Chapter Twelve
Lydia
Lydia had tried to overpower Clint when he entered her chamber, but he had put the knife to her throat, and she’d known she had to bide her time until she could find the right opportunity to get away from him.
She only hoped she could do so before he did unspeakable things to her.
Given that he had already threatened her he would do so.
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 harm coming 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 another woman?
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 presented itself. 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.”
Elias froze and glanced around the room, as if he were looking for something. Probably a weapon.
Several silent moments passed before Clint spoke again.
“Perhaps your gentleman friend would like to watch while I take your maidenhead, my sweet. We could take care of matters right now.” He shifted his attention to Elias.
“And if you want to have at her after that, I’ll let you.
For a price, of course. I intend to sell her body to anyone willing to pay.
That’s what the lightskirt gets for thinking she can run away from me and send her bumbling papa to threaten me out of Town. ”
She watched as Elias drew a deep breath, his chest and shoulders heaving from anger. She knew he felt helpless, but she held onto hope that one of them would find a way out.
“How do you think you are going to get her out of here with no one stopping you?”
“The same way I’m keeping your pathetic, lovesick arse from coming near me. With this knife pressed against her throat.”
“She’ll run from you,” Elias said, catching her gaze for a moment and then refocusing her attention on Clint.
She would never accept such a fate and allow herself to be at the horrid man’s whim. She would run from him the first chance she got and never stop running.
“She won’t,” Durham said quickly. “Do you want to know how I know?” he asked, then glanced at Lydia, speaking to her.
“Because I will murder your besotted fool and his entire family. Even those precious sisters of his.” Clint smirked and then caught Elias’s hard stare again.
“Although, I might keep Lady Diana around for a while. She could be useful. We’ll see if she has the mouth of a strumpet on her too. ”
Lydia cried to herself as it appeared more likely that Clint might win.
The man may be on the borderline of insanity, but he had found one of the few things that would keep her from running from him.
She couldn’t risk the lives of Elias and his family or subject Diana to the same torture she would face at his hands.
She would have to go with him and comply if that is what it came down to.
The realization splintered her heart, and she fought the bile that rose in her throat. It would only make matters worse if she were to cast up her accounts while gagged. So she willed herself to remain calm. She would need her wits about her to find an opportunity to get out of his grip.
“In the spirit of the holiday and me being such a giving man, the choice is yours, Snowdon,” Clint taunted. “Do you wish to step aside and let me remove her from here now, or do you wish to watch me unwrap my present and fuck her with a knife to her throat, and then I take her away?”
She saw tears form in the corners of Elias’s eyes and his face was the darkest shade of red from how angry he was. He looked at her, regret in his eyes, and then looked back at Durham. She only hoped he knew that none of it was his fault.
Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door. It was her chance. It would be now or never.
“Enter!” Elias shouted, just as Lydia spun around so that she moved herself away from the knife. The way she turned bent Clint’s arm back and forced him to release her hands.
Elias charged Clint as another man called, “What the bloody hell?”
“Hudson, help me!” Elias shouted at the man as he had Clint’s hand with the knife pinned against the wall.
Lydia watched as Elias’s friend, Lord Onslow, rushed over and pried the knife out of Clint’s hand. As soon as he did, Elias began punching the man in the face repeatedly until the man fell into a pile on the floor.
“Elias,” Onslow said, pulling him back. “That’s enough.”
Elias turned and instantly met her gaze, the rage fading from his expression as he rushed over to her. “Are you all right?” he asked, untying the cravat from around her face.
Lydia could only nod in response and threw herself into Elias’s arms. He closed them tightly around her, placing tender kisses on her head.
Elias pulled back and cupped her face with both of his hands, staring into her eyes as if he were on the brink of death and she was the salvation that he needed.
“What happened?” Lord Onslow asked.
“He was going to force her to marry him,” Elias replied, his words thick with emotion, pulling her back against him and tightening his arms around her. “Among other things.”
Onslow kicked Clint in the stomach in response, and Clint groaned. Served the bastard right.
“I need to get her away from him,” Elias said to Onslow. “I don’t want him breathing the same air as her. Help me tie him up and then we shall send for the magistrate.”
Elias released her, only to help Onslow turn Clint onto his stomach. They used a bedsheet to tie his hands and feet together behind him so that he could not move his limbs even a single inch.
“Stay here and keep watch while I alert my father and send for the magistrate,” Elias said to Onslow.
“He’s not going anywhere,” his friend replied, scowling at the pitiful excuse of a man who laid on the floor.
Elias turned back to her. “Come here, Beautiful,” he said, sweeping Lydia into his arms to carry her from the room.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry I stormed off earlier.”
Elias stopped walking and stared at her. “Don’t you dare apologize to me. I was the fool. Once I have you away from here and I know you are safe, I will tell you just what kind of fool I am.”
Lydia laid her head against his chest and he resumed carrying her all the way downstairs and to a room that appeared to be a study. Perhaps his or his father’s. He gently set her on the settee.
“Stay here.” He didn’t take his eyes off of her as he moved to grab the bellpull.
A few moments later, a footman entered. “Have my father and Lord Cary brought here straight away, but no one else. Tell them it is a matter of great import, but do not alarm any of the other guests.”
The footman nodded and hurried off to do as Elias directed.
Elias returned and knelt before her.
“Before they arrive, I have something that I wish to say to you.”
Lydia drew a breath, “I have something I wish to say to you too.”