A grim face filled with anger stared back at them as the three sat facing eachother at a small table in a nearby bistro.

He had arrived piqued with interest on what these individuals had to speak to him about and the story they told him was too far fetched. He could not understand.

"Is this some sort of sick joke. To come here and play upon a mans grief or try to get him for his money?" he spoke dangerously low.

Confused glares went all around as Caroline immediately spoke.

"No... No it is nothing like that. What grief do you speak of?" she frowned.

Von Beuran sat rigidly straight and leaned forward with a heated glare.
"Do not play games with me Madam. Do you know the whereabout of my daughter or don't you. Or why else have you asked to meet here."

Confused, Caroline shook her head.
"Daughter!"

Before she could continue Arlington spoke up.
" Sir, we are here to speak of your neice, Evangeline. We were not aware that you had a daughter," he said.

"Evangeline! What about Evangeline?" he frowned with concern.

Exchanging worried gazes Arlington began.
"Well you see, we suspect she is in danger. Reynaud brought her here against her will and we do not know how but she would not have come willingly with Locksley,"

"What do you mean?" he looked at them both.

"Sir, he is not a good man," Caroline began.

"But he is her husband," Von Beuran began.

"No... he is not," Arlington shook his head.

Silence followed. The strickened look on Von Beuran's face pushed Caroline to continue speaking.

Nothing was left untold. They spoke of everything from the moment Evangeline was left penniless, to ending up in Adrian's care then becoming his wife and now ending up here.

He sat back dumbfounded, taking in all that was said. He was at a loss for words.

"I always knew that bastard Chenoweth was no good for Hillary. He left them penniless? Christ who knows what they endured." He shook his head willing away the tears that were burning in his eyes.

"You say she is married to this Adrian St.James fellow an Earl? and not Reynaud?" he shook his head in disbelief as they nodded.

"What happened? How did he end up bringing her here?" Von Beuran asked.

"That is what we do not understand. We do not know under what pretext he has threatened her with. Because of her own will she would not have come," Caroline gave saddened gaze.

"Unless he threatened her with her unborn child," They pondered.

"It can not be, because he knew nothing of her pregnancy until she arrived here. We found out the day they both came." Von Beuran explained.

"Unless...," Caroline immediately looked up to Von Beuran then looked at the puzzling gaze of Arlington.

"Unless what?" he asked.

She looked at Von Beuran with a terrified look. "When did you say your daughter was lost?"

They watched as he sat up with a concerned gaze and told them.

Now worried Caroline looked at Von Beuran.
"I do not think your daughter is lost."

A dead pan silence followed.

" I think.....Locksley has her."

*******

The dawn light slowly illuminated the room.

Adrian stirred then slowly awoke from the most sated slumber. He remained still as he felt the warmth of Evas body flushed against his chest.His eyes flew open. He remembered sampling the delicacy of her body. He hardened at the memory.

He nuzzled closer to her and gently leaned over her and saw that she was already awake. Her eyes slowly opened and closed as she stared off into the distance.

"Good morning," he whispered.

But she did not answer.
He frowned and turned her to face him. With concern in his gaze he looked down at her.

"Eva?"
After two blinks, it took a second before recognition seemed to penetrate the haze surrounding her eyes.

Cold fingers raised up to caress his cheek. Moved by her affectionate gesture, as he so often was, he settled beside her. Lying on his side, facing her, he noticed how pale she was with deep,dark circles under her eyes.

She turned her head enough to feel him smooth a stray lock of her hair away from her cheek.

"You have not slept have you?" he asked gazing into her tired eyes.

She lowered them and shook her head.

A long silence followed as he continued to look down at her.

"Talk to me Eva. What is wrong? Is it the baby" he asked scrapping his concerned gaze over her stomach.

She shook her head.

"Then what is it? Please Eva tell me," he implored.

"I must go back," she whispered.

Incredulously he watched as she tried to pull away.

Shaking his head he held her in place.
"No...your not leaving,"

"Please, Adrian. If I am not back he...," she trailed off and still struggled against him to sit up.

"He will what Eva? Harm you?," he gritted his teeth searching her gaze for the answers.

She shook head vehemently as tears began to fall. She finally sat up but he detained her wrist and held her in place.
Their eyes met and she could feel the heat of his anger eminating from his body as his eyes bore into hers. His fingers tightened around her wrist more as she tried to climb off the bed.

"Don't you dare run from me," he clenched between his teeth as his eyes reddend with tears.

"I have to leave Adrian...Please..." she panicked with a sob.

The thought of Reynauds threats played over and over in her mind. She could not live with herself if he harmed Sabine. She had to go through with her plan no matter the cost.

Raw fury swirled in his gaze followed by a heart stopping silence.

"Please let me do this. He will not harm me." she whispered.

"Do what? What must you do?" he hissed tightening his hold on her wrist.

He inched closer.
All sorts of sordid thoughts began to swim in his mind at that moment. It was no secret that Reynaud wanted her and that he would stop at nothing to have her.
So was this what he wanted? Her in his bed?
Was she going to....?
Did she?

Reynaud was going to die........

Jerking her gaze to his as he inched closer, she witnessed raw fury storming there. His nostrils flared and he had a tic in his jaw. However when he spoke his tone was eerily calm. And it worried her.

Nervously she licked her lips.

"Did you....," he stopped tightening his eyes shut he took several deep breaths willing his anger to settle.

"Did you sleep with him, Eva," he looked at the shock in her gaze.

His fingers loosened and watched her stand holding the sheets to her breasts.
"How can you think that!" she asked. Hurt evident in her tone.

"You're not giving me a reason to doubt otherwise Eva," he stood abrubtly towering over her.

"I've done nothing," she whispered her eyes twinkled with unshed tears at his accusing glare.

He shook his head forcing the urge to scream.
He watched her turn to get dress before he turned around giving his back to her while angrily putting on his breeches.
Frustration grew within him at the fact that she was not telling him anything.

He turned in time to watch her wrap her sash around her waist. Her head lowered she did not see him reach for it and slowly pull it away and stepped close to her.

"Im giving you one last chance Eva, or I will lock you in here and seek him out myself," His words were edged with steel and he meant each one of them.

Her expression alone told him he hit something. But what?

Her eyes raised to his and there was a look he had long ago seen that brought back a torrent of memories from when she first came into his life. A silent plea mixed with panic and desperation. It tugged at him. Squeezed his heart tight.
"Please...trust me....," she begged raising her fingers to caress his bare chest.

"And did you trust me Eva," he gritted his teeth wrapping his finger around her arm forcing her to look at him.

Red rimmed eyes bore into hers. "Did you trust me enough to stay? No...you ran off with Reynaud and have done God knows..." his heated words were cut short as she slapped him hard across the cheek.

He did not flinch. But, his expression changed as he looked into her eyes that were filled with pain from his accusations of doing immoral things with Reynaud.

"Forgive me....I..." he paused. His voice swirled around the lump forming in his throat and the tears welling up in his eyes threatening to fall.

She did not speak as she trembled and shakily pulled her sash from his fingers and finished dressing then walked over to the door.

All the while he stood immobile until she reached her finger for the door knob. Then he was there, he placed his hand on the door to block her from opening it. For that one silent moment of agonizing despair he held the door closed and stood behind her.

"Eva, don't leave. Please." He begged in a whisper. Not leaving any room to escape. He encircled her with his right arm pulling her close, he pressed his body to her back burrying his face in her hair.

She wanted so much for all of this to end. She wanted Reynaud out of her life forever. He will not leave them alone unless he has her money and thats what she will give him.
Every last bit of it to make him leave.

She rested her forehead on the door and let her emotions take over.Her sobs tore out his heart. Without thought, he held her tight to him while she cried.

"I know I don't deserve your trust after what I did," she cried out.

"But I have no choice, please just believe that I am doing this for our child, for us," she blurted out in a rush.

He refused to listen. He was adamant on making her stay. He would find Reynaud and end him. And she knew it.

"You do have a choice Eva. Let me protect you. Let me deal with him," he argued as she shook her head.

"I..." he began.

But she stopped him. She turned in his arms and fiercely kissed him. All words and his coherent thoughts escaped him as he felt the warmth of her lips upon his. She led him away from the door as she continued. He moaned as she savagely invaded his mouth with her tongue requesting entry to savor him. Her passionate response took him by surprise. Their soft sobs quieted with each ferevent kiss and nibble followed by his ardent plea to let him handle Reynaud. They broke their kiss, both of them breathless, and stood staring into each other's eyes.

"You walk out that door Eva, and I will go after him, he will regret ever crossing our paths," he clenched his jaw.

He watched her eyes sadden and she shook her head.
"No...you wont," she croaked.

"For the sake of our child you cannot," she whispered.

Her determined and defiant tear filled gaze matched his stern warning ones.

She lowered her head then turned for the door.

His chest hurt with the fierce palpitations as he watched in disbelief her retreat, blood pounded in his ears, he broke out in a cold sweat as he watched her disappear, the grip on his lungs made it hard to breathe.

He spun around towards a nearby table and leaned against it for support trying to right the tilted sensation of his world and settle the sudden dizziness he felt. Fingers tightly gripped the edges with rage as he fought the urge to get to her uncles estate to strangle Reynaud to death before she arrives.

The other half of him wanted to go after her and take the next passage back to London. But the nagging sensation of that bastard trailing her again angered him.

He eyes the decanter of whisky and reached for it. He would have to wait for Caroline and Arlington for his next move.

******

Twenty minutes had passed when he stood before Arlington, Caroline and Christopher.

"Where is Eva?" Caroline asked worried stepping forward.

They took in Adrian's dishelved state.

He looked down at his glass.
"She went to him." He answered with a snare.

Adrian turned to look at their worried glances.
"We must get to her quickly," Caroline said.

In that instant, Montgomery flew through the door and slammed it shut behind him leaning against it for support.

They turned immediately to look into the paled face man as he began to stutter.

Arlington regarded him and pulled him to a nearby chair while Caroline went to pour him a glass of water.

"What is it Montgomery," she asked him as he hungrily gulped down the glass of water.

Reaching for his cravat he began to loosen it.

"I saw one of ..of...Reynauds men here entering this very inn," he stuttered nervously.

Confused they looked at one another.
"Why is he here?" she asked with a bit of panic to her tone.

"I have a good idea of why," Arlington spoke up.

They turned to look at him.

Arlington focused his gaze over Christopher then finally on Adrian.

"What do you say good friend we pay a villain a visit," he began to undo his cravat, his jacket then began rolling up his sleeves.

Adrian's grim look turned into an develish grin.

"Gladly."

***********

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