“John is a good man, mistress. I do believe he’s sweet on me.”
“I believe him to be responsible.” Her head spun. An acrid taste lingered in her mouth. She fought the bile that threatened to overcome her. “Now go, Emma, take Adonis and rush back. I have other items I need to pursue with you, and we have little time left before Henry sends the carriage for us.”
Emma left with Adonis and Serena gathered papers from a locked box in her wardrobe. She waited in the studio until Emma returned.
“It’s done, mistress. Adonis is safe with John. I was careful not to be seen.”
“Emma, I brought Sheba back with me. Henry cannot do this to me again. I can make it into the village and take the mail coach to London.” Serena would secure services of a barrister and have him accompany her to the banking institution. With enough money, she could hide for a while. “This means I will have to leave you behind, but it will not be forever. I cannot divulge any plans to you since Henry might try to force you to tell him. Have faith and courage, dear Emma.”
Serena fisted her hands in angst, paced back and forth, and then stood still, her shoulders back.
“Please get me enough coins from the lockbox and I will ride away immediately. Inform John to seek Sheba at the village stables after I’ve gone. Hurry.”
Emma scurried about and removed a pouch of coins which she handed to her mistress. “Take your cape, my lady. It might be cold.”
Serena took the cape and placed it over her shoulders, and lifted the hood to cover her hat. She looked around the studio. Everything she loved would be left behind. Descending the steps with Emma behind her, she cautioned. “When the phaeton comes, send it back. Say that I am not ready. I will ride over to the lake and across the road where I may not be noticed.”
She marched into the stable and mounted Sheba, petting her animal’s shiny coat. “We are off to an adventure. I will make sure to come back for both of you, one way or the other.”
She inhaled as if her life depended on it, because it did. Then she exhaled and steeled herself. “Emma, see if the coast is clear.” She led Sheba toward the front veranda. Seeing no one, she cantered to the lakeside, and then spurred her horse toward the cross road to the village.
They rode like the wind, her cape like wings, her hat dislodged to the ground, her hood thrown back. Once clear of the estate, she could breathe easy.
Serena galloped the horse around the bend. She nearly swooned seeing Henry blocking the road. He dismounted, leaped in front, and took the reins. “Going somewhere, Serena?” his sardonic smile said all. He led her horse to one side. LeBran took up a place on the other.
“How did you know?”
“The phaeton driver said you weren’t ready.” He smirked. “You wouldn’t dare not be ready.”
No words were spoken along the way. They arrived at Serena’s house in due course. Henry dismounted first, went round to grab her off the horse, and pulled her inside.
“For your insolence, there will be two guards posted here until you have complied with my request to pack. You now only have one hour.” He spoke to the groom, “Guard the rear door.” Henry spoke to Leland, “Ride back and tell the footman I wish to see him here at once.”
Leland nodded and cantered off.
A few minutes later, the servant approached and was posted at the front door.
“If you try to escape again, Serena. I will have you tied and gagged. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes.” It was best for him to think he won his game, but she knew otherwise. Once he’d gone Serena muttered, “I’ll show him. Emma.” She ran up the staircase.
“Oh, Mistress. What has happened?”
Serena paused, took a deep breath willing her mind to clear. Her fingers flew to her lips, there was much to prepare. “Emma, pack your things and make ready. Take only what you are willing to part with, at some point we might have to leave them behind.”
Serena went to her armoire and selected a black winter jacket and skirt along with her hooded cloak. The color suited her mood. She laid her cape on the bed. Emma took out some clothes for her, but Serena told her to leave them.
“Mistress, what can we do to stop this? It appears we are helpless.” She wrung her hands in her lap. “Am I to pack any artist’s supplies?”
“Yes. Some charcoal pencils and a new sketchbook. Henry knows I would not leave them behind so it must appear that I am complying with his instructions.”
Emma gathered the supplies Serena had requested, put them inside a canvas portfolio and placed them at the bottom of Serena’s trunk. She then went to her quarters, packed a bag and returned to the studio. Emma sat her worn cloth case next to Serena’s small trunk.
What shall I put in your case?”
“I will wear my carriage dress and a warm cape. Pack only one other daytime dress. I do not want for us to be burdened with trunks and cases, since I do not intend us to stay in LeBran’s coach. We will ask to use the necessary when we are an hour out of town. LeBran will not deny us nor follow us there. We will use that ploy as an opportunity to run away.”
“Where will we go?”
“I do not know. Do you have any relatives to the south?”
“Yes, I have a cousin, but he lives in Gosport. He will hide us, but we will have a long walk to get there. It all depends on where we stop along the way.”
“A long walk would be easy compared to marriage to Lord LeBran.” Serena glanced at the clock. “We have little time to prepare.” She went to where the lockbox was stored. “This contains gold sovereigns and guineas. We will need money to secure our safety later. Sew six coins of each in the hem of our capes. Please hurry. Oh, and take the sewing supplies with you in your bag—needles and strong thread.”
Yes, mistress.” Emma scooted off to perform the task.
“Then come to me,” she called out, “and I will show you where I’ll hide the box of remaining coins and these documents.” Serena willed herself to control the panic that threatened to suffocate her.
She looked around her beautiful studio, tears pooled in her eyes. She stood before Geoffrey’s painting and caressed the scar on his face. “I wish you had gotten me pregnant, but it is impossible since I took precautions after each time we made love. I am sorry I did.”
Emma returned with the coin-weighted capes, laid them across the bed and secured the sewing supplies in her traveling bag.
“Come help me, Emma.” Serena took the portrait of Geoffrey, a secret note attached to the back, her sketchbook, and slipped them into a slot in the anteroom.
“Hand me the lock box now, then the documents, Emma.” Serena placed those in another slot.
“This is a good place to hide your possessions, mistress.”
“It’s the best we can do on short notice. It’s important that you know where these valuables are stored.” Serena took her thin jewelry case and slipped it behind Geoffrey’s portrait.
“Yes, mistress. You may depend on me.” Emma left the anteroom.
“I know, my friend. I know. Be strong.” Her tasks completed, Serena scanned the room once again in longing.
She called to Emma, “Leave the back door unlatched. Do it quietly. There is a guard outside. We will need entry at some future point. No one ever comes in that way. Should Lord Geoffrey seek me, he knows full well we never lock the rear door.”
“I remember advice my father gave me as a young girl. “If you find yourself in a desperate situation, bend like a willow in the wind, but you must not break,” she told Emma. “I am bending until I can put a plan in action. I will become the wind and smite them. I will not marry LeBran. When you have known a good man, you cannot settle for a bad one.”
Chapter Twenty-One
The footman helped Lady Serena descend the carriage. Her small trunk and Emma’s bag were unloaded and transferred to Lord LeBran’s coach. She waited in front of the portico as Emma joined her.
She whispered, “When the coach stops at a roadside inn, p
erhaps we will escape. Remember, I will say we need to use the necessary. He would not follow us there. We will run away. Be prepared.”
Henry came out with her betrothed, LeBran. The men shook hands. “I will see you in three weeks’ time at your fortress.”
He turned to his sister. “Have a safe trip and remember all I have told you.”
“Of course, Henry.” She had already forgotten her brother’s warning and she had no desire to recall it.
Henry spoke to Emma. “What has been done is for our family’s good. Do not let my sister’s defiant ways influence you. Do as you are told by Lord LeBran and all will be well.”
Emma curtsied. “Yes, Sir Henry.”
When the footman came, the three were escorted into the carriage, Lord LeBran at Serena’s side.
They had traveled for some time with no conversation. Serena turned in the seat, “My lord, how much farther is it?”
He looked at his watch. “By my reckoning, we have three more hours to Portsmouth.”
“Can you tell me, Lord LeBran does your fortress have a name?” she asked in a conciliatory tone. She could bend, but she must not break.
“My home’s name is called Forteresse de LeBran. I indicated to you last night that it is located on Portsea Island, near Southsea Castle. My French ancestors so named it in the fourteenth century.”
“Perhaps in the excitement, it slipped my mind. Is the climate cold? Are there storms?”
“The estate faces the sea, so we do have rain and winds. We do have cold weather.” LeBran showed no interest in pursuing a conversation.
Serena folded her hands in her lap and stared out the coach window.
After a while, LeBran spoke. “We are about two hours from the fortress. You will soon feel a difference in the climate.”
“My lord Leland, it has been a long time. My maid and I will need to stop to use the necessary. Is the stopping place soon?”
His monolithic voice droned on. “We will not stop until we reach the fortress. You both will have to contain yourselves.”
Serena’s face paled at the thought. If he was serious, their plan was thwarted before it started. She and Emma traded glances. An alternative plan had to be conceived—and soon.
LeBran chose to speak, “The front of the fortress faces the land with heavy fortified gates and parapets. The deep moat is not filled with water, but it has a covered glacis to protect the ditch from marauders. There is a counterscarp gallery on the outer edge, which allows defenders to fire at any attackers. It is accessed through a tunnel underneath called a caponnier. I could show it all to you if you have an interest.”
However, she did take note at some of the French words he used—caponnier and glacis. She recalled he also spoke about a counterscarp gallery.
“At the moment, I do not.”
He gave her a hard look. “You do seem to speak your mind without caution. That can be a fatal flaw in a woman. I warn you, I do not possess a conscience.”
“My brother spoke those very same words to me, and I can see what you both have in common. Neither of you have a conscience. I will conclude our conversation, take out my Bible and pray for guidance.”
And to ask that she would find a way to escape his clutches.
From her large reticule, Serena withdrew her personal Bible, opened to a page that displayed her birth date. If she were forced to marry this villain, the date of her death would be written there also—by someone.
LeBran grasped the book from her hands, and flipped the pages. When he found everything in order, he returned it to her.
Serena’s face contorted at his brutish action. She opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it. The beast in him demonstrated his inner evil. She pulled herself further away from the vile man.
“Some women have been known to hide knives in their Bibles.”
“You will find that I am not like other women. The Bible is for comfort, not stealth.”
His eyes were dark, like tombstones on a grave. They reminded her of her late husband.
“Do you go to church each week?”
“Yes.”
“My mother will approve. We have a protestant chapel in the fortress. You will not have to leave.” His crooked smile taunted.
“How convenient.”
Serena read for a while and after another hour started to feel the effects from the silent journey. She and Emma traded glances again, but neither spoke.
Lord LeBran went to touch her cloak and she pulled back. “I wished to assure that you would not be cold. There is no need to withdraw from me. I have no desire to touch such a flawed woman.”
“That comforts me.” This monster of a man would try anyone’s patience of which she had little—and limited hope.
The silence in the carriage and the cadence of the hoof beats afforded her the opportunity to think. She had to devise a way to escape the horrors of this man. The time had come for her to take charge of her life and be rid of controlling brothers, husbands and lovers. She was smart, resourceful, and wealthy. Serena would plan carefully.
She vowed that no one would hold her against her will. Serena needed to find a weapon and even though Emma sewed coins into their capes, they needed to escape her captor. She calmed her mind in order to find some way to thwart his plans.
Serena looked at the bleak countryside, closed her eyes, and envisioned Geoffrey. Her kind and handsome lover’s face gave her strength. She wanted him in her life forever and would find a way—somehow. She steepled her hands in silent prayer.
Lord LeBran noticed her motion and lidded eyes. “I would like to know what you pray about, Serena. If you pray for someone to come and release you from our betrothal, I’m afraid you pray in vain.” A twisted smile crossed his face. “After we are married, you might find a change in disposition is warranted. The consequences of insolence are not pleasant.”
Yanked out of her pleasant thoughts about Geoffrey, “I do believe you underestimate the power of prayer. However, mine are for God and the angels to redeem.”
She turned to face him, head held high, defiance in her words. It was then she saw the menacing look in his eyes and the bridled anger in his voice when he said, “You present a challenge to me, Serena.” His angry retort hardened the lines of his face. He fisted his gloved hands together, and crushed one of the buttons on his outer coat perhaps as a means of letting Serena know he could do the same with her.
Emma gasped, and then turned away.
“It would be best not to provoke me further.” A chill hung over his words. He reached for his cane and smacked the handle into his hands.
Serena became furious at her vulnerability to this man. Her father’s words came to mind. The willow would have to bend again.
She softened her tone. “Lord LeBran, if I upset you so, why do you pursue marriage with me?”
“You already know the answer to that. You are a means to an end. Nothing more signifies. I do warn you, though, not to anger me. I am not one to suffer arrogance by a woman.”
The willow bent again.
“I may appear arrogant to you, my lord. It is not a circumstance I seek. I do not wish to be married to any man. One husband was enough. It has nothing to do with you. My marriage was not a happy one. Please do not misunderstand.”
“You are a woman who needs to adapt to the culture of your inferiority. You are nothing more than a possession.”
She was no man’s possession.
“Possessions come and go, Lord LeBran. In my short experience, they are not always what they seem.”
“Possessions can be broken and discarded on a whim, Serena. Remember that.”
“I certainly will.” She bit her lip to keep from saying more. This man presented a danger. It was clear he didn’t like independent spirited women. Difficult as it might be, she would have to pretend acceptance of this marriage until she could plan an escape. One way or another, she would.
“It would be best if you curbed your tongue.”
“I will keep that in mind.” A cold knot formed in her stomach and surged through her. Serena dared not show fear.
“This conversation is over,” he commanded.
“As you wish, my lord.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Silence accompanied them like a shroud for the next half hour. Frazzled, Serena again pleaded with Lord LeBran to stop somewhere.
“My stomach is heavy. I feel I will cash in my accounts. Please, can we stop somewhere to relieve my distress?”
Lord LeBran removed his top hat. “You may use my hat. We do not stop until we reach my fortress. That is my last word on the subject.
“You cannot be serious. No gentleman would ask this of a woman.”
“Do not mistake me, Lady Serena. I am no gentleman.”
“I can agree with you on that statement.”
“You are mistaken to think me a ploy. We will be married. It is your fate and mine. I am not content about it either.”
“Well spoken,” she uttered. “Another point on which we can agree.”
“Do you require the use of my hat or not?”
“I’d rather die.”
“Anything can be arranged.” The statement was cold, calculating and—probably true.
The smug expression on his face told a story. One eyebrow raised, perhaps in contemplation of the thought spoken by her. She thought him capable of killing. Her hand gripped her chest to calm her rapid breath. Forefront in her mind was the rumor that he had poisoned his former wife.
From that moment, hatred filled her heart for her brother and the vile man next to her. Somehow she and Emma had to escape, but doing it en route was no longer an option. They rode on in silence until the fortress came to view.
When Serena and her maid arrived at Lord LeBran’s keep, fatigue from the long ride without any respite overtook her. The footman assisted the ladies out of the carriage.
“We are here, Lady Serena, your new home.”
“Yes, I see. It is quite an imposing structure, my lord. It looks like a stone medieval castle, beautiful yet foreboding.”
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