Maudlin's Mayhem (Bewitching Bedlam #2)(59)

“What did you give me? That stuff’s rough on the system.”

My chatty nature seemed to have run its course with Ruby. She frowned, shaking her head.

“Rutillite. Now, how about you just be quiet till Essie gets here? Want any more water?”

Rutillite. That was one hell of a powerful drug. Like Novocain, it left the system in a wave. Unlike Novocain, when it suddenly drained out after several hours, the result was a crash and burn that beat any hangover or migraine.

I shook my head. By now, Aegis would be worried—I had left the time on the note when I should be home. But Bubba wasn’t there, and how Aegis could contact Sandy or Delia was beyond me.

We waited another ten minutes before I heard the sound of heels on wood. By straining forward, I could see that, beyond the grand arch, was a set of stairs leading up. The footsteps were coming from there. I quickly pulled back. I didn’t want to appear too eager, or too concerned. It was probably a stupid ego thing, but I wanted Essie to respect me. Thornton might have been her boy toy but I certainly wasn’t going to suck up to her, in restraints or out of them.

Another moment and Essie Vanderbilt entered the room. Essie might not have decked out her hidden parlor with much pomp, but she made up for it. She entered the room in a long dress that swept the floor. It reminded me of a Victorian ball gown, in a shiny champagne satin with black lace overlay that ran up the front. The dress cinched in at the waist, then flowed out over what looked to be a huge hoop skirt. The neck was square-cut, with black lace lining the collar and top of the bodice, and the sleeves were bound at the elbows with the same lace, as well as a poof of lace flowing from the bottom of the sleeves.

Essie’s burgundy hair was coiffed into an elaborate chignon, with the sides braided back over loose tendrils that curled down by the sides of her face. The bun was held in place by a cloisonné comb, and her hair seemed frozen so that when she moved, even the dangling curls remained still.

“Maddy, welcome to my house,” she said, but there was no welcome in her voice. Her eyes were a neutral brown, ringed with crimson, and she whispered effortlessly between crimson-stained lips. “So nice of you to be able to come.”

I stared at her, struck by the absurdity of the words. “You’ll pardon me if I dispense with the chitchat, but I don’t think being drugged and kidnapped constitutes accepting an invitation.”

“Ah, well, a simple matter of semantics.”

Trying to suppress a snort, I couldn’t help but blurt out, “No, I don’t think so. If that were the case, every date-rape suspect in the world would be at your door begging you to defend them.” I stopped, realizing that I was arguing about the wrong thing. “Essie, why did you have me brought here?”

She leaned down, resting her hands on the arms of my chair, her face inches away from mine. “Oh, darling, I have my reasons.”

“Such as?”

Essie arched her eyebrows. She paused, then looked over at Ruby. “Give us a moment.”

Ruby nodded, vanishing out the door. Essie waited until she was gone and knelt beside me, her skirts billowing out the sides. Her voice a bare whisper, she said, “Maudlin, listen to me. You must play along for both our sakes. Play the part and follow my lead and perhaps, we both shall manage to stay alive. Cross me, and I’ll throw you to the wolves.”





I STARED AT her, silent, as I let what she said settle into my thoughts.

Obviously, I was in a lot of trouble, but it seemed to be catching. What the hell was Essie afraid of and what did I have to do with it? It also struck me that nobody knew where I was, so it was going to be up to me to get myself out of this. I quickly ran through my resources. I couldn’t text anybody—my phone was somewhere on the ground near my car, along with my purse. That much I remembered.

I couldn’t fight Essie while I was tied to a chair. And if I killed her, I’d be facing the rest of her brood. My best bet was to somehow get loose and sneak out. The steps to how I was going to accomplish this were still up in the air. The stairs led up, which meant they were potentially the only portal to freedom, unless there was an underground entrance to this level. Given Aegis had a secret underground entrance, I wasn’t discounting the possibility, but frankly, I didn’t have the time to find out.

Essie had walked over to the table and she was sorting through a sheath of papers. She glanced at me every now and then, but her attention seemed to be elsewhere. Obviously someone was listening in, considering she had whispered her warning to me, and I didn’t have a clue what was going on, so decided the best plan was to keep my mouth shut.

Another moment and she motioned to Ruby, who started untying my ropes. She was carrying a pair of handcuffs and the moment she freed my hands and feet, she wrenched me out of the chair. I thought about trying to fight and run, but I had been sitting so long that my joints and muscles had stiffened to the point of where I could barely move. Before I could stretch, she had my hands behind my back and the handcuffs on.

I shrieked as my sprained thumb took the brunt of her force. “Be careful, you fucking idiot. My thumb’s sprained.” I caught myself, hoping that wouldn’t be enough to set them off.

But all Essie said was, “Maudlin, I expect you to behave, or we’ll have to taste some of that delightful nectar that runs through your veins.” And with that, she swept out of the room.