Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Jane’s hands pressed against the cold, damp wall, her back flush to the clammy surface while she stared into the black and purple face of Lord Bath. She could hardly say she was surprised or shocked that he was behind her kidnapping since Henry had insisted his disreputable brother was responsible for the incident with Emmeline and Juliana. However, his absence had made her question their suspicion of his involvement—until now.
“Is the repulsion upon your countenance due to my appearance or just due to the sight of me?” The earl sneered as he drawled out the words.
“I know not what you want me to say, Lord Bath. Given Henry’s description of your character, I expected you to come sooner or later, yet I had not expected you to appear thus.”
Lord Bath tilted his head, so the light of the candle illuminated the crooked line of his nose. “Do you like your husband’s handiwork? Do you think it renders me more handsome? Well, that of my brother and the gentleman who levelled the second blow…Darcy, I believe. Your grandfather and Sir Anthony Greene were present as well, though they did naught to be of aid to me. They did no more than stand about like addlepates and allow this to happen.”
“What would you have expected them to do?” she asked. “They are searching for me. They are surely worried and fear for my life. Would you show mercy for one who is sure to be causing pain and distress to someone you love?”
“Henry and Charles would claim I am incapable of such feelings.” His hand flexed and released.
Her gaze returned to his. “Your brothers maintain their own beliefs on the matter, yet only you are aware of what is in your heart. What of your mother? I know she became ill and died when you were young, but you had to hold some feelings for her. Henry has spoken of your relationship with your father; you surely loved him, did you not?”
The man gave an odd chuckle. “The old man did favour me over my brothers. I learnt from a young age to feed his vanity and pride of position. He valued wealth and the appearance of wealth more than anything, so I used my allowance to purchase his favourites: snuff and snuff boxes, brandies, Ports, and the like. In return for my smaller though expensive gifts, he purchased me horses and a curricle as well as my house in town. I sought whatever fortune he could provide me and no more. You must see that I did not bestow gifts so much as make a series of exceptional trades. I was my father’s intellectual superior in every way. He was quite easy to handle, after all. I could never hold affection for such a gullible man, could you?”
The bile rose in Jane’s throat. The selfishness of the man before her was disgusting. He cared for none but himself and felt his own importance keenly. Henry and Charles had indicated as much, but for Lord Bath to confirm what his brothers had told her made her stomach heave. The muscles of her belly tightened in a fiercer grip than they had thus far. Her palm found the side where the worst of the pain centred but did not rub. The earl’s attention needed to remain on their discussion and not be drawn to her child, who was, no doubt, a threat to him. A trembling just under her heart whispered to keep him talking. She could not let him stop.
“Of course, Henry had to receive the dukedom.”
“Your father had no choice in the matter, as you know.”
Bath waved his hand dismissively. “My father should have had a choice in the matter, yet I still doubt that he would have chosen me. Henry was his firstborn; Henry possessed an aptitude for running Clitheroe—the estate was more profitable due to farming techniques Henry implemented. Due to the increase in profits, my father had given Henry free rein to make the changes at all of the properties of the dukedom. Regardless of what I had done for the old man, my elder brother gave the old man a far greater gift than the trinkets I had purchased—he furthered his fortune. While my father thought Henry a bore and too soft, he recognised an acumen for business I lacked. Charles’s properties had also begun to increase their profits. My brothers oft times discussed the latest farming methods and invested in horseflesh together. They would go to Tattersalls and purchase horses with the costliest of bloodlines. Together, they could afford the best of what was for sale. They bred what they purchased, then sold the offspring, making far and above what they spent on any of the sires or mares.”
The spite in his tone made her recoil. “Yet, if you had attempted to maintain friendships with your brothers, they would have included you in their ventures. You could have profited as well and instead of coveting your brother’s holdings, increased your own so you had no need of the dukedom. After all, Lord Charles has never needed to find an occupation. He lives in comfort with little help from Henry. You could have done the same.”
Lord Bath advanced towards her, his nostrils flared. “What do you know?” The words were spat out, making spittle fly from his mouth. “You are nothing but a mere woman—a stupid bitch who married my brother and now carries his whelp in her belly.”
“I ensured you never took Emmeline or Juliana when you made your attempt on them.” Would he attempt to deny what occurred that day? What point was there to hide it now? If he confessed, she would have the proof of the matter from his own mouth.
He scoffed and cackled while the two men behind him never interfered. “You believe you prevented my plan, do you? What occurred was no more than these two idiots were not prepared. I told them they required a third man, but when John’s brother fell ill, these two kept to the plan which necessitated leaving the girls alone by the Serpentine while they disposed of the servants. By the time these two managed to return to the girls, they were gone. In their cowardice, my men fled the park without searching for their prey. Upon my learning of what occurred, their incompetence did not go unpunished.”
The larger of the two, Michael, who stood behind the earl’s left shoulder, winced and retreated several steps. Jane’s breath left her in a rush. What had one man done to garner such a response from such a sizeable man?
“No,” said Lord Bath without pause. “They certainly regretted letting my nieces escape them that day. Then Henry had to go and marry you.”
“How do I complicate matters?” Keep him talking!
“How…You and that—” he pointed to her belly—“make my plans more difficult. Not to mention watching how my brother makes mooncalf expressions at you is infuriating. He is completely besotted, which makes matters even worse. Henry received everything I ever wanted. Why should I be forced to witness him joyful? The sight makes me nauseous.
“Henry has known for years that I want the dukedom. He and Charles are not incorrect in their assumptions. After all, I have made my feelings no secret that the title passed to the wrong son. Before you, I saw no rush to pursue matters. If I hastened the disappearance of my brothers and nieces, it would draw suspicion. But the longer I left you, the more children you would have—the more burdensome my task would become. My source within Hemel Hill and Albemarle House claimed you and my brother often shut yourselves away, that my brother could not keep his hands off you, even with you in this state.” With a grimace, he gestured towards where the babe rested safe, for the moment. “He would get you with child over and over again, and the more of his progeny that exists, the more my claim diminishes.”
Jane wrapped her arms around her stomach, embracing the child within in the only way she could. “You would kill your own brothers and your nieces? Emmeline and Juliana are so young.” Her eyes burned.
“If I let them live, they could take their revenge on me one day—should they realise what happened. Better to be done with them and eliminate a worry for the future.” He drew a pistol from his great coat and aimed it directly at her chest. “And that is what I intend to do to you.”
What had she done? She had made a fatal error, which was now obvious. In her attempts to keep him speaking, she had directed him down the wrong path, she had reminded him of his purpose.
“I would have killed you and the babe sooner,” he continued. “But Henry had investigators as well as his own servants watching the house day and night. Every time, they watched the routes I could have used to elude them. But tonight…” The feral grin he wore made a shudder rattle up her spine. “Tonight, I managed to creep behind one of them and slit his throat. I finally made my escape. Henry should not have beaten me. You see, it made me that much more determined to take you from him. When they find your body floating in the Thames, his babe ripped from your womb, I will relish the misery etched upon his countenance. Oh, I shall pretend to be sorry for him, even though he will not believe one word of my condolences, but inside, I shall celebrate his grief. For, I shall be one step closer.”
A more intense pain ripped across her belly, but she could do no more than breathe while she kept her gaze on Lord Bath’s finger near the trigger.
“Ya want to kill her?” Michael looked between her, the earl, and John. “Did ya know of this?” he asked his partner.
The other man shook his head. “You said we were to keep her for ransom. You said the duke’s daughters would be held for ransom as well. We never agreed to kill them.”
Lord Bath gave an exasperated exhale. “Because I knew the two of you would never agree if you knew the truth. Do not lose faith in me. You will receive your due.”
“She is worth more alive,” said the second man, the one they called John. Was that not the name of the missing footman? “The duke will pay handsomely. You would never pay us what she is worth!”
“What I have to gain is worth far and above whatever my brother would pay for her safe return.” The earl cocked the gun, and Jane turned to the side in an attempt to shield her stomach from the bullet that was sure to come. She could do little to protect him, but she would do all in her power regardless, including shielding him with her own body.
The blast of a gun firing echoed from the walls, and she closed her eyes and braced for the pain that was sure to come.