“Foolish since your sad little life isn’t even worth the thousand pounds you could have walked away with.” He shook his head. “And those are the stakes now. Your life. Your pain. I can take one and give another, but either way, you will be gone before dawn.”
“Grandfather!” Laurence gasped. “You cannot mean to kill her!”
The earl pivoted on him. “I won’t.Youcreated this problem with your little chess game, Castleton. Andyouwill solve it. If it comes down to it,you’llkill her. A punishment for your foolhardy sense of independence.”
“No,” Laurence said, shaking his head. “I won’t. I won’t do that.”
“Well, shall we call your new wife in then?” Heathfield asked. “Drag her downstairs from her bed and let her see what happens when someone steps out of line in this family? Let her see what you truly are? Once it’s done, Miss Comerford will die anyway.”
Julia stared at Laurence and was shocked to see a protective anger flash across his face. Whatever else, in this moment he seemed to truly care for the woman he’d done all this for. He would shelter her from his grandfather’s violence, at least for now. And that boded poorly for Julia.
She drew a shallow breath. “What must I do to avoid torture? Death?”
“You know. You will get in the carriage with Bates here—” Heathfield motioned over his shoulder to the brute. “And be escorted as far from London as possible. And you will disappear. You will never contact anyone in this family again. You will never return to London. And if you try to send word to Alexander throughyourfamily, it will be one of your pretty sisters sitting here and there will benonegotiation.”
“Go with him?” she whispered, and the way Bates smiled left her no doubt what he would happily do during the entire ride to nowhere. She’d be lucky if she lived through the experience. “You know what he’d do.”
Heathfield shrugged. “Once he’s out of my sight, he’s not my problem. And that is my offer. The alternative is for me to hand this pistol over to Laurence.” He did so and Laurence took it with shaking hands. “And let him end what he never should have started. So what will it be? Answer quickly. This time I’m giving you forty-eight seconds rather than forty-eight hours.”
The house was quiet as Alexander, Silas and Vaughn rode up to it. But there were lamps lit. He could see the shining from the foyer through the windows next to the door. This time of night, that shouldn’t be.
“I think he brought her here,” he said softly as he swung down.
“Do we break down the door?” Silas asked, squaring his shoulders.
Alexander glanced at him. He had no doubt the man could easily break the door. “I fear if we do that, my grandfather willsimply kill her. No, there’s a loose lock on a window around the side there. You two use that to go in.”
“And what will you do?” Vaughn whispered.
“I’m going to knock on the front door,” Alexander said. “Whatever this is, I must assume my grandfather would love to have me witness it. And I may be the only one who can talk him out of this madness.” He shifted as fear washed over him. Fear for her, but also for himself. “Whatever it costs me.”
“We’ll let you do your best,” Silas said, and squeezed his arm. “And come when needed.”
Alexander shot them both a grateful look and then moved to the front door. He was going to knock but found the door unlocked. He pushed it open and stepped inside. There were no servants to greet him, no bustle from the house. With the lights on, he had to assume that was a bad sign. Whatever the earl was doing, it wasn’t meant for public consumption.
Alexander moved up the hallway, glancing into each room he passed. They were all empty. He turned at the end of the hallway and saw a light coming from under the door in a little-used parlor. The one his grandfather usually used to see lesser guests. Of course he would do this there.
His hands shook and his heart throbbed as he moved to the door. He heard the murmur of voices inside and as he cracked the door, he saw his grandfather looming over Julia. Her hands were tied behind her back and she was slouched on a chair. Laurence was pale at his grandfather’s side and there was another man Alexander didn’t recognize at the fire, smoking as he observed the scene with bored indifference.
The earl gave a gun to Laurence and said, “The alternative is for me to hand this pistol over to Laurence and let him end what he never should have started. So what will it be? Answer quickly. This time I’m giving you forty-eight seconds rather than forty-eight hours.”
“No!” Alexander barked, and threw the door open.
Laurence and his grandfather froze as he came in and the man by the fireplace started toward him, but the earl held up his hand. “No, Bates. Wait. Alexander, welcome. It’s good you get to see this. See whatyoudid.”
“Yes,” Alexander said, slowing his movements as he made his way toward Julia. She was twisting in the chair now, trying to see him. When he got into her sightline, he could see a bruise starting on her cheek. Her eyes were rimmed with tears and she shook her head.
“Don’t. Don’t, please,” she whispered.
He forced a soft smile to his face and hoped it would comfort her. “Love, for you? There is no don’t.”
She sucked in a breath and tears slid down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut.
“Very romantic. I hope it’s all worth it,” Heathfield said. “You defied me and dared to think you could just walk away? You and your cousin will learn the hard way, it seems. I will not be denied.” His grandfather’s face bloomed red as he spoke. He sounded calm but the rage that was written in every line of him was truly terrifying.
“You’re right,” Alexander said softly. “Laurence and I defied you.Wedid. Not her. You let her go and the punishment should be ours.”
Laurence’s eyes went wide as he jerked his attention away from the woman he’d been told to shoot and to his cousin. “Alexander,” he began.
