CATHERINE (Pride & Prejudice continued.... Book 2)

by Sue Barr

  He had to find her and ascertain, for his own sanity, that she was safe. With that thought in mind, he cleaved through the crowd and exited the room, catching only a glimpse of a light-colored gown moving through the trees. He tore off after her, but by the time he reached the small copse of trees, she’d disappeared. He searched for a few more minutes before turning back and re-entering the drawing room. Not wanting to draw undue attention, he approached Miss Bennet and whispered in her ear. She nodded and excused herself to family and friends and made her way out of the room.

  Satisfied Miss Bennet would see to her sister, he turned his attention to Nathan and Caroline, congratulating them on their upcoming nuptials and Darcy and Elizabeth on the birth of the next Darcy heir. While pleasantly conversing, he caught the eye of Evangeline. With an almost imperceptible nod of his head, he indicated where she’d locate Stanhope.

  He relaxed his vigil only slightly, knowing Evangeline would keep an eye on the disgusting piece of humanity that was Stanhope while he was engaged with family matters. His enjoyment grew when Max joined them, Miss Georgiana Darcy on his arm and Mrs. Annesley not far behind. They’d taken a turn around the glass enclosure Darcy built last year to grow vegetables all year round.

  From the corner of his eye he noted a footman approach Evangeline and hand her a note. Her face paled slightly and from where he stood he saw her hand tremble. She looked up from the missive to him directly and mouthed ‘Library’. Knowing she wouldn’t ask him to leave such a public venue so soon after arriving, he knew what she’d received was important.

  He moved around the room, stopping for light chatter with various guest and finally exited through the main doors leading to the foyer. He pretended to ascend the stairs, but as soon as he reached the first landing, he sprinted down the corridor to the back staircase and from there circled around to the library. Evangeline stopped pacing as soon as he entered the room.

  “What news did you receive?”

  “Miss Catherine may be in grave danger.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  His heart stopped beating for three full seconds before thudding back to life.

  “How?”

  “Lady Harriet attempted to hide the documents we brought in your room before she fled the estate.”

  “What do you mean, attempted?”

  “She was interrupted by Stanhope’s valet before she reached your room. She had no choice but to hide and took refuge in Miss Catherine’s chamber and secreted the documents there.”

  “Catherine’s room?”

  “Catherine?” Evangeline’s eyebrow rose delicately at his familiar use of Miss Catherine’s first name. Too late he realized his mistake. Inconsequential now in light of what Evangeline just told him.

  “We have no time to parry. Did she say where she hid the documents?”

  “Yes, in the lower drawer of Miss Catherine’s desk.”

  “Did anyone see her enter or leave?”

  “Not that I am aware. George…” Evangeline laid her hand on his arm when he made to leave. “The papers contain the names and identities of British soldiers who are on the Continent. If they fall into the wrong hands, they are as good as dead.”

  George shook off her hand and paced to the other side of the room, pushing agitated fingers through his hair. He faced Evangeline, her face pale and taut with worry.

  “Why bring them to me? I am no longer involved in all of this subterfuge.”

  Her next words pierced his heart.

  “Cavendish is on that list. You are the only one I trust implicitly. I know you will get these documents to the proper sources.”

  “He is alive?”

  “It appears so.”

  “Thank God.” His legs could no longer hold his weight and he collapsed into the closest chair. His greatest regret was leaving Devon Cavendish, the Earl of Anstruther, in France three years ago.

  A few minutes later, after assuring Evangeline he would retrieve the documents, George slipped upstairs. Thankfully, no one spotted him in the servant’s stairwell, nor the hall leading to Catherine’s suite of rooms. He knocked softly and surprisingly received no answer. Maybe she hadn’t escaped to her room as he’d deduced earlier. After he gathered the documents and placed them in safety, he’d begin a thorough search for her whereabouts.

  Without making a sound, he slid into her room and immediately moved toward the desk. He first opened the drawer on the left, but it was empty and then the drawer on the right, also empty. Lady Harriet may have hidden the papers in the desk, but somebody had beaten him to it. He prayed it wasn’t the Viscount.

  The light tapping of heels, echoing down the hall alerted George to someone’s arrival. He closed the drawer and glanced around. As the bedroom door slowly opened, he stepped into the adjoining sitting room and pressed against the wall. There were times he cursed his large body, but he’d learned long ago that sometimes hiding in plain sight was the best recourse. With the door slightly ajar, no one would think anyone else was in the room. Once assured Catherine, or her maid could not see him, he’d leave through the door which led to the hall.

  There was a rustling of skirts and the sound of pacing. He risked a peek through the crack of the door and saw Catherine, her mouth pursed into a tight line, walking from her desk to the fireplace and back again. Was she the one who found the documents, and if so, where had she placed them?

  The door to her bedroom opened and he stiffened the same time she did. Whoever entered, their tread was heavy, purposeful.

  “Do you always enter a lady’s apartment without knocking?”

  “Where are the documents?”

  What was Stanhope doing in Catherine’s room? Was she involved with his treacherous deeds? Had he misjudged her completely?

  “I have no knowledge of what you are talking about?”

  “Do not play games with me, my sweet Kitty cat.” Stanhope snarled. “The whore was seen leaving your room. This is the only place she could have hidden them.”

  “As I do not know any woman of such ill repute, I am at a loss as to why you are here.”

  “You know this whore, you played with her when you were but a child.”

  “I have not seen Lady Harriet in over ten years, my Lord, and that was after you rendered her unconscious with a vicious blow to her mouth. However, if she is a guest and was seen entering my suite of rooms, she may have been lost. This is a rather large estate and it is so easy to lose track of where you are.”

  George was astounded Catherine had lied to protect Lady Harriet as she’d seen her not more than five months ago. He wondered again what the history was between them all and remembering how she’d blanched at the sight of Stanhope, knew it hadn’t been pleasant.

  “I always knew you were more cunning than you let on. Pity your father spirited you away so quickly the last time our paths crossed.”

  “My father has a capricious sense of timing. I thought he arrived at precisely the right time.”

  “Maybe we should renew our acquaintance now.”

  “Your taste runs to little girls with gap toothed smiles and falling ringlets. Surely I am too old for your certain proclivities.”

  Through the slim crack between the door and its frame, George watched as Stanhope ran his finger down the side of her cheek. Sickened by the familiar gesture, he wanted to turn his gaze away until he realized Catherine stared not at the wall, but at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

  His pulse thundered through his body. She knew he was there, hiding in the next room, yet did not give him away to Stanhope. He flinched as though to move, to come into the room and stop this charade, but she shook her head slightly, her eyes silently pleading with him to remain hidden. When he acquiesced with a slight nod, she closed her eyes for one brief moment before sidestepping from Stanhope’s reach, keeping her body between him and the door to the room where George stood rooted to the floor.

  “There will be no further continuance of this, my Lord. I am no longer eight year
s old, unable to defend myself. Imagine the horror if this time I screamed and you were discovered in my chambers.”

  Bile rose in George’s throat at the realization of what Kitty intimated hit him full force. Stanhope was even more depraved than he’d imagined. Preying on young girls at their most vulnerable. That Catherine was so sweet tempered and forgiving amazed him. His fist clenched and unclenched. All he wanted to do at this very moment was leap through the wall and choke Stanhope until he breathed no more.

  “You think you can blackmail me?” Stanhope laughed, the sound bitter to George’s ears. “I will tear your family to shreds. Even the great and mighty name of Darcy will not preserve you. All of England will know of your innocence lost. You are a nobody.”

  “What do you want?” she cried out. “I was but a young girl.”

  “Give me what I seek, and I will leave you alone. For now.”

  “Very well.” Catherine turned until she again faced the room where George hid, her chin lifting with determination. Her life had just been laid bare by a despicable human being and still she protected him. “I placed the documents near Lord George’s buttons. If they are not there, in a brown satchel, then someone has discovered and removed them.”

  She walked toward the window, drawing Stanhope’s attention away from the adjoining room. George silently moved from behind the door and slipped into the hall. Thanks to Catherine’s bravery, he had all the information needed to secure the documents. Later on, he would deal with Viscount Stanhope. He spotted a chamber maid near the top of the servant’s stairs.

  “You there,” he called in a low tone so his voice wouldn’t carry back to Catherine’s room.

  She turned and gave him a quick bob of a curtsy. “Yes, M’Lord?”

  “Will you please knock on Miss Catherine’s door and tell her that her father wishes to speak with her in the library?”

  “Sir?”

  He didn’t wonder at her curiosity. Catherine’s family wouldn’t be arriving until tomorrow

  “Just do this for me. Please.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  With haste he made his way down the servant’s stairs and headed for the stables.

  ***

  Kitty’s heart splintered into a million pieces. She knew exactly when Lord George understood to what Stanhope had inferred by the dark shadow that crossed his countenance and the tightening of his lips. As much as she wanted to cry and rail at God for this painful secret being aired in front of a man she’d grown to love, she had no choice. When she’d discovered the satchel she’d naturally opened it, finding reams of documents written in French.

  At first the papers meant nothing, but then she’s seen the name, Jonathan Lucas. He was on French soil as a spy for the crown and noted right beside his name was his secret identity, Andre Brassard, a masonry apprentice. For reasons she couldn’t fully understand, she trusted George more than anyone before and knew she had to get these documents to him as quick as possible. The house was not safe, so she’d chosen the one place only George, or a trusted servant would go - Button’s stall. Near George’s Buttons, she’d covered the satchel with straw.

  She would suffer the ignominy of Stanhope’s vile character to save the love of her life. Losing her reputation was a small price to pay for his safety.

  “I trust you have all the information you require?” Kitty held her chin up with determination. This man stole her innocence at a tender age, but he would not make her cower in fright. The Lord was her strong tower and she mentally ran to the shelter her faith gave her. “I cannot help you further.”

  Viscount Stanhope assessed her, obviously deciding she’d told him truth.

  “I will search Kerr’s room. Pray they are where you said, or I shall return and make your life a living hell.”

  “The documents are exactly where I stated.” She prayed hard Lord George understood her cryptic comment about Buttons. She counted on Stanhope not knowing the name of Lord George’s handsome steed. Otherwise, all this subterfuge had been for nothing. Her attention was diverted by a discreet knock on the door. Stanhope moved to the wall so if the door opened he would not be seen.

  “Yes?” Kitty called out.

  The voice of the upstairs maid, Cassie, came through the wooden door.

  “Your father wishes to see you in the library, Miss Catherine.”

  A wave of relief washed over her. Finally, she had a valid reason to leave and could escape Lord Stanhope’s vile presence.

  “Thank you, Cassie. Please tell him I shall be there directly.” She cut a glance at Stanhope. “Our discussion is finished, my Lord. Please leave my room.”

  “Pray to whatever god you hold dear that I do not have to ‘visit’ you again.” The smile he bestowed on her was vile and her knees almost gave way before he turned and left the room.

  She managed to stumble to her desk and collapsed into the chair, her breaths choppy and uneven. Please God, help George find the satchel and save those men. Protect me from Lord Stanhope one more time. She waited until her breathing evened out, then checked her appearance. Funny how serene her face seemed when her heart pounded with fear and anger.

  She stood, shook out her skirts and proceeded downstairs toward the library. She knocked once on the door and hearing no one inside, opened the door slowly. The room seemed empty and she advanced a few steps. A footman came down the hall and Kitty stopped him.

  “Have you seen my father, Joseph?”

  “No, Miss. Your family hasn’t arrived yet.”

  “Oh…”

  “Can I get you anything, Miss Catherine?”

  “What? No thank you. I must have been misinformed.”

  She dismissed him with a small wave of her hand and re-entered the library. Why would Cassie say her father wished to see her when he wasn’t even here? Just then, a shot rang out.

  ***

  George whirled at the sound of a gunshot, the satchel slung over his shoulder as he made ready to exit Button’s stall. Bless Catherine and her quick mind. Now he knew why she wasn’t in her room, she’d been hiding the satchel.

  He pressed against the wall of the stall and risked glancing into the stable. He had no way of knowing if the person out there with a gun was friend or foe. Relief at what met his eyes made his knees weak.

  The Honorable Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam stood over the prone body of Viscount Stanhope. Because of the lateness of the hour, the only staff member on hand was the head groomsmen, Dobson, with whom the Colonel was speaking with.

  “What did you see, man?”

  “He were goin’ t’shoot Lord George.”

  Dobson still held the hunting rifle he’d used to kill the Viscount in his hand and George also noticed a dueling pistol on the floor near the still form of Stanhope.

  “Send someone for Darcy and be discreet about it.”

  “I knew he were goin’ t’shoot Lord George because he followed him in with the gun raised, and−”

  “Dobson, I believe you and so will the magistrate.”

  “Yes, sir. Do ye need help with… with the body?”

  “I shall help him,” George said as he stepped forward. “And call for the magistrate.”

  “Yes, M’Lord.” Dobson doffed his hat with respect and went to find Mr. Darcy.

  When they were both sure Dobson was out of hearing range, George requested the Colonel explain what he was doing.

  “I was given a most interesting task this past summer. After an unnamed gentleman brought certain documents to Lord Grayson, he called me in to assist with what he called ‘a delicate matter’. Imagine my surprise when I see documents linking Stanhope to France as well as a damning list, while no use in a trial by court as it held only initials and traces of conspiracy at the highest level, had apparently also previously been in the possession of Lord Jacobson.”

  “Fascinating.” George murmured.

  “Yes, it is. Further to this discovery, I also heard rumors of you scouting around Cambridgeshire in the guise of a c
himney sweep. Not Lord George, thought I. What mischief was he up to? Imagine my surprise when I was made aware that the discovery of these documents coincided with your interesting foray into servitude.”

  Tired of being baited by the Colonel, who obviously knew everything he’d been involved with, George secured his hold on the satchel and wondered if he could gain access to his knife under the watchful eye of Darcy’s cousin. Although the Colonel stated he’d been approached by Lord Grayson, he’d not told George he was on their side.

  “What do you want, Colonel?”

  “I want to congratulate you on a job well done.”

  George’s mouth gaped open for a few seconds before he clamped it tight. He should have remembered how the Colonel liked to torment and tease. He’d been a master at the craft when they were but schoolboys.

  For the first time in over an hour, the tension seeped out of his shoulders.

  “Do not hand out your congratulations so quickly. We have no idea who his accomplices are.” George muttered and looked down at the body of his greatest enemy on English soil.

  “I have Stanhope’s valet in custody and his other servants are being held in Lambton at the local inn. Grayson asked me to keep an eye on Stanhope. One of my men posed as his driver and I had reason to believe he had discovered you were the one who absconded with his booty. It was only a matter of time when he made his move.”

  “I thought I had time. I believed he would still be busy pillaging my room.”

  “He tried, but your door was locked. My guess is that he followed a hunch and came out here, and I followed him. Thank goodness Dobson was on the premises. All I have for a weapon is my ceremonial sword and it is back in my room. The worst I could have done was bean him over the head with a pail.”

  “I am forever grateful you had my back, literally.”

  “Think nothing of it. As you know, it is part of the job.” The Colonel slapped him on the shoulder and also turned to face Stanhope’s body. He cut a sideways glance at George and smiled. “Yes, I know all about your duty to King and Country. You have my undying gratitude for doing a job for which you are given no credit or accolades. Instead, people like me gain all the glory.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Such are the vagaries of life.”