The Seduction of Sebastian St. James (House of Renwick #2)(49)

Just then Sara flew around the corner. “Nicholas, have you seen Emma? I could have sworn I saw her walk over here.”

A prickly sense of fear settled over Sebastian. “Sara, you must be mistaken. Just minutes ago she was running toward the far end of the ballroom. We had a disagreement, Rawlings and I.”

“Disagreement,” Rawlings snorted as he approached them. “Sara, how can I be of service?”

Sara bit her lip and looked between all three men. “Something’s amiss. I know for certain she didn’t return to the ballroom.”

“She must have gone outside for air. She was upset when she left.”

“Of course.” Sara smiled tightly. “That explains it.”





Chapter Twenty-four


Emma awoke with a headache. With her hands tied behind her back and a gag firmly placed in her mouth, she had no choice but to continue to pretend she was still knocked out.

The smell in the air reeked of brandy and dirt.

“Drive,” the familiar voice said.

“But, sir, the horses…You cannot possibly run them through the night, they need rest, water, to be shod—”

“Don’t tell me what to do, we ride until we reach Gretna Green, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

Emma couldn’t help the moan that escaped even though it was quiet.

“Ah, my sweet, have you awoken?”

It was an absolute nightmare. Why did that voice chill her to the bone? Most of all, her mind wondered why a complete stranger was kidnapping her.

And then he pulled the blindfold off.

And everything came rushing back to her full force.

The man looking back at her was John Crawford, Lord Rawlings’ half brother. Before, when he had been cleaned up for the ball, he had looked dashing.

Currently he wore no cravat, his shirt was opened, revealing dirty skin, and he smelled terrible. Yet the figure in front of her was more familiar than the one she had seen at the ball that day.

“Do you remember me now?” He forcefully put his hands on her body. Fighting, she turned from left to right until she thought she would flop straight out of her seat.

“Or maybe I shall do this.” Jeering, he pulled at the top of her dress.

And then she knew exactly what her mind had forced her to forget. The man sitting across from her was not just Rawlings' half brother. No, he was also the man who had ruined her life so many years ago.

The man who had almost raped her.

And he had returned to finish the job.

****

“Where is she?” Sebastian, the joyful and always calm Sebastian, felt like killing someone.

Rawlings entered the room empty-handed, a look of dread on his face. “We’ve searched everywhere. I don’t know where else to look. Perhaps she’s returned home.”

“Without her clothes? Or notifying anyone of her absence?”

Rawlings shrugged and took a seat. The man looked like he was on death’s door. They had been searching for Emma for two hours.

Nicholas entered the room, face pale, followed by Sara.

She held out a small note addressed to Rawlings. “We found this in her bed chamber.”

Sebastian watched as Rawlings slowly opened the note. He thought he would go mad with curiosity as Rawlings’ eyes grew wider and wider, until finally, with a curse, he threw the note to the floor and yelled to ready the horses.

“What did it say?” Sebastian demanded, flying across the room toward Rawlings.

“He’s taken her.”

“He?”

“My half brother, John. He’s taken her. It seems he’s in need of a little revenge and has decided to ruin her reputation once and for all.”

Sebastian looked down at the note, still not understanding. His fingers grazed the heavily marked script. The note said nothing except, “I’m finishing what I started. By this time tomorrow, we’ll be in Scotland, married, and she will be ruined.”

Shaking with rage, Sebastian grabbed Rawlings by the coat tails. “I still don’t understand, so you better help me to understand before I end your life and everything you hold dear!”

His old friend, the one who’s path was so different from his own, looked pale and lifeless as he slowly began to talk.

“Leave us,” he demanded, voice hoarse.

Everyone stepped out of the room, except Nicholas, who stood firmly by the door. Apparently he was going nowhere.

“I’ll make it fast, time is of the essence.”

“Speak,” Sebastian demanded.

Rawlings turned away and shook his head as he looked out the darkened window. “We were betrothed. I didn’t love her, how could I? I was so young at the time. My brother however was obsessed with Emma. He followed her everywhere, was constantly spying on her. I thought it harmless at the time, after all, he’d had a sad life, couldn’t inherit anything since he was the illegitimate son of my father.

“He was lucky he had food and clothing, given the occupation of his mother. Slowly, over time, I noticed subtle changes in his attitude. We were all but six before my father sent him away to live with a nurse on another estate. He only visited us twice before he finally stopped coming.”

Sebastian sat across from where Rawlings stood and waited as patiently as he could. The horses weren’t even ready yet, so they had time for the tale.