Felicity had worked so hard to shake the depression that had enshrouded her while in Clinton’s care but it had all come back full force when he had taken her from her home yesterday and she knew that this would be the end—the end of her brief happiness and the end of her dreams of ever being with Elliot. She looked wistfully out the carriage window and contemplated the risks of jumping out while Clinton slept. The last few hours the carriage had slowed considerably, most likely because the horses were exhausted from their relentless journey. Clinton had refused to stop but the horses could no longer keep up their previous pace.
The carriage crawled on at a snail’s pace and Felicity was pretty sure that she could jump from the barely moving carriage with little to no injury, she just wasn’t sure if she would be fast enough to escape from Clinton once he had realized what she had done. The punishment he would inflict on her if she attempted to escape would be horrendous, of that she was sure. Instead of attempting an escape, she laid her head back on the seat cushions and willed herself to fall asleep, though the sleep that overcame her was anything but restful.
The next thing Felicity remembered was being awoken by Clinton’s shrieking. She vaguely registered that the carriage was no longer moving as she tuned into Clinton’s raging howl.
“Why isn’t this carriage moving?” He pushed open the carriage door forcefully and looked up at the driver. “How long have we been stopped?”
“I’m sorry milord, but the horses couldn’t take it any longer. It’s cruel to expect them to keep trotting for days on end. If I hadn’t stopped they could’ve died.”
“Weak beasts,” he spat. “How long have we been stopped?”
The driver squirmed in his seat before sheepishly replying, “Five, maybe six hours milord.”
“What? I slept that entire time? Impossible.”
“We all did milord.”
“Well get this carriage moving immediately or you will regret it.”
Just then Clinton registered the sound of horse hooves coming up behind him followed by an angry voice he didn’t recognize. “The only one who will have anything to regret is you. Where is she?”
Clinton squinted at the two figures on horseback, trying desperately to make out who they were. “Who are you and what do you want?” He hissed back.
Elliot slid from his saddle and stalked towards Clinton and the carriage, anxious to see if Felicity was inside and if she was safe. As he approached the carriage and made to reach for the door Clinton began howling. It was a screeching sound that came from the inner depths of his soul and sounded almost animalistic. Elliot had never heard such a sound coming from another living creature—human or otherwise, in his entire life. The wailing caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up and momentarily distracted him from his goal of rescuing Felicity.
When he finally snapped out of the temporary trance Clinton’s eerie behavior had inflicted, he attempted once more to move towards the carriage. Clinton lunged for him then, causing Elliot to stumble back in his surprise. He reached up to shove him away but Clinton had gained a small advantage. His grip was surprisingly strong as he grasped Elliot’s upper arms in his hands and painfully shoved him to the ground. Elliot let out a loud harrumph as his back hit the dusty road, the breath whooshing out of his lungs completely.
They rolled several times on the hard ground before Clinton settled conveniently on top of Elliot, both fists pounding furiously and repetitively into his chest while he shouted, “I hate you, you’ve ruined my life. You were supposed to be dead you bloody fool.” He paused momentarily in his ministrations to stare wickedly into Elliot’s eyes and with one final blow to his chest he seethed, “I will kill you.”
Elliot was taken aback by the man’s fanatical outburst but though the anger he was directing at him confused him, it wasn’t enough to keep him from reacting. He swiftly pulled his knees up to come in contact with Clinton’s stomach. Smashing them into his gut, he felt Clinton weaken his hold on him giving Elliot time to reach up and grasp his shoulders while he rolled on top of him, pinning him to the ground.
Clinton looked up at Elliot in momentary surprise. Elliot lifted his upper body with his hands before smashing it roughly back onto the ground. “What are you talking about? I don’t even know you; I’m just here to inform you that kidnapping is a crime and that if you don’t turn your captive over to me, I will kill you.”
Clinton threw back his head and gave a mirthless laugh. “Of course you wouldn’t remember me; I was never good enough for the haughty Elliot Martineau.”
Elliot froze as he looked once more into the man’s face, perplexed. At first he was positive that he’d never seen the man before. His pockmarked face was rather plain but the angry hazel eyes glaring back at him sparked something in his memory. It was as if the angry, hate-filled face he was staring at suddenly transformed to a fifteen-year-old version, more youthful and with less scaring but wearing the same heinous expression.
Elliot gasped, remembering vividly the last time he’d laid eyes on the man beneath him. It was eerily reminiscent of today and his mind instantly went back to an event he had rarely thought about since its occurrence.
He remembered now how Clinton had come to his house when he was a young lad, accompanying his father as he worked on building an addition to their main stables. He hadn’t given the boy much thought, besides an occasional “how do you do?” in passing. That was until one day he found him out in the gardens forcing his attention on one of their serving maids, Anne.
Elliot had just finished taking his favorite mare to the stables after a leisurely ride across the estate. He had always enjoyed a brisk ride first thing in the morning. As he was strolling casually back towards the main house, he heard what sounded like muffled feminine protests coming from the gardens. He turned his head questioningly in the direction from whence the noise had come and strained his ears to hear more. When he didn’t hear another sound he brushed it off as inconsequential and began walking once more towards home. That’s when he heard a high piercing scream that he knew couldn’t have been a figment of his imagination. He turned and ran towards the noise, knowing that he would encounter some sort of trouble—people didn’t scream like that unless something was wrong.
Arriving breathlessly to a secluded corner of the garden that was hidden underneath the shade of a giant oak tree, his blood began to boil furiously as he witnessed Clinton straddling a squirming Anne, pinning her arms down above her head with one hand while using his other hand to paw at his breeches, frantically attempting to undo them. Without further hesitation, Elliot pounced on top of the cad, alarming him with his appearance. He pulled him brusquely off of Anne and planted a fist squarely into his jaw and watched as spittle flew in every direction.
Elliot felt adrenaline coursing through his veins, giving him added strength as he spun Clinton around and forced him to the ground, his face pressing miserably into the grass. He held him there as he turned to a frightened Anne and asked, “Are you okay?” Anne nodded bravely though her eyes were wide and fearful.
“I want you to go get my father, and make it quick.” Once more Anne nodded stoically before brushing her hands on her apron and turning and dashing to the house. Elliot regretted not being able to see to her immediate comfort and well-being but he knew he had to deal with Clinton first.
Clinton pled long and hard, trying to convince Elliot that what he had witnessed was not what it seemed, but he failed miserably, only managing to accomplish making Elliot even more incensed. Elliot used all of his brute strength to hold him down until his father got there. When the Viscount Martineau arrived, Elliot explained the situation and his father insisted that Robert Rowley pack up his tools and remove his worthless son from his property indefinitely. He threatened both father and son that if they ever stepped foot on their estates again he’d send for the authorities.
That was the last that Elliot had ever seen of or thought about Clinton Rowley since. Never in all of his wildest d
reams would he have imagined that Felicity’s cousin Clinton would be the same Clinton he had prevented from forcing himself on one of their servants all those years ago.
Lost in his thoughts, Elliot barely registered Pierce coming up behind him until he heard him speak. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help sooner, I just barely got the horses tied up.”
Elliot looked up at his friend whose silhouette was being illuminated by the barely rising sun. “I need to see if Felicity is in the carriage.”
“I’ll go check.”
“No, I need to do it. Would you mind holding this imbecile down for a moment?”
Pierce looked down on the scrawny man beneath Elliot and smirked, “With pleasure.”
They quickly and awkwardly traded places while Clinton moaned and protested, attempting to get the upper hand as he made to scurry out from beneath them. He didn’t take kindly to being pinned down by Pierce, who was significantly larger than Elliot.
Elliot rose and half-heartedly attempted to brush the dust off of his breeches before turning and sprinting towards the carriage. Without any further hesitation, he flung the carriage door open and stepped inside. His eyes instantly found Felicity, who was curled in a ball and trembling in one corner of the carriage seat. Within seconds he was holding her in his arms. “Oh love, I’ve got you,” he reassured her as she clung desperately to his shirtfront.
“Oh Elliot, I thought I’d never see you again.”
He placed a kiss to her forehead, “I promised I’d always take care of you, please don’t doubt me again.”
In lieu of a response, Felicity reached her arms around his neck and drew him closer, too relieved to speak. Elliot snuggled into the soft folds of her neck and inhaled, finding a sense of comfort in her familiar jasmine scent. After placing a gentle kiss to the place where her neck curved into her shoulder he lifted his head and searched her face. “We need to get you out of here, away from your repulsive cousin and figure out what to do with him so that he’ll never harm you again.”
She nodded her agreement as Elliot scooped her into his arms and made to exit the carriage. Before he had gotten two steps out of the carriage, he felt someone grasp him from behind, pouncing on his back as both arms went around his neck and began cutting off his airway. Elliot glanced briefly to the spot where he had left Pierce and Clinton but all he saw was Pierce doubled over on the ground clutching below the waist and groaning.
Elliot’s attention immediately returned to his present dilemma. He had no choice but to drop Felicity as he reached up to pull Clinton’s hands off of his throat. Clinton was screaming, “You can’t have her, she’s mine!” over and over again as he attempted to strangle Elliot. When Elliot finally successfully removed his hands from his neck, Clinton began pummeling his back furiously. Felicity had stumbled and recovered from Elliot dropping her as she watched with wide, horror-filled eyes, not sure what she could do to help the situation. Elliot had just maneuvered himself around to face Clinton, one fist cocked and ready when Pierce finally recovered from Clinton’s unsuspecting blow and came up behind them, grabbing Clinton around the waste and dragging him away from the carriage. This time Clinton was no match for Pierce’s large form so he resorted to yelling vile obscenities at them instead.
Pierce barely held his temper in check as he restrained the man and waited for Elliot and Felicity to recover and move further away from Clinton. Elliot guided Felicity out of the way and instructed her to stay back as he went and stood before Clinton and spat, “You have no right to abduct this girl and force her to marry you against her will.”
“You have no right to interfere with my property.”
Elliot’s hands clenched into tight fists at his side as he slowly and deliberately spoke, “She’s not your property.”
“Her father gave her to me so there’s nothing you can do about it.” He lunged for Elliot then but Pierce jerked him back at the same time causing his fist to meet with nothing but air.
“She’s past the age of majority, nobody owns or rules her, especially not you, you disgusting piece of filth.” Clinton lunged for him once more, but once again Pierce stopped him, jerking him forcefully away, not feeling an ounce of pity for the man after the crushing blow he had inflicted on his manhood earlier.
“What are we going to do with him?” Pierce asked, hoping Elliot would agree to let him kill the worthless scumbag.
“Leave him here to rot for all I care. All I know is that Felicity is coming with us.”
Clinton sneered, “You don’t want that worthless twit anyway, she’s damaged goods you know? Oh but wait, you do know since you’re the one that ruined her.”
No power on Earth or in Heaven could’ve stopped Elliot from hitting Clinton at that point. He pounded his fist into Clinton’s stomach just above where Pierce had his hold on him. The air went out of Clinton as he doubled over in Pierce’s arms.
Elliot was livid, “Take that back now, you imbecile.”
“And what if I don’t,” he heaved, struggling to get a breath after the blow Elliot had inflicted. “What are you going to do?”
“Call you out, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Felicity shrieked, “Elliot, no!” Pierce met his gaze above Clinton’s head and shook his head back and forth but Elliot ignored them both.
Clinton scoffed mockingly, his eyes focused solely on Elliot, “A duel? How chivalrous of you, though I must admit I find it highly ironic that you made my life miserable and nearly ruined my father’s livelihood for attempting to ruin a simple servant when you did the same thing—to a lady of quality and breeding nonetheless. Quite the gentleman, Lord Martineau.”
Elliot was seething with rage as he ground out between clenched teeth, “I didn’t force myself on her against her will.”
Clinton just laughed which only provoked Elliot further. He had to turn and will himself to physically walk away to avoid pounding him once more, there was no sense in arguing with the deranged man. When he was standing safely next to Felicity he turned once more to Clinton and said as civilly as he could, “You’ll hear from my second tomorrow. Where will you be staying?”
“At my townhouse on Piccadilly Street of course,” Clinton quipped.
“Of course,” Elliot replied dryly. “Pierce wait until Felicity and I get a head start before releasing that blighter, I don’t want him getting any funny ideas.” Pierce grunted in reply as he roughly shoved Clinton towards the carriage.
Elliot brushed a strand of wayward hair off of Felicity’s face, tucking it gently behind her ear. “You’ll have to ride with me and I apologize, I don’t have a sidesaddle.”
“I don’t mind, I want to stay with you, I’ll feel safer that way.” Elliot smiled at her before lifting her into the saddle. He was grateful for the darkness that provided her with some semblance of modesty as she struggled to keep her calves covered sitting astride the horse. When she was settled as much as she could be he hoisted himself up and eased in the saddle behind her. He felt her sag with relief into his chest as his arms went around her to grasp the reins in both of his hands.
Felicity reveled in the security of Elliot’s embrace, feeling secure and safe and more than a little relieved to be out of Clinton’s grasp. She didn’t know how he did it, but she was grateful that he had found her. When the carriage was finally out of sight she couldn’t help but ask him. “Elliot, how did you find me?”
“Your Aunt Agatha was the one who presumed that Clinton was behind your disappearance. She came to find me when she realized you were gone but I still hadn’t returned yet—”
At his words she suddenly remembered his unexplained absence, “That’s right! Where were you anyway? You sent that letter saying you’d call on me and you never came.”
“I’m sorry I never got to explain. You remember the Duke of Kerrington, right?”
“I’m familiar with the name, though I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him.”
“He’s the man who came with me t
onight. I apologize there was no time for a formal introduction. I went to visit him the day I was planning on coming to see you and he had just found out that his ward had run away, supposedly to join a convent. He insisted I go with him to search after her. We left immediately and I didn’t have time to send word to you. We spent the last two days searching and when we ran out of ideas we finally had to admit defeat. Ironically enough we ran into your friend Lord Wadsworth who hinted at your involvement with another man. I raced back to your house to see if it was true and when no one answered I knew something had to be wrong. I begged Kerrington to help me search, insisting he owed me the favor so we went back to his house to tell his wife of our plans and that’s when we found Aunt Agatha. She had tried coming to speak with me to tell me something was wrong and that you had gone missing but of course I wasn’t home. My butler directed her to the home of the Duchess of Kerrington and that’s where we found her. She was the one who thought that Clinton may be forcing your hand in marriage. It was by luck that we found you and so soon.”
“And Edith, how is she?”
“I haven’t seen her but when I left she was sound asleep in the nursery, everyone was safe at the duke’s house and soon you’ll be safely there as well.”
Felicity placed one hand on Elliot’s forearm. She could feel the strong muscles moving beneath his skin as he expertly maneuvered the horse through the dark. “Thank you Elliot.”He placed a kiss to the top of her head. “And Elliot?”
“Yes love?”
“I love you.” Felicity could swear she felt his mouth turn into a smile against her hair.
“You have no idea how much those words mean to me. I love you too.” This time it was Felicity’s turn to smile.
Chapter 19
The afternoon of Thursday April 28th, 1814
All three travelers were weary and sore by the time they reached Pierce’s townhouse in Mayfair. They rode behind the house to the mews where they dismounted and instructed the stable hands to give the horses extra attention for their arduous trip.
Ladies of Deception 02 - Misleading Lord Martineau Page 13