Pia shook her head and knew that wouldn’t be true. A man would eventually come along and steal her aunt away. “There is nowhere we can go that Sirius won’t find us.” Even now, she worried what the consequences of her betrayal would be. She was glad she’d stopped Melody’s footman from ending his life. Would it be enough to gain her husband’s forgiveness for her aunt? “You’re my aunt. As Lady Gordie, I might persuade the duke to forgive you.”
“Let it go, Pia.” Melody’s face was hard. “Do you honestly believe you and Lord Sirius would have been happy together? He is not the man you think he is. Eventually, you’d have crumbled under the weight he bears. I think he already killed one of my servants, one of the triplets. Lee. I can’t find him. You were not meant for this life. We will go to Italy. I will protect you.”
“Like you protected me before?” Pia found herself asking aloud. “You nearly got me killed, delivering that porcelain. You got me involved in all of this.”
Melody shrugged. “You needed the money. Perhaps, you should have asked more questions.”
The words slapped Pia in the face. She had no time to counter her aunt’s reply, since the carriage stopped.
“We’re here.” Melody squeezed her hand. “Listen to me, Pia. You are about to meet some very dangerous people. Do not be fooled, especially by the women. They will need to be assured that you are on our side, otherwise…”
“Otherwise what?” Pia felt a cold chill rush down her spine. “Where are we? Why do I have to meet anyone?”
Melody licked her lips. “Because they aren’t sure if they can trust me because of you. You marrying Sirius has thrown my loyalty into question. Therefore, I will present you to them as proof that you are still on our side. Help us defeat the duke and all will be forgiven. Then we can go.”
Pia shook her head. “I don’t want to do this. I will not betray the duke and his wife.”
Melody grabbed her face and moved in close. “If you wish to live, you will do as I say.” Her aunt’s emotions seemed to be all over the place.
“Did Sirius really hit you?”
Melody blinked and then drew away. Her demeanor became meek and wounded. “Of course, he did.” She looked Pia over. “And perhaps, we should make it so they think he attacked you as well. It will make the story more believable, for why you would betray your own husband.”
“What?”
Melody pulled a blade from her skirt. “Where should we cut you?”
“Nowhere!” The woman was mad. “Aunt Melody, put that blade down.”
“A mark on your face would be too much like my own.” Melody’s eyes swept over Pia’s body. Then she lunged forward.
Pia cried as the blade cut into her shoulder. The stinging pain shocked her just as much as the ripping of her clothes did.
The moment Melody drew away, Pia looked down at the mark. It was shallow, but still, she couldn’t believe her aunt had done this.
“It’s superficial,” her aunt said. “It will heal without a mark in a week, I promise.”
How did Melody know that? Pia tried to straighten her dress, but the way in which Melody had cut it kept the bodice slipping.
“Are you ready?” Melody asked.
“No!”
“Well, we’ve no time to dally.” Melody grabbed her and yanked her out of the carriage. Pia would have fought if she wasn’t already trying to keep her dress from sliding to the ground. Once on the street, Pia looked up and noticed they were at one of the nicest hotels in the city.
The pale stone building was awash in golden light from the outdoor lanterns.
Melody led Pia around the back.
Melody let go of Pia for a single moment, and Pia turned and started to run. She gave a shout when she was grabbed once more. Two footmen held her arms and dragged her back to servants’ entrance of the hotel.
“Hold her,” Melody said. “If she gets away, we could all be killed for treason.”
“My dress!” With her hands bound, the gown was slipping.
One of the footmen looked down at her attire and glared with open lust.
Pia shivered.
“If I tell them to let you go, will you be the good niece I know you can be?”
Pia nodded and was released. She fixed her dress just in the nick of time.
The door opened and Melody told the person on the other side who she wished to see.
Lord Mullon.
Melody said to Pia, “I will prove to you just what sort of man you married.”
Pia followed Melody in the corridor and up a flight of stairs. They were led to a room at the end of the hall. Melody straightened her clothes, bringing down her dress’ neckline in an effort to put her creamy skin more on display before she knocked.
The door was opened by another man Pia recognized. She’d delivered porcelain to him. Mr. Clark. He was a thin older gentleman of average height. Pia would have never guessed him to be capable of what he’d done, but then she hadn’t thought any of the people she’d met to be who they truly were.
Monsters.
One could look at Sirius and see the danger. It was in his confident gait and tempting smile, yet she was nearly certain that Sirius hadn’t hit her aunt now. It had all been a lie.
Had Seys’ death been another lie? Had her aunt actually killed the man?
She’d never seen a dead man before. The view had been a shock to her. She’d called her husband a liar. She’d run from him. He was a hunter, but what if he didn’t come for her? What if he let her go?
There was no telling just how dangerous a woman her aunt truly was.
She would have to play along if she didn’t wish to be hurt. Once she was alone, she’d find a way to escape. She’d tell Sirius everything.
∫ ∫ ∫
5 1
* * *
Mr. Clark glared at Melody. “You weren’t supposed to be here. Seys said your family could no longer be trusted.” His eyes moved to Pia and widened. “You brought her here? Are you trying to see that we’re all killed?”
“Seys is dead,” Melody said. Tears, which hadn’t been there moments before, now spilled down her pale cheeks. “Lord Gordie attacked me and then he attacked my niece. Look at her!”
Pia clutched her bodice as Mr. Clark’s gaze roamed her. His expression changed to concern. “Lord Seys is dead?”
“Yes, but he left me with instructions before he died,” Melody said. “Please, let us in.”
Mr. Clark stepped back, and Melody went inside. A footman pushed Pia forward and a second later, she found herself in a lovely drawing room with beige and pale pink furnishings. A door in the back likely led to a bedchamber.
Sitting around a dining table in the corner were the people she’d met and made deliveries to. Lord Burien and Lord Halley, who’d she seen at the pottery shop before she’d left London weeks ago were in attendance.
As was Lady Kelsey.
The women’s eyes met.
Kelsey stood, but anything she would have done or said was cut off when Melody began a great performance, speaking about the events from less than an hour ago. She fervently lied about Sirius attacking her, but unsure of what would happen if she spoke up, Pia remained quiet and tried to think of a way to get out of her current situation.
No one seemed ready to trust a word that came out of Melody’s mouth, but Pia suspected their injured appearances kept all from outright calling them a liar.
Lord Mullon caught Pia’s eyes, but he couldn’t seem to hold her stare for long. Had Sirius actually taken his son?
“He said we should act tonight,” Melody said. “There is no time to delay.”
“Tonight?” Mr. Clark said. Then he narrowed his eyes. “Seys mentioned how much you wanted to move up the attack time. He argued that we wait until next Season. How convenient that he is no longer here to argue against this very thing.”
Melody looked away. “None of you were there when he died. He must be avenged.”
“And what of my son?”
Mullon asked. “And what of the others? What will happen to them if we attack?”
“What do you suggest?” Mr. Clark asked.
Mullon looked around sheepishly. “I say… we do what we can to get the heirs back. I’m sure the duke can be reasoned with. If we tell him this was all Seys’ idea— ”
“Out of the question,” Melody said. “You may as well count your boy dead, for the duke will never give him back.”
Mullon hung his head.
Pia was saddened by the discussion she was hearing. Her aunt’s coldness was astonishing, but even worse was discovering that Mullon’s son had been taken after all. Sirius had told her he hadn’t done it.
Could she trust his word?
She looked around the room and saw the results of not trusting him before. Her own aunt had cut her and now she was in a room with murderers. She didn’t know what or who to believe, but she knew one thing to be certain—Sirius had never hurt her.
This was a side of Melody she’d never seen before. She was almost certain now that everything that came from her aunt’s lips was a lie. She wondered if it had been Melody who’d killed Seys to begin with. Already, Clark had pointed out the difference in their opinions.
Pia worked to steady her breathing as time went on. If they were planning to attack tonight, she needed to get to Sirius immediately. Certain that Melody’s footman blocked the door from the other side, Pia inched toward the window.
Mullon caught her attention and stood. “I don’t care what Lady Melody says, I don’t think we should be discussing this with Lady Gordie in the room.”
Clark looked her over, his gaze heated, but not with anger. “What do you think we should do with her?”
Mullon started for her. “I’ll tie her up in the other room.”
“No, please, I…” Pia shrank away from him, but he grabbed her arm and led her to the door in the back of the suite.
“My niece will cooperate,” Melody said.
“We can keep her for ransom,” Lady Kelsey said. “Just in case.” No more would Pia feel pity for her.
The others nodded in agreement.
The other door led to a bedchamber done in various shades of blue. Mullon didn’t close the door behind them as he led her over to the bed. “Sit.”
She did as he asked. “Please, just let me go.”
“Quiet. Cooperate and we might not kill you, though it would only be fair considering what your husband is doing to my son,” Mullon said aloud.
Pia refused to believe him. She refused to think Sirius would hurt a child.
Mullon pulled a scarf from a drawer and then grabbed her hands. He forced them to the bedpost. Mullon leaned in close and lowered his voice. “Pia, listen to me. I’m going to leave this loose. You won’t have long to escape. Tell Gordie what you discovered tonight.”
Pia’s eyes widened. He was helping her. “But your son—”
“He is at home, hiding. It’s all a plot to get the people in the other room together,” Mullon said. “Sirius had me and a few others turn against the rest. The missing sons are a lie to make the others scared and either turn themselves in or act irrationally.”
Pia breathed a sigh of relief. Her husband was innocent. It pained her that she’d doubted him at all.
“Tell him what you discovered tonight. Tell him where we are.”
“What will he do to you?” she asked.
Mullon’s expression turned sullen. “We’ll all answer to the duke, but if your aunt has her way, there will be greater bloodshed. We were wrong to think we could stand against Van Dero.”
“What’s taking you so long?” Clark asked from the door. “Need help with those knots?”
Pia shied away. She didn’t want Clark anywhere near her. Without a hand to hold up her dress, it was slipping, and Clark didn’t bother to hide his interest.
“I got it.” Mullon stepped away and started toward the door. “What did we decide?”
“We’ll have our men attack tonight.” Clark placed a hand on Mullon’s shoulder. “We’ll avenge your son, taking Sirius’ daughters in the process.”
Pia gasped.
Clark narrowed his gaze at her right before he closed the door behind them.
∫ ∫ ∫
5 2
* * *
The minute they were gone, Pia worked at her knots. Even with Mullon’s words, she was still surprised by how easily they came undone. She took the scarf with her to the balcony and quietly opened the doors.
Just as it had been at Mullon’s house, there was a column. Pia recalled seeing what Sirius had done with the fabric and only hesitated for a second before climbing over the balcony’s railing. She had to save Adalina and Babette.
With that single thought in her head, she tried the scarf around the column, bound the ends in her hands, and wrapped her skirt-covered knees around the column.
She pressed her lips together to hold back her shriek as her body began to fall to the ground. She closed her eyes.
Her body jerked, and she screamed. Opening her eyes, she looked up. The scarf was caught on a hook of some sort. She looked down and saw the ground a few yards away. She could jump, but there was a chance she’d break her ankle.
The grounds behind the hotel were quiet, which made sense, being that it was well past two in the morning.
Pia gasped when she heard tearing and the scarf began to give way. It was either jump or fall the rest of the way down. She didn’t know what to do.
“Pia.”
She looked around and then down. “Sirius?” She could hardly believe her eyes. She couldn’t believe he was here, and he’d found her so quickly.
“Jump, I’ll catch you.”
She let go of the scarf and a second later, found herself in her husband’s arms. “Sirius, they’re planning to attack tonight.”
“Are you hurt?” He put her on her feet and then grabbed her face. He looked her over and then caught sight of her shoulder and glared. “Did Melody do that to you?”
“Sirius…” She pulled up her dress. She didn’t know what to say. “I should have trusted you.”
His mouth thinned. “Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and led her toward the street.
The walk was done in silence. Pia’s elation at seeing Sirius quickly turned into regret over her actions. She was his wife. She should have trusted him, but it had been hard to choose him over her aunt, a woman she’d known her entire life. Surely, he would understand that.
She’d simply need to explain it to him, she reasoned. Once this was over, they could move on.
They walked a block, and she saw his carriage.
He didn’t speak again until they got inside. “Tell me what happened?”
“Aunt Melody led me to a room where twelve others convened. They are planning to attack you and Van Dero tonight. How did you know where we’d be?”
“Mullon had instructed his butler to give me his location if I requested it. Lord Seys had mentioned a meeting taking place tonight. I figured your aunt would go there, try and secure her money and make sure the fights were back up and running before she left England.”
Pia hung her head. “I’m sorry I trusted her more than you.”
“Who cut you?” he asked.
Pia clenched the material on her ruined gowned. “Aunt Melody.”
He grunted. “Yet another reason to despise the woman. She’s manipulative.”
“Yes,” Pia agreed. “I didn’t know how much until tonight. What do you think the duke will do to her?”
He crossed his arms. His voice was distant. “Tell me what happened after you left me at her home.”
Pia told him everything and finished just as they stopped in front of their London residence.
“We’re going to go inside, wake the family, and get them back into the carriages,” Sirius said. “You all are going back to Van Dero’s estate. Can I trust you will remain there this time?”
Pia nodded as she climbed out of the carriage. “I�
��m sorry.”
Sirius grabbed her arm and helped her up the stairs. “You should change before the family sees you. I don’t want anyone thinking it was me who assaulted you.”
Pia flinched at the comment. “Your family would never think that.”
“Maybe you’re right,” he said outside her door. “They’d know to trust me.” He turned away before Pia could respond.
She sighed and went to change. She easily cleaned the cut herself and then dressed in her traveling dress where it would be well hidden.
Sirius appeared once she was done. “Ready?”
“What’s going to happen to my aunt and the others?”
“What do you think?” His gaze was not gentle. “She tried to have me shot tonight. She also threatened my children. How do you think I should respond? Should I let her live and continue to be a threat to my family?”
“Must murder be the answer?”
She jumped when he turned and punched a hole through the wall. “If you’d stayed home tonight, if you’d have trusted me, there may have been another way, but instead, you didn’t trust me.”
Pia knew it made little sense to plead for her aunt’s life, but she had to. “I know you’re upset with her, but Sirius, please, she’s all I have…”
He flinched. “Is she?”
She looked down and wrapped her arms around herself. “You know what I mean.”
He walked over to her and lifted her chin. His blue eyes were unforgiving. “No, I don’t know what you mean, Pia, because I’m standing right here. I’m here while your aunt is out plotting to murder for money. Yet, she is all you have? Clearly, I mean nothing to you.”
“That isn’t true.” She reached toward him, but he moved away and started back toward the doors. “Sirius, please. What if it had been Georgiana? What if it had been someone you’ve loved your entire life?”
The Secret Pleasures of an Earl: (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 25