“Foolishness? You walked down the street with your abigail after a little shopping. Something many women of the beau monde do. What was foolish about that? You have nothing to apologize for, Miss Storm. In this situation, you were a victim. We are all glad that we were able to intervene before those brutes had completed their mission.”
“I still fail to understand all that happened, or why.” She looked at him and tilted her head. “Can you enlighten me?”
“It would not be my place to do so, and I am not as fully informed as some are. Be content that you are safe and will return to London and soon home to your family.”
Josie set her toast down and sipped the hot chocolate before her. “How is your brother?”
“The doctor has advised that he not be moved. Michael will remain here with him while the rest of us escort you to London.”
Josie noticed the wrinkles in his forehead. He had not made eye contact with her as he had spoken. It seemed scripted. “There’s something you are not telling me.” Fear started to rise within her heart, causing it to skip beats.
Jared continued to eat his eggs and refused to look at her.
“Will he live?” Her voice came out almost as a whisper as terror gripped her throat and squeezed off her air supply.
Jared swallowed, and she watched his eyes moisten. He looked her in the eyes. “I pray so.”
Josie leaned back in her chair and sat down the cup she had held. She was hot all over, and she fought against encroaching darkness. She wouldn’t swoon!
“Lean your head forward, Miss Storm. It will pass.”
She did what he suggested, and slowly, the blood returned to her brain. She sat up and sighed.
27
The door opened, and a man entered the room that she had not met before.
“Good morning, Doctor Ipsen,” Jared spoke up, “may I introduce you to Miss Josephine Storm, the young woman we rescued yesterday.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Storm.” Dr. Ipsen sat down across from her and poured himself a cup of coffee.
“Have you been to visit Lord Remington this morning?” Josie asked.
The doctor glanced at Captain Allendale. She observed an unspoken communication pass between them. Why did these men persist in keeping information from her? The doctor cleared his throat as he looked to her. “I have been to see him. He was asleep.”
Josie gulped. She knew this was not a good sign. “May I see him before we depart for London?”
The doctor shrugged. “I do not see any harm. Sir Michael reports he was in and out of consciousness during the night. Last night, he spoke a few words. He was asking for Josie. Would that be you?”
Josie bit her lip and nodded.
“I am medicating him for the pain. He may not respond or know who you are. I insist the visit be short.”
Josie nodded and worked at finishing the food on her plate.
Theodore and Phillip entered the room to eat.
Josie went upstairs with the Doctor Ipsen and Captain Allendale to see Marcus.
Sir Tidley let them into the room, nodded to them, and left to break his own fast.
Josie’s gaze was riveted to the man in the bed. She moved over to him. A blanket covered him up to his shoulders. His arms rested, exposed, on top of the blanket, one bent across his torso and the other along his side. She spied the dark hairs at the top of his chest and the bruises along his skin. It seemed nothing was unscathed from what limited amount she observed. Her breath shuddered when she looked at his face all swollen and shaded in colors of red, blue, and purple. His appearance was worse than yesterday, although someone had washed the blood away. She wondered if he were able to open his eyes should he want to. They were swollen shut. His nose certainly had been broken. His hair fell onto his forehead. If she had not known it was Marcus, she would not have been able to identify him.
She sank into a chair next to the bed as Jared and the doctor moved away and spoke in low voices. Marcus’s only movement was the gentle rise and fall of his chest. She reached out to touch the hand closest to her and held it tenderly in her own, observing the bruised, cut, and swollen knuckles.
“Good morning, Marcus. It’s Josie,” she whispered. She wanted what she had to say to be for his ears alone. She hoped he heard her or that at least somewhere deep inside his heart he would know she was there. And perhaps be glad? He had called for her during the night. That alone gave her hope. She leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “Marcus, you are strong, brave, faithful, and true. I was wrong to have ever doubted you. Please forgive me, Marcus. I love you and cannot imagine living my life without you in it.” She lifted her head to watch his face and see if he would give any indication of having heard her, but there was nothing. She lifted his limp hand and turned it over. She placed a soft kiss in the palm and closed his fingers around it. She said a prayer for his recovery and left the room.
Jared found her waiting in the hallway with her back up against the wall, hugging herself.
“We must depart.”
She shook her head as she leaned back.
“It would be improper for you to stay, Miss Storm.”
“Did you think I did not realize that?” The words came out sharp, and she placed a hand over her mouth.
Captain Allendale smiled at her. “I’m glad you have not lost your fire, Josie.” He put forward his good arm, she placed her hand on it, and together they went down the stairs and out to the carriage that awaited in the yard. Soon they were on their way to London.
Lord Harrow drove. Lord Westcombe rode alongside with the other horses tied to the back of the carriage. The Remington well-sprung carriage offered relative comfort even at faster speeds. Captain Allendale had refused some of the medication that the doctor had offered him for pain, and as a result, his suffering was etched on his face and seen in his tightened jaw. At their first possible change of horses, he purchased a bottle of brandy and spent the rest of the journey to London nursing his suffering with that.
Josie watched Captain Allendale as he numbed his pain, and drifted in and out of slumber. Josie could not get her mind to rest. Would Marcus recover? If what she saw was not even the worst of it, he had a long road ahead. Society forbade her correspondence with a man who was not her husband or relative. There was no way to communicate her changed affections. She grieved and was grateful her companion was oblivious to her inner turmoil.
At the stops along the way, Lord Harrow and Lord Westcombe devoted themselves to her every need. They had not come through the fighting unscathed and looked worse for wear, with bruises and cuts and their clothing ripped and stained. Their spirits remained cheerful and ever focused on caring for her. Jared primarily slept and mumbled. Her heart ached for his pain and for the concern he must have for his brother, which was evidenced in some of his rambling. He never blamed her. No one did.
Except herself.
Somehow, this was all her fault. What more should she have done? She had not been aware of who had orchestrated the attack or what their intention was. All she could think of was that if somehow she had not rebuffed Marcus weeks before, none of this would have happened. And yet, she wasn’t sure how true that was either. Four men were injured rescuing her, and a fifth one might die from his injuries.
She sighed deeply as they entered the outskirts of London. The further she was from Marcus the lower her spirits sank. What would life be like now? There was no medication for her pain, although she had been tempted to borrow a little of Captain Allendale’s brandy to at least numb it for a while.
They reached London late in the evening and found the Grey house fully lit.
Captain Allendale insisted on accompanying her inside and spoke with Lady Grey and her father. Josie was greeted with hugs and tears. They ordered a tea tray, and a meal of cold cuts was placed before her. She tried to eat, but she only wanted the solace of her bed. She forbore her interrogation well. Even her grandfather, Lord Chester, had been there.
Captain Allen
dale politely refused to stay but requested that Mr. Storm and Lord Chester call upon him in the morning for more details. He planned to follow doctor’s orders and go home to rest. He bid Josie a weary farewell and departed with his friends who had awaited him outside.
Later in her room, Josie said goodnight to Molly, who was uninjured after her attack. Josie settled into a chair by the fireplace, held a glass of brandy, and watched the light from the fireplace dance and reflect in the glass and against the dark amber of the liquor. Trial by fire. Is that what this all was? Another test of her love and devotion to God? But what about Marcus? Was he only fulfilling a duty to her grandfather, whom she had discovered had asked for his help? Or had he done it because he cared? Would she ever know? Questions. So many questions and no answers. She sipped her drink, knelt by her chair, and prayed for Marcus and for God’s leading if it was ever really His plan for them to be together.
Please, God? May I have him? Will You bring him back to me somehow? There was no answer. Her prayers seemed to hit the ceiling and bounce back down to crash at her feet. But God had answered her prayers for rescue when she had been kidnapped, at just the right time. If God could do that, surely He would bring her and Marcus back together if it was His will. If not, she would hopefully find another man to love. The thought was a hard one to accept. Tired and defeated, she crawled under the blankets and slept.
She awoke late. Josie came downstairs and broke her fast.
Her grandfather summoned her to join him in the study.
Josie entered the room cautiously and found that not only was the Earl of Chester present, but also her father and Lady Grey.
“Come in, Josie, and be seated. We need to discuss what happened.” The Earl escorted her to a chair. The day was cool, the fireplace was lit and kept the damp at bay.
Josie waited as the Earl occupied the chair next to her.
“Now, my dear, we realize that the events of the past two days have been upsetting. We discovered who initiated the kidnapping.” The Earl’s voice was soft and low. His eyes shuttered, and his shoulders were more stooped than she remembered. He looked older than when she had seen him last night. When he glanced up to look at her, she observed deep sorrow there. “Who was it, Grandfather?”
He swallowed. “My son-in-law, Lord Widmore, was behind the original carriage accident, although you were not his intended victim. He’s been arrested this morning for kidnapping, attempted murder, and for his unpaid debts. He is at the Tower pending trial. Lady Widmore and Lady Heticia will join me at my estate. Our family bears great shame and that this recent attack was against you, one of our own, puts a cloak of scandal over all of us.”
Josie put her hand over her mouth. Her uncle, whom she had never met, had tried to have her kidnapped. “Why would he do this? What have I ever done to him? I’ve never even met the man.”
Josie’s father spoke up. “You have done nothing to deserve this treatment, my dear. Lord Widmore was a poor steward of his estate and gambled himself into the ground. He wanted to stop his wife and daughter from their trip to London. He thought he would benefit from a trust in their name. He would not have. His recent attack against you was because he discovered the dowry that your Grandfather established. He mistakenly believed that money should be his and if he eliminated you, he could somehow get his father-in-law to bail him out of his troubles.”
Lady Grey, who sat next to her, spoke up and patted Josie’s knee. “All to say, my dear, is that you are blameless and a victim of despicable evil that will now be rectified.”
Her shoulders slumped. All of this because of greed? Now Marcus lay injured in a little Inn far from town because of it all. “What about Lord Remington?”
“What about him?” Lord Chester asked. “You spurned him, did you not?”
Josie swallowed hard, nodded, and looked down at her hands as they clasped at the skirt of her dress. “I was mistaken in my opinion of him. He is now wounded and far from home or people who love him. What if...?”
“My dear, Josie, the Lord is in charge of all the ‘what ifs.’ You need to trust my nephew to His care. I am worried about him too and will travel tomorrow to assist in nursing him back to health. He is a strong young man. I am certain he will rally.” Lady Grey’s voice held no censure, only gentle comfort in her soft tones.
“You will let me know how he fares?” Josie could not help the tears in her eyes as she glanced at Lady Dorothea.
“I will correspond with you.” Lady Grey gave Josie a warm smile.
“This is so much to take in,” Josie said.
“That it is, my dear,” her father responded. “We will leave town early tomorrow morning. I want you to rest and recover from your adventures, but given the speculation there may be about the events surrounding Lord Widmore, it seems advisable for us to be absent from town. Perhaps there will be another season for you next year if you wish it.”
Josie nodded and stood.
Lord Chester and her father also rose.
“Thank you, Grandfather, for all you have done.” She came to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I pray you have a safe journey home.” He nodded to her. She turned to her father, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek as well. “I will do as you say and prepare to leave in the morning and rest. It will be good to be home.” Josie walked to the door.
“I will come up for tea with you,” Lady Grey said, giving Josie a warm smile.
“Thank you.” Josie climbed the stairs to her room and proceeded to pack.
~*~
Marcus struggled against the images before him, of that giant of a man grabbing and manhandling Josie. He dreamt of fighting and gazing upon her horror-stricken face. He must have looked ghastly for her to view him that way. Pain invaded every breath he took and any movement he made. Even the blankets over him seemed oppressive and painful to the various wounds on his body, but the colder air from the room was even more so.
A concussion, some broken ribs, a damaged knee, and bruises everywhere seemed to be the major extent of his injuries. The doctor was certain that there had been no other internal injuries from his knife wound to be concerned about, since his fever left.
“You are awake again.” Michael had been a steadfast companion, and Lady Grey arrived yesterday to help provide care for him until it was safe for him to be moved. “Bad dreams?”
“Bad reality, more like.” Marcus gritted his teeth against the pain as Michael tried to lift him to give him something to drink. Bitter medicine he wanted nothing more than to spit out. But he didn’t. “Water, please.” The water followed but failed to wash out the bitter taste on his tongue. Michael helped him back down to his pillow, but everything hurt.
“Josie is safe?”
Michael nodded. “You have asked that question every time you have awakened. She is safe and probably at home with her father now.”
“I had hoped…” Marcus sighed.
“Hoped for what? She could not stay here.” Michael leaned back with a smile on his face as he crossed his arms.
Marcus frowned. “What do you know that you are not telling me?”
Michael chuckled. “Only what I have told you every time you have asked. Miss Storm was here to visit you before she left.”
“What a wonderful image of a hero I turned out to be.” Marcus groaned.
“She was grateful for our assistance and seemed genuinely concerned for your welfare.” Michael offered.
“She had pity on me?”
“I think her feelings went beyond that.”
“It’s hopeless, and you do not want to tell me. I know it is. She rejected me, and while she may be grateful for our efforts on her behalf, it did not erase my alleged sins.” Marcus closed his eyes, the light in the room suddenly being too bright as the sun shone from behind a cloud and streamed in the window.
“I would not say that, Marcus. Miss Storm is an exceptional young woman, and I would guess her feelings towards you have changed.”
“Lot of goo
d that does me when I am stuck here in a bed and she is days away at home. It is not like I can call on her and ask how she fares.”
“Courtship might be difficult at present, I agree. But if Miss Storm is all you believe her to be, she will be worth the wait.”
“She came to London to find a husband. Why would she wait for this?” Marcus motioned to his face with his bandaged hand.
“Women have done stranger things when in love.”
Marcus chuckled, instantly regretting the pain it caused. “This, coming from an expert?”
“You wound me.” Michael placed a hand over his heart and feigned shock.
“Then expound upon your wealth of knowledge.” Marcus smiled weakly.
“Perhaps your aunt will be a better person to ask. It seems to me that you and Josie were somehow meant to be together.”
“I pray that it would be so.”
“Well, you have crossed the first hurdle towards that end.”
“Which would be?” Marcus asked.
“You survived.”
Marcus nodded and fell back to sleep.
28
December
Josie resumed her routine back at home. She painted watercolors, played her music, and supervised the running of the Storm household.
Her brother Matthew remained at university, and the governess, Miss Perry, had Charles and Georgette well in hand.
In spite of all she had to keep her busy, she was restless and often irritated. She had a few letters from Lady Grey, enough to know that Lord Remington had recovered and returned to Rose Hill and that Captain Allendale would return to his regiment after the holidays. Of Lord Remington’s heart toward her, however, she had no inkling, and this rankled her. Lady Dorothea had returned to her own estate, so her ability to provide any insight into Lord Remington was lost to her.
It was now early December, and Josie had begun to make a list of all that needed to be done for the upcoming holidays. She was so wrapped up in her notes, she was surprised when Molly came to inform her of a visitor awaiting her in the parlour.
The Virtuous Viscount Page 24
