An Unsinkable Love(75)
Once in the house, Elizabeth sent Melody off to the powder room to freshen up and sought the butler.
"Anderson, I need to find Eldon, Malcolm and Miss Bridget.
All the servants need to look for them. It's very important."
He held up his hand to stop her as she started to turn away.
252
An Unsinkable Love
by Terri Benson
"Cook just told me Miss Bridget and Mr. Malcolm went out back."
The two of them hustled down the hall, Elizabeth smiling and waving to the guests as if nothing was amiss.
In the kitchen, Anderson called Bertie to join them. The heavy-set woman complied, dragging a young girl along with her.
"Bertie, have you seen Malcolm and Miss Bridget?"
"Yes, ma'am. Amy here—" She nodded at her daughter.
"She saw Miss Bridget go through, then a short while later, Mr. Malcolm. They both went out back."
Elizabeth immediately went to the screen door and into the backyard, the others trailing behind. She saw no sign of anyone. Just then lamplight wobbled from the barn, and the old groom stepped out. Elizabeth met him halfway.
"Have you seen Malcolm and Miss Bridget, Murray?"
"I saw Malcolm. He was huntin' for the miss. When he found out Carlisle took the Rolls and Mr. Eldon the Pierce, he took off after them like a bat outta hell in his little roadster.
Pardon me, ma'am." He dipped his head in apology.
Elizabeth patted him absently on the arm. "No matter."
She bit her lip. Why would Malcolm follow Eldon, who apparently followed Carlisle? And what about Bree? The sense of foreboding grew stronger. She turned and hurried into the house, heading for the parlor and a friend whom she knew would help.
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253
An Unsinkable Love
by Terri Benson
Chapter 41
Malcolm stared across the room. Eldon and Bree stood facing him, his fiancée clutched tightly to his stepfather's chest. The large bore of a pistol pressed against her ear.
"Stop right there, Malcolm. Another step and your dearly beloved will become your dearly departed."
Malcolm halted, every muscle in his body rebelling.
Bree had been struggling when he first saw them, but now she stood stock still, her gaze glued to his face. He saw no fear. Instead, a magnificent anger burned in her blazing green eyes.
"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice hoarse with emotion.
The tiniest hint of a smiled flickered at the corners of her mouth and she gave a nod.
Eldon sneered. "She's perfectly fine ... for now. I'm feeling so generous. I'll give you a chance to keep her that way.
There's a pen and paper on the table there. I want you to write out a bank draft for two hundred fifty thousand dollars, payable to me. The money's already sitting in the account.
The tidy sum I got when Percy's business manager
'disappeared' is long gone, so I recently liquidated a few assets to give me a bit more spending money. You can explain to the board of directors you wanted to give me some seed money for my new endeavor, since you'll also be giving me the mill in Uxbridge. You won't even miss it. In addition, you'll need to write out a statement saying Carlisle was trying 254
An Unsinkable Love
by Terri Benson
to kidnap your fiancée and, in the struggle to save her, I was forced to kill him. I then brought her here and summoned you."
Malcolm considered Eldon's demands. Even if he wrote out the statements, they wouldn't stand up in court if he disputed them. Then he knew. Eldon had no intention of allowing him to live. Once the documents were signed, he would kill Malcolm, and probably Bree as well, so there would be no one to call him a liar.
Even as he nodded his agreement, Malcolm frantically worked to conceive a plan which ensured Bree's escape. He walked slowly to the table. Vellum scattered across the surface. It looked as if Eldon had been using the room to plan his most recent escapade. There were notes on the Uxbridge Mill and, most telling, several attempts to mimic Malcolm's signature. Even more convinced Eldon had no intention of letting him leave the room alive, Malcolm glanced over his shoulder to see if Eldon had made the mistake of moving within range. He hadn't.
"It appears you've thought this out very thoroughly, Eldon."
The older man smiled. "It's about time you realized how much superior I am to you when it comes to business and management. If Percy let me run the company, I would have done great things. You'll see. Well, perhaps not." He laughed, but the timbre was off and a shiver went down Malcolm's spine. The man's insane!