Page 46 of The Dove
After the maid had finished dressing her, she left the room, murmuring something about going to tend to Olivia before disappearing through the door connecting the two suites.
Unwilling to remain trapped in this room with thoughts that would only drag her into a dudgeon, Daphne left in search of Adam. Avoiding him would only make things worse, and if she confronted him while he was still in a good mood, perhaps she could reason with him. Surely, he could not mean to keep her here forever. At some point, he would have to return Olivia and Serena to Dunnottar. What, then, would he do with her?
She followed the sound of voices down two flights of steps, finding Adam and Serena breezing down the corridor, having just come in from the courtyard. He hung back while the little girl rushed at her with an excited squeal.
“Daphne!” Serena exclaimed, throwing herself at Daphne’s legs and wrapping her arms around them. “Uncle Adam said we had to be quiet while you were resting. We did not wake you, did we?”
Reaching down to stroke a stray lock of auburn hair back from the girl’s face, Daphne smiled. “Of course not, sweetling. I’ve been awake for some time now. Are you having a fun time with your uncle?”
Serena peered up at her with wide, guileless brown eyes so like her mother’s, it was heartbreaking. “Oh, yes. We’ve just come from playing outside. He says you used to live in this house and can show me where the toys are kept?”
She dared a glance at Adam, who simply stood looking on with amusement dancing in his eyes. Staring back down at her little niece, she nodded.
“Of course I can,” she replied. “Give me a moment to have a word with your uncle first.”
Serena nodded and released her, hopping off down the hall, then turning and coming back again. Daphne chuckled when she realized the girl followed the pattern of the rug, leaping over the gold pieces and trying to land her feet on blue.
Her amusement faded as she looked up to find Adam coming toward her, his hair a hopeless mess and his clothes rumpled from his romp outdoors. His sly smile made her belly quiver and her legs grow weak. Just as she had the first time he’d ever walked toward her, she began to feel like prey being stalked before the kill.
Would there ever be a time he could not make her feel this way?
“Good afternoon, little dove,” he murmured, grasping the back of her neck and kissing her forehead. “I see you found your belongings. Good.”
She tensed in his hold, trying in vain to rear away from him. He tightened his hold, sending tremors down her spine and rendering her motionless. He flashed a smile, pointedly glancing from her to Serena and back again.
“Now, now,” he murmured, lowering his head so his mouth brushed her ear. “We mustn’t make a scene in front of our niece.”
“Are you mad?” she hissed, keeping her voice low so Serena could not hear them. “You cannot keep me prisoner here, Adam.”
He nuzzled the side of her neck, tickling her with a night’s worth of stubble. Inhaling, he drew in her scent, then released his breath on a sigh that sent goose bumps prickling along her skin.
“Aye, little dove … I am mad,” he whispered. “Or haven’t you puzzled it out by now? I want you, and I am keeping you. Best you grow used to the idea and make things easier on yourself, eh?”
Shaking her head, she winced when he tightened his grip even more, impeding her from denying him. “You cannot watch me every hour of every day. I can find a way if I wish.”
He leaned back enough to look her in the eye and chuckled, the green flecks in his irises dancing with mirth. “Every entrance and exit of the house are guarded by footmen, all with express instructions to prevent you from leaving unless you are in my company. So, you see, little dove … I do notneedto keep constant watch over you.”
She glanced over his shoulder toward the door leading to the courtyard, where she spotted the evidence of his threat. James, one of the footmen who had come with the household, stood near the door at perfect attention, his gaze fixated straight ahead as if he could not hear or see them. She had no doubt she’d find the same at the front door, as well as any of the servants’ entrances.
“Now,” he continued. “If you wish to spar with me later, I am more than up to the task, but for now, perhaps you ought to take advantage of Serena’s nearness and spend some time with her this afternoon. She is so looking forward to being shown the nursery.”
Releasing her, he continued down the hall, putting her at his back. Passing Serena on his way, he patted her head and instructed her to ‘behave for Daphne,’ before disappearing up the stairs.
She clenched her teeth as she watched him leave, seized with the urge to go after him, pummel him with her fists and demand to be let out of this house.
However, she knew Adam well enough to realize it would gain her nothing … except more of the type of punishment he’d subjected her to last night. Even as her body reacted at the thought of such delicious torment, she had hardly recovered from the previous evening. Besides, she needed to keep her head and be rational about this. She would bide her time and find a way to be free of him.
And then what? Where would she go to escape him? Was there any place she could go where he could not find her?
The uncertainties made her heart sink; yet, she forced a smile and offered Serena her hand, injecting cheer into her voice. One step at a time, she would puzzle it out. She would find a way to break free, even if it killed her … because it would surely kill her to remain, her heart so open and vulnerable to a man who had no notion what to do with it.
CHAPTER TEN
dam leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows against his knees as he watched his sister shiver and writhe on the bed. He’d taken turns with Niall throughout the day, sitting with Olivia, spooning broth down her throat when they could, coaxing her into taking sips of water. But, mostly, their vigil consisted of watching her suffer, sitting helplessly by while she fought off the effects of withdrawal from the laudanum her body craved. He had suggested tapering off to smaller doses, slowly weaning her off the drug. However, Olivia had remained as lucid as she had been in months, insisting that she needed to do this her way.
He had no choice but to respect her decision, when she had been incapable of making any for herself in so long. As the sun began to set and evening approached, he stared at her sweat-dampened face and experienced a glimmer of hope. Perhaps, after all this time, she’d found the strength to fight her way back, to try to become herself again in whatever way she could.
Rising from where he sat, he edged toward the bed, sinking slowly onto the mattress beside her. She curled her body toward him, reaching out to clutch his shirt in a weak fist as she shuddered so hard, her teeth chattered noisily. Resting a hand on her head, he used his other to reach for the bowl on the bedside table. He lifted a scrap of linen from the cool water and wrung it out before bringing it to her forehead to mop away the sweat.
