Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle

by Bronwyn Scott

  Canton thrust forwards a legal-looking document. ‘I find anything is possible when one has a warrant for arrest,’ Canton said icily. ‘The rules no longer apply to you, St Just. You’re under arrest for a crime of the highest order.’

  Valerian managed to not look surprised. He merely raised his eyebrows and said, ‘What would that be?’

  Lucien met him with a level stare. ‘That would be treason, my lord.’

  Chapter Seventeen

  ‘Treason? On what grounds?’ Valerian responded in a tone that suggested he found the claims laughable.

  Lucien was not appreciating the humour Valerian found in the situation. Philippa fought the urge to warn Valerian not to toy with Lucien’s temper overmuch. Valerian might not be concerned, but Philippa was scared. This was her fault. She should have been more discreet when refusing Lucien’s proposal. She should not have come to Roseland so soon after rejecting Lucien, giving him the impression she’d chosen Valerian over him. She should have told Valerian about the letter. He would have been prepared.

  ‘I do not care for your naïve claims of innocence, St Just. You know exactly what you’ve done. And I know it too. You killed British allies at the Negush Uprising in 1822 for the express purpose of assisting the rebellion,’ Lucien spat out.

  Philippa felt Valerian stiffen beside her. ‘How convenient it must be to label someone a traitor for unproved suppositions that occurred eight years and two thousand miles away,’ Valerian snapped. ‘I had no idea it was so easy to paint someone with the traitor’s brush these days,’ he mocked. ‘Now, get out while you can. My footmen will not hesitate to use force.’

  ‘And neither will we.’ Lucien gestured to the men with him. ‘I’ve brought a few of his Majesty’s finest to ensure that you come with us in one way or another. Although you think the claims are flimsy, there are those in power who believe the claims are well substantiated,’ Lucien said with a sneer.

  ‘Did your father get you the warrant?’ Valerian would not be cowed by the Lucien’s assertion. Philippa would have laughed if the situation wasn’t proving to be so dire.

  One of the soldiers stepped forwards. ‘I am sorry, milord, for the inconvenience. You will have to come with us and explain yourself to the justice system.’ He held out cuffs. ‘If you would please come peaceably.’

  ‘Where are you taking him?’ Philippa stepped around Valerian, cold horror knotting in her stomach.

  ‘To London. It is where all good traitors are tried. And hung,’ Lucien added.

  ‘Stop this right now, Lucien. You’ve gone too far and you have no proof, only suppositions,’ Philippa tried vainly to reason. She could not believe Lucien would do this. The wonderful, sunny morning was turning nightmarish.

  For the first time since he’d intruded on to the back terrace, Lucien seemed to notice her. Philippa did not drop her gaze from his intense stare. She was not certain what Lucien would do in regards to her. She expected he might rail at her in his jealousy. She thought he might bring up the damning letter he’d sent warning her. But Lucien did something worse than what she anticipated.

  ‘Gentlemen, if you would excuse me. I would like a private word with the Duchess.’ He was all politeness and manners. ‘Perhaps we could step inside?’ he suggested when she hesitated.

  Valerian looked ready to tear Lucien to bits. ‘If you harm her, I will see you dead.’ Valerian’s eyes flashed with menace as Lucien offered her his arm.

  ‘Dig a little deeper, St Just,’ Lucien snarled before raising his voice. ‘Did you hear that, gentlemen? The viscount is threatening me with bodily harm.’

  Once inside, Lucien faced Philippa with an inscrutable expression. ‘Philippa, I am sorry you had to be here for this. I would have spared you if I could have. I did try to warn you.’ Lucien was all sympathetic friend.

  ‘Don’t take him. You don’t need to do this,’ Philippa pleaded, hoping for a moment his guise as friend was sincere.

  ‘I cannot forgo a clear duty to my country,’ Lucien countered. ‘In some way that would make me a traitor too, wouldn’t it? A type of accessory to treason, I think. Dishonour comes in many forms in this world, Philippa. There are those who commit the acts and those who stand by and watch them without doing anything.’ Lucien smiled and reached out a hand to touch her hair. ‘You look lovely today. I’ve missed you.’

  Philippa swallowed hard and fought the urge to flinch. How could she ever have thought this man was her dear friend? But Valerian needed her and she would gain him nothing if she lashed out at Lucien now. She did not miss the import of Lucien’s message. He had not been talking about his obligations. He’d been talking about her. If he dared to come into a man’s home and arrest him in front of friends, he would not hesitate to haul her off too.

  She saw clearly the choices he was presenting her with. She could fight for Valerian and find herself facing scandal if not worse, or she could keep quiet.

  ‘I will protect you, Philippa,’ Lucien said, divining her thoughts. ‘I won’t tell St Just about the letter I sent you.’

  ‘He knows about the letter,’ Philippa snapped out, but it was a weak play and she knew it.

  Lucien easily called her bluff. ‘Yes? And the contents of the letter? Does he know those too?’ He shook his head. ‘I didn’t think so. How do you think St Just would feel if he knew? Perhaps he would feel betrayed. Perhaps he’d even think you had a hand in this, that whatever feelings you professed to have were a lie simply to get close to him and steal a confession.’ Lucien sighed heavily.

  ‘This will not go down as the best day of his life. I almost pity the man. He’s lost his freedom, his dignity—I am sorry about the cuffs, but they are necessary, my dear—and he’s lost the woman he loves.’

  Philippa’s anger sparked. She’d never wanted to do violence to another person as much as she wanted to hit Lucien Canton at that moment. She was no fool. She saw all the implications of his subtle blackmail. She’d been right on the terrace. Lucien was doing this because of her. This was all her fault. But she could say nothing without ruining any hope she had of seeing Valerian safe again.

  ‘I will protect you, Philippa,’ Lucien repeated.

  She wanted to scream out she didn’t need his protection. She wanted to scream that she knew why he wanted to keep her separate from this travesty he was wrecking on Valerian. He wanted her mines and he couldn’t have them without a legally binding commitment from her and Lucien Canton couldn’t be associated with someone under the cloud of scandal. It would be bad for business. But she could say nothing.

  The implicit devil’s deal was struck and they returned to the terrace. Philippa was glad to see Beldon had made his way through the crowd and now stood with Valerian in soft conversation. Apparently, without Lucien to goad them, the men had been unwilling to forbid Valerian to speak with anyone.

  Valerian caught sight of her immediately, his gaze roving her face, looking for something. But Philippa had nothing to show him. She kept her face as blank as possible. Her little part in all this was embarrassing. As for the rest of what had passed inside, Valerian didn’t need to be told. He would be able to piece it all together soon enough. He’d been right from the start about Lucien’s avaricious nature.

  ‘Thank you, gentlemen. The lady is understandably overwrought,’ Lucien explained glibly to the soldiers. ‘Now, if Pendennys will step aside, we can get on with our unpleasant business. It’s a long trip to London. I want to make the most of the daylight.’

  ‘Lay out your proof, Canton.’ Beldon spoke up this time. ‘You cannot haul a man out of his home without a legitimate case.’

  ‘I don’t need to answer to you, Pendennys. I have already offered sufficient proof to those in power. I wouldn’t have been granted the warrant otherwise.’ He motioned to the men. ‘Take him. I am done with all this stalling.’

  A soldier stepped towards Valerian. Beldon threw a fist to the man’s jaw, sending him reeling backwards. It was all the tension on the terrace needed
to light the fuse. Beldon was in the thick of it with Valerian, swinging hard rounders. Footmen joined the fray. Philippa stepped backwards, removing herself from the fight. The last thing Beldon and Valerian needed was for her to get in the way. That was when she saw Lucien draw out a gun. There was no doubt who his target was.

  She couldn’t let it happen. She would not let Valerian die on his beautiful back terrace under his Chusan palm. Philippa screamed a warning. It was enough to halt the fray for an instant. ‘He’s got a gun!’ The words rushed out in a hurry.

  Valerian took a look at Lucien, immediately taking in the danger. But his fear was for her, not himself. Beldon started towards Lucien. Valerian shook his head. ‘No, Beldon. I think I’d best go with them. I won’t have you or Philippa hurt on my behalf.’

  Philippa ran forwards, but Beldon grabbed her, whispering, ‘No, Phil. We can’t help him, not yet.’

  Beldon was right, but it was a bitter task to stand by and watch Valerian roughly imprisoned in handcuffs and marched from his lovely home to be stuffed unceremoniously inside the dark coach that waited in the drive.

  On the stairs in the hall, Lilya watched the scene, pale faced and frightened. ‘His cloak,’ she whispered as Beldon and Philippa followed the last of the soldiers outside, unwilling to let their friend out of their sight until the last possible moment. Philippa looked up blankly at the girl. Lilya nodded and thrust the cloak into her hands.

  Beldon took it from her and went down the steps, having the forethought to lay it across Valerian’s lap in the carriage. Philippa was glad for his quick thinking and for Lilya’s. At least now he’d be warm. With any luck, the soldiers wouldn’t think to search the cloak and perhaps Lilya had had enough time to put a few things in it.

  As for herself, Philippa had to get her thoughts well in hand. She would be of no use to Valerian if she gave into the guilt and panic that threatened to swamp her. She watched the unmarked coach disappear on to the road, thinking of Valerian alone, surrounded by his enemies and no way to defend himself.

  ‘Lucien means to see him dead in some fashion or other.’ The thought hit her all at once and it was all it took to galvanise her into action.

  ‘We won’t let it happen,’ Beldon said staunchly beside her. But she noted he didn’t bother to contradict her with soothing claims.

  Lilya joined them on the front steps. ‘Valerian is a strong man. He is resourceful.’

  Philippa turned to the girl. ‘I am sorry this happened. It’s not much of a welcome for you. You did well to think of his cloak.’

  Lilya shrugged and met Philippa’s gaze meaningfully. ‘In my country, this happens often. We are always ready.’

  ‘You were with him that night in Negush,’ Philippa said. It wasn’t really a question. She was starting to see how the disaster had unfolded. ‘Come inside and tell us about it. Perhaps there is something there that can help us.’

  They rang for tea out of habit. None of them were particularly hungry, but it gave Cook something to do and the household a way to return to normal after the brawl on the back terrace. Everyone was anxious and Philippa knew the best way to beat anxiety was to keep busy.

  ‘My father had been taken prisoner in earlier fighting. Valerian had been allowed to see him once. He promised my father he’d protect us. The army was coming. There was no way to escape it. I was nine, I think. Constantine was a baby, and my brother Alexei was twelve.’ Lilya stopped here, struggling for composure.

  Philippa shot Beldon a confused glance. She had not heard of the older brother before. ‘Did Alexei stay in the Balkans?’ Perhaps the girl was homesick for her family.

  ‘No.’ Lilya said quietly, staring into her teacup. ‘He and my Aunt Natasha were killed that night. We’d all have been killed if Valerian hadn’t been there.’ She went on with her story, telling of the fire and the fighting, how her Aunt Natasha had held off two Ottoman soldiers with a sword, how Valerian had arrived, slashing and killing like a berserker.

  Valerian had got them to the relative safety of a copse, but the fighting had drawn too near and their hideaway had been invaded by Ottomans intent on blood. ‘Natasha fell and Alexei picked up her sword. He fought back to back with Valerian. He fought well, but he was too young to fight with such a heavy weapon for long. Valerian killed several soldiers before the others fled the copse. Then he found our relatives who saw us to safety. He went back, though. The army was expecting him. I imagine he went back to the embassy shortly afterwards. His work was done on that mission.

  ‘He didn’t forget us. When he knew where we were, he sent clothes and food. He even came to visit us a few times when his work brought him into the area. On those visits, he gave us money. He kept us alive. Our circumstances had been greatly reduced after the uprising. We learned later that he had seen to a decent burial for Alexei and our aunt and that he was with my father at the last.’

  After hearing Valerian’s part of the story that morning, Philippa could accurately guess what the ‘last’ had been. Of course Valerian had done all that at personal risk and expense to himself. There was never a man more true to his friends than Valerian. He did not deserve to suffer for his kindnesses.

  ‘But it is true, he killed Turks,’ Beldon put in.

  Lilya nodded. ‘To save us.’

  ‘The Turks aren’t even our allies any more, which is what makes the situation so damnable,’ Beldon huffed. ‘There should be a statute of limitations on these sort of things the way alliances shift these days. After eight years of no one noticing, no one caring, it seems ridiculous that one good man should be brought to task for such a thing.’

  ‘Lucien wouldn’t care if it wasn’t for me.’ Philippa put in softly. ‘He’s doing this for spite.’

  ‘More than spite, Phil. You can’t take all the blame. Lucien believes Val stands in the way of his progress.’

  ‘I think we have to go after Lucien,’ Philippa said after a while. ‘The charges of treason won’t stick. Val has friends in the government who won’t allow this to go very far once they hear of it. It’s too bad his uncle is still abroad. But even so, there are people who can appeal once we’re in town. No one is interested in calling a hero a traitor. Lilya will tell her story, we’ll manage a few people in high places and the charges will go away accompanied by a nice public apology. Lucien must surely know this. The charges will stir up a short scandal but nothing more. In the end, they’re only a red herring.’

  Beldon nodded. ‘I agree. Lucien does know all this. He is just buying time. A trial would be laughable. Perhaps he can manage a hearing, but he knows the charges are too frail for a full-blown trial. He means to see Valerian dead long before the charges are heard. Once Val is in prison, any number of unfortunate incidents can occur without anyone paying close attention to them.’

  It was as she feared. Philippa felt her body grow cold. Her fingers became ice. Lucien meant to do murder. What could she do to stop him? To change his mind? She’d do anything, give anything to protect Valerian. She cast about in her mind for an offering. ‘I will sell him the mines if needed.’ It was all she could think of.

  Beldon gave her a black look. ‘While the sentiment is heartfelt, Phil, I dislike the idea of dishonour prospering. There’s no guarantee that will stop Canton in the future. We don’t want him to be able to blackmail you or Valerian in the future.’

  ‘I have a plan, then, Beldon. You go to London and keep Valerian safe. I’ll go to Truro and see if I can find anything that might be useful to pressure Lucien. I’ll meet you in London after that.’ It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was a start.

  ‘Agreed.’ Beldon turned to Lilya. ‘Will you be all right here?’

  She was white-faced, her hands clenching the tea cup so tightly it was in jeopardy of shattering. ‘I am coming with you. I will go to Truro with the Duchess. Valerian is my friend. He protected my family and now it is my turn to protect him.’ Her voice was firm, but her gaze wavered in the direction of Constantine.

  Ph
ilippa smiled approvingly. ‘I will welcome your company. The housekeeper will delight in looking after Constantine.’

  ‘I will leave right away.’ Beldon rose. ‘On horseback, I can catch the coach by nightfall. No one can deny me the right to stay at an inn of my choice. So be it, if it happens to be the same one Lucien is at.’

  ‘I’ll send a note for you to give to Valerian. There are things he must know,’ Philippa said quickly. ‘Lilya, start packing our things. We’ll leave after luncheon for Truro.’

  An hour later, Beldon hugged them each goodbye in the drive and vaulted up on to the back of his hunter, a horse named Hercules, known for its endurance over long distances.

  Philippa had no doubts about the horse’s ability to catch up with the coach.

  Beldon carried with him a valise strapped to the back of the saddle and a letter in his pocket that confessed the contents of Lucien’s letter and one last secret.

  Philippa raised her hand to wave as her brother clucked Hercules into motion, the sunlight dancing off the brilliant emerald she wore on her finger.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Valerian kept his gaze fixed on a spot on the carriage wall, his hands surreptitiously gripping the cloak Beldon had passed to him at the last moment. The day was mild, but come evening he’d be glad of the cloak’s warmth. He had no reason to expect any courtesy from Lucien, who seemed committed to playing the righteous patriot to the hilt. The iron cuffs were an indignity that could have been done without, but Lucien was intent on making the experience as degrading as possible. He was meant to be put on display as a dangerous prisoner.

  A man sat opposite him in the carriage, the other men and Lucien rode on horseback outside in the crisp spring air. Valerian ignored the man, keeping his gaze on the mark on the carriage wall, his thoughts fixed elsewhere, so that his mind was free although his body was trapped.