Love's Strategy

by Samantha Kane

  Kurt and Mrs. Northcott had rushed to Leah’s side as soon as she went down, and she now sat on the ground, her mother’s arms around her. Kurt walked over to stand in front of Sir Horatio for a moment then he bent his knees to squat in front of the fallen man. His voice was all the more menacing for its quietness.

  “It is you who will be leaving, Marleston, if you value your life. By next week, Leah will be Mrs. Westridge. As of tonight both she and her mother, and the children too, will be at Cantley with us. You will never touch them or see them again. I will make sure the Duke knows of this incident, and you will no longer be welcome at Ashton Park. And yes, Valentine and I do have that power. You are through being the bully. There is nothing left for you here.”

  Kurt stood and turned his back on the older man, completely disregarding him as a threat. Sir Horatio was left gasping like a fish on the ground. Kurt turned to the door and saw Bastian and Esme there. “Come, meine kinder, let us go and pack your things,” he said gently, and Esme let him pick her up and carry her inside.

  Valentine picked Leah up in his arms and her mother hurried inside ahead of them. As he walked past Sir Horatio, Leah’s head on his shoulder, he paused and looked down. “By the end of the week, or I will kill you,” he said in a flat voice, and Leah didn’t doubt his words. She buried her face in his neck and wrapped her arms tightly around him. She didn’t want to see Sir Horatio ever again, not even lying on the ground in defeat.

  “I think I will love you too,” she whispered, looking up at Valentine after he kicked the door closed behind them.

  He smiled down at her. “Of course you will, my dear. It’s all part of the plan.”

  Sir Horatio was livid. He waited until the door closed and then started to rise. It was only then that his footman hurried over to help him. The man had been standing off to the side near Sir Horatio’s carriage, hidden in the shadows. He’d wanted to surprise Leah when he confronted her with her treachery and perfidy. He hadn’t counted on the two unnatural bastards being with her.

  “Get away!” he snarled at the servant. He hoisted himself to his feet with difficulty, his tight corset making it hard to do. “I see you didn’t rush to my assistance when I was being assaulted by that ruffian.”

  “Well, I…” the footman stuttered, clearly afraid to continue.

  “Never mind, you fool,” Sir Horatio ground out. “I don’t need your assistance. I have my own ways of making them pay.”

  Chapter Ten

  Two days later Leah and the children were settling in at Cantley nicely. Bastian and Esme were enthralled with the nursery, which contained some old toys left by the previous owners. Their pleasure at such tawdry cast-offs nearly broke Kurt’s heart. He’d sent off two of the footmen to buy every toy available in the village. He was firmly determined to make them the two most spoiled children in Christendom.

  Valentine had taken over Bastian’s lessons until a tutor could be found. He’d sent off a notice to the Times and was hopeful he’d have some decent inquiries soon considering the salary he was offering.

  And Leah was finally letting herself relax. Being free of worry was such a new concept to her she was having trouble adjusting. She’d actually pinched herself so hard that morning trying to make sure it was all real she’d left a bruise on her arm. She was also trying to learn how to take care of a household the size of Valentine’s. Yesterday at breakfast she’d asked Valentine what would be required of her as his wife.

  “You will take care of the house I should imagine,” he’d told her vaguely.

  Leah had sighed with impatience. “Yes, but what exactly does that entail, Valentine? How many servants do you have? Have you a housekeeper? Will I be responsible for the household accounts as well?”

  He’d looked at Kurt, lost. “I, I don’t really know Leah. Kurt handles all that.”

  Leah had seen then how it would be. “I see. And now I will too.”

  Valentine had smiled ingeniously. “Exactly, my love.”

  Kurt laughed. “Valentine wishes to have a pack of dogs and a stable of hunters, my dear, and perhaps a racehorse or two. And in his free time he shall also raise children. The other details of his life he leaves to you and me.”

  Rather than be annoyed Leah was euphoric. To be able to oversee a house like Cantley was a dream come true. She needn’t worry about money, they’d made that clear. Between the two of them they were quite solid financially, their money invested well and growing daily.

  She’d spent the morning with the housekeeper, as it turned out Valentine did indeed have one. She was a no-nonsense woman with a bit of a cockney accent and she made no secret of her origins with Leah.

  “Mr. Westridge and Mr. Schillig hired me out of the stew,” she told her baldly. “I ran my own house there with a few girls, but was needing to go on the up and up you see. They give me a chance, and a couple of my girls as well.”

  To say Leah was startled was putting it mildly. “I see.” She decided to speak as plainly as Mrs. Cadwalter. “Will they be a problem, do you think?” She’d heard tales of street girls lying their way into a position in a good house only to pick up their old ways with the other servants and their masters.

  “Not at all, mum,” she’d firmly declared. “Hired us because they served with our misters they did. All died in the war you know. Looked us up to see how we were doing, and being the gentlemen they are offered us a better way. We’d never do nothing to embarrass them.”

  Leah was moved almost to tears. How like Valentine and Kurt to do something like that. She felt petty for thinking ill of these women for even a moment. She knew how hard it was for a widow with no means in this world.

  “I’m quite glad to hear it, Mrs. Cadwalter,” was all she said. “Shall we begin with a tour of the house?” Her head was spinning by teatime with all the information she’d received. Linens, menus, accounts, servants—she could hardly keep it all straight. She finally realized what it meant to be the wife of a wealthy man, and the responsibilities it entailed.

  Leah took tea with her mother in the back garden. “I wonder if I should send someone for the boys,” she muttered as she poured her mother a cup.

  “Is that what we’re calling them?” Marjorie said archly. “I wondered.”

  Leah slowly put the teapot down and looked at her mother. “I’m sorry. I guess I haven’t really discussed anything with you. I failed to see that this affects you too.”

  Marjorie instantly put her cup down and took Leah’s hand. “No, darling, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that remark. It’s just, this is rather…” She flapped her hands in the air and then gave up. “I’m not sure what this is quite frankly.”

  Leah bit her lip and contemplated a lie, but in the end opted for the truth. Her mother would be here quite a lot, even after she moved back to her cottage. She would figure it out eventually. Leah was uncomfortable with the idea of lying to her anyway. She’d stood staunchly by her side through her disaster of a marriage and the calamity of Thomas’ debts.

  “I’m going to marry Mr. Westridge,” she started, “as soon as possible.”

  “I gathered that from Mr. Schillig’s comments last night,” Marjorie replied. “But what of Mr. Schillig? What is his role here?” Her look was shrewd.

  “He is Valentine’s lover and will be mine as well.” Leah’s voice was steady, her tone perhaps a touch defensive, but she felt her face flame as she spoke.

  “I see.” It was Marjorie’s turn to be startled. She looked away for a moment. When she looked back she too was blushing, but she forged ahead. “And is this what you want?” She reached for Leah’s hand again and gripped it tightly. “No one’s forcing you? We can find another way to thwart Sir Horatio, if this is against your will.”

  Leah grabbed her hand with both of hers. “Oh no, Mama. This is what I want. They are both good men, and they need me. I care for them both already. True, I entertained their proposal at first because of our circumstances, and because almost anything
was better than Sir Horatio. But now, now I can see a happy future here for me and the children. They are honorable men, and they respect me and care for me in return. We can make it work, we can.”

  Marjorie closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them Leah saw the love and determination that had always supported her. “All right then,” Marjorie said briskly. “If this is what you want, then we shall all make it work.”

  Leah leaned over and hugged her. “Oh thank you, Mama, thank you.”

  Marjorie cleared her throat and asked Leah about her morning. She was telling her all about Mrs. Cadwalter when they were interrupted by Esme’s shrill, frightened scream from somewhere in front of the house. Leah dropped her cup to the ground and was running before she even thought about it, Marjorie close behind. They rounded the side of the house to see Sir Horatio dragging a screaming Esme toward his carriage. There were several soldiers standing near him and the maid who’d been assigned to watch Esme was nowhere to be seen.

  “Esme!” Leah shouted, running to her.

  “Mama!” Esme screamed and tried to pull away from Horatio toward Leah. Before Leah could reach her she was grabbed roughly by one of the soldiers and shoved back. Her mother caught her before she fell.

  “She’s my daughter!” Leah cried. “What are you doing?”

  “Esme?” Leah heard Kurt cry out and turned to see him charging through the front door, the maid who’d been watching Esme close behind. Kurt bellowed with rage as he saw Sir Horatio dragging the little girl and he didn’t break stride as he tackled the older man to the ground. Horatio let go of her and she tried to run to Leah but was snatched up by the same soldier who’d grabbed Leah. She was screaming hysterically by now, and Leah was crying, trying to get to her, but another soldier blocked her path.

  “Let go of me, damn it!” Leah heard Kurt shout, anger and desperation in his voice. She looked over and saw two soldiers hauling him off Horatio.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Valentine’s voice rang with authority.

  Leah turned to him with relief. “Valentine! They won’t give me Esme!”

  “Release her at once,” Valentine demanded, his face suffused with cold rage.

  Horatio ignored him. “Find the boy,” he ordered the soldier in front of Leah.

  “What did you say?” The tone of Valentine’s voice caused the soldiers holding Kurt to look at one another nervously.

  “You have no rights here, Westridge,” Sir Horatio informed him snidely. “I’ve a writ from Sir Appleton, the presiding Justice of the Peace in the duke’s absence. It gives me custody of the children, and was approved by the Duchess. They are mine now.”

  “This is my property,” Valentine ground out. “It is you who have no authority here. Give me the writ, and after it has been validated, I will consider the situation.”

  “Do you think me a fool?” Sir Horatio spat out. “If I allow you to keep the children until the writ has been verified you will spirit them away. As for your authority here, that is why I brought the soldiers. They are here expressly to see that justice is served.”

  “Justice, to steal children from their mother?” Kurt’s tone was as virulent as Sir Horatio’s. “This is not justice, this is cruelty.”

  “Sir?” Bastian’s voice came unsteadily from the doorway.

  “You, boy,” Sir Horatio ordered him. “Come here. You are to go with me.”

  “No, Bastian,” Valentine told him quickly as he hesitatingly started down the steps.

  The soldier holding Esme passed her off to another and turned to Valentine with a look of contempt. “If you interfere, Westridge, you or your lover,” he spat the word out as if it were an insult, “I have the authority to arrest you, and I will do so with pleasure. Your kind has no business around children.”

  “You cannot take them!” Leah cried out. “Valentine! Valentine, tell them! Tell them they can’t take the children!”

  Valentine stepped forward menacingly and the soldier reached for his sword. “Give me a reason, Westridge,” he snarled. “You disgust me, and I’d like nothing better than to end your sorry life right now.”

  “Captain,” Sir Horatio said with great satisfaction as he watched Valentine go still, “fetch the boy and let us leave this place. We are here to protect the children. I do not believe, unless he attacks us, we have the authority to kill Mr. Westridge, or Mr. Schillig for that matter.”

  Leah stood helpless as Kurt cursed and raged and struggled, and Valentine stood still as stone as the children were led away to Horatio’s carriage.

  Before he climbed in Sir Horatio turned to Leah. “You know what you must do, Leah. I’ll expect to hear from you shortly.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “We must wait for Freddy,” Valentine said again in a weary voice. For two days he had held Kurt back and listened to Leah’s sobs. His heart was breaking at what was happening to them, to the children. The future had looked so bright, everything so perfect. He should have known it would all fall apart.

  “We cannot wait anymore, Valentine!” Kurt argued. “Marleston is wrong, yes, in the head? If we do not get the children now, there is no telling what he will do to them. What he may already have done!” Kurt paced restlessly on the carpet, running his hand impatiently through his hair. He hadn’t slept for two days, none of them had, and it was showing. His accent was heavy, his eyes wild.

  Valentine sat forward and resting his elbows on his knees, he rubbed his face roughly. “If we attempt to take the children it may be seen as an illegal act that could outlaw us, Kurt. Considering the behavior of the soldiers it could even kill us. Where would Leah and the children be then? For now Marleston is forced to play the rescuer. He can do nothing to the children or it will weaken his claim. So we wait.”

  “How do you know the duke will come?” Leah’s voice was raspy and weak from her tears and exhaustion. “What if he doesn’t come?” She leaned against the door frame of the study, broken. She hugged herself as if she were cold. “I must give in. I must go to Sir Horatio and give him what he wants.”

  “No, Leah! You can’t,” Kurt told her in an anguished voice. “You can’t, or you will never be free of him. Can you so easily turn your back on what we could have?”

  “How can you ask me that?” Leah tone was just as anguished. “You show me a glimpse of heaven, and now I must return to hell. You ask me to choose between you and my children, Kurt, and I must choose Bastian and Esme.” She covered her face with her hands and her shoulders shook with her sobs. Valentine rose to go to her, but Kurt beat him there.

  “I’m sorry, my love, I’m sorry,” Kurt whispered as he took her in his arms. Leah grabbed the back of his coat in tight fists as she burrowed into his chest, still crying. Valentine went to them both, he couldn’t stay away. They were his life, his loves, his tomorrows. He gathered them both close in his embrace and they separated, Leah’s head on his right shoulder, Kurt on his left.

  “I will fix this,” he whispered. “I will take care of it.”

  “Then do it.” Marjorie Northcott’s voice cracked through the quiet room. “He has stolen our children, and you sit here crying, waiting for some flighty duke. If he’s that powerful, he will help us after we have the children back.”

  All three turned to look at her in astonishment. “Mama!” Leah cried. “Surely you don’t blame Valentine!”

  Marjorie shook her head sadly and closed her eyes in grief. “No, I blame the one responsible—Horatio.” She opened her eyes. “He is evil, Leah. You know it. You know what he’s done in the past. Even now he could be beating those children. Do you want them to suffer as you did? I did nothing to help you when you needed me most. I won’t make that same mistake with Bastian and Esme. I won’t let you make that mistake.”

  Kurt turned to Leah with a growl. “He hit you before the other night? Why did you not tell us this?”

  Leah sat down wearily on the settee. “To what avail? What good would it have done to tell you my marriage wa
s a nightmare? That while my husband was busy gambling away every cent we had, his brother stepped in and made my life a living hell? That he beat me? Can you change the past? I think not. It was enough that you offered me a future free of him.”

  “Leah—” Valentine began, his face distorted with rage, but Leah cut him off.

  “Mother is right. I’m going to Sir Horatio. I will make him give me the children. I can’t let him control my life anymore. I won’t let him.” She looked at Valentine and Kurt. “Take your rage and come with me. If you want to confront him, I won’t stop you. But I won’t wait with you anymore either.” She stood and moved to the door.

  Before she could reach it, both Valentine and Kurt intercepted her. Valentine took her in a fierce hug as Kurt stood beside them, vibrating with intent. “Yes, Leah, we will go. We will go now.”

  Valentine turned his head so that he spoke into her hair. “Yes, I have been a fool to wait for Freddy. If we must we will leave with the children. The world is quite large, and surely we will find our place in it. But my place right now is at your side, protecting our children.”

  He pulled away and Leah reached for both his and Kurt’s hands. “Let us go and bring our children home then.”

  “Thank God,” Marjorie whispered as she sank down on a chair, “thank God.”

  * * * * *

  Valentine and Kurt reined to a stop in front of Sir Horatio’s house. They were alarmed to see servants carrying boxes and luggage out to waiting carriages.

  “Here, is Sir Horatio at home?” Valentine called to one of the coachmen.

  “Eh? Sure he’s home, but he’s leaving within the hour. Taking the poor mites to school he is, far away from their mama.” The coachman shook his head as he spoke. “And who are you?”

  “I am the children’s father,” Valentine told him as he dismounted. His voice was low and ragged, shaking with his rage.

  “Thought ’e was dead,” the coachman said suspiciously. “Their ma’s getting ready to marry again.”