by Anne Herries
‘Paul told me that you managed to tell him that you had shot Daventry and then fainted. It was good fortune that he found you then or you might have been very ill. Rest now, my dearest. You will feel better in the morning.’
Lucy left her to sleep. Anna had settled Lady Dawlish. She met Lucy as she returned and stopped to tell her that her mother had requested her presence when she felt able to leave Judith.
‘My cousin is resting. She woke and now feels sleepy. I think she is just very tired, but if you would look in on her now and then, Anna—to make sure that she does not take a turn for the worse.’
‘I shall go into her now, Miss Dawlish. I can sit with her if you think it advisable?’
‘I think she will sleep, but if you will go in again later? And you must call me if she should take a fever.’
‘Yes, of course, miss.’
They parted and Lucy went along the hall to her mother’s room. Lady Dawlish was sitting up against a pile of soft pillows, a glass of cordial in her hand. She looked at Lucy as she entered, anxiety in her eyes.
‘How is she? My poor niece?’
‘She woke and told me her story, Mama. I think she was simply exhausted, for she has suffered a terrible ordeal...’ Lady Dawlish gasped and looked distressed. ‘No, I do not believe she was harmed in the way you fear, Mama. She was fortunate in finding a pistol, which was loaded, and brave enough to use it when she was threatened. Had she not been enterprising enough to search for a weapon, she might have suffered far worse, for I do not think Paul could have reached her in time. Too many hours were lost before he set out in pursuit. Judith escaped because she is brave and she refused to give in to the rogue’s bullying.’
‘It was my fault so much time was lost,’ Lady Dawlish said, looking sorrowful. ‘Had I listened to you, Lucy...’
‘No one could be certain of what had happened,’ Lucy said. ‘Just be glad that we have her back not too badly harmed.’
Lady Dawlish dabbed at her eyes with a lace kerchief that smelled strongly of lavender. ‘If only the marquis will stand by her...’
‘If he loves her, he will do so,’ Lucy said. ‘If he does not, then we must, Mama. I shall not allow the gossips to influence me. Judith is my cousin and I do not care what people say, I shall always be her friend. You must do the same.’
Lady Dawlish looked at her in silence, then inclined her head. ‘You have grown up, Lucy. I am proud of you for standing by your cousin and I must do the same, as you rightly say. She may have been a little reckless in the matter of that wager, but she did not deserve to be treated so harshly.’
‘No, she did not. He was a wicked man for all his charming manners and I thank God I did not agree to marry him,’ Lucy said. ‘Go to sleep now, Mama dearest. Anna will look after Judith—and in the morning we shall see what happens.’
‘Yes, I shall sleep now,’ Lady Dawlish said and looked brighter. ‘We have something to look forward to, Lucy dearest. You will be engaged soon and we must hold another dance for you—and prepare for your wedding. Your papa will be so delighted, for Lord Ravenscar was always his dearest friend.’
Lucy smiled, inclined her head and left her mother to sleep. Lady Dawlish was anticipating her wedding with a great deal of pleasure, but Lucy was very much afraid that Paul might have been forced into something that was not truly of his choosing.
She did not wish to be married merely because her mother had seen her in Paul’s arms, but the noose had grown tighter and she could not think of a way to extricate both her and Paul.
Yet she would not be happy knowing that he was marrying her out of a sense of honour...if that was the case.
Chapter Twelve
The loud, insistent knocking at the door the next morning woke Lucy. She yawned, sitting up in bed and glancing at the little watch that lay on the table beside her bed. It was almost noon and well past the hour she normally rose.
Throwing off the bedclothes, she pulled on a pretty white-silk wrapper and went out into the hall to hear a loud voice demanding to see Lady Sparrow.
‘But, sir,’ the housekeeper’s voice said, ‘she is still in bed and feeling poorly. I do not think you can see her today.’
Lucy went to the head of the stairs. ‘Please ask Lord Elver to wait in the parlour, Mrs Hickson. I shall go into my cousin and ask if she feels able to receive the marquis.’
‘But, Miss Dawlish...’
The marquis looked up at her and smiled. ‘Thank you, Miss Dawlish—and forgive me for calling so early, but I could not rest without seeing her.’
‘I believe she will be glad that you have called,’ Lucy said. ‘I do not know if she is well enough to see you, but if you care to wait I shall enquire.’
Ignoring the housekeeper’s scandalised look, she went along the hall to her cousin’s room, knocked and entered. Judith was sitting up in bed, wearing a pretty pink-silk jacket over her nightgown and sipping a cup of hot chocolate.
‘The Marquis of Elver has called and is anxious to see you,’ Lucy told her. ‘Are you feeling well enough to receive him for a few minutes, Judith? I think he is in some distress, for he went chasing off to Scotland, thinking that to be Daventry’s destination, and must feel that he let you down.’
Judith glanced in the silver hand mirror that lay on her bed, checking her reflection, and then smiled. ‘It was good of him to come so early,’ she said. ‘Please tell Mrs Hickson to bring him up—and, Anna, you may make yourself busy with my clothes or something, but stay in the room for my modesty’s sake.’
‘I’m glad to see you better, Cousin,’ Lucy said and went out into the hall.
She ran downstairs to the parlour and told the man, pacing the floor anxiously there, that he might go up. He thanked her and went past her, taking the stairs two at a time.
Lucy returned to her room and found that her maid had brought warm water and a tray of hot chocolate.
‘I shall not bother with that yet,’ Lucy said. ‘I shall wash and dress—and then I shall eat something downstairs.’
‘Lady Dawlish thought you might like breakfast in bed, miss?’
‘No, thank you, I shall change and visit my cousin and then my mother, then I will take breakfast in the parlour.’
Lucy washed and put on a pretty green-striped morning gown, then went along the hall to Judith’s room and knocked. She was invited to enter and discovered that Elver had brought a chair up to the bed and was sitting by his fiancée’s side, holding her hand.
‘Is everything settled?’ she asked, feeling relieved as she saw Judith’s happy smile. ‘I am so glad. I was afraid you might blame Judith, sir, and indeed, it was never her fault.’
‘I should be a fool if I thought it,’ Elver said, his eyes warm with love as he looked at Judith. ‘Daventry had a score to settle with me, damn him! I wish he had challenged me to a duel rather than take his spite out on Judith—for I should have killed him.’
‘Is it known whether he is alive or dead?’ Lucy asked.
‘He has disappeared,’ Elver replied, a look of anger in his eyes. ‘We took some trusted men last night and made a search for him, but it was seven of the clock before we reached the house—and it was deserted.’
‘Deserted?’ Lucy stared in surprise. ‘But Judith shot him...’
‘We found evidence of that, for there was blood on the stairs and in one of the bedrooms. His men must have found him and carried him away before we could get there.’
‘That is a pity,’ Lucy said. ‘It would have been better if we knew exactly what has happened. If he is alive, as seems probable, he might—’ She broke off with a little gasp.
‘Yes, it is possible that he might try something of the sort again,’ Elver said. ‘We shall have a search made for him, of course, but we do not know where he may go...perhaps abroad.’
‘Yes, perhaps he will go away and we shall not hear of him again.’
‘I wish I might believe it, but a man like that...’ Elver shook his head. ‘I have told Judith that she must forget buying her bride clothes in London. She must come to Elver, where I can protect her—and we may send for anything she needs, but her trousseau can be bought in Paris when we are married.’
‘I’ve told you, I shall take more care in future,’ Judith said and frowned. ‘I do not see why I should not—’
‘I think Lord Elver is right,’ Lucy said at once. Her cousin was too stubborn for her own good! ‘You must be careful, Judith. When you are married, Daventry can no longer hope to cause harm between you. I think you would be safe at Elver.’
‘Oh, well, I suppose...but will you come with me?’ Judith begged. ‘Please, Lucy. We can send for a local seamstress and have our gowns made for the wedding at Elver. I would like you to stay with me...and you were coming down again for the wedding. It makes sense if you stay, especially as Elver is to purchase a special licence and bring the wedding forward...’
‘Yes, if Mama will allow it,’ Lucy said. ‘I think she may wish to return home, for she has had enough of Bath and has cancelled all her engagements, including our own dinner.’
‘Your mama is welcome to stay at Elver with you,’ the marquis said and stood up. ‘I believe I should go, for your housekeeper already thinks I have ruined you both by calling before either of you were up.’
‘I got up three times in the night to see if my cousin was resting,’ Lucy explained. ‘I should otherwise have been dressed.’
‘If you will excuse me, ladies,’ Elver said and bowed to each of them. ‘I shall call again later this afternoon, Judith.’
‘I shall be dressed by then.’ Judith shook her head at his motion of protest. ‘Indeed, I am perfectly refreshed now that I have slept—and I cannot abide to be an invalid.’
Lucy laughed and looked at Elver. ‘Shall I show you out, sir?’
‘I think I can find my way,’ he said. ‘I am eternally grateful to both of you and to Captain Ravenscar for rendering me a service I shall never forget.’
‘It was Paul who found her and brought her home to us, sir, and we are all grateful for it.’
‘Judith has told me how kind you have been to her,’ he said. ‘I can never thank you enough.’
Lucy shook her head, but when she sat on her cousin’s bed and sought her hand, Judith squeezed it and smiled at her.
‘Elver is right, you know. I have been a trial to your mama and to you, Lucy—but you’ve stood by me and I am grateful. Had you not brought me to Bath I might never have met Elver and I should never have known what it was to be truly happy. He blames himself for my abduction and does not care what happened, for he says the moment Daventry laid a hand on me he was dead. He truly loves me and cares only that I should be well and happy.’
Her eyes sparkled with happiness, and it was plain to see that she had at last put the past behind her.
‘I can see that you are happy, Judith. Last night I feared the worst, but we should have known a little thing like an abduction would not overset you for long,’ Lucy said on a teasing note and was rewarded with laughter from her cousin.
‘Exactly what I told Elver. I wish it could all be forgot as if it had never happened, but he is determined to pursue Daventry and to punish him...if he still lives.’
‘I think he must. If he were dead, his men would have run off and left him there. I dare say it was merely a flesh wound, which makes him a dangerous enemy, Judith. He may return seeking revenge.’
‘If he does, he will rue the day,’ Judith replied. ‘Elver intends to have his estate patrolled day and night—and I shall carry my pistol with me always. Had it been in my power, I would have shot him in the first place rather than let them take me.’
‘You could not take a pistol to a party, Judith.’
‘No...’ She smiled at Lucy. ‘Of course I could not, but you know what I mean. If I walk out on the estate, I shall do so...though I think Daventry must have learned his lesson. He will not think me a weak woman that he can bend to his will in future.’
‘I am certain he never did, but he was too angry to think what he did,’ Lucy said, and then listened as she heard the door. ‘I think we have a visitor. I wonder...’
‘My aunt is keeping to her room today,’ Judith said. ‘She has cancelled all her engagements, as you know, for she means to tell everyone that she has an indisposition as a reason why we do not venture into company.’
‘Then I shall go down and see who has called.’
Lucy went to the head of the stairs and looked down. Seeing that the caller was a gentleman bearing flowers, she hesitated, then went down to greet him.
‘Mr Havers,’ Lucy said. ‘How good of you to call, sir. Are those flowers for my cousin?’
‘Yes. I heard...there was a tale that she had been rescued and brought home. I wanted to call to ask how she did—and to reassure you that for once the gossips are all on her side. If it was Daventry that abducted her, as the tale goes, he will not be welcome in Bath for many a day.’
‘If the Marquis of Elver has his way, he will pay a heavy price for what he did to my cousin, sir,’ Lucy said. ‘Would you care to step into the parlour for a moment? I should like to explain to you how things stand so that you know the truth.’
‘There are so many stories circulating,’ he said and, after handing the flowers to Mrs Hickson, he followed Lucy into the parlour.
‘Well, we were right in thinking that Daventry had snatched her when she went out for a breath of air—he threw a blanket over her and then drugged her.’
‘The devil he did,’ Mr Havers said. ‘He deserves to hang. Has a magistrate been informed?’
‘I dare say Captain Ravenscar and the marquis have it in hand,’ Lucy said, ‘though they will do their best to keep things as quiet as possible, for my cousin’s sake.’
‘I fear it will not be possible to quell the gossip entirely,’ he said. ‘I wish it might be so. Elver will stand by her?’
‘Certainly. He is very much in love with her and has called already to see how she goes on.’
‘Then she will brush through,’ Mr Havers replied. ‘No blame can attach to your cousin, Miss Dawlish—and certainly none to your family.’
‘Oh, I should not care for that,’ Lucy said at once. ‘I told Mama that I intended to stand by her whatever anyone said of her.’
‘Just as I expected,’ he replied with a warm smile. ‘It is not the time to be thinking of myself, Miss Dawlish, but...once you are home again, I should like to call on your father for his permission to address you...if you would be pleased to see me.’
Lucy drew a deep breath, for he had been so kind to her that she did not wish to answer him harshly. She placed a hand on his sleeve. ‘Sir, I—’ She broke off as she heard a sound from the doorway and, as her startled gaze flew to the man that stood there, she felt her cheeks heat. ‘Paul...Captain Ravenscar, I did not hear you come in.’
‘Miss Dawlish,’ he said and there was a questioning look in his eyes. ‘Your housekeeper opened the door to look out as I was about to sound the knocker. Forgive me for intruding. She told me you were in the parlour. I did not know you had company. Shall I go away again?’
‘No, no, of course not,’ Havers said before Lucy had her breath back. ‘I merely called to ask how Lady Sparrow went on. I shall call another day, Miss Dawlish.’
‘I believe we leave tomorrow. Lord Elver is to escort us to his home and we shall stay there until the wedding...’
‘Then I may call on you there,’ Havers said and went out.
There was silence as they heard him speak to someone in the hall and then the front door was opened and closed. Paul looked puzzled as he regarded Lucy.
�
��Forgive me, did I interrupt something? I believed we had an understanding, Lucy...or was I mistaken?’
‘You were not mistaken, of course you were not.’ She felt a flow of relief as she saw he was not angry, but merely uncertain. ‘Mr Havers spoke of approaching my father and I meant only to refuse—in the kindest way I could—but you came before I had time to explain.’
‘Then it was my fault. I am sorry to have embarrassed you.’ His eyes were thoughtful as they went over her. ‘Did I rush you the other evening, Lucy? I believed you felt as I do.’
‘Yes, of course...you must know...’ She faltered and her eyes fell before his gaze. ‘Mama wished me to marry and I did not know...there were several gentlemen who seemed to—to take an interest, though Mr Havers was one of the most persistent. I had not encouraged him in particular,’ Lucy ended a little stiffly.
‘I only wish you to be certain, Lucy,’ Paul said softly. ‘I would not wish to push you into something you might regret.’
‘How could you think it?’ she cried. ‘I should not even have thought...but you were so reserved when you first came home, so distant and cold to me. I hardly knew you and then I thought you liked my cousin...and I was so miserable. Is it any wonder that I should think of perhaps...but it was all your fault. How could you have used me so when you knew—you always knew that it was you I loved? I know I was to have married Mark, but he was a hero and...and I could not hurt him...hurt everyone by withdrawing and then...’ She blinked hard, tears hovering. ‘You must have known how it was.’
‘Lucy,’ he said and now there was confidence in his eyes. ‘Yes, I admit that I was a little reserved when I first returned, but you will admit that I had much on my mind?’
‘Yes, of course I will—but you seemed to like Judith better than you liked me.’
‘No, surely...what can have given you that idea?’ Paul looked at her. ‘I do like your cousin, but never better...surely you did not think it? Is that why you kept me at a distance and flirted with Daventry?’
