Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle (183 page)

She was sandwiched between them as he led the way to a room two flights of stairs down from the attic.

'Where's Oswalt?' Julia asked, quietly looking about her during the walk, remembering corners and turns, anything that might prove useful in the future, but the house was unhelpfully blank. She wondered if Oswalt had done that on purpose. No pictures or colours on the walls that might provide a visual memory-what was it Paine had called it? An

'No, don't

think of him,' she cautioned herself. Thoughts of Paine would only bring tears.

'It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.'

The guards laughed at their joke. 'You'll be seeing him soon enough.'

They led her into a bedroom done in stark white. The large poster bed was white, the coverlet on it was white

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Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady

satin. The curtains were white.
Ah,
good, Julia thought.

A window and bed sheets. Things were looking up.

One of the guards seized her hands. 'What you are doing?' Julia cried, shocked by the swift movement.

'It's orders. You're not to be trusted.' He looped tight cords of twine about her hands and bound them to the bed post.

'Please.. . ' Julia protested against the indignity. But the protest was merely for form's sake. These men would not be swayed by any gentleman's code of honour.

One guard jerked his head towards the window.

'You've got nothing to complain about. You've got a view of the ceremonies. You can watch them set up for the wedding. The physician will be here shortly to keep you company.'

The horror was real. Julia fought despair. Being left alone was a certain torture of its own. Too much time to let her imagination run riot. But Oswalt was a master at this. He knew exactly what he was doing. She couldn't give in to the terror. He couldn't make Paine come and he couldn't

her be frightened.

The sky became her enemy as the sun inched closer to the horizon. Nature's hour glass. Someone came to set out lanterns in the yard below. It wouldn't be long.

half-hour, maybe a few minutes more.

The door opened. Julia couldn't turn to see who was there. An ancient crone older than Oswalt himself came into her line of vision, crabbed and wrinkled. 'Hello, I'm the physician. I'm here to check, shall we say, on the status of things?' Julia fought the urge to

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cringe. Oswalt must be mad to call this forest witch by such a title.

movement caught Julia's eye out on the lawn. It was slight and then gone, but she could have sworn a man with raven hair had looked up at her window, studying it before blending back into the lengthening shadows. Paine had come-maybe. It was the only scrap of hope she had at the moment and so she clung to it. If Paine was down there, looking for her, she could endure a little while longer.

Chapter

drew back into the shadows of the lawn. He was certain he'd seen Julia in the upstairs window.

it, tossing him a robe and hood as he returned from his short reconnaissance mission. 'I overheard some of the guards talking. The location sounds right. Put these on.'

'Druid robes?' Paine asked, shaking out the garment.

'For the ceremony. We'll blend in,' Peyton said, slipping into another set.

'How did you get these?' Paine asked, slipping on the robe.

'Let's just say three men have a little less to wear than they did a few minutes ago, but I doubt they'll be missing their clothes for a while,'

said with

relish.

Paine grimaced. 'How many people will be here?

We'll stand out if it's only a handful. Oswalt expects us.

He'll be on the lookout for anything out of place.' He