Johanna nearly snorted. “You’ve thought this through.”

  “I’ve been navigating Society for the better part of ten years. I’ve developed a talent for doing exactly what one wishes without giving all that is hoped for. In the end, no one will think poorly of you or me.”

  “Other than my grandfather,” she chuckled.

  “Yes, well, I don’t value his opinion since he’d rather have you titled than happy.”

  “I still won’t win Peter in the end,” she reminded Eldridge.

  “We shall see,” he murmured. “You and I are not the only ones wishing to see him brought up to scratch. In fact, someone even more powerful than your grandfather is certain to see it done.”

  “Who?” She couldn’t imagine anyone else would have an interest in whether she and Peter married.

  Eldridge didn’t answer. He simply smiled with a gleam of calculation in his deep blue eyes.

  Chapter Four

  THE NEXT FORTNIGHT was rather pleasant. Eldridge accompanied Johanna everywhere and the two seemed to get along famously. If Peter didn’t know any differently, he would assume they were falling in love.

  It also ate at him. Eldridge could give Johanna what she deserved, and he would care for her, and might even come to love her. Further, her family would welcome him.

  Worse, he never had the opportunity to speak with Johanna alone. What if in their duplicity Johanna and Eldridge did fall in love?

  Though, could he really object? As much as Peter loved and wanted Johanna, she could never be his. Her grandfather would never allow a marriage, so perhaps it was for the best if he did lose her to Eldrige. All that really mattered in the end was that she was happy, even if it left him miserable.

  Peter was often with the two, as he was usually escorting Bernice. He had feared she would not wish him to do so, but once Eldridge had confided in her the subterfuge, she’d been delighted to play her part as she didn’t wish to truly be courted by anyone. She simply wished to enjoy the freedom of not having a man dictate what she was allowed to do, which was how her father had been. Bernice had no desire to wed just so a husband could do as her father had done. In fact, she confessed that she may never wed.

  However, having Eldridge and Bernice with them constantly did not allow Peter to speak with Johanna privately.

  He missed their conversations and sharing confidences, but then reminded himself that it was for the best. They had no future, no matter how much he may wish it.

  Perhaps he should absent himself from Johanna for good. Then she could find another love and happiness.

  It might even be with Eldridge.

  Right now, the two were sitting in the front row of Eldridge’s box at the theatre. Their heads were together, whispering and Johanna quietly laughed at something Eldridge had said.

  They were friends, of that Peter had no doubt. But could they be more if he were not in the way?

  “Are you not enjoying the farce?” Bernice asked quietly.

  “Truthfully, I have not been paying all that much attention to what is happening upon the stage.”

  “Because you are paying far too much attention to what my cousin and Lady Johanna may be discussing.”

  Bernice was wise, quiet and observant.

  “Perhaps,” Peter admitted. “I was also contemplating visiting my brother.”

  “Which brother?”

  “Sam and his wife Jillian.” Jillian was Bernice’s cousin, and the younger sister of Eldridge.

  “You would travel to Barbados.” Her eyes widened with alarm. “Why?”

  “It is for the best,” he answered simply.

  “Their courtship is not real,” Bernice reminded him. “At least no more real than ours.”

  “Lady Johanna will never be mine and I’m simply doing her a disservice by always being present. It is unfair to her.”

  “She loves you,” Bernice whispered.

  “Shouldn’t she be given the opportunity to love another? She will not do so if I am present.”

  EVEN THOUGH PETER SAT behind her, Eldridge was making witty comments and there was a performance on the stage before her, Johanna heard every word Peter had said to Bernice. She wasn’t certain if she was angry or hurt.

  Why wouldn’t he fight for her? Why wouldn’t he try to find a way that they could be together? Why did he give in so easily?

  Did he not love her in the way she loved him?

  Were they truly only friends?

  He had told her he loved her. It didn’t matter that he’d been drunk when he once uttered those words because she had taken it to heart.

  Johanna also knew why he never said it again—because he did not want to tie her to him.

  Had he always intended to walk away as soon as there was someone to replace him?

  Did he think her affection could so easily be transferred?

  As the act came to an end and the lamps grew brighter, Eldridge stood. “Would you care for some refreshments, Lady Johanna?”

  “Yes, please. Though, I would prefer to remain here.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Bernice quickly offered.

  Eldridge turned to Peter. “Will you remain and keep Lady Johanna company?”

  “It would be my pleasure,” Peter answered, though Johanna had a feeling he’d rather be gone.

  As the curtain to the box swished and closed at their exit, she turned in her seat to fully face him.

  “Did I hear correctly? Are you off to Barbados?”

  He blinked at her in surprise.

  “I heard everything and am quite vexed with you.”

  Peter blew out a sigh. “We will never be allowed to marry, Johanna. You must know that.”

  “You could take me with you.” She loved the idea the moment she voiced the possibility. “Then my grandfather wouldn’t have a choice. We could even live there.”

  “How would I support you? I have no skills other than rescuing kidnapped misses.”

  “There must be something you wish to do,” she said.

  “In truth, I’ve never known. But regardless of what becomes of me, I will end up in trade and you will be denied to me.”

  “Not if we run off to Barbados, or even Gretna Green. You love me Peter, I know that you do, just as I love you.”

  “I will not say those words to you, Johanna. It is not fair to either of us if I do.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “Then you have decided to simply turn your back on what we have, could have in the future, and deny my happiness.”

  “It is for the best.”

  “No, it isn’t. I don’t want a marriage based on titles and connections, Peter. I want love.”

  Johanna glanced up as the curtain opened, expecting to see Eldridge and his cousin. Instead, her grandfather stood there. “You are coming with me, Johanna. Now!”

  He was livid if the high color in his cheeks, tightness of his jaw and the pulse pounding at his temple was any indication. “Has something happened?”

  “No, which is the crux of the problem.”

  His words made absolutely no sense.

  “Gather your things and come with me now.”

  “Yes, grandfather.”

  She pulled her shawl about her shoulders and picked her reticule up off the seat then followed her grandfather, though she glanced back at Peter one last time in fear that she might never see him again.

  Once they reached grandfather’s carriage and settled upon the benches, he glared at her. “This farce of yours has come to an end.”

  She said nothing. It was better to know exactly to what he referred before confessing a secret she had hoped that he knew nothing about.

  “I received confirmation of your duplicity and this sham courtship between you and Eldridge. I warned you what would happen if you spoke to Storm again.”

  Johanna swallowed against her tightening throat and feared her breath might be cut off. She feared what he might do.

  Silence stretched between them until they entered his manor. She had hoped to quickly escape to her set of rooms but stopped short when she noted that trunks were stacked in the entry. Instantly her stomach tightened.

  Grandfather had warned that he’d send her to the country and arrange her marriage. Was he now making good on that threat.

  “Please grandfather...”

  “Not another word. I warned you.”

  She quickly closed her mouth and grew quiet though her mind didn’t rest for thinking of ways out of this predicament.

  He couldn’t send her from London. Not now.

  Worse, she couldn’t allow him to arrange her marriage to a stranger.

  This could not be happening to her.

  “You will leave immediately, return to Hartfield Park and not leave until I come for you.”

  Leave immediately? She wouldn’t even have the opportunity to sneak out. But where could she go in any case?

  Oh, why had her brother taken rooms in a location where females were not allowed?

  However, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t send him a note and maybe Alden would come to rescue her.

  “I feel this is rather drastic, Grandfather.”

  Johanna turned to find Alden here, which he rarely was. He stood in the doorway to the parlor, a glass of brandy in his hands.

  Johanna turned pleading eyes to him.

  “We’ve had this discussion and it is not your decision what is to be done with your sister,” Grandfather barked.

  There was sympathy in his eyes, but Alden shrugged, which meant he would not stand in the way of grandfather’s plans.

  If Felix were here, he would help, of that she was certain. But Felix, her older brother, and the spare, had not been seen in nearly five years. After a horrible row with grandfather, he had left and never returned. Being a female, she did not have the same option.

  Try as she might, Johanna could think of no argument as her panic mounted.

  “Your maid will accompany you. The driver has been instructed not to stop except to change horses.”

  “What of an outrider?” Alden asked.

  At least Alden was concerned with her safety, not just who she wed.

  “There are no worries in travel between here and Hartfield Park,” her grandfather dismissed. “No one would dare stop a coach with my crest.”

  Her grandfather spoke as if he were ranked just below God or the king, and perhaps there were those who feared him. Johanna certainly did in this moment.

  She couldn’t believe that her grandfather was sending her from London, now, after night had fallen to embark on a six-hour journey to her family estate.

  “I must insist that guards accompany my daughter,” Johanna’s father argued.

  “You’ll insist on nothing,” Grandfather bellowed. “Had you any control over her, I would not have had to suffer the embarrassment of taking her from the theatre.” Grandfather turned and strode down the corridor, finished with her and the conversation.

  Johanna glanced about, hoping to be rescued but her father simply shook his head. “All will be well, Johanna.” Then he turned and abandoned her as well.

  At least Alden came forward and drew her close.

  “Why aren’t you helping me?” she asked.

  “I am,” he whispered.

  Johanna pulled back from his embrace. “How?”

  “You are freer away from him and if you choose to do as Felix, you will find what you need hidden in the back of the wardrobe in my set of rooms.”

  Johanna could only blink at him. Did Alden expect her to run away as their brother had done?

  “If he forces someone on you that you do not want, go to Felix. He will take care of you.”

  “You know where he is?” She assumed nobody knew.

  “I’ve always known. All will be well, Johanna.” He kissed her forehead. “Do what he wants for now. Once you are away from here, it will be your choice and I will support you in whatever you decide.”

  Tears filled her eyes and she quicky blinked them away. They may be sending her off to be sequestered at Hartfield Park, but Alden was the one who really cared. “Thank you.”

  As she left the mansion, Johanna vowed that she’d not wait to see who her grandfather chose to be her husband but would leave Hartfield Park at the first opportunity and travel to join Felix.

  Chapter Five

  Johanna had been asleep when the carriage came to a sudden halt in the early morning hours. However, she hadn’t become alarmed until she heard shouting outside of the carriage. As her maid, Margaret, pulled herself into the corner of her seat and drew a blanket about her, Johanna peaked out to see who had stopped them. Two men wearing a cloth about their faces sat on horses, but she couldn’t see the man who was telling her driver to get down from his seat.

  So much for her grandfather’s prediction that nobody would dare stop his carriage, she nearly snorted.

  The carriage shifted and then the door was opened by the coachman.

  The third man, also with a cloth across his face, ordered Margaret from the carriage but not Johanna. Her maid whimpered but did as she was told. She then overheard them tell the driver to remove the trunks belonging to the servants but to leave Johanna’s.

  She couldn’t understand the reason. Perhaps it was because she’d been pulled from sleep and her mind was still foggy, but she couldn’t make sense of why they would do this.

  Unless...

  Good Lord, she was being kidnapped!

  But why and by whom?

  She started for the carriage door, unwilling to sit there without having a say and make her own demands, but was stopped when a man stepped in front of the door and ordered Johanna to return to her place.

  Johanna glanced to the pistol he held, and fear snaked down her spine.

  She was in a precarious position with no means of escape. Johanna took a deep breath and forced her mind and pulse to calm. At least, that was her intention, but her heart still hammered in her chest.

  If she was being kidnapped for ransom, then she needn’t fear being harmed for Grandfather wouldn’t pay a shilling without first seeing that she was safe. He was quite wealthy, and it served him right for making her leave in the middle of the night without anyone to guard them.

  With no choice, she stepped away from the door and settled on the seat once again.

  The door closed and the carriage shifted as someone climbed to the driver’s perch.

  “What is the purpose of this?” her coachman demanded. “Why are you taking Lady Johanna?”

  “Storm wants her. Once delivered, they’ll be off to Gretna Green.”

  “She should have her maid,” Margaret insisted.

  One of the men chuckled. “She won’t be needing a maid.”

  The carriage then lurched forward as Johanna frowned. Peter was not responsible for this. If he had wanted to stop her from returning home, he would have come for her himself. Further, he couldn’t have known that Johanna had been sent to the country as soon as she returned from the theatre.

  So, if not Peter, who was responsible for this perfidy? How did they know where she’d be and why did they wish to put the blame on Peter?

  Fear began to stir in her belly. The only way anyone would know where to find her was if she’d been followed or at least watched.

  Trepidation filled her being at the very idea that someone had been spying on her and waiting for an opportunity to take her. Yet, that didn’t explain why they named Peter, unless it was to have her father search where Johanna would not be.

  Her maid and driver would certainly report to her father what they had been told and then her brother would race to the border to find her and Peter. They could spend days searching, which would allow her captors to take her further away.

  With luck, Margaret and her coachman would find help as quickly as possible, but there was little comfort since nobody would know where she was.

  Goodness, that thought was disconcerting. Who had really kidnapped her and for what purpose? It would be days before her grandfather realized he had been duped, but what would happen to her in the meantime?

  That was the frightening question, which was why she needed to remain alert and plan, which was exactly what she did. Her captors hadn’t bothered to blindfold her, nor did they pull the curtains inside the carriage, so Johanna was able to note where they traveled.

  As the sun rose and grew brighter, she was able to read the road signs better. She may not know exactly where she was, but Johanna knew the name of the last town they passed before the carriage came to a stop. She also knew the next town they would come to if they had remained on the same road. She’d often come this way to visit her mother’s family.

  Johanna stepped out of the carriage and glanced about, trying to take in details that might be necessary to describe. The light stone manor was dirty with age and falling into disrepair. The bushes were overgrown, and the beds held weeds instead of flowers. Moss crept up the base of the house, and a few windows on the upper floor were broken. Did someone actually live here, or was she just to be kept captive in this crumbling manor? No doubt there were rats, mice and other curious creatures scampering about inside.

  One of her captors pulled on her arm, marched her to the entry then ushered her inside. It didn’t look much better in here than it did outside. Besides being dark, all the furniture was draped, as if the house had been closed up, and not for a short absence. Besides the musty scent, dust particles danced in the air. The owners had not been here in some time.

  They were soon greeted by a man and a woman who were to keep her here and provide meals. She suspected they were husband and wife, though no names were given.

  The woman complained that she had not been given nearly enough notice to prepare and the man informed them that the upper floors were uninhabitable and dangerous. The two also sent disapproving looks in her direction for reasons Johanna couldn’t understand.

  She wasn’t the one who wished to be here. If the couple wanted to take their irritation out on someone, it should be the two men who had brought her here, or their employer, for whom she still did not have a name.

 

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