Not Just Lovely Laura

by Jessica Spencer

  It broke Laura heart to see how Annie clutched the doll to her thin chest, afraid it would be snatched away from her. She clung to Bessie or to Laura and hid behind them if anyone spoke to her. She showed no surprise that her dear Miss Miller with the dark hair was now Lady Laura.

  The Duke of Wimberley was hateful. He was a fiend and she was an imbecile to have entertained feelings for him.

  ***

  Two days later, Laura decided to tell Gareth the truth and put an end to the charade. It wasn’t her conscience alone that was troubling her. Gareth had taken over the search as Anthony was still out of London. Policemen, detectives, and runners came to Daventon House and remained closeted with him in the library for hours. It was the out and out of everything. She couldn’t bear to see him on a fool’s errand. She would tell him everything. He would believe her. She was his sister. She would make him promise to keep Annie’s identity a secret. They would leave London and take Annie with them.

  “I must speak to you,” she said, facing him across the library table. “Anthony is not the person you think him to be.”

  “Laura! Not again!”

  “Please hear me out, Gareth. He kidnapped Annie. He wanted to kill her. Annie did not vanish. She was rescued!”

  “Do you know where she is?”

  Laura nodded.

  “Where? Please tell me, Laura! Anthony is going out of his mind. He blames himself for letting Annie stay on at the home. He should have entrusted her to his housekeeper instead of waiting to hire a nurse and make arrangements for the journey.”

  “Haven’t you been listening? Anthony is the one who kidnapped Annie!”

  Laura was so overwrought she did not hear the door open and the Duke of Wimberley come in.

  “I would call you out for that if you were a man!” Anthony said, his expression thunderous.

  Laura stood her ground and met Anthony’s furious look. Gareth stepped between them. “Anthony, there is some misunderstanding here. What is important is that Laura knows where Annie is.”

  Anthony looked incredulous, and then relieved. A load seemed to fall off him. He dropped into the nearest chair. “Is she safe?” he asked.

  “Laura, where is she?”

  “Gareth, I am sorry that you do not believe me. I can’t tell you where Annie is. I can’t put her into danger.”

  Her words and the contempt in her eyes had Anthony on his feet. “Do you dare to suggest that I am a threat to the child? I haven’t slept in forty hours. I’ve looked into every ditch, every barn! I have half the police department looking for her!”

  Without a word, Laura brushed past Gareth and turned towards the door. He grasped her wrist. “Wait. I think I know where Annie is. Mother told me you brought a girl home. That was four days ago. Annie disappeared from Baker Lane four days ago.”

  “You are mistaken. The girl is Bessie’s ...”

  “We’ll see,” Gareth said and rang the bell.

  If the footman was surprised to see his lordship imprisoning Laura’s wrist, he gave no indication of it. A few minutes later Bessie came in, leading Annie who clung to her and hid her face in her skirts.

  “Gareth, unhand me!” Laura hissed.

  Gareth wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Laura, trust me. If Anthony is a threat to Annie, I will not let Annie go,” he said, speaking softly so that only she could hear.

  “Annie,” Anthony said.

  Annie looked up.

  “Do you know me, Annie?” Anthony asked.

  Annie nodded. “You said you would take me with you.”

  “I went for you but you were not there. What happened, Annie?”

  Annie’s face clouded. Laura started towards her but Gareth kept her firmly at his side.

  “What happened, Annie?” Anthony asked.

  “A man told me you were waiting in the carriage. But you were not there. He took me to another man.”

  Anthony looked at Laura, his eyes like chips of stone. “Does this suffice or do you want Annie to recount her harrowing experience?”

  “I don’t understand,” Laura said, looking helplessly at Anthony and at her brother. “Sam told me he had heard it was you.”

  “You chose to believe this Sam,” Anthony said.

  “Wait! He led me to Annie. He helped me rescue her. Why would I disbelieve him?”

  “Why indeed.”

  “Anthony, like I said, it was a misunderstanding! Good that it is cleared up!” Gareth said, trying to sound hearty.

  The Duke of Wimberley ignored him. “Annie, shall we leave?” he asked.

  Annie looked at Laura. Laura immediately went to her. “What is it, dear?” she asked, kneeling down in front of her.

  “I want to stay with you,” Annie said.

  “Remember what I told you? Your family will love you.”

  “Will you come and see me?”

  “I will. Now go with Bessie. You must not keep his Grace waiting.”

  Annie obeyed and left the room with Bessie. Gareth mumbled something about being back in a minute and followed them out. It was most improper, especially as he shut the door behind him.

  Laura knew Gareth was trying to help but she wished she was anywhere else instead of alone in the library with Anthony. He was a cold faced stranger. She didn’t know how she could explain but she had to try. “Your Grace, I’m terribly sorry.”

  “I am not. I find your opinion about my character most enlightening.”

  “Your Grace, there were circumstances that led me to believe the most vile things.”

  “I am not interested to learn about them. Pardon me for putting it bluntly but I have no interest in your opinions or in you. Good day, Lady Laura. It has been a most enlightening morning.”

  ***

  “I don’t blame you,” Gareth told Laura. “It is my fault. I should have allowed Wimberley to speak to you. He wanted to tell you the facts. I told him to wait. I was afraid the scandal would taint you along with him.”

  Laura gave a strangled sob. She alone was to blame. Sam had only said that Stubbs kept mentioning a duke. She had jumped to the conclusion that Annie’s kidnapper was the Duke of Wimberley. Instead of coming to Gareth with her suspicious like any well-bred young woman, she had gone haring into Baker Lane. She had led her mother to believe that Annie was Bessie’s relative. There was no end to the list of her wrongs. It was no surprise that Anthony had found it unbearable to stay in the same room as her.

  Lady Catherine patted Laura’s hand. Lady Maria, who was sitting on her other side, gently squeezed her arm. Her family’s kindness made Laura feel more miserable.

  After Anthony abruptly left her presence, Gareth had come in with Lady Maria and her mother. She had told them the whole story, starting from the letter in Mrs. Forsyth’s office.

  She knew the truth now. Gareth had compared the letter to one of Anthony’s. It was a poor forgery. There was also Philip’s confession. The police had found him three days ago, holed up in a ramshackle place close to the docks. Stubbs was caught a day later. Both had confessed to kidnapping Annie. Stubbs was the mastermind. He had first tried to whisk her away by sending Philip with the forged letter. When that had failed, he had lured her out. His plan had been a simple one: to demand a ransom.

  But Philip had twisted it into something else. He wanted the ransom and also his cousin to be blamed for Annie’s death. That had led to arguments and delay. They had kept Annie drugged until they could come to an agreement. When Annie had disappeared, they had blamed each other and parted ways. With creditors looking for him everywhere, Philip had taken refuge at the docks.

  “Laura, shall we return home?” Lady Catherine asked, looking worried.

  Laura was sorely tempted. She knew Anthony meant to leave for Harrogate. But he might leave Annie with his mother and return. He had already taken his place in the House of Lords. If she went home, she might never see him again. It was likely Anthony would sever ties with Gareth.

  “Mother, I would rather we
stayed in London,” she said, and left the library.

  ***

  Laura tried to shut out Lady Goodall’s strident tone. She was in the Duchess of Severn’s drawing room. Three weeks had elapsed since Anthony had walked out on her, and left London.

  Three weeks was too short a time for the ton to lose interest in so juicy a scandal. Wherever Laura went, be it a ball or a select dinner party, she was constrained to listen to new stories about the Duke of Wimberley. At first, she had tried to point out that Lord Lancing was the culprit. He had confessed, after all.

  She could as well as tried to stop a river in spate.

  The ton was of the opinion that the Duke of Wimberley had demonstrated an utter lack of propriety. Instead of discreetly providing for his baseborn daughter, he had roped in Lord Lancing to make the child disappear. When matters went out of hand, he had implicated the hapless man. It was all gammon, of course. The story didn’t hold water. Lord Lancing had no motive. An illegitimate female offspring was no threat to him.

  “The late duke will be turning in his grave!” Lady Goodall said. “He was always sensible to what was due to the family name. To have his son plunge the family into such scandal!”

  “He makes the deplorable Lord Lancing appear a saint,” Lady Eversham said with a mournful shake of her head.

  “Wimberley tried to pull the wool over our eyes about Flighty Fanny. He pretended the relationship was above board. Lady Laura, you made a fortunate escape. I thought you were fixing your attention on him.”

  The Duchess of Severn harrumphed. “You were never good at seeing what was in front of you. Your niece was angling after the young man.”

  “Now Theresa, I will not have you speak ill of my dear Selena.”

  “And I will not have you speak ill of anyone. I've known Wimberley all his life. His mother is a dear friend.”

  “That is neither here nor there. The best of families may have a black sheep.”

  Lady Maria chose that moment to tell Laura to ring for a fresh pot of tea. When Laura stood up she said, “Laura dear, I forgot to tell Cook to bake an extra batch of scones. Would you mind going and speaking to her?”

  The ruse was not lost on Laura. Lady Maria was sending her out to spare her feelings. Her family was constantly shielding her. They knew the gossip pained her, and that she blamed herself. They wanted to leave London but she would not hear of it.

  ***

  The next morning, Gareth received a letter from Lord Nethercote. He immediately went in search of Laura. She was in the rose arbor, an unopened book at her side. With no one to observe her, she made no effort to hide her heartache. When she saw Gareth, she forced a smile. Gareth sat down beside her.

  “Here,” he said, handing her his pristine handkerchief.

  Laura dabbed at her eyes and wiped away her tears. Gareth put his arm around her. “Give it time, Laura.”

  “He hates me. I can’t forget the look in his eyes.”

  “He isn’t coming back to London. Nethercote writes that he has gone to White Willow from Harrogate.”

  Laura dabbed at her eyes again. The pesky tears wouldn’t stop!

  “Laura, you can’t go on like this. I know Anthony. He is not unreasonable. He will realize it was all a misunderstanding.”

  “Misunderstandings keep people apart. Our parents did not reconcile because Father misunderstood what he saw.”

  “Laura, I wish I could do something to ease your pain. I can’t help thinking that you will be better off at home.”

  Laura nodded. Now that Anthony was not coming to London, she could go home.

  “Sam will be happy,” she said, changing the topic.

  At least something good had resulted out of her meddling. Sam was now in Gareth’s employ, learning to look after horses. He was thrilled to be off the streets. He kept asking Gareth when they would go ‘home’.

  “Sam will be happy,” Gareth agreed, tucking her hand through his arm. “And so will you.”

  Chapter 33

  A week after they returned to Daventon House, Maria let them know she and Gareth were to become parents. Laura immediately vowed she would do nothing to distress her brother and sister-in-law. They loved her and would worry if they saw her looking unhappy.

  She became Maria’s constant companion. She accompanied her on walks and read to her or simply talked. Lady Catherine took over most of the duties of countess. She, however, joined her ‘girls’ whenever she could. Gareth grumbled that he was outnumbered. He prophesised that Maria would give birth to a daughter on purpose so that he would always remain under the thumb of managing females.

  And then Lady Russell came home from her travels. Much to her surprise and joy, she was also to become a mother. “I can’t believe it. It seems like a miracle,” she said, shedding tears and embracing Lady Catherine.

  Lord Russell looked more worried than happy. The physician had expressed concern. A first birth at the age of thirty-seven had to be handled with care. Lady Catherine immediately suggested it would be better if Lady Russell moved back to the manor. Lord Russell could ride over and visit every day. It was not a great distance. Lord Russell readily agreed.

  After Lady Russell came to stay, Laura found herself de trop. Her presence inhibited her mother, aunt, and sister-in-law from freely discussing childbirth and other matters not fit for her maidenly ears. Laura slipped back into her old routine. She visited the tenant families with her mother. Sometimes she went into the village with Bessie. And every afternoon, she rode her mare to the copse of trees that marked the end of their estate.

  The time spent in the saddle and in the seclusion of the clearing between the tall oaks belonged to her. She no longer shed tears as easily as before. By trying to look happy for Maria’s sake, she was saved from falling into the abyss of melancholy.

  “I will not be Father,” she spoke the words aloud.

  The rustling of leaves as the breeze passed through the ancient oaks murmured encouragement.

  Laura told herself that some things were not meant to be. She did not blame Anthony. He had been badly hurt. He would not forgive her. It was already three months. Had he a change of heart, he would have come to speak to her. She had to forget him. She was fortunate to have a family that loved her. She would not be her father. He had shut out his children and turned a blind eye on the needs of his sister. His lost love had blighted all their lives. She would not be selfish.

  Laura heard the unmistakable sound of a carriage. The copse was situated at a higher level and afforded a view of the long winding drive. She squinted against the sunlight. The traveling carriage had a crest but she could not make out to whom it belonged. It had to be someone calling on Gareth. It couldn’t be Anthony.

  To her surprise, the carriage stopped at the point directly opposite to the copse. A man got out and stood looking in her direction for a few seconds. He spoke to the driver. The carriage continued towards the manor. The man started up the slope leading to the copse. He was a dark shadow against the afternoon sun but Laura had no trouble knowing it was Anthony.

  Her first impulse was to run and hide. As Anthony came closer and walked into the shade, Laura felt the stirring of anger. A minute ago she had been finding excuses for him and blaming herself. Now she was furious. How dare he come to see her after months of silence? Was she an article to be picked up at will? He looked handsome and happy. He hadn’t suffered a whit!

  “Lady Laura.”

  Laura looked at him without a word. Ramrod straight, she could pass for a piece of statuary if it wasn’t for the light breeze ruffling her curls.

  “You are angry.”

  “Why have you come, your Grace?”

  “To speak to you, Laura.”

  “I do not recall giving you the use of my name.”

  “My apologies. I meant no disrespect. I have become accustomed to using it in my thoughts.”

  Gone was Laura’s control. Anthony always had that effect on her. She was reserved to the point of shyness wi
th others. But with Anthony, she never stopped to think. Now her anger boiled over like volcanic lava. “Of all the barefaced lies! What do you mean by that? You haven’t spared me one measly thought!”

  Anthony caught hold of Laura’s hands but she jerked free.

  “Why are you here? Did Gareth send for you?”

  “Did you think I would not come?” Anthony asked, smiling.

  Darn the man and his dimples! Laura made a valiant effort to hold on to her anger. “What else could I think? You had made it clear that you had no interest in me.”

  Anthony availed himself of her hands and led her to one of the rustic seats. “That was unpardonable of me. My abject apologies. I shall suit actions to words and go down on my knees. I only hope the grass stains will not cause my valet to have an apoplexy.”

  Laura’s lips quivered but she did not say anything until he started to kneel.

  “That will be enough, your Grace. I don’t see why your valet should be punished for your sins.”

  “What can be a greater punishment than to have you persist in calling me your Grace?”

  Laura smiled but tears came unbidden into her eyes. “It is I who was in the wrong. You must think me a ninny to mistake you for Annie’s kidnapper.”

  Anthony became serious. “How can I think that? You saved Annie’s life. Stubbs told the police Philip was bent upon killing her. He wanted to create false evidence that would implicate me.”

  “He almost succeeded. When I found her she was burning with fever and unconscious.”

  “She remembers being taken to the house and given something to drink. How did you find her?”

  Laura told him everything, starting with her work at the children’s home, befriending Annie, and her fortuitous meeting with Sam.

  “Sam was lucky Philip didn’t catch him spying. He has committed some terrible crimes. He may even have caused Edward’s death.”