Benna would be spending the day in his company as the post chaise he’d hired would not be arriving until dusk.
“I got me orders,” was all he would say when Geoff questioned him on the matter.
He’d then frog-marched them both down to the kitchen—to keep his oggles on them, he’d said—and then proceeded to eat Geoff out of house and home for the next ten hours.
Now, half an hour after sunset, Geoff’s nerves were visibly ragged.
If Benna hadn’t had her own concerns to occupy her she might have enjoyed watching Geoff kick his heels in the kitchen of their rented townhouse for hours—a room she knew he had never entered before today.
“How much longer?” Geoff asked; it was the same question he’d been asking every ten minutes for the last hour.
Willy glanced at the clock on the mantle. “I told ye ten minutes ago: it’ll be ’ere in under an hour.” He shoved more food into his mouth.
Geoff turned to Benna. “You’ll want to finish getting dressed and I’m sure you need to use the necessary before you go?”
“Yes,” Benna lied, all but leaping to her feet and taking a step toward the kitchen door.
“Oi!”
Benna stopped and turned at the muffled syllable. “Wouldn’t you rather I go now than in the carriage,” she asked Willy.
A rumbling chuckle shook his chest while he stolidly chewed, this time swallowing before speaking. “I don’t give a tinker’s toss where ye piss, lass. If ye piss in your breeches, ye can bloody well sit in yer filf all the ways to—” he broke off.
“All the way to where? Surely you can tell me where you’re taking me?” Benna was impressed that she didn’t sound nearly as terrified as she felt.
“I’ll tell ye, but I ain’t sayin’ anyfing in front of ’im.” He jerked his chin at Geoff.
“Why? Think he’ll have a change of heart and rescue me?” Benna sneered at Geoff, pleased—and more than a little surprised—when a tinge of red stained the pale skin over his sharp cheekbones. Who would have guessed the man had even a scrap of conscience left to shame?
“If ye wan’ te piss ye can do it right ’ere.” He pointed a thick finger at Geoff. “Go an’fetch the pot.”
Geoff, who was exceeding fussy and squeamish about bodily functions—all except his own—recoiled at the suggestion. “Good Lord! Surely you don’t expect her to do that in front of us?”
“She ain’t to go out of my sight. That’s what I’m paid for. You”—he pointed his fork at Geoff—“’ave already been paid, so shut yer gob.”
The last four words were uttered in a tone of such menace that Geoff blenched. “All right, all right, keep your drawers on,” he muttered, turning to Benna, “Do you still want—”
“No, I don’t need the pot. But can I have a waistcoat, coat, cravat, and my overcoat?” She cut Willy a look of intense loathing. “Or are your orders that I must travel half-naked?”
“Ain’t got no orders about that. Bring out ’er togs and dress ’er. You can untie ’er hands.” He showed Benna his teeth, several of which were black stumps. “You try to run, girlie, and I’ll make you sorry. Hear?”
“I hear.”
“And you”—he glared at Geoff—“don’t fink about nippin’ off nowheres. You stay ’ere until we’re gone.”
“Since this is my bloody house, I shan’t be nipping off anywhere,” Geoff retorted, scowling at Willy.
Willy didn’t seem to hear him and Geoff flounced out, returning ten minutes later with various articles of clothing slung over his arm.
Geoff untied her and Benna massaged her sore wrists while he held out her vest.
Benna curled her lip and slid her arms into the garment. “This will be a novel experience for you—dressing somebody else for a change.”
“Consider it my parting gift to you, darling.”
“What a prince,” she muttered, buttoning up the double-breasted waistcoat with numb, clumsy fingers.
Thankfully, Geoff had already helped her into drawers, breeches, and a shirt before handing her over to Willy, so at least she’d not needed to lounge about naked all day long.
Once she was dressed, Willy nodded. “Go on, tie up ’er ’ands again.”
“Can he tie them in front, at least?” she asked.
Willy shrugged. “Makes no odds to me.”
“And does the rope have to be so tight that my fingers turn blue?” she demanded.
Again he nodded at Geoff. “Tie it looser. But I’ll be checkin’ it, lass, so don’t get no ideas.”
Benna stared at Geoff as he tied the rope, willing him to meet her gaze.
“You bloody Judas. You can’t even look at