Alex laughed in his face. “With that toy? I hardly think so.”
“I shall enjoy extracting revenge for the heartache you have caused Mrs. Travis.”
“I was unaware that I had broken her heart. Are you fading away for want of my regard, Estelle?”
“Quite the reverse.” Estelle smiled at Alex. Fade away? Far from it. She had never felt so alive as when he had awoken her senses.
Cowper’s face darkened with obvious anger as he looked in her direction. He let out a frustrated roar. “You bastard! You would be wise to step aside and not antagonize me further. I think it only fair to warn you that I learned to fight in the rookeries and don’t abide by your gentlemanly rules of conduct.”
“Somehow that does not surprise me.”
“Do not imagine the fact that you are unarmed is likely to bother my conscience.”
“Thank you for the warning.” Alex bowed with mock solemnity. “Although it was scarce necessary. I did not suppose that you intended to fight fair, not if you entertain serious hopes of besting me.”
“You think yourself better than everyone. But your arrogance will be your downfall.”
“Undoubtedly, but not today, I think.”
They circled one another stealthily. Watching them, Estelle felt as though her heart had leapt into her mouth, aware that should Cowper win through underhand tactics she would be at his complete mercy. They were fighting over her, she realized with a jolt: Cowper because he wanted to own her, Alex because he wished to protect her. Cowper was armed with a dagger but Alex had nothing more than his wits to call upon. She was encouraged by the fact that he did not seem deterred by the unevenness of the contest. In fact he looked supremely confident.
Bradley and his colleague looked equally unconcerned, standing with arms folded as though they planned to enjoy the unfolding drama. Their faith in their master’s pugilistic abilities helped to calm her frazzled nerves. Would even Cowper dare to fatally injure a viscount or did he merely intend to get past him and through the door? Knowing how determined he was to possess her, she very much feared it might prove to be the former.
And he appeared to be gaining the upper hand. He forced Alex into a corner of the room and lashed out with his shiv when Estelle least expected it. It tore the fabric on the sleeve of Alex’s coat and Estelle could not prevent a small gasp escaping her lips when a thin line of blood soaking into the cloth. Alex fell to one knee, clutching his injured arm and Estelle feared that the fight must be over before it had even begun. Cowper clearly shared that view, his lips stretching across yellowing teeth in a parody of a smile as he observed Alex’s distress.
“This is likely to be easier than I imagined,” he said, his tone laden with satisfaction.
“So it would appear.” Alex, his attitude defeated, remained on the floor, completely at his attacker’s mercy.
“No!” cried Estelle as Cowper raised the dagger and angled it towards Alex’s heart. “Don’t harm him. Let him live and I will marry you.”
Cowper turned towards her, smiling in satisfaction. “So be it, my dear. Consider it my wedding present to you.”
Alex uncoiled his body from its crouched position, still clutching his arm. Estelle wanted to rush to him, to attend to his wound. But even more imperatively, she wanted to make him understand that she had done what she just did, promised herself to this odious man, for his sake. She would never be able to live with herself if he sacrificed his life on her account. But her feet appeared rooted to the spot and she could not move. Cowper, apparently convinced that Alex posed no further threat, stared at her with a hunger that turned her stomach.
Cowper’s momentary distraction was all Alex had been waiting for. With one swift tug that belied his injured status he pulled the rug from beneath Cowper’s feet. With a startled oath, Cowper tumbled to the floor, the shiv clattering on the wooden boards and coming to rest a safe distance away. Bradley swiftly claimed it whilst Alex, with an air of considerable satisfaction, buried his fist in the middle of the startled Cowper’s features.
“Did you really imagine you were the only one who was prepared to fight ugly?” he enquired mildly as Cowper swore profusely and dabbed ineffectively at his bloody nose.
Alex reached inside Cowper’s coat and extracted a sheaf of papers. He moved to stand beside Estelle and offered her a smile of reassurance, brushing away her attempts to look at his wounded arm.
“It is nothing more than a scratch. A convenient means to make Cowper think he had the upper hand. There was no need for you to offer yourself as sacrificial bait,” he added in an undertone, “although I appreciated the gesture. Ah, here are all the details of the cement that you were so anxious to get your hands on, Winthrop,” he said in a more normal voice. “Right here in Cowper’s coat all along. And in his own handwriting, too, I shouldn’t wonder. Well, if he used his position of trust in Leeds to steal the particulars, then he could hardly ask anyone else to write them down for him, could he now? Nor could he take the original papers or they would have been missed in an instant. So this scrawl must be his.”
Cowper was still sprawled on the floor with Bradley’s boot resting heavily on his chest. He regarded Alex with an expression of unmitigated loathing. Alex, impervious to his dislike, ignored him.
Estelle gazed at him, her emotions in turmoil. She had just witnessed the man she loved with a passion that scared her risk his life for her sake. She was overwhelmed by his willingness to take such a risk. Only slowly did she become conscious of Cowper’s gaze resting upon her in an attitude of such acute longing as to make her shiver. She turned away in contempt.
Her father appeared oblivious to the crowd of people in his study. He did not display the slightest anxiety about Cowper’s defeat, barely glancing in his direction. He clearly considered him to be expendable and rested his chin on steepled fingers, staring into the distance. “You have entered my house without my permission, Crawley.”
“I invited him in,” said Estelle.
“You are a woman and so your word carries little weight.” He waved her assertion aside. “Nothing you have heard here can be used against me,” he said to Alex, his voice gaining in confidence. “I would not recommend that you make a fool of yourself by repeating what you think you know. I will simply deny it, as will Cowper.”
“They are here with my permission, Father.” Matthew entered the room looking frail but resolute. “I believe I am still your heir, not banished from these premises and therefore in a position to invite whomsoever I please to join me here.”
“Matthew.” Her father appeared to deflate at the sight of his son, obviously aware that the game was up.
“And so, you see, Winthrop,” explained Alex, “your position really is completely hopeless.”
“What do you want of me?”
“I am glad you are prepared to be reasonable. It means we will be able to conclude our business more quickly and save the ladies from any more unpleasantness. But I think your son should be the one to outline his terms on behalf of himself and his sisters. After living beneath your tyranny for so long, it seems only just.”
“Father.” Matthew cleared his throat and spoke in a level voice that did not once waiver beneath his father’s blistering gaze. “You and Mother will leave this house within the next two days and go abroad. Forever. Porter here is an officer of the law and has a record of everything that was said in this room about Travis’s death. He will lodge those papers in his employer’s office, and if you step foot on English soil ever again, charges will be brought against you.”
“You cannot mean that.” The hands supporting her father’s chin were now visibly trembling, whether with rage or in frustration Estelle could not be entirely sure. Nor did she much care. “I am your father, when all’s said and done.”
“A father who was prepared to disown me.”
“I was not serious about that.”
“Were you not?” Matthew quirked a brow. “That is not how it felt to me. You, C
owper, will also leave the country or risk meeting a similar fate.”
“Matthew, you forgot to explain that your father and Cowper will sign confessions before they leave, which Porter will also lodge in his place of employment,” said Alex.
“Never!” cried both men together.
“Good,” said Alex in a languorous tone. “That is precisely the reaction I was hoping for. I personally would prefer to see you taken in charge immediately, you see, but for the sake of your children and their reputations I was persuaded to offer you a way out first.” He strolled across the room, confident and authoritative, the planes of his handsome face relaxed yet resolute. Estelle followed his every elegant move with her eyes, completely and absolutely in love with a man who could never be hers.
The two miscreants looked briefly at one another with calculating expressions, both appearing ready to shift the blame to the other in a last desperate attempt to save themselves. But Alex stood firm, deaf to their entreaties and the clumsy attempts on her father’s part to bribe him.
“Very well,” said her father, with a deathly look in his eye. “Since you leave me no alternative, let us be done with this.”
The confessions were written, signed and witnessed and the business was complete.
“Oh, just one thing more, Winthrop,” said Alex.
“What now?”
“Only this.”
Alex drew back his fist and planted it in the centre of her father’s face with considerable force. Her father looked at Alex in surprise and slowly crumpled to the floor, blood pouring from his mouth.
“That was in revenge for your abuse of Estelle,” Alex said, capturing her hand and leading her from the room.
Chapter Twenty-one
Somehow, late as it was, room was found for the entire party at the inn in Farnham and Estelle was at last able to reflect upon the extraordinary events of the day. In all the confusion following her father’s capitulation, they had restored a drowsy Marianne to the anxious Mr. Porter and roused her mother from a drunken stupor to inform her that she would be travelling abroad. Her mother had been totally perplexed by the whole business, unable to understand the necessity for this sudden journey. She did not once express pleasure at the unexpected appearance of her daughter but that did not prevent Estelle from experiencing a pang at regret at the thought of never seeing her again.
They also made plans to acquaint the servants of Matthew’s return as head of the household. There was so much to organize and Estelle had not managed a single private word with Alex. At Marianne’s request she intended to return with her to Ramsgate on the morrow and remain with her until she was wed to Mr. Porter. Then she would consider Matthew’s request to return to Farleigh Chase and help him with his new responsibilities.
But the idea did not sit comfortably with her. The place held too many unpleasant memories for her ever to be comfortable there. Images of her father would always haunt her. Every minute she would expect him to appear and issue some unsavoury command that required her instant obedience. She would not mind if she never set foot in the place again and would, perhaps, seek a position as a governess after all. But she understood that in her current emotionally turbulent state, now was not the time to make decisions about her future.
She and Marianne were sharing a room in the inn and they had talked for some time about the extraordinary events of the day. Her sister was keen to hear every detail of their father’s downfall, furious to have slept through it all. Still drowsy, she had closed her eyes again half an hour previously, but Estelle was too energized to even consider sleep. For the first time in her adult life, the spectre of her father did not loom large, and she was finally free to behave as she saw fit. And the heady feeling of liberty streaking through her veins was all due to one man’s determination to fight on her behalf.
She must see that man one last time to thank him and wish him adieu. They would part in the morning, and she would never get another opportunity to see him alone. Checking to ensure that Marianne was soundly asleep, she pulled the robe taken from her room in Farleigh Chase tight about her body and slipped from the chamber before her courage failed her. She knew Alex’s room was the second on the left on the other side of the corridor. Boldly she entered it without knocking, lest he thought to observe the proprieties and send her away when he saw it was her seeking him out.
He was seated at the window in shirt-sleeves, staring out into the dark night, apparently deep in thought. He started when he heard the door open and looked up, seeming to resent the intrusion. But when he observed her standing on the threshold, his face broke into a slow, intimate smile that set her pulse racing.
“Estelle, I hoped you would come.” He held out his arms and she ran into them without hesitation. He crushed her body against his and claimed her lips with an avidity that stole what little breath she had remaining. His tongue ruthlessly plundered her mouth as though seeking release at the end of a day that had been fraught with danger for them both. He deepened the kiss and she did not scruple to follow his lead, boldly drawing the tip of his tongue deeper into her mouth and lacing her fingers through the tangled mass of hair that hung below his collar. Desire streaked through her body in dizzying waves as his hands lazily explored the contours of her back, stroking her bruised rear with a delicate touch and drawing her ever closer, allowing her to feel the full extent of his own desire.
“I came to thank you for freeing me from that tyrant,” she said, when he finally released her and gave her an opportunity to speak.
“The pleasure was all mine.” Alex re-seated himself and drew her onto his knee.
“I did not wish to thank you in front of the others, you see, when I take my leave of you in the morning.”
“And why would you be taking your leave of me?”
“Well, Marianne has asked me to stay with her in Ramsgate until she is married.”
“I see.”
“Indeed, and then Matthew wishes me to return to the Chase but I am not so sure I should like to do that.”
“I should think not.” He sucked gently on the lobe of one of her ears and she squirmed on his lap as he sent pleasure spiralling through her.
“And so perhaps I shall seek a position as a governess after all.”
“That is hardly necessary.”
“Why? Oh, that was pleasant. Do it again.”
He obediently reapplied his lips to the pulse beating at the base of her neck. “You appear have overlooked one small consideration.”
“What might that be?”
“Have you forgotten that you have undertaken to be my mother’s companion—”
“Yes, but that was only because—”
“And that she is expecting me to return you to Crawley Hall at once.” He slid the robe from one of her shoulders and possessed himself of her breast.
“Oh, but I cannot. You must ask her to beg my pardon. I deceived her, and I would hate to see the disappointment in her eye when she learns the truth.”
“Well,” he said, dealing with the inconvenience of the robe which still clung stubbornly to her other shoulder, “I think we can resolve that. I have a suggestion to make.”
“The answer is yes.”
He nibbled at her bare shoulder. “But you do not know what I was about to suggest.”
“Oh, but I think I do. My father was right. You wish to have me living beneath your protection and I would be more than willing to enter into an arrangement of that nature.”
He ignored her strangled protest as he abandoned his nibbling and stood so abruptly that she slid from his lap. “Is that what you think of me? I had not appreciated that you consider me to be as lacking in moral fibre as all that.”
“No, of course I do not,” she said, bewildered by his anger. “You just risked your life on my behalf and so it is obvious that you must have some feelings for me. But consider. You are an aristocrat, expected to marry well, whereas I am the daughter of a disgraced builder who murdered my husband. We desi
re one another, which is most inconvenient, but there is nothing to be done about that other than to adopt the solution I have suggested. Are you not pleased with me for saving you the trouble of asking?”
“You would prostitute yourself for me?”
“It hardly seems creditable, I do agree. But then I was even prepared to marry Cowper to save you, remember, which told me something important about my feelings for you. And now, I find the prospect of parting from you too painful to endure and if you really are in need of a mistress—”
“I did not say that.”
“You see, Alex, you have awakened something in me and I find that I cannot bear the thought of not seeing you any more, of not feeling you—”
“God’s teeth, Estelle, will you let me explain myself! That was not what I meant at all.”
“Oh.” She dropped her head to hide both her blush and her disappointment. “You do not desire me then?”
“I desire you so much that I cannot think about anything else for more than five minutes at a time.”
“Then my solution would best serve.”
“Indeed it would not and that was not what I was about to suggest.”
“Then what?”
“I was going to suggest that you return to Crawley Hall and that we tell my mother the truth about you.”
“That I am about to become your mistress? I think she might be rather shocked if she were to learn that, Alex.”
“Will you oblige me by putting mistresses out of your mind for just one moment?”
“Well, I suppose if you can forget about them then I ought to be able to manage it,” she said dubiously.
As he sat down again, he pulled her back onto his knee and his hands reclaimed her breasts. “I suggest we explain your reasons for coming to Crawley Hall in the first place and give her an edited account of how we have bested your father. Naturally, we would leave out all reference to murdered husbands.”
“Yes, I can quite see that it would be better not to mention anything about that. But do you not think she will be cross with me? I like her very much and should not like to disappoint her.”
A Reason to Rebel Page 23