Isobel blushed as she remembered the tantalising sensations from the night before. “I suppose I could behave,” Isobel pursed her lips thoughtfully before she smiled slowly fully aware she had his rapt attention. His gaze was firmly fixed upon the tip of her tongue as it slowly moistened her lips. “But then, I might get bored, and then who knows where we would be?”
“I need to inform Peter of your friend’s activities,” he explained. “The sooner we speak to him the better.”
“I should like to try to go for a walk today,” Isobel said, eyeing the snowy vista outside with longing.
“Don’t get cold.” He fought hard not to forbid her from leaving the house. So far, she had been relatively submissive in agreeing to his dictates. He couldn’t hold her prisoner in the house but it rankled that he needed to stand back and allow her to wander. “It’s cold and slippery underfoot, please don’t push yourself.” He pressed a gentle kiss upon her lips. “You had a very busy night last night after all.”
Isobel shot him a cheeky smile. “I will only wander around the gardens outside. No further.” She sensed his disquiet, but was pleased he trusted her enough to let her out alone.
“Good enough. Now behave yourself wench, I need to leave the bed!” He slapped her rump and he lurched out of bed laughing as he dodged the flying pillow that followed him. Despite the stresses of the situation with Rupert, life as a married man was turning out rather well.
CHAPTER TEN
Isobel couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong; very wrong. There were no birds singing in the trees. Everything around her seemed to be frozen in time.
The hairs rose on the back of her neck and she slowly began to scan the area around her. In the near distance, she could see Edward talking to the head gardener. Although she knew was perfectly safe, tension began to tighten her shoulders. Instinctively, her hands balled into tight fists. She paused briefly to look at something in the hedgerow. In reality, she took the opportunity to take a careful look behind her.
Everything remained still. But she still couldn’t shake off the horrible feeling that was so familiar to her. She had spent two months living by her wits, and had learned enough about her instincts to know that when her nerves were as fraught as they were, there was something seriously wrong. Carefully, she eyed the break in the trees only a few feet ahead that led onto the lawns of Havistock Hall; the place she now called home.
She had taken only a few steps, when she heard a horrible sneer directly behind her.
“Well, well, if it isn’t my elusive princess.”
Isobel turned slowly on her heel, careful to keep any signs of fear from her face as she eyed the rotund man standing behind her. He had been hiding in the shelter of the conifers waiting for the right time to appear. From where he was standing, he couldn’t be seen by either man talking at the edge of the path, or by anyone looking out of the windows of the house.
“What do you want Rupert?” Isobel drew her shoulders back haughtily, something she knew Rupert hated. She was determined not to show the horrid little man that inside she was a quivering wreck.
“I think you already know the answer to that one, don’t you my dear?” Rupert whined silkily, eyeing her curves as though she were a horse. “You have a fiancé waiting to make your acquaintance.” His voice was menacing; his eyes cold and calculating.
“I would never consider that possibility!” Isobel said with a snort. “Marry him yourself if you like him that much, because I never shall.” It took every ounce of her courage to return his contemptuous glare, allowing her own gaze to wander dismissively over his rotund little frame in return. Everything within her screamed at her to run for her life, but she knew that she couldn’t afford to allow Rupert to witness just how deeply disturbed his appearance made her.
“If you think you can escape me girl, you are sadly mistaken. But then,” Rupert’s voice dropped to a menacing growl. “You never were all that clever. I am sure DeLisle will take great pleasure in ensuring you remember your station in life.”
God how she hated him! She did not flinch as a large burly man had come out of his hiding place behind Rupert. Not within reach to carry her off certainly, but close enough to pose a threat
Isobel glanced at him contemptuously before turning to the smaller man. “My station in life?” Isobel sneered, her voice laced with hatred she didn’t bother to try to mask. “You want to remind me of my station in life. That’s a laugh if ever I heard one!” She shook her head in mock wonder at the older man’s arrogance. “You are the one who needs reminding of his station in life, you arrogant oaf. You are the one who seems to forget you are knee-deep in debt, no doubt with half of London after your worthless hide. You need to be reminded of your station in life make no mistake.” Isobel glared at the stocky man to Rupert’s left with nothing less than scorn. “Make sure he pays you well, because he hasn’t got a penny to his name.” She smiled spitefully as the little man began to tremble with rage, and felt stronger for having faced him so bravely.
“If you both don’t get off this land now, I shall have you both arrested for trespass.” Isobel snapped, her chin rose arrogantly as she glared at both men. Cheeks flushed with temper, Isobel fought the urge to smack her wayward relation right on the nose. “All I have to do is scream my husband, and half of the armed household staff will be here before you can take ten steps. I can assure you if either of you are caught here, then they will take undoubted delight in reminding you of your lowly station; both of you.” She added with a scornful look at the silent oaf now standing doubtfully behind his employer.
It gave her no small measure of reassurance to mention her husband. Something inside her calmed at the thought of Dominic being so close.
“Your -” Rupert spluttered, his face becoming mottled with rage.
“Yes, that’s right; my husband. I am Lady Havistock,” Isobel smiled feeling somewhat bolstered by phrasing the words. “I shall call him if you like. I am sure he would like to make your acquaintance. He has after all been trying to find you.” Isobel turned casually as if to shout, and paused when Rupert spat a volley of foul language at her, along with the promise that she had not heard the last from him. Within moments he and his henchman disappeared through the conifers.
As soon as they had disappeared Isobel closed her eyes in a silent prayer before spinning on her heel. It took every ounce of self-control she possessed to walk casually back to Edward and the gardener. Both men looked up at her as she approached, looking startled as soon as they saw her pale, haunted face. She ignored their questions and continued into the house, her tread measured and steady. As soon as she crossed the threshold into the kitchen, she took to her heels, not stopping until she burst through the library door.
The men within lurched to their feet at her wild entrance. Isobel didn’t stop until she launched into Dominic’s arms and felt their reassuring strength surrounding her.
“Isobel?”Dominic’s look of shock penetrated the cloud of fear fogging Isobel’s brain. “What the hell?”
Isobel could do nothing but hiccup and gasp for breath. Everything within her trembled violently.
“He’s here,” she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. “Through the trees, at the far side of the rose garden.” She got no further as the men within the room lurched into action. Within seconds, the grounds were being thoroughly searched.
Isobel was moved to sit before the hearth, a brandy in her hands as Dominic rubbed her arms to ward off the chill from her shivering flesh.
“Darling, look at me,” Dominic demanded, raising his hands to cup her face and turn her unfocused gaze towards him.
Isobel sucked in a shuddering breath, as her jumbled emotions swung wildly between the urge to laugh wildly at her bravado, and cry piteously onto the broad shoulder of her husband. His reassuring presence before her, finally penetrated the cold fog of fear that enveloped her. Together with the warm liquid that burned as she swallowed, within moments she had calme
d enough to recount their conversation.
“He can’t hurt you Isobel,” Dominic fought hard to keep his voice softly soothing. “You are perfectly safe.” Dominic turned Isobel’s chin back towards him, waiting for several moments until her watery eyes locked with his steadily reassuring gaze. “He was trying to scare you. To make you believe that he poses a threat.” He didn’t add that he could very easily have carried Isobel off to God knows where and they would not have known for several long moments. Long enough for Rupert to kidnap her again. Dominic placed a tender kiss on her hair and drew her into his arms. Rupert had now thrown down the gauntlet; his actions of the afternoon no different to calling Dominic out. It was now down to Dominic to call the arms and name the place.
Several hours later the men returned, stamping their feet and blowing their hands against the pervading cold. Anger and disappointment shimmered in the air at their failure. Tracks had been located and followed only to be lost in the woods, where little snow had fallen through the thick canopy of the trees.
Once everyone was supplied with brandy, they settled around the roaring fire and waited.
“I’m going to go over and warn him.” The bitter anger in Peter’s voice was clear. “He’s my uncle. It’s down to me to bring him into line.”
“You will do no such thing,” Dominic’s argued in a voice that was cold and deadly. He raised a hand to ward off Peter’s objection.
“He’s getting desperate. Don’t you see? By approaching Isobel today, he is hoping he can scare her into running again. He is hoping that if he gets hold of her, he can gain access to her funds. I don’t think he is as brave or foolhardy to try to snatch her from the gardens. He needs her away from here. He needs to get her to leave.” Dominic turned toward his wife. “When are you five and twenty?”
Isobel frowned as she tried to absorb his logic. The brandy was very nice, but her thoughts were getting very muddled. “Next Thursday,” she mumbled carefully placing her glass down on the table beside her. She wanted them to include her. It wouldn’t bode well if she was too sozzled to remember what they had decided.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Edward asked, struggling to follow Dominic’s logic.
“Rupert is getting desperate for money. While he remains at the country house, he is a sitting duck for his debtors to find him. He needs cash and fast. So, he needs Isobel. Peter won’t give him any money. There is nothing left at Gosport Hall. Willowbrook is closed to him. Isobel is the only option. She has significant funds becoming available to her next week. He needs to get his hands on them.”
“But why not snatch her this afternoon when she was standing before him.”
“He knew I’d scream and create such a racket, neither man would get very far. He seemed a little shocked to learn that I am now married.”
“I’ll bet he was,” Dominic declared flatly. They had taken great pains to ensure the house staff remain quiet about the wedding for now and it appeared he had been successful.
“So what do we do now?” Sebastian’s voice broke the silence. “Do we just wait for him to become even more desperate, and break into the house to snatch her?”
“I’m not going to be bullied by him any longer!” Isobel snapped, drawing the startled gazes of the men within the room. Yes, I was scared when I saw him. Of course I was. The man beat me senseless, practically daily. But when I saw him outside in the cold light of day, I saw him for the horrid little bully he really is and suddenly he didn’t seem all that scary anymore.”
“Be wary of him, darling,” Dominic cautioned, his voice harsh at the thought of his wife being subjected to such brutality. “You should be proud of your bravado, but don’t allow it to make you reckless. He is unpredictable and has kidnapped you once already.”
“We need to have someone watch Rupert’s house. The moment he leaves I want to know about it,” Edward’s voice was laced with menace.
Dominic turned toward his wife, knowing she wouldn’t like what he was about to say. “For now, no more strolls in the garden.” He was surprised when she just meekly nodded. Cautiously he surveyed her empty glass and quietly replenished her drink, pushing it into her hands mutely, before returning to his customary position before the hearth.
“I’ll organise the watch on Rupert’s.” Edward declared firmly, relishing the possibility of meeting one of Rupert’s ‘associates’ in the bushes.
“I need to go to visit Hubert to ask him a few pertinent details.” He shared a measured look with his wife.
“I will head off to London to gather the troops, so to speak. While I am there I make a few inquiries into DeLisle and Rupert’s activities and see if I can shed some light on their financial status,” Sebastian added, glad to be doing something Rupert to justice.
Isobel frowned. What could she do? She was rendered practically useless. She certainly couldn’t ride off to London, or sit in the bushes and watch Rupert’s house.
“Isobel,” Dominic’s voice broke her train of thought. “This may at some point go before the Magistrate.
In order to secure trial and punishment, you need to recount everything that happened to you on paper. Make a statement we could put forward to the authorities highlighting his illegal activities.” In reality he wasn’t certain it would be needed. Men as desperate as Rupert and DeLisle usually didn’t make it to the courtrooms. “It has to be everything.” He felt a surge of pride when she nodded her acceptance of her task, despite going deathly pale at the thought resurrecting the ghosts of her recent past.
He hoped it would keep her busy enough to stop her going outside while he was gone. A week suddenly seemed such a very long time.
“Promise me Dominic,” Isobel demanded later that night as they lay replete in each others’ arms. Although she loved this man, and would trust him with her life, there was a cold fierceness about him now that made him a stranger, and she wasn’t sure she was entirely comfortable with him. It took every ounce of her willpower to place her fingers upon his chin and turn his cool emerald gaze to hers. “Promise me you won’t risk yourself. You must be careful. As you said Rupert is desperate. I don’t want him removing you in the hope of making me a vulnerable widow.”
Dominic’s face relaxed into a ghost of a smile that vanished so swiftly Isobel wasn’t sure if she had seen it. “I will be fine. You must promise me that you will not do anything to put yourself in danger. I can ensure you are kept safe and secure. You must play your part however, and make sure you do not take any unnecessary risks,” his voice held a stern edge that gave Isobel pause to consider if she really knew Dominic at all.
Was this side of him, the cold and ruthless side, the true Dominic? Or was it the warm and loving man she had grown to know over the past few weeks?
“I won’t do anything that will inadvertently put anyone, including myself, at risk,” Isobel reassured him. “You need to know something else,” her sleepy comment broke the silence of the room.
“Hmm?” Dominic frowned at her warily through the darkness of the room.
“If I die, you will inherit my fortune and estates,” her announcement was met with silence.
“You are not going to die.”
She could tell from the tone of his voice that her warrior was most definitely back. “We are most definitely going to grow old and grey together. Now, we will talk no more about death and dying.” With that, he settled her more firmly against him and fell asleep.
Dominic shivered as an icy blast of air slithered down his neck, reminding him that winter still had a firm grasp of the weather. His warm breath puffed out, creating a white cloud in the darkness around him, urging him to hurry through the gloom toward home.
He eyed the clouds hanging menacingly in the skies above, and wondered if he would make it home before the snowstorm hit. He tugged his cloak higher, tucking his chin into the warmth. Peering through the shadows for any familiar signs to indicate how far away home was, he knew the village was a few miles back. Dusk had been d
escending when he had left the tavern but that seemed several hours ago. The ground was already thick with fresh snowfall, and if the wintry chill in the air was any indication, they were due another storm soon. He nudged his horse onward, eager to get home to the warmth of his wife’s loving arms.
Although several days had passed since Rupert had accosted Isobel in the gardens of Havistock Hall, Dominic knew it was foolhardy to be lulled into a false sense of security. The man was becoming more desperate by the day. There is no telling what depths he would sink to in order to get his hands on money. Everything within him had balked at leaving Peter to look after Isobel however as Isobel’s husband and protector, only he could question Hubert on his past contact with Isobel. As a result, Dominic had discovered a lot of valuable information that would help in their pursuit of Rupert.
During his visit, Dominic had been left without any doubt that Hubert was indeed very worried his friend’s daughter’s safety, and had her best interests at heart when he had agreed to help her in the only way she would allow. It was Hubert’s everlasting regret that he hadn’t insisted Isobel remain with him while he investigated Peter’s death personally, but Isobel had insisted on leaving and keeping out of Rupert’s clutches.
Sensing the man’s honesty and integrity, and seeing for himself how much work Hubert had carried out in order investigating Rupert’s activities in an attempt to help Isobel, went a long way toward calming Dominic’s anger. During his stay, Dominic found some thread of forgiveness within him towards the man who had caused him, and Peter, such grief. His lies after all, had been told for a very good reason and Isobel had been able to stay well away from Rupert and DeLisle.
He had been away for almost a week now, although it seemed like a lifetime. He sorely missed his wife. Over the few weeks of their marriage, he had grown to love her far more than he had ever thought possible. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with the claim she had on his heart, but was unable to do anything about it. He just wished matters were a little more stable between them. Despite the consuming passion they shared, he could sense hesitancy in his wife, a part of her that was held apart; as though she were waiting for something. Only he didn’t know what. He wanted to ask her about it, but wasn’t sure he would like her response, and didn’t want to cause her any additional upset. She had already been through so much.
If You Were Mine Page 15