Page 44

“ A h, you’re awake. How lovely.”

Selina’s eyes blinked open to a room she didn’t recognize. Her head pounded where something had struck her, and her hands were tied behind her back with scratchy rope. Across from her, Lady Winsley sat calmly in a battered armchair, looking as if she were simply waiting for tea to be served.

“Where am I?” Selina’s voice was dry, cracked from disuse. She tried to shift on what felt like an old settee, but the rope held tight.

“A place full of memories,” Annette said, smoothing the fabric of her skirts. “This cottage was where your husband’s father and I spent some of our happiest hours.”

Selina looked around the faded little room with peeling wallpaper, dust coating the furniture, stale air that smelled of mold and things long forgotten. The afternoon light leaking through the dirty windows gave the place a ghostly feel.

“You kidnapped me.”

“Such an ugly word,” Annette said with a faint smile. “Let’s say I borrowed you. You won’t be hurt as long as your husband cooperates.”

“What do you want?”

Annette stood and walked to the window, staring out at the overgrown garden.

“Justice. A bit of revenge. Maybe the life I should’ve had.

” She turned back, her eyes cold even as her smile stayed in place.

“Gerald was an extraordinary man. Brilliant, passionate… heartbreakingly charming when he wanted to be.”

“Lady Winsley?—”

“He promised me everything,” she went on, ignoring the interruption. “After my husband died, it was going to be me and Gerald. I was going to be the next Duchess of Aldermere. That estate, that life was all meant to be mine.”

“But he died.”

“He was murdered,” Annette snapped. “Beaten to death by the men he never should’ve had to deal with. He got in too deep trying to cover his debts. Debts he took on for Rowan. To secure his future.”

Selina’s pulse raced, but she forced herself to stay steady. “That wasn’t Rowan’s fault.”

Annette’s eyes darkened. “Wasn’t it? Gerald blamed himself for Catherine’s death. Said if that boy hadn’t been born, she’d still be alive. After that, it all fell apart—cards, drink, guilt. He was convinced he’d lose everyone he loved. And in the end, he did.”

“You can’t truly believe that.”

“I know it.” Annette returned to her chair, settling herself with deliberate precision. “Gerald told me so himself, in his darkest moments. He said bringing that child into the world had cost him everything he held dear.”

Selina’s throat tightened with horror at the cruelty of a father blaming his child for circumstances beyond anyone’s control. “So you decided to punish Rowan for existing.”

“I decided to give him a taste of loss. To show him what it felt like to have everything stolen away.” Annette’s smile was sharp as broken glass.

“The press-ganging was perfect, really. A year of servitude, of powerlessness, of being stripped of identity and position. I thought it might humble him.”

“But it didn’t work as you planned.”

“No. The stubborn fool survived and came back stronger than before. Married you, of all people. Found happiness despite everything I’d taken from him.

” Annette leaned forward, her eyes glittering with malice.

“So I tried again. Poison in your water, meant to teach him the ultimate lesson about loss.”

Terror shot through Selina as she realized how close she’d come to death. “The water that morning.”

“A miscalculation on my part. You barely drank any, and that fool physician administered antidotes. Gerald always said I was too kind for my own good.”

Selina fought to keep her voice steady. “You’re right to be angry. Rowan hurt me too, you know. He abandoned me at the altar, then forced me into marriage only to push me away when I needed him most.”

Annette laughed, a sound devoid of humor. “Oh, my dear girl. Do you think I’m some mindless creature driven by emotion? I’ve spent three years planning this revenge. I know exactly who you are and what you mean to him.”

“I mean nothing to him. He made that clear enough when he sent me away.”

“You mean everything to him. I’ve watched the way he looks at you, the way his entire world has narrowed to your presence.

” Annette stood again, beginning to pace the small room.

“When I first arranged his abduction, I thought taking away his title, his freedom, his very identity would destroy him. But he endured it all.”

“Because he’s stronger than you gave him credit for.”

“Because he had nothing truly precious to lose. No real attachments, no vulnerabilities I could exploit.” Annette stopped pacing, fixing Selina with an intense stare. “But now he does. Now he has you.”

The truth hit Selina like ice water. “You’re going to kill me.”

“Not immediately. First, I want him to suffer as Gerald suffered. I want him to know what it’s like to lose the most important thing in his world through his own failures.”

“He’ll find us.”

“I’m counting on it. When he arrives, desperate and broken, begging for your life, then I’ll have my perfect revenge. The son who destroyed Gerald’s happiness will know the same agony his father felt.”

Selina pulled against her bonds, ignoring the pain as rope bit into her wrists. “You’re mad.”

“I’m grieving,” Annette corrected. “Gerald has been dead for three years, and every day I mourn the life we should have had together. The children we might have raised, the love that was stolen from us by his guilt over that boy’s birth.”

“Rowan was an innocent child.”

“Rowan was the reason Catherine died, which drove Gerald to drink and gamble, which led to his death. Every tragedy in this family traces back to that cursed birth.” Annette’s composure cracked slightly, revealing the depth of her hatred. “But tonight, the debt will finally be paid.”

Outside, the light was fading toward dusk. Selina wondered if anyone had noticed her absence yet, if Georgiana was worried, if Mary had been found. The thought of the maid made her stomach clench with fear.

“What did you do to Mary?”

“The servant? She’s alive, merely unconscious. I’m not a monster, despite what you might think.”

“You abducted me. Poisoned me. Tried to destroy my husband’s life. What would you call that?”

Annette smiled, the expression chilling in its serenity. “I’d call it love. Everything I’ve done has been for Gerald’s memory, to honor what we shared and avenge what was taken from us.”

“It’s not love. It’s obsession.”

“Call it what you like. By morning, it will be finished, and Gerald’s spirit can finally rest.” Annette moved toward the door. “I need to prepare for your husband’s arrival. Do try to get some rest, my dear. You’ll need your strength for what’s to come.”

The door shut with a dull thud, and Selina was alone. The room was already getting dark. She tugged at the ropes again, but they didn’t budge. Outside the grimy windows, trees crowded close around the cottage, cutting it off from the rest of the world.

Somewhere in London, Rowan might already be searching for her. The thought brought both hope and terror, knowing that he would walk straight into Annette’s trap to save her.

But perhaps that was exactly what they needed. If Annette’s plan required him to arrive desperate and broken, maybe Selina could turn that desperation into an advantage.

She just had to survive long enough to try.