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Chapter Seven
Ravencroft rose tohis feet and held out his hand. “Very well. Shall we be off, then?”
Lady Ravencroft accepted his offer with caution. “No argument?”
Ravencroft sighed. “Will it do any good?” When his mother shook her head, he continued. “It is not my livelihood in question to infuriate Lady Langdale. I must think of Noel’s welfare first.”
His explanation must have satisfied his mother because she told him to follow her. Once inside the carriage, she handed him a blindfold. He tied the fabric over his eyes, and they rode in silence. He understood the procedure and wouldn’t fight against it in this instance. Today was about gathering as many clues as he could. He would operate on his own accord, and once he returned home, he would confide in Dracott and the Worthingtons.
Ravencroft kept track of the different turns the carriage took and the sounds outside for clues to their destination. The stench from the river invaded his nostrils, and he realized they were near the docks. However, he was unsure of what end of the river and hoped to gain more clues once they stopped. The carriage slowed to a crawl, and he heard the various shouts from an open market.
While they waited to continue, a whore propositioned the driver. “Only a shilling for a tup. What do you say, guv’na? Come back around for ole’ Jane to pleasure ye.”
Another clue for Ravencroft to store. Most whores never strayed far from where they spread their thighs at night. He hoped this information would come in handy when he brought Dracott back to find Noel.
The carriage started traveling again. After turning right twice, they stopped. He heard the door open and the swish of his mother’s skirts as she disembarked. “Come along, Ravencroft.”
Before he stepped out of the carriage, a pair of hands yanked him out and hauled him forward. He didn’t need to see who enabled him. He smelt the rankled breath of his mother’s thug Horace, smothering him with his force. His meaty hands moved to the back of Ravencroft’s neck and squeezed. Ravencroft gritted his teeth and rolled his hands into fists. He wanted to pummel the brute but held back. Soon he would seek his revenge for every brutal attack he had suffered and the torment Horace had inflicted on Dracott for years.
After Horace threw him into a room, his mother tugged off the blindfold. “I have no clue what happened between you two that enrages his temper when he sets eyes on you.”
Ravencroft glared at the brute, and Horace returned the glare, puffing out his chest to showcase his strength. The guard might be all steel and force, but Ravencroft would exploit his weakness when needed.
“Please take a seat, Lord Ravencroft,” Lady L demanded from the corner.
He turned toward the sound of her voice and saw her glide out from the darkness like a spider moving toward her prey. It was a game she played with him. She enjoyed toying with his emotions, and he took pleasure from refusing her every ploy to coax him to her bed. He may enjoy a woman skilled in the arts of pleasuring him in and out of bed, but he refused to allow her to sink her claws into him. How Worthington had allowed this woman into his life was beyond him.
Ravencroft moved to the nearest chair and sat as she commanded. This brought a smile to her face. He would follow every command until he secured Noel’s safe return home. He couldn’t allow his temper to rule his behavior, no matter how much they provoked him.
“Thank you for calling on us today.”
Ravencroft brushed off a piece of lint from his trousers. “You did not leave me much of a choice.”
A devious smile lit Lady L’s face. “No, I suppose we did not. The chit must mean more to you than I thought. I should have threatened to kidnap her, had I known how willing you would be to cooperate with my plan. From my observations, I thought you only played the part of a devoted fiancé. I found your act very believable. Especially with such a flighty debutante. I am only curious about how you never went mad while in her company. You must admit, she is not your usual flavor.”
Ravencroft’s gaze traveled around the room in an act of boredom at Lady L’s long, windy opinion of his relationship with Noel. He hoped he fooled her with his act of indifference. It was vital to his plan to show he held no tender emotion for Noel, except for the means to fill his empty coffers. If Lady L sniffed out any sort of interest, she would make Noel suffer during her kidnapping with her destructive mind games. Noel was sharper than most assumed, but she was no match for Lady Langdale.
“You are correct, my lady. You are aware of the type of woman I prefer to warm my bed with. However, Noel Worthington fits perfectly into my plans for a wife.” Ravencroft ticks off the reasons on his fingers. “First, she is a beauty to gaze upon. Second, she never questions my word. Third, she never makes demands but seeks for me to make all decisions. The fourth reason is how clueless she is to my other activities. And number five, the most important of all, my marriage to her will secure my finances for life. Worthington is more than generous with Lady Noel’s dowry.”
“Mmm,” Lady L murmured, walking behind him and trailing the tips of her fingers across his shoulders. “I wonder where Worthington has amassed his fortune. While I was his mistress, gossip circulated about his demise. It seems when his father died, he left the family dissolute.”
Ravencroft stayed relaxed as she touched him. “He married well. In fact, didn’t he throw you over for the Duke of Colebourne’s niece? Lady Evelyn was quite a catch for Worthington. Another lady who is a pleasure to gaze upon.”
Lady L’s fingers pressed harder at his subtle poke. “From what I heard, it was a forced marriage because his wife duped him.”
Ravencroft shrugged. “Either way, they must have settled their differences. They are the picture of marital bliss.”
“Enough about Worthington,” Lady L snapped.
