by Wendy Vella
“A duke trumps a marquis and a viscount,” Simon said. “So stop your whining.”
Mathew had awakened beside Patience this morning. After watching her sleep last night for a while, he had surprisingly followed her into slumber. After he woke several hours later, he had slipped out of her room before she could realize that he’d been sleeping beside her. Recalling how she had looked this morning, with one hand resting above her head, clouds of black silken curls lying on the pillow, her lips open slightly, he vowed he would see her like that again, many more times. It had taken all his willpower to get out of that bed instead of kissing her awake, which had been his first instinct.
“Just so I have this straight in my head,” the duke said slowly. “Brantley Winston is responsible for putting the fear of God into the Allender family for many years, and yesterday he had Miss Allender abducted, simply to get her out of the way so he could dispose of her brother?”
“Nicely abbreviated, your grace,” Simon said, following Mathew up the stairs.
“It sounds like something my wife would read about in one of those hideous novels,” Daniel said.
Mathew knocked on the door and when there was no answer he simply turned the handle. When the door still did not yield, he threw his shoulder into it twice before it sprang open.
“Well, that’s certainly a way to announce your arrival,” Simon said as the door connected loudly with the wall.
Mathew stalked inside. His anger had been steadily building since yesterday. He wanted Brantley Winston, and he wanted him badly. He needed to make the man pay for what he had put Patience and her siblings through.
“What is the meaning of this?”
He found Patience’s cousin in bed with a woman, both of them naked. The woman took one look at who had just entered the room and screamed as she leapt out of bed and began scurrying about trying to clothe herself.
“Lady Alington, be sure to give my best to your husband when next you see him,” Daniel said as the woman ran from the room with her clothes clutched to her naked chest.
“I-I how dare you!” Brantley got out of bed and pulled up his breeches.
“That will do. No shirt is required for this conversation, Winston,” Mathew said, reining in his anger. It wouldn’t help the situation if he simply did what he wanted and took out his pistol and shot the man; then he would be in danger of exile, and he had no wish for that, not when he had a family who needed him, and Patience to woo.
“I demand an explanation, Lord Belmont!”
“You have yet to address my friends and me correctly, Winston,” Mathew said, watching the snake closely as he taunted him.
This man had tormented the woman he cared for and her family, and he would be made to pay. Mathew would see to it personally.
“I think considering you have stormed into my rooms without an invitation that I have every right to my behavior.”
“The word ‘right’ has many different connotations, don’t you think, Lord Kelkirk?”
“Indeed, Lord Belmont. There is the right to live or die.”
“The right to take up the title your father had before you,” Daniel said.
“The right to live a life without fear, and grow old.” Mathew said the last and watched Winston swallow several times.
“I, ah, have no idea why you are speaking to me in this manner.”
The arrogance of the man was breathtaking. That he believed no one would ever find out what he had been doing to the Allender family, even here in London, was beyond belief.
“Let me make one thing perfectly clear, Winston. You may have believed that the Allender family is without support, and an easy target for a man such as yourself, but I assure you they are not.”
“They are my cousins!” Winston looked outraged, and if Mathew had not known the man’s character he could almost have believed him. “I would never do anything to harm them.”
“You have tried many times to dispose of your cousin,” Mathew snarled, losing control of his temper. “You’ve intimidated when you should have cared. You’ve bullied and terrified that family into fearing for their lives!” Stepping closer, he landed a blow on the man’s jaw that sent him reeling backwards. “To have treated your own blood the way you have is beyond redemption!”
“Mathew, we need him coherent to talk to. Step away!”
He heard Simon’s words through the thunder of rage inside his head, and inhaled deeply.
“If I had my way, Winston, I would kill you now, and leave you lying in that bed in your own blood, yet my friends have told me I cannot,” he growled. “Therefore you will pack what you can carry and be on the first ship to America. If you were tried before a magistrate here, there would be a great deal of publicity, and I will not have your cousins dragged through that, much as I would like to see you fall from grace.”
“You cannot make me leave! I am innocent of anything she has said. Patience Allender is mad, and has been accusing me of things since her father’s death. She should be committed for her ravings.”
“A word of warning, Winston.” Simon stepped forward. “My friend has close ties with that family, and found Miss Allender walking the streets of Spitalfields early this morning after having been abducted. Were I you, I would have a care how I proceeded around him.”
Mathew kept his eyes on Winston. The man was now shaking.
“If you do not leave, we will tell everyone who will listen what you have been doing, and your name will be blackened, especially when I go to the magistrate.” Mathew wanted that to be the last resort, as he had no wish to drag Patience or her siblings through this publicly.
Brantley continued to plead his innocence. “I have done no wrong.”
“She could have died out there alone yesterday and we would never have found her. Just imagining the atrocities Patience could have suffered turns the blood in my veins to ice, and her suffering is because of your greed, Winston.”
“Just shoot him, and between us we will dispose of the body. It should not prove too difficult.”
Winston’s face lost all color at the duke’s words.
“You will be accompanied to a ship by my men, three of whom are outside as we speak, and it matters not to me whether you board in a wooden box, or chains, only that you board today,” Mathew said.
“That title is rightfully mine, not that sniveling brat’s!”
Finally Brantley Winston had dropped his façade, and vile words spewed from his lips, most of which had to do with his intentions towards Patience and her brother.
“I think Mathew should thrash him at the very least, Simon,” the Duke of Stratton said. “He deserves a good thumping, and if he won’t do it, I’m willing.”
“Hardly the attitude a duke should be taking, your grace,” Simon said, moving to Mathew’s side. “However, I must admit I would like to see the man suffer for his crimes.”
“Don’t touch me!” Brantley Winston squealed like a piglet as Mathew leaned over him.
“Heed me well, Winston. If I ever hear that you are back in England, or that anyone is threatening the Allender family at your hands then I will find you, and this time I will finish you.”
“A small jab and no more, Mathew,” Simon said.
“I fear if I start I will not stop,” Mathew growled. He didn’t punch the man like he wanted to; instead, he walked from the room, leaving Brantley Winston whimpering on the bed behind him. Once outside, Mathew instructed the Toots brothers to go into the room to watch Winston pack. They would then escort him to a ship that the duke would secure passage on.
“You say she leapt from a window into the Thames, yet she is scared of water?” Simon said.
The three noblemen were back on their horses, making their way through London. The day was cool and clear as around them people went about their business.
“Yes, and she managed to pull the boards free from the windows before that, by using a chair leg and then her hands,” Mathew said.
“Good Lord,
” Daniel said. “I think you should marry this woman, Mathew. Having such a resourceful wife would be most helpful should you ever find yourself in a similar situation.”
Marrying Patience Allender was something Mathew had thought a great deal about as he watched her sleep, and although there were things that lay between them, he now believed they could be resolved and that he wanted her as his wife very much indeed. He wanted her, cared for her, and was sure that one day he would love her, if indeed he was capable of the emotion. Losing his brother had made opening his heart again a very difficult thing.
“Neither an acceptance nor a denial. How interesting, Lord Belmont.”
“Thank you both for your help today,” Mathew acknowledged his friends, deciding that a change of subject was called for.
“Most enjoyable morning,” the duke said. “Just say the word and I shall set Grandmother to spreading vile rumors about Winston. The man’s reputation will be shredded by nightfall.”
“I almost feel sorry for him,” Simon shuddered.
The duke’s grandmother was a formidable woman.
“And this is where I shall leave you, as I need to secure that ticket for Winston,” Daniel said.
Mathew shook the duke’s hand and then rode to his townhouse with Simon, as Claire and Louis would be there by now, visiting with the Allender family.
“I like her, for what it’s worth.”
“You have barely spoken to her. How can you know that?” Mathew did not pretend to misunderstand.
“I am a wonderful judge of character, but the real reason is that Patience will not let you have everything your own way.”
“Are you saying I do?”
“Most often,” Simon said. “You also seem to unravel slightly when she is near, which is also a good thing.”
“I am not a knee blanket, Kelkirk.”
Mathew was subjected to a look from his brother-in-law that he could not fathom.
“After Anthony’s death your sister said you closed yourself off as she did, but that unlike her you have never opened up again.”
That was exactly how he had felt for so long, but he had not believed that anyone else had noticed.
“Perhaps it is time to put your brother to rest now, my friend.”
“He died eight years ago.” Mathew’s voice had become flat and cold, like it always did when someone touched on the subject of Anthony.
“And yet the grief is still so raw.”
“Yes.” The word was a soft hiss, surprising them both that he had acknowledged his feelings.
“Mathew, your sister told me that you were not yet ready for this, but I think you are.”
“Ready for what?”
“Go to Anthony’s bedroom.”
“Why?” Mathew looked at his brother-in-law and saw the sympathy in his eyes.
“Because I believe it will help you.”
As they were turning into his driveway, Mathew did not say anything further. Instead he dismounted and handed the reins over to his groom, then made his way in through the open door with his mind on Simon’s words. What awaited him in his brother’s rooms other than memories?
“You promised me we would talk, but you went and saw him, didn’t you?”
Looking upwards, Mathew found Patience leaning over the railing, glaring down at him. Suddenly the day seemed brighter and he wanted to smile, but thought that it might be best not to, considering the scowl on her face.
“Stand back before you fall, you foolish woman.”
“Don’t change the subject. You went and saw Brantley!”
“Yes, and shrieking like a street vendor will not change what has happened,” Mathew said calmly, ignoring Simon’s snort. “Go and bring your siblings to my study, and I shall tell you all what has transpired.”
She clearly wanted to tell him to go to the devil, but also wanted to hear the news, so she simply sent him a last furious glare, then stormed away.
“It seems she is fully recovered from her ordeal.” Simon gripped his shoulder. “At least your life will not be quiet.”
“So it would seem,” Mathew said, then made for his study. He was seated behind his desk when the Allender family appeared, led by the eldest, who still had a fierce look in her blue eyes.
As Simon had said, she looked in good health considering yesterday’s adventures. Her eyes were clear, skin flushed, and dressed in pale blue muslin she look so beautiful he wanted to haul her into his arms and kiss her until they were both breathless.
“Please sit.” He stood and motioned them all into the seats before him. When they were seated, he went on, “The Duke of Stratton, Lord Kelkirk and I visited your cousin this morning in his lodgings. I explained that I knew what he had been doing to your family and if he did not leave England immediately then I would go to the magistrate and would also expose his perfidy within society.”
Patience gripped the arms of her chair as she leaned forward, her eyes on his face. “What are you saying?”
“As we speak, Brantley Winston is boarding a ship leaving England for America. He will not be returning, and if he does, he knows what awaits him.”
“I don’t understand.” Charlie had gone pale, his eyes now huge in his face.
“It’s over,” Lucy whispered, gripping her brother’s hand.
“Is it true? Can it really be over so quickly?” Patience had regained her feet.
Mathew nodded, and suddenly the Allender family were all moving toward each other, then huddling together, laughing and crying. He realized that they needed this time together, so he slipped quietly from the room. For so long they had lived with the threat Brantley had posed, and now suddenly that threat was gone. It would take time for them to fully accept that.
Mathew wasn’t sure what urgency drove him, but he suddenly needed to reach the third floor. His heart thumped madly as he took the stairs two at a time until he stopped before the closed door. This had been his brother’s room, and Mathew had not entered it since his death.
He realized that his hand was shaking as it gripped the handle hard. He pushed the door open and let it swing wide as he walked inside.
He stopped abruptly in the middle of the room and turned in a slow circle. He saw his brother’s uniform lying across the bed and letters in a neat pile on the writing desk. Shoes sat neatly polished against a wall.
He heard a noise as his eyes fell on the portrait hanging on the wall between two windows, and knew that he had made it himself.
“Anthony.” He stumbled closer, until he was inches away. “How I miss you!” He traced the lines of his brother’s face and felt the pressure inside him build to almost an unbearable height. Just when he’d begun to fear there was no release, he felt the first tears begin to fall.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Patience had looked everywhere for Mathew. She owed him an apology and her gratitude, especially considering the result he had achieved. She could hardly believe that she and her family were free from their cousin’s threats. She felt lightheaded, the relief was so great.
“Excuse me, do you know where I may find Lord Belmont?”
“I saw him taking the stairs upwards, Miss Allender,” the maid said as she bobbed a curtsey.
“Thank you.”
She hurried to the stairs, picked up her skirts and climbed. She felt a strange tension inside her, and a desperate need to find Mathew.
Searching each floor as she went, she finally reached the third floor and made her way down the hallway until she came to a door that stood open.
“Mathew?”
He didn’t turn to face her as she said his name; instead, his eyes remained on the portrait of Anthony he was standing before. Stepping into the room, she moved slowly, her eyes on his back, watching the deep, heaving breaths he drew.
“It is a wonderful likeness.” Patience had last seen Anthony when he was just a boy. The painting had captured his smile and the laughter in his eyes and face. “I remember that smile. He would simply walk int
o a room, and seconds later everyone was smiling too.”
“I miss him.”
The words were gruff. She heard the tears in Mathew’s voice and swallowed back her own.
“I came in here to shout at you for leaving without me this morning, then to thank you for doing what you did for my family. Now it seems I must forgo the shouting for another time.”
“I would appreciate it.”
“Grieve for him, Mathew…please.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him close.
“I am trying,” he rasped. “But it hurts.”
“I remember you used to compete with each other all the time, even over who drank their tea quickest. It was a constant source of amusement for me and Lucy.”
He listened as she talked of her memories of the Belmont brothers until slowly the rapid thud of his heartbeat eased and the tension in his limbs drained away.
She didn’t resist as he pulled her around his body and against his chest so he could wrap his arms around her and rest his head on her shoulder.
“Do you remember when Anthony dared you to get into Mr. Peats’ sty and you pulled him in with you, and you both rolled around in the mud? Then you chased Claire, Lucy and me all the way back to your house.”
“I’d forgotten that.”
“You must speak of these things, Mathew. You should not forget the time he was in your life.”
“In the beginning it just seemed easier on everyone that I did.” His breath brushed her hair.
“It was not easier on you, though, was it?”
“I thought I was dealing with it in my own way. Yes, it hurt deep inside me, but I was living with it…at least I thought I was until you came back into my life.”
“Will you tell me about Louis, Mathew?”
He was silent for a while before saying, “It is not something I am proud of, Patience.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“I dealt with Anthony’s death by locking everything inside me. I became cold and unfeeling, and then Claire got a note telling her that Anthony had left something behind in France. When she found out it was a child, I forbade her from leaving the house because I believed it was trickery. She went against my wishes, and with Simon’s help, they retrieved Louis from his uncle, who was a sailor.”
