Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

" T ell me where she is," James snarled.

It was taking every ounce of his strength not to leap across the room, seize the man by the scruff of the neck, and shake a response out of him. The only reason he didn't was because there were ladies present.

"Tell me where she is right now, and I might not sue you for abduction to the full extent of the law."

"Abduction?!" Mr. Cain tried to laugh but failed. His expression then became obsequious. "There is no need for such theatrics, Your Grace. I'll tell you where she is. I'm on your side. You have to believe me—I would never do anything to harm any member of Miss Rosalie's family."

That was met by sullen silence. Rosalie stared at Mr. Cain stonily, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. Lady Carfield put her arm around her daughter as if protecting her. James's eyes also narrowed.

Is he seriously trying to make it seem like he is a good guy?

"Where is she then?" he prompted, his patience almost nonexistent.

"She is in Wales," Mr. Cain replied. "The small village of Barry, to be exact."

"And you took her there yourself?" James demanded. "How did you come back so soon?"

"No. I left her in Reading with Lord Carfield."

"I am Lord Carfield!" Niles said indignantly.

Mr. Cain sneered. "I meant the previous Lord Carfield. Jebediah Crampton."

Although James had already known this, hearing it confirmed sent a shiver of dread up his spine. "And why did you drop her off with her father, knowing what he is capable of and that she could come to harm?"

"Because my family is deeply indebted to him," Mr. Cain explained. "My father borrowed money from him and could never pay him back at his steep interest rates. He threatened to kill my sister if I did not help him get his daughter to Reading."

James clenched his jaw. He didn't care. He didn't want to hear about this man's woes. "And what is he doing with her in Wales?"

"He plans to marry her off to Lord Redfield. In exchange, Lord Redfield will provide him with forged documents that will allow him to leave England under a new identity and sail to America, where he will begin a new life. Lord Redfield has also promised him a small sum of money in exchange for Her Grace's hand in marriage."

Lord Redfield. He should have known. The man her father had tried to marry her off to months ago.

James's hands curled into fists—the strength that was keeping him from pummeling Mr. Cain where he stood was quickly waning.

"How could you help him do that?" Rosalie blurted out before he could say anything. She was staring at Mr. Cain with horror and disgust. "That man is despicable! He is the last man on earth whom my sister would ever want to marry!"

"Not to mention she was already married," James snarled. "To me."

"He was able to procure the annulment papers from a solicitor who also owed him money," Mr. Cain explained, before turning his stricken eyes to Rosalie. "And I can promise you, Miss Rosalie, that I didn't want to help your father. I was scared for my sister's life, so I went along with it, but I always planned to find out exactly where he was taking your sister before coming to warn His Grace."

"Why didn't you tell me what was happening sooner?" James demanded. "I could have stopped this before it even happened!"

"I wanted you to catch him in the act," Mr. Cain replied, but the way he said it reminded James of someone reading from a script. "And if I betrayed him earlier, he might have killed me. But he must be in Wales by now, and he can't hurt me if I come to you."

James wasn't convinced. "How do I know you're telling me the truth?" he asked. "How can I be sure that you're not sending me in the exact opposite direction Jebediah and Violet went?"

"You don't," Mr. Cain said. He glanced again at Rosalie, who was still watching him with a furious expression. "I have only my devotion for Miss Rosalie to prove that I'm not lying. If I send you in the wrong direction, I will lose her forever."

"We only met two days ago," Rosalie began angrily. "I don't believe you would have planned to betray my father all along when you only became acquainted with me at the ball."

"Er, well…" Mr. Cain hesitated, and it looked like he was thinking hard. "I always planned it simply because I hate your father. But falling for you has only increased my desire to do what is right!"

He looked rather pleased with himself for coming up with this line, and James had a very strong feeling that the man was not telling them the full truth.

"Some of us will stay here and keep questioning you, Mr. Cain," he declared. "They will also make sure you don't leave the house, try to send word to anyone, or sabotage our efforts to save Violet. Carfield, this will be your job. I am trusting you now to rise to this task with honor and diligence and ensure that this man does not harm your cousins anymore than he already has."

"You can count on me, Your Grace!" Niles said, stepping forward and puffing out his chest.

"I will stay as well," Lady Carfield offered. "I've spent enough time around liars to know when a man is bluffing."

"I will also stay," Rosalie added, grim determination lacing her voice. As if she actually wanted to say, If anyone can get the truth out of him, it's me.

"Then Nathan and I will go after Violet and Crampton." James did some quick math: it would take them about twelve hours to reach Barry, which was right outside of Cardiff, if they rode hard and changed horses as often as possible at posting inns. That should get them there around the same time as Violet and Crampton, who would be traveling by carriage and probably had stopped to sleep in the night. "Hopefully, the wedding will not take place today."

"It is scheduled for tomorrow, after they arrive," Mr. Cain piped up.

James felt his blood run cold. "Then let's go!" he shouted. "Now!"

Within minutes, Nathan's horse and his had been saddled, and they were galloping away from the Cains' residence. It would take them

James had instructed Lord Carfield to alert the Bow Street Runners and have them follow them to Barry. But he hadn't waited for them, and he and Nathan had nothing with them except the clothes on their backs. That and the revolver that James had brought with him before they'd left Bolden House.

He could only pray that he wouldn't have to use it.

"I'm glad that you made the right decision," Jebediah Crampton said from his seat. "Lord Redfield will be most pleased. And, on a more personal note, I am pleased as well."

It was the second day of their journey, and so far, Violet and her father had not said much to each other. He hadn't said much either when Mr. Cain handed her over to him in Reading. He'd simply taken the annulment papers and then hauled her in the carriage that would take them to Wales.

They had to stop, however, for the night. Violet didn't even know the name of the town where they'd spent the night. The inn had been dirty and uncomfortable, the bathwater cold. Traveling with a fugitive meant not traveling in style and comfort, it seemed.

It had been many hours since they'd left the inn—too many to count—and Violet's legs were starting to cramp. Her back was aching from sitting on the wooden bench for two days, but she wasn't about to complain. She would face her fate with stoicism and not let her father see her anguish.

"What?"

She turned to look at him, having not let her mind fully process the words he was saying. She'd been thinking about distance and speed and trying to calculate how quickly they were moving. They had to stop several times to change or rest the horses. Her father's fugitive status and limited budget meant that there were only two horses drawing the carriage.

That should slow us down considerably… and James will be on horseback. He'll throw every penny he can for fresh horses and the fastest route.

But that was if he even knew where she was. Mr. Cain could have very easily double-crossed her.

"I'm glad you made the right decision," her father repeated. "That it was you and not Rosalie."

He was still dressed in the threadbare clothes he had worn in her home, but he looked less tired and old. Perhaps the thought of finally making his escape energized him.

"And why are you glad about that?" she asked.

She wasn't curious, but at least when she was talking, she wasn't thinking about the plan she had tried to put into motion and whether or not Mr. Cain would actually try to help her. It was her only chance, but he could have easily betrayed her.

"If I'm being truthful, my dear—and I think it best that I am, as this will be the last time we ever see one another—you have always been my favorite child."

Violet's stomach lurched. "What a compliment," she said sarcastically.

"I know you don't see it as such, and considering the circumstances, I can't blame you." Jebediah shook his head. "I know that Lord Redfield is not the Prince Charming that little girls dream of. I am not unaware that your marrying him is a sacrifice."

"And yet you're still making me do it?"

"Well, considering he is the key to my escape, I have no choice. And in the end, I believe Redfield will be a good match for you. He is rich and powerful in the world of organized crime, and he is old."

"That is what makes it so dreadful to marry him," Violet pointed out.

Her father sighed. "Yes, but think, my dear. He will be dead soon. And then you will be a widow with unimaginable wealth and power. And if you are smart enough to birth him a son before he dies, you will have even more power, as you will have control of the estate until your son comes of age. Even then, you will be able to exert a great deal of influence over him."

Violet glared at her father. "My dream in life is not to become a wealthy widow. My dream is to have happiness and joy, love in my marriage, and children that I don't treat as pawns in power games."

Jebediah smiled. "You will change your mind once you have tasted power. Everyone who tastes power learns to love it."

Violet rolled her eyes and looked away.

There was a long moment of silence. Then, her father asked, "Do you not want to know why you are my favorite child?"

"Not really," she drawled, still not looking at him.

"Come, you must be curious," he said, and she was pleased to note the tinge of disappointment in his voice.

Does he really want us to have a moment of closeness after all these years of treating me as if I was nothing but a burden?

She looked back at him, and she knew that it was pure hate that radiated from her.

"I already know why I'm your favorite, Papa," she spat. "It's because you believe I am the most similar to you of all your children."

Jebediah looked pleased. "Indeed, I?—"

"But that is the problem with you, isn't it?" she interrupted. "You do not want to see your children for who they are. You only want them to be copies of you because there is no one that you truly love in this life except yourself. It's disgusting, really. The only way you could like one of your children is if you think they are similar to you. But ironically enough, that is exactly why we are not alike, despite what you may think. I can love people other than myself. I do love people other than myself. Therefore, no matter which ways we might be similar, they are purely superficial. In all the ways that count, you and I are nothing alike."

Jebediah's eyes had narrowed, and there was a sour look on his face now.

"You are truly ungrateful," he spat, "just like your mother and your sisters. You could have learned from me, you know, and become as adept at bending the world to your will. But no. I see that in the end, you want to take after your mother and be sentimental."

"Yes, I do," she declared.

She knew that no matter what happened next, this was one of the most important moments of her life. It was the moment when she finally told her father exactly who she was.

"I love the Duke," she said. "To whom I will always consider myself married. You may be able to take away my power, you may force me to marry a man I despise, you may have power over my body and my freedom, but there is a part of me you will never have power over, Papa—my heart. And in my heart, I will always be married to James Bolden, the Duke of Attotrton. And that is why we will never be the same. I love him."

The words seemed to reverberate through her. She had never said them out loud before; she had barely even allowed herself to think them. But now they seemed to pour out of her, and they lit her up like she was glowing from the inside.

Her father's face was contorted with disdain, as if the very mention of love was offensive to him. "Well, that is your prerogative, I suppose. But for now, let us worry more about who you are legally married to, because we are here, Violet."

And it was true. The carriage began to slow, and Violet looked out the window to see the Welsh port town of Barry rising around her.

"We'll stop at an inn, and then you can rest and have time to wrap your mind around your new circumstances," her father said. "Tomorrow, you will get married."

"I'm to be married tomorrow?" Her heart leaped with hope.

That will give James more time to find me!

She wondered if she could buy herself even more time.

"What about the annulment? Doesn't it have to be filed and approved before I can remarry?"

"My solicitor will make sure it is backdated. Fear not, my dear. You will be married by the end of tomorrow, I will be on my way to America, and then you can be married to whomever you wish in your heart."