Just as he ought to have done years ago.
Lilly had thoughtthe earl was dying before her eyes, but as quickly as the chest pains came, they seemed to cease. Although his hand remained upon his chest, his color returned, and he leaned back in his seat again.
“No more talking,” he ordered.
Lilly closed her eyes and continued picking at the knot the footman had tied. The sun had set, and the driver was forced to slow the carriage as darkness overtook them. She was glad for the horses, they had been pushed too hard.
As happy as she would have been to see Michael, she did not think he would come after her in truth. Not for the reasons she had told the earl. But because no one knewshe had been taken—let alone that she was even with the earl.
Aunt Eleanor must be beside herself. Perhaps they assumed she’d simply decided to leave town and never return. Perhaps they believed she had childishly run away, for that’s what she’d wanted to do initially.
“Is my aunt truly ill? You were lying, were you not, when you told me she had fallen ill?” She ignored his instructions to remain silent.
The earl leaned his head back against the bench and observed the ceiling of the coach. “She is an old woman. She will die soon. We all die.”
“Oh, please! She is not truly ill though, is she?”
“For God’s sake, no, girl. Leave me in peace.”
That was something, anyway. Relieved by this knowledge, she again focused upon her current predicament. After so adamantly deciding she didn’t need a man in her life, she was already being tested. She must escape on her own. It was possible she had more reason to live than for herself.
Her courses were still absent. She’d never been late. Not after her father’s death, her mother’s death, or even when Michael had failed to return to England. Oh, yes, she had something to live for.
If she was going to become a mother, her duties began now. She must protect her life and that of the child she might be carrying. She needed to escape.
Ignoring the pain of the rope digging into her, she pulled relentlessly at the knot until it finally loosened, and she could wriggle her hands. Relief swam through her as she loosened the knot further.
But she kept her arms behind her back. She needed to be smart about this. The earl still possessed a gun, and she had nowhere to go. She could not throw herself from a moving carriage as that could harm the baby.If there was a baby.
She watched the earl from under her eyelashes. It was dark enough that he must believe her to be asleep. He winced occasionally and rubbed his chest with his right hand. He’d retrieved the pistol he’d dropped earlier and now held it loosely in his left.
His nose had stopped bleeding, but there were black crusts of blood dried on his upper lip. If he hadn’t been holding her captive, she might have felt sorry for him. Even so, she thought, the man was sick of the mind and probably deserved her pity.
But he was also a murderer. A dead man lay on the floor, blocking the door. Lilly couldn’t bring herself to look at him.Nausea threatened each time she remembered a corpse lay only inches from her feet. She could not dwell on that.
The carriage slowed and turned onto a bumpier road. Noting a few familiar landmarks outside the windows, she realized they had passed through Reading and must be headed toward his estate. The carriage jostled and tipped, the roads rutted from recent rain.
Lilly wrapped the ropes so they would still appear knotted and clenched them tightly in her fists.
After what felt like hours, the carriage slowed to a halt in front of a long brick stable and then bounced slightly as the driver jumped off. When he opened the door, allowing the light from his lantern to shine in, his own eyes opened in horror when the gaze of the dead footman reflected back at him.
The earl scoffed dismissively and took command of the situation. His authority gave the driver no leeway to express his concerns.
“Take care of this mess.” Hawthorne ordered him.
Pausing only a few seconds, the driver removed the lantern and then pulled the dead man out the door. His attempts to prevent the body from hitting the ground failed, and there were several cracking and thumping sounds until it was dragged away.
The earl spoke politely. “My dearest Lady Beauchamp, welcome to Maple Hall, my humble country estate.” He climbed out of the carriage and then reached back in to assist her. Lilly slid across the bench and poked her bound feet out the door. Leaning forward, she allowed the earl to pull her weight forward and catch her as she hopped to the ground. She gripped the rope tightly behind her, not wanting to be discovered.
The dead footman lay a few feet away from the carriage. It was too sad. Did he have a family? Children? She closed her eyes for a moment of respect and then turned away.
“My Lord.” She spoke in refined tones, looking down. “If you would be so kind as to unbind my feet, I give you my word, as a lady, I will not attempt to run away. I wish to arrive upon your doorstep with more dignity than these ropes allow. You have my word”—she repeated solemnly—“as a lady.”
Honor, be damned.
This deluded man believed her gentility would prevent her from lying to him. Bending down, he unwound the ropes from around her ankles. Moving stiffly, Lilly followed him across the drive and over to a large, somewhat dilapidated manor.
After stepping inside, the earl guided Lily up the staircase and down a long corridor. Thick layers of dust covered the furnishings, and the musty scent of neglect filled her nostrils. When they arrived at the end, he opened the door to a very large bedroom with a raised bed, dark green velvet drapes, and a canopy. Again, dust had settled everywhere. The room must have gone unused for decades. Where were the earl’s servants? He pointed to a high-backed wooden chair and told her to sit. Not wishing to draw his attention to her unbound feet, she did as he said.
