Page 40 of The Baron’s Halo

“Not so fast, my dear. We have some plans to make, you and I.”

Isabelle twisted her arm, trying to break his hold, but the man’s strength was too much for her. Well, there were other ways than force. “I have only to scream and all the Quartermains—including my husband—will be in here in moments.”

“Oh, but you surely don’t want to do that, Isabelle. You surely don’t.” He fixed her with his evil, dark-eyed gaze, and all the strength drained out of her legs. Whatever imp from hell inhabited her stepfather’s soul, it was making itself known right now, ready to set some diabolical plot into play. “I’m certain you’d have a care not to endanger your mother’s precarious health.”

“My mother?” Isabelle collapsed into the chair and he let her arm go. She rubbed the place where bruises were already forming. “What is wrong with Mama?”

“She knew you were here in London and neglected to tell me.” He shook his head. “She knows better than to keep secrets from her husband. I had to correct that behavior last night until at last she admitted she had known of your presence.”

“But she didn’t!” The protest came quickly, much good it would do her mother. God only knew what he’d done to her already. “We told no one I was coming. Not even the Quartermains knew.”

“Truly? Tsk, tsk. I must apologize to your mother for doubting her word.”

Isabelle shuddered. Ambrose never apologized to anyone. “You are a fiend, Ambrose Grey. You leave my mother alone.”

“Watch your tongue, girl.” He leaned toward her, menace in his tone. “Who are you to tell me what to do?”

“I am Lady MacKay, Captain Grey.” She sprang to her feet, but careful to move out of his reach. “I now have the power of my husband’s position and family ties behind me. If you touch me, they will bring the full weight of the law to bear on you.” She wasn’t certain that was true, but it seemed like a threat Ambrose might respect.

“Now listen closely, Lady MacKay.” His sneer made her want to cower, but somehow, she stood her ground. “Your husband’s family may be able to protect you, but they can’t do a thing about how I treat my wife. The law says a man can chastise his wife for misbehavior. Which means I can beat her, as long as I don’t break her bones or cause irreparable harm.” He grinned at her and Isabelle thought she’d swoon at the evil looking out of his eyes. “There are many ways a man can cause a woman pain without ‘irreparable harm.’ I can even strip her naked and turn her out of the house and the law won’t lift a finger against me.”

Tears pricked Isabelle’s eyes at the image of her mother broken and degraded at the hands of the monster she had married. “Then what do you want, Ambrose? Do you want to come have tea with me here in Welwyn House? Whatever you want, I will do if you will leave my mother alone.”

“My dear, I want what I have always wanted.” He gazed at her with lust laden eyes. “I want you to be my mistress.”

As though she was falling from a great height, Isabelle’s head spun as a great roaring filled her ears. Everything in the room wavered until—

Crack!

Her cheek exploded with pain. She jerked upright, coming face to face with Ambrose.

“We don’t have time for swooning, my dear. You need to listen to me and listen good. I mean to meet you here tomorrow afternoon to take you out in the carriage. Tell your husband you have reconciled with me for your mother’s sake and I am taking you to her so we can all three clear the air between us.”

Isabelle touched her cheek gingerly, hoping the fire would die down soon. It usually did, if the attack wasn’t repeated. She’d endured such things before.

The smile on his face turned into a lustful leer. “Of course, we will instead go to a house I’ve rented, just for the two of us.”

Bile rose up in her throat, but she choked it back. “You must be mad to think I would do such a thing.” He could strike her mother true, but when Sandy saw the bruises on her arm and face, Ambrose would be lucky to survive his wrath. “You have both assaulted and made vile suggestions to the wife of a peer. Such offenses are not above the law.”

“They may not be, but if you tell your husband or any of his kinfolk about this, or about our little arrangement, I promise you I’ll make your mother’s life a living hell. There are things I will do to her, Isabelle. Things you cannot even imagine. Things that will make her beg for death.”

Her breath came in shallow gasps now, unable to take in enough air. Soon she would swoon in earnest, a small respite from the nightmare that had come to life before her.

Ambrose’s evil smile emerged again. “I trust a daughter who loved her mother wouldn’t stand by and let that happen when she could so easily prevent it.”

Fear closed Isabelle’s throat so tightly, she thought she was choking. She couldn’t let this fiend torture her mother. Neither could she allow herself to be sullied and defiled by him as she betrayed her most loving husband. Gazing into Grey’s eyes which were devoid of any feeling save lust, she had no doubt at all he would carry out his threat until she gave in and became his mistress.

“Shall I call around here about one o’clock tomorrow?” His tone was the same as if he were asking her to a picnic in the park. “Then we can have a nice, long afternoon, just the two of us. You’ll even be home in time for tea.”

The hopelessness of the situation hit Isabelle with the power of a cannonball exploding in the midst of her idyllic life. Once she began this affair, she suspected he would never let her go. “Lord MacKay plans to leave London in a few days. How do I know my mother will be safe once I have returned to Scotland?”

“An intelligent wife would persuade her husband that her mother’s precarious health necessitates your regular visits to her bedside. Say, one week out of each month.” He leaned back in his chair, obviously pleased with himself. “I’m certain a young bride can prevail upon her doting husband to allow such journeys for some time to come.”

Oh, no. He’d not let her go. Ever. Then this was the choice she must make. Her mother’s life or her husband’s honor.

It really was no choice at all when she thought of it like that. Summoning all her courage, Isabelle nodded. “You can pick me up here, at one o’clock tomorrow. The butler will show you to this room. It’s where all callers are received. We can leave from here. As long as I am back in time for tea, nothing will be thought amiss.”

Ambrose’s grin widened. “I knew you would see the sense of this, my dear. You are satisfied to keep your mother safe, and I will be satisfied…in so many ways.” Eyes unfocused, he stared at her, seeming not to see her, but something else. “When I was marooned on that godforsaken island for so long, I thought about you every day, every night. Thought about what I would do when I was finally in bed with you again.” He licked his lips and focused his gaze on her. “Tomorrow, I’ll show you what I thought about doing to you most often.”