Love and Dreams: The Coltrane Saga, Book 6 (43 page)

Now! her brain commanded. She leaped from the carriage, turned toward the doors, then gasped and stopped short as they quickly slammed shut. Bryan was still in the carriage, so who…?

Lita leaned back against the closed doors and smiled.

“You!”

She nodded. “Did you really think I’d stand by and watch you betray a wonderful man like Mr. Stevens?” she asked smugly, beaming as Bryan alighted to walk over and pat her shoulder gratefully.

He turned to grin at Jade. “Smartest thing I ever did was rehiring her when we left on our honeymoon. She’s been invaluable, keeping me informed as to your goings-on. She’s very loyal—to
me
!”

Jade looked from one to the other, feeling sick in her soul. Oh, she had realized Lita watched every move she made, but she’d chalked it up to just being nosy, had not really thought Lita had been ordered to spy for Bryan. “You sneaky little bitch!” she hissed.

Lita stiffened, and Bryan patted her shoulder once more. “Now, now, don’t let her get you riled. It’s time to take care of her.”

They advanced toward Jade, and she retreated, but found herself backed up at the rear wall of the carriage house with nowhere to go. She screamed, and they laughed at her, said the servants had been given the weekend off. They were too far from the neighbors for them to hear, either.

“You can come along quietly, or we’ll have to get rough,” Bryan said, walking stealthily toward her. He held a coil of rope. Lita carried a large rag.

Jade tried to run, to make her way around them to get to the doors, but they leaped on her simultaneously, and she didn’t have a chance. Bryan quickly tied her hands behind her back as Lila furiously, roughly, stuffed the rag in her mouth.

They did not take her to the house as Jade had hoped, where she might have some chance to escape. Instead, they carried her to the small tack room of the carriage house and locked her inside, in the dark.

For a few moments, she screamed against the gag and struggled to free herself, then fell silent as she realized they were still outside the door, talking. She pressed forward to listen and heard them arguing.

“But you said if you found out she was being unfaithful to you, you’d divorce her,” Lita was whining, and it sounded as though she was crying.

“She’s my
wife
, Lita. You have to understand that,” Bryan explained.

“But you said you wouldn’t want her anymore if she was cheating,” she sobbed. “And I spied on her to prove it to you, because I always knew she wasn’t good enough for you, didn’t appreciate you for the fine man you are, and now that I did, you tell me you still want her! I don’t understand!”

He sighed wearily. “I can’t expect you to, my dear, because you don’t understand the whole story, and it’s too complicated, too personal. Just know that I appreciate all you’ve done for me, and I intend to see you’re well compensated.”

Oh, it was so clear now, Jade thought. Lita had been jealous, had wanted Bryan for herself. Bryan had known that and used her anyway.

“Now, stop this, Lita!” Bryan was brusque, annoyed. “You’re just making things worse.”

“You could take me to Bermuda with you. I could work for you there, help you keep an eye on her. You know she won’t stop trying to escape.”

“That wouldn’t work. Things will be tense between Jade and me until she understands how much I love her and learns to appreciate that love. You’d only complicate the situation, tempting me…”

He was placating her, Jade realized with contempt. He’d used her and was now tossing her aside.

“Now then,” he went on, sounding smug, satisfied that he’d got his way. “You just keep a watch, make sure Coltrane doesn’t come nosing around, while I go see that the yacht is ready. Then I’ll come back for her.”

Petulantly, Lita said, “And leave me behind.”

“With lots and lots of money,” he reminded her cheerily. “You’re going to live like a queen on what I intend to give you, and you’ll be so busy buying pretties you won’t even think about me. Now be a good girl and go up to the house and pack some of her things!”

She continued to argue, and their voice faded as they left the carriage house.

Jade leaned against the wall, slowly slid downward to a sitting position, struggling against her bonds…struggling to think of a way out of her predicament.

Bryan had been gone perhaps ten minutes when she heard a noise that brought her abruptly out of her desperate meditation. She struggled to stand, every nerve alert, poised, ready should there be a chance for escape. With a soft grating sound, the door swung open, and the lights from the carriage house outlined Lita as she stood staring into the dark tack room.

“Don’t you try anything,” she warned. “I’ve got a knife.”

Jade saw the glint of steel.

Lila commanded, “Step out here…where I can see you.”

She did as she was told.

The gag was jerked from her mouth, and Jade gulped in mouthfuls of fresh air. She icily met the glare of her enemy and with a toss of her long cardinal-red hair cursed, “Damn you, Lita, for the traitor you are!”

Lita sneered and boldly touched the tip of the butcher knife to Jade’s chin. “Now I find that strange, Mrs. Stevens—
you
calling
me
a traitor!
You’re
the sinner here. Adultery is something no one can forgive, especially in a woman. A man, well, people might turn their noses up for a time, but everyone knows men are such animals. But a woman? A wife? Ah, you’re a whore now, and I hate you for the way you’ve hurt Mr. Stevens…” Her voice rose to near hysteria. “He’s been so good to you. He didn’t deserve this. He deserves the love and loyalty of a fine Christian woman—”

“Like you,” Jade intoned brashly.

Lita lifted her chin. “That’s right. I could make him happy, and I
will
make him happy, because I’m going to get rid of you, and then he’ll turn to me.”

“If you kill me, you’ll go to prison, and then you wouldn’t have a chance to make Bryan happy.” Jade spoke calmly, but she was trembling with fear.

“No?” Lita’s mouth curved in an insolent smirk. “Who’s to say I murdered you? I can always tie lots of horseshoes to your ankles and throw you in the river, and your body would never be found. I’d just tell Mr. Stevens you escaped, and he’d believed me.”

“And what if he didn’t?” Jade challenged. “What if my body
were
found, and you were charged with murder? You think you’d stand a chance with him then? Oh, no. You’d wind up in jail, and he’d hate you.”

“Never!” Lita hissed.

“If you want Bryan,” Jade went on, “you’re going about it the wrong way. And I want to help you any way I can, because I don’t want him anymore. I realize now I never did. All I want to do is go back to Europe.”

Lita was suspicious. “What about Mr. Coltrane? Aren’t you in love with him?”

Jade forced a laugh. “No, he was just a diversion, but then his wife’s mother heard about our affair, and now Bryan knows, so there’s nothing for me to do but leave sooner than I’d planned. All you have to do,” she said slowly, carefully, “if you want Bryan for yourself, is let me go. Tell him I escaped, and I promise you, he’ll never know you had a hand in it. He’ll look for me for a time, but he won’t be able to find me, and sooner or later he’ll give up and turn to you.”

“I…I don’t know.” Lita shook her head worriedly. “It’s taking a big chance.”

Jade cried, “What do you have to lose? Once his boat sails, then it’s over. He’ll be gone to you forever, because he’ll find a way to keep me prisoner on that island. You’ve come too far, Lita.” She paused, gave her a moment to contemplate what she’d just said. “You went to Mrs. Vordane, didn’t you? And told her about me and Colt? And you spied and found out we planned to meet at my studio tonight, didn’t you?”

“Yes! I followed you to the park, saw you meet him, and heard most of what was said. Then I went to Mrs. Vordane, and…I sold her the information.”

Jade was incredulous. “You sold her the information? Dear God, I would’ve paid you to keep silent.”

Lita then admitted she had been hiding in the studio that morning when she came. “I told Mr. Stevens your plans to meet Mr. Coltrane there. It was right after you had a big fight. I didn’t hear what it was about, just knew you were terribly angry. So I went in and told him about your affair, because I thought if I did, he’d turn to me only he didn’t, as you already know,” she added shamefully.

Jade tried to hate her but could not. She was only a poor servant who thought she had a chance to be the wife, or mistress, of a wealthy man, to have riches otherwise out of reach. She had not thought of the painful consequences to others.

Suddenly Lita’s eyes shone strangely in the muted light of the electric lanterns. “Turn around,” she said hoarsely.

Jade knew sheer panic, sure she meant to stab her in the back.

“Turn around,” Lita repeated, “and…and let me untie you.”

Jade quickly obeyed, and when her hands were free, she moved out of slashing range of the knife.

Lita could see she was still frightened. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’ll tell Mr. Stevens that when I came out here to check on you, you’d worked the ropes loose and freed yourself. Now, please go, quickly—”

Jade darted out of the carriage house and into the night…

…and straight into the arms of Bryan.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Jade’s lips parted in a silent scream of terror as he looked down at her in the faint moonlight and coldly declared, “I expected something like this. That’s why I came back.”

Just then, Lita ran out, saw Bryan, froze, and began to hysterically babble, “Oh, Mr. Stevens. Thank heavens! I—I came to check on her, and she was gone, and—”

Jade was struggling, and all Bryan’s concentration was on holding on to her as he wrestled her back into the carriage house to bind her wrists once more. He was trying to be as gentle as possible because he did not want to hurt her.

Lita followed after them, wringing her hands, not knowing what to do at that point. He would see that the rope had been cut.

Bryan finished securing Jade, gagged her again lest someone hear her furious screams. Then he picked up the rope she’d been tied with earlier, examined it in the light, and turned to Lita in disappointment. “I thought I could trust you.”

She began to cry. “I’m sorry. I just thought if I let her go, then you—” She could not finish, and there was no need, for he knew her motive.

“Well, I’ll just have to take her with me now, though I didn’t want to until I was absolutely sure the yacht was ready. I have no choice because I can’t trust you with her.” He shoved Jade into the tack room and locked the door, then went to get the carriage.

Lita ran after him, begging his forgiveness, but he brushed her aside, too angry, too tired, to listen. He had other things on his mind besides worrying about the hysterical railings of a money-hungry servant girl—like how to make his wife love him instead of hate him. And, oh, dear God, he loved Jade, worshipped her. He would use every resource, every power, to put the warm glow of love back into those beautiful eyes.

And God help anyone who got in his way.

Bryan maneuvered the carriage as close as possible to where the
Marnia
was docked. Even though it was the middle of the night, he was afraid someone might see Jade tied and gagged, and try to interfere. He had to trust his crew not to ask questions.

Monroe Burton was standing on deck. He recognized Bryan and hurried down the gangplank. “We’re almost ready. It was short notice, and we’ve done, the best we could, and—” He fell silent at the sight of Jade, a rag stuffed in her mouth, wrists tied together. “What the hell is going on?”

Bryan snapped, “None of your business, Burton. Just carry her on board for me as quick as you can before anybody sees her. Lock her in our cabin and then tell the crew we’re leaving right away, and if they aren’t ready, they damn well better get ready fast.”

Monroe laughed uneasily. “But, sir, she’s your wife, and—”

“No matter!” Bryan glowered at him. “She’s reluctant to take a vacation. More than that, you don’t need to know. Now will you follow my orders?”

He nodded, then lifted Jade in his arms. He hurried up the gangplank and stepped onto the yacht just as Walt Gibbons appeared. He took one look at them and yelped, “What in thunderation do you think you’re doing, Burton? What’s she tied up like that for?”

He rushed forward, trying to take Jade from him, but Monroe resisted. “Stop it, you old fool. I’m just following orders.”

Bryan, who had been taking down some personal belongings he’d hastily thrown in the carriage, heard the commotion and bounded up the gangplank. “Burton, get her below before you wake up the whole harbor. Gibbons, stay out of this.”

Walt stood his ground, not liking the situation at all. “I will not—not till you tell me what’s going on.”

Bryan irritably warned, “Stay out of this!”

Walt Gibbons had never been a man to be intimidated, nor did he mind sticking his neck out to help someone if he liked them, and he liked Miss Jade. A lot. She had always been kind and nice to him, and he’d felt protective toward her. Seeing her so helpless now, obviously being taken aboard against her will, well, he just couldn’t stand back and do nothing.