To Have and to Hold (30 page)
Read To Have and to Hold Online
Authors: Rebecca King
“I know.
But it also explains why he was so intent on
marrying me off to DeLisle.”
“Or try to beat
you down to the point where you sign it over to him in order to save yourself
further pain, after which point he could disgrace you and toss you out on your
ear or...”
“Or he could
marry me off to one of his cronies, DeLisle, where I could meet the same demise
as his previous three wives.”
Isobel
murmured with a shudder as she remembered the hard faced crone who called
himself Rupert’s best friend.
“Now you are
married to me, there leaves only one option available to him.”
Dominic paused, unsure whether to reveal
more.
“He could
attempt to kidnap me and make me sign it over.”
Isobel murmured as she settled down against Dominic’s broad chest with a
yawn.
“Or he could
kidnap you and hold you for ransom.”
Dominic murmured holding her close.
Isobel tipped
her head back and raised her brow in query.
“Ransom?”
She murmured, it was
something she hadn’t considered.
“You are my
wife, my darling.” Dominic murmured, “There is nothing I won’t do to protect
you and keep you safe.
Rupert knows
there will be no stone unturned should you come to any harm.
I doubt he is stupid enough to take you and
harm you, after all if he meant to harm you, he would have gotten his henchmen
to do it this afternoon.”
He stared
off into the darkness.
“He knows that I
would pay anything to get you back, even your fortune.”
“Anything?”
Isobel murmured softly, stroking a gentle
palm down his cheek as she kissed his lips.
“Anything,”
Dominic replied, his face hardened with determination.
“Now he knows you are my wife, he knows he
cannot marry you off to his cronies.
Any
deal he has done has been reneged upon.”
“He isn’t above
kidnap again.”
Isobel watched as
Dominic’s green gaze hardened as he stared sightlessly across the room, the
warrior in him very clear for Isobel to see.
She shuddered as she looked at his lean cheeks, shadowed in the meagre
candle light giving him a harshness that was faintly haunting.
The warrior side of him was certainly not one
Isobel would dare to cross.
“Promise me
Dominic”, Isobel murmured.
Although she
loved this man and would trust him with her life, there was a cold fierceness
about him now that rendered him a stranger.
It took every ounce of her willpower to place her fingers upon his chin
and turn his cool emerald gaze to hers.
“Promise me you won’t risk yourself.
Rupert has some hard thugs with him. You must be careful.”
Dominic’s face
relaxed into a ghost of a smile that vanished so swiftly Isobel wasn’t sure if
she had seen it.
“I will be fine.
You
must
promise
me
that you will not do
anything to put yourself in danger.
I
can ensure you are kept safe and secure.
You must play your part however, and make sure you do not take any
unnecessary risks.”
His voice held a
stern edge that gave Isobel pause to consider if she really knew Dominic at
all.
Was this side of
him, the cold and ruthless side, the true Dominic?
Or was it the warm and loving man she had
grown to know over the past few weeks?
“I won’t do anything that will
inadvertently put anyone, including myself, at risk.”
Isobel murmured.
“You need to know something else.” Her sleepy
comment broke the silence of the room.
“Hmm?”
Dominic frowned at her warily through the
darkness of the room.
“If I die, you
will inherit.”
Her announcement was met
with silence.
“You are not
going to die.”
She could tell from the
tone of his voice that her warrior was most definitely back. “We are most
definitely going to grow old and grey together.
Now, we will talk no more about death and dying.”
With that, he settled her more firmly against
him and fell asleep.
Dominic shivered
as an icy blast of air slithered down his neck to reminding him that winter
still had a firm grasp of the weather.
His warm breath puffed a white cloud in the darkness as he carefully
made his way through the gloom towards home.
He eyed the
clouds hanging menacingly above and wondered briefly if he would make it home
before the snowstorm hit.
Tugging his
cloak higher, he tucked his chin into the warmth and peered through the shadows
for any familiar signs to indicate how far away home was.
He knew the village was a few miles
back.
Dusk had been descending when he
had left the tavern but that seemed several hours ago.
The ground was thick with fresh snowfall and
if the wintry chill in the air was any indication, they were due more.
He nudged his horse onwards, eager to get
home to the warmth of his beloved his wife’s loving arms.
Although several
weeks had passed since Rupert had accosted Isobel in the gardens of Tavistock
Hall, Dominic knew it was foolhardy to be lulled into a false sense of
security.
The man was still around
somewhere and likely to turn up when least expected.
Everything
within him balked at leaving anyone to look after Isobel’s future security
however, reassured by Peter’s continued presence at Tavistock Hall persuaded
Dominic to make the journey to Northampton to meet with the magistrate.
As Isobel’s husband and protector, only he
could discuss matters relating to Isobel’s will, benefactors and past
experiences.
While there he had
discovered considerable information to help in their pursuit of Rupert and the
plans Hubert had put into place to protect Isobel.
During his visit he had managed to find some
thread of forgiveness within him towards the man who had caused him, and Peter
such grief.
His lies after all, had been
told in an attempt to protect Isobel in the only way she had allowed him at
that time.
That was two
weeks ago now.
It seemed like a
lifetime.
He sorely missed his
wife.
Over the two months of their
marriage, he had grown to love her far more than he had ever thought possible.
During his time away he had strongly
considered himself to be in love with her.
Their time together had taught him that their love was different than
anything he had experienced before.
He
had indeed, fallen far deeper than he was comfortable with, but found himself
unable to do anything about it.
Despite
the consuming passion between them, he could still sense hesitancy in his wife,
a part of her that was held apart.
And
he hated it.
He wanted her to
love him as completely and unquestioningly as he loved her.
He wanted her to trust him enough to open her
heart completely.
There were times when
he wondered if she had been given the choice to marry him without the threat of
Rupert, whether she would have accepted.
Sometimes he considered it was like being married to a rare bird.
An exotic creature that was beautiful to look
at, yet difficult to capture and impossible to keep.
Still they were
wed now.
She was his wife.
He loved her and still haunted by the
horrifying days when he thought she was dead, was unable to let her go.
During her time at Tavistock, she had
regained her weight, her hair shone with vitality and health.
She had a peachy complexion that boasted good
health.
Although she still woke during
the night sometimes, haunted by ghosts from her past experience, she appeared
to be quite content in her life with him.
That alone gave him some comfort.
She certainly hadn’t appeared too upset by his departure, having waved
him off all smiles and full of joy.
Dominic didn’t know whether to be grateful she hadn’t been a clinging
bawling wife, or insulted that she was delighted to see the back of him!
He was so lost
in contemplating the complexities of his marriage he didn’t see the dark
shadows lurking by the side of the road until it was too late. Barely managing
to bite off a curse, he managed to duck the first blow but wasn’t quick enough to
avoid the man who had come around behind him.
With a choking hold around his neck, within the flicker of an eye he
found himself dragged backwards off his horse.
He hit the ground as the first boot struck his ribs.
“I know,” Isobel
murmured.
“It has been very good of you
to remain here for as long as you have.”
“You are happy
here.”
Peter’s comment was more of a
statement than question.
In the time she
had been married to Dominic, she had regained her weight and despite her
obvious upset at her husband’s absence, there was a quiet contentment about her
Peter had never seen before.
Isobel smiled
briefly across the room at him.
Yes, she
was happy at Tavistock Hall.
It was
after all a dream come true.
There was
one point during her life when she thought it was a door that had been very
firmly closed to her.
She felt somewhat
blessed to have been given a second chance at living the life she had only dreamt
of.
On the other
hand, there was still the looming threat of Rupert.
Inwardly, there was a restlessness she
couldn’t shake off.
Was it feminine
instinct, or some source of self-survival that had developed and grown during
her time away that was warning her of imminent danger?
She would feel incredibly relieved when
Dominic walked back through the front door.
Despite the fact she hadn’t slept very well at all since he left, she
would be glad for the reassurance that he was safe and well.
“I am happy,”
Isobel finally murmured.
“I will be
happier when this issue with Rupert is resolved, and he is out of our lives
once and for all.
I am not sure how much
more my nerves can take.”
She murmured
with a wry twist of her lips.
Night-times were
the worst. She hated climbing into the big bed in the master suite, so suited
to Dominic’s masculine tastes without him beside her.
Many times during the night she found herself
turning over, seeking the comforting warmth of his muscled chest and the
reassuring band of his arms around her.
She had forgotten the many nights she had spent crying into her pillow,
aching for his loving kisses only to eventually wake up in the morning feeling
tired and ill tempered.
Tonight she felt
distinctly on edge but could not fathom why.
Her day was usually peaceful and mundane.
Almost too mundane!
Since her last encounter with Rupert things
had gone suspiciously quiet, and she hated it.
A small part of her almost wished he would make an attempt to do
something.
Anything, but this awful
waiting, for something!
Something was
wrong, very wrong.
She only wished she
knew what that ‘something’ was.
