by Shana Galen
"My husband is going to find you, Duke," she told him. "And when he does, he'll kill you slowly."
Bleven laughed. "I'd like to see him try. I have plans for Jack Martingale. Yes, I do."
Maddie stepped back again.
"But first I want to deal with you. Now, my lady, stop scurrying about. There's no place to hide." He crooked a finger at her. "Come here."
She shook her head. "I don't think so."
Bleven's smile never faltered as he reached in his coat and withdrew a slim small pistol.
Well, that changed things a bit.
Maddie bit the inside of her cheek. Hard. She had to still her body's shaking.
"Let me phrase that another way. Get over there." He waved the gun at the mattress. "And take your clothes off. I'm done playing cat and mouse."
* * * * *
Jack rode as fast as he could into the shipyard, reining his mount hard before jumping off and running for the warehouse. He recognized the dingy blue building immediately as the one Bleven's butler had described. If the man had lied to him, he swore there would be hell to pay.
The warehouse looked deserted, but Jack wasn't taking any chances. He kept scanning and listening for Bleven's men. But nothing moved and all was silent. The men must be inside with Bleven and Maddie.
An image from his youth—of three men pinning a woman down in an alley—flashed through his mind.
No. It wouldn't end that way. Not this time.
Jack reached into his pocket and withdrew the Manton pistol. He'd had enough foresight to grab it from his desk before dragging Sergeant Timms outside the burning library. Now, he hefted the familiar weight in his hand and reached for the warehouse door.
It was locked, and he realized there would be no way to make a surprise entrance. So he stepped back and rammed his foot into the door handle, splintering the wood and jarring the passage halfway open.
With a yell, he raised the pistol. "Let her go, Bleven, or I kill you now!"
His voice echoed, but nothing in the warehouse moved. Nothing breathed.
Cautiously, Jack moved forward, nudging the door fully open with his boot. He moved aside, allowing the light to stream over his shoulder. What he saw made him slam his fist hard into the door, ripping it off its hinges.
The warehouse was empty, deserted.
"Bloody hell!"
"Looking for 'is Grace?" someone behind him asked.
Jack rounded on the small man and aimed his pistol at the stranger's chest. The man was short, his face dark and weathered. He was obviously a former sailor.
"Don't shoot me, gov. I can't 'elp you if I'm dead."
"Who are you?"
"Work for 'is Grace, I do. Looks like you got a quarrel with 'im."
"Do you know where he is?"
The man shrugged. "I might. Wot's it to me? Maybe I don't know. Maybe I don't rightly remember."
Jack reached into his pocket and withdrew a handful of coins. "How's this for incentive?"
The man stuck his grubby hand out. "Me memory just improved."
* * * * *
Maddie was running out of options. She didn't believe Bleven would shoot her, but she'd backed herself up against the wall, and he was coming closer. Her hand hovered near the opening to her dress pocket, but she didn't dare grab the letter opener yet.
Bleven closed the distance between them until she could see the bead of sweat on his temple. He was too close. She scooted to one side, then heard a scraping sound.
Jack?
She glanced toward the door to the warehouse, and when she took her eyes off Bleven, he pounced. He slammed into her, one hand grabbing her around the throat and thrusting her back hard against the wall. Her head thudded on the wood and she tasted blood.
Bleven's hand tightened on her neck, and she was forced to gasp for air. Forgetting the letter opener, she clawed at his hand and struggled for breath. She was able to loosen one of his fingers, but then he pocketed the gun and his other hand came up.
His face was close, the small teeth bared in an expression halfway between a smile and a grimace. Maddie wheezed as black dots flitted across her vision. Her feet were sliding out from under her, and she struggled to keep her footing. She dropped her hand, fumbling in her skirts for the letter opener.
"Let ... go," she managed to hiss, but his hands closed harder, and the room began to dim. She kicked at him, tore at his fingers with one hand while her other closed on the warm metal hidden in her skirts.
She struggled for one last breath, even the smallest particle of air to keep her going.
But blackness descended and her grip relaxed.
* * * * *
Jack knew he was running out of time. If what the compact sailor had told him was correct, Bleven's other warehouse was clear across town. He didn't know if he'd make it in time.
And if the sailor was wrong ... He did not want to even think about that.
He rode through the back streets, hoping to avoid the traffic and make quicker time. The wind whipped around him, making a screaming sound in his ears.
Or perhaps the screaming was within him.
He pushed his horse faster and harder, and finally turned into a lane leading toward a row of ramshackle warehouses. At the far end, Jack caught sight of two men. They loitered outside a warehouse, one with his ear pressed to the wooden door.
Jack's breath came quicker; the screaming in his head muted.
He'd found her.
* * * * *
Maddie was jarred back to her senses as she fell on the mattress. It was thin and did little to cushion the hard floor beneath.
Above her, Bleven was yanking his cravat loose. The white linen fell down his chest like a snowy bird.
She took a shaky breath. Blinking, she tried to dispel the black dots still floating before her eyes.
"I've been looking forward to this," Bleven said, unbuttoning his collar. "I've been waiting to put my hands on you, to see Jack Martingale's face when he realizes what I've done to you."
Maddie swallowed. Her throat was too raw to allow her to speak, and she knew it would be a wasted effort anyway.
"The Martingale family has insulted me for the last time. First the mother ..." Bleven paused. "Did your husband tell you what I had done to his mother?"
Maddie's hand was still in her pocket, and at his words, she closed her fist around the handle of the letter opener. It was Bleven? He had been responsible for the death of Jack's mother?
"This time I won't be in the back watching.
That wasn't as fulfilling as I'd hoped. This time I'll do the honors."
Maddie felt her belly churn with nausea, but she pushed it down. As Bleven removed his tailcoat, she slowly drew the blade free of her pocket, keeping it hidden behind her skirts.
Her hand closed tight. Come and get me.
Bleven dropped his tailcoat, and then, with a leer, he was on top of her. Maddie's arm was pinned and she could feel the dull blade dig into her hip. Bleven ripped at her bodice, and she brought her knee up sharply, hoping to dislodge him and free her hand.
He grunted and moved slightly, but it was enough. The letter opener free, she slid it from her skirts. Bleven had torn the material of her dress, and she could feel him fumbling with his pantaloons. One minute more and he would rise up. That was her chance.
Outside, she heard something bang against the door. Her head whipped in that direction and her hand froze.
Jack.
She closed her eyes, and could all but feel his presence.
Jack.
It had to be. Please God, let it be.
There was a sound like a grunt or the thump of a man falling, and her heart stopped. If Bleven heard ...
He glanced that way, then reached a hand under her skirts. He flipped them up and, to her shock, arched up to free himself from his pantaloons.
His throat was bare, his neck at the perfect angle. One quick thrust and she could kill him. She knew it. She saw it so clearly.
She heard
the door slam open, heard Jack call her name, and using the distraction, thrust the blade up hard. But Bleven must have seen the movement. With a roar, he knocked it out of her hand.
The letter opener clattered to the floor. It tumbled away, and with it, her perfect strike was gone.
Bleven rolled off her, rising to face Jack.
Maddie turned her head and her heart swelled at the sight of her husband standing in the doorway. His dark eyes blazed, and his black hair fell over his forehead. His face was sooty and his clothes were covered in ash and blood, but in that moment he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
She opened her mouth, tried to warn Jack that Bleven had a pistol, but no sound emerged from her bruised throat. It didn't matter anyway.
Jack had already raised his own pistol. "This is for my mother."
The warehouse reverberated from the loud burst of gunpowder, and Bleven's body jerked back.
As Bleven spun around, Maddie caught the duke's expression. He looked surprised as he fell. There was a soft thud as he hit the floor, and then Jack was beside her.
His warm strong arms came around her and he gathered her close. She clung to him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love you, Jack," she croaked. "I love you."
Chapter Twenty-Three
He'd almost lost her. That one thought dominated his mind, making it impossible to think of anything else.
It was Maddie, in her raspy voice, who had suggested they go to Lord and Lady Valentine's town house. It was Maddie who told him they should hire the first hack they saw, and Maddie who gave the jarvey directions.
All Jack could do was hold her, stroke her glossy hair, touch the soft skin of her neck, now marred by the red imprints of Bleven's fingers.
"I'm fine," she told him over and over. "You saved me."
But Jack couldn't believe it. He needed to hold her, to kiss her, to have her beside him, and then maybe, in a dozen years, he would believe she was actually safe.
When they reached the Valentine town house, Maddie's cousin took one look at them and whisked them out of sight. Jack found himself in a moderately sized bedchamber with clean linen and a small bathtub.
But he refused to be separated from Maddie so that she might bathe as well. Instead, he ordered another tub and more water, and when he finished washing himself, he assisted with her bath.
An hour later they were both clean and fed and naked. He tucked her snuggly under the covers in the tester bed.
"I'm anxious to see how much damage the town house sustained," Maddie was saying.
Her voice sounded better, and Jack rose on his elbow to look at her neck. The red welts from Bleven's fingers were fading.
"You said you thought the fire was contained to the library?" she asked.
Jack watched her mouth move, watched her red lips part, listened to the sweet sound of her voice.
"Jack?" She touched his shoulder. "I asked you—"
"I almost lost you," he said. He was looking down at her, his hand fanning her damp chestnut hair out over the pillow. He touched her pale cheeks and then her swollen lips. He'd kissed her so much that her lips were red and slightly puffy.
"I'm fine," she said, smiling at him. "I told you." She lowered her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me, Jack? Why didn't you tell me Bleven was the one who had your mother killed?"
He closed his eyes. "I wasn't certain until the night of the prince's ball. And I didn't want you to worry. I'll always protect you."
"I know you will, Jack. I knew you would come for me today."
He shook his head, marveling at her trust in him. He hadn't been at all sure if he would make it in time. And if he hadn't ...
"Maddie, if I'd lost you without telling you how I felt, I would have regretted it the rest of my life."
"I know how you feel, Jack." She twined her fingers with his. "I know how much you care."
He shook his head. "You don't, sweetheart. I've never told you." He clutched her hand tighter. "Madeleine, I love you. I think I loved you the first time I saw you, but since then my feelings have grown ... immeasurably. I adore you. I can't live without you. I love you so much." He buried his head in her lavender-scented hair. "I love you so much."
He felt her arms come around him, wrapping him in the warmth of her body. "I love you, too." She pulled back, met his gaze. "So much."
He lowered his head, kissing her softly, tasting her and memorizing her sweetness. He'd slipped his head in the noose now, and his new vulnerability was almost a relief. He'd fought it for so long, so hard. Surrender was inevitable—
With a low moan, Maddie arched under him.
—and gratifying.
"I want you, love," he murmured in her ear.
"Please." Her fingernails dug into his back as her legs opened to cradle his erection. She was burning up, and he could feel her wetness.
And still he made no move to enter her, wanting to prolong and heighten the tension. The exquisite torture.
He lowered his head, taking one of her hard nipples in his mouth. His tongue rolled over it as his hand palmed her lush breast. "Sweetheart," he murmured against her flesh. "Have you noticed anything?"
He looked down at her flushed face and misty eyes. She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Arching her hips invitingly, she whispered, "You feel wonderful. Make love to me, Jack."
"Patience, love. Have you noticed where we are?"
She frowned at him, once again wiggling beneath him. "In bed?"
He smiled and bent to kiss her. "Finally."
* * * * *
Maddie shuddered as the pounding underneath her reached a crescendo. The tea service clattered on the tray beside her, the lamp on the table shook, and, across from her, Catie closed her eyes and tried to hold her teacup steady.
The pounding ceased for a moment, and Maddie took a breath. "As I was saying, Jack's new library should be completed in a matter of weeks. And then we'll begin work on the dining room. It sustained minor damage from the fire's heat."
Catie nodded. "You're fortunate no one was hurt. If Lord Blackthorne hadn't acted so quickly, the whole house might have gone up in flames— and taken several others with it."
"Jack's amazing. I don't know how he was able to think so clearly, considering everything else that was going on."
Catie frowned as a low pounding started up once again. "Did you see the Post this morning?" she asked over the din.
Maddie nodded. "They're calling Bleven's death the work of thieves."
"Didn't the investigator find it strange that Bleven's butler had disappeared? There was no mention of it in the papers."
Maddie shrugged. "Apparently, the investigator came to the conclusion that the duke was killed during an attempt by thieves to burgle his warehouse. I'm not certain what the investigator thinks the thieves were trying to steal in that rancid place. There was nothing of value." She paused, wondering what the investigator had made of the silver letter opener.
"They're also calling Bleven's death a horrible tragedy," Catie said. "He's to have a state funeral. Do not tell me that doesn't anger you. If they knew—"
"It would only cause more scandal. Jack and I would have to prove our case by sullying a dead man's name. When all was said and done, there'd be more questions than answers. I'll gladly make Bleven a national hero if it means Jack and I will be left alone."
"And I'm sure this forgiving attitude has nothing to do with His Royal Highness's Society for Invalid Veterans of Overseas Conflicts."
Below Maddie, a second hammer joined the first, and the house shook. "What was that sound?"
Catie shook her head and laughed. Maddie smiled too, because, of course, her cousin was correct. It wouldn't help His Royal Highness's Society for Invalid Veterans of Overseas Conflicts one bit if its new president were embroiled in a notorious scandal. And she had the most wonderful charity ball planned for the end of the Season.
She'd even started the preparations, though she hadn't told
Jack quite yet. He was still over-protective toward her. But Maddie had noticed that since the incident with Bleven, he'd relaxed a bit.
It seemed he was coming to realize that he couldn't protect her all the time. She'd said as much to him last night, mentioning that life, with all its risks, was meant to be lived to the fullest.
Jack had nodded. "My mother used to say the same thing, and despite what happened to her, I don't think she would have been happy living any other way."
"Her death wasn't your fault, Jack," Maddie had said again, looking into his eyes and willing him to believe her.
He'd smiled and kissed her, but she thought she saw a flicker of acceptance in his eyes. A flicker of forgiveness for the boy that he had been.
She felt hopeful that, given time, Jack would pardon that little boy.
She also hoped that, given time, he would worry less about her. He would love her more and guard her less.
And then maybe she could convince him that the Orphan's Munificent Society could use her efforts to help build a new foundling house. After all, by the time the renovations on their town house were done and Blackjack's large enclosure at Jack's country house was completed, she would know more about construction than most women. Who better to oversee a construction project for the orphans?
"What time is it?" Catie yelled over the noise.
"Five-thirty!"
"Wasn't—" The banging ceased, and Catie lowered her voice. "Wasn't Josie supposed to have tea with us?"
Lord, not another missing cousin. Maddie stood.
"I'll go see if she has sent a note."
Maddie left the drawing room and met Jack on his way up the stairs. With a smile, she moved aside to let him pass, but he snagged her around the waist at the last moment, pulling her up the stairs and into an alcove beside the drawing room.
He put his arms around her, holding her close. "Mmm, you smell good. Come up to the bedroom with me. I want to forget about all the hammers and workmen for an hour."
Maddie tried to disentangle herself, without success. "Jack, Catie is in the drawing room, and we're waiting for Josie. I was just going to see if she'd sent a note."
Jack nuzzled her neck. "Aren't your cousins married?"
"Yes." She felt a delicious warmth spreading through her body.