Chapter 14 #2
“She’s been gravely ill, my lord,” Georgina said.
“She slept for days straight as she fought off the sickness that enveloped her after she nearly died in that pond incident.” She smiled softly.
“You should take better care with her. You are her family, and you should be more concerned about her health than her reputation at the moment. If she should take a turn for the worse…” She inhaled sharply and raised her hand to her chest and closed her eyes.
“Well,” she said solemnly. “I do not wish to speak the worse possibility into existence, but you do catch my meaning. Do you not?”
“I do,” he said. “I will accompany you to Jaclyn’s room. I wish to see for myself that she is well. You have given me much to consider.”
After they left the room, Charlotte turned toward the others. Once she was certain that Oakley and Georgina were not within eavesdropping distance she said, “Everything went as we planned. She is safe.”
Kingston nodded. “We will not speak further on this until Oakley has vacated the premises.” He frowned. “We cannot allow him to believe, even for one moment, that we know where she is. He will be relentless, as it is, without any proof we aided her.”
“I agree,” Easton said. He gestured toward the open door and met Foxmoore’s gaze. “Will your wife be all right with him? He has quite a volatile nature.”
“Georgina can handle him,” he said confidently. “She is so sweet no one would consider her of doing anything nefarious.” He lifted his stick to take another shot on the billiards table. “Besides, if he harms her in any fashion, I will gladly make him regret breathing the same air she does.”
Kingston’s lips twitched. “Now that is something I’d love to witness.”
“Pray you do not have to,” Foxmoore said. “Because it will mean that bastard did something untoward to my wife.”
Oakley stormed back into the room with Georgina close behind him. “She isn’t in her room,” he nearly shouted at them. “What did you do with her?”
“Jaclyn is gone?” Charlotte met Georgina’s gaze. “You did not find her in her bedchamber?”
Georgina shook her head. “She’s not there. I don’t…” She swallowed hard. “I do not know where she could be.” Her voice shook as she spoke. “He…”
Foxmoore set down his cue stick and strolled over to her. He pulled her into his arms and said some soothing noises to comfort her. He glared at Oakley. “What did you do to upset my wife?”
“Nothing,” Oakley gritted out. “She is fine. It’s not my fault she’s more skittish than a newborn foal.”
No one had time to react as Foxmoore’s fist hit Oakley’s face. “Apologize now,” he demanded. “You had no right to treat her so callously.”
Oakley wiped blood from his nose as he glared at Foxmoore.
“You will pay for that,” he promised. “You will all pay for what you have done today. Do not think you have me fooled. This is all one big charade and I’m to be your dupe.
Well, you can all think again. I will find my sister and then you will all rue the day that you played with my family as if we mean nothing.
” He seemed to realize that no one in the room was going to give him the answers he sought.
With one last glance at Kingston, his eyes narrowed.
“I will not make any apology,” he muttered, storming out of the room.
As soon as Oakley was gone, Kingston let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
A glance toward Easton confirmed what he had suspected—Oakley would not be so easy to shake.
This plan was temporary, and he would have to do something far more permanent to keep Jaclyn safe from her family’s loving embrace.
It wasn’t over... far from it. It couldn’t be over until they had secured Jaclyn’s safety, until he could be sure that Oakley wouldn’t tear through the entire estate looking for her.
Charlotte turned to them with a knowing look in her eyes. “That could have gone better,” she said, though there was a slight edge to her voice that hinted at the underlying tension.
“It went as expected,” Kingston replied, his voice low. “But this is far from finished.”
Easton met his gaze. “Indeed. But at least for now, we have time. We’ll deal with Oakley when we must.” He motioned toward Charlotte.
“Come here, love. I need to hold you.” She went willingly into his awaiting arms. Georgina was still enveloped in Foxmoore’s embrace.
Kingston’s arms felt empty in that moment, and he wished he had Jaclyn near so he could hold her.
Kingston couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to spiral out of control though.
He only hoped he could hold it together long enough to keep everyone—especially Jaclyn—safe.
He would go to her at the first opportunity.
It would probably be best to wait until nightfall.
It would be far easier to sneak over to the hunting lodge then.
He could take her some supplies at that time.
He glanced at Foxmoore, who was still holding Georgina, his posture defensive, his jaw set.
The way Foxmoore had reacted earlier—his fist meeting Oakley’s face—was both unexpected and gratifying.
Kingston had to respect the way the man protected his wife.
It was rare in their social circles to see such genuine care, but Foxmoore’s reaction had been born of instinct, not calculation.
That was something Kingston could appreciate.
“What happens now?” Georgina’s voice was small, fragile.
Kingston looked at her with a soft but firm gaze. “Now we wait. Oakley’s bluster will only get him so far. Once he cools down, he’ll return again for his sister, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t cause any more trouble. But we need to keep our eyes open, especially for Jaclyn’s sake.”
Charlotte nodded, her eyes filled with concern, but there was something else there—a quiet determination. “You’re right, of course,” she said softly, “Jaclyn doesn’t want to return home with him. We all know that, and we will help her in any way we can.”
“We will do whatever is necessary,” he said, more to himself than anyone else.
What he did not say was he would do everything he could for Jaclyn.
Not just to keep her safe. But because his heart belonged to her and her alone.
She had sneaked in and claimed it when he wasn’t paying attention.
“Jaclyn deserves better than this mess.” Her reputation never should have been ruined by her brother’s careless actions. His own had not been any better.
“Then we’ll make sure she gets it,” Foxmoore spoke up, his voice calm but steady, like the assuredness of a man who had faced worse than what this situation might offer. “We’ll handle Oakley.”
Kingston met his friend’s gaze and gave a brief nod. He wasn’t one to lean on others, but there were times when even the strongest of men needed the comfort of their allies.
“We’re all in this together,” Easton said, breaking the brief silence. “And when Oakley returns, we’ll deal with him properly.” He sighed. “When should we take Jaclyn some supplies?”
“I’ll do it tonight,” Kingston said quietly, his jaw tightening. “It’s too dangerous to do so sooner. He might still be watching us.”
“Is it really wise to go to her in the dark?” Charlotte asked, concern knitting her brow. “Could it not raise suspicion?”
He shook his head. “The night sky will be our friend in this situation,” Kingston said, a fire burning behind his eyes. “I have no choice but to wait. If I go to the hunting lodge then, I’ll be able to make sure Jaclyn is safe without him noticing.”
Georgina hesitated for a moment before speaking. “You have a plan for when you find her, don’t you?”
He hesitated but nodded. “I do, but I think it is best I keep the details to myself. We’ll leave the hunting lodge before Oakley can return for her. She’ll be safer away from Easton Abbey.”
“I’ll come with you,” Easton said firmly, his gaze unwavering. “I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I think this is something I need to do alone,” Kingston said. His voice softened just a bit, and his eyes lingered on Charlotte. “You have responsibilities here.”
“All right, that is true,” Easton said, offering a small smile then glanced at his wife. “Just make sure you’re not too reckless. We care about you both. Please send word when you are able to.”
“Thank you.” Kingston’s voice was thick with emotion. “I will.”
“Let’s make sure we don’t let Oakley’s threats keep us from doing what’s right,” Foxmoore added, his arms still wrapped protectively around Georgina. “Take care of Jaclyn. She will need you.”
“Tonight, then,” Kingston said, nodding. His heart was heavy with worry, but his resolve was clear.
With the matter decided, the group began to prepare for the next move.
Kingston, however, couldn’t shake thoughts of Jaclyn from his mind.
The hours leading up to the night were fraught with tense anticipation.
And when the moon finally rose high in the sky, Kingston would make his way toward the hunting lodge, ready to face whatever was coming next.
That night he would finally claim Jaclyn and he intended on this being the start of their forever together…