He's No Prince Charming (Ever After) (6 page)

She bristled, but they had made it to the wall surrounding the admiral’s town house. She stood at the bottom of the ten-foot barrier, her head tilted well back. The surface was smooth and in well repair, without easy handholds to climb. It resembled more the walls of a fortress than the wall of a garden estate. She would not have expected anything less from a military man.

“Get us over, Miss Green.”

“Pardon?”

“I said, get us over. That’s what you’re here for.”

“Pardon me?” she repeated dumbly.

“You’re the expert in elopements. We need to get in.”

“I am not a kidnapper, you fool. The women I help elope
want
to leave. I don’t have to force them from their homes!”

She gave him another glare for good measure before glancing up the wall again. It was the perfect excuse to halt this madness. “I can’t think how we could possibly enter, my lord. It looks like we must give up.”

“If you do not take this seriously, Miss Green, there will be unpleasant repercussions.”

Danni stared at the man before her, truly wondering if he meant the threat. Something in his grim expression told her she wouldn’t like the answer. Who was she fooling? Any man who would stoop low enough to kidnap someone for their money would not let a ten-foot wall stop him.

Sighing, she stepped back, trying to see if a tree was near the wall. “Can you see anything to tie rope to over that wall?”

The marquis backed up, his great height towering above her. It made her feel ridiculously small. He shook his head, “I can see clear to the top of the opposite wall. I do not see anything.”

“This is what happens when you target the home of a mistrustful military man. Why couldn’t you have just picked one of the wealthy heiresses from the trading class?”

“His social standing will work in my favor.”

“Of course. The man can’t get the marriage annulled without ruining his family’s reputation.”

The marquis stared at her, his face blank except for the tightness around his eyes. He almost looked sad. “If that’s what you think.”

“It is,” she huffed. “Now, I haven’t the faintest clue as to how we’re going to get over that wall.”

The marquis looked at her, then his hands, and finally the wall. His face hardened as if he knew she wasn’t going to like his idea.

“I’ll lift you up.”

He was right. “Absolutely not!”

His scars stood out white against his slowly reddening face. “And what is wrong with that idea?”

“It’s undignified. If I were in a skirt…”

“But you’re not.” He snorted, giving her a knowing look.

“I won’t do it.”

“Yes, you will. It’s the only way. If I lift you, you’ll easily be able to get over the wall.”

Danni looked at his determined face and then at the wall. She wasn’t even going to consider it. “No.”

A rumble emanated from deep within the marquis’s chest. It was the only warning she had before the man launched at her. A roughly padded hand muffled her screech of surprise. An arm the density of iron manacled her own at her waist, holding her tightly against the hard contours of the Beast and snatching her breath from her lungs. She wriggled furiously to escape.

“Stop struggling.” He mumbled furiously.

Danni opened her mouth and clamped her teeth down on his palm. He grunted, but his grip didn’t loosen. “If you don’t stop, I promise you I will throw you head first over that wall. I wonder what you’ll land in.”

It wasn’t hard for her to imagine a bed of thorns awaiting her. With the admiral in charge of security, there was probably something worse awaiting an unsuspecting intruder. She stopped thrashing in his arms but realized immediately she’d made a mistake.

In the chill of the night, the marquis was a stove, and the heat of his body penetrated deeply into her skin. His hot, ragged breath slid along the sensitive skin of her neck, spreading a warmth that weakened her muscles and flooded her veins. Worse, she was sure she felt a tiny tremor flit through the man holding her as well. A gasp of surprise caught in her throat as a low whisper brushed the curve of her ear. “Do I have your cooperation now?”

She felt drugged as she silently nodded her head. The night’s gentle breeze carried his spicy scent into her aching lungs and heart. It was all she could do not to melt back into the marquis’s warming solidness. Suddenly, he dropped her.

Danni stumbled, trying to catch her balance. The spell Fleetwood had woven was broken. She took a deep gulp of air to cleanse her lungs, ignoring the way her limbs trembled. She rallied her anger to disguise her confusion. “Do not ever,
ever
, lay a hand on me again!”

His eyes stared at her with dark intensity, his body flinching away as if he’d been hit. A wave of unwanted sympathy made Danni regret her words. The emotion made her furious. His cold words broke the pregnant silence. “As soon as you are over that wall, I promise never to touch you again, madam.”

Internally, she flinched. She had every right to be angry with him. He’d blackmailed her. He’d insulted her. He’d manhandled her. But something in the look he gave her made her feel the worst sort of brute.

He stepped up to the brick and cupped his hands together. With little choice in the matter, Danni stepped forward. She placed her booted foot in his grasp, her fingers searching vainly for handholds as she was slowly lifted into the air.

Their combined height put Danni within easy reach of the top. She pulled herself up and positioned herself on the edge. Fleetwood was only a few feet below her. She stared down at his head, her eyes tracing the soft curls in his hair, as a sudden thought came to her. “How are you going to get up?”

For the first time since she’d met the man, he smiled. It transformed his features. His white teeth fairly glowed in his shadow-darkened skin and a slight, mesmerizing dimple appeared in the center of his lower lip, the result of his tight scar. His eyes flashed a brilliant green. Danni’s throat tightened, enchanted by the sight. Until he answered her question.

“You’re going to pull me up, of course.”

Y
ou’re jesting.” He was nearly twice her size!

“Not in the least.”

“You’re intoxicated.”

“Wrong again.”

“How exactly do you propose I do that? You are literally a giant!” she snarled over the wall, careful to keep her voice low.

“Need I remind you, you are the one who does this for a living?”

“It’s becoming increasingly obvious I need to retire,” she muttered.

“Not until our arrangement is complete.”

Danni lapsed into silence as she realized he seriously thought she was going to somehow manage to pull him up. She turned in her seat, surveying the garden below her through the shifting shadows formed by clouds moving across the moon. The garden was surprisingly feminine and decidedly lacking in thorny rose bushes. She could just make out rows upon rows of the bleeding hearts and irises that lined the garden beds, mixed among a variety of many flowering plants. The garden was a well-tended masterpiece. As she scanned the freshly budding greenery, Danni realized why they could not locate a tree before. There were none. It also meant she had nothing to which to tie a rope.

“I really do not see how you’re going to get up. Why don’t you just wait here and I’ll come back with her?” she whispered down to the marquis, a dark form pacing anxiously among gray shadows.

“You mean come back with the authorities?”

“How could you think I’d do such a thing?” she sniffed, pretending offense.

“Do I need to remind you of what I can do to you, Miss Green? I will be back with the constable long before you could even get inside that house. You will be the intruder. I will be the hero witnessing and reporting your break-in.”

Grinding her teeth, she glared down into the gloom, his green eyes the only object visible as the moon slid behind a cloud.

“Get me over this wall at once, madam.”

She glanced around her again. There really wasn’t anything she could use—

Smiling, she rolled over on her stomach and dropped down off the wall.

Marcus couldn’t believe his eyes. One moment the fraud was sitting atop the wall, pretending to be affronted by the idea of kidnapping, and the next moment she’d disappeared. With the way his night was going, he wouldn’t be surprised if she had fallen to her death. “Miss Green?”

Silence.

The image of her bent and broken body lying in a bed of thorns sent him reeling. He panicked. “Danni!”

Marcus ran his hands through his hair, fumbling for his old metal friend for a drink. Despite his attempt to remain aloof, he couldn’t deny the sudden mix of dread and regret that gripped his chest. It was bad enough he was forced to kidnap, but if he was responsible for someone’s death, he was not sure he’d be able to survive. Especially hers. Her caramel eyes would never again spark with indignation or cloud with confusion. She could be dead. Because of him.

He whispered sharply, “Danni! Answer me!”

A snort came from the other side of the wall. Relief swamped him as he leaned against the cool mortar. Until another thought occurred to him. Rage followed quickly. “If you think you’re going to raise the alarm, you are even more witless than I originally thought!”

Her voice rose over the wall, dripping with disdain. “And what do you purpose to do to stop me? You’re on the other side of a ten-foot wall.”

Marcus ground his teeth to the quick. The damned girl was shredding his, at best precarious, patience. “Do not test me, Miss Green.”

“You’re really not so terrifying when I’m on this side of the wall. You need me, so I suggest you stop threatening me,
my lord
.”

“Damn it. Get me over this wall!”

“Certainly. Whatever you command, my lord.”

Marcus whipped around, surprised when her voice was right beside him. He immediately tensed, on guard, his mind drifting back to his childhood. The specter of his father’s hand approaching his face tinted his surroundings. A sweat broke over him and he blinked rapidly. It took all his effort not to visibly flinch away from her sudden appearance, revealing his inner turmoil. Danni was leaning against the wall—on his side. His remembered terror was swiftly replaced with fresh fury. “What game are you playing?”

“No game. There is a door around the corner. You can see it only from inside the garden. Rather clever actually.”

“You little baggage. You knew the entire time and you were taunting me.”

A sarcastic smile curled her lips. “How very astute of you.”

Marcus didn’t think. He rushed forward, forcing her back against the wall with his presence. He carefully avoided any physical contact, remembering her threats and his unsettling reaction the last time he let that happen. Her eyes went wide with fear, and it was all he could do not to step back with self-hate. His fist curled at his side in frustration. He was no better than his father, bullying this woman into doing what he wished. “Miss Green, you have every right to hate me, but may we continue? We have very little time for your silly sport. Despite your convictions, I take very little pleasure in our current activity.”

She sniffed, her eyes narrowing with barely concealed hatred. He wasn’t surprised his words did nothing to absolve his character. They certainly did nothing for his conscience.

“This way,” she whispered fiercely.

He followed her through the opening. A false brick wall matching the outer one was attached to a wrought iron gate. It seemed the disciplined admiral even engineered a clever escape route out of his fortress.

“You couldn’t have mentioned this when you saw it?”

“And miss the opportunity to make you miserable?”

His hands clenched in response, but Marcus was done trying to defend himself. He was tired of her disdain, but nothing would stop it.

They lapsed into silence as they trod across the lawn, doing their best to avoid unnecessary noise. Miss Green glanced at the windows of the spacious home, presumably looking for some clue as to where to enter.

“I assume, madam, that you do not have a plan for this either?”

The look she gave him clearly communicated her thoughts. She would be glad to be rid of him. She shrugged nonchalantly, her brow arched in superiority. “I’ll figure it out as I go. It’s not as if I knew what to plan for.”

He emitted a small, strangled sound, his rage mounting for the third time. Crossing his arms, he stood back, reining in his temper and a retort. There was no time for this. He watched her carefully as she moved around the house, occasionally testing windows. The third one she tried was unlocked. Gently, she opened the pane.

So much for the admiral’s fortifications.

Her head disappeared inside the home. Marcus quickly moved up behind her and peered over her shoulder. The room was dark. It took his eyes a moment to adjust. The window led into a salon. The wall colors seemed light in the darkness, chairs and settees artfully arranged about the fireplace to invite conversation.

“Stand aside. I will lead from here on.”

She snorted. “Not a chance.” Her shoulder pushed at him, barring his entry. “I can’t move until you do.”

Grudgingly, he moved back, ignoring the lingering warmth from her touch. Marcus frowned at her. “I am not waiting here.”

Miss Green’s voice was low and forceful. “You must.”

“I will not. How do I know you won’t warn everyone?”

Her brows rose, her lower lip clenched in her teeth. “My plan won’t work if you come. I need you to stay here to catch the girl.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “You’re going to throw her out the window?”

Miss Green shrugged, hiding her grimace. “Well, what do you suggest?”

“I’ll carry her out.”

Danni shook her head. “Absolutely not! You are too big and conspicuous to go about unnoticed by a servant. You’ll be caught.”

Marcus’s eyes hardened even as he smiled. “I thought that was your goal.”

He’d outmaneuvered her, but the mulish tilt to her jaw told him she wasn’t done. She stepped aside, sweeping an elegant bow towards the window. “Then by all means, my lord, we’ll go together.”

Damned woman was going to get in his way, but at least he could keep an eye on her. Determination surged through him as he grabbed her sack and disappeared through the window. Marcus knew he was in trouble as he watched Miss Green maneuver one shapely leg over the sill and pull herself through the opening, her trousers tightening nicely along the smooth curve of her bottom. Unwelcomed, he imagined running his palm along that thigh, and higher… She stretched on her toes to pull the window closed.

He let out a shaky breath. He couldn’t decide whether to kiss her or kill her, thus saving mankind from the witch. And that idea shouldn’t even be in his head. He should have known he would have a problem focusing when he’d lusted after her upon first sight. Those trousers claimed all his attention and called him to take action.
Probably run screaming if I even tried to touch her again.

Grimacing, he held the sack tightly to his chest to muffle any clanking of the items inside. Of course someone like her wouldn’t want to be within five feet of him. Despite his high title, women tended to run in the opposite direction whenever he approached.

The creak of a floorboard drew him from his musings. Miss Green stood in moonlight, her face set with frightened determination. She was clearly tense and unhappy, but looked resigned to cooperating. Grimly, he nodded for her to precede him through the house. Marcus studied his surroundings in the darkness; deep shadows outlined small furniture and the layout of the salon. Moving as quietly as his big frame would allow, he crept through the room and into the hallway, his gaze focused intently on Miss Green. She hesitated at the threshold, scanning all directions while he waited for her in the hall. Marcus, too, held his breath, listening for any telltale sounds of movement. She froze, a questioning look on her face. He shook his head, indicating he’d heard nothing.

They didn’t wait another second. They hurried as fast as they could up the stairs and turned to the right, where another staircase lay. The sisters’ sleeping arrangements were common knowledge among the
ton
. They had not wanted to be separated from each other when their father moved them all to London. The house had recently undergone a large renovation to allow them to all sleep in the same room. Unfortunately, the only room big enough for the seven of them was the attic.

When they reached the top floor, Miss Green opened the door silently. Beyond the threshold were seven beds lining the wall, each containing a slumbering female. Marcus paused outside the door, watching them sleep with a heavy, pounding heart. What was he doing? Was he crazy? How the hell did he think he could ever pull this off? He was more likely to hang from a noose for this than to see himself married! He inhaled a shaky, ragged breath and gathered his nerve from his trusted friend—the flask.

For Caro.

He’d chosen one of the admiral’s daughters for a reason. Yes, the admiral would hate him, but if Marcus could manage this, he would also be his son-in-law. The admiral would have a vested reason in squashing scandal. When it came time to break his sister’s marriage contract with the Duke of Harwood, Marcus was confident the admiral would have no choice but to support him.

He caught Miss Green’s inquisitive glance in his direction. He stared down at the wooden doorjamb, his feet refusing to advance. It was idiotic to think of this threshold as a barrier, but it was. Once he stepped over it, there could be no going back.
For Caro.
He took another swig of whiskey before watching his foot lift, seemingly disembodied, and then landed with a soft rap against the old wood. He set his shoulders. It was done. Hesitantly, he continued inside.

He glanced around, evaluating the different bed sizes and the shapes under the covers. Three beds were on one side of the room and four on the other. Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the path between them. Marcus felt like a dirty intruder as he slipped down the aisle, stopping beside Miss Green. She seemed to be assessing him as he moved. He prayed she wouldn’t see how truly terrified he really was. He could not appear weak. He needed her hatred and fear to ensure her cooperation.

Another glance at her confirmed his prayers went unanswered. Her voice was soft and tentative as she spoke. “We can still turn back.”

He hardened his own, his voice a sharp whisper. “I can’t.”

The stuffy sniff that escaped her banished Marcus’s tension. “I will never stop trying.”

He glanced to the bed nearest them, observing the tiniest child he had ever seen. She looked no more than three, perhaps four.
This one must be Griselda.
Poor thing. He was going to turn her world upside-down.

Moving on, Marcus crept silently down the aisle, glancing at the four beds clearly belonging to the four youngest of the admiral’s seven daughters. Reaching the last, he turned and started down the room examining the three other beds. He halted at the threshold. Danni appeared at his side.

“Which one?” she voiced, virtually silent.

He shrugged his shoulders casually. “Hadn’t thought that far.”

Enraged disbelief seized her before she repeated, “
Hadn’t thought that far.
” She struggled to keep her hiss low. “Of course. Why am I surprised? To a fortune hunter and a kidnapper, why would her personality matter?”

“Shhh. Miss Green—”

“As long as she’s rich and comely enough to beget an heir, you’re satisfied. Come, my lord, pick one. They all have the same dowry.”

“Danni.”

She fell silent, but her anger was visible in the rapid rise and fall of her chest. For a moment, Marcus was enthralled. She stood before him looking so beautiful in her fury. He felt an intense longing to be defended by her just as she was defending these strangers. He would have liked to know this woman better if his life had run another course. But it hadn’t. He looked like a monster and he officially was one now. He was here, about to risk both their lives, commit the worst of crimes, and ruin an innocent girl’s life.