Page 76 of No Ordinary Lady

With that chore done, she set it back neatly on the small table and moved to look out the window. The sun was high in the sky now, and it was going to be a beautiful day for everyone but her. She imagined Danny somewhere out there, glad to be almost rid of her presence. Had he washed his hands of her already, perhaps, resumed courting Miss Wilson in earnest?

He could be an engaged man at this very moment, and the thought of it made Marian unbearably sad. She bit her lip. There was no reason for him to continue delaying a decision he’d obviously made long before they’d ever met.

Her tender feelings for him hardly mattered in the end.

What was next for her, though, was the unknown. The countess’ behavior suggested she was used to taking matters into her own hands, no matter how unpleasant. Would the countess turn her over to the authorities for trial immediately, or worse, drag out her captivity and deal with her in the most final terms here—at gunpoint—with a ditch behind her in some distant field?

Marian would put nothing past the countess now. She was no prim and proper lady, unused to dealing with unpleasant people. She protected her family, and Marian grudging admired her for being so strong.

Marian was prepared for the first and the second outcome, but she’d fight hard to avoid her own death, of course. Escape was still possible, and possibly her only option left. She searched about the chamber for potential weapons to defend herself with if the worst came to pass, but saw only a needle and thread lying forgotten near the windowsill. It wasn’t much, but it might just make enough of a difference to make someone release their grip without inflicting severe injury on them.

Marian carefully wove the needle into the sleeve of her gown, in a spot easy to reach, and then paced the chamber for a brief time to warm her muscles in readiness for flight.

She heard horses’ hooves on the gravel drive and rushed to the window, expecting to see the magistrate and his men. But it was only Danny on horseback with one other horseman. He slid to a halt in front of the house and looked directly up to her window, or rather, at the countess’ windows, and then rushed inside, while the other man took the reins of his horse and hurried to lead it away.

Marian’s heart sank. Danny must have good news to share with his mother. It could be one of two things—his engagement, or the magistrate was hot on his heels.

Marian slumped against the window, all hope lost for an easy escape or for anything more pleasant to befall her beyond that.

She wished she didn’t have to face Danny again.

She’d never dare tell him what was in her heart now. She would give anything, beg the countess for her silence, to avoid him learning about her love for him. Anything to spare them all the embarrassment.

All there was left to do was wait for the magistrate. She hadn’t seen the countess since daybreak, and a servant had not come to make up the bedchamber beyond, either, in these past quiet hours as far as she could tell.

She jumped as she heard a heavy thud from the adjoining room, followed by the crash of a door. Footsteps rushed through the other room, but not of the same light quality she expected from the countess herself or a maid.

It was someone else.

Male.

Danny?

Marian rushed to the door and put her ear to the wood.

“Marian,” he hissed. “Are you in here somewhere?”

Marian hesitated. Danny hadn’t known about her night of captivity. Perhaps there was a chance she could escape.

She slapped her palm against the dressing closet door. “I’m here,” she cried, surprised Danny had actually come looking for her before she was dragged away. “I’m here.”

The door rattled nearly off its hinges, but it did not open, much to her disappointment. “It’s locked,” Danny called to her. “I’ll throttle Mama for this!”

Marian breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t ridden ahead of the magistrate after all, but come directly to rescue her instead.

She couldn’t keep the smile off her face. But then she remembered his mother. This situation would put an end to any appearance of affection between mother and son, most likely, and though she couldn’t fault his anger, it was all Marian’s fault. If she’d not come, if she’d not wanted money to leave again, the countess would never have resorted to such drastic measures, and Daniel would never learn his mother was a woman of many secret talents.

“It’s only stuck,” Marian called out, lying through her teeth about her situation. “There’s a trick to opening the door that only the countess knows.”

“A trick only my mother knows,” Danny repeated. “A likely story. She’s gone too far this time.”

“No! No. It’s true. Ask Granny if you don’t believe me. Her own door gets stuck all the time,” Marian promised, wincing at the lies spilling from her tongue. But she did not want to cause any trouble in the family.

There was a long silence after that, and then Daniel asked, “Marian, are you tied up?”

“Of course not,” she promised.

“Can you open the window and show me your hands?”