Page 66 of Taming Ivy
“My dear, that’s not possible. Now, do not be difficult. We have business in Gretna Green, you see, and our attendance is mandatory for these matters to work.” Brandon’s tension visibly increased as he spoke. “Your infatuation with Ravenswood ran its course, and I’ve grown weary waiting for you to accept my proposal.”
“I don't wish to marry you.” Ivy’s face flushed with anger. Would she go through life constantly abducted at one point or another?
“This is a necessity, Ivy. I want you for my wife, and you are in desperate need of a husband.”
“I’m in desperate need to be left alone by selfish men.” The viscount was subjected to her cold stare. “And I was not infatuated with Ravenswood. Like you, he was little more than another suitor, bedeviling my steps. The gossips read far too much into his courtship.” The lie tasted bitter on Ivy's tongue. No other man on earth was like Sebastian Cain.
Brandon smiled, his tone dispassionate. “Of course, I must ignore the favors you granted him if I am to take you for my wife. A sacrifice I’m willing to make.” He flicked a speck of imaginary dust from his coat. “Your intimacy with that man angers me, although there is a bright side. The punishments I will mete out for the loss of your virginity will do much to appease me.”
Ivy’s blood chilled at the mention of punishments. What the devil did he mean? Why was his smile so frightening? So…different?“I did not grant him favors.”
The viscount cocked his head. “Didn’t you?”
Why did she not see this coming? Brandon believed himself the leader for her hand, although with no encouragement on her part. Fear left her mouth dry as Timothy came to mind. She survived that particular abduction. She would survive this too. But as she traced the scar hidden beneath her glove, she wanted to scream with helpless fury.
Brandon’s smile turned cruel with her silence. “I lost a great deal of money wagering I would be the one to break you. On our return to London, all will be put to right, and with your fortune, my losses will be covered quite handily. Although, I don’t wish you to think I only married you for your considerable wealth, darling.”
“This will be annulled,” Ivy said.
“Do you take me for a fool, Ivy?” Brandon might as well be a stranger; none of his previous courtly mannerisms in evidence. “I will have you. Best to resign yourself to it.”
“You will not be able to keep me.” Her head tilted with a sudden thought. “Have you considered I might be with child?”
He frowned. “Ravenswood broke off with you over a month ago. If you were breeding, you’d know by now.”
“But, areyoucertain?” Ivy asked. “Five nights ago, I was in the earl’s bed. I could be carrying his babe now. You would claim his bastard as your own? Take that risk?”
“I don’t believe you.” His hand waved in dismissal, but a fraction of doubt quivered in Brandon’s voice.
“Oh, it’s quite true. He came for me at the Faringdon Ball. You probably saw Lady Wesley escort me to the gardens; she helped him, to take me away. My disappearance created much gossip but it was Ravenswood’s doing, of course. He cannot stay away from me. I do believe the man is quite obsessed. Something in the family bloodlines, no doubt. You know his cousin suffered the same affliction…” Ivy shook her head as if in remembrance. “That very night, Sebastian took me to Ravenswood Court. Stripped me bare, laid me out on his bed. Then he…”
Brandon shook with impotent fury. “Shut up, damn you, shut up! Even if true, it changes nothing! We will wed, and if you are with child, there are ways to rid you of it. One never knows with first pregnancies. They can be so tenuous, so very fragile. Accidents are such a worry. We would start anew, and none would question the brat you carry is mine. I’ll make damn sure of it, even if it means keeping you under lock and key.”
The horror of his suggestion was sickening. Whatever Ivy hoped to accomplish by revealing Sebastian’s actions, Brandon smashed to bits with brutality. Despite her intent to be strong, tears welled in her eyes.
Leaning forward, he cupped her chin with merciless fingers. “Get some rest, my dear. When we stop to change horses, I suspect I’ll need to restrain you.”
“You are despicable,” Ivy choked, jerking away to press against the far wall of the coach.
“And you keep adding to the punishments, darling. Addressing me in such a manner is worthy of something quite painful.”
They continued through the afternoon and as darkness approached, a heavy rain erupted. The two horses labored in the thickening muck. In some parts of the road, the mire quickly became fetlock deep. Rain beat mercilessly against the glass of the coach windows while a harsh wind buffeted the vehicle until it became difficult to remain seated. Brilliant flashes of lightening illuminated the murky black skies with growing frequency. As the storm grew, leaves and debris scuttled across the road and the horses whinnied loudly in protest as the coachman drove them onward with increasingly sharper cracks of the whip.
At one point, the coach skated sideways on a patchy sheet of mud, and Ivy’s heart lurched at the unsettling feel. The horses were slowed to a walk and she wondered if she dared an attempt at escaping. The coach moved so slowly, she might not be injured if she jumped. Would she reach the woods quickly enough to hide in the cover of darkness?
She would not be a helpless victim again, not as she had been with Timothy. She must fight until there was no strength left in her body. Sensing her intentions, Brandon moved to the seat beside her. Ivy reacted with the panic of a cornered fox. He gripped her upper arms and she bit at his hands, surprising him with her fierceness.
Brandon stared on the blood on his wrist then his hand lashed out, causing Ivy to crumple with a dazed sob, her hand to her jaw.
“Save the hysterics, Ivy.” With a punishing grip, he held her hands in one of his, leaving bruises on the pale skin of her wrists. His other hand clutched her face, fingers biting into the tenderness of her cheeks. “It will be so much better if you don’t struggle.”
“I’ll fight you with all I have.” Ivy’s response was a dizzy moan of pain.
He swooped in, kissing her so hard, his teeth ground against her own, his tongue whiplashing hers until she gagged. Ivy tasted blood; his or hers, she was unsure.
When Brandon finally released her, he laughed, licking his lips as if relishing the flavor of her, blood and all.
“Oh, very well. Fight, if you must. I’ll find pleasure in it too, that much is certain.”
