Page 26 of A Wallflower Never Forgets
Rock Springs Manor ~ Later That Night
“Diana wasn’t supposed to run over you with that carriage, my dear. Or rather attempt to run you over. It was an indiscretion—one of many which she paid dearly for,” the man in black said, his tone angry. He’d sat her in a straight-back chair in an old cabin.
Melanie had no idea where the cabin was located. She’d only just woken up and was feeling both groggy and dizzy. “Who are you?” she asked, her tongue still feeling thick.
“Ah…you do not know me. That isn’t fair, is it? Especially since I know you, my dear Melanie. Allow me to rectify this faux pas. My name is Monsieur Pierre Talbot,” he said, with a flourish and a mock bow. “I see the effects of the drug haven’t quite worn off, my dear. Don’t worry, you’ll be right as rain soon enough. I need to add wood to this wood stove. I’ll light it tonight, after dark, so that we can have a nice cozy fire. I don’t want you to freeze out here—but nor do I want to give away our location, either.” The man gave a harsh, wicked laugh.
A moment later, he shut the door to the wood stove and turned to regard her. His intense stare unnerved her. “You aren’t a disappointment, my dear Melanie. You certainly improve these dreary surroundings…”
Melanie remained silent as she watched him warily. Talbot was tall, as tall as Jonathan but not as broad. And he was older. His hair was dark, but he had salt and pepper at his temples. His eyes were a pale gray and his features elegant, patrician. He was handsome but in a cold and austere way. She could see why Diana might have fallen for someone like him.
“I have certainly improved my circumstances. Diana was lovely, of course, but there was nothing unique about her. She was a great disappointment to me. You, on the other hand, are a rare and refreshing jewel. So unspoiled. So pure. You are striking in your appearance…striking is a word I rarely use because there are so few I feel meet that definition. But you drew my eye immediately. I am hopeful our liaison will prove to be a great pleasure for us both…”
“I find nothing to like about you. Nothing. I will fight you, even if it means I could die. I will never enjoy your touch,” Melanie spat at him.
“Ah. Well, if I am the only one to benefit, so be it, but that would be a terrible shame.” He walked slowly toward her and reached out, grasping her chin in his hand. She tried to pull away, but his grip was too tight. “Even now, as you fight me, it only makes me want you more. He leaned down and his mouth was mere inches from hers. She trembled, fearful of what he might do next.
“You cannot imagine how I have fantasized about you. I was enchanted by your beauty when I first noticed you—four years ago, if you can believe it. At a London soiree. Lord Jonathan DeLacey was my target, but I noticed you immediately.
As he spoke, her heart began to pound and her head still swam, but she could feel the dizziness retreating. She had to regain her composure if she wanted to survive this.
“I’m always in it for the long game and I knew that one day, I would find you again and make you mine. You were exquisite. Young, innocent, untouched. I could not believe what a fool DeLacey was to choose Diana over you. But then again, she did entrap him.”
Melanie gasped.
“Ah, of course you would not have known that.” He smiled. “She drugged him and seduced him. She was very clever, Diana was. Of course, I taught her everything she knew. Mind you, I still thought DeLacey was an idiot for letting himself be duped by her. Diana was loyal to the cause, initially. I made sure of that when I recruited her many years ago. She manipulated DeLacey so easily into asking for her hand in marriage. The plan was for her to funnel funds from her wealthy husband to me, to support my important work.
“You mean in fomenting unrest in England?” Melanie said.
“Such a clever girl, Melanie. One of the many qualities I so admire about you.”
“But Diana ended up marrying the Duke of Aumale.”
“Yes, she did. That was my doing as well. My paths crossed with the duke at a gaming hell in London a few days later, and I found out he was a widower of many years and was seeking to remarry. Given his enormous wealth and that he was older, it made it a better fit for my purposes.”
“And Jonathan became your enemy when he went to work for the Crown.”
“Indeed. Ironic, don’t you think?” He sighed as if bored with the tedium of the story. “So, there you have it. The gist of our little fairytale.”
“This is no fairytale,” Melanie hissed.
“Oh, but it is, my sweet Melanie. According to Diana—who was quite adept at eavesdropping—DeLacey had always cared about you. And she saw that you were very smitten with him. So even though he was a fool not to have seen what I saw in you, knowing that he cared about you and that you were so in love with him…well, that made you even more valuable to me.” He smiled. “You saw him as a gallant knight, rescuing you time and again from your girlhood misadventures. And that’s what makes this such a romantic fairytale. Except the happy ending will be reserved for you and me.” He bent down and brushed his lips against her temple.
Melanie froze at his touch.
“Do not worry, my dear. I would never take you here in this crude and filthy abode. No, you were meant to be ravished on silk sheets in a chateau in France. Which is where we will be traveling to, once I’ve dealt with DeLacey.”
Melanie began to tremble again. Did he mean to kill Jonathan and force her…?
“Ah, I see you are beginning to understand our future…yours and mine.” He chuckled.
Melanie ignored his comment about their supposed future together. “You keep saying “was” when you speak about Diana? What did you do to her?”
“I suppose it’s all right to tell you.” He sighed. “My actions were partly to repay her for your suffering, you understand. Diana was never supposed to hurt you. I warned her many times about that. She could be so spiteful and vindictive. Needless to say, she has been dealt with. You never have to worry again about her attempting to run you over with her carriage. He trailed his roughened fingers along the side of her face, and she flinched away.
“You will come to enjoy my touch, my dear.”
“I’m not your dear,” she hissed.
