Page 52 of Tempting a Lonely Lord
“There you are, my darling,” someone said in a low voice, a voice that made her skin crawl.
Baron Darkmoor.
Before she could run or even scream, his hand covered her mouth, and he dragged her toward a tent where several horses had been stabled.
“I heard that your family found the map—my map. I have been searching for it for years. That map will be mine, my dear. As you will be. When we are married, I will have both you and the treasure, something I’ve wanted for so very long.” He yanked her hard against his chest. “And now, I would like a kiss to seal our deal, my dearest.”
She tried to struggle, to get away, but he was too strong. His arms were like bands of steel around her, and he grabbed a fistful of her hair and smashed his mouth against hers in a brutal kiss. Panic engulfed her as she frantically thought about how she could get away. Anger filled her at how she had allowed herself to be taken.
She still had her feet. She remembered one of her father’s grooms explaining that the top of a man’s foot was a vulnerable spot. With that thought whirling in her head, she lifted her foot and, with as much force as she could, slammed her heel onto the top of his. He yelped and his grip on her loosened, and she gasped as she made her escape. But she’d only managed a few feet before he grabbed her hair and dragged her back against his chest.
“You won’t get away so easily, Lady Bella. But I do like your spirit.” He laughed. She almost gagged. His breath smelled like stale whisky and his lips were dry, not soft like William’s. He bit down on her lip as he forced his tongue into her mouth, and she whimpered with fear as she tasted blood.
Roughly, he shoved her against a wooden post in a dark corner in the back. “You will be mine. And that is a promise,” he said, as he painfully groped her breasts and forced his kiss on her again.
~*~
Chapter Nineteen
“Michael, where would you and Lacey like to go? I see a line at the treacle toffee tent. I’ve always enjoyed toffee. It’s a little sticky, though,” Stephen said, grinning.
“I’ve never had treacle toffee, Uncle Stephen. Before William moved me here, I had never been to any place like this. Maybe we could walk around first, so Lacey and I can look it over. Then we can decide.”
“That sounds very logical, young man,” Elizabeth said, gripping his hand.
“It’s too bad we couldn’t have had our fortunes told. I’ve never done that,” Stephen teased. “The grandmothers say she is very good at her craft.”
“I hate that Madame Vorest was so distressed, but I’m not ready to have my palm read,” Elizabeth said. “I’m not sure I believe in all that hocus-pocus.”
“Madame Vorest said her crystal ball wasn’t working today anyway,” Michael piped up.
“Really?” Stephen had never heard of a fortune teller commenting on a nonfunctional crystal ball.
“She said her visions were foggy today,” Michael added. “She really misses her granddaughter, Sophie.”
Of course she would be devastated. Stephen felt foolish. “I can certainly understand her sadness. I hope her granddaughter is found safe.”
“Have you ever consulted a gypsy to tell your fortune?” Elizabeth asked.
Stephen gave a self-deprecating laugh. “For the last few years, I’ve been more used to feeling sorry for myself and giving my fortune away.”
“Stephen, you were a victim of alcohol, and that made it easier for men like Baron Darkmoor to manipulate you,”she whispered loudly. “I suppose I should be forthcoming. My cousin played cards with you at the Winking Mariner. He described the baron’s forceful taunts pushing you to continue playing, even though you insisted that you wanted to stop. Darkmoor practically shamed you to continue. While I don’t agree with his drinking and gambling, Peter has a rule, and to my knowledge, he sticks to it. He imposes a five-game limit with anyone who routinely wins in the gaming rooms. He says that Baron Darkmoor is the kind of man who pushes others beyond their limits and preys on people who cannot stop.
“That night, Peter played five hands and finally won some of his money back…and left,” she continued. “He tells me that he never engages in a game with a person who’s won against him five times, mostly because they probably have better skills than he does, although he added that he had heard of the baron’s reputation and felt himself lucky to win one hand.”
“I suppose the alcohol dulled my senses more than I realized. I didn’t recognize Peter, although I knew him years ago. However, his rule is a sound one,” Stephen admitted. “It’s probably kept him from falling into the kind of debt that makes men desperate. It certainly happened to me.” Taking a long, deep breath, he exhaled. It felt good to be able to breathe and truly smell the air around him without the haze of alcohol dulling his senses. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he felt free to re-engage in his life again. Thanks to his mother.
“I cannot understand gambling, but if Peter’s rule works for him, who am I to disparage it?” She paused. “Stephen, have you heard anything from the solicitors regarding the treasure map you and Michael found? I’m just curious. That was quite a spectacular find if it turns out to be authentic. For hundreds of years, people have spoken about buried treasure here. This place was one of our summer homes and my personal favorite. We came here quite often. I was happy it was passed down to me.”
“We haven’t heard a thing yet. But we remain hopeful.” He shrugged. “After all the financial destruction I caused my family, it would be nice to find out we have copper veins on the land—enough to repair some of the damage.”
“Something smells really good here,” Michael said as he and Lacey began to sniff the air around him.
“That’s probably the gingerbread cakes,” Stephen said. “We are close to the tent.”
Elizabeth leaned down and scratched Lacey behind the ears. “I used to have a dog that looked so much like you, Lacey.”
“You did?” Michael said. “She’s Lady Bella’s dog, but Bella’s sharing Lacey with me. So, I suppose I can share her with you.”
