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“Where does he want her?”
“In the salon,” the other man replied quietly.
He? Who? Who wanted her in what salon? This was madness! People didn’t take ladies from Hyde Park at eleven in the morning.
“Come along, Miss Drake.” Large hands grabbed her waist and pulled her toward the door.
Emma twisted and turned as best she could to avoid his grip to no avail. “Let me go!” she shouted.
“Hush or I’ll stick something in your mouth to quiet you,” he said, pulling her to the door.
Oh dear God! What did he mean by that? “You are vile!”
“Yes, I am,” the man replied gruffly. He pulled her out of the carriage and back over his shoulder.
“Who is he?” she asked quietly, knowing there was nothing she could do now.
“Don’t know and don’t care. My job was to deliver you here.”
“What kind of man are you to abduct a woman while she walks in the park with her sister? What would your mother think of you?” Hopefully, mentioning his mother might spark a hint of guilt in the man.
“A man ten pounds richer. And I’m thinkin’ my ma would love to have some fresh meat on the table.”
She heard a door creak open then shut behind them. The man continued walking and then started up the stairs. He slowed only long enough to push a door open before he dumped her on her feet. He untied her hands and then the bag from her head. She spun around and stared at the man who’d taken her.
“Now, I know what you look like and will report it to the constable.”
The man laughed as he walked toward the door. “You’ll never see me again.”
An ominous shiver crawled up her back. “You can’t leave me here. Please, I can pay you more than this man.”
“Not likely.” He shut the door behind him.
Hearing the click of the lock, panic ensued. There had to be a way out. Even knowing it was futile, she ran to the door and tried the handle. She pushed against the door. Spinning back around, she eyed the windows. After trying each of them, she realized there was one way out. But staring down to the ground, she wondered if she could survive such a drop.
She glanced back at the two long settees. Perhaps if she could break the window and toss the cushions out the window when she jumped, they would soften the fall. What could she use to break the window?
There were a few books around the room, but she wasn’t certain that would break the glass. She needed something more substantial to shatter the glass and allow her to throw a sofa cushion through. Spying a wood visiting chair, she walked toward it. She lifted the chair and discovered it wasn’t too heavy. Just enough weight that she could hurl it into the windowpane.
She brought the chair closer to the window. Lifting it, she inhaled deeply and heaved the chair at the window. The crash of glass breaking reverberated throughout the entire room. Knowing she had alerted her captor of her impending escape, she rushed to the settee and yanked the cushion toward the window. The bloody thing was awkward to move, almost feeling heavier than the chair. She shoved it out the window.
Watching it fall to the ground, she couldn’t help a shiver of apprehension run through her. Should she stop this mad idea and wait for her capture? No! She had no idea who had perpetrated this crime, but she had no intention of being raped or killed today. Still, seeing the distance from the window to the sofa on the ground, she had to toss the other sofa cushion down there.
This time, she was used to the weight and awkwardness of moving it across the room. Reaching the window, the door to the room crashed open.
“Would you please tell me why you are throwing my furniture out the window?”
Chapter 26
Simon couldn’t help but smile at the look of confusion on her face. He hadn’t expected her to attempt to escape through the window of his salon. However, she had done nothing but surprise him in the last two months. Gone was the hesitant girl he met a year ago. She had matured into a beautiful, self-confident lady, even if she’d become more than a little reckless.
All she had wanted was a little freedom from her mother’s overbearing attitude toward marriage and reputations. He coul
dn’t blame her for that.
She was the exact opposite of what he’d thought he might ever want in a wife. Not that he’d even thought much about marriage and wives until a month ago. Now, it was all he could think about. He wanted to spend the rest of his life learning all her secrets.
But right now, he just wanted to show her how much he loved her.
