Page 14 of Wicked Designs
Emily ground her teeth in frustration. The men had pretended to use reason and good sense in taking her and would likely not listen to her pleas.Abandon my original plan of persuasion, and prepare for war, she thought, then raised her chin. “I apologize, Lord Lennox, but it is my duty to escape your clutches and return to my uncle.” There, she’d done it. Whatever might come, she had to free herself from Godric and his friends.
“Our clutches? You really think us villains, don’t you?” Godric leaned forward, resting one elbow on the table as he stared at her. “I suppose we are, aren’t we?” The idea seemed to amuse him and he laughed, the sound low and rich.
Emily dropped her eyes to the snowy tablecloth and did her best not to shout. She wanted her life back, her freedom.
“Please…just let me go.” Emily bit her lip as Godric caught her chin and turned her face towards his. The others watched her and Godric with interest. Her cheeks flamed.
“It isn’t that simple, darling.”
“How is it not?” Emily slapped his hand away from her face, and jumped up from the chair. With lightning speed every man in the room was on his feet, watching,waiting for her to run. Godric put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back into her seat.
“Come now, sweetheart. You’ll enjoy being here. I promise that you will like us.”
They were trying to appease her, but she would not be so easily controlled. The dam that had kept her volatile emotions at bay burst. “Likeyou? How can I like any of you? You’ve abducted me! Am I to be grateful? Laugh as though it is some joke? Just by bringing me here, you’ve compromised me! Do you really have nothing better to do with yourselves?” Emily gasped and buried her face in her napkin.
Tears of rage escaped her eyes. All her life she’d been well behaved, yet these men reduced her to shouts.
I am not a child. I am a grown woman.She stilled her shaking and dabbed her napkin at the stray tears that coated her cheeks. She had to master her wrath before the situation worsened. Crying, even out of fury, would do her no good.
“Don’t blame them. Blame me,” Godric said. The weight of his hands eased a little.
“I am sorry, my lords.” She brushed a palm against her cheek to wipe the tears. “But you must understand—I will not be cowed into complacency. You’ve done me a great wrong and I will not make it easy for you. You’ve destroyed my reputation and blackened my name with scandal. I will not sit back and let you dictate the rest of my life.”
Her vow was met with shocked silence, as it should have been. Emily was more than aware she was naïve and innocent of many things, but she wasn’t a fool. Therewould be no way to survive the scandal untainted, and she had to make these men compensate her for the loss of her future.
No one would ever break her, especially not an arrogant duke.
CHAPTER 4
The silence that followed Emily’s words lasted for several unpleasant minutes. When Cedric stood up from the table, she was relieved for the opportunity to think of something other than her current situation.
“The sun is out. Fair weather for riding.” Cedric sidestepped around a pair of footmen removing plates from the breakfast table. “Mind if I borrow a horse? Mine was favoring his left foreleg last night.”
Emily stood as Ashton and Lucien took their leave. Charles vanished, but only after casting her a particularly wicked grin.
“The stables are always open to you, Cedric.”
Emily rose excitedly at the prospect of riding. “May I go with him, Your Grace? It has been ages since I’ve been riding.” The memory of her last ride was still bittersweet. Uncle Albert had sold her horse to pay off a debt her first week at his house. She still rememberedthe well-oiled leather saddle and the rough hair of her gelding’s mane. She missed riding, missed her old life.
Godric’s green eyes narrowed. Emily did her best not to show defiance. He had to suspect she would try and escape. She’d said as much only a moment ago.
“My temper may improve if I felt less like a prisoner and had some fresh air,” she added.
“Is that an apology for your outburst?” asked Godric.
“It is the closest you will receive if I am kept confined to this house.”
“I suppose you can go riding, but I am coming as well.” Godric put a firm hand on her shoulder.
Emily hid her disappointment. It would be next to impossible to escape with even one of them around, but with two? Still, opportunities only arose if one sought them out.
“May I have a moment to change my clothes?”
Godric assented and escorted her back to her chamber, waiting outside. Emily dug through the armoire, and decided on a lovely light blue Glengarry riding habit. Lace, braids and embroidered frogs trimmed the jacket. She draped the train over one arm and rejoined Godric in the hall. His gaze swept over her approvingly. Though she didn’twanthis approval, she raised her chin a little with pride.
As Godric offered his arm, Emily took note of the beauty of the house. Statues of men and women in Grecian garb adorned the alcoves along the hall, like silent watchers.
Emily gazed up at the face of a beautiful marble woman.I wonder what you’ve seen. The statue clutched atthe edge of a robe ready to slip off her breast. The seductive shyness in its eyes entranced her.
