She pivoted to run, but he lunged and caught her arm, holding her in place effortlessly.

“Let me go!” she screamed. “Help!”

He let out his breath in a sigh. “Great God, cease your shouting. No one in the house can hear you. No one is going to come. Now come along and sit down.”

He punctuated that last order by dragging her into the back of the room and hurtling her into a chair. She hit the seat with a thump and glared up at him. He smiled back and then threw his head back with a chuckle.

“God’s teeth, you three really do look like an exact replica of each other. Even more so up close. I suppose I was lucky I picked the right sister to woo.”

“You are talking about Anne,” she whispered. “An innocent woman you seduced in order to exact your awful plan.”

Maitland shrugged. “No one was seduced,” he said with a wrinkle of his brow, as though it was a distasteful suggestion that he would take advantage. “I must say your sister isn’t as predictable a lady as I thought, however.”

“One of her best qualities.” Thomasina held his gaze evenly. “Where is she?”

He shifted. “Due time, my lady, all in due time. Now you tell me, where is my damned treasure?”

There was a worry to the way he asked the question. A wildness to his expression that made Thomasina lean a little closer. It wasn’t madness. No, the man seemed in full control of his faculties. There wasn’t cruelty, though his tone was harsh. But there was desperation on every line of his handsome face. And that could be just as dangerous.

“We have what you seek,” she said, being careful in the words she spoke.

He jerked, that desperation multiplying. “Where? Tell me now and all this can be over.”

Her heart leapt, pounding so hard she feared he could hear it as he loomed over her.

“I-It’s in the house,” she said. “Which is filled with dozens of people. You’ll never get to it.”

He jerked away from her, clenching his fists at his sides. His defined jaw was tight with frustration as he paced away. “Damn it! That earl wasn’t worth the fucking trouble. I never should have trusted him. What the hell did we get ourselves into? Why the hell did we involve such a bastard in our dealings?”

She tensed. He was talking about Solomon when he said the earl, that was clear. But it seemed like he was talking about someone else, too. She didn’t understand it, but she had to remain calm, just as Jasper had said the previous night. Calm would help her in the face of this man’s lack of control.

“I can get it for you,” she said softly.

He pivoted to face her, eyes narrowed. “How?”

She swallowed hard. “Just let me go up and—”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Oh no, my lady. I may look young, but I was not born yesterday. You go up there and I’m certain the guard will greet me, not my treasure, when you return.” He paced for a moment, glancing at her with every turn. “I hate this. I hate it. It’s not who I am.”