Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

" Y ou are a sick, twisted man," Violet spat as she stared across the carriage at Mr. Cain. "How could you do this to Rosalie? She trusted you. She believed you were genuinely interested in her!"

Mr. Cain said nothing, as he had done for the last few minutes. While Violet had spat diatribes at him against her father and anyone who was working with him, he had kept a maddeningly neutral expression. He hadn't so much as made eye contact with her, except when he'd taken the annulment papers from her and put them in his briefcase.

This time, however, something about her words must have gotten to him, because at last, he glanced at her. It was only a split second of eye contact, but it was enough to make Violet realize that this was the topic that might elicit a response.

"I know she is innocent and naive," she continued, "but she is a good person. And she doesn't deserve to have her feelings manipulated by one of my father's henchmen. Did you even stop to consider how devastated she will be once she learns I am being forced to marry a man as repugnant as Lord Redfield, and that the man who had called on her is one of those responsible!"

"Miss Rosalie does not need to know about my involvement in this unfortunate affair," Mr. Cain said at last, and Violet felt a momentary sense of triumph.

Now keep him talking. Find out as much information as you can. Information is power.

"Of course, she will know about your involvement," she snarled. "I will tell her."

Mr. Cain blinked and looked Violet right in the eye. This time, he didn't look away.

"You will tell her?" he asked, the uncertainty in his voice betraying his fear.

"Of course, I will!" she snorted contemptuously. "I have already told her to stay as far away from you as possible."

"Then I will tell your father that one of the conditions of this marriage is that you must tell your sister nothing!" he snapped, his face reddening with indignation.

"Do you really think you have so much leverage over my father?" Violet raised a skeptical eyebrow. "He said that your family owes him a lot of money. You are lucky that he hasn't had one of you murdered yet for failing to pay him back. It wouldn't be the first time."

Mr. Cain went from red to white in seconds, and she knew that she had hit a nerve—Mr. Cain might work for her father, but he was also deeply afraid of him.

"Please, Your Grace, don't do this…" he trailed off.

A horrible thought occurred to Violet then.

"Do you actually plan to keep seeing her?" she asked.

Mr. Cain frowned and looked away, out the carriage window.

"Do you?" Violet pressed. "Do you plan to court her?"

"I don't see why not!" he snapped, turning back around to face her, his expression venomous. "Miss Rosalie is a beautiful, interesting, passionate young lady, and any man who has spent time with her wouldn't want to lose the opportunity to court her."

"But you are working with my father!" Violet said, disgust and fury coursing through her. "You were hiding in her bedroom, ready to kidnap her and force her to marry a disgusting, lecherous old man if I did not agree to the annulment! You would have harmed her if my father had asked you to."

Mr. Cain's face twisted with anger. "I had to do as your father instructed. If I didn't, my family could have faced imprisonment, scandal, and even death. But once this is over—once you are married to Redfield—then he will consider our debt paid. Then, I don't see any reason why I may not court Miss Rosalie as any gentleman would."

"Because you do not deserve her!" Violet shouted.

She wanted to reach across the carriage and hit him, but only her fear for her safety stopped her.

"You are helping to ruin my life! You were willing to harm my sister! You will never go near her again, Mr. Cain! That is one of the conditions that my father agreed to—that you, he, and any of his other associates would never go near my family again."

"And who will enforce that once your father is gone?" Mr. Cain sneered. "He will be in America, and you will be Lord Redfield's problem. There will be no one to keep me from marrying your sister."

Violet was so angry that she wanted to scream. Instead, she sat very still, trying to slow her breathing. She just needed to think. Think! Find a way out of this. Find a way to use the situation to her advantage.

Don't let him get a rise out of you. That will only make him more determined to get his way.

And for the first time in her life, Violet found herself wondering what her father would have done in this situation.

If we really are alike, then please, let me use his cunning to help myself and my sister. Think, Violet. You can do this. What would Father do?

"Mr. Cain," she began slowly, "am I to understand that you genuinely care for my sister?"

Mr. Cain's face softened at once, and he nodded. "I do. Although we just met, Miss Rosalie has captivated me with her free spirit, her romanticism, and her openness to others. She exudes love. I can sense that she loves people intensely, and I can only imagine what an honor it would be to be loved by someone like her."

Violet forced herself to smile, although she thought it more likely to get sick all over him. "Yes, Rosalie is special. She is a dreamer and a reader, and she would do anything for the people she loves."

"I can tell," Mr. Cain said at once. "She is loyal and good."

"Yes, she is." Violet took a deep breath. This has to work. "Which is why I know that she would never forgive you, or agree to become your wife, if she were to discover that you were part of the plot to marry me off to Lord Redfield," she said neutrally.

Mr. Cain's eyes narrowed for a moment, as if he were trying to tell whether she was still threatening him. But then he seemed to sense she was about to offer him a solution because he nodded.

"Yes, I can see that," he admitted.

"But I am willing not to tell her of your involvement, and even to swear that you tried to help me, if you will do something for me."

Mr. Cain looked suspicious but also curious. His lips twitched, and for a minute, he seemed to be at war with himself about whether or not to consider her proposal.

At last, he relented. "I'm not promising anything, but I'll listen to your proposal. But only if you swear that you won't tell her of my involvement."

"I swear," Violet said, nodding calmly.

Not that I need to! My sister will see through your deception once she gets to know you better.

"What I am asking is that you help me. By now, Rosalie and my husband will probably have discovered that I am not where I said I was going. They will be wondering what happened to me and may suspect my father's involvement. What I want you to do is go and find them and tell them that my father asked you to help him execute his plan, and that you only went along with it so that you could help get him locked up once and for all."

"But—"

"Just listen. You know where my father is taking me, yes?"

"Yes," he said grudgingly. "We'll be in Reading in a few minutes, then your father will take you to Wales by himself, where Lord Redfield will meet you. I am supposed to return to my townhouse and await further instructions."

"All right then. Listen carefully, and don't interrupt—we don't have much time."

"Where is Mr. Cain?" James demanded the moment the butler had opened the door to the Cains' residence, a modern townhouse located several blocks away from the most fashionable areas of Mayfair.

It wasn't a bad neighborhood to live in, but as James looked around, he could understand why someone of Mr. Cain's ilk—wealthy but not rich, landed gentry but not titled—would throw in his lot with Jebediah Crampton, hoping to make enough money to climb to the highest echelons of Society .

"Mr. Cain is not at home at present," the butler said, raising his eyebrows as he took in the furious Duke in front of him. His expression only became more puzzled when he saw the group who followed James into the foyer—Nathan, Lady Carfield, Rosalie, and Niles Crampton.

"I assumed as much," James snarled. "But you will tell me where he has gone, and how I can find him, right now."

"Your Grace, I don't want to sound impertinent, but that is not information I am allowed to give to anyone who comes asking."

"My wife's life is in danger!" James yelled so loudly that the sound reverberated through the hall and made the chandelier above them quiver. "You will tell me where he is now! "

"I d-do not know, Your Grace," the butler stammered. "He said only that he was going out on urgent business. The last I heard he had planned to stop by your residence to visit Miss Rosalie." His eyes flicked to Rosalie, who was standing next to her mother. "Did he not arrive?"

James didn't answer. "We will wait for him in the parlor," he said, motioning for the others to follow him.

The butler tried to object, but James gave him such a scathing look that he stopped speaking at once.

The wait seemed to take ages. James paced back and forth. Standing still was impossible. He wanted to do something badly , but he felt certain that remaining at Mr. Cain's was the best course of action. The man was bound to come back.

Whatever Jebediah was up to, he wouldn't involve Mr. Cain too deeply, of that James was certain. Jebediah would want as few people as possible to know what he was up to.

Hours passed. James insisted that tea and refreshments be brought for the ladies, but no one was hungry. Rosalie tried to read, but she ended up staring out the window at the darkening sky. Lady Carfield sat very still, seemingly staring at nothing. Nathan, meanwhile, kept an eye on the staff to make sure that no one left or sent word to Mr. Cain.

He can't know we're waiting for him. That will only prompt him to disappear.

At one point, Niles fell asleep, and the ladies soon followed suit. Even Nathan looked exhausted, but he kept watch, prowling the entrance hall and watching the windows for any movement outside.

James was too anxious to sleep. He didn't even feel tired. He sat stiffly or paced, tiredness eluding him.

Where is Violet now? Is she safe? Is she hurt?

Guilt ate away at him.

This is my fault. I shouldn't have let her leave. How could I have signed the annulment papers and let her leave?

It was dawn, and James was just starting to doze off when hoofbeats sounded from outside. He leaped up at once and went to the window. A horse was approaching down the street, and riding atop it was a tired-looking Mr. Cain. His cloak was dusty, and he was sagging in his saddle. James had the impression that the man had been riding all night.

At once, he rushed into the hall. "He's here," he said to Nathan. "Make sure he gets inside without any of his staff alerting him that we're here."

Nathan nodded.

James went back into the parlor and woke Niles, Rosalie and Lady Carfield. "He's here," he murmured. "Let's be ready."

They all sat very still until they heard the front door open. At once, there was the sound of men talking over each other. Then there was a short silence. Finally, they heard footsteps approaching the parlor.

The door swung open, and Mr. Cain walked in, followed closely by Nathan.

"Your Grace," Mr. Cain greeted, bowing stiffly to James.

He looked very tired. There were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes as he glanced around the room, his gaze lingering a little bit too long on Rosalie.

"I know where your wife is, and I'm going to help you get her back."