Lizzie Tempest Ruins A Viscount (Felmont Brides Series Book 1)

by Maggie Jagger

Chapter 37

  Lizzie entered Felmont’s Folly through the door on the rustic level beneath the stairs. Her body sang with laughter in a delightful manner, though she didn’t make a sound. The few servants she encountered greeted her with surprise. No one dared question her sudden appearance dressed in disreputable clothing.

  The house echoed with her footsteps in the great hall under the dome. All the doors in the west wing were open. She went to see, attracted by the smell of wet plaster and paint. As she entered her mother’s bedroom, the workmen stopped to stare at her.

  “What happened here?” she asked.

  “His lordship took a fit at being locked up, my lady. Fair wrecked the place he did.”

  Lizzie had not locked Dace in her mother’s bedroom, she had locked him in his bedroom next to hers. She was glad Dace had locked Con far from their private rooms.

  “When did he escape?” she asked.

  “Two days after you went away, my lady. He climbed out the window with his bed sheets knotted together. Aye, he took one of thy horses and we haven’t seen hide nor hair of him since.”

  Lizzie didn’t wait to hear more. She had to get some clothes and return to the cottage before Dace woke up. She hurried to his bedroom as fast as she could manage, without actually running. The glass rubies bounced upon her breast. Breathless, she reached her room. The adjoining bedroom door stood open.

  Consideration Felmont lay on the viscount’s bed, dressed in the viscount’s white shirt and dark buckskins with knee-high boots.

  “You are back at last!” He leaped to his feet. “Did that devil of a highwayman let you go or did you manage to escape?” Con’s face showed the mottled colors of fading bruises.

  Lizzie grabbed the poker from the hearth. She turned to find Con Felmont in the doorway with a look of ardent interest on his Felmont face as he stared at her legs clad in trousers. She thrust her weapon in the direction of his nose.

  He dared to smile at her. “No wonder you fled from him, Lizzie. How dare that bastard dress you like that? I’ll help you escape him.” He walked slowly towards her.

  “Stop!” Lizzie suddenly doubted her ability to kill Bertram Felmont’s son. The old man would be heartbroken. She swung the poker low to hit hip or ankle or something in between.

  She closed her eyes to hear the thud of the iron poker on some part of his anatomy.

  “Ouch! Damn it, Lizzie. I’m not going to touch you. The kiss was an accident. Hell! Glad you don’t have your dogs with you!”

  “How dare you fornicate in my bed at Quorr House!” she shouted at him. “How dare you pretend to be my husband! You are nothing but a louse!”

  Con had not the grace, nor the conscience, to look ashamed. “Your husband fornicated,” he sneered. “Why blame it on me? Why should you care anyway? You never wanted to marry him and he doesn’t love you. He’ll meet some female he does love and you’ll be left to rot here. I adore you, Lizzie. I swear–”

  “Don’t swear anything,” Lizzie interrupted, “and don’t speak to me of rotting!” She kept a firm grip on the poker and managed to back him up towards the door. “I want a confession from you. Confess this instant or I shall hit you again.”

  “You were forced to marry Dace,” Con spat out. “You always hated him.”

  “I never knew him.” Lizzie tried to push him through the doorway with her poker but he resisted her efforts to be rid of him.

  He tried to grab her hand. “I saw the way he smiled at other women when he was with you at Quorr House. How they courted him. He’d have gone to them as soon as he tired of you. I always suspected he wanted Molly as his mate.”

  She twisted the poker away. “How very gallant you are, Con. I’ll have you know Molly is like a sister to my husband. What you did was awful. It hurt me. You weren’t thinking of me, you wanted to make me leave Dace so you could have me. Well, let me tell you, I’ll kill you and break your father’s heart if you touch me or play such tricks again.”

  “Lizzie, I’ve never seen you so fierce. What happened to you?” He looked over her shoulder, as the sound of her dogs was heard on the distance. From the echo, they were in the hall under the dome.

  “Confess your part!” she shouted. “You are nothing but a low wretch who cares nothing for honor and truth.”

  “You think Dace knows of those things?” jeered Con. “Do you think he learned honor and truth at his father’s knee? Dace is just like his father, with his low-born whores.”

  “He is not at all like his father. How can you suggest such a thing? Admit it was you. Admit it now!” Lizzie stopped shouting to listen to her dogs barking and the sound of their paws scrabbling on the Folly’s stone floors. “Tell the truth or I shall never forgive you.”

  “Forgive me? You little wretch, I have devoted myself to you. What has Dace ever done for you?”

  “He kept his word after we were married.”

  “Deuce! I wanted to marry you! You can still get an annulment, Lizzie. You don’t have to live with him or let him use you for his whore.”

  Lizzie gave a guilty start. “Don’t speak to me of whores! You are a liar and a cheat. Confess it!”

  Before he could answer, her dogs bounded into the room. Lizzie gave a crow of delight and bent to stroke their silken heads. Czarina wore a leash attached to her collar.

  “Where have you been?” she asked. Their tongues hung from their mouths. They whined a reply, then, to her astonishment, they went to greet Consideration Felmont.

  He patted them, taking care to caress Czarina by pulling her ears and whispering in them. “I don’t think your mistress can make you go for me now, can she my sweet?”

  Lizzie raised her hand to slap his face, forgetting she held the poker in her hand. The handle poked out of her fist. It met his chin with a resounding thud. Con rocked back on his heels to fall backwards over the end of her bed.

  For a moment, she thought she had killed him. His moan and the dogs frolicking about as they barked at what they thought was a game brought her a measure of relief. She caught Czarina by stepping on the leash.

  Lizzie decided to see the truth for herself.

  To see the burn she’d given him, to prove him wrong, to prove him to be the liar he was. She’d make him confess if it was the last thing she did.

  She unfastened Czarina’s leash but before she could make use of it, Con awoke with a groan and grabbed for her.

  She swung her poker in a low sweep to keep him away. Con moved to stay her arm. She gave a shriek and struck him on the chin with her fist, just as she had hit Edward Anston to make him stop biting her. A most satisfying sound came from Con as he fell to his knees with a dazed look on his face.

  Lizzie struggled to get the leash out from under his leg. She was going to tie him up and look for herself.

  The dogs jumped around them barking, until Spring pushed her into him. Con crashed to the floor, dragging Lizzie down with him.

  The Thwaite twins ran into the room. Arthur and Charles skidded to a halt at the sight of her under Consideration Felmont’s arm.”

  “Gawd!” cried Charles. “Don’t look, our Arthur!” Both young men turned their backs.

  “Help me,” commanded Lizzie. She was in no mood for any more foolishness. “He fell on top of me. Get him off me this instant.”

  The young men hastened to do her bidding. “Lady Felmont, what have you done to Lord Felmont? Is he still breathing?”

  Lizzie helped them push Con off her. She accepted a hand up from Arthur. “That is Consideration Felmont. Look at his nose, it looks just like his father’s.”

  “His nose isn’t that bad. It’s not long enough by half, my lady, if you don’t mind me saying so.” At her glare, Charles hurried on, “Aye, it is Mr. Con, he’s all bruised still. Lord Felmont did that to him, twas a right mill.”

  Arthur gave a sly kick to the prone body on the floor. “Is Mr. Consideration dead?”

  A timely moan convinced the young man otherwise.

  Lizzie p
rodded the prone man with her poker. “Charles, you must do something for me. I want you to look at his bottom and tell me if he has a wound there.”

  “By Gawd! This is what comes of living with Felmonts, Arthur. Ma warned us about ’em.” Both young men looked at her with disapproval. Charles said, “We’ll not help you. Don’t ask it of us, my lady. It’s not right and it’s not proper.”

  Lizzie said sternly, “If you won’t look, then I must. Tie him up for me. Use Czarina’s leash to bind his hands behind his back. If you don’t bind him, he won’t let me prove he is a lying cheat. He might even try to force himself on me, and what would Ma say to that?”

  Charles helped his brother bring Con to his feet.

  There was a short struggle from the man, who groaned and tried to rub his chin.

  Arthur jerked the leash tight. “Tying up Mr. Con is fine with me. He’s been sneaking around the Folly for days. But I can’t help you by looking at his arse, my lady, begging your pardon, but it’s just not right.”

  “Aye, my lady,” said Charles. “It just ain’t right.”

  Lizzie advanced towards Con. “Then I’ll look myself. Hold him still.”

  All three men retreated from her. Consideration shared the same look of stunned horror as the twins did.

  “No, my lady,” Charles said. “If you want to see that, you should ask our Dace for permission. You can’t just go around looking down there just because you want to.”

  Lizzie walked forward with intent writ in every step. “Tell me the truth, Con, or I shall see for myself.” She grasped his belt.

  Con gave rueful sigh. “There is no need to look, Lizzie. I confess, it was me. You gave me a good burn there, it still festers a little.”

  She gave a crow of delight and let go. The twins heaved a sigh of relief.

  “Now you are going to confess your sins to Dace and beg his forgiveness.” Lizzie poked him with the poker when Con muttered something under his breath. “I didn’t hear you.”

  “You love him, don’t you?” Con shrugged. “Even my father loves him. Dace has stolen your heart and he doesn’t deserve you.”

  Lizzie ignored his rubbish. “Charles, Arthur, take this poker and make that reprobate follow me. We are going back up the fell to Ma’s cottage.”

  “Then you aren’t going to look at his arse?” asked Arthur.

  “Not unless he refuses to confess, then he can show it to Dace and see how he admires what I have done.” Lizzie smirked in triumph at Con’s disgruntled expression.

  Lizzie set off with the twins following along, leading Con to his fate. She heard Charles whisper to his brother, “What has she done to his arse? And why does she want to show it to our Dace?”

  Arthur laughed. “The nobs are an odd lot, but you have to admit, they are entertaining.”