“No thank you, Tilly. Mr., um…”
“Wilson,” he supplied with a harmless, polite smile.
“Yes, Mr. Wilson won’t be staying for long. We won’t require tea.”
Tilly cocked her head to the side inquisitively, a bit surprised by that answer. But given no further instructions she merely nodded and closed the door behind her as she left.
Kate turned her attention back to Manning, her eyes flashing with anger. How dare he do this to her? How dare he destroy her life out of avarice? “So you decided to marry me, is that it?” she asked. “You thought that was a way to obtain my business?”
Manning nodded, that frightening, detached calm returning to his eyes. “Well, that would be one way. I was quite pleased by the thought, especially when I heard my man describe you…not only rich, but comely, too. That’s all a man really needs in a wife, after all. But then it occurred to me that you’d never accept my proposal, that you would think you were above me.”
His greed was sickening and Kate was losing patience. She should have been scared, but she was so angry at that moment that she just couldn’t be. It was preposterous; why was he doing this to her? “As you know, Mr. Manning, this is all irrelevant. I am now married and you have nothing left to gain. I cannot imagine why you bothered to come here and tell me all this. Surely your man could have told you that you were wasting your time.”
Manning sighed with theatrical disappointment. “It is unfortunate that you had to complicate things by getting married—blasted inconsiderate, in fact. How can I get you to give me what I want now?”
“What do you want?”
He leaned forward, suddenly no longer playing at being nice. “Your business gets in my way. You take profits that would otherwise be mine. It’s quite simple. Without you, think of how rich I’d be. So what I want is to have what you have, and I can only get that by getting rid of you. But how can I do that?”
There were any number of ways, that was the awful part. But she certainly wasn’t going to supply him with any suggestions, so she said nothing. She wasn’t at all safe from him, and any bravado she’d formerly demonstrated was quickly fading.
He smiled tightly and stretched out in the chair, noting her distress. “Well, I have a few ideas for how I can get you out of my way. There’s your brother and his charming wife, for instance. I do, you’ll probably recall, know their town house rather intimately…the coach house, in particular.”
She sat forward tensely, remembering the night of her abduction in London and how terrified she’d been. If only she’d known at the time that she wasn’t the only one at risk, if she’d known he would try to harm her family, too…she would have told her brother of her suspicions. She should have. He would hurt them and it would be her fault. “What would you do to them?”
Manning steepled his fingers, pretending to mull over the possibilities. “Hmm…I wouldn’t want to go up against your brother so ‘them’ might be a tad difficult. But his wife would be easy. From simply watching the house these past few weeks I’ve learned her movements and habits. I know when she walks in the park, goes shopping, goes for visits. She’s quite predictable.”
“You will not do a thing,” Kate insisted, trying to make her voice sound firm. “I will notify my brother and if anything happens the authorities will know exactly where to look.”
Manning smiled. “Perhaps I have a man waiting there already and you won’t get the chance to notify anyone. You remember Billy, do you not? He managed to escape after you so cruelly left him tied to a tree in the woods, and I’m afraid that night left him with a grudge against you. All I have to do is give him the word, and he’ll be happy to oblige.”
“You would not be able to tell him in time.”
“Would you care to test that theory? I shouldn’t think so, Lady Sinclair. But your sister-in-law is innocent, and it would be cruel of me to hurt her. I don’t want to be cruel, but I won’t have to do a thing if you cooperate.”
“You plan to blackmail me,” Kate stated bluntly.
“It’s a thought…you see, you’ve provided me with such good material that I can hardly pass up the opportunity. There’s your unladylike involvement in your father’s business, for one. If the prospect of that fact being made common knowledge doesn’t persuade you to do as I say, I can spread the news that you spent the evening in one of London’s more disreputable gaming houses…I know about that, of course. Billy also tells me that the night you were kidnapped from the Earl of Tyndale’s home you were wandering around with barely a stitch on your back. You’ve hardly been circumspect.”
She sat back and folded her hands in her lap, unwilling to let him cow her and trying to look unimpressed by his threats. “You can say whatever you like, Mr. Manning. Society already knows I was compromised and my husband will refute everything else.”
“Will he? And where is your husband now, may I ask? He must be very concerned for your safety to leave you here alone like this. He’s been in London for what…about two months now? Do you really think he cares about you enough to defend your honor?”
Kate looked away from him, afraid that her face would betray the true state of her emotions. She wasn’t in control at all, and she didn’t know how much longer she could keep up her brave front. She wanted to cry. Manning meant to upset her, and it was working. She feared that his words were true: if Ben had ever cared about her, his feelings must now surely be dead. But would she ever have the chance to convince him otherwise, to make him believe that marriage to her needn’t be the constant battleground she’d made it? And how would he feel if she caused more scandal? He’d probably never return.
“And you don’t love him either, do you?”
She looked back sharply. He was just trying to manipulate her; she needed to remind herself of that. She loved her husband deeply, and she did so because he was an honorable man. “Don’t be absurd,” she replied defiantly.
He arched an eyebrow doubtfully. “When I wrote to you in London, you responded. If you were so in love with him you certainly wouldn’t have done so.”
“What are you talking about?”
Manning clucked his tongue. “How am I to trust you, Lady Sinclair, if you keep lying to me?”
“I’m not lying! I received no communication from you, Mr. Manning. I love my husband and I always have. Nothing you say will change that.”
“I see. Perhaps you do…but if so you won’t want to embarrass him even further than you already have.”
He knew exactly what he was doing. She didn’t want to embarrass Ben. She wanted, desperately, to be the sort of wife he undoubtedly wished to have. A fat tear slowly ran down her face. She couldn’t stop it.
Manning saw it and smiled; he knew that he had finally won. He leaned forward, sliding his pistol from under his coat once more. With his hand resting on it, he said, “You will do what I want, Lady Sinclair, or I’ll tell everyone. What do you think your husband would think of that? Quite a reputation for a new wife.”
“If I close down the business you will leave my family alone? You will leave me alone?”
Manning leaned back into his seat, visibly relaxing. He crossed his legs nonchalantly. “Well, now, that’s very generous of you, but it occurs to me that I could close your business down myself by simply telling your secret. I won’t require your help in that respect. But perhaps that’s not the answer after all…you could give me the business, how does that sound? I’d simply take it off your hands for you…you’re hardly capable of running it anyway. I would have your profits and you wouldn’t have to worry anymore. You’re a pretty young thing, Lady Sinclair, and I’m sure that there are many other things you’d rather think about than boats and ledgers. We’d both win.”
They wouldn’t, of course. She had no delusions about it. He’d win and she’d simply retreat, but she no longer had a choice. He’d threatened her family and her marriage, and his silence was worth everything to her. It was time to surrender. She wanted Ben to lov
e her, to forget the conditions and difficulties she’d brought with her to their marriage. She couldn’t embarrass him again. She simply cared about him too much. Her eyes pricked with tears and she knew, in that moment, that she’d give Manning whatever he wanted if it would save her marriage. Ben had never been a perfect gentleman—she supposed she wouldn’t have fallen in love with him if he had been—but he had done her a tremendous favor by marrying her. He didn’t have to do that, and she hadn’t even expected him to. But he had, and she loved him. She hadn’t even thought that kind of love was possible, and if Manning’s silence would keep their marriage together, if it was the only thing that would give their marriage hope, then she would do whatever it took to maintain his silence.
She opened her mouth to acquiesce, but it wasn’t her own words that came out.
“You forget, Manning, that I don’t give a damn about popular opinion.”
She turned her head, and her heart leaped. Ben stood in the doorway, casually leaning against it, hands in his pockets, looking as if nothing were the matter. But Kate knew better. She had seen that look in his eyes before, only it had always been directed at her. He was furious.
Ben walked into the room.
Manning raised his pistol and pointed it at him. “I wouldn’t come any nearer.”
Kate shot from her seat in fear, forgetting the consequences that such an action might provoke. “Ben, you must stop,” she pleaded. Although her husband was bigger and stronger than Manning, he was no match for a gun.
He ignored her, keeping his attention directed solely at Manning. “Will you shoot me?” he asked, walking forward another few steps.
Manning didn’t answer, but he, too, rose from his seat, his gun still trained at Ben. Kate stared at his hands, hoping to see them quiver nervously, but his grip on the pistol remained sure and steady.
Ben stopped this time, his gaze never leaving Manning’s face. “I don’t think that would be at all wise, Mr…. Edward Manning, was it?”
Kate narrowed her eyes. How would Ben know his name? She’d mentioned Manning once before, but how would he make the connection?
“If you shoot me,” Ben continued, his voice deliberate, “and if you so much as harm a hair on my wife’s head, everyone will know of your guilt. You’ll lose your business and I’ll see to it that you’ll lose your life as well.”
Manning shook his head. “No one will know a thing. I’ve told no one that I’m here, and I gave the servants a false name. I could kill both of you and all anyone would remember was that peculiar Mr. Wilson who came for a visit and mysteriously vanished. I have the upper hand.”
Ben raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Then how do you suppose I learned that you were here? How do I know your name?” Manning paled slightly and Ben took another small step closer to Kate. “I’ll tell you right now that I didn’t figure it out on my own. Someone else did, and told me. That person also knows you’re here, too, and is at this moment bringing the authorities.”
“I don’t believe you,” Manning said, but Kate detected a note of uncertainty in his voice.
“Put the gun down, Manning, and I might be generous with you. Perhaps I’ll let you return to London and pretend that nothing happened…as long as I never see you again.”
Manning seemed to think this over for a second. He lowered his pistol slightly.
“Come here, Kate,” Ben said without looking at her, his gaze still on Manning’s gun.
He raised the pistol once more, his grip tightening. This time he directed it at Kate. “She’s not going anywhere, nor am I. Not until I get what I want.”
“Come here, Kate,” Ben repeated firmly, holding his hand out to her this time. She still didn’t move, too afraid that Manning would fire.
“You have nothing to bargain with,” Manning stated confidently. “I think I’ll give the orders.”
“Is that so? Turn around.”
Manning didn’t move at first, but the sound of the window opening behind him made him pivot swiftly. It was true. A man stood at the window, a menacing pistol aimed at Manning’s head. Kate recognized him as Graham, her footman. She’d always known him as helpful, affable and shy, but at the moment he was deadly serious. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Mary, hovering anxiously behind him. It was the most unlikely siege, but it seemed to be working. Manning was trapped.
“Drop your gun,” Ben repeated, not a trace of fear in his voice.
For a moment Manning seemed to debate his options. They were few. He could shoot, possibly hurt either Ben or Kate, but he’d lose his own life if he did so.
Or he could do as Ben asked and perhaps be spared.
“Put it down, Manning.”
It was over. He lowered his gun and placed it on a table. He stepped away, and Graham climbed agilely through the window to bind his wrists.
Fast, heavy tears flowing down her face, Kate raced across the room and buried herself in her husband’s arms. His embrace had never felt so good, so strong, so comforting. She couldn’t believe he had come back.
Chapter Twenty-Three
A week had passed, a week in which the house and its inhabitants had slowly returned to normality. Graham became something of a hero in the village, and his brave stunt at the sitting room window was recounted over many beery lunches at the Seven Bells. Josiah, too, was regarded with a new respect, particularly by Mary, who lowered her eyelashes and blushed whenever he walked past. He’d been every bit as brave as Graham. He’d seen Edward Manning in the village, had overheard him asking questions about the house and had followed him there. He’d snuck into the house and entered the sitting room after Manning was shown to it and had planned on accosting him there, but he hadn’t counted on the pistol in Manning’s coat pocket. The pistol had won in the end, and he was fortunate to have gotten away with only an egg-sized lump on his head and nothing more permanent.
Edward Manning’s fate was not so fortunate, although it might have been worse. As the authorities had removed him from the sitting room, he’d broken down and confessed to everything. He was, it turned out, a desperate man. His company was facing bankruptcy and he was about to lose everything. For this reason Ben had decided to be merciful. Manning was at that moment awaiting transportation to Australia, where sunshine and sweat would, in theory, transform him into a better man. It wasn’t exactly the Garden of Eden, but it would be far better than rotting in one of London’s dark and damp prisons.
Ben had remained in Little Brookings even though there was no particular reason for him to do so—obviously Kate was now safe and he could return to town with his mind and conscience at ease. But he simply didn’t want to leave her, not yet, not ever. She hadn’t asked him to either, although he was expecting her to bring the subject up at any time. Nothing fundamental had changed between them and he had no doubt that she still wanted him as far removed from her life as possible.
Ben was alone in the sitting room, a book open on his lap but his mind very far away. He’d never been more frightened than he had been during the drive to Dorset, although he’d tried to reassure himself that the fear twisting inside his gut was nothing but a false alarm. Chances were that Kate would be safe and well—and that she’d be singularly unimpressed by his heroic reappearance. But somehow he’d known that something seriously was wrong, and the very idea that there was someone out there, someone they hadn’t even thought of or fully suspected…he’d been furious with himself for leaving her there alone. He’d had a bad feeling all along, and he bloody well should have trusted his instincts. But who was it? He’d spent most of the journey trying over and over again to answer that question but still he’d come up with no answer.
By the time his carriage had pulled into the drive, he’d been in no state of mind to make pleasantries with anyone. When he’d seen the unwelcome sight of Mary, standing perplexedly in the middle of the drive, he’d been sorely tempted to drive on past her, perhaps thumbing his nose and splashing her with mud as he went. It was lucky he’d
managed to restrain himself; instead, he’d asked his driver to stop and had reluctantly but politely leaned out his window to greet her. He hadn’t realized at the time what a stroke of good fortune it was.
It was she who’d figured nearly everything out. Apparently she’d been following Josiah all that morning and as he’d been following Manning…well, one suspicion had led to another and after an hour passed she’d begun to suspect that her original quarry wasn’t the right man at all. She’d trailed both of them back toward the house and had been standing in the middle of the drive for several minutes, letting all the pieces fall into place.
She hadn’t returned his greeting. “A man’s just gone to the house,” she’d said instead. “I think he means to harm Lady Kate.”
Ben had responded quickly. “Get help, Mary. I’ll find Kate.”
For once, she’d merely done as he’d told her, and she’d done brilliantly. Ben didn’t know what would have happened if Graham hadn’t intervened when he had. With Edward Manning’s gun pointed at Kate, he’d had very little leverage. He couldn’t bear to think how the situation might have turned out differently.
At least Ben had arrived before Kate had succumbed to Manning’s threats; her bravery never failed to impress him. Luckily, he’d also arrived in time to hear her address Edward Manning by his name through the sitting room door. That had been the final piece of the puzzle, and knowing who his enemy was before having to face him was to be his only real advantage.
He’d arrived in time to hear her say something else, too, something even less expected.
She’d said she loved him.
At the time, he hadn’t been able to give these words much thought. He’d been far too focused on rescuing her, far too aware of the value of every passing second. But now…well, had she meant it? Was it possible? Or was she just saying that she loved him for Manning’s benefit?
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