My Angel (50 page)

Chapter Seventeen

As the three men rode down the winding lane leading to the mansion, tremors of fear swept through Alexi. Each shudder ripped through to the marrow of his bones.

All around them, hounds bayed and men yelled. In the distance he heard confusion and mass hysteria. His heart pounded, and he spurred Jabbar faster, until the horse was lathered and heaving.

Ivan and Sam kept pace beside him.

In a swirl of dust, they stopped. Alexi jerked on Jabbar's reins so harshly the stallion reared, his mighty forelegs pawing the air, Alexi's heart racing with dread.

Suddenly the grounds surrounding the mansion stilled, became absolutely silent.

It should have felt good to be home. But Alexi felt only fear and a profound sense of betrayal. He knew without asking Angela was gone, understood she'd broken her sacred promise to him.

His heart seemed to stop, then shudder. He didn't want to believe the thoughts lodging painfully in his heart.

A lace curtain in one of the upstairs rooms stirred and for a brief moment Alexi thought he saw Feodora's pinched face studying him. He'd seen Feodora years before as a little girl. Even then the lines of her face had been harshly squeezed together, making her appear to hate the world.

Where was his grandmother? Where was Angela? Both of the women should have been outside to greet them by now.

"Master?"

Alexi turned once again, jerking Jabbar's reins. "Yuri..."

The man looked strangely forlorn, his shoulders stooped as if the weight of the world rested upon them.

"It's been a long time. I trust everything is well." But Alexi knew nothing was right.

Yuri took Jabbar's reins as Alexi dismounted.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Everything is terrible," Yuri began, his voice filled with fear, but as the words began to flow he seemed to gain courage. "Mrs. Popov is gone. She did not know when you would be home or that the girl would arrive without you. Misha has left, too. He did not realize Natasha was not here because he left in the middle of the night. I fear--"

"Angela?" Alexi barked her name. The stark anger in his voice surprised him, fear pounding through his veins. All the misgivings he'd had for over a week once again swept through him full force. His heart clenched and tightened into a hard, strangled knot. "Angela?" he repeated, softer this time. His hands were on Yuri's shoulders, shaking the man. "Where the hell is Angela?" Alexi's patience unraveled.

"Gone," Yuri said, his head lowered as well as his voice. "Ran off yesterday."

"No!" Sam's voice penetrated the cold, unforgiving fog wrapping around Alexi and squeezing his heart.

"She would not leave unless something or someone threatened her life.'' Sam turned the full force of his fury onto Alexi. "What did you do to her?"

"I've done nothing but cherish Angela."
And promise to protect her, keep her safe.
"She came with me of her own free will, just as I told you earlier." But his gut clenched. He remembered vividly how angry and furious she'd been after he had deposited her on his ship like a sack of potatoes. She had not boarded the
Mystic
of her own free will. He lied to Sam, but the truth would not help. Not right now.

"We will see." Sam nodded. "When she can speak for herself, she will tell me what happened."

"Where did she go?'' Alexi assumed control, firing his questions at Yuri. "Why? When?"

"We don't know where she's gone." Yuri walked with Jabbar toward the stables, the other horses following. "I could tell you why, but I think you should ask Miss Feodora. She's the one responsible. Angela stood her ground as long as she could, but ..."

"The hounds." Ivan spoke up, his tone fierce, his hands clenched together. "Did Feodora send the hounds after Angela?"

Another wave of terror gripped Alexi. The hounds would tear her apart. Surely Feodora knew that.

"Yes, she did, but they couldn't find a trail. Hid her tracks real well, she did. Knew just what to do to keep the dogs from finding her," Yuri said, a note of pride in his voice that Alexi did not miss. "She lit out of here even though she wasn't strong enough. If she hadn't gone when she did, Miss Feodora would have had her back to work the next morning."

"What aren't you telling me?" Alexi asked, his gaze trained on Yuri. His voice was threatening. "Angela wasn't here to work. She was to be my--'' Alexi caught himself before saying
mistress.
This was not the time for her father to know the truth about his intentions, even though Sam had guessed as much.

After hesitating a moment, Yuri blurted out the truth. "Miss Feodora locked Angela in the woodshed without food and water for two days. Then, when she took a few apples, Miss Feodora had her flogged--accused the sweet angel of stealing. As soon as the wee thing could walk, she lit out of here.''

Alexi and Sam were halfway up the stairs before Yuri finished. The word
flogged
had them both running. Alexi burst into Feodora's room first, murder foremost in his mind. How dared Feodora take it on herself to assume control of the household in his grandmother's absence. His muscles straining, his fists clenching, he was sorely tempted to do the same to the aristocratic lady his mother had picked for him to wed. He wanted her flogged, humiliated in front of the peasants.

Flogging was too good for the likes of her.

Sam stood behind Alexi. Ivan followed at a more sedate speed.

"I should kill you," Alexi grated out after bursting into the room he'd seen her in earlier.

"Killing is too easy." Sam spoke from behind Alexi, his voice low and menacing. "She needs a lifetime of torture."

"She will have a lifetime of banishment." Ivan spoke from behind both Alexi and Sam. "And to Feodora it will be torture.''

Feodora rose from the chair she sat in, her hands fluttering, her lashes lowered demurely.' 'Whatever do you mean? I know nothing."

Alexi stepped forward but was stopped by Sam's hand on his shoulder. "Where is Angela?" Sam asked before Alexi could collect his pound of flesh from Feodora.

Feodora smoothed the folds of her ivory satin skirt, the lines of her face softening. The bodice of her dress was trimmed with lace, slightly off the shoulder, calculated to show an expanse of soft white skin. She bent over to expose herself to Alexi.

He saw and bile rose in his throat.

"I don't have any idea what you mean," she said, looking up, her smile the picture of innocence, her pose demure, enticing to any man stupid enough to believe in this woman's virtue. Alexi could not be duped. "You know I don't concern myself with the servants," she said offhandedly.

"Angela was not a servant. She was supposed to be safe here," Alexi said. "Under my protection."

"My misunderstanding." She fluttered her lashes, looking pointedly at Ivan. "Perhaps you should have sent word what your intentions were."

"I've told him everything about you, Feodora. Everything," Ivan said, his voice as harsh and commanding as Alexi's. A shudder swept across her shoulders. "I've told him how you came to my bed in the middle of the night and sometimes in the middle of the day."

"He lied." Her voice shook, her skin ashen.

Alexi grinned. He reached out, wrapping one of her dangling curls around his finger. "In all the years I've known Ivan, he has never spoken an untruth. You are nothing but an expensive whore with an aristocratic title, Feodora. Nothing more." He let the curl go, dismissing her.

"Begging your pardon, sir." Yuri appeared in the doorway. "Misha showed Miss Angela to the room you requested for her. Hours later, Misha was summoned home and Miss Feodora had Angela removed." Yuri finished the story, leaving nothing out, Alexi growing more angry with the telling. "Miss Angela set off in the midst of a raging storm."

"Yuri." Alexi turned to his man. "Lock Miss Feodora in this room. Don't let her out for any reason. Until I find Angela, I want to know that Feodora can do no more harm to anyone. Ivan, sit on her if you have to."

"With pleasure." Ivan laughed. "It would indeed be a pleasure to see if she still carries my child. Her skirts seem to hide the swelling of her womb. She did submit to me so sweetly. It is a pity I could not bring your bridegroom with me. Najjar would enjoy taming a shrew, and he is very eager to taste your fire." Ivan seemed to enjoy taunting her.

Little was said between Alexi and Sam as they walked down the long staircase to the first floor. Alexi started out the door. Sam stopped him.

"While your eagerness to find Angela makes me look upon you in a little different light, it is not wise to begin the search now." Sam's words were spoken with the strength and the wisdom of a man well versed in tracking.

"I will not wait. If the hounds lost her, it can mean only one thing: she used the pond and the creek feeding into it to make her departure. I know where she's headed." Several times Alexi ran his fingers through his hair. And several times he inhaled deeply, cursing the woman upstairs.

~ * ~

Less than thirty minutes later Alexi sat on a fresh horse, Sam at his side, and they headed north into the mountains. Even to an experienced tracker there were few signs. Alexi understood all too well why his peasants had run in circles, trying to find Angela.