To Have and to Hold (34 page)

Sebastian shook
his head in confusion. “Peter is going to delay his return to
Willowbrook.”
 
He confided as he took a seat
beside the fire, propping his booted feet upon the hearth as he watched his
brother carefully sit in the chair opposite.
 
“Edward and I are at your disposal for as long as you need us.
 
Between us, we can keep a careful eye on
her.
 
Make sure she doesn’t get into
mischief.”
 
He watched as some of the
tension left the man opposite.
 

“You seriously
love her don’t you?”
 
It wasn’t a
question.
 
He had never seen his brother
behave so possessively towards anyone or anything before.

“There was a
time when we believed she was dead.
 
When
we searched for her, we were led to her grave.
 
Peter even got so far as to make arrangements for her body to be moved
to the family crypt.
 
I grieved for
her.”
 
Dominic’s voice was harsh in the
quiet of the room, “All because of that bastard who calls himself her
Uncle.”
 

Sebastian knew
just how devastated Dominic must have been, and could understand something of
the reason behind his possessive attitude towards his wife.
 
He could only sympathise with his brother’s
current concerns and hope that whatever Isobel was planning, it wouldn’t cause
Dominic any more heartache.

The men had
already met and discussed the latest information from the Magistrate.
 
Indeed in the time since Isobel had visited
him and Dominic appeared asking questions, he had discovered enough of Rupert’s
debts, lies and duplicity to bring Rupert to the gallows, but they just needed
evidence that Rupert did indeed now of Isobel’s wealth.
  

“The evidence is
mounting.
 
It won’t be long.”
 
Sebastian murmured reassuringly into the
silence that had settled between them.
 
“Is there any news on the bodies of the men who attacked you?”
 

Dominic was
aware that the two thugs he had slain had been removed to the makeshift
mortuary in the tavern’s cellars, whereupon they had been thoroughly searched
for identification.
 
“They were from
London we know that much.
 
I can only
assume they are in DeLisle’s employ given Rupert doesn’t have the funds to pay
anyone.”

“That means
DeLisle
is just as duplicitous in all of this, as
Rupert.
 
Is he in debt too?”
 
Sebastian raised the question Dominic had
also considered as he had considered all of the possibilities.
 

“Yes.
 
Not as deeply as Rupert, but deep enough to
worry him as all of his sources have run dry.
 
Relatives’ doors are closed to him.
 
Entry to gaming houses has been denied and so on and so forth.
 
Which explains why they are so desperate to
get to Isobel,” Dominic added.

“Do you think
they want her for ransom?”
 
Sebastian
leaned forwards to rest his elbows upon his knees.
 
Dominic had already informed them of Isobel’s
financial situation, reaffirmed by Peter.

“Most
definitely,” Dominic’s tone dropped ruthlessly.
 
“They have to get to her first though.”
 

“They won’t,”
Sebastian replied confidently, one again settling back in his chair. “We
outnumber them at least ten to one. They can’t get anywhere near.”

Later that
evening, Dominic and Peter were in the study chatting amiably about
horseflesh.
 
Isobel was late down to
dinner.
 
Dominic briefly considered going
upstairs to see how long she would be.
 
It wasn’t like her to be so late and keep everyone from the supper
table.

“
Manvers
, have you seen my wife?”
           

“No sir, not at
all today.”
 
Manvers briefly paused,
“Would Sir like me to send one of the maids to check on her?”

Dominic shook
his head.
 
“No, I am sure she will be
down when she is ready.
 
If she isn’t
here in half an hour though I will go upstairs and fetch her myself, I’m
starving!”

Half an hour
later his wife was still absent.
 
Excusing himself from Peter and his brothers, he made his way up the
main staircase towards the master suite.
 
He had long since ceased knocking to forewarn her of his entrance.
 
If he was honest, when he had appeared
unannounced, he had on more than one occasion, been met with spectacular sights
that had stirred his blood.
 
Disturbing
his wife was proving to be quite rewarding.

“Isobel?”
 
Dominic murmured, eyeing the empty room.
 
A quick search of the ante rooms revealed
them all to be empty.
 
He frowned, his
stomach clenched into tight knots.
 
Dominic opened the dresser where Isobel kept her clothing, followed by
the linen press.
 
All of her clothing
appeared to be there, what he knew of it.
 

It was only when
he turned and was half way across the room when he spied the sheet of notepaper
lying folded upon her dresser top.
 
Slowly, heart sinking, he lifted it.
 
Before he read a single word, he knew exactly what she had done.

“Damn you,
Isobel.” He muttered darkly several moments later, fear clawing at his
insides.
 
“Damn you to hell!”
 
Tucking the paper carefully inside his jacket
pocket, he quickly made his way out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind
him with a ferocity that did little to demonstrate his seething anger.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The evening
sunlight had vanished over the horizon when Isobel paused at the entrance gates
to Tavistock Hall.
 
Immediately, her
heart clenched with pain and regret at what she was about to do.
 
The large stone structure lay tall and
resplendent, nestled amongst dense woodland the inner glow of evening candles a
tempting lure in the cold evening air.
 

Immediately her
thoughts turned to the one man she had been trying so desperately not to think
about, and a surge of longing swept through her.
 
Quickly, blocking out all thoughts of what
she was leaving behind, and the growing sense of unease, Isobel turned her back
and disappeared into the darkness.
 

Having heard
everything she needed to hear of the conversation between Dominic and
Sebastian, she understood exactly what she needed to do to bring matters to an
end once and for all.
 
Isobel knew Rupert
had drawn up a betrothal agreement between herself and
DeLisle
.
 
Her refusal to sign it had earned her one of
the worst beatings he had subjected her to.
 
She knew it had been kept in the desk drawer at
Stoney
Hill while he had been in residence.
 
As
he had been trying to find her, and hadn’t been aware she had married, he would
no doubt still have the document in his possession.
 
Isobel could only sincerely hope that Rupert
was a bully.
 
No intelligent schemer,
just a bully with a penchant for money.
  

She also knew he
was residing at a small house on the other side of the small market town.
 
All she needed to do was get inside and
search Rupert’s belongings.
 
Without
being caught.

Shaking her head
at the sheer stupid enormity of what she was about to do, and the sheer madness
of it, she tucked her head down into the warm woollen cloak that smelled so
much of Dominic it brought tears to her eyes.
 
Having the scent of him surround her was to Isobel, the next best thing
to having his arms around her.
 
It gave
her the strength she so desperately needed to continue.
 

Blinking away
the pool of tears shimmering on her lashes, she looked for anything to divert
her attention from the tight ball of nerves that had settled low in the pit of
her belly.
 
The memory of his battered
and blooded body lying upon the hallway floor, and the hideous feelings that
had assailed her as she had thought he was dead, suffused her thoughts.
Satisfied that her fear was vanquished for the moment at least, Isobel clutched
her husband’s scabbard, now buried deep within the inner pocket of the cloak as
he would do.
 
Squaring her shoulders she
marched resolutely onwards through the darkness, totally ignorant of the scenes
of chaos she had left behind.

Albeit only
briefly, Dominic dispassionately wondered if he should just leave her out
there, alone in the night.
 
It was going
to be a cold night and there would be a hard frost on the ground by dawn.
 
She was going to get very, very cold.
 
Spitefully, a part of him was glad of
it.
 
She would probably have second
thoughts and be back by midnight anyway, he thought cynically although inwardly
knew his wife’s stubborn side enough to know that she wouldn’t be back.
 
Whatever she had planned, she wouldn’t return
until she had finished what she had set out to do, no matter the consequences
to her safety or his sanity.
 

“Damned stubborn
female,” Dominic muttered as he fastened the belt of his sword sheath around
his waist.
 
“Edward!”
 
He was unsurprised when within seconds his
younger brother appeared within the doorway of the Library.
 
“Where’s my dagger?”

Edward his head
and frowned.
 
“It was with your sword, I
put them together.
 
I did tell
Isobel.”
   

“Didn’t you put
it in my cloak?”
 
Dominic murmured,
looking around for his cloak.
 
Earlier he
had placed his long cloak along the chair beside the door, ready for any
untoward event. “It isn’t there now.”
 
He
snapped shooting his brother a dark look.
 
“Check with the house staff, see if anyone owns up to removing it. I
need my cloak!”
 
Dominic shook his head,
hoping desperately that Isobel had the foresight to take it with her.
 

Several minutes
later, he had the confirmation he needed.
 
“Nobody has seen it, nor even knew of its presence.”
 

Dominic nodded
his thanks, his thoughts whirling in a chaotic kaleidoscope of confusion that
made it impossible to plan anything.
 
Panic once again began to claw at him.
 
Suddenly, it didn’t matter how angry he was with her, how utterly
furious he was at that moment, he was inwardly relieved she had enough
foresight to take some protection from the elements, and Rupert, with her.
 

Now all he had
to do was find her first.
 
He would tan
her backside when he got her, but first he had to find her.
 

Within seconds
he was striding out of the front door, armed and ready for battle.
 
Nodding grateful thanks when Peter handed him
the reins to his horse, he was about to mount when he paused, resting his arms
briefly on the seat of the saddle as he stared sightlessly across the horse’s
back and off into the darkness, in the direction of the driveway.

“Hurry up
man!”
 
Peter snapped, blowing
ineffectually at his cold hands.
 

Shaking his
head, Dominic stepped away from his horse before looking up at Peter.
 
Turning towards the driveway his eyes scanned
the pale path disappearing into the night with a frown.
 
“We have to walk.”
 
Dominic murmured motioning for Peter to get
down.

“What?”
 
Peter hadn’t got a clue what he was about,
and was instead all for charging off to
DeLisle’s
place and staking it out until Isobel appeared.

“Think about
it.
 
Think like Isobel.”
 
Dominic murmured placing his hands upon his
hips as he began to pace backwards and forwards across the gravel of the
driveway in front of the front door.
 
“If
she sees us, she will just hide in the undergrowth until we have passed.”

“Alright, but we
know which way she has gone.”
 
Peter
reminded him.

“Yes, but Isobel
is dressed as a man, that much is a fact.”
 
Silence settled between the men as they listened to Dominic.
 
Intrigued, they waited and listened
astonished that their sister-in-law and sister could carry out such a daring
feat by herself.