Free Too Dangerous to Desire by Alexandra Benedict
Authors: Alexandra Benedict
your cook, Mrs. MacFaden?”
“Father could not afford to pay her anymore. Ella and I tended to household chores after that.”
“So that’s why you can cook?”
“And sew.”
“And chop wood?”
Evelyn shrugged. “Someone had to do it.”
Adam stepped forward, meeting her gaze. “You lived a comfortable life before your mother died and your father took to gambling, didn’t you?”
She drew solace from the look of understand ing in his eyes. “Yes, but Father didn’t want to live in poverty anymore.”
“Did he stop gambling?”
“No . . . he sold Ella.”
Adam took in a sharp breath. “He did what ?”
Evelyn swallowed the sob slowly forming in her throat. “Father met a rich foreigner who liked unique beauty.”
“Him? ”
She nodded. “He offered to pay off Fa-ther’s gaming debt in return for Ella’s hand in marriage.”
“Who is he , Evie? Tell me his name.”
It was like summoning a curse, his name. But she gathered her valor and whispered: “Vadik.”
For a moment she believed Vadik might appear, but she soon dismissed the wild thought as ridic ulous fancy. Yet still her fingers trembled.
“Vadik took Ella to his home on the continent. I last saw my sister on her wedding day, three years ago.”
“Did she write?”
“Sometimes . . . but she had to sneak the letters to the post. Vadik did not want her to commu nicate with me or our father. Not that our father cared about Ella. Only I cared.”
“Your father continued to drink?”
“And gamble. He pretended Ella was happily wed and never mentioned her name again.” A sharp cramp seized Evelyn’s heart. “Ella’s letters were so gloomy. She was in such pain.”
The tears spilled at last.
“And there was nothing I could do to help her,” she sobbed. “I had no money to travel abroad and sneak a visit with her. Father never offered me a coin; he’d gambled most of it away a second time. And there was no one I could ask for help. I had no other family or friends. After my mother died and my father turned wild, all respectable com pany deserted us. I was alone.”
Adam wiped the dampness from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.
Why did his touch bring her such comfort? Ella’s letters had been so grisly. A man’s touch was sup posed to be foul . . . but Adam’s was not.
She took in a shaky breath and swallowed the last of her tears. “Vadik mistreated Ella in a very vile way. But Ella still protected me; she informed me of his character and warned me to avoid him should anything happen to her.”
“And something did happen?”
“Her last letter was a good-bye; she feared for her life. She mailed me her half of the heart and counseled me to be brave, to run away if I had to. But I was to stay away from him at all cost.”
“What does Vadik want with you?”
The crashing surf below matched the flurry of thoughts in her head. “He wants me to replace his late wife.”
Adam’s jaw hardened. “He wants to marry you?”
“Yes,” she whispered, voice quivering.
After a respectable period of mourning had passed, a letter had arrived from Vadik. In it he’d announced he was coming to England for a friendly visit. But Evelyn knew the real reason for his trip to the island. Ella had cautioned her about the man’s obsession with beauty.
“That’s why I ran away,” she said. “That’s why I came here to the cliff.”
“I understand, Evie.”
“I don’t want to be with him, Adam. I don’t want to endure what my sister endured. Her letters . . . they were so ghastly.”
He stepped even closer to her. She was over whelmed by the strength he possessed—the strength she very much lacked.
“You’re safe from him here, Evie.”
But she wasn’t so sure about that. “Vadik is rich and powerful, with many servants to do his bid ding. Henchmen, really. I live but ten miles from here; I know they’re looking for me right now. I don’t think I will ever be safe.”
“Did you leave a note,
“Father could not afford to pay her anymore. Ella and I tended to household chores after that.”
“So that’s why you can cook?”
“And sew.”
“And chop wood?”
Evelyn shrugged. “Someone had to do it.”
Adam stepped forward, meeting her gaze. “You lived a comfortable life before your mother died and your father took to gambling, didn’t you?”
She drew solace from the look of understand ing in his eyes. “Yes, but Father didn’t want to live in poverty anymore.”
“Did he stop gambling?”
“No . . . he sold Ella.”
Adam took in a sharp breath. “He did what ?”
Evelyn swallowed the sob slowly forming in her throat. “Father met a rich foreigner who liked unique beauty.”
“Him? ”
She nodded. “He offered to pay off Fa-ther’s gaming debt in return for Ella’s hand in marriage.”
“Who is he , Evie? Tell me his name.”
It was like summoning a curse, his name. But she gathered her valor and whispered: “Vadik.”
For a moment she believed Vadik might appear, but she soon dismissed the wild thought as ridic ulous fancy. Yet still her fingers trembled.
“Vadik took Ella to his home on the continent. I last saw my sister on her wedding day, three years ago.”
“Did she write?”
“Sometimes . . . but she had to sneak the letters to the post. Vadik did not want her to commu nicate with me or our father. Not that our father cared about Ella. Only I cared.”
“Your father continued to drink?”
“And gamble. He pretended Ella was happily wed and never mentioned her name again.” A sharp cramp seized Evelyn’s heart. “Ella’s letters were so gloomy. She was in such pain.”
The tears spilled at last.
“And there was nothing I could do to help her,” she sobbed. “I had no money to travel abroad and sneak a visit with her. Father never offered me a coin; he’d gambled most of it away a second time. And there was no one I could ask for help. I had no other family or friends. After my mother died and my father turned wild, all respectable com pany deserted us. I was alone.”
Adam wiped the dampness from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.
Why did his touch bring her such comfort? Ella’s letters had been so grisly. A man’s touch was sup posed to be foul . . . but Adam’s was not.
She took in a shaky breath and swallowed the last of her tears. “Vadik mistreated Ella in a very vile way. But Ella still protected me; she informed me of his character and warned me to avoid him should anything happen to her.”
“And something did happen?”
“Her last letter was a good-bye; she feared for her life. She mailed me her half of the heart and counseled me to be brave, to run away if I had to. But I was to stay away from him at all cost.”
“What does Vadik want with you?”
The crashing surf below matched the flurry of thoughts in her head. “He wants me to replace his late wife.”
Adam’s jaw hardened. “He wants to marry you?”
“Yes,” she whispered, voice quivering.
After a respectable period of mourning had passed, a letter had arrived from Vadik. In it he’d announced he was coming to England for a friendly visit. But Evelyn knew the real reason for his trip to the island. Ella had cautioned her about the man’s obsession with beauty.
“That’s why I ran away,” she said. “That’s why I came here to the cliff.”
“I understand, Evie.”
“I don’t want to be with him, Adam. I don’t want to endure what my sister endured. Her letters . . . they were so ghastly.”
He stepped even closer to her. She was over whelmed by the strength he possessed—the strength she very much lacked.
“You’re safe from him here, Evie.”
But she wasn’t so sure about that. “Vadik is rich and powerful, with many servants to do his bid ding. Henchmen, really. I live but ten miles from here; I know they’re looking for me right now. I don’t think I will ever be safe.”
“Did you leave a note,