“Don’t be more of an idiot than you already are.” His fingers were like ice and iron on her arm. He dragged her another two steps, but she struggled the whole way, trying to peel his hand from her person. “John told me himself. Wanted to marry another, but felt sorry for you instead. Would have dumped you at my Surrey estate when he gained the title, lived in Town without you.”
“Never John would that do.” Each beat of her heart cried out to him. Would he know she was in trouble? “He is not like that.” At least those words came out in the correct order. “Magic we are together.” If he’d wanted another, those feelings wouldn’t be present.
“Shut up!” The baron swung about. He caught her face in a backhanded slap. Pain exploded through her cheek and chin. “You know nothing about him and even less about the situation.” This time when he hauled her toward the carriage, she stumbled after him, still dazed from the slap that brought back memories of the few times she had been declared difficult at the asylum and then subsequently manhandled. The fear of those times stunned her, shook her to her soul. “John left me. He refused to help me with the title. Wanted the sea more, and then he chose you over me. The longer I live, the worse the situation grows, and now I have no other recourse but to raise coin the only way I can.”
Caroline tried to twist away, but he buried a hand in her hair, pulling tight. Pain crawled along her scalp. Tears welled in her eyes. “You are hurting me.”
“Good. At least your reaction will lend truth to the scene.” His breath stank of onions. “Get in the cab.”
“No.” If she did that, John would never know where she went.
“Now!” He balled his free hand into a fist. Then he hit her. Pain exploded through her temple. Darkness hovered on the fringes of her vision. She slumped as her knees buckled.
“John will come,” she whispered, fought against him as he shoved her at the carriage and its dark open door.
“If you don’t behave yourself, I’ll make certain he won’t find you alive.” He lifted her bodily off the curb and then tossed her into the musty vehicle as if she were nothing more than a sack of potatoes.
Immediately, Caroline stilled. She curled into a tight ball on the floor, the same way she’d spent the first few weeks at the asylum. Memories of that time poured into her mind. They were always telling her to behave herself, to act like the other girls her age, to stop wanting attention. To cease being difficult. That if she didn’t quiet, they would tie her to the iron frame of her bed. No amount of thinking of other things could banish those shadowy specters.
And she was reduced to that frightened, alone girl again.
She should have told John all of that but hadn’t known it still held a grip on her until this moment. Silent tears tracked more heavily down her cheeks. He would hold her, rock her in his strong arms and tell her that nothing could hurt her ever again because he was there, because she was strong.
But he wasn’t there. Not now. Because of his horrible father.
Through it all, she kept saying John’s name like a mantra into the darkness, softly, whispered, hoping the connection they shared would make itself known. John would come. He had to. He promised to always rescue her whenever she needed him.
Tears fell to her cheeks as the baron sat heavily on the bench and slammed the door behind him. Even if her husband didn’t love her, he would come.
He promised.