The Untamable Rogue (20 page)

J
ames Atkins was
more than happy with how things were going. He had his little niece exactly where he wanted her. The loss of her virginity did bother him a little and the prospect of a brat in her belly also did not please him, but one could always do something about that– in secret, of course.

With a glass of brandy in his hand Atkins went to the window. Liz was just leaving the stable. She did not look particularly happy. But that was not important. Only one thing mattered and that was her saying ‘I do’ before the priest. Once she was his wife then he would deal with her. If necessary there were also drugs that one could administer. He had a friend in London whose wife was continually on drugs and she was loveliness personified – gentle and extremely obliging. His trousers tightened at the very thought of making the little unruly Liz so obsequious. He could do whatever he wanted to her.

Atkins’ gaze followed Liz over the yard. How lovely she looked. Her figure was perfect. She had everything in the right place, she was not too voluptuous. Her hair shone in the sun and he imagined how it must feel to brush his fingers through her hair.

Soon – soon she would belong to him!

I
n shock I
threw open my eyes. A hand was pressing against my mouth and someone was bending over me. My heart beat madly. I could not see his face but I knew who it was.

“Quiet! It’s me!” he whispered.

My thoughts were racing. How had he got here? What was he doing here? Why was he here? Had he betrayed me?

He took his hand away and replaced it with his mouth. I wanted to push him away. Too many unanswered questions lay between us. But my body no longer seemed to listen to me as soon as this man was around. We kissed as if we were crazy. I could taste blood and did not know whether it was his or mine. It did not matter. It was not important. I needed him. I had to have him – once more – no matter what was to happen after that.

Ivo undressed quickly and slid between my open legs. With impatient hands he pushed my night dress up. I had no time for fore-play – I wanted to feel him inside me – now! Urgently I pushed his caressing hand aside and grasped it bravely to direct him. He understood and slid inside me.

He hushed my screaming with his hand.

“Shh!” he said. “If you carry on doing that you’ll wake up the whole household.”

He made love to me hard and fast but that was exactly what I needed and wanted right now. Afterwards we lay next to one another in silence.

“Has … has he touched you?” asked Ivo hoarsely.

“No!” I replied, a little too spikily. “Why does it bother you anyway?” “Why does it bother me?” he snapped angrily and rolled over me. “Damn it, Liz! What’s that supposed to mean? Why does it bother me? I’ve been imagining the worst possible things. I’ve been half crazed with fear. When I went back to your room, you’d gone and I waited there all day. Then I asked around and found out that there was a stage-coach in front of the house whist I was out getting you something to eat. Someone saw you leave the house with two men and my informant thought that it looked as if you were unconscious as your head was hanging to the side. I knew straight away that it had to be connected with your uncle and …”

I looked at him in disbelief.

“But
you
betrayed me to him!”

Disbelief spread across his face, then pain.

“How can you think such a thing?” he asked, his voice broken.

“The … the man who brought me here told me! He described you exactly and said that with the two hundred pounds that you got for the betrayal you wanted to build a new life. And I know that you want to go to America. And …”

“
Yes
,
I want to go to America to start a new life. With
you
! For goodness’ sake, do you not know how much I love you? How can you believe that I would betray you? I don’t know who did it but I do know one thing – it was
not
me!”

“But …” I uttered, confused. I felt completely wretched. “Only you and Mr Porter knew where I was living and the description does not fit Mr Porter at all. But it really does fit you. He said the betrayer has black hair with dark eyes and is a bold adventurer. All of that fitted you and as I said no one else knew my identity or where I was staying.”

“Liz. I swear on my life that I did not betray you. I searched the whole of London for you until I finally found your family’s jewellery shop and had spoken with this Mr Porter. At first he did not want to give me any information, thinking that I was working for your uncle and looking for you. I showed him your empty room to convince him that you were in danger. He told me where Blue Hall was and I set off immediately.”

“Oh my God!” I whispered, and tears ran down my cheeks. “I was in despair because I thought that you’d betrayed me. I couldn’t believe it but everything seemed to point to that.”

“Shhhh!” said Ivo, kissing away my tears. “I’m here now. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“What are we going to do now?” I asked a while later.

“We’ll see to it that we get away from here. When you’re of age you can sell everything and we can get the next ship to America. There we can buy land and build ourselves a new Blue Hall. In America no one asks for your titles. There we’ll simply be Mr and Mrs Cigala.

“Cigala. That’s your name? Ivo Cigala?”

“Yes. Maybe it doesn’t sound as elegant as Graham but in America …”

“Elizabeth Cigala. That’s sounds good, doesn’t it?”

Ivo grinned.

“I haven’t asked you yet!”

“What haven’t you asked me?” I asked.

“Whether you’ll even marry me,” he whispered. “Do you want to? Do you want to marry me?”

“Yes,” I whispered happily. “Yes, I do! Of course I do!”

My hands were trembling as I dressed myself. I was terribly nervous. I could not believe that I had doubted Ivo for even one moment. He had come to free me and soon I would finally be able to access my inheritance and Ivo and I could begin a new life in America. It was so exciting. I had never been on a ship and the idea of crossing the Atlantic seemed so romantic to me. I only hoped that I would not be seasick.

“Are you ready?” asked Ivo quietly.

I nodded.

Quietly we crept out of the room and along the hallway.

“Wait,” I said quietly. “I want to fetch the journal from the study. I think my uncle has been dealing in dodgy business. It would be good to have proof against him.”

“Where is the study?”

“In the other wing. Come on!”

I lit the candles on the desk and set about searching. I knew my way around my father’s study but Uncle James had moved some things around. It took a while for me to find the books.

“Here it is!” I declared with excitement, and threw open the journal.

“You can look at all that later. Let’s see to it that we get away from here.”

Suddenly the door flew open and Uncle James stood on the threshold. His face was red and his eyes were flashing. I screamed in shock and Ivo swore.

“What’s going on here, then, huh?” roared Uncle James and stormed into the room. Ivo and Uncle James wrestled with one another and I stood behind the desk, as if paralysed with horror, the journals still in my hands. Like a shield I was pressing the books to my chest, staring in horror at the fighting.

Ivo was strong and a good fighter but my uncle knew how to fight and he was of a more sturdy build. He was pushing away the punches that Ivo dealt him surprisingly well.

Uncle James dealt a blow that sent Ivo to the ground and I screamed in horror. With a nasty grin my uncle went to where Ivo was lying on the ground and was about to kick him in the side when Ivo kicked out with both legs and caught Uncle James in his genitals. Uncle James uttered a terrible scream and doubled up. Ivo leapt to his feet and dealt several powerful blows that made my uncle stagger backwards. Suddenly he fell onto the desk and pulled the candle holder over with him. The curtains went up in flames and in no time the room had transformed into an inferno. I screamed.

“Liz! Liz!” Ivo’s voice finally reached me.

I was still standing behind the desk and was incapable of moving an inch. In horror I stared at the sea of flames around me.

Ivo stepped towards me from out of nowhere and pulled me by the arm.

“We have to get away from here!”

I still could not move. I was slapped on the face and this jerked me out of my trance.

“Sorry! I had to do it!” murmured Ivo. “Come on, now!”

We ran out of the room. Servants were coming from everywhere. No one took any notice of us. They were all preoccupied with saving themselves. By the time we got outside the fire had already engulfed the whole of the wing in which the study was and I stared in horror at the burning house that had been a home to me.

“I’m sorry,” murmured Ivo into my ear and pulled me into his arms.

I was shaking – whether from the cold of the night or the shocking experiences I could not say.

“Uncle James!” I suddenly cried, as I realised that he must still be in the house. I tried to pull myself away but Ivo held me back.

“No!” he said urgently. “You can’t do anything more. He’s dead, Liz!”

I sobbed. I had hated him but I had never even wished such a horrible death on him. With him died my last relative. Now I was completely alone in the world. – No! I was not alone. I had Ivo. We would begin a new life. Together!