Saved By A Siren: Spencers in Love Book One (24 page)

            Elise felt the tip of the blade dig into her
forearm as she ground her teeth and prayed for strength. She thought of Gilles
and tried to cling to calm. More tears poured from her eyes and her jaw ached.

            "Scream, damn you!" He ground out
behind her. Elise shook her head and he swore. She felt the blade dig deeper
and it started to drag, ripping her flesh as it moved down her arm. Elise felt
her skin tearing as heat and pain flooded her body, radiating out from her arm.
Nausea and heaviness began to pull at her and everything started to become
muffled. Elise felt her head fall back and her hearing stopped. A second later,
a scream exploded from her mouth and the world came rushing back to her. The
man released her and she sagged to the ground, sobbing.

Chapter 41

            Half an hour earlier, Mirabelle descended the
stairs into the hall and decided she'd see what Elise was up to. Her mother was
with Madeline, Anna and Alice, finishing a walking gown. There wasn't much time
until they'd need to go up and dress for dinner, perhaps they could practice at
the piano. Mirabelle passed the study and heard Gilles and Alastair's voices.
They were muffled but she could tell it was serious. She knew Lucien was in the
stables, he'd just returned from a ride. Cursing herself for knowing that,
Mirabelle sailed through the ballroom gallery. Once she was in Elise's sitting
room she was surprised to find it vacant. She went to the glass doors and
looked out at the garden. Lucy's basket was empty. Perhaps Daniel had come and
they had taken her for a walk. Mirabelle shrugged and sat at the piano.

            She played the opening chords of a sonata and
Daniel ran up to the door. He stopped and looked disappointed.

            "Hello, Daniel!"

            "Is her ladyship about, miss? I've been
waiting to take Lucy for the evening." He twisted the cap in his hand and
peered around Mirabelle. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck and arms
stand up.

            "I thought she was with you. She's not
here. Perhaps she couldn't wait and took Lucy herself. Did you check the
garden?" Mirabelle stood and looked out. Daniel shook his head.

            "No! I came here first, then checked the
garden, came back, then checked again. She ain't there, miss!" He looked
like he was about to cry. Mirabelle smiled weakly and patted his shoulder.

            "Go check the stables. His Grace is there,
maybe she's with him. If she's not, ask him to come at once." Daniel
nodded and took off running. Mirabelle turned and ran for the door. She dodged
the furniture in the sitting room and then weaved through the statues in the
ballroom. She rounded the corner and threw open the study room doors, hoping
Elise was in there. Her heart sank when her brothers looked up at her and rose,
their brows furrowed.

            "Do you know where Elise is?"
Mirabelle begged, nearly frantic.

            Gilles rushed forward as Alastair slowly turned
and looked out at the garden.

            "She was in her sitting room when I left
her, not quite an hour ago." Gilles was heading out the study door.

            "I just came from there, Gilles." She
called. He stopped and turned around.

            "Daniel says she's not in the garden. I
sent him to check the stables and send for Lucien." Mirabelle could feel
her voice rising. She tried to calm herself as she saw Gilles' face pale.
"She's not upstairs." She whispered.

            Alastair walked onto the terrace and surveyed
the garden. Mirabelle pushed Gilles and they followed. She knew Elise wasn't in
the house. All three stood on the terrace, scanning when they heard a terrible
scream from the forest. Mirabelle felt the blood drain from her face and she
clutched at Gilles' arm, terrified. He pulled away from her and crouched. He
pulled a knife from his boot. He rose and turned to Alastair.

            "Get pistols, wait for Lucien and then
follow me." Gilles looked hard yet wild, his voice was like the cracking
of a whip. "Mirabelle, I want you armed and here with The Mothers."
She nodded. He ran down the steps and tore through the garden, jumping over
what he could and crashing through whatever he couldn't that was in his way.

            Alastair turned and ran into the house.
Mirabelle saw Lucien running from the stables. She met him at the bottom of the
terrace, nearly hysterical. He pulled her to him.

            "Daniel said Lady Elise is missing and I
heard a scream."

            "It came from the forest. It's her! Gilles
said to wait for Alastair to  get pistols and follow after him." Mirabelle
was terrified. She leaned into Lucien and he wrapped his arms around her just
as Alastair came rushing out of the study with five pistols. Alastair placed
one in Mirabelle's hand and tossed two at Lucien, keeping two for himself. They
both tucked one into their waistbands and ran after Gilles.

            Mirabelle pulled herself together, turned and
strode through the study, yanking the bell pull on her way. Once in the hall
she called for maman and Madeline at the top of her lungs. Holderson came
rushing into the hall and stopped abruptly at the sight of the pistol.

            "Holderson, there's a very good chance
someone has abducted Lady Elise. I need you to gather every man available and
send someone for a doctor. Lock the house down and put a guard at each entrance
to the house."

            Holderson nodded and turned to fulfill
Mirabelle's commands. He halted.

            "A doctor, miss? Are you afraid Lady Elise
is injured?" He was pale.

            "Let's hope not, Holderson. But I can
assure you that whoever has Lady Elise will most certainly need a doctor. If he
survives."

            "Yes, ma'am!" Holderson bowed and ran
down the hall.

            Within minutes the staff was in motion. Doors
and windows were being locked and men were gathering on the terrace. Mirabelle
and The Mothers held each other and looked out the gallery windows, waiting for
any sign of their men and Elise.

Chapter 42

            Gilles made his way through the forest as
quickly and quietly as he could. At first, he went in the direction of Elise's
scream. He followed a footpath until he began to see traces of Elise's dress.
Bits of fabric and threads hung from low branches and thorns. Now and then he
saw what appeared to be blood on the rocks and dirt and felt rage surge within
him. Whoever had her was dragging her along, careless of her feet.

            As Gilles rushed through the forest, a familiar
panic filled him. He hoped that this time he wouldn't be too late. He begged
and prayed as he tried to listen to the forest around him over the pounding of
his heart.
He couldn't fail again
, he thought. This time, he wouldn't
survive it.

            He continued along, ducking and hugging trees as
Gilles searched for anything out of place until he finally saw a flash of pink.
He stopped and surveyed the scene.

            Elise was on the ground and a man stood behind
her. Gilles didn't recognize him. He was average height but athletic build.
From his clothing, he didn't appear to be a gentleman, but he wasn't a laborer.
His tall boots and buckskin breeches and greatcoat suggested he had a horse
waiting close by and intended to flee. Gilles saw a pistol in one hand and
swore when he saw what he had in his other hand. Wrapped around his fist was
Elise's golden blonde tresses. He was holding her in place and from her expression,
he was pulling ruthlessly. Tears streamed down her face and Gilles saw blood
running down her arm and saturating the front of her dress.

           
"Let her go!"
He roared. Rage
and the urge to destroy overwhelmed Gilles as he gripped the hilt of his knife.
His back against a tree, he wished he'd waited until he was better armed.

            "No! Go back, please! It's a trap, he's
going to kill you!" Elise screamed. "Just kill me please, don't take
him." She whimpered. Gilles felt his gut twist.

            "Let her go and you might survive."
Gilles yelled.

            "I have no plans to hurt your lovely wife.
She's a brave one, you'd be proud." The man twisted his fist tighter in
Elise's hair and she hissed. Gilles knew he was trying to provoke him. It was
working.

            "What do you want?" Gilles growled.

            "I want you to step out where I can see
you."

            "And then you'll shoot me. That wouldn't be
too smart, would it?"

            The man laughed.

            "You have a choice, my lord. Step out and
take the bullet to the chest or I put it into her pretty head." The man said
with no emotion. Gilles knew he'd do it.

            "Gilles, don't! Please!" Elise begged.

            "Is that a flintlock pistol?" Gilles
asked casually.

            "It is."

            "I hope you're a good shot. If you miss,
I'll rip your chest open and show you your own heart."

            "Lucky for me, I'm a good shot. Now, you've
got about ten seconds. I know you've got reinforcements coming, so I need to be
on my way."

            "Noooo!" Elise cried.

            "Everything will be alright, my love."
Gilles called. He gripped the hilt of his knife and raised his hands as if in
surrender. Praying he had the split second he needed to spot the man's eye to
aim, Gilles stepped into the clearing. Three things happened quickly, almost
simultaneously: Gilles brought his arm down, throwing the knife and turned his
body, the man raised his arm and fired the pistol and Elise and Lucy dove at
the man's legs and bit as hard as they could.

            The man jerked in shock as their teeth clamped
down seconds before the knife buried itself in his throat. He staggered back
against a tree and slid, blood and bubbles poured from around the blade. Gilles
felt heat and pain explode in his side and looked down. Blood began to saturate
his clothes. He looked at the man to make sure he was dead. Seeing the lifeless
stare he'd grown accustomed to during the war, Gilles looked to make sure Elise
wasn't further injured before he let himself fall.     

            "Gilles?" Elise began crawling towards
him. He saw her on her hands and knees to trying crawl towards him. The ground
was covered with sharp debris.

            "Stop, darling. You'll tear up you
hands." He called weakly.

            "Keep talking! I'll find you." Elise
begged as she tried to move forward.

            "Just stay. They'll be here soon."
Gilles could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness. His vision began to
blur and narrow. "Je te aime, Elise." He whispered as he tried to
focus on the branches above him. He needed to hang on until Alastair and Lucien
came.

            "No! Keep talking! Don't leave me!"
Elise was starting to get hysterical. "Please! I love you, I love you, I
love you! Keep talking!"

            "Be still. Je te aime. Be still."
Gilles heard foot steps crashing through the forest towards them. His prayers
were answered when Alastair fell beside him and began inspecting his wound. He
saw Lucien searching the woods, his pistol ready. Gilles grabbed Alastair's
hand. "Elise. She's bleeding."

            Alastair looked at Elise.

            "Lucien, check her injuries." He
yelled.

            Gilles turned his head and saw Lucien kneel and
called to him.

            "Lucien, take care of her."

            Lucien nodded grimly, understanding what was
being asked. He whispered to Elise.

            "The blood's from her arm, Gilles. The rest
is just cuts, scrapes and bruises. She's alright."

            "Good." He squeezed Alastair's hand.
"Take care of her."

            Alastair nodded as he pressed his cravat to Gilles'
side. He lifted Gilles' head so he could remove his.

            "I'm certain you'll survive. Once I can get
the bleeding to stop, I'll get the bullet out and clean it well. My only
concern is infection." With the exception of the tears that stood in his
eyes, Alastair was his usual precise self. Gilles laughed weakly.

            "Then I'm sure I'll be fine." He
closed his eyes and heard an army of feet stampeding towards them. Alastair
began barking orders.

            "I need a man on each arm and leg, we need
to get His Lordship to the house quickly!" Seconds later, Gilles felt
himself being lifted and he finally let darkness take him.

Chapter 43

            Elise couldn't feel anything but she knew Lucien
was looking at her arm. She was listening with her entire being to Gilles and
Alastair.

            "I can't hear him! Gilles? Say
something!" She tried to pull away from Lucien but he held her tight.

            "He's just unconscious. We're carrying him
to the house." Alastair called, his voice was fading. He was moving away.

            "Lucien! Help me up! I need to be with
him!" She tried to stand but was immediately swept into Lucien's arms. She
felt him striding forward, his steps swift and sure.

            "I can't lose him! Please, don't let him
die!" Elise sobbed. Lucien pulled her closer to him.

            "If Alastair says he'll survive, he will. I
believe in Alastair. And Gilles has been shot and stabbed plenty of times
before. He's a stubborn bastard."

            Elise turned her face into Lucien's chest and
began crying. The fear of being abducted and alone with the man, the pain of him
twisting her arm and cutting into it, her fear of losing Gilles overwhelmed her
and she crumbled.

            "I tried not to scream, Lucien. I didn't
want Gilles to come. He hurt my arm so badly, I thought he was going to break
it." A long gasp tore from her throat. "I was so scared, I didn't
know where I was!" She began to shake. "He kept twisting my arm and
saying things but I wouldn't scream. I tried so hard but I couldn't help it. He
cut my arm and he just kept cutting. I didn't want to scream but I did!"
Elise finally gave in and sobbed against Lucien.

            He did his best to sooth her. Shushing her sobs
and holding her tight.

            "You were so brave, gorgeous. I don't know
a lot of men that could have endured that."

            Elise heard Lucien's boots step onto the terrace
and felt them rising. A moment later, the study doors opened and she heard
Mirabelle, Celine and Madeline rushing towards them.

            "Mon Petite! Look at you!" Celine
wailed as she stroked Elise's hair.

            "Thank God, you're alright!" Mirabelle
cried.

            "Let's get her inside, Lucien."
Madeline said as she opened the door.

            "She needs to have her wounds cleaned. Her
arm has a long slice down it and her feet and hands are quite torn up. Where
should I take her?"

            "I need to go to Gilles!" Elise
twisted and pushed, trying to get Lucien to put her down.

            "No! We need to take her to the kitchen.
Cook and most of the kitchen staff is rushing about helping Alastair but with
some help, we can take care of her." Mirabelle commanded. Elise heard her
walk into the study and felt Lucien follow.

            "No! I need to go upstairs. What if he
needs me?"

            "No, Mignon. Gilles would want us to take
care of you and we would only be in the way right now." Celine answered
firmly.

            Suddenly, a loud crash and a roar came from
upstairs.

           
"Son of a whore!"
Gilles
screamed.

            Lucien chuckled.

            "He lives. I'm guessing Alastair has
removed the bullet and is cleaning the wound with Holderson's strongest
spirits."

            "He's alive!" Elise relaxed slightly.
She finally felt the stinging in her arm. "Very well, but can we hurry,
please?"

            If Elise had to guess, she'd say that the ladies
and one of the kitchen maids spent hours clucking and moaning over her
injuries. She winced and nearly cursed herself when the wound on her arm was
cleaned. Elise did her best to be brave knowing that Gilles had suffered worse.
Lucien returned after checking on Gilles and confirmed that he was going to
survive as long as there wasn't a serious infection. A doctor was checking on
him and would probably need to tend to Elise's arm.

            "I'm afraid you're going to need
stitches." Lucien sounded grim, Elise began to worry.

            "There's going to be a terrible scar.
You'll have to get used to gloves and sleeves, Elise." Mirabelle fretted.
Elise heard Lucien patting her as he chuckled.

            "All things considered, we'll take
it."

            "True. But look at her arm, Lucien! It's
starting to bruise dreadfully!" Mirabelle sounded angry.

            "If he weren't dead already..." With
that Lucien kissed Elise on the forehead and left.

            A short time later, the doctor came to the
kitchen and confirmed that Gilles would indeed recover as long as he did not
suffer an infection. He credited Alastair's quick response, steady hand while
removing the bullet and liberal use of spirits. Both on the wound and poured down
Gilles' throat.

            "I dare say, Sir Spencer is well on his way
to getting foxed himself and His Grace looked ready to join them." He
added.

            "Alastair is getting drunk? I can't wait to
see this!" Mirabelle declared.

            "Perhaps after we get her ladyship taken
care of. This is going to require a lot of stitches and she's going to need a
lot of support." He said softly.

            Elise gulped nervously.

            "Is there any chance that I might get some
whiskey?"

            The doctor consented and after two generous
glasses for Elise, he set to work. Again, she tried to be brave and not scream.
Miraculously, she managed to only moan and cry loudly while squeezing
Mirabelle's hand violently. By the time it was done, Elise was exhausted and
drunk. The last thing she was aware of before slipping into unconsciousness was
being carried by a not quite sober Lucien and him telling her that he was
"So very, very, very, very, very, very proud" of her.

            When Elise finally awoke, she was aware of three
very major things. One, her head hurt.
Hurt wasn't even an adequate word
,
she thought as she groaned. It was as if she'd gotten stitches inside her
skull. The second thing was her arm. It felt like it was on fire and throbbed
angrily. The third thing she was aware of was that her husband was sleeping
soundly next to her. Relief flooded every ounce of her body and she forgot
about her head and arm. Elise carefully reached out to touch him.

            "It's alright, my girl. His wound is on the
other side. You'll not disturb him." Anna whispered. She was just next to
the bed. She must have been sitting and watching over them. "Here, drink
this."

            Elise felt her shoulders being lifted and a tea
cup pressed to her lips. It tasted bitter. She shook her head.

            "That's the laudanum, dear. It will help
with the pain." Anna urged.

            "It will make me drowsy and I want to stay
awake in case he needs me." Elise argued.

            "Hush, child. He won't wake for hours and I
can't imagine what you can do for him that I can't. his lordship would want you
to rest and heal. He'd be upset if he woke and found out that you hadn't taken
care of yourself."

            "Fine, I'll rest but I don't want that.
Could I have some willow bark instead?"

            "If you insist." Anna must have
anticipated Elise's preference. She moved about the room briefly and returned
with willow bark tea.

            "Thank you, Anna. For the tea and for being
here for us."

            "Nonsense. I couldn't be anywhere else. And
I'm just relieved that you're alright. You don't know how worried I was. And
poor Holderson! He's come to check on you about a dozen times."

            "I'm so blessed to have all of you,
Anna." Elise yawned. How had she imagined she'd be able to stay awake? She
drank the tea and obediently settled against Gilles and fell asleep.