Page 121 of Courting Scandal With The Duke
The thump of her landing sounded shockingly loud in the quiet of the night. Hopefully the patter of raindrops would hide the noise.
She stood still listening but could hardly hear much more than the pounding of her heart.
She was at the side of the house.
Which way to go?
If she went around the front and tried to walk down the road, they would likely catch up to her very quickly.
She headed for the back of the house.
As she rounded the corner, she could see a large terrace and beyond that darkness. Hopefully lawns, not a maze of formal gardens.
The sound of voices wafted out of a window. Not voices. A voice. A particularly well-known deep voice. Xavier?
‘Explanation?’ he said. ‘Or an excuse?’
Was he also part of her father’s plot? Her heart sank.
‘Where is the Countess? I shall not be pleased if she has come to any harm.’
Had he actually come forher? It wasn’t possible.
‘My dear Xavier, do not be fooled by a pretty face,’Charles was saying. ‘Think. You will make yourself a laughing stock.’
Barbara wished he was wrong. She dashed raindrops out of her face and looked longingly at the darkness. Within a very few minutes she could be far from the house, and they would never ever find her. But Xavier…
‘I want to hear Barbara say she is here of her own volition. That marrying you is what she wants.’
No one before had ever cared enough to ask what she wanted.
Her eyes blurred.
No one but Xavier. She took a deep breath and slowly mounted the steps to the terrace. Silence had fallen in the room.
Xavier was facing her direction, looking extraordinarily handsome with his rain-soaked hair sticking to his face. He seemed bored. And yet… No, there was anger in that bright blue gaze. Fury.
She altered her position until she could see the other occupant of the room. Charles. Sitting with his back to the window. All she could see of him was the back of his head and a pistol in his hand.
Pointed at Xavier.
Xavier gave him one of those dark looks of his. ‘You do know that kidnapping a peer of the realm is a hanging offence, don’t you?’
‘Then perhaps I really would be better off getting rid of you,’ Charles said with one of his charming little chuckles. ‘After you sign the wedding lines.’
Barbara swalloweda gasp of shock.
Why would Xavier stand as a witness to her marriage?
The sound of wheels on the gravel drive caused her heart to rise higher in her throat.
The vicar. It must be.
Any moment Lady Wells would come to fetch her down. If she remained here another minute, she would be caught.
Xavier could look after himself. Couldn’t he? Charles wouldn’t dare kill him.
She wished she could be sure. Her mind went back to the day Helmut died. The way Charles had shouted a warning, distracting her husband at the worst possible moment.
