Page 150 of The Trouble with Tigers
“Now, Kitty, I can explain. It wasn’t my doing. It was your beloved grandfather’s.”
People had stopped to stare. She sent them a warning glare before grasping Collin by the hand and dragging him back to the mouth of the alley. “You have the nerve to blame our grandfather for your disappearance? Your lies?”
“My losses were a mere drop in the estate’s bucket. I would have recouped them in another game or two, at the most, like always. But the baron refused to see reason. So, as a matter of fact, yes, I do blame him. How do you think I got the money to go, anyway? The ticket to cross the sea? He told me to go and never come back.”
Collin’s words hit her like a punch to the gut. Her beloved Grandfather had sent Collin away, and then let her believe he was dead? He’d kept the truth from her every bit as much as Collin had.
A wave of nausea rolled through her. Her exertion coupled with the late morning heat wasn’t helping matters. She closed her eyes and gulped air. “I’ve heard enough.”
But Collin wasn’t done venting his grievances. “He drove me from England, my home, Kitty. Told me he’d let that blackguard, Peters, kill me before he’d pay off another debt. I had no choice, don’t you see?”
Drawing on all her will, Kitty tamped down on the pain squeezing her heart.
“Oh, I see, all right. I see you left me. You and grandfather both conspired to lie to me. And now that grandfather’s gone, you’ve come back to reclaim your title by any means necessary.”
Collin lifted his aristocratic chin a notch. “It is my title by right.”
She locked eyes with him. “That it is, Collin. I wish you the best at recovering it from our cousin. But I promise you this. I won’t be marrying him to aid your procurement.”
Collin’s previously ashen face suffused with color, and his eyes went hard. He drew himself up to his full height and closed the short distance between them with sudden agility. “You will if I say you will. I’m your guardian now, remember?”
Kitty had never seen this side of him. Hardened. Utterly without compassion. It broke her heart. But her spine had never been more stiff. “I don’t care what you say, or what you threaten. I won’t do it.”
An arm shot around her from behind, a tight cord squeezing her waist so she couldn’t draw in a full breath. Not Zeke’s muscular, protective arm, nor Mr Peters’ man, Brawn. But an arm with wiry strength. Garrick.
“Hastings, Hastings,” Garrick said in a tut-tut manner. He turned his head to whisper in Kitty’s ear, “I gather you’ve discovered your brother’s dirty little secret, and now think to break our engagement yet again.” As he spoke, he dragged her into the shadowy darkness of the alley.
“Let go of me,” Kitty said through gritted teeth. She struggled to free herself but with her arms pinned to her sides, she could gain no purchase. “Collin, do something.”
Collin did something, all right. He covered their movements like a walking shroud, glancing to and fro as if ascertaining no once witnessed the madness.
“Now, see you don’t hurt her, James,” he said.
As if that were the only issue. “Collin?”
He steadfastly avoided her gaze. He meant to let Garrick take her.
“No permanent marks,” Garrick agreed. “She is my soon-to-be bride after all.”
His calm arrogance galvanized her. She opened her mouth to scream, and found her face abruptly covered with a damp cloth reeking of chemicals. She turned her head violently, but Garrick’s hand held firm.
“There now. Take a breath and go to sleep, my love,” Garrick crooned.
She held her breath 'til her lungs burned from lack of oxygen and black dots danced before her eyes. Instinct drove her to suck in a breath, and everything went black.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Zeke, Caden, and Randall arrived at the Inn at Aylesford at half past noon. They hadn’t met Kitty’s party on the road.
His sense something was wrong had increased exponentially on the hard ride. He’d tried to deny the gnawing sense danger had found its way to Kitty, or she to it. He told himself he was letting his imagination run wild now he’d uncovered the truth. But the bone deep certainty had only grown more entrenched.
He slid from his mount and handed the reins over to the stable boy practically in one move.
“Wait for me,” he called to Caden and Randall, already jogging up the steps to the entrance. He passed the front desk without responding to the clerk’s cheery hello, and took the stairs two at a time.
He tried Kitty’s door without knocking, and found it locked—a good sign. He rapped sharply, waited all of one second, then called out, “Kitty, open the door.”
No reply came.
