Don't Look Back

Chapter 59

Eliza rose the narrow stair of the let apartment that had been arranged for their tryst and found the door directed to and knocked after smoothing her appearance.

Soon it opened and she smiled relieved.

"My darling," she said breathlessly and eager for the pretense of formality to fall

He opened the door and let her in but did not go to embrace her as she had expected.

"What, so cold?" she asked. "I thought that was only for the benefit of my staff."

He shook his head. "Affection later, first..." he took a deep breath and poured himself a brandy. "What happened? I did not hear from you as expected and then you write and say I did not respond to your letter?" He ran his hand through his hair.

She shook her head. "I wrote you a letter the morning I was told of Sidney's death. It was posted likely by one of my staff."

"By one of your staff?" he laughed. "You do not know?"

She shook her head. "I was trying to act overwrought. I had a part to play, didn't I?"

He swallowed and then sighed, clearly frustrated with her answer.

"And have you questioned them?" he asked.

Eliza shook her head. "Why? And arouse more suspicion around you?"

He stopped and thought a moment. Lord Sellac seemed to realize that it was at least the wiser move.

"What was in the letter?" he asked.

She blinked and shrugged. "That it worked and that I am free now, as are you. He was bringing charges against you."

He closed his eyes. "You confessed a crime in a letter?" he asked. "And implicated me?"

Shaking her head. "No," Eliza blinked confused. "I mean, It was just a letter telling you that he was gone." she blinked. "I thought you would be happy,"

He scoffed. "Woman, you are a fool."

She recoiled from his verbal assault. "Ernest, I did it for us," she whispered. "He was going to ruin us."

He rolled his eyes. "He was going to ruin you." he shook his head. "As to me, I could have managed him myself without entangling my name with it. Would have been easy enough. Now there is a missing letter with contents not entirely known, but I imagine incriminating." he shook his head.

She stepped closer to him. "Ernest, I thought this would be a passionate reunion where I could tell you something wonderful."

He scoffed. "I am not sure how anything could be wonderful considering you a silly attempted murderess now and have lumped my name into it. No, you are a damned liability," he shouted.

She frowned. "Attempted?"

He laughed. "Your husband is rumored to actually have survived. And be alive and staying with Lord Babington."

Eliza felt faint and her knees wobbly.

"Attempted murder still carries the sentence that leads to the noose Eliza," he said.

Tears fell from her face and she shook her head. "But I carry your child."

He blinked and looked down. "That changes nothing between us even had you succeeded. You thought I would wait a year and claim a child mine that bore your dead husband's worthless name, regardless of blood tie, what good would that do me," he said disgustedly.

She gasped.

"Besides, I already announced my engagement to Miss Beaufort," he said. "Bann's have been read, and I will be a married man come a fortnight and fate willing a legitimate heir very soon."

Her lip trembled and she shook her head. "You never loved me."

He laughed then. "No madam, you were just a dalliance that lasted far too long, but that was because you were so available for a married woman. Most husbands are much quicker to action than yours."

Eliza felt as if her world had come crashing down. She had tried to kill Sidney upon Sellac's encouragement and now she wished there was a way to make Lord Sellac pay for this offense. She lashed out and smacked him.

He let the hit land and kept his face turned for a time.

His smile harsh as it moved across his face. "Now Mrs. Parker, we have dallied, but you have never enjoyed my more unnatural appetites. Perhaps it is high time you find those pleasures too."

The glint in his eye terrified her suddenly and she wanted to scream but his hand went to her neck and she felt like melting under it but his mouth fell to hers in a crushing way.

His fingers gripped her hard, and shortly after she was thrown down on the bed.

She was scared but hoped he would favor her with some affection again. But Lord Sellac had become this frightening man in place of the hopes she had nurtured and sinned so much to gain.

Her dreams of rising had bottomed out and she never knew exactly when they had stalled or pitched to such drastic vertical decline but she only became tragically aware of it when his hands slid around her throat and she had no power to stop her fall from the climb she rose as the hands enveloped her and the air did not come.

Her last thoughts were to look back and she wanted to cry out her regret, but there was no time. It had slipped from her.