by Buck, Gayle
“Quite all right, Miss Stafford. Very understandable under the circumstances.”
“Your hands are free,” said Thea, noticing for the first time. She supposed she should be more embarrassed than she was at the fact that she had cast herself into his arms, but it didn’t seem to matter very much. Her whole life was blighted. At such a time it seemed rather silly to place importance on breaking a social restriction.
“Yes; your brothers allowed me my freedom in order to take a pint of hot cider and swallow a sandwich,” said Cardiff. He was beginning to be amused by the stilted conversation. “In the ensuing excitement of your escape, and discovering that a stagecoach had quitted the inn, I suspect it slipped their minds to redo my bonds.”
“I see.” Thea turned her gaze listlessly towards the window. The sun was beginning to sink lower and the gathering dusk exactly suited her frame of mind.
A small silence fell. Neither of the Stafford brothers felt able to address their sister, fearing that another emotional storm might break over their heads. It had shaken them to see Thea, who had always been levelheaded and cheerful, fall into near hysteria. As for Lord Cardiff, he was pensively staring into a middle distance. His expression was unreadable.
Thea sighed and took vague note of the time of day. “It is growing dark,” she said inconsequently.
“Yes,” agreed Cardiff, turning his head to regard her. He wondered what was going through her mind. He had not long before his curiosity was satisfied.
“I suppose I shall become a governess,” said Thea in a detached voice. “Or perhaps a milliner. I trim hats very well, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know,” said Cardiff gently.
“Thea, don’t be silly. You are going to wed Lord Cardiff,” said Thomas.
Cardiff sent a swift warning glance towards him. His lordship’s frown was underscored by the jab that Thomas received from his brother.
“Ow! What was that for?” asked Thomas indignantly.
“Shut up, Thomas,” said Philip savagely, looking across at his sister’s face.
Upon hearing Thomas’s words, Thea transferred her gaze from the window to her brothers. Thoughtfully, as though they were specimens of an unknown species, she stared at them until they grew uncomfortable and shifted under her gaze. Finally she said, “You are both such lobcocks. Do you actually believe you shall be able to force me to wed Lord Cardiff? Or coerce Lord Cardiff into wedding me? I should be interested to hear how you intend to do it.”
“Why—!” The brothers looked at their sister, then at each other. Consternation gathered in their faces.
“You don’t know. You haven’t a clue. How like Papa and the pair of you to go off half-cocked, without a single real thought amongst the three of you,” said Thea bitterly.
Philip and Thomas reddened under the lash of her scorn. “Now see here, Thea—!”
“Oh, do be quiet! You cannot force me or Lord Cardiff into marriage. You know that you can’t. This entire affair has been a piece of nonsense from start to finish,” said Thea roundly.
“But Papa told us—”
“Yes! Papa told you, and he was wrong! I have tried and tried to make you see, but still you persist. So pray do not say another word,” exclaimed Thea, throwing up one hand. “I haven’t the patience to listen to any more of your idiotic declarations. I must now think what is best to be done. The two of you and Papa have bungled things beyond repair, and it will be wonderful indeed if I can find some way out of this coil!”
“What do you mean, Thea?” asked Thomas humbly.
“Thomas, I can never bring myself to go home again. My reputation is blasted. Oh, why can’t you understand? I shall be the butt of insult and—and horrid conjecture because I have been gone a day and a night now, and everyone knows that I left in Mr. Quarles’s company,” said Thea, making a helpless gesture.
“I shall flatten anyone who says anything bad about you, Thea,” said Thomas, swift color surging into his face. His fist bunched purposefully on his knee.
“Oh, Thomas! It will not answer, you know it won’t.” Between laughter and tears, Thea shook her head. Resolutely, she said, “I must face it. I shall never receive a respectable offer. And I cannot return home, to become forever the object of scorn and scandal. My only choice is to become a governess or to go into service of some sort.”
Heavy silence greeted her pronouncement. While Thea wiped her eyes again, because a trickle of tears persisted in clouding her gaze, her brothers sat abashed. They were utterly unable to think of anything that would either comfort her or to make things right. She had painted a dismal picture for them, and for perhaps the first time they understood what had been done to her.
Chapter Nine
Several minutes passed with the uncomfortable atmosphere left behind by Miss Stafford’s words. Cardiff sat frowning, his lithe body swaying easily to the movement of the carriage. His reflections were not particularly pleasant. Like Miss Stafford, he had been made a victim of her family’s obtuseness and lack of forethought. However, unlike Miss Stafford, once in possession of his freedom again, he had the option of resuming his life very nearly where he had left off. He would continue on his journey to London, make his report, and finish up his business in England before setting sail again for Spain.
He would have to make the decision, of course, whether or not to bring charges against the Staffords. Quite apart from the fact that he had already given his word of honor, he rather thought that he would not have done so in any event. It would go against the grain with him to have it bruited about amongst his cronies and society how he had been kidnapped. Indeed, his pride would be rubbed raw by the lively interest such an extraordinary tale would naturally produce.
In addition, it would certainly not help Miss Stafford’s ignoble position to have her father and her brothers go to trial. She would be left bereft then not only of reputation but a family and home, as well, for naturally, with the demise of her immediate male relations on the gallows, the property would be entailed away. The elder sister, Miss Tabitha Stafford, would also suffer public humiliation and loss of reputation simply because of the notoriety of the case.
In all of the damnable business, Miss Stafford had already actually suffered the greatest loss. She was entirely correct in her assessment of her situation, thought Cardiff grimly. Unless there was somewhere a relation who could offer her a suitable alibi to explain away her absence, Miss Stafford’s situation was indeed bleak. There had probably been witnesses to her acceptance of Mr. Quarles’s offer to drive her home and no doubt the subsequent drama of the maid’s story had spread like wildfire throughout the surrounding neighborhood. He doubted there would be many who would soil their own social standing by holding out a hand lo help her.
Cardiff’s frown deepened. He felt reasonably certain, from what he had already gathered about the Staffords, that there was no one that Miss Stafford could call upon with confidence. Her great-aunt did not sound to be a promising prospect. Her parent and her brothers had already amply demonstrated a gross ineptitude to protect her interests. Indeed, it was they who had plunged Miss Stafford irresistibly down the road to social ruin. It was absolutely damnable, of course, but there was little that could be done.
His lordship’s reflections led him to an inescapable conclusion. There was no one but himself who could rescue Miss Stafford. Not one to shirk a question of honor, Cardiff straightened his shoulders. He broke the heavy silence. “Miss Stafford, you have another option, one which I trust you will decide is preferable to going into service or becoming a governess.”
Thea turned her troubled face towards Lord Cardiff, at once struck by the somber timbre of his voice. “Yes, my lord?” She was surprised when he reached over and took hold of her chilled hand. She allowed it to lie acquiescent in his warm clasp, finding a small spark of comfort in the contact.
“Miss Stafford, you can choose to wed me,” said Cardiff quietly.
His lordship’s words fell like a bombshe
ll. Thea’s lips parted and she stared at him, immobilized by shock. Her heart pounded and all sorts of disjointed thoughts crowded through her mind. Uppermost of them was the conviction that either she was dreaming or Lord Cardiff had lost his mind.
Thomas whooped, jarring Thea from her paralysis of mind.
“Handsomely said, my lord!” said Philip enthusiastically.
Her brothers’ outburst served to snap Thea completely out of her dazed state. Flushing to the roots of her hair, she snatched her hand away. “No!” she exclaimed, a betraying tremble in her voice.
At once Thomas and Philip began to remonstrate with their sister. She only shook her head and covered her ears with her hands. “Pray be quiet! Pray!”
“Enough!” Cardiff’s voice rang with such authority that the Stafford brothers suspended their noisy argument to stare across at him. “You have badgered your sister enough.”
He paused, thoughtfully regarding Miss Stafford’s averted face, before saying, “I believe that Miss Stafford and I shall do better to discuss this matter between us in privacy. Miss Stafford, I apologize to you for stating my cause so baldly. I am not usually so inept. If you will grant me an interview when we stop for the night, I will count it a courtesy.”
Thea cast a quick glance at Lord Cardiff’s expressionless face. She hesitantly nodded. She was at one and the same time grateful to Lord Cardiff for putting an end to her brothers’ harangue, but also reluctant to agree to meet privately with him for such a purpose.
Her entire history with Lord Cardiff had been one of mortification and humiliation. She had little wish to prolong the agony. Her greatest desire was to run away somewhere and indulge in a hearty bout of noisy self-pity. But she could not have that. So she accepted Lord Cardiff’s suggestion, at least for the moment, if for no other reason than to achieve the cessation of Philip and Thomas’s clamoring.
“Thank you, Miss Stafford,” said Cardiff somberly.
Thea did not reply but again turned towards the window. There was nothing to be seen since it was dark enough to obscure the sights. However, it did not matter overmuch because she wouldn’t have been aware of seeing anything even if it had been a brilliant midday. The cold that frosted her breath on the air could scarcely be colder than that which seeped into her heart.
Thomas began to whistle cheerfully, and he did not keep the pistol as ready as he had before. Cardiff saw it and smiled in self-derision. The opportunity that he had waited for had appeared, but he would not take advantage of it now. He had pledged himself to a different course.
An inn was soon come upon, and the wearied party disembarked from the carriage. Philip and Thomas had apparently come to place a measure of trust in Lord Cardiff. With a sidelong sheepish grin, Thomas slipped the pistol into his pocket.
With scarcely a backward glance for his lordship, Philip solicitously took his sister’s arm. “Come, Thea. Let us go inside and see about getting a private parlor and rooms for the night. You must be tired.”
Allowing her brother to offer his escort to her, Thea gave a small discordant laugh. “Tired, Philip? I feel as though I have been thrown by a horse and stomped.”
“Never mind, Thea,” said Philip, uncomfortably aware that he could offer her little to ease her obvious distress. The two silently walked across the yard towards the inn door.
Thomas, who should have been keeping a watchful eye on Lord Cardiff, instead had his interest captured by a sporting curricle that had just come into the yard in a swirl of dust. “Oh, I say!” He walked forward for a better view in the uncertain light of dusk.
At once Cardiff stepped backward to seize the chance to share a word with his servants. The coachman and groom had been lingering, hoping for just such an opportunity.
“M’lord, be you all right?” asked the groom anxiously.
“We’ve wanted this age to do something, but with that pistol on you—”
“I am fine, Mathers, and in a fair way to becoming free of our inopportune friends,” said Cardiff in a quiet voice. He threw a glance after Thomas Stafford and was satisfied that the young man’s attention was still engaged by the sporting vehicle.
“I am that glad to hear it, m’lord,” said the coachman emphatically. “Shall I hold the carriage ready, m’lord?”
Cardiff shook his head, frowning in thought. “We’re set here for the night, so rest yourselves. But have a good team put to before first light.”
“I take your meaning, m’lord,” said the coachman with supreme satisfaction.
“Aye, we’ll be shut of the buggers as soon as may be,” said the groom. “And me and John Coachman are aching to deliver a bit of the home-brewed whenever you should wish it, m’lord.”
“I trust that will not be necessary. However, hold yourselves ready. If I fail, I may yet need you,” said Cardiff. He threw a thoughtful glance at Thomas, who was beginning to turn back towards him. “Now I believe I shall rejoin Mr. Stafford. I don’t wish to arouse suspicion by being seen talking with you.”
His servants assured Lord Cardiff in fierce whispers that his lordship could count on them. Cardiff nodded and sauntered over to Thomas, reaching him just as the young man swung completely around. “Shall we go inside, Stafford? Though the weather has cleared somewhat, it is still too cold to be standing about outdoors.”
“Just what I was thinking myself, my lord,” said Thomas cheerfully. He cast another appreciative glance at the curricle he had been admiring. “A bang-up outfit, that.”
Cardiff agreed suavely, companionably keeping pace with Thomas as they walked towards the door of the inn. Philip emerged just as Cardiff reached the step. There was suspicion on the man’s face, which Cardiff correctly interpreted. He allowed a mocking grin to cross his face. “The horses are blown. I could not possibly escape without a fresh team, you know. And Thomas still has the pistol. He could shoot me down if I chose to run for it.”
A flush mounted to Philip’s face. He said politely, “Exactly so, my lord. Will you come in? We engaged dinner in a private parlor and bedchambers for the night.”
Thomas ignored the exchange and picked up on the most important point. He began to rub his large hands together in anticipation and said happily, “I am looking forward to dinner! I am positively famished.” He brushed past his brother in the doorway.
“I hesitate to speculate what the innkeeper thinks of such a motley party as ours,” remarked Cardiff, following Thomas into the inn with Philip turning to accompany him.
“As to that, my lord, the man is respectful enough,” said Philip, a shade defensively.
Cardiff shot an amused glance at him. “You had to show him something in advance, I suppose?”
Despite his pride, a reluctant grin was drawn from Philip. “The man is a rascal, to be sure,” he acknowledged. “However, I trust his suspicions were adequately laid to rest. We’ll not suffer for lack of service, I do assure you.”
Cardiff laughed. “I suspect you will allow your optimism to carry you too far, Stafford. We have not a portmanteau among us, and Miss Stafford and I, in particular, are in desperate need of a change of fresh clothing and a bath. We will be fortunate that the innkeeper does not post a guard outside our doors for fear of our running out on him without paying the shot.”
Philip would have liked to refute Lord Cardiff’s assessment, but his disconcerting experience with the innkeeper had already shown him that what his lordship had said was very nearly the truth. Therefore he merely folded his lips and accompanied Lord Cardiff upstairs.
Miss Stafford was apparently thinking much along the same lines, for when Cardiff and Philip entered the private parlor, it was to hear her say, “What an absolutely odious man! It would serve him right if we simply ran out on him. But I tell you, Thomas, not another step will I take without bathing and at least giving a good shaking out to my clothes. I want a hairbrush and tooth powder, too.”
“But, Thea, where are we to get them?” asked Thomas.
Thea heaved an impatient
sigh. “That’s easily enough answered. When we came through the village, I saw several shops.”
All at once she became aware of Lord Cardiff’s entrance and she blushed, suspecting that he had overheard her indelicate speech. Her suspicion was proven correct.
“Bravo, Miss Stafford. I was just saying to your brother Philip that we would appear eminently more respectable with a bit of baggage. An abduction or a kidnapping is deuced uncomfortable without a change of clothing and one’s nightgear and a few personal items,” said Cardiff in a cheerful fashion.
“Just so, my lord,” said Thea, recovering her countenance quickly. It was just like his lordship to turn it all aside as a commonplace and thus spare her from further embarrassment.
Cardiff turned from her to direct a query to Philip. Raising his brows, he asked, “Have you yet engaged the services of a decent chambermaid for Miss Stafford?”
“I was just about to attend to the matter,” said Philip, very much on his dignity. He disliked that it was Lord Cardiff who should recall such a necessity when it should have been his own responsibility. He turned to his brother. “And you, Thomas, must go to the shops before they are closed and buy such things as Thea and his lordship might require.”
Thomas frowned, and Thea said quickly, reassuringly, “I will make out a list.” There was a battered desk standing against one wall and she sat down at it, opening drawers in search of ink and paper. She gave a small cry of triumph and brought out the necessary supplies. Trimming the pen quickly, she said, “My lord, what do you wish for me to put down?”
Cardiff swiftly reeled off a small number of requirements, not having to give it particular thought. As a soldier, he had too often been in unexpectedly straightened circumstances to be in much doubt of what was most necessary.
Shaving soap and razor, a clean cravat and shirt, hairbrush and toothpowder were the most pressing items.
“I should like a few things, too, Thea,” said Thomas, having decided from Lord Cardiff’s example what he needed.
