“You are wrong. Mr. Featherspoon lied to me. He lied to you.” She motioned her head toward the manor. “This is my family. Now let me be!”
The evil man’s gaze darted back and forth between her and the house. With narrowed eyes, he scratched his head as if in deep thought. Louisa didn’t like his calculating expression at all.
“Even if this was yer family as ye proclaim, the bargain we made still stands. However I’ll add another juicy tidbit to our deal. If ye donotget me the dowager’s jewels, not only will I harm the duke and his children, but the people who live at this place as well. In fact, I’m wonderin’ right now how I could get ye to steal from them. They look as if they have fat pockets, don’t ye think?” He stepped closer, his gaze delving deep into hers. “Ye know I will follow through with my threats. One more week is all I ask. Ye get me those jewels, or those ye love—and whoever lives here—will die the fiery death ye had been told about all those years ago.”
Her stomach churned and she clutched her middle. What had she done? But more than that, how could she get out of this? The truth was she couldn’t. He was serious, and she knew not to go against him or else someone ended up hurt… or dead.
“If ye tellanyoneabout this, I shall torture ye as ye have never been tortured before.” He ran the pad of his thumb along her bottom lip. “I’m almost hopin’ ye go against me. I have somethin’ very excitin’ and pleasurable planned for us, my dear.”
She turned her face away as bile rose to her throat. “I will do as you ask and steal the dowager’s jewels,” she whispered brokenly. “But that’s all.”
“What about the family that lives here?” He glanced at the manor again.
Her heart crumpled even more. “You were right. I don’t know them. I was just daydreaming about having a real family again.”
“Good girl.” Softly, he patted her cheek. “Now, come with me and I shall get ye out of here.”
Dejectedly, she followed, her heart breaking with each step as he led her to his horse. Her life was over one way or another. If she didn’t do as he said, he’d seriously hurt everyone she loved. If she did as he instructed, they would all hate and disown her because of her thievery.
He offered his hand to help her into his curricle, but she brushed it aside and climbed in by herself. Once he sat next to her and urged the horse into a trot, she dared take a glance back at her family’s estate. Nobody had noticed her. Although sadness filled her, she was grateful they hadn’t. Macgregor would have indeed harmed them.
“Why have you been watching me?” she asked, her voice rose in anger.
“Because I know how badly ye want to break free of me, and I could not possibly allow that to happen until after ye have stolen the jewels.” He glanced her way with an arched eyebrow. “And my first instincts were correct.”
Louisa blew out a gush of air and rubbed her forehead. “I will get the jewels for you.”
“Of course ye will.”
Macgregor whistled a lively tune, which gnawed on her nerves. They rode for a few minutes as questions swam in her head. Although she remembered her past now, there were still things she wanted to know. When she lived with Macgregor,she rarely voiced her opinion or even spoke to the man. He had frightened her beyond belief. But now… Now she had more courage, it seemed.
“Why did Mr. Featherspoon sell me to you?”
His whistling stopped and he peered her way. “Because we have a bargain, him and I. He delivers children to my doorstep, and I keep the law away from him.”
“The law?” She blinked tired eyes. “I would think the law would be searching for you.”
“No. He does the kidnappin’, not I.”
“Is that why the law is looking for him? Because they suspect him of kidnapping?”
“That and more. Although a drunk, he is a clever man and does not leave traces of his wrong doin’s.”
“So my real family…they don’t believe I was kidnapped?”
“Not at all.”
“Then what do they think happened to me?”
“If they are still alive, they would have been told ye drowned, my dear.”
She forced a laugh. “I don’t think my family would believe that. They knew I could swim.”
Macgregor looked her way again. “Not when yer cloak was found in the river.”
“And who, pray tell, found my cloak?”
“The teacher at yer school.”
