Trapped with the Earl of Sin

Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“ L uke, it has been such a long time since we took a horse ride to the cliffs. We should go in the morning! Reminisce about the good old days when we were always out having precarious adventures.”

Those words had stuck with Martin all night long. Hearing Edwin speak them after Susanna had knocked the drink off Luke’s hands was bone-chilling because Martin feared this might be yet another attempt to do something dreadful.

Every time he tried to imagine himself being wrong and paranoid, every time he tried to picture Edwin as a good person, he simply could not do it. He knew deep in his heart that his best friend was in trouble, and he was utterly determined to put a stop to it, no matter what happened.

Which was why he found himself seeking out Susanna after breakfast. He had not been seated near her today, so there was no way he could talk to her over the table. But time was ticking by, and he had to locate her quickly before there was an ‘accident’ at the cliffs, which meant Luke and Mary could not get married.

“Susanna!” Finally, he located her, just as she was about to set foot in the library, which truly seemed to be her favorite spot. “I need your help. I need your help right now.”

Her eyes widened. She seemed to instantly understand why he needed her so badly, which was a relief. If the panic was already written all over his face, then he would not be expected to explain too much.

“We must go to the stables right away. We are needed for a horse ride up to the cliffs.”

“The cliffs?” she gasped in horror. “Luke is headed to the cliffs? I assume Mary has not been invited along on this ride?”

Martin shook his head. “It was planned after you left the ball last night, so I am sure Luke has not had a chance to extend an invitation.”

Susanna pursed her lips and nodded determinedly. “Do not worry, I shall get Mary to come with us right away.”

A small smile played on Martin’s lips. It was always amazing to see Susanna snapping into action like this. “Great, then I shall meet you at the stables. We will get there at the same time as Edwin and Luke, and simply invite ourselves along on their little outing.”

“Right away. That sounds good to me.”

Martin could not help but notice that Susanna’s eyes lingered on him a moment too long. Probably because he could not take his eyes off her beautiful face either.

The urgency of the situation hung between them, but for a brief moment, the shared glance conveyed more than words could. They were allies in this fight, bound by their mutual concern for Luke and Mary.

Susanna nodded again, more resolutely this time. “I am going to get my sister fired up for a horse ride. See you shortly.”

Martin watched her hurry off, his heart pounding with a mix of anxiety and admiration. He turned and made his way to the stables, his mind racing with potential scenarios. He needed to be prepared for anything Edwin might have planned.

He paced around the stables, his nerves tightening with every passing second. The earthy smell of hay and the soft nickers of the horses did little to calm his anxiety. Martin ran his fingers through his hair, trying to collect his thoughts as he waited for the others to arrive.

Finally, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He turned to see Susanna leading Mary towards the stables, both of them laughing, acting casual as they strolled. But Martin knew that this was just an act. He could almost sense the intensity of the stress balled up in Susanna’s shoulders.

“Oh, hello, Martin,” Mary declared as she waved towards him. “Thank you for the invite. It is the perfect day for a horse ride, and I am looking forward to seeing the cliffs. I have not yet been lucky enough to explore that area of this town.”

“Shall we saddle the horses?” Martin asked with a smile. “Get ready for when Edwin and Luke arrive?”

The women nodded and quickly saddled the horses, working in silent coordination. Just as they finished, Martin heard voices approaching. Edwin and Luke were on their way.

“Quickly, climb up,” Martin hissed at Susanna, just out of Mary’s earshot.

The three of them mounted their horses and positioned themselves as if they had been there for a while, casually preparing for a ride.

Edwin and Luke arrived, looking surprised to see them. Edwin’s eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his expression.

“Well, this is unexpected,” Edwin said smoothly, though his tone held a hint of annoyance. “I did not realize we were going to have company on our ride.”

Martin forced a smile. “We thought it would be a lovely day for a ride and decided to join you. The more, the merrier, right?”

Luke looked pleased to see them, his usual warm smile spreading across his face. “Of course! It will be great to have everyone along. Let us get going, shall we? Mary, I am so grateful that you are here too. I think you will love the cliffs.”

Edwin’s smile was tight, but he nodded in agreement. “Yes, alright. Let us go.”

As they rode towards the cliffs, Martin kept a close eye on Edwin. He noticed the subtle tension in Edwin’s posture, the way his eyes flicked towards Luke with a calculating gaze. Martin’s resolve hardened. He would not let Edwin out of his sight no matter what happened. This horse ride had only convinced him further that his paranoia was right.

The path to the cliffs was steep and narrow, with sharp turns and loose gravel. Martin rode next to Luke, engaging him in light conversation to keep the mood relaxed. Susanna and Mary rode behind them, keeping a watchful eye as well.

As they neared the top of the cliffs, Martin’s anxiety grew. The cliffs were a dangerous place, with steep drops and treacherous footing. He needed to be ready for anything.

They soon reached the top, and the view was breathtaking. The ocean stretched out before them, waves crashing against the rocks far below. Edwin dismounted first, followed by Luke and the others.

“It is beautiful here,” Edwin said, his voice carrying a hint of something sharp and unpleasant. “Perfect place for some quiet reflection.”

Martin’s heart pounded in his chest. He needed to stay close to Luke. “Indeed. I have always thought that this was a lovely spot.”

“It makes me very excited that I will be getting married soon,” Luke declared as he reached out his hand to Mary. As she laced her fingers through his, Martin could not help but watch Edwin’s face fall. It was very obvious that things had fallen apart for him. Whatever his plan was, they had ruined it… thank goodness. “I do hope the weather stays as beautiful for our special day.”

“I think our mothers will ensure that we have the perfect weather for our wedding vows.” Mary laughed, seemingly completely unaware of the danger that she was standing in the way of. “They want the day to be perfect for all of us. I cannot wait for it.”

As Edwin took a step back from the couple, looking like a man who could not stand to be in the orbit of their love, Martin allowed his eyes to wander a little. He found himself staring at Susanna, who looked utterly stunning with the wind blowing through her beautiful hair. Martin’s heart pounded as heat surged through his body. He had never felt this way when he looked at a woman before. There was something powerful and intense about just being around her.

What am I going to do?

Every fiber of his being desperately wanted to reach out and wrap her up in his arms. He could not help himself, he wanted to stake his claim on her so no one else could ever touch her again.

Martin craved her, wanted her, needed her so badly that it was almost painful.

It killed him that he was not free to hold her hand in the same way that Luke was with Mary.

“Well, I suppose we have done all that we came here to do,” Edwin declared as he threw his hands in the air in frustration. “Should we perhaps make our way back home?”

Martin furrowed his brow in confusion. Had Edwin simply given up on the pretense that this was a trip to reminisce? He looked like he was becoming increasingly desperate, which of course was troubling. The more desperate a man was, the more dangerous and erratic he could become.

“Are you not enjoying the view?” Mary chuckled, completely unaware of Edwin’s inner turmoil. “This truly is one of the loveliest places that I have ever been. I do not know if I will ever want to leave here. With the sun high up in the sky like it is, it is stunning.”

No one else spotted Edwin rolling his eyes, but Martin saw it. “Yes, but we have a lot to do, do we not?” he snapped back. “I cannot believe you are here neglecting the wedding planning. Do you not think that people might be looking for you?”

Susanna stared at Edwin with disgust. At least she was not impressed with his behavior, it meant that Martin was not imagining things that were not there. Unfortunately, they seemed to be the only ones to pick up on his attitude. Mary and Luke were too lost in one another, as usual. It was almost as if the rest of the world had simply vanished into nothingness because they could not take their eyes off one another.

Susanna stepped forward, her voice calm yet firm. “Edwin, the wedding planning is well under control. A little time to enjoy the view won’t hurt anyone. Let us not spoil a beautiful morning with unnecessary worries.”

Martin appreciated her quick thinking, but he could see the frustration bubbling beneath Edwin’s facade. They had foiled his plan, whatever it had been, and he was clearly not happy about it.

“Well, if everyone insists,” Edwin said, his tone barely masking his irritation. “But let us not linger too long. We do have responsibilities to attend to.”

Mary, still oblivious to the tension, squeezed Luke’s hand and smiled. “Just a few more moments. It’s not every day we get to enjoy such a view.”

“Yes,” Luke agreed. “And I thought you wanted to relive our childhood up here. Do you not recall how we used to spend all hours of the day fooling around up here?”

Luke’s words seemed to cut through Edwin’s irritation, if only for a moment. He smiled, a genuine if fleeting smile, and nodded. “Of course, Luke. How could I forget those days?”

Luke’s face lit up with nostalgia. “Remember the time we tried to build that makeshift raft and sail it down the river? We were so convinced it would work, and we ended up soaked and shivering all the way home.”

Edwin chuckled, surprising Martin, especially as the sound was unexpectedly warm. “Yes, and we blamed it on a sudden storm so we would not get in trouble.”

Mary laughed, her eyes sparkling. “I cannot believe you two managed to get away with so much. It is a wonder you did not get into more trouble.”

Luke continued, his voice animated with the joy of reminiscing. “And the time we decided to camp out in the old barn? We scared ourselves silly with ghost stories and ended up running back to the house in the middle of the night.”

Edwin’s smile faltered slightly, but he forced it back into place. “We were always getting into some kind of mischief. Thank goodness we did not cause more damage.”

As Luke and Edwin continued to exchange stories, Martin watched Edwin closely. The mask of irritation had slipped, replaced by a flicker of something more genuine—regret, perhaps, or longing. It was hard to tell, but it gave Martin a sliver of hope. Maybe, just maybe, Edwin was not entirely lost to whatever dark plans he harbored.

Was it possible?

Could they get through to Edwin and change his mind before anything crazy happened?

He may have harmed his best friend, but this was family. Luke was someone that Edwin had grown up with. Someone who he had always been close to. Someone who had basically been a brother to him.

Surely, his heart would not allow him to do something truly heinous.

“What do you think?” he muttered to Susanna as soon as he was close enough to her.

But her hardened expression shocked him. “I do not buy it. Any of it. I have seen how manipulative Edwin can be. I saw what he did to my sister in her grief. This is all just an act.”

Oh!

Maybe she was right.

Perhaps Martin had allowed himself to be fooled. He shook that off and stood up a little straighter, determined not to be tricked again.

“Maybe we really should make our way back now,” Edwin declared in a sickly-sweet voice that was not going to fool Martin again. “Because we do not want anyone to worry about us.”

“I suppose you are right,” Luke eventually agreed as he tugged Mary a little closer to him. “We do not wish to be away from the house for too long. Our mothers will start looking for us, and who knows how they will react when they cannot find us. I dread to think.”

Mary giggled, her cheeks shining pink with joy. “The closer we get to the big day, the more we are going to be needed, I suppose. But we must come back here at some point. I truly do adore this view. I would love to perhaps come and spend some time here once we have said our vows.”

Edwin had turned a funny shade of green. He looked like he might throw up at any given moment, so Martin stepped in to hurry things along. The quicker they got away from Edwin, the safer they would be.

“Well, let us get going then,” he declared with a bright smile. “So we can fulfill the duties that await us.”

Edwin was bringing a storm cloud back with him, he truly did not seem impressed at all. It was obvious that his mission had been thwarted, at which Martin was truly relieved. All of his plans were going to be thwarted because Martin was not going to let Edwin out of his sight. Not even for a second.

Well, not while he was around Luke anyway.