Lady In Distress (The Langley Sisters Book 3)

by Vella, Wendy

  “And you feel I’m not capable of dealing with him?”

  It was a query and not an angry one, but one of curiosity, Luke realized.

  “You could intimidate him, I have no doubt, Finn, but if he has done other accounts for you then we need to ascertain just how much he has taken. And I would then like to point that out to him, and as I understand his methods it would be best if I did so, rather than explaining them to you.”

  “I have used him for about a year, so one hopes he has not taken too much.” Finn sank bank into his chair. “I feel a fool.”

  “It has been well done, if that helps.”

  “It does not.”

  “I will help you with them from now on until we find someone trust worthy,” Luke added. “For now, however, do not alert him to what I have found.” Luke looked from Finn to Will. “I want you to write him and say everything looks excellent and request that he send you any other of your ledgers in this possession, because you always like to check everything thoroughly upon occasion. Say that you want them delivered to your town house for your arrival.”

  Finn nodded, then said, “How much has he taken?”

  “Not a lot at this stage, as he has just begun, but he’s good.”

  “But you’re better.” Will’s belief in him was absolute and something Luke had never taken for granted. It was an honor to have the faith of such a man.

  “If you’re that good, why the hell are you wasting your time working for Will and not getting into business yourself?” Finn said. “You have money—”

  A knock on the door interrupted them, followed by Roberts.

  “Lord Anthony has arrived, my lord.”

  “Who?” Will questioned the butler.

  “Lord Anthony,” the butler said again.

  Luke watched Will look at Finn, his eyebrow raised.

  “Isn’t he the one who’s a second cousin of the late Lord Anthony? And he inherited the title as there was no one else,” Finn said.

  “That’s right, I remember the fuss that created, but more importantly, why is he here on my doorstep?

  “Believe his horse threw a shoe, my lord, while he was passing,” the butler said.

  “It’s hardly a place you just pass by,” Luke added.

  Will shrugged, regaining his feet. “Let’s go see what he wants, then.”

  Luke waved them from the room, stating he would come soon as he wanted to spend some time looking over the books once more. Making notes Luke ensured he had his facts correct while they were fresh in his head. When he was happy this was done, he went to join the others for tea.

  Walking down the halls he now knew so well, he found the parlor and entered without announcing himself. He had become familiar with this house since Bella left and he’d taken up Freddy’s position. He’d also become better acquainted with the people who lived within its walls.

  Of Livvy or Phoebe there was no sign, and he knew that they rested during the day, as both often tired. Bella, however, was seated beside a man, presumably Lord Anthony, and she was smiling as she chatted, her hands waving about in front of her. She’d changed her dress, and this one was cream, and a simple design, but then she’d never needed adornment to make her look beautiful. She wore a shawl, but it was open and he could see the tops of her breasts above the bodice. Luke felt a stab of jealousy as Lord Anthony looked at them, and he had to fight the urge to walk over there and close the shawl.

  “Luke, this is Lord Anthony. Anthony, this is Mr. Fletcher.”

  He saw the question in the man’s eyes as he rose to shake Luke’s hand before reseating himself beside Bella. He was not overly tall, perhaps a few inches more than her, and wore his hair short and cropped close to his head. Solid in build, he had sharp blue eyes that Luke guessed saw a great deal.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met, sir?”

  “We haven’t, my lord, as I work for Lord Ryder,” Luke said before he took the chair beside Finn.

  “Mr. Fletcher is also a family friend, Lord Anthony.” Bella gave the introduction with a gentle smile for the man which made Luke’s teeth snap together because it wasn’t directed at him.

  “And in what capacity are you employed by Lord Ryder?” Anthony asked the question politely but managed to put him in place at the same time. Servant, lord—the line was firmly drawn.

  “He pays me to look after his affairs, my lord.”

  “And he’s a very good friend,” Will said firmly. “We traveled together for several years, Lord Anthony.”

  “I have some affairs that may need tending, perhaps you would consider—”

  “I would not, but thank you for the offer, my lord. I have more than enough to occupy my time.”

  Lord Anthony nodded his head and turned to Will. “You are to be commended for allowing such familiarity between yourself and your staff, my lord. Most men of your standing would not tolerate a servant to sit and take tea with them and a…guest.”

  “We,” Finn said in a cold flat tone, “do not think of Luke as a servant. He is a valued friend and advisor, my lord.”

  “We have been friends since childhood, Lord Anthony, and we do not think of Luke as anything but our equal.” This was added by Will and his eyes were now glaring at Lord Anthony.

  Closing his eyes, Luke pinched the bridge of his nose as Bella added her support to the conversation, of which he was the main focus. He didn’t want or need them to fight his battles; he was grateful and inside he felt warmth at their concern, but still he could look after himself and had been doing so for quite some time, especially when faced with the inflated egos of gentlemen.

  Realizing that he had overstepped the mark, Lord Anthony smiled and patted Bella’s hand.

  “You are all to be commended for such acceptance.”

  Luke decided that now was time for him to leave, before he planted his fist in Lord Anthony’s face, which was bound to happen if he kept touching Bella.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.” Luke had risen as the door opened and Phoebe appeared. She looked pale and worried, and he reached her before the others.

  “What has happened, Phoebe?”

  “It’s, Livvy. I think the baby is coming.”

  “Are you sure, Phoebe?” Will’s voice was a rasp as he reached them.

  Luke watched her nod, and then Will had passed her and ran from the room. Finn and Phoebe followed.

  “My lord, you must excuse us, but I fear you will have to leave the house at once as my sister is having her child.”

  Anthony rose and took Bella’s hands in his.

  “I will, of course, my dear Miss Langley, and I look forward to seeing you in London.”

  She came to Luke then and he knew she wanted something, otherwise she, too, would have left.

  “What do you want me to do, Bella? Just say it and I shall see to it at once.”

  She didn’t ask how he knew, just nodded then drew back her shoulders.

  “I know the doctor will come but I want your mother and Jenny here, too, just in case they are needed.”

  “Of course.” He didn’t hesitate, knowing exactly why she had made this request of him.

  “They’ve done this…had children,” she added quickly, looking down at her hands. “I-I would feel better with them here.”

  He ran his fingers down a soft, pale cheek, unable to stop himself from comforting her. He couldn’t tell her not to worry, nor that everything would be all right, because he had no idea if Livvy would survive. He prayed she would, but he had also heard enough stories of woman who had not survived child birth to keep him silent.

  “I’ll go at once.”

  She ran from the room then and it was the clearing of a throat that reminded him that Anthony was still in the room

  “For an employee of the family you seem overly familiar with them, Mr. Fletcher.

  “I am, and what’s more I would protect them with my life.”

  “That sounds like a threat, Mr. Fletcher.”


  “Take it as you will, my lord, I care not. Now, I will bid you good day, as I have things to do. I’m sure you can see your way out.” The man didn’t acknowledge Luke again, instead pushing past him. Minutes later, Luke was on his way to Twoaks.

  ***

  Bella took a deep breath as she entered Livvy’s room. She was walking slowly in a circle on Will’s arm, while he talked softly to her. Phoebe was not in the room, and she guessed that she was still with Finn.

  The housekeeper, Mrs. Trucknill, was bustling about, pulling back the blankets and placing cloths about the place.

  “What can I do?”

  “Nothing at the moment, Miss Langley, and I’m not sure this is the place for a young lady of your age—”

  “I will not leave my sister,” Bella said before Mrs. Trucknill could finish. “She has always been there for me and I will be there for her should she need me.”

  Something must have showed on her face as the housekeeper simply nodded and continued preparing things. Bella slipped out of the room again to gather a few things of her own before returning the same time as Phoebe.

  “Mrs. Trucknill thinks I should not witness Livvy’s childbirth in case it upsets me,” Phoebe said with a mean glint in her eye. “I told her what to do with her opinions.”

  “Phoebe!” Bella sighed. “She will be too scared to come into the room now.”

  “I told her politely,” Phoebe said as she moved to where Livvy stood, leaning on Will. “And now we are both aware of where we stand with each other.”

  “She told me I should not be here either, and I told her that I was not leaving,” Bella added.

  “Neither of you is leaving!” Livvy snapped as she grabbed her stomach. “If I am to yell and scream at anyone it will be my bloody family,” she added through clenched teeth.

  “It seems we are all here to stay sisters.” Will tried to smile but Bella was not fooled. He was worried, his gray eyes shadowed with fear for the woman he loved.

  The next two hours were slow and agonizing for Bella. Livvy’s pains increased and Mrs. Tucknill tutted about Will refusing to leave the room and her and Phoebe’s presence; they in turn ignored her.

  Bella took a deep, relieving breath when Doctor Brown finally entered with his bag.

  “What took you so bloody long?” Will thundered from Livvy’s side. She was now lying on the bed and to Bella’s eyes looked extremely uncomfortable.

  The doctor smiled at the large, enraged nobleman and calmly removed his coat and began to roll up his sleeves.

  “A young child fell out of a tree, my lord, and I had to set her leg. Poor wee lass, she was in quite some discomfort, but you’ll be pleased to know she is resting easier now.”

  Bella almost laughed as the snarl left Will’s face. No one liked to think of a child hurting.

  “I would like water boiled, please, then a touch of cold added. I want a bowl of it placed in readiness with soap and a clean drying cloth where I can reach it at all times.” These words the doctor directed to Mrs. Tucknill, who instantly bustled from the room to do his bidding.

  “Now as we have a few people in attendance, perhaps we can become better acquainted.” The doctor stood, expectantly looking at Will until he moved aside, then took his place. He was not overly tall but had a way about him that she guessed would come in handy when he was required to subdue enraged noblemen. He was nearly bald and had a kind round face and slight paunch; she instantly felt comforted with his presence.

  “Hello, my lady. How are you feeling?”

  “How do you think she’s feeling!”

  Will roared the words, so Bella took his arm and urged him around the bed to the other side. “If you do not stay calm, how do you expect Livvy to, Will?”

  He was pale and worried, and while she understood why, he was not helping matters. In fact, her usually calm and capable brother-in-law had completely lost the ability to think rationally, it seemed.

  “You’re right.” Hauling in a deep breath he tried to steady himself.

  Bella moved to Phoebe’s side and they both stood, watching as the doctor examined Livvy. He was calm and efficient and Bella saw Livvy managed a smile at the end of it.

  “Everything is progressing as it should at this point; therefore, it is my belief that I should become better acquainted with the other members of your family, my dear Lady Olivia.”

  “This is not a social gathering, Doctor Brown. Tea and biscuits will not be served at the conclusion,” Will growled again.

  “But it will go smoothly if each person who is here to support your lovely wife is comfortable.”

  “I’m Bella,” she said moving forward before Will could start bellowing again, “and this is our other sister, Phoebe.”

  The doctor smiled. “Perhaps I shall call you Miss Bella and your sister, Lady Phoebe, if you will allow me to? Tis not the usual way of things to have so many people in attendance.”

  “We are not leaving,” Will said through his teeth.

  “I had not expected you to, my lord, as I see you are all devoted to this woman.”

  Everyone nodded and then Livvy hissed in pain, which drew their attentions again.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The minutes ticked over into hours and Livvy’s pain increased, but still there was no baby. They felt every hiss of breath, every moan of pain from her, and Bella felt as wrung out as a bathing cloth, yet still she had no intention of leaving.

  “Lady Phoebe, I’m going to ask something of you now, and I would be grateful if you would follow through with my wishes.”

  “What is it, Doctor?” Phoebe said, shooting a terrified look at Livvy before facing him.

  Bella had been growing steadily worried about Phoebe; her face was pale and she was exhausted, yet she had stood silently at the side of Livvy’s bed for the past few hours, unmoving.

  “I want you to go now and rest. I need you to take nourishment and look after your own baby, because you are exhausted, and the worry you are experiencing can be just as easily done from a chair in another room.”

  The doctor’s face was calm, but his eyes determined. He had seen the fear and fatigue in Phoebe, too.

  “I-I can’t leave her.”

  Bella took her arm. “Phoebe, if Livvy has to worry for you it will be harder for her. You must do as the doctor wishes,” she said gently. Finn is waiting for you. Now give Livvy a hug and let me take you to him.”

  She nodded and bit her lip to stop the tears as she moved to kiss Livvy, hugging her gently.

  “I shall be back soon, my love.”

  Livvy smiled but the effort was forced.

  Taking the hand Bella held out to her she gripped it hard as they left the room.

  “I shouldn’t leave her, Bella.” Usually so strong, Phoebe leaned on Bella as they walked.

  “Phoebe, Livvy was worried for you; she could see how tired you were and how upset you were becoming. It’s better this way for you both.”

  “Tell me she will be all right, Bella.” The whispered words were thick with tears.

  “She will be all right, Phoebe, because I heard the doctor say just that very thing to Will. He said the labor was progressing exactly as it should.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  They found Finn in a small parlor, pacing the floor. He was across the room in seconds as they walked into the room. “Phoebe, my love.” He took her into his arms and she collapsed against him.

  “Take care of her, Finn. She’s exhausted. The doctor wants her to lie down and eat something. I will come if Livvy needs her.”

  “And you, Bella, are you all right?” He said the words over Phoebe’s head.

  She didn’t trust herself to speak so instead she nodded then hurried from the room, closing the door behind her. Making her way back along the hall, she stopped a few feet away from the room Livvy was in, and slumped against the wall.

  She had never been so exhausted; fear was eating her insides and climbing into her
throat. Was this really normal? Was Livvy going through what every woman did or was she having complications? The doctor was still talking confidently; however, she felt as if in the last few hours nothing had changed. She was not advancing. And what of the baby? Would it be born healthy?

  “Bella?”

  Opening her eyes, she saw Luke. He stood before her. His hair was damp and she wondered when it had started to rain. She flattened the palms of her hands on the wall behind her to stop from reaching for him. She wanted his strength at that moment, the feeling of his arms around her making her feel safe. Dragging her eyes from him, she looked over his shoulder to where Jenny and his mother stood. She’d not seen them until now, such was the power Luke had over her, the ability to see no one else when he was near. Stepping around him, she hurried to Jenny and let herself be folded into the welcoming arms.

  “It seems to have been going on for so long, Jenny. I don’t know if that’s as it should be or not?”

  “Well now, Miss Isabella, when I delivered my Luke here, it took me two days, so I’d not be panicking yet.”

  “Oh, Mrs. Fletcher, did it really?” Lifting her head, she noted that the woman was no longer scowling at her as she had that day in Twoaks.

  Luke’s mother nodded and gave her a pat on the hand as she passed.

  “Now we’re going in there, my love, and I know you want to also, but you must eat something first, as you’re pale as my morning porridge. Luke, here, will see to it you get something,” Jenny said, pushing her at him.

  “No, I want to come—”

  “You’ll eat before going back in there.” Luke’s words were accompanied by his hand around her waist, and she was urged down the stairs.

  “I know I should eat, yet I’m not sure I can.”

  “Yet you will,” he said, leading her to Will’s office where a fire still smoldered in the grate. He gently lowered her into a chair and then left the room.

  Bella’s yawn was loud as no one was there to hear her. Arching backwards, she attempted to ease the ache in her spine that the tension had put there. She wondered that there were so many people in the world when woman had to go through what Livvy was at this very moment enduring. Shuddering, she regained her feet. Perhaps she would spend her life looking after her nieces and nephews, and rethink her plans to marry and have a family.