Page 38 of Avoiding the Merry Viscount
She had been so filled with anger and hurt from the conversation with Elias that she had been crying into her pillow and it allowed the man to catch her by surprise. He slipped the fabric around her head and into her mouth before she knew what was happening. When he turned her to face him once he gagged her, she saw the fury in his dark eyes.
“I’ll make you mine, whether you like it or not,” he had said as he pulled her arms behind her back and held them in place with one hand. “I have been biding my time to find a way to get to you, and imagine my good fortune when I found you were staying nearby.”
As soon as she heard Elias outside her door, her heart raced faster. Partially from hope that his presence might give her the chance she needed to get away from Clint, and partially out of fear that the bastard would hurt Elias. As foolish as she was, she loved Elias. She had lost her heart to him forever, and she wouldn’t be able to live knowing that her unfortunate past with Clint had resulted in any harmcoming to him. This was her mess, not Elias’s.
“Quiet,” Clint had hissed in her ear when she struggled against the gag.
A few moments later, the door burst open, and Elias looked ready to go into a blind rage when Durham taunted him.
“Let her go, right fucking now!” Elias shouted at Clint.
“You may wish to close the door and lower your voice, or else I might have to do something drastic,” Clint replied.
Lydia cried out against the gag when he pressed the knife harder into her neck.
Elias growled and closed the door, but Lydia noted he didn’t lock it. He turned back to face where Clint held her hostage, his body shaking with anger.
“Durham, let her go now, and we can settle this between us men,” Elias said through gritted teeth.
Clint laughed. “Unfortunately, I want nothing from you. But her, however,” he paused and ran the back of the blade along the globes of her breasts, “she has many appealing assets.”
Lydia focused her gaze on Elias, watching his entire body tense with his hands tightened into fists and his jaw set in a firm, clenched line.
“How did you get in here?” Elias asked.
The blackguard squeezed her wrists tighter. “It would seem Lady Billings is quite taken with you. I would be jealous seeing how she’s had us both, but I think I shall walk away with the sweeter prize. The woman wasn’t all that hard to manipulate once I told her of my ‘undying love’ for Lydia here, and how you would need the woman to soothe your broken heart, among other places, when I won Lydia.”
Lydia recalled the note she received to meet Elias. She hadn’t thought before that the missive appeared to be in a woman’s hand. Elias had said that he thought it was Lydia who he was meeting. And why would he have sent Lydia a note if he intended to meet anotherwoman? Lady Billings must have thought it would help push Lydia into Clint’s arms.
“She’s not going anywhere with you,” Elias ground out, his stare boring into the man.
“You seem to think you have the upper hand here, Snowdon, and on that, you are mistaken.”
Elias took a step forward and Clint moved as if he’d slice her throat, causing her to cry harder.
Holding his hands up, Elias stopped. “What do you want, Durham?”
“I want what was supposed to be mine. I saw you in the village getting far too cozy with my property and knew I had to claim her before you bedded her. I know from experience that she’s quite willing.”
She knew Clint wasn’t the best of men, but she wouldn’t have ever thought he could be as cold and diabolical as he was proving to be.
“How do you know I haven’t?” Elias asked, staring the man down.
“Because I’ve had eyes on you. Good to know she has a filthy mouth on her. I’ll be making good use of it.”
Lydia wriggled against his hold, but he was too strong for her to break free. Fear radiated through her body at being forced to be with him. The only man she’d ever want was Elias. She would never again allow another man to touch her. Ever.
“You can’t have her,” Elias ground out. “She is my betrothed.”
Lydia’s eyes went wide at the lie. Although once she got out of this, she would run right into his arms and tell him how much she loved him. Even if he couldn’t say it back.
Clint laughed again, almost as if he’d come unhinged and was slipping further into madness. “That will make it all the sweeter when I have her virgin blood on my cock and my ring on her finger.”
“I will kill you where you stand first,” Elias seethed.
Lydia believed Elias would do so if the opportunity presenteditself. Elias didn’t have the air of a violent man, but she knew how fiercely he protected those that he cared about. He may not love her, but she knew he cared for her.
“If you come another step closer, I shall slice her throat before you do,” he replied, as if it were of no consequence. “And you appear to be unarmed, so I think my chances are slightly better than yours. But feel free to assess the situation and decide for yourself.”
