by Lucy Adams
His voice dropped low and a shiver ran through Eliza at the darkness held in those words. She allowed her gaze to move towards Lord Montrose, who was looking at Avondale with scorn in his gaze. His arms were folded tightly across his chest and he was standing stiffly, his eyes narrowed and lips tugged into a thin, angry line.
Whatever had he done?
“I have no intention of allowing you to become between myself and my betrothed,” Lord Montrose said, angrily. “I have always suspected that you sought Eliza’s hand, given just how longingly you have looked at her, but she is not to be yours, Avondale. She is already pledged to me.”
Eliza opened her mouth to say that she was not going to marry Lord Montrose regardless, but Titania, who was now sitting back down in the corner of the room, gave her a sharp shake of the head and Eliza lapsed back into silence.
It was time to let Avondale speak.
“Lady Eliza is a wise young lady,” the duke replied, softly, throwing her a quick glance. “I am quite certain that, once I have laid bare the truth, she will see you for the scoundrel you really are.”
Lord Montrose sniffed haughtily. “I hardly think you can say anything that would – ”
“Rebecca Childers, daughter of Lord Northgate.”
Eliza’s eyes widened as she saw Lord Montrose’s eyes widen, the scornful look disappearing from his expression. His arms began to unfold themselves from across his chest and he took a small step backwards as though he was finding it difficult to support himself.
“I have seen the letters, Montrose.”
Avondale was beginning to advance upon Lord Montrose, pulling out a piece of parchment from his pocket and holding it up towards him. “I have read what you wrote to her and, indeed, what she wrote to you.” He shook his head, his eyes fixed on Lord Montrose, and Eliza felt herself grow weak with shock. “She begged you for your help, given that you were responsible for her condition and you turned away from her. You left her with no one.”
Eliza pressed one hand to her heart, not fully understanding what was being said but yet able to see that Lord Montrose was guilty of something so terrible that it changed her perception of him entirely.
“Do you deny it?” Avondale continued, his voice still soft and yet filled with anger. “Do you stand here today and deny that you are not the gentleman who treated my cousin so?”
Eliza closed her eyes. Cousin?
“I have nothing to say to you, Avondale!” Lord Montrose’s voice was thin and reedy, as though he were attempting to sound indignant but was failing entirely. “Remove yourself from my presence.”
Eliza jerked her head towards Lord Montrose, a sudden ire burning in her core. “You have no right to tell anyone to remove themselves from this house, Lord Montrose,” she stated, glad that her own voice was not weak despite the shock of what she had heard. “We are not wed yet, nor do you own this house.”
Lord Montrose’s expression grew ugly as he turned towards her, his eyes narrowing to thin, dark slits that sent a shiver through Eliza as she looked back at him steadily.
“Do not dare think that I shall allow such an insult to stand, Lady Eliza,” he retorted, his breath hissing out from him. “His Grace holds up one letter as though it is proof that I was the one responsible for his cousin’s misdemeanors, but that is no evidence at all.”
Avondale shook his head although his expression remained dark. “Do you truly think I have only brought one letter with me, Montrose?” he asked, turning around and beginning to walk back towards the door. “I have brought the one that bears your name, yes, but the rest of them – each and every letter you once wrote to Rebecca – I also have with me.” He walked to the drawing room door, opening it wide. “I have no qualms in bringing those letters to this room so that Eliza might peruse them all. I have no doubt that, in reading them, she will soon identify you as the culprit, Lord Montrose.” Blue eyes turned back towards hers and Eliza held his gaze for a long moment, her hands clasped in front of her. She knew that Avondale did not know yet that she had already made up her mind not to marry Lord Montrose. She could not do so, not when she was so much in love with Avondale. This proof, this evidence that Lord Montrose was nothing but a scoundrel was not required in order to help her set Lord Montrose aside. She had already made up her mind.
“If you will wait a moment.”
Before she could say anything, Avondale had quit the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway. She did not know where he was going but one look towards Lord Montrose told her that the gentleman was deeply concerned and angry that Avondale might, as he had said, return with the proof of his treatment towards this young lady, Rebecca.
“This has gone far enough,” Lord Montrose said, angrily, suddenly breaking out of his firm stance to stride towards the door, going after Avondale. “I shall not allow that fellow to return to this room, Eliza. It is quite ridiculous.”
Eliza’s brows rose and she planted both hands on her hips, glaring at Lord Montrose as he walked past her. “You have no need to do so,” she said, loudly, “for, as I have said, you do not own this house and, as yet, we are not husband and wife. You have no right to dictate whom I am allowed to meet within this house, Lord Montrose.”
Much to her shock, Lord Montrose ignored her entirely. He continued on his way, his hands tightening into fists as he made his way past her, his face slowly turning a deep, angry red.
“Eliza!”
Titania was on her feet just as Lord Montrose quit the room, leaving Eliza staring after him.
“Eliza, you must go after him!”
Eliza jerked suddenly as Titania grasped her arm, having hurried over from across the room.
“You cannot allow Lord Montrose to force an end to this discussion,” Titania said, urgently. “You have not yet informed him that your engagement is at an end and, should you not do so soon, I fear that Lord Montrose will find some way to ensure that you remain his.”
Eliza blinked, her heart suddenly slamming into her chest painfully.
“There was a reason for the duke’s treatment of you, Eliza,” Titania continued, physically tugging Eliza towards the drawing room door. “Can you not see it? Can you not understand?”
Slowly, Eliza began to walk towards the door of her own accord, understanding slowly beginning to creep into her heart as though it were an unwelcome guest.
“His Grace married his cousin, Eliza,” Titania said, urgently. “There was to be nothing said of her pregnancy, nothing said of what had gone before.”
“Rebecca,” Eliza whispered, forced to lean against the doorframe for a moment as a bout of weakness took hold of her. “The duke married his cousin, Rebecca.”
Titania smiled and let go of her arm. “Yes,” she said, softly, a small smile etching itself across her face. “Yes, that is it entirely.”
Eliza shook her head, dismayed. “And Lord Montrose…..”
“Is the man responsible,” Titania finished. “That is, I believe, what the duke is trying to say. You must go to him now, Eliza. Show Lord Montrose where your loyalty lies. Bring this to an end.”
Eliza nodded and made to thank her sister, only for a furious shout to echo all through the house. She gasped and pushed away from the door, hearing the yelp of pain that came soon after it. Titania hurried after her as the shouts of rage and anger continued to grow in number, sometimes mixed with a cry of pain.
“Eliza?”
Lady Whitehaven appeared out of nowhere, her face a little pale as she hurried to Eliza’s side. “Whatever is going on?”
“The duke is here, Mama,” Titania said, hurriedly. “He came to speak to Lord Montrose. Who is –”
“Determined to silence His Grace, it seems,” Eliza breathed, coming to a sudden stop as the sight of Lord Montrose brandishing his cane at Avondale came into view.
“Good gracious,” Lady Whitehaven breathed, one hand fluttering towards her mouth. “Whatever is going on?”
Titania’s expression was grim. “The
truth has made itself known, Mama,” she said, firmly, grasping Eliza’s hand and encouraging her towards the two gentlemen. “And it is time that Lord Montrose knows that he is no longer welcome in this house. Is that not so, Eliza?”
At her sister’s sharp look, Eliza found a new sense of strength enter her frame. She nodded firmly, lifting her chin as determination began to burn in her soul. She was finally going to be able to hear the truth from Avondale and, in doing so, send Lord Montrose from her life for good.
Chapter Thirteen
“Avondale!”
Jeremy turned to see Lord Montrose hurrying after him, his steps determined and a dark gleam in his eye. Jeremy allowed a sneer to tug at his lips, turning around from where he had been headed to face the gentleman.
“Yes, Lord Montrose?” he asked, knowing that the rest of his precious evidence – the letters between Lord Montrose and Rebecca – were still safely in the hands of one of his loyal footmen waiting in the carriage outside. “Is there something that you wish to say to me?”
Lord Montrose’s expression grew ugly, his face wreathed with anger and frustration.
“Why did you come?” he asked, stopping only a few steps away from Jeremy. “Why must you bring the past back to my door?”
Jeremy lifted his chin, not at all intimidated by Lord Montrose’s fury. “I have been determined to discover who left my cousin in such a dreadful circumstance,” he replied, softly, recalling just how pale and sad Rebecca had been on the day he had married her. “I confess that in my own grief and pain, I had lost some of the determination and anger I felt, but when I had the chance to go through her things, I found my determination and anger return to me. You cannot imagine what I felt when I saw your name written so clearly.” He took a step towards Lord Montrose, his hands tightening into fists as he battled to keep his temper. “There is nothing I can do for Rebecca now, but one thing I can do is ensure that Eliza knows precisely the sort of gentleman you are. I will do all I can to save her from such an unfortunate marriage, Lord Montrose, for I am quite certain that you yourself have not been honest with her.” His eyes held onto Lord Montrose, refusing to look away or show even a flicker of weakness. "Lady Barclay has, I assume, already agreed to be your mistress?”
Lord Montrose’s hand shot out but Jeremy dodged it easily. He took a step away again, shaking his head as he saw the look of sheer anger burning in Lord Montrose’s expression. “She has, then.”
“This has nothing to do you with you, Avondale,” Lord Montrose replied, darkly. “Lady Eliza is mine. She has already agreed to be mine. I shall do as I please and neither she nor you shall have any bearing on my behavior.”
“And Rebecca?” Jeremy asked, softly, letting his words fill the air between them. “What of her? And what you did to her?”
Lord Montrose let out a mocking laugh that sent Jeremy’s skin crawling with disgust at the gentleman’s behavior.
“What of her?” Lord Montrose laughed, his expression growing malevolent. “She is dead, is she not?” Seeing Jeremy flinch, he laughed again. “Gone from this earth, she and that child with her. I have nothing to say on the matter, given that there is no one to seek out recompense for her.” He shrugged, his lips pulled into a wide, scornful grin. “She was pretty, yes, and remarkably amiable,” he continued, his voice dropping low and sending waves of fury through Jeremy. “But I cannot claim to be the only one who sought out her company.” One eyebrow arched slowly and Jeremy forced his hands behind his back, so that he would not allow his anger to force him to act unwisely.
“My cousin has written only of you,” he stated, harshly. “She wrote to you over and over, Lord Montrose. First, there came words of love, of gratitude and of hope. And then, by the end, she was in such despair, that I can barely bring myself to read what was written.” He shook his head, his eyes cold as he saw the grin fade from Lord Montrose’s face. “You told her not to seek you out, begged her to keep what was between you a secret. Excuses and lies were piled upon her shoulders and, as innocent and as quiet as she was, she accepted everything in the belief that you truly cared for her.”
“But I did not!”
Lord Montrose’s words ripped from his mouth and struck Jeremy hard, forcing him to suck in air. His eyes widened as he saw Lord Montrose’s hard stance, took in his fury and allowed what had been said to settle over them both.
“You admit it, then,” he breathed, after a few moments. “You admit to me now that you were the one who forced Rebecca to return, ashamed and broken, to her father. You got her with child and then turned away from her, having taken your pleasure, having taken exactly what you wanted from her without consideration.” His jaw worked as he continued to battle against his flaring temper. “And you stand there and call yourself a gentleman?”
Lord Montrose turned away for a moment, his face paling slightly. Jeremy closed his eyes and sucked in air, taking long, slow breaths that helped cool the furious fire that was raging within him. Lord Montrose had, finally, admitted that he had been the one who had written to Rebecca and, in doing so, had taken the guilt and flung it across his own shoulders. There was no question of his innocence now, no excuse that he could make that would remove it from him.
“I cared nothing for Miss Childers,” Lord Montrose hissed, using Rebecca’s formal title. “She was a thin, quiet little thing who seemed to beg for any attentions I might give her.” A dark smile lit up his eyes. “And I was only happy to oblige.” Slowly, Lord Montrose began to move around Jeremy, who turned also, keeping Lord Montrose in view at all times. He did not know what the gentleman intended to do, but he was not about to risk turning his back on the fellow.
“So you decided to make her your own,” Jeremy said, coldly. “You wanted to take your pleasure and so, therefore, you did so.”
“It took some time,” Lord Montrose replied, shrugging, “but such things always do. And the reward at the very end was more than enough to make up for the time and effort I had to make in order to gain her trust and her affections.” He shrugged, still moving around Jeremy. “But none of this matters, Avondale. I shall deny everything to anyone who asks. I shall state that the letters you have presented are entirely false, written by your own hand in order to attempt to steal my bride from me.”
Jeremy’s stomach knotted painfully but he did not allow himself to show it. “Lady Eliza will not be yours, Lord Montrose,” he said, secure in the knowledge that she would not allow herself to be tied to such a gentleman. He was quite certain that she would look over the letters that he had found and, coupled with Jeremy’s own explanation of what had occurred with Rebecca, would turn from Lord Montrose completely. “She is wiser than you think.”
Lord Montrose scowled and, to Jeremy’s horror, reached out and pulled a walking cane from where they were stored, just behind the front door.
“What is it you intend to do?” he asked, as Lord Montrose glared at him balefully. “Beat me until I am unable to rise? Try and pull the truth from my lips so that it will not be spoken?”
Lord Montrose’s jaw worked hard, his eyes so dark that they appeared almost black. He raised the cane high and Jeremy felt himself tense. He could run, of course, but he would not do so. He could not allow himself to show cowardice in the face of such overwhelming anger and attempt to intimidate.
“You have ruined everything I have worked so hard to gain,” Lord Montrose hissed, his hand gripping the cane tightly. “You have brought it all to an end.” The cane was brought down hard, catching Jeremy on the shoulder as he attempted to dodge out of the way. “This is all your fault!”
Sweat trickled down Jeremy’s spine as he tried to avoid the cane, over and over again. Pain was screaming in his head as his shoulder, ribs and knee began to ache from Lord Montrose’s blows. He staggered as one caught him about the head, his vision blurring as he put his hands out in front of him, trying to find something to break his fall
“Stop!”
Eliza’s voice broke through the haze
of pain as Jeremy tried to remain standing, hearing her voice cry out again towards Lord Montrose. Blinking furiously, he felt something warm and wet begin to seep towards his eyes as he leaned heavily against the wall, his breathing ragged as he battled the pain.
“What can you be thinking of, Lord Montrose?”
Lady Whitehaven’s voice was high and sharp and Jeremy heard the clatter of the cane as it fell on the floor.
“You have no right to do –”
“Avondale has attempted to ruin my reputation,” Lord Montrose replied, his voice still filled with malice. “I had no choice but to call him out.”
“That is not calling him out,” Lady Whitehaven retorted, as Jeremy felt Eliza’s gentle hand on his arm. “That is a cold-hearted beating, Lord Montrose. You have injured His Grace terribly!” She shook her head as Jeremy pushed himself away from the wall, his chest heaving. “You are no longer welcome in this house.”
Eliza held onto Jeremy’s arm tightly, her support of him bringing a clarity to his mind and a strength to his limbs. Focusing his eyes on Lord Montrose, Jeremy took a small step forward.
“I shall ensure, Lord Montrose, that society knows of what you did to my dear cousin,” he said, softly. “It shall not be specific, no, for I do not wish to bring shame upon her father, sister and brother, but have no doubt that society will turn its back upon you.”
“And I shall ensure that the beau monde know precisely what it is you have done to the Duke of Avondale,” Titania added, her voice a little too bright for the occasion. “I shall be glad to see you gone from town, Lord Montrose. I have disliked you for some time.”
Lord Montrose snorted, as though he did not quite believe any of them. Then, he gestured towards Eliza, holding out one hand to her.
“Step away from the duke, Lady Eliza,” he said, firmly. “You are not to stand beside him for a moment longer.”
Eliza shook her head and then looked up at Jeremy, her gaze soft. “No, Lord Montrose,” she said, her gaze still fixed upon Jeremy’s. “No, I shall not.”
