To Catch A Duke

by Bethany Sefchick

  "I will have my justice!" Landover screeched, but by this time, some of the shooters that the marquess had placed around the park had emerged from hiding, their weapons drawn and turned on the marquess himself. In the distance, more horses could be heard approaching, and Benjamin suspected that it was at least one constable and a group of Bow Street Runners.

  "If you come after us, I will hunt you down like the dog you are." Nicholas' voice was like forged iron now - hard and unyielding. "Do not trifle with me, Landover, or you will suffer the consequences." He glanced over to one of the men holding a gun. "Ask your friend Wilson there. He will tell you the truth. I do not make idle threats, and I carry through with those that I do issue."

  "You don't frighten me." Landover was looking for an escape route as the authorities closed in, but he had nowhere to run.

  Nicholas raised an eyebrow, and Benjamin saw a look of pure, icy fury in his friend's eyes. "Don't I?" He gave the marquess a sardonic look. "Somehow, I think you know precisely what I am talking about."

  Then Nicholas pointed his gun at Landover's heart, freezing the other man in place. "Now be still and don't make me shoot you." Then he risked a glance backwards to address Benjamin. "Get her help. Now. I have this until the authorities arrive"

  The Duke of Radcliffe did not need to be told twice. Turning back to Julia who was still cradled in his arms from when he'd caught her, he was surprised to find her gazing up at him, a look of pure adoration on her face. "You saved me. Again." Her words were so soft that had he not been leaning over her, he would have missed them.

  "And I would save you a thousand times over, Julia. As many as necessary to keep you safe." He swallowed hard. Now. Now was the time. "I love you."

  But Julia did not hear the last part. Instead, she'd fainted dead away from pain just as a physician arrived and began to lift her from his arms. "Be careful. She's been shot." He said the words wearily, as if he had lived a thousand lifetimes in the span of just a few moments.

  "I did not harm her before. I will not now." Benjamin looked up to find the physician was none other than Doctor Hastings, the same one who had arrived from London to care for Julia the day she had been kidnapped. Older now, he still had the same comforting smile, as well as an air about him that indicated that he would, in fact, do no harm. Behind him, there was another, younger man, clearly an apprentice. The duke wasn't certain that he trusted the new man.

  Obviously seeing the look of mistrust on the duke's face, the doctor smiled reassuringly. "He is better than I was at his age. If her life is in danger, he is the best available, I assure you." Then laid Julia out on the ground and pushed back her cloak to examine the wound. Her dress was torn where the bullet had passed through, and Hastings tore the rest of the fabric away with his hands. With his knife, he cut away the rest of her undergarments, leaving Benjamin holding his breath in fear.

  "I think it is just a graze, even though it is bleeding greatly," Hastings said after a quick examination. "Wounds in this area sometimes do."

  "Can you save her?" That was the only thing Benjamin needed to know. If Julia's life ended, then so, essentially, did his. As would Landover's, even if the man didn't know it yet.

  Nodding, Hastings gestured to the other man. "If you would allow my assistant, Mr. Blackwell, to assist me, I will make her comfortable enough that we may transport her elsewhere." Then he gestured for Blackwell to approach.

  It went against every instinct Benjamin had to back away and allow the other men to treat Julia. He'd looked after her, cared for her for so long that he no longer felt comfortable entrusting her well being to anyone else. Still, logically, he knew that he didn't have the specialized knowledge that these men did. So slowly, he moved away and over to where Nick stood, already talking to two Runners. There were questions to be answered, he knew, and a long way to go before this affair was finally settled.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "Someone to see you, my lady." Cosgrove, the butler, issued his words with a hint of distain, as if he knew in advance the response he would receive. Which he did.

  "I am not taking callers today." Julia looked out the window to the rainy street beyond. It had been raining ever since the day of the duel. Dark clouds had moved in that afternoon, as if they knew that Julia's brief moment in society was ending and wished to share in her misery. "Send them away."

  It had been four days since that fateful morning. Four days since all that Julia knew and had been enjoying ended in a scandal that, even now, was still racing through the ton like a fire raced through a barn full of dry hay. Not that she had been privy to much of the details, of course. For the first two days, she'd been unconscious, healing from the after effects of the bullet that had grazed her side. A bullet that Landover had fired. Today and the day before had been spent rejecting inquisitive callers, each eager for a bit of fresh news that they could then add to the growing scandal.

  Not that the event could have been keep silent, even if they would have tried. After all, with the doctors, seconds, criminal elements, and the law involved, there was very little that society did not know about what had occurred that morning on the dueling field near the park. The official story was that she, Nicholas and Benjamin had been out for an early morning ride when Landover, still seeking revenge over Lady Catherine Huffton, had attempted to kill Radcliffe, and, in doing so, missed his target and struck Julia instead.

  That was the official story, but, of course, no one believed it. How could they? There had been multiple men with guns and no horses - save for Julia's, which had been located hours later drinking from the Serpentine. Nicholas had been armed, Benjamin had been partially undressed and obviously unfit to be seen in public. Not to mention that there was the issue of the Marquess of Berkshire's ivory-handled, engraved dueling pistols at the scene. No one knew quite what to make of those. As far as anyone knew, Lord Berkshire, though a friend of Landover's had no issue with either Radcliffe or Candlewood, thus making his pistols at the scene a bit of a mystery. The Runners, of course, worked to keep most of those details quiet.

  However, everyone knew the basics of the tale, which were mostly repeated correctly with each telling of the story. There had been a duel in progress, one to defend Julia and her honor, as well as to keep numerous family secrets. The real scandal, of course, was that Julia had been at the dueling field in the first place. No one knew of her affair with Benjamin, at least not the details, but it didn't matter. Even if she wasn't precisely a fallen woman, she was now very much a scandalized one.

  A scandalized one that had quickly been disinvited from every event she'd received an invitation to in the days before the duel. It shouldn't have mattered, really, as the season ended the following evening, but Julia's heart still hurt with each cut she received. She had hoped to dance at least one more time with Benjamin before she returned to her solitary life in Sussex. Now that was wiped away as well.

  There was no question, of course, that she would return to Seldon Park. After all that had happened, there was no way she could remain in society. She was a fallen woman. A pariah. Leaving London was the only option left to her. Just when she had decided to finally claim her rightful place in the ton, it had been yanked away from her as if it had never existed at all.

  "You will see us, I believe."

  Julia looked up to see Lady Amy Cheltenham, as well as her mother, the Countess of Evanston practically float into the drawing room. Rising quickly, Julia offered a curtsey and then rang for tea to be brought as she ushered them to overstuffed chairs.

  "My lady. Lady Amy." Julia looked at them both rather quizzically. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit? I had not expected any visitors today." None that she wished to see, anyway.

  "We are here to help, of course." Lady Amy offered a smile and patted Julia's hand as if they were old friends. "We know, of course, about what took place in the park a few days ago."

  Julia was saved from answering immediately by the arrival of the tea tray. As she poured,
she took the time to phrase her response just so, not wanting to offend either of the two women. As of yet, they hadn't berated her for her behavior, and she didn't want them to do so now. Though she could not really fathom why they were here at all.

  Finally, when she was finished, she sat back, teacup in hand, and looked at her guests. "I'm sorry, my ladies, but I do not know what you are talking about. My brother and I, as well as our old family friend Lord Radcliffe were out riding a few days ago when we were ambushed by Lord Landover. He attempted to kill Radcliffe, but struck me instead. I thought the proper authorities had dealt whit him accordingly? Is that not the case?"

  The last Julia had heard, via her brother, of course, was that Landover was in Newgate, awaiting a decision on his fate. Most likely he would be forced to the Continent to live, depending on the extent of Benjamin's influence. The other men he'd hired had all disappeared back into the cesspool that was London's slums and no one had bothered to look for them. As they were not the ones holding the grudge, it was felt that it was unlikely that they would make another attempt on either Nicholas' or Benjamin's lives.

  At Julia's words, a small smile touched the corner of the countess' mouth. "That was excellent, Lady Julia. A performance worthy of Drury Lane, if you do not mind me saying so. This entire scheme will work out nicely, indeed. I see that I needn't have worried."

  "What scheme, my lady?" Julia felt as if she'd wandered into the middle of a play where she had never seen the script. "I beg your pardon, but I'm afraid that I have no idea what you're about."

  At that, Amy sat forward in her chair eagerly and grasped Julia's hand. "I know that we haven't been the best of friends, and for that, I apologize. Sometimes, I allow my actions to be dictated by society, even though I know better."

  "You have no need to apologize," Julia assured the woman still clutching her hands tightly. "You did nothing wrong." She also did not understand what her relationship with Lady Amy had to do with the scandal of the near-duel.

  "But I did," Amy insisted, rushing on. "I had hoped to become your friend this season, but..." She trailed off as if embarrassed before straightening her spine again. "No matter. My point is that you have suffered greatly for things you had no part of."

  Instinctively, Julia reached up to stroke her face. "My scars. The duel." Among other things.

  "We know the story, my dear," Lady Evanston broke in, her tone strong, but not condemning. "Everyone does, though those with any breeding at all will not speak of it, at least not in public. Lord Radcliffe did what was necessary, even if his behavior was just this side of scandalous." She looked Julia directly in the eye, something that few people ever did upon first meeting her. "You, however, have suffered the brunt of things. That is not fair and it should be corrected immediately, which is why we are here."

  Julia knew the other woman was referring to the rescinded invitations and the cuts, both direct and indirect, she had received from the moment she'd arrived in London. "I do not see how that can be changed, my lady," Julia finally offered. There was no solution, at least none that she could see. In two days, she would depart for Seldon Park and, barring any unforeseen emergencies, never return. It was not what she wanted, but it was what had to be.

  Amy opened her reticule and produced an engraved invitation, which she handed to Julia. "For you. An invitation for you and your brother to our end-of-season ball tomorrow night."

  Taking it with trembling hands, Julia bit her lip. She was completely in awe. Even when she and Nicholas had been scandal-free, this was one invitation she had never expected to receive. Nicholas might have, some day, perhaps when he chose to marry. If he ever did. But not her. She was not ranked nearly high enough on the social scale to even merit consideration.

  "My lady, I am honored but I cannot," Julia protested. This was too much. She knew that Amy and her mother would not hold her up for ridicule on purpose, but it would happen. They had to know that. "At the very least, I will be an unwelcome distraction at your ball."

  "Posh." Julia looked up in surprise at the countess. "Those old dragons would vilify everyone who does not look, think, or act the way they expect or demand. Just at they did to you." She gave a haughty sniff, as if the matrons of the ton did not concern her in the least. "But times change and another change is on the horizon, I think. Maybe not next season, but soon enough. Those of us in a position to facilitate the change have a moral obligation to do so." She was clearly talking about something Julia knew nothing about, but that didn't seem to matter to the countess. "I think that we all know Benjamin Sinclair was justified in killing his father for you all those years ago."

  Julia gasped. She had no idea anyone outside of her immediate circle knew the truth. She was even more shocked when the countess patted her hand comfortingly.

  "The ton has known the truth for years, my dear," Lady Evanston sighed wearily, as if the burden of keeping secrets was too much to bear. "But it was polite not to speak of it, not to mention that few truly mourned the passing of the scoundrel. Radcliffe is a far better duke than his father ever was."

  "So everyone already knows?" Julia could not believe this. She'd lived in ignorance for so long and meanwhile it had been public knowledge?

  Amy tightened her grip on Julia's hand. "It was not spoken about around you, your brother or Radcliffe," she assured Julia. "That would not have been proper. But, yes, many people knew. I did and from a very young age."

  "And now?" Julia was confused, and her head was beginning to throb, though she suspected that it was partly from the medication Dr. Hastings had given her for her injury.

  "Now it is time to allow the past to rest." Lady Evanston inclined her head. "It is done. Landover is no longer a threat to you, thanks to the duke. However, the scandal of you on a dueling field, even though the official story is, of course, that it was not a duel, needs to be undone. Then, and only then, can we all move on. To do so, you must be strong, show the vipers and the dragons that you are not ashamed. Not by of any of it."

  "I am not." There was a heat and passion in Julia's words that had not been there before. She was strong. She could do this. "And I would change everything if I could," she admitted, though she had no idea why she was admitting it. Only that it felt good to speak of something she'd kept locked up inside of herself for so long. "Though had I not been there, Benjamin would have died." Then she looked up in terror, realizing her mistake. These women did not know Julia used the duke's Christian name.

  Instead of being scandalized, however, Lady Evanston only smiled, her eyes twinkling. "Benjamin. I see. So should we be looking forward to seeing a betrothal announcement soon, I hope?"

  "I... I do not know." Julia still had no idea how Benjamin felt about her. She, of course, was in love with him, and had been for as long as she could remember. But she had no idea if the duke felt the same, or whether, even now, he was still repaying what he believed to be an old debt he thought he owed her. "We have not spoken of it. Not exactly, anyway." She did, of course, omit the fact that they had already been lovers, though she suspected that, given what else Lady Evanston knew, that was probably not a secret either.

  "Then I believe it is time we discerned the truth. Do you not agree?" Lady Evanston's eyes sparkled with mirth now, and Julia found that she quite liked the woman. "And I believe that tomorrow night would be a most excellent time for it. Remember, if you are strong, others cannot hurt you. To that end, I want society to see you tomorrow night as you truly are - proud, defiant and elegant. They cannot win, and you cannot allow them to do so. Especially where it concerns the duke."

  Rising, she reached down and gave Julia a hug, much to the younger woman's shock. "I believe that true love conquers all," she said softly, a far off look in her eyes. "More than the hate and the rage and the pain. You have suffered more than your share of all of those things. Now is your time to be happy. Be joyful. If my family and I can facilitate that in any way, we will be glad to do so."

  Julia rose as well, still in sho
ck. "I agree, my lady. And thank you." She clutched the invitation tightly in her hand. "My brother and I will be there."

  "See that you are." Then she nodded at her daughter. "Amy, I will await you in the carriage."

  "I do hope this was acceptable," Amy finally said when her mother had departed. "I felt so badly about everything, and when my mother mentioned yesterday that it was such a tragedy about you and the duke, well, I thought that if I could help in any way, I should."

  Impulsively, Julia hugged her new friend. "It was perfect and lovely. Thank you. Though I do not know if Radcliffe loves me." He loved her body, but loving her person was another matter entirely. "We have been friends for a very long time. I do not know if that will ever change."

  Amy shook her head. "Affairs of the heart are tricky, but in this case, they are simple. You love each other. All one needs to do is look at you both, and the answer is there for all to see."

  "I pray it is that simple," Julia said, not completely believing Amy as she ushered her to the door. "Even if it is not, after tomorrow, I will be able to hold my head up in society again. So thank you, and your mother, for that."

  "That is what friends do for one another." Amy blushed a bit, as if still a little uncertain. "And I do hope that after this, I can call you a friend. I should very much like that, though I will understand if you refuse."

  Reaching out, Julia enveloped Amy in a true hug. "Friends. I would not have it any other way. And thank you. Again. For everything."

  "Until tomorrow then." Amy gathered up her skirts and was about to depart to join her mother in the carriage when a large form blocked the doorway and Cosgrove, who had been seeing Lady Evanston out, hurried over.

  "My lady, I am sorry," he apologized quickly. "I was not at my post.

  "No need. It was entirely my fault." Dr. Blackwell, Hastings' junior associate gave a small bow and offered a bemused grin. "Then again, the presence of two beautiful ladies often gives me pause. I am just here to check on Miss Rosemont's health." He said the words to the room at large but it was clear that Lady Amy had captured his attention rather thoroughly as his eyes were fastened on her.