Chapter Eighteen
The air wascool as Clarissa snuck quietly out of Castle Millwool and walked down the drive. She kept looking over her shoulder, worried that someone would take notice and come after her. She pulled her cloak closer and turned onto the street, hurrying towards where, hopefully, Kitt’s carriage would be waiting.
The birds were unusually quiet as if they, too, were uneasy with her plan.
She had to admit her nerves were on edge. All night, she tossed and turned thinking about what the day would bring. But in the end, every scenario she conjured up in her mind was dismissed with the fact that in the end, Alexander would be whole again. She could handle dinner with Kitt. She’d been present at plenty of dinners of which were no interest to her. She could attend one more.
For Alexander, she felt like she could do anything.
Shewoulddo anything.
A couple walked along the street, arm in arm, chatting happily as they passed. Clarissa didn’t recognize them and didn’t make eye contact as they passed. They could be acquaintances of Alexander, or even her brother for that matter.
Turning the corner, she spotted a Phaeton stopped, a coachman waiting by the door. She paused, smoothing her skirt with gloved hands. Her heart pounded a steady rhythm in herchest. Her pulse quickened and for the first time she pondered whether or not she was doing the right thing.
Was she being naïve in thinking that Kitt had only honorable intentions in mind?
She didn’t know much about Jacob Kitt other than what she had heard Alexander and Nicholas speak. And of course, she had met him at the ball they had all attended and had danced with him. It wasn’t a pleasant dance and Alexander had saved her from having to suffer through another one, but they wouldn’t be dancing at his house surely.
Nay, she imagined the man would host a dinner and they would converse.
How that would result in Alexander not having to pay his auction bid, she had no idea. It seemed hardly a comparative offer. She was nothing special. And as has been shown, she had no say whatsoever in the direction her life took. Everything was up to Nicholas, and if Kitt wasn’t in Nicholas’s good graces, then naught would come to fruition.
Taking in a deep breath, she slowly blew out through her nose, trying to calm her nerves and then repeated the process, before stepping forward and approaching the coachman.
“Miss Gordon?” The coachman moved away from the door and greeted her.
“Aye,” she dropped into a curtsy.
“Baron Kitt has sent me to bring you to his estate as requested.” He swung open the door and dropped the step. “Please, let me assist ye.” He held out his hand and she accepted it and stepped into the carriage.
The door shut with a bang, and she jumped, startled as she settled onto the bench. She glanced out the window in the direction that she had come in to make sure no one had followed her. The street was empty, and she relaxed a wee bit as the carriage started to roll down the street.
Not knowing where the Kitt estate was she had not the faintest idea how long it would take to arrive. As the time passed, her mind wandered, and her nervousness rose. So much so, that the further they got away from Millwool, the more she was doubting her decision.
Nicholas would be furious once he discovered that she had left. And no one was aware of her intended destination. What if something went wrong? What if Kitt had ulterior motives? She had not thought of that possibility afore, but now could see where she could be walking into a dangerous situation.
All she wanted was to help Alexander.
Now she feared that her desperation to help him may have blinded her to the danger of what could happen.
Moving to the bench on the front side of the carriage, she knocked on the wall to catch the coachman’s attention. It took a few minutes before he finally answered.
“Aye, Miss Gordon?” The man called.
“I apologize for the inconvenience, but I would verra much like to return to Castle Millwool.”
The coachman was silent.
“Sir?” She called out a little louder, a tinge of desperation making her voice rise.
“Aye, Miss. Baron Kitt has given explicit orders. I canna turn back. I am to deliver ye as promised.”
As promised?She wouldn’t necessarily say she promised him anything, other than agreeing to his terms of spending the day with him. Surely, they could reschedule with no issues.
Though the timeline would be an issue. She had heard Kitt’s threat to start killing Alexander’s sheep if he didn’t get what he wanted. And there were only two days left until his threats could come true.
He was a vile man if he thought taking his frustrations out on poor, innocent animals was the acceptable path to get what hewanted. Clarissa couldn’t get the image out of her head. Both of the poor sheep and of Alexander’s distress at seeing something he cared the world for being destroyed.
