She clambered out of her chair and stood on unsteady legs. Her knees wobbled as she fought the urge to dart from the room and seek shelter elsewhere.
But then, the cloaked figure removed his hood, and she saw a face she knew almost as well as her own.
“Daniel!” Daphne cried, rushing to meet her brother.
She was torn between two emotions: joy at seeing him and fear that something must have gone wrong.
Why was he here?
She had only been with the Nicholsons for a few days. Surely, Briarwood would require more than a week to fix his sights on another young lady of theton.
“Pack your things,” he urged, his eyes wild. His hair seemed to stick in different directions, not quite the suave young man he had grown up to be. His tone was anxious. Sharp.
“What is it, my lord?” Reverend Nicholson inquired, frowning.
“Why are you taking her so soon?” Mrs. Nicholson sounded distressed and disappointed.
Before Daniel could provide a response, the door swung open.
In came the man who had been plaguing Daphne’s nightmares.
Briarwood.
In the flesh. Right in the village.
How had he known? How had he figured out her location? Had he researched her family so thoroughly that he’d discovered Wilhelmina’s secret? Even if he had managed that feat, how had he come to trace her connection to the Nicholson family?
Daphne shook her head frantically, seeking to clear the jumbled thoughts from her brain.
Dwelling on details is unnecessary—Briarwood has found me and is now here.
Daphne gasped, feeling cold all over. It was like someone had taken a whole pail of ice water and doused it on her.
“We need to leave now, sister,” Daniel said, immediately shielding his sister from the Earl.
“You know that you can’t escape from me no matter where you go. I am here for my future bride,” Briarwood declared, sneering.
“I am not your future bride!” Daphne protested, even as her voice shook. “I have told you several times that I want nothing to do with you. I have even fled London to escape you. Do you want an unwilling wife? A wife who leaves her home just to avoid you? Certainly, you can see that I don’t want to be your bride.”
“I can forgive a mistake or two from my betrothed,” the Earl said, with a cruel smirk. “Which proves the generosity of my spirit, my lady.”
Frustration simmered inside her. Rage mingled with it, potent and spinning. What kind of man was the Earl? She knew that no matter what she said, this man would be deaf to her words.
Her shoulders slumped, even as she hid behind her brother.
What can I do now?
The Nicholsons’ home had already felt like the final place to hide.
Daniel stepped in front of her and said, “She is going nowhere with you, Briarwood. She has refused you multiple times now. You coming here… tracking her… that changes nothing. Go back to London and find yourself another bride. There are several young ladies would who be honored to be your countess.”
The Earl’s eyes darkened. “I am not leaving, Grisham. You’d best get it into your head. I am not a man to be refused.”
Daphne felt a shiver down her spine as he uttered the last words. His tone clearly indicated that if it came to it, he’d drag her back to London with him.
And if he tried, Daniel would intervene. Which would inevitably lead to violence. Even though Daniel was much younger than theEarl, if Daniel had to subdue him to get her out of the cottage, the Earl would be humiliated.
And he wouldn’t like that. He would return to London and use his influence to spread rumors, to poison her family’s name, and possibly corrupt her virtue.
