Winning the Heiress' Heart

by Susanne Bellamy

  She touched his arm again and his restraint cracked. He wrapped his arms about her. It felt so right holding her. Why couldn’t she see this was where she belonged? In his arms and in his heart. His father was right. Whatever it took, he would risk it all for a chance with Eva.

  The sweet scent of Eva filled his nose, roses and lilies and her unique smell. Softly, he stroked a hand over her back, massaged her neck and pressed a kiss to her forehead. And it dawned on him she’d pulled her hair up into a tie, revealing the long, elegant arch of her neck. The top of her scar was barely visible above her blouse. A small variation for most women, the change of hairstyle was huge for Eva. She’d paid attention to his suggestion. The thought pleased him and added to his optimistic outlook. Maybe they would work out after all.

  She pressed her head into his shoulder. They stood for a moment, wrapped in their own thoughts until she stepped back and he released his hold. “What should we do first? Ring the police?”

  “I doubt they’ll list Seb as missing until he’s been gone more than twenty-four hours. He could still turn up. Although if he went out last night, it wasn’t with any of my boys.”

  “You asked them?”

  “Samuel checked after your call. Acky and Moe are worried. When they asked him to stay for another poker party Seb told them he had to head home. Moe thought Seb had something on his mind but didn’t share what it was.”

  “There’s more.”

  “Tell me what you know.”

  “Follow me.”

  She opened the door into her office and stood aside to allow him access. He stepped into a snow drift of paper covering the floor. Her desk was a lone island in the middle of a sea of paper, with one small, clear patch in the center.

  He grabbed her shoulder and turned her to look at him. “When did you discover this? Was it like this when you came in last night?” Her eyes widened and he tamped down the fear that surged through him at the thought of her alone in the house with an intruder. He relaxed his hold and tried to contain his need to shield her from every bad thing. She didn’t need him losing his cool, too.

  “I have no idea. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to do office work when I got home. I took a tablet for my headache and went straight to bed.”

  Two things registered at the same time—Mitzy Stark had been right about Eva looking unwell, and Eva hadn’t been aware of the invasion of her home. Concern and relief warred within him.

  “I’m okay aside from not knowing where Seb is. His motorbike is missing—my car. too—but it doesn’t look like he’s been home. Samuel said your place was broken into, too?”

  “While we were at the ball. I discovered the break-in when I got home.”

  “Then they were most likely going through my office while we were out. I think whoever did it was long gone by the time we came home.”

  “Of course they knew we’d be at the ball together. Every planter on the island was probably there last night.” But had they counted on Seb’s presence or had he caught them in the act? A frisson of worry at Seb’s continued absence niggled at him.

  Eva touched his arm and frowned. “But why would they hit your place? Was anything taken?”

  He sat on the corner of her desk and folded his arms. “I have a theory. Maybe when the thieves couldn’t find what they wanted here they decided you’d given it to me for safekeeping. They tried to break into my safe.”

  Her stricken gaze tugged at him. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this. If we weren’t putting on an appearance of being—of us going out together, you might not have been burgled.”

  “Can’t you even say it? Of us being a couple. Christ, I’m sorry things happened the way they did. I wish I’d courted you properly so you’d believe I want to marry you for who you are. You, Eva. Not because I want your land or because I’ve tarnished your reputation in the eyes of society.” He paced to the window and raked a hand through his hair.

  The focus had to stay on Seb and how to find him.

  His gaze ran over the paper on the floor. What had caught his eye? A pattern? “I think it was the same guy or guys. The method of searching is the same.”

  Eva spread her arms wide, bemused as she indicated her office floor. “How can you tell anything from this mess?”

  “There’s something we’re not seeing. Show me how you’d search the desk.”

  Eva looked thoughtful then picked up a pretend piece of paper, examined it, and tossed it on the floor beside her.

  “You toss it to the right because you’re right-handed.”

  Eva looked at the floor to her right then examined the other side. “Most of the mess is on the left. Do you think the intruder was a left-hander?”

  “I’m no expert but it makes sense. Did Seb come home last night?”

  “He may have. Samuel said he left your place early in the evening but his bed wasn’t slept in and it doesn’t look like he had dinner. The kitchen’s clean. I’m worried he may have surprised the intruder.”

  Eva shook her head. “This place should be called the Bermuda Triangle. Seb is missing, his bike is gone, so is my car, my manager hasn’t checked in. I should never have brought Seb here. Promise you won’t disappear too, Luc?”

  He cupped her cheek and met her green gaze. “I’ll stick around as long as you need me. I’m still hoping you’ll consider the forever option.”

  The phone rang, the sound jarring in the charged silence.

  Eva blinked and reached for the receiver. “Hello, Seb… Who is this?” She straightened and blanched.

  He tensed, every muscle ready for action. Her face told the tale and it wasn’t good news.

  “I understand. Yes, alone.” She hung up blindly and sank into the chair. Shoulders stiff, she sat for several heartbeats. “Oh, God, Luc, Seb’s been kidnapped.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Tell me exactly what they said.” Threaded with steel, Luc’s voice anchored Eva in a world gone mad. He hunkered down in front of her and his hands enclosed hers, warm and strong, and holding her to him when she felt in danger of disappearing down some malevolent black hole. Like Seb.

  She would not put his life at risk, too. It had to do be done by her alone.

  Eva shook her head. “I can’t tell anyone. If I do, they’ll kill him.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he pinned her with his intent gaze. His hold on her hands tightened. “Don’t think I’m going to let you go into danger. It’s not going to happen.”

  “Seb is my nephew and my responsibility. I have to protect him.”

  “You’re his guardian and you’re like a lioness defending her cub but you are not doing it alone. Not now.”

  Her heart wanted to sing at his words, at the promise he would be by her side now and—later. But she couldn’t let him. Not if she was to get Seb back alive.

  “I have to go. I’ll take my father’s gun.”

  “You’re not Annie Oakley. I didn’t teach you to shoot so you could go looking for bad guys. I can do whatever they asked of you.”

  He was offering to go in her place? To put himself in danger for Seb and her? Why? A lump formed in her throat. Her brother had been the last man protective of her. Like Phil, Luc was prepared to put himself in the firing line. For her. She swallowed the desire to burst into tears. Kind as his offer was, the responsibility was hers.

  “I don’t doubt you’d try, but if I don’t do exactly what they told me, Seb will pay the price. I can’t risk his life. This is something I have to do by myself.”

  Her heart pounded as she pulled her hands out of his hold and stood. Time was running out and Luc could be too persuasive. If he continued urging her to let him go in her place, she might be tempted to give in. Where was that blasted stiff British upper lip when she needed it? She sniffed, straightened her shoulders, and turned to leave. She got no further than a pace toward the door before his arms wrapped around her. Locked in his embrace, she looked up into the stormiest pair of dark eyes she’d ever seen. Hypnotic and c
ompelling, his gaze pinned her as surely as his arms.

  “Okay, here’s the deal. You tell me what they want and we’ll make a plan together. If need be, you make a solo appearance but I will be nearby and I’ll have the gun.”

  “But—”

  “This is non-negotiable. I am not letting you walk into God knows what danger without being by your side. Or as close as I can without putting Seb at greater risk. Now, tell me, what did they say?”

  A burden shared. She exhaled and bit down on her lip. Making up her mind suddenly seemed easy.

  “There’s a cottage up in the hills. From the highway near the airfield, I have to take the dirt road on the right and follow it for about two miles until I reach a blue mail box. There will be further instructions inside. No police, and no one else is to know.”

  He nodded. “I know the place. It’s an old farmhouse. Not suitable for long-term habitation but close to the airfield. They must figure you’ll give them what they want and they’ll make a quick getaway by air.”

  “Sounds likely. But I can’t give them what they want.”

  “What are they demanding?”

  The impossible. “Josephine’s emerald necklace. I don’t even know if it still exists as a single piece of jewelry, but I don’t have it to exchange for Seb.” And that fact made it so much more dangerous for Seb. She wished she’d never read Josephine’s diary, never mentioned it to Seb and gotten his hopes up about hunting for treasure. “Seb probably talked about it as though he knew where it was. Whoever’s taken him thinks we have it or know where it is. I have to rescue him.”

  “What are you planning to do? Walk up to the kidnappers’ front door and say ‘here I am, take me instead’?”

  She sucked in a breath. What was she going to do? Without the necklace, she had nothing to bargain with. Except herself. “I’ll do whatever it takes to save Seb.”

  “Let me think.” He released her, paced to the window and stood, rubbing his chin as he looked out.

  Without the necklace, she could see no alternative. The plantation wasn’t worth enough to offer in exchange. Empty-handed, she doubted she would be allowed close to the cottage to even attempt the negotiation. Maybe if she took a white flag they’d talk to her?

  Luc strode across the rug and planted his fists on her desk, startling her. “You said they demanded the necklace so we need something to make them think we have it. What about we dummy up a box big enough to hold it?”

  “Why? I don’t have it.”

  “But they’ll think you do. The boys and I will surround the place and then you approach the mailbox holding a box in your hands. For sure they’ll have you under surveillance and people see what they want to. It might be enough to get to the next stage of negotiations.”

  “I’ll do it. How big a box do you think we need?”

  He shook his head. “Eva, you have the strangest grasp of danger at times. Okay, you find a box and fill it with something. What about putting in that emerald you wore last night? If the worst happens and the kidnappers open the box before we reach them, they might believe it’s a sign of good faith on your part.”

  Eva nodded. “What if I add a key? One that looks like it belongs to a safety deposit box?”

  “Good idea. It might buy us more time to rescue Seb. Wrap the package well. I’ll alert the police and the authorities at the airfield in case the kidnappers slip through our fingers. Samuel will arm the boys who can handle a gun.” He cupped her face and looked into her eyes. “We will rescue Seb, and we’ll bring him home.

  ###

  Eva took one hand off the wheel and wiped her palm down her skirt. Luc’s Jeep bounced into a rut in the dirt track, the steering wheel jibbed, and her sunglasses slipped down her nose. She grabbed the wheel with both hands and hoped like crazy they’d be in time to meet the kidnapper’s demands.

  “Breathe, Eva. I’ll tell you when to stop so I can get out before we’re in sight of the cottage. Trust me.”

  Luc’s presence calmed her. She was sure that was why he’d insisted on accompanying her rather than going in with his men but the closer they got to the kidnappers, the more her anxiety grew. She’d be a basket case by now without Luc beside her.

  He had organized his men to be in place and she was ready to go in just on sunset. “You’ll be a more difficult target with the sun behind you.”

  “Great, thanks for that.” Thinking of herself as a target sent shivers down her spine but it was no use getting cold feet now. Seb needed her.

  “If I could convince you not to put yourself in the firing line, I would. Short of tying you up, which I’m sorely tempted to do, the next best thing is to reduce your exposure as much as possible.”

  She risked a glance at his profile and quickly looked back at the rough track. “What is it with you and tying people up, Luc?”

  He chuckled and leaned over to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “Not people, Eva. You. Just you.”

  “Bound and helpless?”

  “Safe and away from here.”

  Luc scanned the vegetation on her side of the road, touched her arm and pointed to a bend up ahead. “Pull over just before we reach the bend. I’ll get out there.”

  “Are we there already?” She stopped the car and pulled on the hand brake. She could do this. She could march up to the cottage and be part of rescuing Seb. Luc gave her the courage to do it and much more; he made her strong. Her heart swelled with the knowledge and she knew she had to tell him now, before it was too late, in case something happened.

  “Luc, before you go, I want to tell you—”

  He touched a finger to her lips. “Why don’t you tell me tonight, when we’re home again?”

  “But—”

  “Sssh. Give me five minutes to get in place then drive up to the mailbox. Do it exactly like they said and make sure you keep that jewelry box in plain sight. And Eva, under no circumstances are you to enter that cottage. Got it?”

  She nodded. “Got it. And Luc, thank you.”

  He jumped out of the car and reached into the back for his rifle and a box of ammunition. He slung the rifle over his shoulder, rounded the car, and stopped beside her window.

  She looked into his strong face. Would they rescue Seb? Would they both be alive to ask and answer that question tonight? Her heart beat hard while his eyes locked with hers. Dark and compelling, they communicated his absolute belief in her and in them. She swallowed the doubts and fears pounding in her brain and forced tight muscles into a little smile.

  “No promises, but one. I’ll move heaven and earth to keep you and Seb safe. After that—”

  “One step at a time. Be careful.” If only she could wrap Luc in her arms and keep him safe. If only she’d kept Seb safe. She gripped the wheel harder until not only her knuckles, but both hands paled.

  “That’s enough for now. Remember, no matter what, do not go inside. Stay safe.” He slipped into the bushes and was immediately lost to sight.

  She strained to hear his passage through the thick vegetation. Late afternoon breeze rustled the leaves and covered any sound but it whispered his last words like a prayer. Stay safe.

  Seconds crawled past. A lifetime. She gave herself license to remember another lifetime before knowledge of such evil as she now faced had tainted her life. When her worst fear was failing Chemistry. Phillip had tutored her.

  I’m so sorry, Phillip. I promised to look after Seb for you. If Luc rescues him—when Luc rescues him—I’m going to try to do what you would have wanted for him. I’ll give him space to spread his wings and fly. But if you’re up there looking down, please, help us.

  She turned the key in the ignition and eased onto the track. It couldn’t be much farther. She searched the bushes on her side of the road in the direction Luc had taken, both hoping and fearing to see him. There was nothing, no flash of movement or glint off a weapon. Had she really expected to see anything?

  She crested a rise and the cottage came into view, nestled in the mi
ddle of a small, cleared block. And there, beside a low, straggly bush, was the mailbox. She hit the brakes and Luc’s Jeep stalled. Her chest hit the steering wheel, smacking the breath out of her. She jerked the hand brake on and fisted both hands in her lap. In the peaceful afternoon, her breathing sounded harsh and loud. Darting sideways glances from behind the screen of her sunglasses, she faced the cottage.

  What was it Phillip used to say? Face down your enemy. It takes away some of their power. Stay cool and calm on the outside, even if inside you’re a seething mess of fear.

  She picked up the dummy package and opened the door, smoothed her skirt down and lifted her chin.

  The distance to the mailbox was a mere five yards of dirt and stones but it felt more like five miles. She clutched the package in front of her and walked slowly towards it. Faded letters on the side proclaimed she was standing in front of Swenson’s Farm. The post leaned at a drunken angle and the catch was stiff with rust. It refused to open to her fumbling, one-handed attempts.

  She placed the package at her feet, then, two-handed, she grasped the flap, tugged and was rewarded with a loud, metallic grating sound followed by the flap opening half way. And there it stayed, refusing to budge further.

  Gingerly, she reached into the mailbox and withdrew a folded slip of paper. An elegant, capital A was embossed in the centre top of the page. Her personal stationery. Was this to make sure she knew they’d been in her house, that they weren’t bluffing?

  She turned her attention to the three lines of scrawled instructions. Twice she read it through then looked up the sloping garden to the cottage. Blank, dirty windows remained empty. Somehow, she’d expected to see them watching from the cottage.

  Aware that Luc was watching her every reaction, she clenched her teeth and locked her knees. He must not guess her intentions before she reached her goal or he would try to stop her. And if he did, Seb would die.

  She picked up the fake package and weighed it in her hands. Was it realistic enough to convince the kidnappers and give her a chance to get Seb out of there? She pressed her lips together and sent up a prayer.