Page 87 of The Devil's Accidental Duchess
Once again, he had spoken her greatest fear aloud.
Her body froze.
“We cannot be married,” she urged, her throat tight. “Philip obtained a special license. I am to behiswife, not yours. Please, Lord Ramsbury, just take me back to Ashbrook before you cause trouble for yourself that cannot be undone.”
Lord Ramsbury laughed, a coarse and unpleasant sound. “My dear Selina,ourwedding banns were never taken down. Our marriage will be as legal as a marriage can be.”
“No…”
“Yes, my darling, and you will soon see that it is for the best,” he said. “The Duke doesn’t care for you. You are just a means of temporary satisfaction to him. To me, you are everything. I shall treat you well, my dear. I shall treat you with respect, as he could never do.”
“But… But I do not want you!” she blurted out, wrenching free of his grasp. “I want Philip. I want to be Philip’s wife. Take me back to him at once!”
She had not known it with certainty until that very moment. Despite what she had heard, despite the fact that she might never bear his children, she wanted to be Philip’s wife. She wanted to be with him. She wanted what she had been looking forward to until it all went awry.
Lord Ramsbury seized her by the wrist and leaned in until he was almost nose-to-nose with her, his eyes flashing with anger. “I will never let him have you. You were mine from the beginning.”
“I was never yours,” she shot back. “I dreaded the very thought of marrying you!”
With a snarl, he dragged her across the entrance hall and into what appeared to be the dining room. There, he forced her down into a chair and called to his startled staff for rope.
“Iwillhave what I deserve, whether you like it or not,” he hissed. “My fortune relies on you, and I will not lose this gamble. This time, I will win.”
She tried to wriggle free of his grip and the chair, but the madness in his eyes had extended to his body, his strength overwhelming.
“He will kill you when he finds out what you have done,” she spat.
“He will not know what I have done until it is too late,” he replied with a dark smirk. “Indeed, he is probably lying in bed, intertwined with Mary as we speak, enjoying her comforts on her last night. For old times’ sake.”
Selina faltered, pausing her struggle. “Mary? How do you know about Mary?”
“I needed some assistance, and she was only too keen to offer it,” he replied. “Perhaps now that you are gone from that place, she will also get what she desires—the Duke, all to herself.”
The maid’s determination to offer proof suddenly made awful sense. It had not been a gesture of kindness at all, or even revenge, but one of selfish intent. She had seen an opportunity to be rid of Selina, and she had taken it.
“You worked together…” It was not a question.
Lord Ramsbury grinned. “I needed you to want to run. I needed you to realize that the Duke was never the better prospect.” He leaned in closer, his cold, thin lips grazing her cheek. “You will be happy as Lady Ramsbury, I am certain of it.”
With all the strength she could muster, she shoved him hard in the chest. He rocked back, knocked off balance, and she seized her chance.
She darted away from the chair and ran for the dining room door, bolting out into the hallway. Running faster than she had ever done in her life, she sprinted across the entrance hall and paused, remembering the locked door.
Veering right, having no idea of the manor’s layout, she tore down the nearest hallway and opened the first door she came to.
I have to get out of here. I have to.
It was a study of some sort, and right there ahead of her was a sash window.
She ran for it and forced the stiff latch open. Footsteps echoed in the hallway as she shoved the sash window up and was struck by a welcoming gust of fresh air.
Quick as a flash, she climbed up and out… and might have made it had her skirts not caught on something. She twisted her head back to see what it was, and a scream caught in her throat when she saw Lord Ramsbury standing there, his eyes wild, with a fistful of her dress in his grasp.
She pulled against it, praying that the fabric would tear and allow her a chance at freedom. Instead, Lord Ramsbury began to reel her in like a fish on a hook.
Before she knew it, she was being pulled back through the window. She thrashed and kicked and fought with all of her might, but it was no good. He was simply too strong and too determined.
Breathless and sweating, she fell to the floor.
