Chapter 232 - Two Hundred And Thirty Two
A cruel, knowing smirk twisted Eleanor’s lips as she heard her name, a ragged whisper from Suzy’s parched throat. The Duchess lay on the filthy floor, a stark contrast to Eleanor’s own immaculate, dark travelling gown. Eleanor bent down gracefully, bringing her face close to Suzy’s, her dark brown eyes glinting with a cold triumph.
"Are you surprised, Duchess?" she whispered mockingly, her breath cool against Suzy’s bruised cheek. "Did you truly think your happily ever after would last forever?" She paused, looked into Suzy’s weak eyes and continued " You all have to stop hiring staffs who are greedy. You know I only had to pay the château’s gardener triple the amount Ryan pays him and he led me to you."
Suzy could only stare, too dumbfounded, too horrified by this impossible reality to form any words. Her mind struggled to reconcile the image of Eleanor, a familiar, if often thorny, presence in high society, with this cold-eyed woman orchestrating her brutal abduction.
The squat, granite-faced boss of the smugglers, clearly impatient with this private moment, shuffled his feet. "My Lady," he interjected, his voice a low growl of respect mixed with greed, "about our arrangement... you are still keeping your word, yes? That I’ll keep the whole profit myself, after I... deliver her to the buyers?"
Eleanor’s smirk vanished, replaced by a flicker of irritation at the interruption. The constant repetition of the deal grated on her nerves; this man was a means to an end, nothing more. She straightened up, her gaze dismissive of the brute. "Must you be so crass?" she said coolly, before turning slightly and giving a subtle nod.
A guard, who had entered silently behind Eleanor and stood unobtrusively near the door – a sense of protection – stepped forward immediately. He carried a heavy leather sack that clinked with the unmistakable sound of gold.
Eleanor gestured towards the boss. "This," she announced, her voice clear and commanding, "is for the trouble of her... acquisition. Payment for your services in bringing her here." She paused, letting her gaze sweep over the listening men, their eyes now wide and fixed on the sack.
"When you sell her, and when she is safely aboard that ship and far away from these shores, you can keep whatever money is made from that transaction. I have no interest in it. Consider it a bonus for your efficiency."
A collective grin spread across the faces of the boss and his men. Their eyes gleamed with unrestrained greed. An offer like this, were they got paid handsomely for the initial job and then kept the entire, undoubtedly substantial, sale price of a merchandise? It wasn’t just a good day; it was a windfall beyond their wildest dreams.