Niles dropped to his haunches, taking her hands in his. What in the hell was going on?
“Mrs. Mossant, Eve.” He didn’t give a God damn at this point what anyone thought. “You haven’t any intentions of staying on at Pebble’s Gate, do you?” He willed her to raise her chin and tear off the black veil.
“But of course, she’s staying on. We’re to be married by special license this afternoon.”
Oh, hell no.
But why was Eve not making her own denial?
“Is this true?” Niles rubbed her cold hands between his.
“You’ll remove your hands from my fiancée.”
Again, Eve made no protest.
She might as well have slapped him. Could this be what she wanted?
“What have you done to her?” Niles demanded as burly arms grabbed him from behind. The other servants were already shuffling toward the door, and Mr. Priebus was gathering his papers together.
Darius Mossant clucked his tongue obnoxiously. “Such a shame. She told me everything. How you’d fallen in love with her, taken advantage of her weakened state. I expect all of her personal accounts transferred to me without delay. As her husband, I assure you that Mrs. Mossant shall no longer require your services.”
Niles didn’t care that the arms clasped around him were crushing his ribs which had not even begun to heal. He threw all his weight forward and managed to make contact with Mossant’s chin.
“Get him out of here!” The blighter’s hand flew up just in time to catch the tooth that had broken free. The arms around Niles grasped tighter, dragging him out the door.
He was no match for two hefty laborers.
In less than two minutes, they tossed him unceremoniously onto the gravel drive.
Niles stared up at the wispy clouds set against a blindingly blue sky.
He closed his eyes in an attempt to gather his strength. He was getting too old for this sort of thing.
“Mr. Waverly?What on earth are you doing on the ground?” A familiar voice drew him back to reality.
“Been out drinking, old man?”
Eve’s eldest daughter and her husband, the Earl of Carlisle, were both bent over, peering down at him.
Niles had no idea where they’d come from but was happy enough at their timely arrival.
It was all the encouragement he needed to push himself off the ground. And he only groaned a little as he found his feet.
“My Lady.” He nodded. “Lord Carlisle. I’ve reason to believe Mrs. Mossant is in danger.” He brushed the gravel from his backside and undertook to explain his suspicions.
“He says mother’s agreed to marry him? But that’s outrageous!” Lady Carlisle made a move toward the manor, but her husband grasped hold of her arm.
“Rhododendron.” The earl halted her charge. “If your mother is in danger, I’ll not have you bursting inside. We need the magistrate.”
The young woman, who looked so much like her mother, was shaking her head in denial. “But Mama would never agree to marry. Not unless she was in love, and I’ve met Cousin Darius. Believe me, she is not in love with him. Why on earth is she going along with this?”
“She’s been drugged.” It was all beginning to make sense to Niles now. “It’s the only explanation.”
Lady Carlisle wrung her hands together.
“Rhoda.” Carlisle turned to his wife. “Fetch Coachman John from the stables and have him take you to find the magistrate.”
“Excellent. Meanwhile, Carlisle, you and I can stop the wedding.”
