How to Best a Marquess (Raven Club), page 15
Samantha’s brow furrowed. “They may not sympathize with my plight, but they are still my family.”
Ellie imagined herself in the lady’s shoes. She would miss her brother as well as Olivia and Grace. She loved her mother, although she did not love the pressure the dowager had initially put on her to marry. Ellie had been relieved when her mother had left to spend time with Ellie’s aunt in Bath. “Perhaps you will see them one day.”
“It’s unlikely, isn’t it? If they learned of my deception or where I was living, they would surely tell my husband,” Lady Willoughby said.
Ellie felt another surge of anger toward Lady Willoughby’s parents. How could they not help their daughter, knowing what kind of monster she had married?
But now was not the time to talk of her family. The lady’s life depended on her grit and determination.
Everything had been prepared. A servant had discretely left a small valise by the back door of the club. Ellie knew exactly was what inside—a walking dress, undergarments, and a pair of shoes. Violet had left instructions, and Lady Willoughby had followed them and instructed her maid to pack the necessities. Anything else would have been noticed by the servants in Samantha’s household who were loyal to the baron.
“Everything will be provided for you. You are to live as a companion to a wealthy elder lady in Derbyshire.”
“I never thought I would look forward to being a companion, but the truth is I am anxious to leave.” Samantha took another sip of champagne, then met Ellie’s eyes. “But all this thinking has made me wonder.”
“About what?”
“About you. I know very little about you.”
“There is not much to know,” Ellie said.
“I disagree. You intrigue me. Why did you never marry?”
Ellie was taken aback by the question. Beneath Samantha’s inquisitive glare behind her mask, Ellie struggled not to squirm. “I never found a gentleman I loved.”
“My mother never asked me if I loved Baron Willoughby. I do not believe she cared.” Lady Willoughby’s fingers turned white where they clutched the delicate stem of the champagne glass.
Suitors had called upon her, and her mother would have been happy if Ellie had married any of them. Thankfully, Ian had protested and allowed Ellie to have a say. Her brother was truly a rarity and wanted her to marry for love.
Curiosity shone through Lady Willoughby’s eyes behind her mask. “There must be someone you fancy?”
Yes, there is. And he is outside on the casino floor.
Ellie shifted on her feet. Hugh had also deceived her in the worst way. They could have been together years ago. She could never forgive him for taking the decision away from her.
“Do not let my circumstance deter you. You can still marry for love,” Lady Willoughby said.
“Perhaps.” If only her heart wasn’t tainted by a deceiving man. “Come. It’s time to leave.”
Ellie led the way out of the women’s gambling room onto the main casino floor. It was busy, and men and women crowded around the tables. They passed the boxing room, and excited shouts sounded through the door. A fight was scheduled for tonight. It was one of the reasons Ellie had felt at ease with her plans for Lady Willoughby. Hugh would be occupied inside the boxing room increasing the profits of the club.
She hurried past and through the club’s back door. She hesitated long enough to grab the valise left there for Lady Willoughby. “Everything is going as planned.” She continued on toward the mews. It had recently rained, and the scent of horse dung was strong. Ellie wrinkled her nose but continued down the path until she spotted a waiting, dark carriage.
“She’s here.”
Samantha followed Ellie as she hurried toward the carriage. Ellie threw open the carriage door and tossed the valise on the floor. She stepped inside to find two occupants inside, and icy fear twisted around her heart.
Violet Lasher was settled on the padded bench.
And Hugh sat across from her.
…
Hugh barely held his anger in check as he glared at Ellie. He was aware of Violet Lasher and Lady Willoughby inside the carriage.
Ellie’s eyes were large in the lantern light. “What are you doing here?”
“Is that all you have to say?” he asked.
Ellie didn’t respond, rather she turned to Violet. “How did this happen?”
Violet raised a delicate shoulder. “The marquess waylaid my carriage. I could not refuse him entrance.”
The courtesan appeared unconcerned and nonplussed. As if his invasion of her carriage did not bother her one bit. Hugh would have laughed if he weren’t furious.
He’d never personally been introduced to Violet Lasher, but men spoke of her in the gentleman clubs. He’d once heard an earl claim she’d been the most skilled lover in all of England. Whether there was truth to the man’s claims or not, Hugh wasn’t interested in finding out. He had other interests in Violet Lasher.
Ellie turned back to him. “How did—”
“How did I find you? I suspected you were up to something when I spotted Lady Willoughby enter the club tonight. Instinct told me to circle the club outside, and imagine my surprise when I discovered a small valise by the back door and a fine, unmarked carriage waiting outside the mews.”
A breathless rage consumed him. Along with a paralyzing fear for Ellie. He’d considered dragging her back into the club by her red hair and sending word to her brother.
“I also knew you were up to mischief,” he said. “The women’s gambling room is plausible, but a secret bedchamber is something else entirely. I never believed your explanation that women may need to rest.”
“You should not make assumptions, my lord,” Ellie said, her voice weak.
His laughter sounded harsh to his own ears. “Assumptions? About the bedchamber or your appearance in this carriage tonight with these women?”
She swallowed hard. “Both.”
“You are correct. I need not make assumptions when my observations are damning enough. You enter the carriage of a renowned courtesan”—he glanced at Violet—“all the while dragging the wife of Baron Willoughby and her valise, which if I dump the contents on the floor of the carriage, I would not be surprised to find ladies’ clothing and unmentionables. Which leads me to believe you are helping Lady Willoughby leave her husband for a short time.”
Ellie bit her lip and twisted her hands in her lap.
Lady Willoughby began to cry. “I knew it wouldn’t work. I can never go to Derbyshire as a companion now.”
Hugh’s eyes narrowed at the lady’s admission, and his heart hammered in his ears. “You mean to smuggle her out of London? Permanently? To take up occupation as a companion?” His tone was frigid.
“We have little choice,” Violet spoke up. “If not, she will end up dead. Men such as Lord Willoughby do not change their ways.”
Silence filled the coach save for Samantha’s sobbing.
Hugh reached in his coat and handed Lady Willoughby a handkerchief. “I spoke to the baron about his temper.”
“Yes, he improved for a bit, but then he found my mask,” Samantha said, then loudly blew her nose.
“What mask?” Hugh asked.
“The one I wore to the Raven Club the first night. The baron found it, and he knew I’d lied about my whereabouts. His temper was the most volatile I’ve ever seen it. If not for Lady Ellie and Miss Lasher, I don’t know what will become of me.” She wrung his handkerchief. Another one ruined.
Lady Willoughby’s whimpering pierced his haze of anger. If the baron had found the mask, then the woman was in danger. His eyes met Ellie’s, and the desperation in her blue gaze tugged at his chest. He’d help them carry out their plans, no matter how insane they had first sounded to him.
His voice softened a bit. “Tell me your plans and I will help you.”
Ellie remained still while Violet explained everything. They were to drive outside the city and meet another coach, which would take Samantha to the country. Several changes of drivers and coaches would make it difficult to follow her.
“It’s a solid plan except for one flaw,” Hugh said.
“What?” Violet asked.
“Lady Willoughby said the baron found her mask and he knew she’d been at the Raven that night.”
“Yes,” Violet confirmed.
“Then the Raven is the first place he’ll search for his wife, and Ellie is the first person he will question. She lied to him.”
Ellie stiffened beneath his hard glare, but she refused to look away. She sat straight. “I realized this may come to pass and the baron would seek me out, my lord, but I’ll deny all knowledge of his wife’s whereabouts. I do not fear him.”
“You should.”
“I can handle—”
“From what I recall, you could not handle the man the first time,” Hugh snapped.
Ellie squirmed on the padded bench.
Good. She needed to see the danger she risked to herself.
He tore his gaze away from her and turned his attention back to the other women. “Let us complete your planned arrangements. Thereafter, I will deal with Ellie myself.”
Chapter Nineteen
Violet sighed. “Lady Willoughby will be safe now.”
Hugh had kept his word. Ellie watched as the coach carrying Samantha rattled down the road and was swallowed by darkness. “Let’s hope she finds happiness,” Ellie said.
“Let’s hope Lord Willoughby doesn’t come looking for you,” Hugh said, his tone short, then he stalked away.
Violet touched Ellie’s hand. “Be aware. He will not be easily handled.”
Ellie dug a toe in the dirt. She was still reeling from the shock of finding Hugh inside Violet’s carriage. It had taken every ounce of self-control not to flee, but to bravely sit across from him and meet his angry gaze. “I will deal with him.”
Violet’s gaze held hers. “I know men well. The marquess is angry and determined to possess you. A volatile combination.”
She swallowed. She wouldn’t give up now, not after all they’d been through tonight, and all she’d been through with the club. “He will lose.”
Violet eyed her coolly. “Remember what I said. The heart is a tricky organ.”
“My heart is safe.”
Mostly. She feared she was a horrible judge of men. She had made the same mistake with Hugh twice. She would not be fooled again.
Hugh returned. “We need to go back before you are missed.”
“My family understands I will be out late tonight; they suppose I am overseeing the opening of the women’s gambling room,” Ellie said.
“My coach will take you both back to the Raven Club,” Violet said.
“We will travel with you until we are back in town. Then Ellie and I shall hail a hackney,” Hugh said.
The implication was clear.
“I understand why you do not wish Lady Ellie to be seen in my carriage, my lord, but neither is it proper for her to travel alone with a bachelor.”
“I will take precautions. Besides, she should have thought of that before carrying out this conspiracy.” A muscle ticked at his eye.
Violet nodded. “As you wish, my lord.” The courtesan caught Ellie’s eye, and the unmistakable message was clear. Take care. He is angry and determined to possess you.
He would fail.
Ellie swallowed any protest of the arrangements. What good would it do now?
They rode in silence in Violet’s carriage until the distant toll of a church bell sounded as they entered the city. Ellie said her goodbyes to Violet, then Hugh took her arm, his fingers banding around her, as they walked down the street in search of a hackney.
As they passed a tavern, drunken revelers stumbled outside. One took a look at her and slurred, “Where’d ye find such a pretty piece, guvnor? I’ll offer a coin fer her.”
“This one’s taken.” Hugh pushed the man aside, and the drunken man stumbled to the street then promptly vomited.
Good lord. Ellie grasped her skirts to keep them clean as Hugh quickly led her away to a waiting hackney. She settled on the bench, and he took the seat across from her. His jaw was tense.
“You’re angry,” she whispered.
“You’re right. I am.”
“You think I should not have offered to help Lady Willoughby.”
“Little fool. I’m not angry for your desire to aid the lady, but for your recklessness at putting yourself in danger.”
She believed he would criticize her motives more than the risk to her person. “We had everything planned. Nothing untoward would have happened tonight,” she argued.
“No? What about when the baron comes looking for his wife?”
“I already told you. I will deny all knowledge of his wife’s disappearance.”
“He found the mask. He’ll know you lied. You took his wife.”
“We will be more careful in the future.”
“There will be no future incidents.”
She scowled at him. “You are not my husband. You have no say.”
“You will cease.” It was an order, not a request.
“Why do you care?” she asked.
“Because I am concerned for you. And in this, I know what is best for you.” The muscle by his eye had not ceased its infernal ticking. He was still furious.
Her own anger bubbled inside her chest. She glared at him, fuming. “Just as you knew what was best for me years ago?”
“This is not the same,” he countered.
“Oh? How is it different?”
The carriage came to a halt in the mews outside the Raven Club. Rather than wait for his answer, Ellie reached for the handle. She wouldn’t wait for the driver to hop down and lower the step. She planned to jump out of the conveyance as if it were on fire.
Hugh’s hand clamped down upon hers like a vise. “Not so fast. We have unfinished business between us.” He tapped on the box and ground out instructions to the driver. “23 Berkeley Square.”
Her stomach plummeted. “That is not my home.”
“You’re right. It’s mine.”
“You can’t be serious! I cannot be seen alone with you in your home!”
“You should have thought of that before your recklessness.”
Minutes later, the carriage halted outside a massive pile of stone. With Hugh’s presence in the confines of the carriage, she knew she had little choice. But she needn’t make it easy for him.
He exited first, then nearly dragged her out. She planned to make a mad rush for the street, but he anticipated her intent and swept her across his shoulder like a pirate with his booty.
She expelled a burst of air from her lungs and slapped his back with her palms. “Oh! Let me down!”
“Gladly. Once we are inside.”
“You plan to keep me here until dawn?” Ellie asked.
“Yes,” Hugh said.
“For God’s sake, why?”
She was standing in his library. His proper butler had raised an eyebrow when Hugh had walked inside the marble vestibule with her slung across his shoulder. Her cheeks had flamed red, but the servant hadn’t said a word about her humiliating appearance. The butler’s only response had been a drily delivered, “Good evening, my lord.”
Thank goodness it had been dark out and no one appeared on the street. If she had been recognized…
No amount of explanation would have saved her then. She rubbed her cold arms and scanned the room.
Dozens of books were shelved in tall, cherry bookshelves. A lush Oriental carpet covered the floor, and chairs were situated before a marble hearth. On any other occasion, the books would have captured her interest. She’d love to run her fingers along the leather spines and sit in one of the oversized leather chairs, sip his fine brandy, and read far into the night.
Instead, she faced a tall, broad-shouldered, angry marquess.
“You said I have no right to prohibit your reckless activities. You’re correct,” he said.
Realization struck her like lightning. “You think to ruin my reputation so that I will have no choice but to marry you?”
“As your husband, I’ll have every right to dictate your behavior.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Why not?”
“You may be a cad, but I never believed you were a man who would force a woman against her will.”
At her words, he let out an exasperated sigh and ran his fingers through his hair.
She watched, helpless, as he pulled the thick strands back from his scalp, then released them.
“You’re right,” he said. “I’m not that type of man. I would never force you. It’s just that you frustrate me beyond measure.”
He went to a sideboard and poured himself a whisky, then swallowed. She watched where his lips pressed against the glass. He downed the liquor and poured himself another. She should be surprised by his behavior, but she knew everyone’s emotions were running high tonight.
She also knew he was struggling with what he’d discovered. He hadn’t known she meant to continue to help Lady Willoughby by smuggling her out of London. He couldn’t have known a notorious courtesan was helping them.
For some inexplicable reason, she wanted to ease his torment. He appeared like a caged man—tense and frustrated. She knew how physically powerful he was. She’d seen him in a boxing ring, seen him beat off two footpads. He looked like he could use a session or two in the boxing room right now to release his tension.
It was all because of her.
She approached him. He might be dangerous, but she didn’t fear him. She’d never feared he would harm her physically.
Only other dangers to her heart.
Perhaps Violet Lasher was right.
She touched his arm. His muscles tensed beneath his coat. “I’m sorry for your distress.”
“Are you? Or are you just sorry that I discovered your clandestine activities?”
Her heart tripped a beat at his harsh tone, but she held her ground. “Both, I suppose.”
He touched her face. “What am I to do with you?”
Nothing. Everything.
Where had that tiny voice come from? What was happening to her resolve?
“Will you tell Ian about tonight?” she asked.
