The Orphan and the Duke

by Jillian Chantal

  “Yeah. I know a private place round ‘bout here. You grab one arm, George, and I’ll grab the other. Mort can follow behind in case she tries to ‘scape.”

  While they debated, Amelia took advantage of their discussion to turn on her heel and run as fast as she could. She kept running until she couldn’t take another breath.

  Basil didn’t read the paper that morning. He dashed out of the house without stopping for breakfast as he was late for his boxing match with Myles Cuthbert.

  When he arrived, he changed into his boxing clothes and joined Cuthbert in the ring. They sparred for a while until they worked up a sweat.

  Once they’d gone a few rounds, Cuthbert called for a rest. When they were seated, he said, “I say, are you so aggressive this morning because of that gossip in the papers?”

  “What gossip? I haven’t read today’s papers. I slept too late and only got up when I did because my sisters’ cat came and jumped on my face.”

  “Then I must tell you, someone clearly wants to make you the subject of a scandal.”

  “What did it say?”

  “That you’ve been seen in the company of an unsuitable young lady and that, even though your parents would assuredly not approve, you will continue to pursue her.”

  “Oh, dear God. I need to get going. Her uncle will probably beat her if he’s seen it.” Basil jumped up and moved quickly to the dressing area.

  Cuthbert followed behind him. “Really? You think Miss Mandeville’s uncle will strike her?”

  “I have no doubt. Her family is a nest of vipers. In fact, the day I met the man, he accused me of wanting to bring her to my home to debauch her.”

  “And what did you say to that?”

  “I let my fist do the talking. Think what he may of me, I couldn’t tolerate him disrespecting his niece in that way.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  They both changed quickly in silence. As soon as they were ready, Basil said, “There’s no need in you getting involved. The scandal could hit you as well.”

  “If we’re going to be friends, Darnley, I’m going to be there when you need me. Scandal or not.”

  “All right. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. If that man has laid a hand on her, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

  “All the more reason to have me there.” Cuthbert led the way out and to his carriage. “Let’s take mine. That way, if you bruise your knuckles, I can see you home.”

  Basil shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s exactly what will happen.” He sent his own carriage home and climbed into Cuthbert’s.

  Taking longer than Basil wanted, the coachman eventually stopped the vehicle in front of the Mandeville home.

  “Do you want me to step out first? I’m sure they won’t recognize my conveyance as they would yours with your seal on the door,” Cuthbert asked.

  “I don’t think it will matter. I’m going in that house, invited or not.”

  “How about we start out in a gentlemanly manner, and if they won’t let us see Miss Mandeville, then we tear the door down. I think knocking politely would be the way to go initially.”

  “You don’t know these people, but I agree to try it your way first. Promise me, though, that you won’t try to stop me if they block me from seeing her,” Basil said.

  “I promise.” Cuthbert opened the door. Before he put his leg out, he looked over his shoulder and said, “You’re in love with the lady, aren’t you?”

  “I just realized it myself last night. How can you tell?”

  “I fell hard and fast for Augusta. I recognize the look.” Cuthbert laughed. “Let’s go check on your love.”

  They exited the carriage, crossed onto the Mandeville property, and made their way to the front door.

  Cuthbert knocked, and the butler Basil recognized from his last visit appeared at the door. “I’m sorry, Your Grace. Mr. and Mrs. Mandeville aren’t home.”

  “I’m not here for them. I’m here to see Miss Amelia Mandeville.”

  “She isn’t here.”

  “She isn’t here, or she isn’t receiving?” Cuthbert spoke.

  “The young lady isn’t here,” the butler repeated.

  “And Mr. and Mrs. Mandeville are in the house and merely not receiving?” Cuthbert went on.

  The butler didn’t answer but dipped his head as if in acquiescence to the question.

  That was all the encouragement Basil needed. He shoved past the butler and into the foyer. As soon as he was inside the house, he bellowed, “I know you’re here, Mandeville! I’m not leaving until I see your niece.”

  Cuthbert whispered to Basil, “Not too subtle there, friend.”

  “I don’t care. I’m determined to see her,” he said in his normal tone and then yelled again, “Might as well come down here, Mandeville! I’m here to stay!”

  Susan appeared at the top of the staircase. She gaped at them before speaking. “Your Grace, what can we do for you?”

  “Have Miss Amelia Mandeville come down here to speak to me.”

  “I’m sorry. She’s out for the day.”

  “Out where?” Basil was running out of what little patience he had and wasn’t in the mood to be trifled with.

  “I’m sure I don’t know.” Susan descended the staircase and stood beside Basil. She glanced at Cuthbert. “Aren’t you going to make the introductions?”

  “I am not here on a social call. I am here to see Amelia.”

  “Then you shall have to come again on another day. As I said, she’s not here.”

  “Where is your father?” Basil demanded.

  “I’ve no idea.” She shrugged.

  “Miss?” Cuthbert said.

  “Yes?”

  “The Duke of Darnley is quite concerned about the welfare of Miss Amelia Mandeville whom I presume is your relation. The quickest way to have him quit these premises is for someone to either produce Miss Mandeville or tell him where she is.”

  “I wish I could help you, but I cannot.” Susan shook her head.

  Basil wasn’t waiting any longer. He moved around the two of them to one of the closed doors in the corridor—the one he remembered as being the parlor. Flinging it open, he peered inside. No one was there.

  “You can’t do this. Get out of our home.”

  “I am going nowhere. I’m sure your coward of a father is somewhere in this house, and even if I’d had some respect for him before I arrived here—which I didn’t, by the way—I’d have lost that by now. When a grown man sends his slip of a daughter down to fight his battles, all thoughts that he may be an honorable man are gone.”

  “You’re wrong. My father is a brave man.”

  “Then where is he?” Basil turned to the next door and opened it. Mr. and Mrs. Mandeville stood inside a small dining room, practically cowering in the corner. “Come and look at your brave father now, Miss Mandeville. He’s hiding while you defend his honor.”

  “Sir, I must ask you to leave my home.” Mr. Mandeville found his courage somewhere among the cutting utensils. He stepped forward and out into the main room.

  “I’m sure you heard me tell your daughter that I am not going anywhere until I see your niece. And if you didn’t, then here’s your notice of that fact. The easiest thing to do is call for her to come downstairs so I may see that she has come to no harm.” Basil felt the heat from Cuthbert’s body as the man came to stand near him. He was grateful his friend was staying out of the conversation but close enough to react if needed.

  “What makes you think she would have been harmed?” Mrs. Mandeville asked as she moved to stand by her husband.

  “I’m quite sure you and your husband both saw the newspaper item that referred to her. Knowing the way you’ve always treated her, I’m concerned about her sa
fety.”

  “What exactly are you accusing me of doing, sir?”

  “I don’t know until I see your niece.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “At this point in time, sir, since you won’t produce her, I can only presume you’ve done her grave harm or maybe even killed her.”

  Susan let out a gasp at the same time her mother fell backward against the closest wall with her hand to her neck.

  “How dare you accuse me of murder? I did no such thing.” Mr. Mandeville’s eyes bulged. He lunged toward Basil. “I should call you out for that.”

  “Prove to me that she isn’t dead. Produce her. Here.” Basil didn’t back down. He pointed to the floor in front of him. “Now.”

  The man seemed to find his nerve and came at Basil with both hands stretched out before him.

  Before he could touch the duke, though, Cuthbert stepped between them. “Bring your niece down here, sir. We must see her immediately, or I will be sending my coachman for the nearest constable.”

  “I cannot send for my niece, for you see, the lady has been defiled by the Duke of Darnley here, and as a result, she is no longer living under my roof. She has been turned out. I have no idea where she is nor do I care. Now, I suggest the two of you leave my home before I send for a constable as well to put you out of my residence.”

  “You threw her out in the street?” Basil almost passed out. Innocent Amelia out in the streets? And I’ve wasted all this time with these people. I needed to be out searching for her. “You’re her guardian.”

  “And you are her debaucher, sir.”

  “I have done no such thing, and now you’ve sent her out to who-knows-what fate.” Basil rushed for the man, intent on harming him for sending his love out unprotected.

  Cuthbert grabbed Basil’s arm. “Save it for later. Right now, we need to find her.”

  Basil knew his friend was right. He turned toward the front door. Before stepping outside, he called out, “This isn’t over, Mandeville. Your reckoning day is coming. Be ready.”

  On the porch, the butler stopped them. “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you, but Mr. Mandeville would turn me out without a reference. We gave the young lady some food, but we had no coins for her.”

  “Where did she go? Do you know?” Basil asked.

  “I’m sorry, Your Grace. She walked that way.” He pointed to the west.

  “Was she hurt?”

  “She was on her feet, but the master had—”

  Mandeville’s voice came from inside the house. “Get inside and close the door, Branson.”

  “Good luck, sir.” The butler disappeared behind the door.

  “What do you think he was going to say?” Basil asked Cuthbert.

  “The most important thing he said was she was on her feet. We need to take hope in that and find her as soon as we can.”

  “Where should we look?”

  “We need to walk since she’s on foot. We can cover the amount of ground she did more easily than in the carriage. I’ll also send my man to Augusta, and she will get her brothers out to assist us.”

  “Thank you, Cuthbert. I’m so glad we met. I need a friend for sure today.”

  “Come on then. Let’s find your lady.”

  Basil started walking in the direction indicated by the butler. Cuthbert caught up to him after sending his carriage for reinforcements.

  They walked for hours up and down so many streets Basil lost count. They crossed paths a few times with Cuthbert’s brothers-in-law but never saw Amelia.

  Frantic with worry when the sun went down, Basil didn’t know what to do or where to go next. He was sure Amelia had never been out alone after dark. His heart ached knowing how scared she would be. Where could she have taken refuge?

  “What can we do now?” Basil asked his friend.

  “We keep looking. She’s out here somewhere. The good news is we haven’t found her hurt or—” He hesitated.

  Basil finished the sentence. “Or dead. I know. That is good, but where could she be? She has to be terribly frightened.”

  “We’re going to stop everyone we see and ask if they’ve seen a young lady alone who is clearly genteel. I mean asking even ladies of the night and ruffians.” Cuthbert hailed the next man walking by. “I say, sir.”

  The man came over. He reeked of gin but seemed to be able to hold himself together. “Got any coins?”

  Cuthbert handed the man a coin. “We’re looking for a young lady—”

  “Aren’t we all?” The man wheezed out a laugh.

  Basil tapped his toe. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could last if they didn’t find her soon. A fleeting thought of how dark and dismal his days would be if he never found her raced through his mind.

  Realizing Cuthbert was getting nowhere, Basil wandered away.

  He spotted three men standing on the corner of the next block. He crossed over to speak to them.

  One of the men noticed him first. “Look here, another fancy dresser down here mingling with the regular people. Must be some kind of holiday.”

  This might lead somewhere. How many fancy people could these three have seen in one day? “Have you seen a young lady recently? One who would be—”

  “What? Your ladybird done left you? Did you make her mad? She was right terrified of ole Mort here. Ran off like she was runnin’ from the hounds of hell.”

  With his heart in his throat, Basil said, “She did get mad. She thought I was looking too long at another. Where did she go? I’m worried about her.” He figured playing along with them would get him more information than if he told them he was a duke.

  “She ran thataway.” One of the other men spat on the ground and poked a thumb over his shoulder.

  “How long ago?”

  “No more than ten minutes,” the third man said.

  Basil took off at a run, throwing a “thank you” over his shoulder as he went. He traveled a few blocks then slowed down to catch his breath.

  Basil was grateful his lungs needed a rest when he heard a faint whimpering he would’ve missed had he still been running. He decided to follow the sound.

  To his eternal amazement, he found, huddled under an awning and in the corner of a doorway, the love of his life.

  He stepped forward.

  “Stop! Stop! Please don’t hurt me,” Amelia cried out.

  “Darling, I would never hurt you.” Basil leaned down and pulled Amelia into his arms.

  “Oh, God, I must be dreaming. If I’m dying, let me die with this dream. Don’t let me wake and see my attacker.” She sobbed into her shoulder where she’d turned her head away from him.

  Basil gently took hold of her chin and moved her face where she could see him. “Open your eyes and look at me. I’m really here. You’re safe. No one will ever harm you again.”

  She opened her eyes and focused on him. “I’m so sorry. I’ve always been a burden on everyone, and now I’ve been one to you.”

  “Never, my love. Never a burden, always a joy.” He held her tightly. “Let’s go home.”

  “Home? I have no home.” She shook her head.

  “You do now.” Basil rose and held her in his arms. He sent up a silent prayer of gratitude.

  He turned to see if he could hail a hansom but found his friend standing beside him. “I’ve got the carriage around the corner.”

  “How?”

  “It was passing with Lancelot inside when I saw you run off after talking to those men. I had hopes you were on the way to finding Miss Mandeville and followed with the carriage.”

  “Then let’s get her home, fed, and cleaned up. I’m sure my sisters will be more than ready to assist us. We may even be able to get the cat to drink a toast to our finding Amelia safe and u
nharmed.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were drunk, Darnley.”

  “Maybe I am, maybe I am.” Drunk with relief and love, Basil planted a kiss on Amelia’s forehead, but she didn’t know it as she was sound asleep.

  Chapter 15

  Two days later, Amelia was still in bed. Jonquil and Saffron came by several times a day to read to her or draw pictures for her. Augusta also came to visit. She said her husband and brothers were also in the house but didn’t feel it appropriate to visit a lady in her bed, so they sent notes and chocolates instead.

  Archimedes seemed to be around all the time, although Basil did say the cat still spent a lot of the day with him in his study. Amelia was glad the duke didn’t have the same qualms as Augusta’s male family members when it came to visits. Her day always brightened when he sat with her. She remembered he’d called her his love when he rescued her, but she knew that he was speaking out of relief because he had found her.

  She had no idea why he’d decided to check on her the day the gossip item was in the paper. He didn’t owe her anything, but she was grateful. By the time night had fallen and she was sitting in the doorway, exhausted from the day’s trials, she was sure she was dying.

  She knew the duke and his sisters would allow her to stay with them until she had recovered and found a position, but without a home to return to each day, her dream of preparing young ladies for presentation was over. Finding work would also be difficult since she’d been the subject of a scandal. She decided to inquire about governess appointments. “It’s here. It’s here,” Saffron said as Jonquil followed her into Amelia’s room carrying a massive box.

  “What do you have?” Amelia leaned forward and realized for the first time since she’d been thrown out of her uncle’s house that her back and head didn’t ache. Maybe I’m going to be all right after all. The first day or so she didn’t think she’d ever be the same again.