Rake's Reward

by Kruger, Mary

  They had already stopped to change horses several times and were moving at a spanking pace through the Hertfordshire countryside. Of course they wouldn’t reach Gretna Green tonight, or even tomorrow night, but Edgewater had promised he knew of some out-of-the-way inns where no pursuers might find them. At that, Diana felt just the slightest bit uneasy. He had made her promise to tell no one of the elopement, but she hadn’t been able to resist writing that note to Cecily. They were more than sisters, they were friends, but Diana admitted to herself she’d written the note with pride. After all, it was she Edgewater really wanted, not Cecily, and that made her preen a bit. Cecily awed her sometimes. She was so calm and practical and so rarely made the same silly mistakes that Diana did, that she sometimes despaired of ever living up to her. Now, though, she had the man Cecily had thrown over.

  “Oh, everyone will be so surprised!” she chattered, slipping her arm through Edgewater’s and hugging herself against it. He started, and the team momentarily slewed sidewise. “I’m sure no one suspected what we planned, we were so very careful, but, once we return, they’ll see how suitable this is. Papa will be angry at first,” she went on, “but I’m sure he’ll come around. And then he and Mama will probably give a wonderful reception for us, and we’ll be so happy.”

  “Of course,” Edgewater muttered.

  “But, Edward dear, you’re so quiet! We’ve miles to go yet, haven’t we? Shouldn’t we talk, to pass the time?”

  “You do enough of that for both of us, Diana.”

  Diana paused, unsure at the edge she heard in his voice. He was funning her, of course. “I wish we could have stopped at Marlow, to tell everyone our news. Perhaps on the way home? I do wish, Edward, I could have told more people about this, besides Cecily—oops!”

  The curricle stopped and Edgewater turned slowly to face her. “You told Cecily.”

  “Well, yes.” Diana forced herself to meet his eyes, and smiled brightly. “But only in a note, which I am persuaded she won’t read for hours yet. I had to tell someone, you see, Edward, and she is my sister—”

  “Damn you!” Edgewater’s hand raised high. “You fool—”

  “Edward!” Diana cried, shrinking back.

  “You stupid idiot, now you’ve spoiled everything!”

  “B-but I don’t think it will do any harm, you said no one would know you in this carriage—”

  “Yes, and haven’t we been stopping to change horses? Damn you!”

  “Edward! That’s no way to talk to me.”

  “You will not reprimand me.” He spoke with chilling finality, and in his eyes was a strange, wild look. “Never speak to me so again.”

  “No, Edward, I won’t,” she said, frightened into docility.

  “I wonder what I shall have to do with you,” he went on, in a conversational tone that was somehow even more frightening. “But, damn, I can’t worry about that now, I haven’t the time.” Picking up the ribbons, he set the team into motion again.

  From her corner of the curricle, Diana eyed Edgewater warily. He was muttering to himself, and his eyes looked strange. She’d expected him to be annoyed about the note, but not this upset. It was out of all reason, it was not quite—sane. Panic flared within her. She was trapped on a country road with a mad man.

  Her first impulse was to jump out, but she was made of sterner stuff than she cared to show. There was nothing she could do about it, at least, not now. If she started to scream, the least that would happen was that he would be angrier, and the worst—well, she didn’t want even to consider that. She had to escape him; she just couldn’t do so yet. The chance would come, however, at the next posting house. What she must do now was to lull any suspicions he might have about her, as though she hadn’t realized the import of his actions. It shouldn’t be so very difficult to act feather-brained; she’d been doing so for years.

  “I wonder what the fashions are like in Scotland,” she said, brightly, and Edgewater slowly turned to look at her. “Are they like ours, do you think, or does everyone wear plaid? I don’t like plaid very much, do you? Though I think perhaps a gown of it might be rather interesting. With a plain bodice, of course.” She tilted her head to the side. “What do you think, sir? But you won’t be interested in ladies’ fashions,” she chattered on. “You, sir, are always so elegantly turned-out, you must be more interested in your own clothing! If I had a gown of plaid it would look well with a green evening coat, don’t you?” Edgewater muttered something under his breath. “What is that you say, sir? Oh, and I’ve just had the most marvelous thought! When my parents have the ball for us we can decorate in plaid. Tartan, I believe it’s called? Yes, tartan! Why, we’ll be the success of the season. Even more than Lady Cuthbert’s ball, with the pink taffeta then she had. So de classe, don’t you think? Did you attend Lady Cuthbert’s, sir? She—”

  Diana prattled on, about parties she had attended, people she had met, an interesting cloud formation, cows gathered in the fields they passed, different houses, and, of course, ladies’ fashions. Edgewater tried to ignore her, but it was difficult; her voice had become high-pitched, and it seemed to penetrate into every corner of his brain. Damn, if he had to listen to this all the way to Scotland, he’d go mad—but he wasn’t going to Scotland, and that was the beauty of his plan. Soon he would turn off the Great North Road. They were nearing Lord Milford’s estate, and he would, at last, have a chance to complete his mission.

  Edgewater chuckled, and Diana’s voice faltered for just a moment. Such a beautiful plan as it was, too. No one would suspect him; he had carefully laid clues that indicated he was aiming for Dover, in the opposite direction. By the time any government agents who might be searching for him realized they’d been misled, it would be too late. Liverpool would be dead, and Edgewater would be on a ship, bound for Jamaica. And Lady Diana? She would have her own problems, and he would have his revenge on the Marlows, better than he’d expected when he’d first started paying court to Diana. Even Cecily was certain to be hurt by the scandal.

  He chuckled again. Nothing would stop him now. No one knew where he was going, or what he intended. Even if Marlow did send someone after them, Edgewater was certain he wouldn’t be found, once he turned off the road. His real source of danger came from St. Clair, but it was unlikely he would hear of the elopement until it was too late. A pity, that. Edgewater would rather have liked to face St. Clair and make him pay for the ruination of his scheme. That he couldn’t was the only thing that annoyed him about making the move now. He would have to wait for his revenge. Nothing must detract from his mission. Nothing.

  “...And of course, there was that time at the Duke of Dartmouth’s ball,” Diana was saying, and Edgewater turned to look at her, his eyes distant and distracted.

  “I beg your pardon?” he said, as if he hadn’t snarled at her earlier.

  “The time you danced with me, silly!” Diana hugged herself against his arm, though it took all her determination to do so. He mustn’t suspect. “I knew then, didn’t you? Oh, we’ll be so happy together. Why are we turning off the road?”

  “We need to stop for a while.” Edgewater shook off her arm, concentrating on guiding his team down the rutted lane. Cecily had been right, Diana thought. He could hardly drive at all. And he was really a cruel man; the look in his eyes a few moments ago had terrified her. How was it that she hadn’t seen it before? No wonder Cecily had broken the engagement. Diana only wished she herself hadn’t been so blind.

  “There’s an inn along here,” Edgewater went on. “We’ll stop and refresh ourselves.”

  The look he gave her was so wolfish that Diana nearly shrank back. Oh, how would she escape now, if they were off the main road? She had counted on their stopping at a busy posting inn, bustling with carriages and people to cover her escape. That wouldn’t be possible in a sleepy country inn on some narrow lane. She’d never get free. And if Cecily had told their parents, as Diana was certain she had, any pursuers on the road would miss them. Oh, she ha
d handled this terribly! The only thing she could do was to act as feather-brained as she had all along, and await her chance.

  And so she began to chatter again, of clothing and parties and gossip and such, until even she was tired of it. What Edgewater thought, she couldn’t guess; he responded hardly at all, and that drove her onto more extravagant flights of fancy. “And of course we’ll invite the most fashionable people to our home,” she prattled.

  “That will be too expensive,” he snapped.

  “Oh, nonsense, Edward, one must keep up appearances! But we won’t invite that nasty Caroline Lamb, not after she wrote that book. Mama doesn’t know I that I read it. Did you read it, sir? Who do you suppose each person is supposed to be? And as for Lord Byron—I don’t know what he was supposed to have done to make him leave the country, do you—”

  “Do you know of aught else besides gossip and scandal?”

  Diana made her eyes grow very large. “Why, no, sir. What else is there?”

  “Politics. Government. What is happening in the world. Damn, Diana, don’t you have a thought for anything else?”

  “You swore at me.” Diana’s cornflower blue eyes brimmed with tears. I should go on the stage, she thought. In an odd way, she was enjoying this. “Oh, Edward, what have I done that is so very bad?”

  “You—oh, never mind.” Edgewater sounded thoroughly disgruntled. “You wouldn’t understand. At least your sister has more brains than a peahen.”

  “Cecily? I never did know how you could abide her, sir, she is so odiously practical. And not at all fashionable, as you and I are.” Diana steeled herself to snuggle against him. “It will be so wonderful being married, won’t it? Just think! Together we can set all the styles. We can have as many parties as we like, and meet with our friends. Could we go to Brighton for the summer? I confess to a longing to see the Regent’s new pavilion. Oh, we’ll just be so tonnish, and—why are we stopping?” Edgewater didn’t answer, but merely sat, his head bowed. “Edward? There’s no inn here.”

  “Get out.”

  “Why, Edward—”

  “Get out.” God help him, it meant the end of his revenge, but he could not abide Diana’s chatter one more moment.

  “But—”

  “This is as far as you’re going. Out.”

  “But, Edward.” Protesting, Diana clambered out. “This is so ungentlemanly of you. Was it something I said—”

  “You might say so.” Giving her his mocking smile, he picked up the ribbons. “Au revoir, my dear,” he said, and drove off, leaving Diana standing in a cloud of dust.

  “Good heavens!” Diana stared after the fast-disappearing curricle, brushing the dust from her pelisse. “Well! So much for his undying passion.” Her face was cheerful, though, as she turned and began tromping back towards the Great North Road, grateful that she’d worn stout shoes. Her strategy had worked, if not exactly as she had planned. She was safe. But where in the world was she?

  “Hell.” Alex fumed as his curricle got caught behind a slow-moving dray. They had yet to get out of London, and already he chafed at the delay. Here was his chance to capture Edgewater, and to avert a disaster. “At this rate, we’ll never catch them.”

  “According to her maid, Diana was at home this morning, so they haven’t much of a start on us.” Cecily glanced at Alex, whose hands, seemingly relaxed on the ribbons of the curricle, kept his team in perfect control. She’d never driven with Alex before. She wondered if she ever would again. “I doubt they’re very far ahead of us, the way Edgewater drives. He is the veriest whipster, sir. Not like you.”

  Alex didn’t answer this tentative attempt at peacemaking, and so Cecily sat back, nursing the angry injustice that had filled her for the past few days. Once again he was using her, because of her connection with Edgewater. Foolish of her to think he had ever cared, and yet— And yet there had been that look in his eyes when first he had seen her in his lodgings. “I know you think having me along is a dreadful nuisance—”

  “Hardly. I always take a girl with me when I chase a dangerous criminal,” he said, an edge to his voice. “But then, I am a rake, remember? I use people.”

  “You needn’t be sarcastic.”

  “And you needn’t prattle.”

  Prattle! The nerve of him! Very well, if that was how he wished it, that was how it would be. Cecily crossed her arms on her chest and settled back in fulminating silence, not even remarking when, by a remarkable display of driving skill, Alex managed to pass the dray, with only inches to spare. She couldn’t help stealing little glances at him, though, at the hair that riffled across his forehead, at his lips, set in their habitual straight, thin line, at the hands that held the ribbons, strong and hard and yet, as she well knew, capable of gentleness, too. But not for her. Never again for her.

  Parsons galloped back to them as they at last emerged from London’s traffic onto the Holloway Road and began to pick up the pace. “Found ‘em, my lord,” he called, turning to ride with them. “They changed horses at the posting house in Finchley, not more than two hours ago.”

  “Good! Then we have a chance. Fine work, Parsons.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Parsons said, and galloped off.

  “We’ll catch them, then,” Alex said, more to himself.

  “I hope so. I hate to think what Edgewater is doing to my sister,” Cecily said.

  “Your sister, ma’am, apparently went quite willingly.”

  Cecily bristled for just a moment. “Yes, I know. She doesn’t have the best judgment, but she isn’t really stupid. Of course, Edgewater can be very charming, when he wishes.”

  “You should know, ma’am.”

  “Oh! Must you be so odious?”

  “Yes, it appears I must.”

  “I don’t like this anymore than you do,” Cecily said in a tight voice. “But I would like to find my sister and get her home before dark.”

  Alex glanced up at the sky. The fast-moving clouds made the day appear later than it was. “Not much chance of that, ma’am. At this rate, you’ll both be compromised.” His smile held little humor. “And if you think I’ll marry you—”

  “I wouldn’t marry you, no matter how compromised I am!” Cecily snapped, and turned away, fighting back tears. Where had it all gone wrong? She had been attracted to two men, and both had wanted her for the wrong reasons. Would she never find someone who wanted her for herself? Someone who loved her?

  “They’re not making much effort at secrecy,” Cecily said, determined not to give into melancholy.

  “Edgewater doesn’t expect to be followed,” Alex answered, absently. “It’s what’s finally going to bring him down.”

  “What?”

  “His overconfidence. He thinks he’s superior to everyone. This time, he’s wrong.”

  Cecily glanced at him curiously. “You sound as if you have a personal grudge against him.”

  “Whyever would I feel that way?” he said, with that edge to his voice, making Cecily look at him again. What was there in that for him to be sarcastic about?

  Alex could feel Cecily’s eyes on him, but he had no desire to explain. She had made it clear she didn’t want him; why should he tell her that his chief grudge against Edgewater was that he had been engaged to her? It seemed as if in all Alex’s encounters with the man, Edgewater had come off the winner. Not this time, though. He was acutely aware that they were approaching Stevenage. If they didn’t catch up with Edgewater soon, he would have to put Cecily off and go after him.

  He had just decided that he would stop at the next inn when, looking down the road, he saw a woman trudging towards them, a bundle in her hand. She looked so bedraggled that he didn’t recognize her until Cecily spoke. “It’s Diana!”

  “God’s teeth! It is,” he said, and brought his team to a halt just as Diana ran towards them.

  “Thank God you’ve come,” Diana said, gasping for breath as she reached them. “I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

  “Where is he
?” Alex said tersely.

  “He took a turning up ahead and left me off.” She smiled, suddenly. “I think I bored him.”

  “Oh, Diana,” Cecily said. “What in the world did you think you were about?”

  “Oh, give over, Cece! I’ve had a terrible day.” Her smile faded. “He really scared me. I think he’s gone mad.”

  Alex handed the ribbons to Cecily and jumped down. “Climb in,” he said to Diana. “Cecily, do you know how to drive?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “There’s an inn up ahead. Go there and wait for me.”

  “You’re going after him. Oh, Alex—”

  “The inn won’t allow us in,” Diana said, unexpectedly. “Not two females, unescorted.”

  “Hell, there’s no time!” Alex looked up at them. “And no room in the curricle for three.”

  “Cecily can sit in my lap.”

  “Yes. Alex, please—”

  “Oh, hell,” he said, but he knew there was no hope for it. Without an escort, the George Inn, which he knew catered to the nobility, would not allow the two girls in, let alone give them a private parlor. If they wished to get out of this with their reputations intact, he would have to go along. “Hell. All right.” He clambered back in, and by squeezing together, the girls managed to make room for him. There was so little time. He couldn’t afford to let Edgewater escape.

  They drove in silence, except when Diana pointed out the turning she had taken with Edgewater, until they saw a figure riding towards them. “Parsons. Thank God,” Alex said.

  “You’ve got Lady Diana?” Parsons called. “Where’s Edgewater?”

  “Gone down the last turning. There’s not a moment to lose! As I recall, it leads to Cranbourne.”