by Ella Edon
“Leicester!”
Amy sagged onto the stairs as she saw Merseyside storming across the hall. The men were in the doorway to the lounge, trying to see what was going on. Hartley was there as well, but he didn’t look shocked at the sight. If anything, he was watching Amy with a blank expression. There was no emotion that he cared about his daughter being beaten.
“What do you think you’re doing, Leicester?” Merseyside reached the stairs. “Let her go now!”
“Get lost, Merseyside.” Leicester waved him away. “I’m having a discussion with my bride.”
“Last I heard, Miss Hartley is not your bride.” Merseyside mounted the stairs and twisted Leicester’s hand out of Amy’s hair. She collapsed as her friend’s husband pulled Leicester away and pushed him back, almost shoving him off the stairs. “And I heard her call for you to let her go. All of us did.”
“You…”
“Would you like me to fetch Lord Derby?” Merseyside squared up to him. “He wouldn’t have heard this yet, but he certainly will hear about it if you don’t back up right now. I know he would love to get his hands on you for what you’ve just done.”
Amy watched as Leicester prepared to square up to Merseyside. He was bigger, and he could easily take the man on. But then something went on in his mind, and he seemed to realize they were being watched. He had been caught committing ungentlemanly conduct, and he had no case for challenging Merseyside to anything. The man was a coward when it came to other men.
Leicester backed down a little, but he was still seething. He jabbed a finger at Merseyside.
“You may be above me, but you don’t order me about.”
“I just did.” Merseyside sneered. “Now, get lost. Baron Maudlin, would you mind taking Lord Leicester away?”
“With pleasure.” Maudlin appeared behind Leicester and took his arm. “Come on, sir, let’s go.”
“Take your hands off me!” Leicester shook him away. “I’ll walk. But I will speak to Amy later.”
Merseyside snorted.
“I seem to recall Miss Hartley refusing to let you call her Amy. You will address her properly and remember your place. Once Lord Derby hears about this, you’ll be ejected from this house so fast your feet won’t touch the ground.”
Leicester sniggered.
“Not if he wants Amy to stay. If I go, Lord Hartley leaves, and his daughter can’t stay here without a chaperone. She leaves with her father.”
With one last look at Amy, Leicester sauntered away with Maudlin herding him towards the lounge. Amy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. She was shaking, and her head was throbbing. She had never been manhandled like that before, not even by her father.
How could he not know that Leicester was a dangerous man?
“Miss Hartley?”
Amy looked up. Merseyside was kneeling beside her. Amy swallowed and managed to nod, the throbbing in her head getting worse.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I have to be.” Amy squared her shoulders. “May you help me stand?”
“Of course.” Merseyside’s hand closed around hers, and he helped her to her feet. “Do you want me to get Derby?”
Amy had wondered why Derby hadn’t come running, but then she remembered that his study was right at the back of the house. Considering how vast the house was, he wouldn’t have been able to hear the commotion. And once he saw what had happened to her, Derby wouldn’t stop at throwing Leicester out the house. He would kill him.
Amy didn’t want any further aggravation. Leicester wasn’t worth it. She shook her head.
“No, don’t bother him. I’ll head on up to my room.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” Amy gave Merseyside a smile and squeezed his hand. “Thank you for stepping in, my lord. Goodnight.”
It was difficult to walk up the stairs when she was wobbling, but Amy managed.
* * *
Amy’s head was throbbing badly. Leicester had tugged very hard on her hair. As soon as she got to her room, Amy had to check her head, prodding the sensitive parts of her scalp to make sure she wasn’t bleeding. Nothing was ripped, and there was no blood. That was something.
But Amy was still shaking. Her father had hit her before, but he had never grabbed her by the hair and attempted to hit her in public. He was a subtle man. People knew exactly what he did, but Hartley never publicly displayed it. Leicester was something else.
And her father wanted her to marry him? He had to be mad to think it was a possible match. Leicester was a bully, plain and simple. Much like her father.
Then again, that was probably why Hartley was agreeing to the match and turning a blind eye. In his mind, Amy needed someone to keep her in line.
If he loved her, this would not be happening right now.
Morose, Amy undressed and got ready for bed. She would tell Derby about it in the morning if Merseyside hadn’t said anything. She knew Derby was going to be furious, but there wasn’t anything they could do. If Leicester left, so did Hartley and Amy would go with him. It wouldn’t matter if Derby had someone else chaperone Amy, Hartley wouldn’t allow it.
They were stuck, and Amy hated it.
She climbed into bed and curled into a ball, staring at the window. In the summer, Amy liked the curtains to be open, so she could see the clear skies and the stars twinkling. It was a beautiful sight, and often very soothing.
But it was some time before Amy managed to fall asleep. Her head was still throbbing, and it was giving her a headache. If she could, Amy was going to say she wanted to stay in bed. After what had happened, there was no way she wanted to come across Leicester again. Certainly not alone. Maybe hiding in her room for a while during the day would make her feel better.
Amy was in a deep slumber when she heard a loud bang, which had her starting awake. She rolled over and saw her stepmother striding across the room. She rapped Amy sharply on the leg several times before hustling over to the dresser.
“Come on, you lazy child!” She started opening drawers. “You need to get up!”
“What…”
Amy looked at the clock. It was a little after seven. Normally, she woke up a little later and went down to breakfast once she was sure her father and stepmother weren’t around. They were early risers, and Amy did whatever she could to keep out of their way.
“It’s seven in the morning, Beatrice.” Amy protested as she sat up. “I didn’t say you could come in here, and I don’t need to get up at this time.”
“You need to get up.” Beatrice began sifting through stays and petticoats. “I’m going to get you ready for breakfast and get you downstairs.”
“No!”
“Stop being such a brat and get out of bed.”
Amy had thought she had felt humiliated after her encounter with Leicester, but this was worse, having her stepmother, a woman she despised, going through her things.
“I’m not a child, Beatrice, and I don’t want you in my room.” Amy pointed at the door. “Get out. I’ll have breakfast at a more sociable hour.”
“No, that’s not how it’s going to work.” Beatrice turned to her. “Lord Leicester is already up and about. There are several things you two need to discuss.”
Amy stared. Had her father not saw what had happened the night before? He would have said something - there were no secrets between him and Beatrice - and yet they still wanted her to be around the man? She couldn’t believe it.
“I have nothing to discuss with Lord Leicester.” She said in a tight voice.
“You can’t expect a man to plan a wedding on his own, do you?” Beatrice snorted and went back to pulling dresses out of Amy’s dresser. “God forbid, I wouldn’t let your father do that with me. The wedding would have been just two witnesses and the signing of a paper if he had been in charge.”
She was waltzing around her room like she was in charge of everything, and Amy was not having it. She
was fed up with people treating her like she wasn’t there, a toy to pass around. Something inside her snapped. Jumping out of bed, Amy stormed over to her stepmother and tugged her dresses out of Beatrice’s hands, throwing them onto the dresser before she squared up to the older woman.
“Are you and Father deaf?”
“I beg your pardon, child?”
“Stop calling me a child!” Amy screeched. “I’ve told you so many times that I wasn’t going to marry Lord Leicester. And after what he did to me last night, I certainly don’t want to be in the same room as him.”
“That was a misunderstanding…”
“MISUNDERSTANDING?” Amy felt a moment of satisfaction as Beatrice stepped back. “He almost ripped my hair out of my scalp! If I was bleeding, I would be pressing charges! You may have managed to get Lord Derby to allow Leicester and Miss Colburn to stay, but you’re not going to manipulate me. I refuse to have anything to do with a man who willingly put his hands on me!”
Beatrice’s mouth opened and closed. Then she recovered herself and waved away Amy’s tirade.
“Nonsense. It was a misunderstanding, and it’s all sorted. Leicester was very remorseful about what he did, and he wants to get that straightened out.”
“And if you believe that, you’re a bigger fool than I thought,” Amy snarled. “No marriage banns have been published, and I will say no until someone actually listens to me! I will say no throughout the ceremony if you somehow manage to get me there. If nobody will listen, but you have me married anyway, I’ll make sure everyone knows what you’ve done.”
Beatrice’s face was going red. Her eyes bulged. She advanced on Amy, waving a finger in her stepdaughter’s face.
“You will marry Lord Leicester, and you will do as you’re told,” she snapped, her finger catching Amy’s jaw. “Your father and I want a good marriage for you, and he’s as good as you’re going to get. You should be grateful we’ve even spent time on getting you married to a man with a title.”
“I can do better than him,” Amy shot back. “And I reject your choice.”
“You don’t have a say in that.” Beatrice’s lip curled in a sneer. “And who’s going to be a better catch than Lord Leicester? Derby? He’s from a family of bad people. And he’s not a desirable choice, not when he and the lovely Miss Colburn are soon to be wed.” She gripped Amy’s jaw with her hand, digging her fingers into Amy’s cheek. “You will not ruin our plans.”
“Too late.” Amy pushed her hand away. “I love Derby. I always have.”
“And you will never have him,” Beatrice replied. “You will marry Leicester if your father has to drag you up the aisle.” She stepped back and stormed towards the door. “You’ve got ten minutes, or I’m dragging you downstairs in whatever you’re wearing.”
Amy shuddered as the door slammed behind her stepmother. Then she slumped to her knees. That had completely drained her, and now Amy just wanted to crawl back into bed and pull the sheets up over her head.
She didn’t know how much worse this day could get.
* * *
Amy knew that Beatrice would be back in ten minutes and haul her downstairs in just her nightgown. Amy had had enough humiliation already, and she wasn’t about to suffer further. She dressed as quickly as she could, not bothering to brush her hair, and hurried out towards the back stairs. She didn’t stop running until she got out into the gardens.
Ducking behind a tree, Amy sat on an upturned root and twirled her hair into a tight knot on the back of her head, which she kept in place with pins she had swiped from the dresser. It wasn’t the best hairstyle of the day, but it would do. Amy hadn’t had the time to brush it; she didn’t want to be caught by Beatrice and dragged out into the rest of the house.
Once her hair was up and out of the way, Amy sat seething, her hands clenched in her lap. How dare she? That woman thought she could order Amy around? She seriously considered to have any say in Amy’s life? It was disgusting. Amy had practically screamed her choice to the rooftops, and yet Beatrice and Hartley wouldn’t listen.
And a choice that wasn’t hers? Hartley wasn’t prepared to let her have a choice over anything. Amy wanted a more desirable man, and that was Derby. But he wasn’t Hartley’s choice, so he wasn’t considered anything. They were at Derby’s estate, her father and stepmother merely there by extended invitation, but Amy knew what the answer would be at the end. They were just abusing Derby’s hospitality.
Amy hated this. Why couldn’t she have what she wanted? In her mind, it was all settled. Now that she knew how Derby felt about her and his declarations towards her, Amy was surer of herself. Things would be perfect if Hartley just agreed to it.
The man was in charge, and he loved the fact he was.
Chapter Fourteen
“Amy?”
Amy looked up. She gasped when she saw her mother walking towards her, still wearing her traveling coat. For a moment, Amy thought she was going mad. What was she doing here?
“Mother?” she squeaked and cleared her throat. “What are you doing here?”
“Lord Derby invited my husband and me.” Anna smiled. “He had a feeling you might want a loving parent on your side.”
Derby again. He had never said a word about this. Amy jumped up and flung herself at her mother, hugging Anna tightly. Anna hugged her in return, and Amy wasn’t sure which one of them was shaking the most.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Mother.” Amy drew back, searching her mother’s face. “But are you well enough for this? You’re still pale.”
“I had to come and make sure your father wasn’t bullying you.” Anna sighed. “And I take it he’s doing a lot of that if you’re hiding out here at such an early hour.”
“Not him. Beatrice.” Amy made a face. “She came storming into my room, trying to get me up and dressed like a little girl. I had to escape out here.”
Anna looked very forlorn. She cupped Amy’s face in her hands.
“Oh, darling. I wish you didn’t have to go through this. That woman shouldn’t have anything to do with you.”
“But she has.”
Anna took her daughter’s hand and led her over to the tree trunk. They sat, Anna still holding onto Amy’s hand.
“Tell me everything, sweetheart.”
Amy did, leaving out the intimate moment by the lake. As she talked, she watched Anna’s expression go from pained to shock and then tightly contained anger. Her hand tightened around Amy’s fingers.
“I cannot believe that your father could be so rude as to invite people to a home that isn’t his. And you say he stood there while Lord Leicester prepared to hit you?”
Amy nodded. Anna’s jaw tightened.
“That is just disgusting. I would have thought your father would take a stand against that.”
“He hits me! Why would he care about that?” Amy shook her head miserably. “I despise him. And I despise Lord Leicester. I’ve told both of them that, but nobody’s listening to me. I feel like I’m going to go mad if nobody pays me any attention.”
“I’m paying attention to you, love,” Anna assured her. “And I know that Lord Derby had to come out here, so he could prove that he’s a good match for you. From what his letter said, he’s determined to marry you.”
Amy found herself smiling.
“I love him, Mother. And he loves me.”
“I can tell. From the actions you told me and the way you are now, there’s a newfound confidence in you that I haven’t seen before. If a man can do that to a woman, he’s a good one you shouldn’t let go of.”
“I have no intention of letting go of him.”
Anna sighed.
“I know that, love. But it’s not down to us, I’m afraid. I don’t get a say in who your future husband is, and you’re under your father’s care.”
“His way or not at all.” Amy looked down at the ground. “I wish I could talk to Father about this. Sit him down, just us, and tell him what I want without being talked over. But he
just won’t listen.”
“I know,” Anna said gently. “But, things will happen naturally.”
“How so? The only thing that’s going to happen naturally right now is my marriage to Leicester.” Amy snorted. “And I’ll be screaming the whole way.”
“Your marriage won’t happen to Leicester.”
“How can you be so sure? They’ve all but published the banns.”
“I can’t see Leicester hanging around when he knows that there’s a better option for you out there.”
Amy sighed.
