Page 134 of A Devious Secret

Chapter Nineteen

Gemma felt the rocking of the ship before she even opened her eyes. The throbbing in her head only seemed to intensify with every movement. She reached up to the back of her head where she felt a large bump and her hair was matted with dried blood. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was waiting for her father in the gardens at Lady George’s townhouse. Had he abducted her? If so, for what purpose?

With great reluctance, she opened her eyes and saw that she was inside of a cabin. It was dark and dank, but the moonlight did stream through the porthole window, casting shadows around the room. A lone desk sat against the other wall.

Gemma shifted uncomfortably on the thin straw mattress as she tried to find the strength to sit up. She had to find a way out of here. Although, she didn’t quite know where “here” was.

As she sat up, she heard the sound of booted footsteps coming from behind the closed door. She hoped this meant she was going to get some answers.

The door was opened, and Henry walked in with a candle in his hand. He wore no jacket and the sleeves on his white shirtwere rolled up. She had never seen him in such a state of undress before, especially since he prided himself on his appearance.

Henry approached the bed and smiled down upon her. “I am glad to see you are awake,” he said. “I have never hit anyone over the back of the head before, and I feared I had hit you too hard.”

“What am I doing here?” she asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked. “I abducted you and we are to be wed.”

Gemma shook her head, and she instantly regretted the motion. “I think not,” she said. “I won’t marry you.”

“You will,” Henry pressed. “You have no choice in the matter.”

“It is illegal for us to marry.”

“Not in France,” Henry said. “I hired a nice merchant to take us there so we can be wed.”

“But we are at war with France.”

Henry gave her a smug look. “I assure you that his documentation is in order.”

Gemma rested her back against the wall and winced slightly at the motion. “Regardless, I will never marry you.”

The smile on Henry’s face dimmed. “I had hoped you would be reasonable about this,” he said, “but I see that you will need some convincing.”

Henry placed the candle down on the desk. Then he retrieved the chair and positioned it near the bed. As he sat down, he continued. “You will marry me or else I will kill your beloved Mr. Wycomb.”

Gemma gasped. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I would, gladly,” Henry said. “That man has been nothing but a nuisance to me. I even tried to warn him off of you by sending that ruffian to threaten him, but he wasn’t smart enough to heed my warning.”

“Why would you even wish to marry me?” Gemma asked.

Henry leaned forward and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. As his finger lingered on her skin, she resisted the urge to shudder. “Because you are mine,” he finally said.

“I belong to no man,” she said as she jerked back.

He chuckled. “I will take great pleasure in taming you, my dear. You will fall in line or there will be dire consequences for you.”

“I don’t understand why you are doing this,” Gemma said. “You are an earl, and you could have your pick of women.”

Henry studied her for a moment before saying, “You should have been mine, but my brother tricked you into marrying him.”

“He did no such thing,” Gemma asserted. “I loved Baldwin.”

“If I had been the one to dance with you that evening, you would have fallen in love with me instead,” Henry said.

“Do you take me to be so fickle with my heart?”

“You weren’t interested in me because I was a second son,” Henry said. “You wanted a title, just as all women do.”