manager frowned, the weathered lines around his eyes creasing. “Maybe I should go along.”

“Oh, you have enough to do, Mr. Foxworthy,” Penny reassured him. “I’m certain we’ll be fine.”

“Very well, but keep an eye out at all times,” Mr. Foxworthy warned Tad and then started back to the house.

“You don’t have to worry about your worthless cousin,” said Tad. “He’s a lily-livered coward. He’d never dare mix it up with me.”

Penny nodded. Now that she was back at Horngate, what Adrian had said and done in London seemed like a bad dream. She’d been alone and vulnerable then. Here Adrian would know everyone was looking out for her.

“What about Revington?” Tad asked as they started walking to the horse pens. “Aren’t you worried he’ll show up and drag you back to London and make you marry him?”

Oh, if only he would
! “I’m quite certain that won’t happen.”

“Why not?” asked Tad. “I thought he was desperate to get his hands on this place.”

“It’s complicated. But basically, I suspect he thinks Horngate is no longer worth the trouble.”

“See? You did it!” Tad gave her shoulder a playful punch. “The top-lofty swell shouldn’t have messed with the likes of you!”

Penny gave the young groom a forced smile. There was no point telling him that Marcus wasn’t a “top-lofty swell” and she wasn’t at all happy with the way things turned out.

“Wait till you see the little colt,” Tad went on. “We named him Raven, ’cause he’s nearly all black. Only a hint of white on his forehead. Oh, and Belle foaled, too. Nice little chestnut filly.”

“She did? Oh, I can’t wait to see them both!”

“They’re all the way down in the far pen. And I have a surprise for you.” His brown eyes gleamed with excitement. “I’ve got Hero all saddled and ready for you.”

“Truly!” Penny exclaimed.

Tad nodded, then motioned. “We could cut through the trees. That would be faster.”

As they started into the woods, Penny said, “I wasn’t certain I dare go riding. But if you’ve got Hero saddled, I simply can’t resist.”

“Why did you think you couldn’t go riding?”

Penny made a face. “Because of Adrian. I worried he might follow me here. It might not be safe.”

Tad made a sound of disgust. “Really, Penny. You should have more faith in me…and yourself. I’d vow even you could get the best of that weak, puny fellow.”

Penny nodded. She’d never been afraid of Adrian before. But recalling the look on his face when he threatened to throw her out the window, she wasn’t entirely reassured by Tad’s words.

As they walked through the trees, Tad filled her in on everything that had happened over the past month. Penny found herself half-listening. She should be thrilled to be home. As Tad had said, this was exactly what she wanted. So, why did she feel this deep sense of loss? This emptiness? As awful as it was to contemplate, she didn’t think she would ever be happy again without Marcus in her life.

She struggled against the tide of grief sweeping over her, telling herself she must be grateful for what she did have, not mourn over what might have been. But it was a battle. And it would continue to be a battle, for far longer than she dare think about.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that when Tad grabbed her arm, she thought he was trying to keep her from tripping. Then he cursed.

Adrian stood on the pathway ahead of them, a pistol in his hand.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Marcus pushed his plate away and sat back. Behind him, Bowes, who was serving as footman this morning, said, “You’ve scarce touched your breakfast, sir. Is there anything else I could fetch you from the kitchen?”

“No thank you. I’m not hungry.”

“Very good, sir,” Bowes responded, sounding disappointed.

Marcus repressed a sigh. He wondered if he’d ever have a taste for food again. Or, for anything else. He felt so dashed empty inside…

He rose abruptly, seeking to shake off the mood. “Still no sign of Jeremy?”

“No, sir. Nor the coach either.”

Marcus nodded. He could spend the day searching London for his missing footman and coach.

“Send Will for a hansom, Bowes. I’m going to James’s.”

On the way to James’s townhouse, Marcus sought to focus on Jeremy and the missing coach. He wasn’t certain where to begin looking. Maybe he should go back to the gaming hell and see if there’d been any sign of Withersby there.

When he arrived at James’s townhouse, Vincent took him to the library. Marcus paced back and forth impatiently.

At last, James appeared. “You’re an inconsiderate bastard these days, Marcus. First, you wake me in the middle of the night. Then you appear here at this ungodly hour. I thought I’d convinced you to forget about searching for Penny.”

“You did. But there’s still the matter of my missing footman and rig. Not to mention my money. I’m rather disinclined to let Withersby steal from me with no repercussions. There was only a few hundred pounds in the valise, but I’d still like to get it back and see Withersby punished.”

“My advice, which I’ve given you repeatedly, is to hire a runner. Have someone trained in dealing with this sort of thing search out Withersby and bring him to justice.”

“By the time I hire someone, more time will have passed and the trail will have gone cold.” Marcus held out his hands beseechingly. “I’m not asking you to do anything yourself, James. Just lend me your rig so I don’t have to hire a hansom to take me all over the city. Besides, driving will ease my nerves. By the time I find Withersby, I hope to be calm enough not to murder him with my bare hands.”

James sighed. “Very well. I’ll have Vincent get Billy to fetch the tilbury from the stables. In the meantime, sit. Your pacing is giving me a megrim!”

Marcus took a seat on the settle. James sat across from him. “It’s not that I don’t sympathize with you, Marcus. I know you care for Penny. and this is a hard blow.”

“I’m afraid it went far beyond caring for her. I am in
love
with her. Indeed, the very day she left, I was going to come to you and admit I’d lost the bet, that I was well and truly smitten.”

“Look at it this way, Marcus. At least you found out the truth about Penny before the two of you got married.”

Marcus sprang to his feet, unable to endure James’s dark implications any longer. “The truth about Penny? What is the truth? We don’t
know
she was part of Withersby’s plot. There’s no logical reason for her to help him. What did she have to gain? A bit of money? I never observed that Penny had much interest in money. Besides, she has the income from Horngate, which looks to be substantial. The only reason she would have for cooperating with Adrian was if he’d promised her she could go back to Horngate and resume her life as it was before.”

Marcus froze, wondering if he’d finally hit on it. Was Penny’s love for Horngate and the horse operation enough to make her go along with Adrian’s scheme? It might be, he realized. But if that was the case, she’d gone to a lot of trouble for nothing. Once they were wed, he’d planned to live at Horngate and allow her to do whatever she wished with her beloved horses anyway.

What if he told her he didn’t want to take control of Horngate? That all he desired was to share her life. To be near her…

He took a deep breath, realizing how far gone he was. Even if Penny was involved in Adrian’s scheme, he didn’t care. He loved her and wanted her for his wife. Somehow he had find her and tell her these things.

But where could she be? All at once, he realized the answer was staring him in the face. She’d gone to Horngate.

“I hope your footman hurries with the carriage,” he told James. “I’ve got things to do.”

****

Penny stared at her cousin, her heart pounding. “Adrian. What are you doing here?”