The Viscount's Bride (Love's Pride Book 2)

by G. L. Snodgrass

  Her mind jumped to Alice and Beatrice. She needed to get home. They would be tossed into the streets in days. Her heart hurt every time she remembered the reality of their situation.

  A quick glance out the window confirmed it was late morning. A brief perusal of her room left her impressed. Very impressed. The Queen Ann style furniture looked expensive. The wall was actually papered not painted. She was surprised to see such finery outside of London. The Viscount must be very well off.

  The memory of her host made her catch her breath. That was right. She had been rescued by Viscount Beachmont. A very handsome and exceedingly brave Viscount. Her heart fluttered a little as she thought of the way his arms had cradled her. The brooding face. Those mesmerizing eyes of his.

  Rubbing her forehead to try and make the pounding go away she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. The world shifted and she had to grab the footboard to stop herself from falling.

  “Slow down Caroline,” she mumbled to herself while she waited for things to become stable again.

  Eventually, the world stopped spinning and she was able to inspect her surroundings. Her trunk was at the end of the bed and a peek inside the armoire confirmed that Amy had been there. Hanging her dresses for her.

  Thank you, dear. Oh, how she was going to miss Amy. She would miss all of the servants of course but Amy most of all. How would she face the day without Amy’s easy smile?

  Deciding that easy was best and not wanting to have to ring for her maid, she selected a simple light blue day dress. No time like the present to start learning how to dress without the assistance of a maid.

  Once ready, she left the room to find her host and thank him before leaving for London. The thought of her sisters roaming the streets of London at night filled her with dread.

  Would Mr. Tanner really throw them out? Would he offer them shelter? The thought sent a chill down her back. She did not want her sisters around the man.

  She made her way down the long hallway briefly admiring the portraits lining the wall. Obviously the Viscount’s ancestors. What a lot of them, she thought. Each one seemed rather stern. There wasn’t a smile or happy face in the lot.

  Swallowing hard she ran her hands down her dress and continued on. A footman had his back to her as he polished some brass at the head of the stairs.

  “Excuse me?” Caroline said. Her voice sounded raspy, unused.

  The footman immediately looked up and smiled. At least the servants weren’t as implacable as the master of the house.

  “Johnson, My Lady.” The footman answered. Caroline was surprised. He didn’t look like a normal footman. A rough face with a nasty scar above his left eye that made it droop. Average height but the beginning of a belly.

  Most of high society put a great deal of pride in the appearance of their footmen. She had always been told that you could judge the standing of a house by the appearance of their footmen. This man looked like he should be working on the London docks not a Viscount’s mansion.

  “Can you tell me where his Lordship might be? I need to thank him before I leave.”

  The footman’s uninjured eyebrow rose for a second, as if in surprise. She wondered what about her request was a shock but chose not to pursue it.

  “Of course My Lady. He is in the dining room with the Doctor. Let me show you the way.”

  Caroline decided not to correct him. She wasn’t a lady. Not really. Just a formerly rich young woman. Using the banister for support, she followed him downstairs.

  “My servants, Amy, Hampton, Jake the coachman. Are they here?” She asked.

  “Yes, My Lady. Below stairs.”

  Sighing with relief she was able to put that worry aside. Obviously she had been the only one silly enough to be thrown from the carriage.

  As they approached the large wooden doors of the dining room, Caroline found herself feeling light headed again. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Why was she nervous? She would thank the man and then remove herself from his life. They would never see each other again.

  The thought saddened her, but she put it aside and allowed Johnson to announce her.

  “Lady Jennings, My Lord,” he said as he opened the door for her.

  “Miss Jennings,” she corrected as she stepped into the room. Dr. Chase and Viscount Beachmont both stood. She had forgotten how big he was. He seemed to fill the room with his presence. For a moment, she forgot what she was doing and stared at him.

  He seemed bigger than life. A hero from ancient times. Stern, strong, commanding. And oh so handsome in a perfectly manly way. Gulping a little, she curtsied then smiled at the doctor. She remembered him from the night before. A nice man, competent, efficient, with a friendly demeanor.

  Not like the Viscount. His Lordship looked like he was the type of man to not suffer fools easily. She told herself to remain steady. This would not take long.

  “I wanted to thank you, My Lord. Both for your hospitality and for saving my life. I know I would not be here now without your brave actions. Thank you.”

  He bowed his head slightly at her praise but did not smile. She felt her heart flutter again. Why was it always fluttering around this man? Why did she want to make him smile so much?

  “Please, Miss Jennings won’t you join us for breakfast.”

  “Thank you, My Lord, but I must be leaving. It is imperative that I get to London as soon as possible. Again I just wanted to say thank you before I left.”

  The Viscount’s brow narrowed in confusion. “London? Leave? I am sorry, but your coach will not be ready for several days. I have sent to Farnham for a wheelwright. We don’t have anyone in the village who could repair such a fine vehicle. You are more than welcome to stay here as my guest until he has finished.”

  Caroline grabbed the back of a chair for support. “Days?” she felt the blood drain from her face as her insides tightened. “I don’t have days. My sisters.”

  The room began to spin and she pulled out the chair to sit down before she fell and made a complete fool of herself.

  “Are you all right Miss Jennings?” the Doctor asked.

  “My sisters. I need to get to my sisters,” she mumbled. Why. Oh, the house. Her mind wasn’t working like it should she realized. The world kept spinning. Turning and twisting on itself until she thought she might be sick.

  The thought terrified her. Imagine being sick in front of the Viscount.

  Doctor Chase had shot his friend a look of concern then got up to come to her side. He gently placed a hand on her forehead.

  “You are burning up,” he announced.

  “I can’t be sick. I have to get my sisters. They are alone and the streets…”

  “Don’t worry. We will take care of everything.” The Viscount said.

  For the first time, she saw that he looked worried. It surprised her, she couldn’t imagine this man every being worried about anything.

  “You need to go to back to bed, Miss Jennings.”

  “No!”

  “Yes,” he said firmly as he looked at his friend. The Viscount reached over and pulled a cord in the corner. Almost immediately a sour looking butler stepped into the room.

  “Evers, please have Nanny and Miss Jennings’s maid come help her back to her room. She will be staying with us until she feels better.”

  “Yes My Lord,” the butler answered.

  A surge of fear washed through her.

  “You don’t understand,” she said. “I have to retrieve my sisters. We are moving to Dorset. They will be alone. On the streets.” Her world began to turn gray as she gripped the table’s edge.

  “As I said. I will take care of it,” The Viscount said. “I will send someone to retrieve them and bring them here. Don’t worry.”

  Caroline stared at him for a moment. She so wanted to let go. Let someone else solve her problems. All she really wanted was to sleep. She was so tired.

  Before she could answer, the door opened. Both Nanny and Amy scurried to her si
de. Nanny placed a hand on her forehead like the doctor had moments ago.

  “To bed, you need to rest, you shouldn’t have been left alone.” The old woman shot the young maid a look that could have frozen water at twenty paces.

  Amy blushed but ignored the look so that she could help her mistress stand.

  “Beatrice, Alice,” Caroline mumbled.

  “Don’t worry Miss,” her maid replied.

  “Please get her settled and I will be up to check on her in a few minutes.” The doctor said.

  Everyone was so concerned, so nice, she thought. Her world twisted again and the gray began to turn black.

  “Here!” she heard someone yell before she began to collapse.

  A strong pair of arms scooped her up before she could finish her fall. She would know those arms anywhere. Bands of steel wrapped in comfort and safety. She turned to smile weakly at the large man holding her before she laid her head on his chest and let her world turn black.

  .o0o.

  For the second time in two days, he held this woman in his arms. Not many women could make such a claim. She felt as if she belonged there. Lighter than a feather. As if she had been designed to fit comfortably.

  A faint aroma of lavender tickled his nose. It was the right scent for this woman. Pure, simple, lovely.

  Thomas was right, she did have a fever. The heat radiated from her body like one of Nanny’s stoves. A brief twinge of worry passed through him. His mother had been like this. Not again he thought. Not again.

  Thomas gave him a curious look. Oh yes, Miss Jennings. He should take her to her room.

  Once he had settled her onto her bed, Nanny and the maid took over. Thomas gave her a quick examination. Spoke with Nanny, then followed him out of the room.

  His friend shook his head. “It is as I feared. She has a high fever.”

  “Will she be all right?” the Viscount asked.

  The doctor paused for a moment. “She is young, otherwise healthy. She has Nanny. I would say she has a good chance.”

  “A good chance?” Alexander exclaimed. “A good chance. Is that the best you can do?”

  Thomas frowned and shook his head. “Yes, unfortunately it is.”

  The two men slowly made their way downstairs back to their breakfast.

  “What do you think she meant about her two sisters?” The doctor asked.

  “I don’t know, but I am going to find out,” The Viscount said. “Evers, please send Miss Jennings’s coachman and footman up will you. I’ll see them in the study.”

  “Yes My Lord,” the butler answered before he left the room.

  A few minutes later the two servants stepped into the study. Both of them dressed in simple livery. The Coachman held his black top hat in his hand as if afraid a wind might blow it away.

  “Gentlemen,” The Viscount said as he motioned them into the room. They both looked at each other before they nervously walked to his desk.

  “I wanted to let you know that Miss Jennings has taken ill and will be staying here for a few days until she recovers. Of course, you are welcome to remain below stairs. I am sure that Evers will make you comfortable.”

  The young footman, Hampton he believed, turned white and glanced at his compatriot again.

  Interesting the Viscount thought.

  “Your mistress, Miss Jennings mentioned something about her sister’s needing assistance. Do you happen to know what she meant? I assured her I would help, but I was unable to obtain the necessary details. Something about moving to Dorset.

  The two servants studied each other for a moment. Alexander could tell that they were both hesitant to speak. The one rule drilled into every servant was that they did not talk about their employer’s life. Not if they wanted to remain employed for long.

  “I assure you, I am only asking so that I might assist Miss Jennings,” He said reassuringly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the good doctor shoot him a curious look.

  Finally, the coachman shrugged his shoulders and said to the other servant. “It’s not like we can lose our job.”

  The footman shook his head. “It’s Miss Caroline. She’s always been so good to us.”

  “Doesn’t matter my man, his lordship needs to know the truth if he’s going to help.” The coachman swallowed hard then began. “They’ve lost everything, M’Lord. Their father died and left them a mountain of debts. The house. All of us.” He indicated his fellow employee. “Gone.”

  “Miss Jennings hoped to move to her father’s old home in Dorset,” Hampton added as if trying to provide some hope.

  “A hovel, if you ask me,” The coachman added with disgust. “A fisherman’s shack. Three fine ladies like Miss Caroline and her sisters shouldn’t be living in such a place. I wouldn’t stable my horses there.”

  Alexander’s gaze shifted back and forth as the two servants filled him in on the details. How far the family had fallen in such a short period. The lack of friends or relatives to help. Every sordid detail.

  “Interesting,” The Viscount said. “Do either of you ride?” he asked.

  “Yes sir, I do,” the footman said his brow narrowing in confusion. “At least some.”

  The Viscount pondered for a moment then bellowed - “Johnson.”

  “Yes My Lord,” the servant said as he opened the door.

  “Have two horses prepared. You are off to London.”

  His footman didn’t bat an eye. But then he never did. Johnson had been with him since Portugal. It seemed like any time the Viscount needed something important he turned to Johnson.

  “You and Hampton here will ride to London, hire a carriage and team, then retrieve Miss Jennings sisters and bring them here to Armherst. Hopefully, by then, Miss Jennings is well and their coach should be ready. They can then continue on to their new home.”

  The coachman turned up his nose at the mention of the new house.

  “Yes My Lord,” Johnson said before indicating that the other servants should follow him. They both nodded their thanks to the Viscount and quickly left.

  “Are you really bringing two more young women into the house? Weren’t you the one complaining about too many women in your world,” the doctor asked.

  “This is different,” the Viscount said. “Besides, what would you have me do? Leave Miss Jennings sisters to fend for themselves on the streets of London?”

  “No, I suppose not.” He looked at the Viscount quizzically, as if trying whether to decide to press the issue or not.

  Chapter Six

  Caroline sat up in bed with a start. Her surroundings slowly flowed into place. The Viscount, being ill. All of it slowly returned to her.

  Her head pounded. Just as it had a few days before. Her night clothes stuck to her as if she had lived through a nightmare. Where was Amy? Had she left already? How long had she been sick?

  Alice? Beatrice? The sudden fear gripped her. She needed to rescue her sisters. How long had it been?

  She leaned forward and sniffed. A mild reek of onions, garlic, and a dozen different herbs assaulted her. She remembered Nanny applying a poultice to her chest. It made her smell like a kitchen pantry. How sick she must have been to allow that to happen.

  Taking a deep breath, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and gathered herself to go downstairs. She desperately needed to find out how long she had been sick.

  Hampton! Amy had told her that his Lordship had sent Hampton and another servant to retrieve Alice and Beatrice. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. The Viscount had once again rescued her, and now her sisters. How would she ever repay him? Should she even try?

  Closing her eyes, she thought of the Viscount and all he had done. Where would she be now if not for him? Dead most likely. Her heart fluttered when she thought about the way he had looked rising up out of the water. The way his dark eyes glared at the world as if daring it to misbehave just so he could fix things.

  What must it be like to go through life knowing that no matter the problem you coul
d overcome all obstacles? Confident in victory. For the thousandth time, she thought of the house in Dorset.

  A soft click of her bedroom door made her look up. Maybe it was Amy, returning to check on her. Probably coming to say goodbye one last time.

  One more person to whom she owed so much.

  Instead, a young boy of about ten snuck into the room and immediately closed the door to a hair, holding it in place while peeking through the crack.

  Caroline remembered playing hide and seek with the girls when they were that age. Their entire house a vast collection of hiding places. Closets, trunks, even the pantry for Alice.

  The boy was dressed in fine black britches, white hose, buckled shoes and a freshly ironed white cotton shirt. No servant this one. Why had he chosen her room and who was he hiding from?

  “Excuse me,” she said softly not wanting to startle him.

  The boy jumped, squealed, and spun to see who was behind him. His eyes looked as if he had seen a monster. Did she look that bad?

  He had a round, fleshy face that seemed off center somehow and brown hair that fell across his forehead. Not a handsome boy, his eyelids looked droopy and his ears were bigger than they needed to be.

  Her heart immediately went out to him. He reminded her of a puppy, all arms, and legs.

  The boy stared at her for a moment then, forgetting about the door, turned fully to stare at her and smiled.

  Ah, his saving grace, Caroline thought. His smile was angelic. The kind of smile that could make the world a better place. His innocent face lit up as if she had suddenly become the most interesting person in the world.

  “Hello,” he said as he continued to smile.

  Caroline was taken aback. He didn’t seem ashamed of having snuck into her room. Had this been his room she wondered? No. This was no boy’s room. Too frilly and too many easily broken items perched on the table tops.

  “My name is James. You can call me Jamie. Alexander does. What’s your name? I’m ten, how old are you?” The boy said, his eyes never leaving hers. He looked as if he were desperate for the information. Then before she could even answer, he walked across the room to pick up a small figurine off a small desk next to the window,