“Thank you, My Lady,” William said hurriedly, already rushing out of the room.
“You’re most welcome, William,” he heard her murmur, but he was already gone before he could think of a reply. The butler and maid seemed startled by his sudden exit but he paid them no mind, instantly retracing his steps until he’d made it out of the manor and was rushing across the driveway.
He swung into the waiting carriage with ease, breathless saying, “We need to go to the Earl of Brownley. He’s the one who has taken her.”
Chapter 20
The Earl of Brownley looked like a completely different man. He appeared…confident. Cocky, almost, which was nothing like the quiet and boring man she’d danced with the night of his ball.
Perhaps that was why Alice didn’t run when he closed the door behind him and began to approach her. Perhaps she simply couldn’t fathom that this person—this incredibly uninteresting and bland man—had the gall to attack and kidnap her. Or even to hire someone to do it for him, daring to bring her to his residence.
“I came to check on you a few times, you know,” he said to her as he came to stand on the side of the bed where she was. “I was afraid that you were hit a little too hard.”
“It was you?” she whispered, unable to believe it.
His grin widened as he nodded confidently. “Rather brave of me, wasn’t it? To dare trespassing on another’s property in order to steal you away. I no doubt guess that you would have never imagined it.”
No, she thought, her confusion and bemusement dissolving into something far more horrifying.He isn’t being confident or cocky. He’s deranged.
It took her far too long to realize that the very last thing she should do was underestimate this man. Alice braced herself, glancing at the narrow space she had to run. She wouldn’t be able to get by him, which meant—
She threw herself to the other side of the bed, trying to scramble over the edge without tangling her legs in the covers and her skirt. She heard Lord Brownley move but she didn’t dare to look around, focusing instead on her goal: the door. As for where she would go if she made it past it, she hadn’t a clue.
But she had no such luck. Lord Brownley was standing before her all of a sudden, his large hands pushing her back to the bed before her foot had a chance to touch the ground. He braced a knee into the bedding, bending himself over her as he gave her a victorious grin.
“You cannot truly think that I would let you escape after I’ve finally gotten you here all on my own, do you?” He leaned closer to her ear, sending a shudder through her body. “I finally have you, Lady Alice. I won’t let you go.”
“Why are you doing this?” she asked desperately, hating how badly the fear cracked her voice. She could taste it on her tongue, could feel it coating her entire body.
“It is not obvious?” He slowly pulled away from her but didn’t step back, as if he wanted her to know that trying to run would end just as badly. “You are the reason I am doing this, Lady Alice. Do you not see how strong I am?”
Alice scrambled away from him, sitting in the very center of the bed as she fought the throbbing pain in her temples. She didn’t know how to respond to that question, didn’t know if she should. But then she realized that she wouldn’t have to.
“I’m sure that you do,” Lord Brownley went on with a satisfied look. “You, and Father, and everyone else shall see that I am strong. That I am deserving ofrespect. Strong men such as I do not take no for an answer.”
Strong men do not have to kidnap ladies to prove their strength, she wanted to say, but she bit down on the inside of her cheeks. Seeing how unstable he seemed, she didn’t think he would take kindly to that fact.
“I don’t understand, My Lord,” she said slowly, trying to quell her rising hysteria. She knew that she should be calm and that it would help her to think logically. But knowing that Lord Brownley was capable of physically attacking her made it difficult. “Why would you go to such lengths just to have me? Why would you not try to court me instead?”
Lord Brownley barked a harsh laugh that made her flinch. “Do not patronize me, My Lady. Your letter of rejection is what started this in the first place. Do not think I didn’t notice how you looked when we danced together and then you did not even think to give me another chance.”
“Of course not, My Lord,” she managed to say, despite her trembling hands. “I would have admired your persistence. It would mean you were capable of withstanding such pressure, as you are such a strong man.”
Lord Brownley blinked at her words. For a moment, he appeared as nothing more than an innocent child who was trying to understand what had been said to him. Then a wide, elated grin brightened his face. “You truly understand! Oh, if only I had known that before. If only my parents understood me the way that you do.”
He paced away now, as if he trusted her not to run. Alice glanced eagerly at the door, but Lord Brownley was still far too close to it for her to have a good chance at escaping.
“They have never understood me, I’m afraid,” he went on, not noticing the direction of her gaze. “They’ve always called me weak, just like everyone else. When they saw how you rejected me, they laughed saying that I should have expected as much. They said that the daughter of a Duke would never look twice at me, not to mention one who is clearly as strong willed as you are. But they clearly do not understand me, Lady Alice, and they do not understand you either.”
“I do understand you, My Lord,” she said softly. “And I understand that, if you do not let me go, you will only find yourself in prison.”
He shook his head, but Alice couldn’t tell if it was at her statement or at himself. “The night of my ball, I couldn’t let you go. I was so taken by your beauty, by your magnetic presence, that I wanted to confess my love for you right then and there. I might have gotten the chance had the cursed Marquess of Erlington not interrupted us.” He stopped, in direct line of the door now, still blocking her. He sighed in frustration. “But, I decided that I couldn’t let the night end without telling you my feelings first. So, when I saw you go to the gardens, I followed you. I’d hoped to find you alone but when I approached you, I realized that I’d made a mistake.”
“It was my sister,” Alice murmured with widening eyes as realization dawned on her.
“Yes, Lady Emma. Quite lovely in her own right, but nowhere as beautiful as you are. I noticed my mistake instantly but I didn’t get the chance to say anything because who would come charging after me but Lord Erlington himself.”
Bitterness bled through his words. Alice forced herself to stay completely still, to keep from reacting.
