Page 66 of A Courtesan Countess Worth the Scandal
“I am,” she replied, trying to sound nonchalant.
Apparently satisfied that she was not about to keel over, Liam led her toward the object of her nightmares. With every step they took toward the man, she wanted to throw Liam’s hand off her and sprint in the opposite direction, but they would soon veer past him, and she would not have to see him again. At least, that was what she thought, until Liam came to a halt directly in front of the man she hated most in this world.
“Uncle, I am so pleased you arrived safely. I heard there was snow upon the road that was preventing travel.” Liam smiled widely, as Nora’s heart sank. “But I do hope my being here is a pleasant surprise, after our last discussion. We departed London in haste, and I had no time to send a letter before me.”
Liam’s uncle stared back at Nora, though he swiftly covered the flicker of distaste that had crossed his wrinkled, despicable features. “Not at all, my Dear Boy. I am delighted to see you back home, where you belong. And I am gladder still that you accepted my invitation.” He cleared his throat. “And who might this young lady be?”
Liam ushered Nora forward with a slight pressure to the small of her back. “This is my wife, Nora.” He glanced down at her. “My Love, this is my Uncle Edward.”
Oh, I know who you are, you foul little rat.
Except, she had not known that he was any relation to the gentleman she had sworn to stay beside. In all the time she had known Edward, he had told her that his name was Edward Coram. If she had heard the name “Westwood” or “Keswick,” she would surely have put the pieces together. But it seemed that bastard’s lies were still running wild, foxing her even a decade later.
“Wife?” Edward looked as though he was about to choke.
Liam nodded. “I will explain everything to you later, but my beloved is complaining of a sudden ailment, and I would see her safely to her chambers.”
Nora rested her hand on Liam’s. “You stay here, Love, and speak with your uncle. I’ll take a brief walk in the gardens. I’m sure it’ll revive my spirits.” She did not wait for his response. Breaking away, she walked back toward the concealed doorway she had entered through, feeling as though she were about to collapse.
Why did it have to be you? Anyone else, and I could’ve borne it—but why did it have to be you?
Liam’s revelation did not even compare to this terrible twist of fate. Indeed, she would rather have discovered that he was still married, or had done something awful to his former wife, than find out that he was the nephew of her sworn enemy.
“What am I supposed to do, now?” she gasped, reaching the chill of the night air. Unsteady on her legs, she lumbered into the nearest wall and clung on tight, wishing with all her heart that she had never met Liam. For her hopes had transformed into a tangled knot, and she had no idea how to even begin to untie it.
Sucking in rasping breaths to try and stave off the dizziness that made black spots dance in her field of vision, she had just about managed to balance herself, when a rough hand seized her by the wrist and dragged her forcibly away from the Manor.
In that moment, she was eight-and-ten again, trying to fight off Edward’s advances. He had overpowered her then, and he was overpowering her now, though his expression of pure aggression and self-satisfaction had not changed at all.
“Let go of me or I’ll scream so loud the Constables in the nearest village will hear me!” she hissed at his back, as he continued to yank on her arm, hauling her further and further away from the safety of the Manor.
His head twisted around, his eyes dark with malice. “You will not scream. You learned a long time ago that it makes no difference. Now, I have no intention of causing you harm, but if you do anything to irk me, I will not hesitate to silence you however I see fit.”
Still trying to drag her heels into the dirt, to slow their forward journey into the dense darkness, Nora’s heart hammered in her chest as frantic tears trickled down her cheeks. She had battled so hard to forget everything this man had ever done to her, and it had all been for nothing. And now, when she was about to taste her first sip of true happiness with Liam, Edward had come along to destroy that, too.
Am I always to be alone, because of you? Am I never to escape your clutches, no matter how many years pass by?
They marched on past the quaint gardens, Nora’s feet sinking into the sodden mud as Edward yanked her across the lawns, toward the ominous forest that loomed in the distance. An owl hooted a warning, and she knew that if she crossed that boundary line between the lawns and the woodland, there would be nothing she could do if he decided to dispose of her.
However, she was helpless to prevent that from happening. She could not even stop him from dragging her bodily to wherever they were headed.
She concentrated on the ground, trying to keep her footing, as Edward crossed over into the forest, trudging across the frost-glazed twigs and the soggy mulch that scattered the woodland floor. She did not know how he could see the path, but she wishedhewould losehisfooting and stumble over an unseen obstacle, so she might have a sliver of a chance of getting away.
“You have caused me naught but grief, Girl,” Edward rasped, surefooted in the gloom. “I gave you that townhouse. I gave you furnishings. I gave you an annual sum that you could use however you pleased. I did not have to do that, but I did. And now, I find you have flouted my generosity. I warned you of what would happen if you did that.”
Nora’s glared at his back. “I haven’t flouted your so-called generosity. I have maintained my end of the bargain. I haven’t spoken about you or cursed your name in public. I have kept my silence, as promised.”
“Is that so?” Edward stalked further into the woodland, following a narrow trail that was just visible in the moonlight that fragmented through the boughs overhead. Whenever she lagged, he yanked harder on her wrist.
“Why would I do otherwise, and risk losing my home?” she shot back, trying to catch her foot on a fallen bough, in the hopes it might make him stumble.
Edward snorted. “That is precisely what I would like to know.”
For the next ten minutes, he did not say another word. Instead, he concentrated on the path ahead of him until, at last, they emerged into a rounded clearing. Craning her head around his bulky shoulder, she spotted a stone cottage in the center of the clearing, with barred windows and an iron door that did not exactly look like it belonged to a gamekeeper.
“Where are we? What are you going to do with me?” Her nerves rattled inside her, as Edward unceremoniously pushed her to the ground, where he could truly exert his power and loom over her.
His eyes glinted in the moonlight. “I am the one asking the questions, Miss Black,” he spat. “As for what I am going to do with you; that rather depends on how you answer.”
