What he had to decide now was whether he could bring himself to sever all contact with Eloisa until the trouble blew over so she wouldn’t be dragged into it. Whatever he decided, he knew that when she left Mitchelham, she was going to take a very large part of him with her.
Later that night, Simeon closed the door on the sound of Renwick’s epithets and snorted in disgust. It was still hard to believe that he was related to such a wastrel. His cousin had always been a complete stranger to Simeon in many ways, but never more so than now. It was going to be a relief when he could hand Renwick over and turn his back on the whole sorry mess.
That thought was quickly followed by the problem of what he should do about Eloisa. While turning away from Renwick Calversham was no loss, dropping Eloisa off at home never to see her again would not be so easy. They had only known each other for a handful of days, yet she had become an integral part of his life. He rather suspected he would find difficult to live without her.
Could he simply drop her off at home and forget all about her, even if it was to protect her from the worst of the family scandal?
It still irked him to think that she was so determined to go to a ball that she was prepared to remain in the garden in order to dance to the beautiful music. Eloisa deserved the very best that life could offer. She deserved to be courted properly and wined and dined by someone who could offer her a life free of scandal and censure. At the moment, because of Renwick’s behaviour, Simeon was not that man. Could he live with the thought that he had cheated Eloisa out of the life she deserved if he continued to pursue her knowing he was bringing her into a ruined family that would be shunned by society?
They certainly wouldn’t be welcome at the balls of any of Simeon’s acquaintances, that was for certain. He wouldn’t be sorry to see the back of the Ton, but did that mean he should deprive Eloisa of the chance to move amongst them? He had no doubt that someone like Eloisa, even dancing outside, would not go unnoticed. She was beautiful, and would attract many suitors. Could he sit back and allow someone else to claim the woman he knew should be his?
Weighed down by the sheer volume of problems that battered him, Simeon put the basket he carried onto the floor and sat on one of the steps on the main staircase. Now that he was alone, he could allow his thoughts to settle. To his disgust, it wasn’t as easy as he had hoped.
After several moments of quiet contemplation, he found it impossible to think logically because his heart kept getting in the way. The urge to stalk into the study and find Eloisa so he could plunder until he could forget all of his troubles was so very tempting. However, he just couldn’t bring himself to be that selfish.
The gentle image of her standing so proudly, yet looking so lost and alone in the room pushed him to his feet. He picked up the basket and went in search of her. When he pushed the door open, his eyes widened at the sight that met his gaze. He didn’t get the chance to do, or say, anything before pain exploded in his head, and the world went black.
He woke some time later feeling incredibly warm. His first thought was for the beads of sweat on his brow. He tried to grab the collar of his shirt to haul it over his head only to find that his hands wouldn’t work. When he tried to frown, the dull throbbing at the back of his head increased with such ferocity that he suddenly felt sick.
“Try to keep still.”
His eyes popped open at the sound of Eloisa’s melodic voice so close to his ear. The fear in her eyes warned him that they were in danger even before she said anything else. It was only when she cast a furtive glance over his shoulder that he realised they both had their hands tied behind their backs. They were lying facing each other in front of the fire in the study.
The sudden recollection of seeing Eloisa lying before the fire suddenly flashed in his mind, and he realised then what had happened.
“Renwick,” he breathed, but it wasn’t a question.
Eloisa’s nod barely happened, but Simeon saw the minutest movement of her head anyway.
They stared at each other mutely. Eloisa tried to ignore the sight of Renwick sitting behind the desk with his boots propped up on the dusty surface. She didn’t want the horrible brute to know that Simeon was now awake. Somehow she knew that Renwick would enjoy Simeon being at his mercy. She couldn’t bear to think about what brutality Simeon would have to endure at Renwick’s hands.
“How long have I been unconscious?”
“About an hour,” Eloisa breathed. “He is behind the desk right now, eating the contents of one of the baskets.”
Without moving his head, Simeon looked over his shoulder at the narrow crack in the secret door that sat mere feet from them. He judged it was too far away for them to reach it before Renwick would get them and mentally cursed their luck. They were well and truly stuck.
Eloisa had never been as terrified as she had been when Simeon had collapsed onto the floor. She had watched him fall and felt as though her heart had been ripped out of her chest. She wanted to run to him to see for herself that he was still alive. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to move for the tight bindings Renwick had callously put around her wrists. To be able to look into Simeon’s eyes now and speak to him was a boon to her shattered wits.
She studied him and felt a wave of emotion sweep through her that that was so strong it simply took her breath away. It was far too soon to know whether she loved him or not, but she was aware that he had come to mean an awful lot to her, in spite of their short acquaintance. Although the day-to-day trivialities of personal preferences toward food, politics and fashion still had to be learned, she had never felt so tuned to anyone in her life. She knew that given the opportunity, she would remain by his side for the rest of her life. Throughout everything, he had been nothing but polite and considerate toward her. She would even go so far as to say that he had been tender and affectionate, but not affectionate enough as far as she was concerned.
She couldn’t quite decide if he just wasn’t attracted to her, felt sorry for her, or just considered her lower in status to him. The latter stopped her from leaning toward him in search of a reassuring kiss now.
“Are you alright?” he whispered.
She nodded her head jerkily but mentally winced when Renwick coughed. She waited for him to appear above them only to heave a sigh of relief when he didn’t.
“How do we get out of here?” she whispered. “He has said that his friend will come back for him.”
“Ah, so you are awake at last,” Renwick called.
Eloisa sighed and closed her eyes as a wave of revulsion swept through her. She had never hated anyone so much in her life as she did Renwick Calversham.
“Why did you have to hit me so hard?” Simeon groused as he wriggled around until he could sit upright.
“An eye for an eye and all that,” Renwick countered in a casual manner that was at odds with the ruthlessness in his eyes.
He hauled Simeon to his feet and threw him a dismissive glance when Simeon started to sway on his feet. “Get over to this desk. I have something for you to sign,” Renwick ordered, and he all but dragged Simeon across the room.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Eloisa watched Simeon until he was dragged out of her line of vision. She tried to roll over so she could continue to see him, but her painfully bound hands prevented her. Thankfully, Renwick was temporarily blocked from view by Simeon’s broad shoulders.
She eyed the secret doorway calculatingly for a moment. With one quick glance back at the men, she clambered awkwardly to her feet. As silently as she could, she crept toward the secret door and nudged it open. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do once she was free, but didn’t stop to think about that right now. Once inside the corridor, she nudged the door closed behind her. With no candle and no way to guide herself it was a perilous race through the corridor at best. She bit her lip to prevent the cry of pain from escaping when she bounced off the rough stone walls. Once at the passage door, she checked the corridor was clear then raced into the ki
tchen toward the pantry she had Simeon had been locked in on the first night at the house.
Thankfully, the knives she had seen earlier were still there. It took her several minutes before she succeeded in picking one up while peering awkwardly over her shoulder. With a sawing motion, she turned it upside down and began to slice it through the ropes. Twisted at such an uncomfortable angle, she sliced into the tender flesh of her wrists more than the rope, but there was little she could do about that now.
“Please be alright, Simeon. If only I can get free, I can help,” she whispered. The sound of her own voice sounded loud though, even to her, so she fell silent while she set to work on the ropes with increasing desperation.
“Come on you ridiculous things,” she muttered minutes later when her fingers began to ache and she sliced over a particularly sore spot on her wrist.
Finally, after considerable effort, the rope finally snapped. Her shoulders ached from having them tied behind her back for so long. She looked down at the bloodied mess of her wrists and sighed. Her hands shook uncontrollably through cold and fear but she washed the worst of the blood off before she collected the items she needed. The last thing she wanted to do was go back into the passageway but she knew that she must. She was painfully aware that she had left Simeon bound, and at the mercy of Renwick. Heaven only knew what had happened while she had been gone.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps running toward her broke the silence. It brought forth a wave of panic that had her scurrying in all directions in search of a place to hide. She didn’t have the time light a candle even if she was prepared to go back into the passageways. Panic made her knees tremble. It was only the thought that Simeon needed her that forced her to find a way out. She knew that Renwick had discovered her absence and it was now only a matter of time before he found her again. Without stopping to think, she snatched a knife off the table.
Quickly yanking the back door open, she stepped out into the howling winds. She quietly closed the door behind her, then lifted her skirts and raced around the side of the house. While she ran she mentally plotted where the study was. She was soaked by the time she reached the window but, thankfully, Simeon was there, seated behind the desk. She tapped on the window and watched him race toward her.
Precious minutes ticked by while he awkwardly turned the latch on the window with his hands bound. As soon as he nodded, she slid the window up.
“Turn around,” she ordered. She cast a furtive glance at the door and, without bothering to climb into the room, began to saw at his ropes. Desperation made her movements hard and jerky but, within seconds, his hands were free.
Simeon sent a silent prayer of thanks heavenward when he was able to clench his fists without pain. He turned around and hauled her upper body through the window so he could kiss her with all the loving pride he could summon.
She was momentarily speechless at the force of the kiss he bestowed upon her. By the time he stepped back, she was gasping and clutching the window frame for support. It was only the distant sound of smashing glass that made them both jump back with a start.
“Quickly,” Simeon gasped as he ushered her backward. He clambered out of the window then slowly lowered the window.
“Where are we going?”
“This way,” he said. He grabbed her wrist and together they ran toward the group of trees that protected the rear of the house.
“Where to?” Eloisa gasped as she slipped, slid and stumbled across the sodden lawn. Surely he didn’t intend to run all the way to the village did he?
“To the folly,” Simeon growled. “It is safe and dry, and so overrun that Renwick won’t be able to find it. I did though, just the other week when I was walking the grounds.”
It was the day after he had learned that he had inherited the house from George. He had been in shock and had walked around the property while he tried to decide what to do with it. If the dog hadn’t started to bark at a rabbit hidden in the dense undergrowth, he wouldn’t have known the folly was there. Now, it was their only sanctuary.
They raced across the well-manicured lawn at the back of the house.
She glanced back at the castle. “Simeon!”
When Simeon looked at her, she pointed toward Renwick, who was racing after them.
“This way,” Simeon growled, and led her back into the trees. “We will go around the back way.”
“What then?”
He didn’t answer. At the moment, he wasn’t entirely sure. When he glanced over her shoulder, Renwick had already closed half of the distance between them. It was inevitable that there was going to be a confrontation now, especially if the murderous look on Renwick’s face was anything to go by.
Thankfully, the folly was not too far away. “In here,” Simeon said. He yanked several thick branches of the overgrown bramble back and pushed her into the narrow space behind it. He clambered in after her and carefully arranged the foliage over the gap they had created. They were taking a terrible risk confining themselves as they were but they weren’t able to outrun Renwick. Although he would never lay the blame with Eloisa, she was a female, with shorter legs that were encumbered by skirts. It was inevitable that the tall, fit man was able to catch up.
When Eloisa opened her mouth to speak, Simeon put his finger to his lips to warn her to remain silent. They stood and listened to the sound of running footstep grow increasingly louder before they receded again. Eloisa slumped with relief when silence settled eventually around them.
“Keep quiet for a bit longer, just in case he comes back,” Simeon breathed into her ear.
He saw the shiver that swept through her and hauled her against his chest in a futile attempt to share their warmth. He needed the contact with her, if only to assure himself that she really was all right. When he had realised earlier that she had left the room, he had mentally applauded her strength and determination. While he had been mightily relieved she had been able to get away, he had also been worried sick about her. It had been a tremendous relief when she had reappeared in the study window. Not least because he knew that Renwick had planned to give him a beating upon his return from recapturing Eloisa, just to get him to sign ownership of the castle over to him.
“Are you alright?”
“Just cold,” she whispered, and snuggled closer when he held her tighter.
Simeon dropped a quick kiss on her lips while they listened. He was about to assure her that they would be able to leave soon when the sound of cracking twigs broke the silence.
Eloisa was so very glad that Simeon was there. If she had been alone, she would have given in to a fit of the vapours by now. It was terrifying to have to stand and await discovery. She wanted to ask Simeon if Renwick was armed and likely to shoot them, but didn’t really want to know.
Her heart leapt into her throat when a dark shadow passed by the opening where the window used to be. Eloisa closed her eyes and listened to her heart pound.
Over the top of her head, Simeon watched the shadow move toward the doorway. It was only when the brambles began to move that Simeon realised that Renwick must know about the folly’s existence. He closed his eyes on a curse and searched the floor for something he could use to defend them. In the end, he realised that he only thing he had to hand that was of any use was his fists. He carefully ushered Eloisa to stand with her back to the wall and moved into position in front of her – and waited.
“I know you are in there, Simeon, so I suggest you come out now,” Renwick drawled conversationally. “If you don’t, I will just have to come in and get you.”
Simeon remained where he was. His fingers tightened around Eloisa’s in silent reassurance that they would be alright. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of her fingers before he released her and braced himself. The sense of inevitability he felt when Renwick appeared before them brought with it a small measure of relief. At least now they would be able to resolve this once and for all.
“Stay here, Eloisa,” Simeon murmure
d. He didn’t bother to look back at her as he stepped forward. Rather than give his cousin the opportunity to strike first, Simeon tackled Renwick to the ground.
The resultant skirmish was brutal. Well-placed thumps and heavy grunts from both parties broke the silence. When Renwick succeeded in pushing Simeon off him, and pinned Simeon to the floor so he could rain blows down onto his face, Eloisa picked up a branch off the floor and began to whack him on the back. Although the branch wasn’t big, she put enough force into the blows to dislodge Renwick, and give Simeon the opportunity to reverse their positions.
“Get to the house,” Simeon growled at her when he saw the gun strapped to Renwick’s hip.
Eloisa hesitated. The thought of leaving them to fight it out was horrible. She couldn’t stay in that castle and wait to see who emerged from the undergrowth. The thought of it filled her with sickening dread, so she merely threw him a dark look and ignored him.
“Get to the house,” Simeon shouted.
“No,” Eloisa retorted flatly.
When Renwick’s fist landing painfully against his ribs took his breath, Simeon turned to his cousin with a snarl of rage. He was certain that the anger he felt toward Renwick wasn’t just created by his callous disregard toward another human life; and a solider at that. It wasn’t just that his cousin had stolen property from him and was now trying to force him to sign over ownership of the castle. Simeon knew that the anger that put the force behind every fist he threw at his cousin was more down to the future that Renwick had cost him and Eloisa.
He just couldn’t bring himself to drag Eloisa’s name into the mire by marrying her while the family were facing a time of crisis. He couldn’t do that to Eloisa. But to let her go was something that brought about a quiet rage within him that made him want to pound his cousin into the ground. With his teeth gritted, he turned the full focus of his anger toward thwarting his cousin.
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