Love's Peril (Lord Trent Series) (13 page)

“You what?”Sarah seethed.

“I wrote to Archibald. Where can she go but back to her husband? I haven’t the funds to support her. Shall I throw her out on the road?”

“How could you, Mildred? What is wrong with you?”

“I’m trying my best, Sarah, in very difficult circumstances.”

“No, you’re not. You’re being your usual cruel self. You’ll never change.”

“You’re distraught, so I’ll ignore your insults.”

“Ignore them if you wish, but I won’t cease voicing them. I’ve put up with you my entire life, and I’m certainly beginning to question why I have. What have you ever done for me that was any benefit at all?”

Mildred was determined that Sarah see reason.

“Mr. Sinclair let us speak to you on his behalf,”she coolly said. “He was anxious for us to explain the situation.”

“I will
not
be his mistress. How dare you ask it of me!”

“Sarah, what is our other option? Shall we leave at once? Think, girl! Think.”

“Honestly, Sarah,”Hedley interjected, “where would we go? Will you trudge down the lane, with a pillowcase full of clothes balanced on your shoulder?”

“I won’t do it,”she hotly repeated. “I will
not!
”

She was so adamant in her response, so aggrieved and offended. What did the foolish ninny expect to occur? Did she suppose Mr. Sinclair would simply nod and permit her to renege?

“You can’t refuse, Sarah,”Mildred tried again. “Mr. Sinclair won’t let you.”

“Mr. Sinclair can jump off a cliff.”

“I gave him my word,”Hedley whined.

“I don’t care.”

“You don’t seem to realize the jam you’re in,”Hedley said.

“The jam
I
am in? I’m in no jam. You caused this, and I suggest you find Mr. Sinclair and have him take his thirty days out of your hide.”

“Sarah,”Mildred chided, “it’s pointless for the three of us to quarrel.”

“Why shouldn’t we? I may start to say things I’ve always been dying to say.”

“How can I make you understand the facts?”

“You have made me understand, Mildred. I understand every blasted detail. Hedley ruined our lives, you were complicit, and you have the gall to demand that I suffer the consequences for his behavior. My answer is still no,
no,
NO!”

She stormed out, and Mildred and Hedley were frozen in place, listening as her angry strides vanished down the hallway.

“That went well,”Hedley sarcastically said.

“Shut up, Hedley. Just shut up.”

“What should we do now?”

“I have no idea.”

She walked to the window and stared out at the ocean, showing him her back until he had the good grace to slink away.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Sarah stood on the rocky promontory of Bramble Headland and gazed off to the horizon.

Throughout her life, she’d climbed to the spectacular spot to stare at the ocean. She was up above the mortal world, where it was just wind and waves and sky, and she felt she could see to the end of the earth.

From her high perch, the manor looked tiny and perfect, like a doll’s house where only good things happened and nothing bad could ever occur.

How could such a tranquil place breed so much sadness and strife?

Off to her left, the trail wound through the grass and over the cliff, a scenic shortcut that led to Sheldon’s.

She’d just returned from there, having rushed to speak with him after her quarrel with Mildred and Hedley. Sheldon knew her family better than anyone, was older and wiser and had dealt with numerous tragedies of his own.

Yet to her extreme dismay, he’d been called away to London and would be gone for weeks so she’d received no advice or assistance. She could have asked the housekeeper to let her stay, to hide her. But she’d been too embarrassed to confess the scandal that was raging on the Teasdale side of the hill.

She’d staggered away, feeling like a shipwreck survivor. She had to find Caroline, had to warn her that Archie was coming, that they likely had a few days to prepare before he rolled up the drive.

Once she located Caroline and told her of Mildred’s perfidy, how was Sarah to proceed? John Sinclair and his friends were still lodged in her home, and she had no power to dislodge them. Mildred and Hedley were still there too, and Sarah wished she had the right to march down and demand they all leave.

She was the only one who had ever loved Bramble Bay. The estate didn’t matter to any of them. It had simply been a token to be bartered over. Why should Sinclair or Mildred or Hedley be allowed to continue living on the property? When they’d caused such trouble, why should they get to remain?

A wave of fury—directed at her father—washed over her. He’d understood what Hedley was like, so why had he put her in such jeopardy?

She hoped he was peering down from Heaven and could see how his poor decisions had endangered her. She hoped he was ashamed and aghast.

She glanced at the manor again and was distressed to note that John Sinclair was on his stallion and trotting toward her. For once, he didn’t appear as the rich, pompous overlord he pretended to be. He was dressed as he’d been the first time she’d met him: a flowing white shirt, tan breeches, and black boots. The wind riffled his hair, his shirt flapping against his skin.

He was fixated on her, his determination plainly visible, so he must have spoken to Mildred and Hedley. They’d have painted her in a horrid light, would have apprised him that Sarah had been completely unreasonable.

She watched him approach, and he was practically daring her to run so he could chase her down and demonstrate his superiority over her. But where was there a safe refuge? There was no way to escape, nowhere to hide.

He kept coming until he was beside her, and he reined in and extended his hand.

“Climb up.”

“No.”

“I’ll give you a ride to the house so you don’t have to walk.”

“No.”

“I don’t permit people to refuse my commands.” His magnificent eyes were flashing daggers.

“So? I just did.”

“I’m not in the habit of asking twice.”

“Then you’ll really hate dealing with me, because I’m not too keen on obeying orders.”

He leapt to the ground and stepped to her, and she was immediately and vividly reminded of his size and power. He was very intimidating, and he used his stature and height to overwhelm and confuse.

“I’ve talked to your brother and stepmother.”

“Bully for you.”

“They seem to have left you with the impression that you can decline to honor Hedley’s bet.”

“No, they didn’t. They insisted I comply, but I won’t. Mildred’s days of bossing me are over.”

He studied her, then snorted with derision. “You blame me for this.”

“Yes, I absolutely blame you.”

“I don’t suppose it occurred to you that your brother might be at fault.”

“That absolutely occurred to me, too. I blame both of you. I
loathe
both of you.”

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “I did it for you.”

“Don’t make me laugh. You did it for yourself.”

“Why would I have?”

“Because you could, because you’re bigger and stronger and male. Because you enjoy humiliating others, because you enjoy having the chance to humiliate
me
.”

As if she’d burned him, he released her and stomped off to the edge of the cliff to stare out at the ocean. Far off in the distance, the sails of a passing ship were discernible.

They stood, frozen in place, until it faded from sight. Then he whipped around.

“If I hadn’t agreed to his proposal,”he said, “what do you think might have happened to you?”

“Oh, I don’t know,”she acerbically mused. “Perhaps I could have stayed with a neighbor. Perhaps I could have remained in my home—where I have always lived until you stole it.”

“I didn’t steal it!”he bellowed.

He stormed over, an angry finger wagging in her face.

“Your brother wagered you of his own accord.”

“I don’t believe you. I’m sure it was all your idea.”

“No, he brought it up out of the blue—to buy himself more time.”

“More time to what?”

“To renege, to change the result, to thwart me.”

“As if he could,”she scoffed. “He and Mildred are deranged to imagine they could prevent you from behaving however you wish.”

“Precisely,”he concurred. “And once he suggested I take you off his hands, can you actually assume—if I’d refused—he wouldn’t have sold you to someone else?”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Men wager their sisters all the time. It’s not illegal. What if he’d ridden to London and offered your chastity in a London gambling hall?”

The notion shocked her, had her reeling. “Be silent.”

“I won’t be. I’ve been in those places. I’ve seen the crazed bets that are tendered. What would your chances have been to avoid a worse ending than the one I arranged for you?”

“Aren’t you wonderful! My hero!”

“I saved your pretty behind, you little fool. I wouldn’t deem it inappropriate to hear a bit of thanks from you.”

She was so irate, she was trembling. “Are you claiming I should be honored that you were haggling over me as if I was a prized cow?”

“No. I’m claiming your brother could have earned a fortune off of you. I’m surprised he hasn’t already tried it. You were upset when he announced that he’d lost the estate. What if he’d announced he lost you, too? To some stranger? To some diseased libertine or perverted reprobate?”

She blanched and stumbled away as if he’d slapped her.

Hadn’t she endured sufficient agony for one day? Hadn’t he done enough? Hadn’t Hedley? Was she to spend the rest of her life, laboring under the horrid realization that it could have been much more dire? Hedley was irresponsible and immature, but must she now accept that he was mad, as well?

“He wouldn’t have done that to me,”she insisted, but without much vigor.

“He wouldn’t? I was there, Sarah.” With a deadly finality, he repeated, “I was there! Don’t tell me what he wouldn’t have done. I saw it with my own two eyes. You’re nothing to him.”

“Stop it,”she begged, his words pounding into her like blows. “Give us back our home.”

“Give it back? To Hedley? Are you insane?”

“Then let us have our thirty days to leave. Release me from the wager.”

“No.”

“Show me that you can be kind. Show me that you are a gentleman, that you know how to act like one.”

“That’s the problem for you,
chérie
. I am not a gentleman, and I’ve never acted like one.”

“Yes, you have. I’ve witnessed it. Free me from this wretched folly.”

“No.” He was growing more obstinate. “I will have what is mine.”

“
I
am not yours!”she shouted.

“You’re wrong about that. I have won you, and I claim you as my own.”

“This isn’t Africa, and I am not a slave that can be bought and sold.”

“No, but you are an unprotected female who has been bartered away by her brother.” He paused, his expression grim. “And if I don’t keep you, who might he offer you to next? Are you willing to risk it?”

Tears surged into her eyes; she couldn’t stop them.

She felt so helpless, so betrayed. By John Sinclair. By Mildred. By Hedley. By her father who should have protected her, but hadn’t.

If her own father hadn’t bothered over her, if her own brother would gamble her away, what hope was there for her to stagger on in a decent way? If she didn’t yield to Sinclair’s demands, what would become of her? Yet if she succumbed to his debauched scheme, what would become of her?

There were no valid choices, no satisfactory conclusions. There was only calamity and chaos and John Sinclair positioned like a brick wall between the life she’d previously had and the life she would have in the future.

“Oh,
chérie,
”he murmured, “don’t cry. Hedley isn’t worth it.”

“But my home is worth it. My life is worth it.”

“No, it isn’t. You’ve been trapped here with these despicable people—who never loved you, who will never cherish you. Hedley tossed you away, and though you don’t realize it at the moment, this is a good thing. Now you truly know him. Now you’re free of him.”

“I didn’t need to be freed. I was never bound.”

“Yes, you were.”

He came over and took her in his arms. She didn’t fight him, didn’t push him away. She was so bereft she could barely stand, and if he hadn’t been holding her, she’d have collapsed to the ground in a grief-stricken heap.

“It will be all right, Sarah,”he said.

“How can you say that?”

“There are worse fates in this world than being attached to a man like me.”

“I can’t think of any.”

“I’ve sailed the Seven Seas. I’ve observed women’s lives, women’s troubles. You’ll always be safe with me.”

“I was safe before you arrived.”

“You only thought you were.”

She sighed, her melancholy increasing. “What now?”

“I will care for you—in my way.”

She chuckled glumly. “In your
way
?”

“I will treat you well, and I’ll be generous. It’s more than most women expect to receive.”

She eased back so she could gaze up at him.

“Don’t do this to me,”she whispered.

“I have to.”

“No, you don’t. Please go away. Please leave us so we can return to how it used to be before you came.”

As if she hadn’t spoken, he continued. “I will take you away from here. We’ll sail to France—to my home. You’ll be shed of Hedley and Mildred. You’ll be happy there.”

“In France? I could never travel to France with you. Besides, why would we journey so far when it’s only for thirty days?”

He frowned, confused. “It’s not thirty days.”

“Hedley said it was for a month, while he and Mildred packed and made plans.”

“No, it’s not for a month.”

“How long is it then?”

“Until I’m weary of you.”

“You own me forever?”

“Yes, forever—if I wish it. Do you see why you must let me—if I wish it. Do you see why you must let me take you away? Do you understand why it’s not safe for you to remain?”