Page 71 of The Lady Was Lying
“Don’t be so sure.”
“Duels are dangerous,” he replied. “But even if they weren’t, your brother is not going to challenge me, and we are not going to shoot each other. Neither of us are that foolish.”
“Sebastian will defend my honor,” she declared.
“I’m sure he will defend your honor, but it won’t be with guns at dawn.”
How did he remain so unruffled? What did he hope to gain from kidnapping her if not marriage? “If someone other than Jane saw you snatch me and stuff me into your carriage, guns at dawn might be the only option,” she stubbornly avowed for no other reason than that she could.
His grin widened and he shook his head. “Stop trying to pretend you’d let your brother shoot me.”
“If I had a gun right now, I’d shoot you myself.” She wasn’t much of a shot, but she couldn’t miss from this distance.
“Would you?”
Her resolve wavered. “Maybe.”
He laughed, still not seeming the slightest bit worried. It was more than a little infuriating. “Once we get where we’re going, it won’t matter who saw me put you in my carriage.”
“Why is that?” she couldn’t help asking. Every tease he offered about his plan only made her more intrigued.
“You’ll see,” he responded.
She refused to give him the satisfaction of begging, so she returned to threatening him. “I know you haven’t been in London long, and you’re feeling a bit cocky that no one has realized your father wasn’t the Duke of Avondale, but I can assure you, my already shaky reputation cannot overcome an abduction. I am ruined. Utterly and completely. You’ll have to answer for your actions whether you want to or not.”
“You won’t be ruined for long,” he stated. “I can promise you that.”
What did he know that she didn’t? “I already am.”
“No, you aren’t. I have a plan, and it will protect your reputation. I won’t allow harm to come to you.”
Pretending she wasn’t affected by his claim that he would protect her, she replied, “Once I return home, my brother will banish you from visiting, and I will not allow myself to be kidnapped again, so your plan better be a good one.”
If it wasn’t, she’d never see him again.
There was another pang in her chest, but she ignored it. She refused to miss him when he was gone.
The carriage turned, picking up speed, but she didn’t allow herself to look out the window to try to figure out where they were or where they were headed. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“I’m not returning you to your brother,” he settled back against the cushions on his side, confidence intact, the picture of ease.
“You cannot keep me forever.”
“We are heading to my estate, Bramblewood. It’s a long journey. Maybe by the time we get there, you’ll agree to my plan and want to stay.”
“Stay?” She couldn’t stay unless they married. Even she was not bold enough to live with a man who wasn’t her husband.
“Forever,” he added.
How did he expect that to work? “My brothers will find us. It won’t take much for them to discover where you live.” Sebastian and Edward would never allow her to be held hostage.
“Do you know where I live?” he asked.
Waving her fingers in the air, she made a guess. “North.” When he nodded, she added, “I bet my brothers are already on our trail.” They’d probably catch up by nightfall, if not sooner.
“Maybe, but this carriage is well sprung. The horses are rested. We’ll make good time, and we have a head start.”
“We’ll have to stop eventually.”
