Page 112

Robert paused at the cemetery gates and looked back.

“Goodbye,” he said before closing the gate behind him.

Thomas glared at Georgiana in disbelief and began to scream at her.

“All that money I spent; the flowers I bought, the carriage I secured to take us to Gretna Green, the change of horses, the inns we stayed at! And she did not even agree to anticipate the marriage bed! Who is going to repay me for that?”

Georgiana shrugged indifferently, although she was quite apprehensive about what Thomas would do next. She wondered why no one had come to check on her or find out why Thomas was screaming like a banshee.

Can they not hear the commotion?

She suddenly remembered that the parlor door had been fashioned from thick, sturdy wood to prevent eavesdropping by nosey servants. It was a place where the family was able to have private conversations without fear of being overheard.

She also suspected that the servants were not lurking outside the door. Not if they thought she was here by herself, quietly passing the afternoon.

Her eyes flicked towards the bell—one quick pull would definitely summon a footman—but then looked down at her torn bodice. They were just as likely to believe Thomas’s explanation as hers.

She realized that he had effectively backed her into a corner.

Nevertheless, her answer remained the same. She would not allow him to blackmail her. He seemed to read the resolve in her face because he leaped at her and shook her violently.

“Who in Hell do you think you are? Do you think you can fight me? I know all about your little accident, but even at your strongest, you would be unable to overpower me. I could do anything to you.”

He flung her away and she struck the sofa, striking her shoulders against the backrest. She was winded, extremely dizzy, and unable to get up.

She knew she was helpless and began to fear for her life.

“We shall see if your husband still wants you after I am finished with you. I promise it will hurt. A lot.”

“No…” she protested, weakly holding her hand up to ward him off.

He laughed cruelly. “I am going to make you regret saying no to me before this day is done.”

Thomas’s eyes were wild and merciless. Georgiana had no doubt that he would hurt her. Maybe even kill her. She had no way of knowing. Her only wish now was that it would not be her sister who found her.

She felt a moment of sorrow for Robert. If he genuinely believed that he was the reason the women in his life got hurt, this would not help at all. As angry as she was with him, she would not have wished this upon her worst enemy. She knew he would blame himself once again.

She wondered if he would ever have the courage to try again. On the one hand, she realized that she loved him, and she wanted him to be happy. On the other hand, the thought of him with someone else made the bile rise in her throat.

Robert was hers.

“Please. Do not touch me!” she screamed.

Newston cackled evilly. “I am going to enjoy this. You haveearnedall the punishment and the suffering I intend to inflict upon you,” he said with a hateful sneer on his face.

She shook her head vehemently. “No, please leave me be. You will not get away with this.”

“Who says so?Youcannot tell anyone without despoiling your own reputation. Who is therefore left to ruinmine?”

He threw back his head and crowed. “Oh, I am loving this already. You will have to pay me for my silence, or else…” He held up the piece of gown that he had torn from her.

She stared bleakly at it, wondering to herself how much she really cared about her reputation.

“I would have to ask my husband for the money. I do not have such sums lying about.”

“Do you think me a fool?”

Georgiana hesitated, not knowing how to answer him.