Page 53 of A Scandalous Love for the Enticing Duke
Where had she come out from? Looking in the direction from which she came, he sighted a hidden corner where she must have been waiting.
“Good day. Lord Stamford. Is there any way I can be of help?”
She sounded prudish, but then, the woman always sounded that way. He had never liked her and truly, it wasn’t hard to see why. She often reminded him of the wicked witch he had read about in several fairy tales.
“I would hope so. I stayed by the door, knocking for a long while but no one came in response. The door was slightly open, so I took the liberty to let myself in. I hope you do not mind, but I have come to see the Lady …”
He was not done with his sentence before she cut in, her eyes narrowed, her voice stern. “The ladies have stepped out for more shopping with Her Grace. They will not be returning until later in the evening. I can deliver any message for you, if you care to leave one behind.”
Hmmm. That made sense, yet something gnawed at him. The drawing room was just a few feet away now, and although the banging had stopped, he just could not shake off the feeling that something was not right in this household, today. He looked at the door and back at Louis, as if expecting something out of the ordinary to happen. There was also the fact that she stood in his way as if blocking him from going further.
“My Lord?” her voice remained calm, but the impatience in it could be heard.
“Hm? Oh. Right. A message. Well, nothing of importance. Simply let her know that I called upon her and shall return on the morrow.” She would assume he spoke of Agnes, of course.
“Your message shall be delivered, My Lord.” Then, she curtsied in dismissal, and he responded with a nod. He took one lingering look at the drawing room and decided that he had probably heard wrong and there was nothing amiss.
“That would be most gracious of you, Louis. Well, in that case, I shall be on my way. Have a good day.”
She curtsied again and reluctantly, he turned to leave. However, just as soon as he did, the banging sounded again, and this time, accompanied with cries. He spun, swiftly and the look of alarm on Louis’s face was all the confirmation he needed. Still, keeping a cool expression, he asked, “Did you hear that?” He raised his voice for effect. If there was anyone locked behind that door like he suspected, then he wanted them to know that he was outside and to cry louder, so that no doubt would remain, and the wicked witch would not be able to deny this.
“What, My Lord?”
“The banging and the cry. It sounded like ‘Louis, open up’.”
He had to give it to the witch, for she managed to betray nothing as she responded, “I think not. I heard nothing of such, My Lord.”
“Hmm. Yet, I am certain I did. Mayhap, you have some sort of defection in your hearing. If you would please, step aside. I shall investigate if that is the case or if I am simply the one imagining things.”
Her composure faltered, and the façade began to drop as she shifted on her feet. Nicholas smirked. Something was certainly amiss, and he had reasons to believe that the voice he had heard had belonged to the Lady Agnes. Why would anyone have locked her in, and where were Eleanor and Isabelle?
“I am afraid. I cannot allow that, My Lord. With all due respect, I must inform you that you have overstayed your welcome, and I would like to escort you out now. Please, My Lord. There is nothing here to trouble yourself with.”
“I would like to remind you that you are beneath me, and as the fiancé of the second lady of this household, your superior in title; you are under my command and obliged to do my biddings. Do not let me repeat myself any longer. Louis, step aside, or I shall remove you from my path, and there shall be a great price to pay for your insubordination. Such impertinence!”
Nicholas was not one to pull rank, but if he had to, he gladly would. Agnes must have gotten wind of the situation because she now banged louder, and her voice hitched higher; there was no denying it now. He and the maid knew. Still, she remained. That told him one thing – she was under the command of her mistress and feared her wrath more than she feared his. No one, not even he would fault her for that.
“One last time, Louis. Step aside.” He was a gentleman, but if she did not budge after this, then, he would make good on his words. He counted to ten in his head and yet, she remained firmly rooted.
“I suppose I have my response.”
Not waiting for a reaction, he sidestepped her and was careful enough, that only his shoulders nudged her. Then, he broke into fast strides and with four steps, he was at the door of the drawing room. Louis was right behind him. Ignoring her, he called out, “Hold on Agnes. I will get you out.”
“Nicholas?” came three very surprised voices. Bloody hell! All three sisters had been locked, in their own homes. He needed not to be a genius to realise that the witch held the keys.
“Yes, it is I. Hang in there; you will be out anytime from now,” he called out again, and when their words of gratitude came, he felt a sudden power rush through him. He was a hero, rescuing not one damsel but three, from distress! Perhaps, this would further encourage Eleanor to take a stand with him, for them.
“I know you have the keys, Louis. Give them to me.”
“Never! You do not scare me.”
“Well then, I suppose you will be happy to take the blame for these French doors that will be coming off their hinges in no time.”
A look of alarm filled her eyes, and he knew he had hit the right spot. Victoria was vain. She would be frantic if she returned to see her precious French doors damaged.
“You have until I finish my count to five before I start hitting this door with all that I’ve got. They are going to come out of here at some point, I reckon your mistress did not think this through. What happens when Lord Birmingham returns? Hand over the keys now, Louis. I will not ask one more time!”
He knew not which had affected her more. His hardened features or his raised voice. Whichever it was, he was only grateful that she had decided to reason and act sensibly. Reluctantly, she dipped her hand into her bosom and brought out a bunch of keys. He grabbed them as soon as she stretched said hand towards him.
