Lady Vanessa flushed then lowered her eyes. “I know it was foolish,” she murmured, “but it is often how I must get home.”
Winston looked back up at Lord and Lady Forthwell, both of whom looked defiant. He was so angry, he couldn’t speak—so they did this often, did they? Left their daughter alone in compromising situations? He was very glad that, come tomorrow, she was going to be safe from her parents once and for all.
“Lord Kingsley will be back tomorrow,” he said, looking back at Lady Vanessa, “and he will stay with you to make sure that you do not leave the house and are not in any danger.”
And without another word, he wrenched open the door and strode out into the hall. He had almost reached the front door when he heard his name being called one more time, and he turned to see that Lady Vanessa had followed him. She looked very pale but determined as she came up to him.
“And what of Lord Langdon?” she asked in a small voice. “Will you send him to the Bow Street Runners?”
Winston hesitated. “I will not if you truly believe it will ruin you, but I will deal with him, Lady Vanessa. Do not worry about that.”
He didn’t know if she knew exactly what he meant, but there it was again—the flicker of fear in her eyes. A flash of pain jolted through him, and he turned away.
Better she fears me,he told himself as he threw open the front door,than takes too many risks and ends up in Lord Langdon’s clutches once more.
Chapter Ten
Ifear that I will not be able to go shopping with you today,Vanessa wrote,as I am currently being kept hostage in my own home by your cousin, my fiancé, the Duke of Thornfield.
Vanessa stared at the line for several moments then crossed it out with her quill. It was a touch dramatic although it accurately captured exactly how she felt—as if she was a prisoner in her own home. It was Lord Langdon that should be the prisoner, of course, but even now, she knew he was probably walking free—per her request—while she was being watched over by an ever-vigilant jailer.
“Who are you writing to?” her jailer asked, and Vanessa glanced up at Lord Kingsley, who was sitting across the room from her in an armchair, watching her with an easy, pleasant look on his face.
Kingsley had arrived early that morning, just as the Duke had promised, and he had spent the rest of the morning sitting withVanessa and her mother—who was nursing a headache—in the parlor. So far, Vanessa had tried to ignore him, but it seemed that Kingsley was now growing bored and was eager for some conversation.
She set her mouth into a thin scowl and folded her arms. “I am writing to Miss Phoebe Redding, if you must know,” she said. “Why? Are you about to tell me that the Duke of Thornfield has banned me from writing to my friends as well?”
“Certainly not,” Kingsley said, sounding good-natured and not at all as if he was put out by having to watch over her for a day. “I was simply curious. Nor did I know that you and Miss Redding were friends. You must give her my regards.”
“You know Miss Redding?” Vanessa asked, trying to disguise her interest. Even in all the excitement of yesterday’s kidnapping, she had not forgotten her new friends nor her eagerness to get to know them better.
“Indeed, I do,” Kingsley said. “She is the Duke’s cousin after all, and although he is not what I would describe as a family man, there have still been many occasions when I have dined with both of them—and even attended a house party or two.”
“She was very kind to me yesterday at the ball,” Vanessa explained, looking back at her letter. “She and Lady Selina Wexford protected me from Lord Langdon when he tried to force me to dance with him, and then they agreed to come shopping for fabric for my wedding dress. I am just writing to let Miss Redding know that will now no longer be possible.”
She felt a lump rise in her throat, but she pushed it away.Now is not the moment to feel sorry for yourself,she told herself sternly.Even if you cannot shop for the wedding dress of your dreams, at least you are not being forced to wed Langdon in Scotland.
When she glanced up at Kingsley, however, he looked sympathetic.
“I am sorry that you won’t be able to go shopping with your new friends,” he said. “That would have been an excellent way to spend the days before your wedding.”
“Well, now it is spoiled,” she snapped. “And that is thanks to you and your friend, the Duke of Thornfield.”
“Darling,” her mother said from the sofa nearest the writing desk, “would you mind keeping your voice down? Some of us have a headache.”
Vanessa swallowed and turned back to her letter. Truthfully, she was still angry with her mother for sending her from the ball unchaperoned. If it weren’t for that careless act, none of this would have happened.
Kingsley, however, did not heed Lady Forthwell’s plea. He stood and came over to the writing desk, sitting down in a chair next to it and looking with interest at Vanessa.
“I gather from your tone that you are angry about being confined to the house,” he said.
“Of course, I am!” She frowned at him. “It’s a bit extreme, do not you think?”
“I do not after what happened last night.”
“I am sure Langdon will not try anything like that again,” she said dismissively. “He has been warned.”
“I would not be so sure,” Kingsley replied darkly. “His Grace and I have dealt with many men like him in our time, and he is by far the most persistent.”
