Blame It on the Duke

by Lenora Bell

  “Nick,” Alice said.

  He was glad to hear her call him by his name again. He inclined his head.

  “Mr. Stubbs has something to tell you,” she said. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Stubbs?”

  “Make ’im pay, make ’im pay,” March shouted, hopping around, his fists in the air.

  “We thank you for your vigilance, Mr. March,” Alice said with a stern frown, “but you may return to your post now.”

  “Humph,” grunted March, but he walked back to the entrance and stood to one side, as a footman should.

  “We’ll have a nice civilized conversation,” said Alice. “Now sit down everyone. Please. You as well, Mr. Stubbs.”

  He sat gingerly on the edge of one of the velvet library chairs.

  His neck cloth was gray and his cuffs frayed. His boots so scuffed and worn they were barely clinging to his feet.

  “Why did you do it?” Alice asked in a gentle tone. “Weren’t you happy here?”

  “Very happy, milady. Some of the happiest days of my life.”

  “My husband trusted you. He thought you cared about your charge, and took your work seriously.”

  “I had to do it, see?” Stubbs twisted his hands into a knot. “He has her. Coleman has her, and he told me if I didn’t follow his orders, she would meet with an accident. Accidents happen often at the Yellow House, they do.”

  He spoke in a rush, his face crumpled with anguish.

  “The Yellow House?” Alice asked.

  “It was Mr. Coleman who arranged for me to come here. I’m not proud of what I did but I had no choice.” His gaze veered to Nick. “You always were too kindhearted, Your Lordship. I thought you’d be a nob living in opulence and caring for your servants less than you cared for a new pair of boots. I was wrong. You made it difficult for me.”

  “Why don’t you begin from the beginning, Mr. Stubbs,” Alice said. “I’ve always found that’s a useful place to start. And then you’ll have a nice hot cup of tea. You look as though you could use one.”

  At her kind tone, Stubbs’s face crumpled, and Nick was afraid the man might begin blubbering, as he’d done in the carriage.

  “Coleman has my Annie in that cursed place,” said Stubbs. “Her uncle committed her to gain control of the property she was to inherit from her late father. My good, kind Annie who is no more mad than you, milady.” He lowered his head to his fists. “Trapped in that pitiless place.”

  “So Mr. Coleman is the one who hired you?” asked Patrick.

  “Didn’t have to pay me,” Stubbs said. “Just promised me he’d let Annie go free if I cooperated. He doesn’t know everything about what you’re doing, Your Lordship, but he has suspicions.”

  Nick’s stomach lurched. Coleman knew? “So you were sent to spy on me.”

  “I was under instructions to interfere in any way possible. I was to steal, turn your other servants against you, force the duke to gamble away money, I was supposed to discredit you. I—I’m sorry.”

  He raised his head, and his brown eyes were so bleak and hopeless it made Nick angry enough to leap from his chair and ride straight to the Yellow House and send Coleman to hell.

  Stubbs hung his head. “I didn’t know the duke would gamble you away, honest I didn’t.”

  “How could you have known?” Patrick said. “It sounds to me that you were only a pawn and cannot be held responsible for anything you did under coercion.”

  “You mean you won’t have me arrested?” Stubbs asked.

  “Of course not,” Alice exclaimed. “You are quite safe here, Mr. Stubbs. And you are welcome to stay as long as you need.” She took his huge fists in her small ones. “My husband and his friends will rescue your Annie. And you’ll have your happy ending.”

  The belief in his ability to dispense happy endings stirred something in Nick’s heart, but he didn’t have time to examine his feelings. “We’ll see what we can do.”

  “You have to hurry,” Stubbs said. “That’s why I’m here. Coleman promised he’d set her free, but he laughed in my face. Said I was a drunkard and I’d die before I had a chance to marry Annie. I’ve only been drinking because I was so hopeless. And Annie will be feeling the same. You must hurry. Please. If Coleman finds out I’ve spoken with you he’ll harm Annie.”

  Alice put an arm around Stubbs’s shoulder. “We’ll save her.” She turned to Nick, her eyes filled with such an unwavering belief that he drew himself up like a soldier before a commanding officer, attempting to appear worthy of the mettle that shone in her gaze.

  “I’ll send for Lear,” he said.

  “And Dr. Forster,” Alice whispered. “I know Mr. Stubbs has been overindulging in spirits, but there’s a deathly pallor to his skin that I don’t like.”

  Nick nodded. “I’ll send for the doctor as well.”

  Alice stood. “March, show Mr. Stubbs to a guest chamber.”

  “I will not!” said March indignantly.

  “I’ll sleep in the stables, milady,” Stubbs said, rising and shuffling his feet awkwardly. “’Twill be a sight more comfortable than the places I’ve been resting my head.”

  “You’ll have a chamber,” Alice said, staring March down.

  “Would you like to see the duke?” Alice asked Stubbs. “He asks about you sometimes. He remembers you fondly.”

  Stubbs squashed his hat in his hands. “I couldn’t speak with him, milady, not after what I did.”

  “Come,” Alice said, holding out her hand. “I’ll show you to his chambers. No protests now.”

  She placed a hand on his arm, and what choice did the man have? When Alice set her mind to something, there was nothing to do but follow.

  When they were gone, Nick turned to Patrick. “It seems we may have another delivery soon.”

  Patrick nodded tersely. “There’s no time to send word to Hawkins to help us free Annie. Stubbs thought she was in immediate danger.”

  “We must move swiftly.”

  Chapter 25

  The following are the arts to be studied, together with the Kama Sutra: solution of riddles, enigmas, covert speeches, verbal puzzles, and enigmatical questions.

  The Kama Sutra of Vātsyāyana

  The war council had begun hours ago, and Alice was heartily sick of listening to the four large, imposing men argue.

  They sat in the library, drinking spirits and going around and around and never deciding anything. She was in a room with what surely must be four of the most handsome men the Lord had created, and they were all as stubborn and shortsighted as they were pleasing to look upon.

  Nick and Lear were advocating for the use of force, Patrick and Dr. Forster erring on the side of caution . . . and legality.

  Alice was glad they were consulting Dr. Forster as well. He’d pronounced Mr. Stubbs to be fine, if malnourished, and prescribed some hot beef tea. Alice hoped the doctor would be a voice of reason.

  “We lure Coleman out and we torture him until he agrees to release Annie, submit to monthly inspections, and improve living conditions,” Lear said, slamming a fist down on the table.

  “That’s what we do. No question.” Nick’s eyes were lethal and focused. The carefree rake was completely gone. “Wish Dalton were here. He’s a good man to have on your side in a battle.”

  “We can’t just beat him into submission,” Patrick said.

  “Why not?” Nick asked.

  “Well, for one, it’s not legal.”

  “Spoken like a lawyer,” said Lear. When he shook his head, his long, dark hair fell around his collar.

  “I have a patient inside the Yellow House,” said Dr. Forster. “Physicians are allowed to enter if a patient requests a visit. Otherwise the patients there never receive any kind of medical attention. I can say I’m coming at his summons, and they’ll have to let me in.”

  “Perfect,” Nick said enthusiastically. “You and Patrick will rescue Annie and while you’re inside, Lear and I will force Coleman outside and deal with him in our way.”
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br />   “Nick,” Alice scolded. “You can’t solve all your problems physically.”

  Nick’s gaze smoldered. “Oh, can’t I?”

  She knew how persuasive he was with his body.

  “And then there’s the matter of Jane,” Alice continued, ignoring the momentary flicker of heat in her belly. “If Coleman finds out she’s here, he may have already told her husband where to find her. She has to leave now.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Patrick said. “I’d best gather her new identity swiftly.”

  “She leaves tomorrow morning,” Lear agreed. “I’ll see to it.”

  “But where will she go?” Alice asked, looking from one glowering face to the next.

  They all started talking at once then, espousing their theories for where Jane should be sent.

  It made Alice upset to see them deciding Jane’s fate without once thinking to ask Jane what she wanted.

  She left them arguing and slipped from the room.

  She hadn’t gone far down the hall when she ran into Jane. She was wearing one of Alice’s cloaks and had a small valise in her hand.

  “Where are you going?” Alice asked with consternation.

  “I’m bringing too much danger to this house. I have to leave.”

  “Were you listening?”

  Jane nodded. “I heard the shouting and knew it must have something to do with me. If Mr. Coleman suspects Lord Hatherly is involved in some way with my disappearance none of you are safe. I must leave immediately.”

  “But where will you go? What will you do?”

  “I’ll think of something.”

  “The men are attempting to come to a decision about your future right now. You must go in and tell them what you want.”

  Jane raised her head and her violet eyes shimmered with tears. “I’m too much of a problem. If they knew who my husband was . . . Alice, he’s a ruthless, cruel man and not one to be trifled with. Even Lord Hatherly . . . even he might think twice.”

  “Please, Jane. You must go talk to them. If I’ve been any kind of friend to you, do this for me.”

  Jane held still for a moment and then she inclined her head. “I will listen to their proposals. But I leave tonight. Not tomorrow. Tonight.”

  Alice pushed the door open, and the two women walked into the center of the group of argumentative men.

  They fell silent as Jane entered.

  The hood of her cloak slipped back, exposing huge violet eyes and cropped black hair that had at least grown in enough to cover the bald patches.

  “While you lot have been shouting and arguing, Jane decided to take matters into her own hands,” Alice said. “I found her attempting to slip out the door. Now what do you have to say for yourselves?”

  The four men all had the grace to look extremely sheepish. “We apologize, Miss Jane,” Lear said. “Please don’t leave. We want to help.”

  Jane stood in their midst and bravely lifted her chin. “I can’t stay in London. If Coleman suspects your involvement, my presence puts you in grave danger. I have to leave.”

  Admiration shone in Patrick’s eyes. “But without new papers you will be a fugitive.”

  “They think I’m drowned, do they not?” Jane asked.

  Lear nodded. “Yes. But we don’t know if they believe that for sure.”

  “What’s clear is that my presence puts everyone in danger. I must leave tonight. So, gentlemen.” She stared at each in turn. “Where should I go? I will consider your counsel carefully.”

  Alice was startled by her calm, commanding air. Where had this Jane been? The cowering girl who had arrived, so damaged and frightened, was gone and in her place stood a lady as composed and regal as a queen.

  “I think you should go to the Duke and Duchess of Harland’s cocoa manufactory in Surrey,” Nick said. “They have a charitable concern that helps women in crisis.”

  Jane tilted her head. “I’ve heard of it.”

  Alice had a sudden idea. “Or maybe she could come with me to India! As my companion. We could hide her near the docks for the remaining days until the ship sets sail.”

  Jane turned to Lear. “Do you have a proposal?” Alice imagined that Jane’s gaze softened slightly when she looked at Captain Lear.

  “I think you should go to my friend the Duke of Bayne in Scotland. He’s in need of a governess for his two young children. They’re rather troublesome. It’s a godforsaken bog of a place, but no one would think to look for you there.”

  “Will he want a governess with a shorn head?” Jane asked.

  “Bayne won’t care about any of that. He can’t pay governesses enough to make them stay at his moldy old estate. It’s the perfect hiding place.”

  “How do you know this fellow?” Nick asked.

  Lear shrugged. “Supply him with goods same as you.”

  “What’s his story?” Nick asked.

  “Scottish lord who unexpectedly inherited a dukedom and a tattered old castle.”

  “Duke of Bayne. Can’t say I’ve heard of him.”

  “Wife died in childbirth. Has two children to raise and he refuses to move away from his god-forsaken, backwater village.”

  Alice caught Captain Lear’s eye. “Will Jane be safe with him?”

  “I’d trust him with my sister.”

  “Have you got a sister?” asked Nick with a startled expression.

  “I’ve got five.”

  Alice smiled. Obviously Nick didn’t know his friend as well as he thought he did.

  “Does anyone else have an opinion about where I should go?” When no one else spoke, Jane stared into the fire for a moment.

  When she turned back to face the group, Alice could see she’d made a decision by the fierce light in her eyes.

  “While I know of the Duchess of Harland’s charity work and admire her for it,” Jane said, “if someone discovers that you harbored me, Lord Hatherly, they may think to find me there.”

  “That’s out then,” Nick said.

  “And Alice,” Jane continued, “while you’ve been kindness itself, and the idea of a long voyage to India with you is delightful, I don’t want to wait even one more day. I need to leave London tonight. Which leaves the Duke of Bayne.”

  Lear nodded tersely. “You’ll be in a private coach this evening, Miss Jane.”

  Alice caught Jane’s hands in hers. “Are you sure? It may be lonely in a moldering old castle in Scotland.”

  “The wilds of Scotland and a surly duke and his ill-behaved children will suit me perfectly. I’m a ghost, am I not? I don’t exist. I’m no one except the person I will become. That person wants to do some good, and if I may use my education to help the Duke’s children, I will. And my husband won’t think to search for me in Scotland.”

  “It’s decided then. I shall miss you, Jane,” Alice said.

  “And I you,” Jane replied. “There’s another thing, gentlemen. I know the women’s wing at the Yellow House intimately.” She shuddered but forced herself to continue speaking. “I know where they are keeping Annie. I’ll draw you a diagram so that you may remove her more swiftly. I only wish . . .” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I only wish you could save them all.”

  Alice placed an arm around her shoulders and led her from the room. “Come, we’ll make sure you have everything you need in that valise of yours. It’s very small. I think you might require more clothing in your new post.”

  When Alice returned, the men were talking over the options for their mission tomorrow, and Nick and Lear still seemed to be advocating for the use of violence to persuade Coleman to reform his ways.

  Alice walked into the middle of the circle, to the spot Jane had vacated, and held up her hand. “Gentlemen, I believe I have a plan.”

  They stopped talking and stared at her.

  “Why am I not surprised?” Nick asked. “Let’s hear it, Dimples.”

  Patrick smiled at his use of her pet name. “Dimples?”

  Alice wasn’t going to let anyon
e distract her. She’d had an idea while she helped Jane pack a trunk with sensible governess dresses, since they were much of a size.

  Jane had said again how she wished the men could rescue all of the inmates suffering from abuse at the hands of Coleman and his sadistic keepers.

  And the answer had struck Alice. It was so simple, really.

  “Nick, your friend the Duke of Harland is a respected member of Parliament. He could request a select committee be convened to investigate the deplorable conditions in private madhouses, could he not?”

  “I see,” Nick said. “Very clever, my dear. We use the threat of such a report to bend Coleman to our will. Augment that threat with a few well-thrown jabs, am I right?” he asked Lear.

  “Hear hear,” said Lear, and the two reprobates clinked glasses. “I’m thinking smash his nose and break his kneecaps.”

  “Why make it only a threat?” Alice asked. “Nick, don’t you see? You should inspect the Yellow House and you should write a report for Parliament. Then Harland can present it as evidence when he convenes the select committee. It’s a way to not only seek your revenge and rescue Annie, but help hundreds of other patients in similar asylums as well.”

  Patrick cocked his head. “Of course, Alice. Why didn’t we think of it before?”

  Dr. Forster nodded emphatically. “There’s no incentive for Coleman to treat his patients well. He is paid by how many he keeps. A Parliamentary investigation would expose his cruelty and cause a public outcry. I will be happy to sign your report, Lord Hatherly.”

  Alice clapped her hands. “It’s all settled then. Tomorrow, we all visit the Yellow House. The more witnesses, the better.”

  Nick shook his head. Why was he shaking his head? He had a stubborn look on his face as well.

  “I won’t visit the Yellow House. That’s not my method.”

  “Maybe it won’t be as satisfying as beating him until he begs for mercy,” Alice said, “but it will have much larger and more lasting consequences. You will wield far more power working within the confines of the law.”

  “The man needs to be completely shut down,” Dr. Forster agreed. “This evil can’t be allowed to continue unpunished and unabated.”