“Julia,” he gasped out, breath unfindable around the choking terror. “Julia has been taken.”
“Taken?” Silas snapped, rushing forward a step.
“What does that mean?” Vaughn asked.
“My—my grandfather, it had to be him. He made some threats, but I didn’t truly think…”
Arabella’s face fell. “Your…your grandfather?”
He nodded. “He wants her gone after the broken engagement. I told her about it, she was making plans to protect herself and?—”
“Why didn’t she tell us?” Arabella gasped out. “Why didn’t you?”
He threw up his hands. “I know my grandfather. I thought he’d be very clear when the threat was real enough for something like this. He’s shrewd enough to use violence as leverage, not an end. But this…I must go there. I must go to him and find her.”
“We’re going with you,” Silas and Vaughn said together, and exchanged a look that spoke volumes.
Alexander sagged in relief. He might need the assistance. “Thank you.”
“I’m coming too,” Arabella said and moved toward the door.
Silas caught her arm before she could ring for the servants and pulled her closer. “No.”
She shoved away from him, blue eyes snapping. “Don’t youdare, Silas Windham, don’t you dare for one moment tell me that I cannot help my sister.”
Windham cupped her face. “It won’t help your sister if you endanger yourself. And if Vaughn is coming too then the best thing you can do is stay with Evie. Keep her in the dark about this situation so that she remains calm and safe after the birth.”
Vaughn moved toward them and took Arabella’s hand. “Please, Arabella. Do that for me.”
Arabella Comerford had always seemed as strong as steel whenever Alexander had observed her in the many years she’d been a powerful, sought after courtesan. In this moment, however, she trembled as she looked from one man to the other. “What if Julia needs me?” she whispered, her voice cracking.
“I’m going to bring her back,” Alexander promised, his own eyes stinging with tears. “I’ll make sure she comes back to you, no matter the cost to me.”
“You’d better,” Arabella said with a glare for him.
Vaughn let out a quick breath, squeezed Alexander’s forearm and then hurried off, his voice echoing as he barked orders to servants. As they waited for horses, Silas took Arabella aside, holding her, whispering to her as she broke down and wept a bit in his arms. He gave her one kiss before she slipped away with just a touch for Alexander’s arm that softened some of her earlier anger.
Vaughn returned tucking a pistol in his waist and tossing another to Silas. “Do you want one?” he asked.
Alexander’s stomach turned. “I certainly hope it won’t come to that.”
The two men nodded grimly and then they rushed together to the front drive where three fine horses were waiting for them. Asthey swung up and started toward his grandfather’s estate, Silas said, “Now we need to know everything that may be of value when it comes to the Earl of Heathfield.Everything, Castleton.”
Alexander nodded and then he began to speak every vile truth, every fear, every lie that wove the story of the depraved villain that was his grandfather.
Julia was thrown into a chair none too gently, but she had no idea where she was. She’d been forced into a carriage, then blindfolded as well as her wrists bound, and eventually her captor had wedged a cloth into her mouth that she had to fight not to gag on. And though she had no clue where she’d been taken, she also had no doubt who was behind it.
She had waited too long, relied on hope rather than common sense, and now the Earl of Heathfield had made his move. Why, when he’d offered her forty-eight hours to make her decision on taking his money, she didn’t know. All she could hope was that she would be given the chance to find out and argue her case rather than just be killed and disposed of without ceremony.
Tears stung her eyes and she squeezed them beneath the blindfold.
She heard someone moving around and focused on what they were doing, where they were in relationship to herself. The steps were heavy, so probably the lout who’d taken her. He was a huge man with a gravelly voice and rough hands. There was the sound of wood hitting metal and then a flint. He was lighting a fire. She smelled the hint of smoke and tensed. Was he doing this for light or to kill her? She didn’t want to burn alive.
Once again, she pushed the thoughts away and focused on breathing. Calm was her only weapon now. She’d be a fool not to use it.
A door opened and shut behind her and a second set of footsteps entered the room. She expected the two men to speak but they didn’t. Instead the man who came into the room walked up to her chair and the fabric was tugged from her eyes. The brightness from the fire took a second to adjust to from the pitch black of the blindfold but as she stared up she found her assumptions to be true. The Earl of Heathfield towered over her, glaring down at her with disgust.
“You hit her, did you?” he said with a brief glance to the man across the room.
