She nodded.
“Do you know who I am?” The very quietness of his voice iced her skin with terror.
She nodded again. The minute he’d grabbed her, she’d guessed that this must be Hector Greengrass.
“Clever puss, aren’t you?” He paused. “And I know who you are. Lord Leath’s fun.”
Horror tightened her throat. If he knew her connection with James, her chances of escape were nil.
She stared at the inn, praying that someone was awake and looking outside. In the moonlight, she and Greengrass must be visible. But the windows remained dark. A high brick wall surrounded the garden, hiding it from the street. Even if anyone was out and about in the town at this hour.
“He’ll have to pay me twenty thousand to get you back in his bed. But first you’ll warm mine.”
Her instinctive jerk of revulsion made him laugh. “About time you got a real man between your legs.”
She gagged against his hand. She could smell his lust, that and stale sweat and tobacco. Nor did she mistake the ominous weight pressing into her lower back. She made herself stand still. Her squirming clearly excited him.
Oh, James, help me. Please, please, help me.
Only as she made the silent plea did she realize that she prayed to the man she loved rather than the Almighty. Hoping that blasphemy hadn’t doomed her, she sent a plea to heaven too.
The Lord helped those who helped themselves. She bit the hand covering her mouth until she tasted blood.
“Bloody hell,” Greengrass spat without, damn him, loosening his grip. He crushed her midriff until she near suffocated and kneed her in the back. Despite her vow not to cry, hot tears of agony pricked her eyes.
“No more of that, flower.” Greengrass hauled her around to face the gate. “If you’re too much trouble, I’ll wring that pretty neck faster than you can say King George. Do you understand?”
She nodded, too scared to muster further defiance. There must be something she could do, but with his heavy body wrapped around her, she felt powerless and thickheaded.
“Good.”
Abruptly Greengrass released her. She lurched away, but before she could take advantage of the moment, something cold pressed into her temple. “No games now. I’d hate to spoil that pretty face.”
Nell gulped, more frightened than she’d ever been in her life. “You…” She stopped to lick her lips, her mouth was so dry with dread. “You’re wasting your time. Lord Leath doesn’t care about a doxy.”
Greengrass’s low chuckle made the hair rise on the bac
k of her neck. “He’s a gallant fool. He won’t leave a woman with me. He knows what I’ll do to her.”
Bile soured her mouth. She knew too. “Twenty thousand pounds is a fortune. Nobody will pay that.”
“He will. And I have a feeling that you’re more of a bargaining chip than you say. Start walking. Slowly now, and no tricks.”
She should be relieved that he no longer held her. But the chill iron of the gun proved she was as helpless as ever.
Nell straightened and moved, only to stumble on a dip in the path. Nearly ripping her arm out of its socket, Greengrass wrenched her upright. “Careful.”
She took another step before he dragged her to a staggering stop. “What was that?”
Nell’s heart pounded so loudly in her ears that she’d heard nothing. The faint, unlikely hope that James had arrived crumbled to ash when the cat reappeared, a mouse struggling in her jaws. Nell knew just how that mouse felt.
“Move.” Greengrass released her arm and shoved her between the shoulders. With grim resolution, she obeyed.
Trees shadowed the wooden gate, making that corner of the garden as dark as a coalmine. Nell shivered with dread as she entered the tunnel of vegetation, although common sense insisted that Greengrass wouldn’t rape her so close to the inn.
“Open the gate,” Greengrass snapped.
She pushed without result. “It’s locked.”