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Eleanor had tried to get away from Leyton, but he was too strong. He didn’t strike her, but Eleanor did wince when he made to hit her, only to stop and clench his hand into a fist inches from her face. She needed to get out of there, as fast as possible.
But Leyton didn’t let her get away, even after Eleanor brought her knee up. He doubled over, but he didn’t let go of her, wrestling her into the chair he had been sitting in. Before Eleanor could react and fight back, she saw a flash of metal and something tickled her neck. She froze. Leyton had a knife.
“Good girl.” Leyton reached under the chair, drawing out a coil of rope. “You know when to behave given the right incentive.”
Eleanor didn’t respond. She bared her teeth and snarled at him. Leyton ignored her, bringing the rope up and wrapping it around her chest and the chair, pinning her in. Eleanor struggled, but she had to stop. It was hard to breathe when the ropes were pressing hard into her ribcage. Leyton knelt in front of her and sliced off some of the rope, which he used to tie her wrists together.
“Do you normally keep rope in a bedchamber?”
“Only as a precaution. Keeps guests from getting a little...above their station.” Leyton flashed her a grin. “You’re not going to get out of this. I’m pretty good with knots.”
Eleanor snorted. “If this is your idea of declaring your undying love for me, Leyton, you’re going the wrong way about it.”
“Oh, Eleanor.” Leyton sighed and sat back on his heels. “I think we’ve gone past that point. I tried to reason with you, but you wouldn’t listen. Then you might not be here tied to a chair.”
“The fact you have to tie me down should tell you something.”
“It says that I’m going to have to settle for unrequited love. For now.” Leyton rose to his feet. “You know, these days you don’t need to love each other to marry. I mean, you were going to be married for simple convenience. All you need to marry two people is a priest.”
“You also need consent from the father of the bride,” Eleanor reminded him. “As well as consent from me. I don’t consent, and Father will never consent to have you as his son-in-law.”
Leyton sniggered.
“He won’t have a choice.”
He reached out and traced his fingers down Eleanor’s cheek. Eleanor snarled and jerked her head away. Leyton paused.
“Still a lot of fight in you. I’m sure we can change that. You’ll come to love me, Eleanor. I’ll be devoted to you, just as I have been for the last ten years.”
“Ten years should have been enough time for you to realize when a woman says no, she means it.”
“I also learned that women know how to tease a man, that they like a chase.” Leyton folded his arms. “And you like to be chased.”
“I’m no tease!”
“And I’ve been told women say that all the time.”
“Who said that to you?” Eleanor sneered. “Because they’re just as mad as you.”
Leyton’s flashed eyes, his jaw tightening. He didn’t like the fact she kept mentioning he had been committed. Good. Eleanor wanted him angry. Then maybe she could use that to get away. If she could breathe; the ropes were making it harder to do so.
“No one’s going to be calling me mad soon. Especially not you.” Leyton turned and headed towards the door. “A priest will be here at midnight. He’ll marry us, and then we’ll be heading off for a nice long honeymoon. The Isle of Wight sounds like a perfect destination at this time of year.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“You what?” Eleanor cried. “No!”
Leyton stopped at the door, letting out a huge, frustrated sigh. He turned and leaned on the door with his shoulder.
“Come on, Eleanor. I think I’ve already said that you don’t have a choice. I’ve made the decision for both of us. Just accept that.”
Eleanor would not accept it. Just like Leyton would not accept her refusal. He was so determined to have her that he was willing to go to these lengths. Eleanor had met stubborn people in her time, but Matthew Leyton was something else. And it was beginning to get less frustrating and more frightening. Eleanor felt her pulse pick up, and her ability to breathe was getting harder to do. She started to take slow, shallow breaths, but that still hurt.
“You’re out of your mind.”
Leyton snorted. “I’m out of my mind? You’re out of your mind to have turned me down - so many times. Because of you, I ended up having a breakdown. You had to have known I would go to drastic lengths to have you as mine.”
“I think if I was the reason for your breakdown, that should have given you a hint,” Eleanor shot back. “I’ll never marry you Leyton, and I’ll say no the whole way through the ceremony. The priest won’t have any choice but to say he can’t marry us.”
