Winston was pleased to see the way that Lord Langdon shrank back, his eyes wide, as Winston stepped into the room. For a long moment, the man was too shocked to respond. Then his hand went to his hip, as if reaching for his revolver.
“Oh no, we will have none of that,” Leo cried, jumping from the bed and grabbing Lord Langdon from behind, forcing his hands behind his back.
“Let me go!” Lord Langdon shouted. “This is assault!”
“I would be much more worried about the charges that are going to be laid at your door, Lord Langdon,” Leo said, keeping a firm hold on Langdon even as he began to struggle.
“The more you resist, the worse it will be for you,” Winston thundered as he glared down at the man. “You have kidnapped my fiancée and forced her into a position that puts her honor atrisk. For that, you will be met with the full extent of the law—and my own vengeance.”
Lady Vanessa gasped, and Winston finally met her gaze. Ever since he had arrived in the doorway, he hadn’t been able to look at her directly. He was sure that if he did, some part of him would crumple, and he might accidentally reveal the fear that had been gripping him for the past few hours.
“Y-your Grace,” she mumbled, stepping forward. Her whole body, he was furious to see, was trembling. “What are you doing here? H-how did you f-find me?”
She was beginning to shake more, and Winston’s alarm grew.
“My lady, you are in shock,” he said, stepping closer to her and laying a hand on her shoulder. “We must get you a blanket. I will explain everything on the way back to London.”
He went quickly to the bed and grabbed a blanket off it. Then he brought it back to Lady Vanessa and wrapped it around her shoulders. She looked up at him gratefully, her eyes still wide and full of questions.
Leo, meanwhile, had managed to push Lord Langdon down onto the bed and tie a rope around him. He was now fully in their custody.
“We can take him back to London in his own carriage,” Winston declared. “Take him downstairs—I would like a moment alone with my bride-to-be.”
Leo nodded and marched Lord Langdon out of the room. As Langdon passed Winston, his eyes burned into him. “You will not get away with this,Your Grace,”Langdon snarled, spit flying from his mouth.
“Speak to me again, and you will be dragged behind the carriage—not in it,” Winston seethed.
Leo forced Langdon out the door then closed the door behind him, and Winston turned to Lady Vanessa. She had taken a step back and was staring up at him with a look remarkably similar to fear.
“You would not actually let him be dragged behind, would you?” she whispered.
Winston set his jaw. He realized that at times, he could let his temper get the best of him, but it was no more than Langdon deserved.
“That was, perhaps, a tad harsh,” he said after a moment. “Although he did kidnap you and was intending to force you to marry him.”
Lady Vanessa nodded. “Yes, he was. How did you know?”
“I was watching you at the ball.”
Her eyes widened even more. “You were at the ball?” she breathed. “I did not see you! Why did you not dance with me?”
“I should have,” Winston said, swallowing. The guilt was already strong inside of him. He knew he had let her down by not coming down at once and dancing with her. If he had, he might have saved her from this horrific event. “But from where I was watching, I saw him follow you out of the ball. I thought something was wrong, so I brought Lord Kingsley with me, and we followed the carriage. Once we realized where Langdon was taking you, Lord Kingsley rode ahead so that we could have Langdon surrounded.”
Lady Vanessa looked astonished. “You did all that… for me?”
“You are my fiancée,” Winston said stiffly. He did not like the look of awe in her eyes or the warmth with which she was now staring at him. “You are my responsibility.”
She nodded slowly. “Well, I must thank you,” she murmured at last. “You saved me from a terrible fate. Again.”
Winston shifted. He did not like her gratitude. That was not why he had done what he’d done.
“Come, we must go back to London,” he said. “Are you well enough to travel? You will have to ride on my horse with me.”
“I am well enough to travel,” she said. She sounded determined, and even though she looked exhausted, she was no longer trembling as he helped her onto his horse several minutes later.
The ride back to London felt much faster this time since he was not afraid with every passing moment that he would be too late—that he would fail to save Lady Vanessa. This time, Winston was less fearful, but he did feel a raging fury—at Lord Langdon, at himself, but most of all, at Lady Vanessa’s parents. This anger was calmed only by the feel of his bride-to-be behind him on the horse, clinging on tightly, her arms wrapped around him.
I will never let her down again,he swore to himself as the hours passed.I will make sure she is under my protection from now on, not Lord and Lady Forthwell’s.
