Page 69 of No Ordinary Lady

She had woken in the dark room with an aching head that left her dizzy, and discovered herself bound and gagged. She hadn’t reacted immediately. But as her eyes adjusted, she’d recognized she was still at the manor and in a room vaguely familiar to her.

The last thing she remembered, though, was being in Danny’s chambers, stuffing her pockets with his money and planning her escape from the manor that night.

She didn’t know who was out there pacing in the next room, but they seemed to be taking their time, and for that Marian was grateful.

She shook her head, testing that her dizziness had indeed passed now and noticed no further signs of imbalance. Aside from that, she was not hurt.

But someone must have caught her in the act of stealing and knocked her over the head before dragging her into this small room.

There seemed to be tall cupboards and chests of drawers all around her, as well as a tall looking glass. The chair she was tied to was well-padded. It was very dark, but she was certain she was in an upstairs chamber of the manor. And perhaps a lady’s dressing room, though not one she recognized.

But why had she been taken here, of all places? Shouldn’t she have been dragged before the lord of the manor to be dealt with somewhere below, like his study?

And what would Danny do when he found out she’d stolen from him, besides send her away? Was he making her wait until the dinner was over before dealing with her? She glanced at the window and thought it must be over soon, if not already.

The footsteps on the other side of the door stopped abruptly when a knock rang through the room.

Marian stilled and listened as her captor spoke to someone at the door, but it was much too far away to make out any words or determine which speaker was her captor.

Marian looked about but found nothing that might help her escape. With her ankles bound to the chair legs, and her hands tied firmly behind her back, she could move only a little. She couldn’t move enough to win her freedom, and there was no point trying to overturn her chair when she might hurt her head again.

She cursed under her breath at the audacity of her captor. To lock Marian in a ladies’ dressing closet was surely overstepping their authority.

The voices stopped, and eventually the footsteps headed back toward Marian. A key turned in the lock and light flared, blinding her.

And when Marian could make out the figure holding the candle, she discovered it was the countess herself, smiling grimly at her.

“Ah, good. You’re finally awake.”

“My lady?” she mumbled, utterly shocked, blinking her eyes.

Lady Scarsdale disappeared out the door again, leaving Marian alone for a few minutes at most.

Crockery rattled, and the countess returned to the room carrying a tea tray, which she sat down on a table opposite Marian. The tray contained a teapot, cup and saucer, and a plate of sugar biscuits.

“How did I get here?” Marian mumbled around the gag.

“I put you here, my dear,” the countess admitted. “I’m so glad you’re not a tall thief or overly heavy. That would have posed a difficulty for me tonight.”

So, it had been Lady Scarsdale who’d discovered Marian with her hands in Danny’s drawers while everyone was supposed to be at dinner?

Marian would gape if her mouth wasn’t already stuffed with a cloth. Lady Scarsdale had seemed so proper and reserved on every other occasion. No real threat to anyone. How could Marian have been so wrong?

Lady Scarsdale folded her hands in her lap. “Now let’s start at the beginning, shall we?”

It was quite frightening how normal and calm Lady Scarsdale seemed about holding Marian captive in a dressing closet. She must be far stronger than she looked, too. She might not have even needed help to get Marian from Danny’s room all the way to her own, a distance of some twenty yards down the hallway, and then tied her up before she’d regained her senses.

And the knot work on the bindings holding her captive to this chair still defied Marian’s nimble fingers and slender wrists, too. It occurred to Marian then that Lady Scarsdale had done this before.

Clearly, the countess meant to handle the business of her thievery herself. And she was in no rush to deliver a punishment.

The older woman poured herself a cup of tea, sweetened it a little, took a sip, and then set the cup down on the table covered by a pretty embroidered cloth. The tea service was one Marian had never seen before downstairs. But the sugar biscuits were favorites of Marian’s, and her stomach rumbled with hunger and her mouth watered since she’d missed dinner tonight.

Lady Scarsdale noticed the direction of her gaze. “See something else you’d like to take from us?”

“No,” Marian answered immediately around the gag.

“Manners make a lady, Miss Trill.”