The Duke's Temptation (27 page)

Chapter 39

For Elizabeth, time had slowed to a crawl.

There were a few moments it seemed to have stopped completely.

Where was Gabe?
He had been gone for several hours. Surely they should have found the intruder by now. What if something had happened? What if he had been hurt?

Thinking the worst was getting her nowhere, she fastened her attention on the windows for what seemed like the hundredth time, but the ping of rain drops against the darkened glass only served to increase her anxiety. The change in weather hadn’t put her at ease. What would she do if he didn’t return safely?

She pressed her fingers to her temples in an attempt to free the unpleasant thoughts from her mind. Gabe had promised to be safe. He would be walking through the door any moment now.

More minutes ticked by and Elizabeth absorbed herself in worry yet again.

“He will be fine, dear. Don’t fret.”

Aunt Millie’s usual sound advice did nothing to calm her. Why hadn’t she stopped him? There was no need to go after the intruder. Surely, the man wouldn’t have come back. Not against the threat of the Duke of Wesbrook.

“Elizabeth Susanne Blakely, look at me.”

Well, I’m surely in for it.
Several years had passed since her aunt had used
that
particular tone with her. Even so, it still had the same effect. Keeping her eyes averted, Elizabeth pivoted toward her aunt.

“That never worked when you were a child and it isn’t going to work now,” Aunt Millie snorted. “I said, look at me.”

Feeling all of ten years old, she raised her eyes to her aunt’s piercing gaze.

“Better. Now listen and listen well. Gabe is a capable man with plenty of others assisting him. He is smart and he will be fine. You will make yourself sick with worry if you don’t stop your moping. You need to be strong. If not for yourself, then for the delightful girl upstairs.”

It didn’t seem fair how her aunt always seemed to be right. If only it wasn’t so difficult to separate what she knew she needed to do and what she wanted to do.

Elizabeth found her deepest fear lay in thinking she’d have to tell Phoebe her papa was never coming back. Once Gabe had left, Phoebe played ‘princess’ with the old dresses they had uncovered in the attic. As the day wore on and she’d tired of her games of pretend, she started to ask for her father. Apparently, after their morning together, she had become quite attached to him.

Following hours of evading the question, Elizabeth had said a silent prayer of thanks when Phoebe started to rub her eyes and yawn. It had taken only half a story for the child to lose herself in a sea of dreams, tucked in her bed with Victoria and Jacqueline on each side.

Without the distraction of Phoebe, Elizabeth’s own mind had started to stir. At first she had been able to reason with herself. Yet with each glance at the clock, her thoughts became more irrational.

Now, mixed with her worry was the lingering dread over the packet of rose scented letters. And what it meant for her and Gabe.

What else could she do but leave? Her heart belonged fully to Gabe. He was the only man she would ever love. But she refused to compromise her longing to marry for love, to tie her future to the one man who would love her with the same intensity she felt for him.

Without that, she and Gabe had no future. Seeing the deep love and devotion between her parents had made a strong impression on her. She could not settle for less.

As much as it tore at her, that would have to be a problem dealt with another day. When she wasn’t divided between a craving to take hold of Gabe and keep him close to her—to ensure he was safe—and wanting to run away and be left alone with her heartache.

Besides, Aunt Millie was correct. Elizabeth needed to stop sulking and be strong. She didn’t even know if the man who had attacked her was capable of severe violence. He
had
struggled with her but she couldn’t shake the thought that if he had meant to harm her, he could have.

“You are right. I’m sorry. I shall believe Gabe will be all right.”

“That’s my girl.”

Elizabeth was about to suggest a game of chess to pass the time, when Jane burst into the room.

“Is Phoebe with you?”

Instant panic brought Elizabeth to her feet. “No. Isn’t she in her bed?”

“No. She was asleep when I left to help one of the housemaids. I was only away but a moment. When I returned she was gone.”

Panic unlike any she had ever known rained down on Elizabeth. It took a moment for her to be able to think. It was like that day in the park all over again.

“She is probably only wandering around the house somewhere,” Aunt Millie interjected.

“I hope so, but . . .” Jane trailed off and Elizabeth knew it was about to get worse.

The maid’s voice now shook. “She left her dolls in her room.”

Normally, something so simple wouldn’t signify anything, but knowing Phoebe and how attached she was to her dolls, she would never leave them behind willingly. Something was definitely wrong.

“We have to find her.” She might have stated the obvious but Elizabeth didn’t know what else to do. All manner of scenarios began rushing through her mind.

“Aunt Millie, find Wilkes and have him summon all the servants. I want everyone looking for Phoebe.”

“Certainly, but dear, most of the men went with Gabe.”

“I know, but we have to do what we can.” Elizabeth strode to the door.

“Where are you going?”

Elizabeth didn’t stop as she tossed over her shoulder, “Anywhere I think she may be.”

“Be careful!”

Her aunt’s admonition followed Elizabeth as she left the room. With no clear idea where to begin, she only knew she had to do something. She couldn’t merely sit around and wait.

She couldn’t bear to imagine the possibility of Phoebe not being safe. Besides, the child had probably awoken in the mood for an adventure. She was most likely off somewhere slaying pirates.

Elizabeth chose to ignore the voice in the back of her mind doing its damnedest to remind her of the abandoned dolls. But where to look? She could be anywhere.

The attic. That must be it. She must have gone to the attic in search of more costumes to play with.

Certain Phoebe would be there, Elizabeth couldn’t be bothered about how much of her ankles she flashed as she raced up the stairs. By the time she reached the attic door, she was gasping but her corset restricted her breathing.

Not about to let her torturous undergarments keep her from locating Phoebe, Elizabeth took short shallow breaths until she gained control. Wrenching open the door, she climbed the stairs.

In a rush to find the little girl, Elizabeth hadn’t stopped to grab a candle. Thankfully the flicker of lightening stayed constant enough to brighten the attic. Just what she needed to keep from tripping over things.

“Phoebe, darling, are you here? How about you come out and play with Lizzy?” Elizabeth tried to keep her voice calm. If Phoebe was here, she didn’t want to frighten her.

“Phoebe?”

Silence countered her question. The quiet made the rattling thunder deafening.

Her heart sank. Phoebe wasn’t here. Where else could she be? There weren’t many places in the house she enjoyed. Most of her free time was spent outdoors.

Surely the child wouldn’t have ventured outside during a storm. Shifting this way and that, Elizabeth made her way around all the trunks to peer out the window. It was small and covered with a layer of grime—which Elizabeth dispensed of with a swipe of her hand—but being the highest window in the house it had the best view of the south lawn.

Through the rivulets of rain streaming down the outer pane, she skimmed her eyes over the grounds, stopping at the pavilion, before she continued on, using the flashes of lightning as a light source. There was no sign of Phoebe. In this heavy rain, Elizabeth doubted the child would have left the house.

She might be only three but she was far from dim-witted.

Careful not to fall over the trunk sitting behind her, Elizabeth slowly started to back away from the window when her eyes caught a blur of movement.

She squinted to bring the object into focus through the darkness. It appeared as if someone was carrying something. She pushed on the glass. Damn. It wouldn’t open. She needed to get a better look.

Whoever it was moved slowly. If she was quick she might be able to catch him . . . her . . . whomever. Maybe he’d seen Phoebe.

Elizabeth ran down the attic stairs.

She refused to dwell on the last time she’d spotted a mysterious figure out a window and went running headlong into danger. She ignored the tingles of uneasiness slithering down her back. Focused on Phoebe, she pushed aside her fears and didn’t falter.

She should alert the others but the closest doorway to the south was down the servant stairs. It would take too much time to use the main staircase where she’d left her aunt and Jane.

The man could disappear at any time, and he might be her best chance at finding Phoebe. Elizabeth couldn’t hesitate a moment.

She reassured herself she had nothing to worry about. Well, nothing besides Gabe’s rage if he ever found out. Since that had never stopped her in the past, it didn’t halt her now.

The cold drops on her bare arms felt like pebbles of ice, and by the time she made it halfway across the yard, rain had soaked through the outer layers of her dress and made her hair stick to the side of her face.

Hurry, hurry . . .

The moment she was close enough to be heard over the noise of the storm, she cried out, “Stop! I must speak with you!”

The figure turned the exact moment the sky became lit by two streaks of lightning. The brightness made it easy for Elizabeth to make out the package the man toted.

She froze where she stood, the cold rain pelting her skin warmer than the chill crawling through her body.

Wrapped in a blanket and clutched in the man’s arms was Phoebe. Only her face was visible, those big, trusting eyes flickering from her abductor to Elizabeth.

“Lizzy, I’m cold. I want go home.” Phoebe struggled to get to Elizabeth but the man held her tightly.

“I know, sweet.” Unwilling to alarm the child, Elizabeth fought to stay calm. She had no way of knowing what he’d do if Phoebe started to resist in earnest.

Elizabeth gave the man a quick once-over. Recognition hit her squarely. He wasn’t as elegantly dressed but there was no doubt in her mind he was the man from the park. The one who had been watching Phoebe. Just as on that day, he didn’t look sinister but the dark shadow of a bruise on the side of his face said otherwise. A bruise she knew Gabe’s fist had deposited.

She might not know what this man wanted with Phoebe, but their predicament was dire. And Elizabeth would fight him with her bare hands if need be.

First and foremost, Phoebe must remain calm. Her safety was paramount.

With as much temperance as she could muster, Elizabeth smiled at the shivering child. “How about you think of this as a journey, darling?”

“We can find more treasure,” Phoebe piped with a nod that drew the blanket further off her head. The rain quickly dampened her curls.

The man shifted his stance but said nothing. Elizabeth sensed uncertainty in him, as if he didn’t know what he was about. He turned and started to stride off.

At his sudden action, Elizabeth glanced past him and through an opening in the hedge where faint light illuminated the outline of a carriage. Dread consumed her. If she let him walk away with Phoebe, she’d never see the child again.

“Wait!” Elizabeth shrieked. “Take me with you.”

He never paused, but hurried toward the hedge.

Gabe would never forgive her if she let anything happen to Phoebe.

She wouldn’t forgive herself.

Elizabeth followed in a rush, struggling to keep her footing on the soggy ground. “If you don’t take me along, I’ll return to the house and alert everyone to your deed!” she shouted. “You’ll be caught before you leave the estate grounds!”

Elizabeth thought he hesitated but before she could capitalize on his indecision, her skirt caught on a fallen branch. In her haste to free herself she ripped the fragile material. Looking up, she despaired to find him ever closer to the carriage.

There must be a way to reason with him. If he chose to leave her behind, there would be nothing she could do to stop him.

“I can help with Phoebe! You made her abandon her dolls. You won’t be able to manage her without them. But I can. She is familiar with me.”

He stopped for a moment and Elizabeth held her breath as she waited for his response. What if he refused? What if he didn’t care how difficult Phoebe would be? What if he found a way to silence her so she couldn’t summon help?

Finally, he rasped, “You can follow but stay quiet. I’ll leave you behind if you don’t.”

Relief poured over her. They might not be out of harm’s way but at least she would be with Phoebe.

He didn’t wait for a response, but continued on his way. While they had been standing still, her skirts had collected more rain and the extra weight made it difficult to keep up.

But keep up she did, for he’d not walk away with a piece of her heart. Phoebe needed her.

They broke through the trees and in the clearing stood the horses and the carriage she’d glimpsed earlier. She had no idea how he’d managed to get this close to the house without being seen but she imagined having Gabe and most of the male servants out looking for him had been to his advantage.

The driver never cast a look in their direction, so she didn’t anticipate him being of any assistance. With no other alternative, she silently climbed into the carriage, following after the man and Phoebe.