Page 52

The hall clock chimed ten as they ascended to the third floor, but Meredith paid it little heed. She was trying to think of how best to manage the coming meeting and wondering why Elizabeth was so distressed.

Meredith had difficulty imagining her brother doing something to deliberately harm Elizabeth.

He might be foolish, irresponsible, even thoughtless at times, but his affection for and infatuation with the young girl seemed genuine.

Hopefully it was only a silly misunderstanding between the two that had caused this upset and could be easily rectified.

With that in mind, Meredith glanced at her surroundings.

They were now in a very old and obviously little used section of the house.

There was a musty, stale odor to the air and evidence of dust on the floors and carpet runners.

Few candles were lit, casting dark and eerie shadows along the hallway that narrowed, twisted, and turned at abrupt angles.

Even though she was a rather minor guest of the duke, it seemed odd Elizabeth would be housed in such out-of-the-way rooms. Meredith frowned. The prickling of unease grew with each step she took, rapidly growing too strong to ignore.

Yet before she could voice her concerns, they arrived. With a polite bow, Hawkins knocked sharply on the last door at the end of the hall. He did not wait for an answer, but lifted the latch and pushed it open.

Meredith stepped into the room. It was dark, lit only by three candles on a wall sconce. There were surprisingly few pieces of furniture in the room—a large four-poster bed with dark curtains tied back at each post, an armoire with a missing door, a small table.

Meredith noticed Elizabeth was sitting in the only chair, her back to the door. Meredith stepped forward. “Elizabeth?”

Elizabeth’s head jerked, but she did not turn around, nor did she speak. Meredith turned in puzzlement to Hawkins, but the servant was no longer there. Meredith moved forward, then gasped.

She understood why Elizabeth had not answered.

A scarf was tied across her mouth, effectively gagging her.

Horrified, Meredith moved closer and noticed Elizabeth’s hands were bound together with a single cord.

It was wrapped several times around the girl’s wrists, then pulled forward and tied to the bottom rung of the chair.

Meredith stared blindly at the young girl, unwilling to accept what her eyes were witnessing. “My God, who has done this to you?”

Elizabeth’s pale blue eyes widened with fright. She shook her head as tears fell down her cheeks, wetting the gag in her mouth.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” Meredith said when she realized the girl could not answer her.

Meredith tugged at the scarf, but it did not budge. She next fumbled with the knot at the side, her fingers clumsy and unsteady. Finally she loosened the material enough so she could slide it away from Elizabeth’s mouth.

The younger girl took several great gulps of air and then broke into sobs. Bending low, Meredith hugged her fiercely. “Hush now, ’tis all over.”

“He is a madman, a monster,” Elizabeth wailed. “I was frightened. I am so frightened.” She sniffled loudly, then took a shuddering breath. “We must hurry and get away before he returns.”

“Before who returns?” Meredith asked. “Who did this to you?”

“That servant, that horrible valet of Julian’s. I do not even know his name.”

Meredith was speechless. Hawkins did this? But why? And why had he now brought her here to find Elizabeth? It made no sense at all.

“But he led me to you,” Meredith said. “Why would he do that if he meant you harm?”

Elizabeth’s eyes again welled with tears.

“I do not understand any of this, Lady Meredith. He told me Harriet was asking for me and wanted me to meet her; So I followed him here. The moment we were alone, he tied me up. Then he left. I have been so frightened. He never said anything specific, but I know he means to do me harm. Perhaps you also. We must escape.”

“She is right, Lady Meredith. You would do well to listen to her.”

Meredith looked up to find Hawkins watching them.

She had not even heard him enter the room, though perhaps he had never left.

She returned his regard with a calculatedly blank expression, hoping to somehow bluff her way to freedom.

“Miss Elizabeth and I are leaving,” she said, tugging ineffectually on the cord that bound the younger girl’s hands.

He smiled then, a feral grin of such evil intent Meredith felt momentarily dizzy. “I knew you had the spirit to fight me,” he replied. “But your arrogance and courage exceeds even my expectations. I am well pleased by it.”

Meredith was at a loss. Her defiance seemed to excite him, yet being compliant might put them in even graver danger. “Mr. Hawkins, I am sure we can settle whatever has upset you in a calm and rational manner. There is no need for threats or violence.”

Anger blazed from Hawkins’s eyes. “I make no threats. I have planned this all so carefully, so thoroughly. There is no need for you to be frightened. Yet.”

Meredith swallowed hard. The chamber door was still open. Hawkins stood to the side of the doorway, just inside the room. He was not a tall man. In fact, she topped him by several inches. If she rushed him suddenly, she might be able to knock him down and escape.

Meredith glanced down and gazed at Elizabeth.

Though the gag was gone, her hands were still bound to the chair.

In the shadowy darkness, the girl’s lovely face was so pale it was nearly the same color as her white gown.

Her lower lip trembled and tears coursed silently down her cheeks. Meredith knew she could not leave her.

She struggled to contain her nearly paralyzing fear. “You are a very clever man,” Meredith said softly.

Hawkins’s expression was one of pure triumph. “I spent many hours formulating my plans. I had noticed your husband is often in your company, and I was unsure if I could lure you away. Yet in the end you made it so easy, so effortless.”

Meredith took a step back. Hawkins followed, his eyes afire with harmful intent.

“What are you going to do?” Meredith somehow forced the words through her lips.

“Why I shall kill her, of course.” Hawkins cocked his head to one side. “And you shall watch her struggle to take each breath until finally there are no more.”

Elizabeth’s shoulders sagged, and she whimpered pitifully. Without conscious thought Meredith moved to stand protectively in front of the younger girl. Her mind was racing, her blood pumping hard and fast. “Why would you want to hurt Miss Elizabeth? She has done nothing to offend you.”

Hawkins’ eyes glittered. “That might be true, but she is clearly someone you care about. Her death will distress you.”

A sliver of dread sent shivers along Meredith’s spine. “That is your true aim, isn’t it, Hawkins? To cause me suffering?”

He smiled at her again, as if she were a clever child and he a doting teacher. “I should not be surprised at how quickly you grasped the reality of the situation. Congratulations, Lady Meredith.”

Meredith tried to say something, but her tongue felt stuck to the roof of her mouth. She glanced down and saw Elizabeth struggling against her bonds furiously. When she made no apparent progress, she slumped in the chair; defeated.

Meredith’s heart thumped madly. The only chance they had to survive was to stall for time.

No doubt Trevor would notice she was gone when he returned to the conservatory.

He would not wait long to begin looking for her.

Yet it would take time for him to find her, buried back here in such a remote section of the house—if he even thought to search for her within the house.

“I cannot think what I have done to warrant such strong feelings of hatred, Mr. Hawkins. However, I should like to make amends. Will you accept my sincere apologies?”

Her contrite manner seemed to puzzle him. His mouth opened, shut, then opened again. “I shall accept your apologies, Lady Meredith. After all, you are only a woman, weak of mind and body. But I shall still kill Miss Elizabeth.”

“What is going on in here?”

Meredith and Hawkins turned in startled amazement toward the female voice. Harriet Sainthill stood in the open doorway, her hands planted firmly on her hips. She saw Hawkins the same instant he spied her. Her mouth formed a perfect O of shock as the valet lunged toward her.

“Harriet, run!” Meredith screamed.

Harriet’s face was frozen in surprise. She tried to dodge away, but Hawkins was too quick.

In one swift move, he slammed the door shut and captured Harriet.

He backhanded her across the face to stun her, then put one strong arm around her shoulders, trapping her against him.

He reached for something held within his coat pocket and Meredith sickened when she saw a flash of light reflected off the blade of a long knife.

Her eyes darted around the room, searching for something she could use to attack Hawkins, but the room appeared to have been stripped bare. There was not even a candlestick.

Meredith put her hand to her mouth. Harriet seemed stunned by the blow, but Meredith could not take her eyes off that deadly knife.

“Well, well, things are certainly getting interesting. Somehow I knew I could count on you, Lady Meredith, to keep things lively.” Hawkins lowered his head and looked indifferently toward Elizabeth.

“It brings me far greater pleasure to use my hands on a female’s throat, but I need both of them to accomplish the task. ”

Hawkins dragged Harriet across the room. Meredith backed away slowly, pressing herself against the wall beside Elizabeth. He said nothing, only tightened his grip on the now struggling Harriet. When he reached the bound girl, he raised his knife. Elizabeth flinched. Harriet screamed.