Reforming the Duke

by Keira Montclair

  “Summon the physician, Stevens, and tell him to hurry.”

  Stevens left and Philip turned to Sara. He froze at her beauty, the striking contrast of her rosy lips against her creamy skin, framed by her lovely chestnut hair. The days since he’d last seen her had done nothing to weaken her effect on him. He reined in his thoughts and reminded himself of her present condition.

  “Sara?” He jostled her shoulder, but no response. Why had she passed out? His eyes ran down the length of her right hand to her delicate fingers and then switched to her left hand.

  “What the devil?” Hot rage coursed through Philip when he saw the damage that had been wrought on her left hand. He roared again for Stevens. His mother rushed in.

  “Philip, what is the problem? Why are you yelling?” Mary St. James stopped in her tracks, her mouth forming an ‘o’ as she took in the sight in front of her. Philip’s three brothers ran in behind her.

  “Dash it, Philip, what happened?” Adam asked. “She’s quite a beauty.”

  “Touch her and you are a dead man!” Philip snarled, although he wasn’t quite sure why he was so angry.

  “No need to get nasty. He meant it as a compliment,” Graham offered.

  “Just make sure none of you get any ideas,” he said, wondering why he’d become so possessive about Sara.

  Mary immediately took charge. “Philip, stop shouting at your brothers and help the girl. Carry her up to one of the guest rooms. Has Stevens sent for the doctor?”

  “Yes, I already spoke with him.” Philip carefully gathered Sara in his arms and headed up the stairs.

  “Do you want help?” Adam called after him.

  “I will take care of her,” Philip said. Although he didn’t wish to interpret his feelings, he couldn’t bear for another man to touch her just now, even if it was his brother. His mother gave him a look of interest as she followed him up the stairs.

  Philip carried Sara into the first guest room and lowered her onto a chaise while his mother bustled in behind him.

  “What happened, Philip?” She reached for Sara’s left arm to remove her cloak.“Careful, Mother, be wary of her hand. I don’t know what happened. I was just returning from the lake when I noticed her walking toward the front door. I knew something was wrong right away. Her steps were uncoordinated. I suspect she fainted.”

  When his mother had removed the cloak, he took Sara into his arms to move her to the bed. Her eyes fluttered open. She glanced up and started when she saw Philip. “What happened? Why am I here?”

  He carefully lowered her onto the bed. “You’ve had a bit of a shock,” he said.

  Sara’s brow furrowed. “I am sorry to bother you. I will go home now. I…I didn’t mean to come here.”

  He sat on the side of the bed and rubbed her arm as he spoke. “Lady Downey, you are not well enough to go anywhere. You fainted on your way to our front door. I must ask you what happened to your hand.” He said the words softly, tenderly. Obviously, the poor woman had suffered some sort of ordeal, and he certainly didn’t wish to make matters worse for her.

  Sara glanced down at her hand with a perplexed look. “My hand, why I don’t…” She closed her eyes and lay back, sinking into the pillow, as she groaned. “No!”

  Philip held her right hand in his and brushed his thumb across the back of her fingers. “Lady Downey, you can trust me. I will help you. Please tell me what happened.”

  Sara shook her head as she gazed up into his blue eyes.

  The hopelessness in her gaze moved him. He knew what it was to feel that way.

  The duchess waved a hand in front of her face. “Philip, please go wash. You reek of fish. You must be making the poor girl sick.”

  Sara gave Philip a small smile and closed her eyes again.

  “It’s all right. The smell of fish doesn’t bother me. It reminds me of my father. He always loved to fish.”

  Stevens appeared at the door. “The physician, Your Grace.”

  Philip stood immediately. “Of course, Dr. Newberry. Come right in. Let me introduce you to Lady Downey. She must have taken a fall or something.” He hovered as the doctor approached the bed.

  “Lady Downey, it’s my pleasure to meet you,” the doctor said, nodding politely. “That’s quite a bruise on your hand, young lady.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you, too, Dr. Newberry,” she said, her voice soft.

  The doctor turned to Philip. “With all due respect, Your Grace, I would like to examine the lady in private. Of course, Duchess, you may stay if you like and if Lady Downey is agreeable.” He bowed to the dowager.

  “Of course, she may stay.” Sara offered a weak smile.

  Mary ushered Philip out the door and whispered, “Go wash up, please. You are rank, my dear.”

  Philip left, although nervous energy coursed through his body, and he found himself pacing the hall beneath the stairs as he awaited the doctor.

  A short time later, Dr. Newberry descended the stairs.

  Philip rushed to his side. “Dr. Newberry, what happened? Is she all right?”

  “Oh, I expect she’ll be fine. The lady doesn’t want to talk about what happened. But she has a broken finger. I suspect it was done intentionally by someone. It has an odd angle to it.”

  “What did she tell you?” Philip asked.

  “Something about falling down a stairway, catching her fingers on a railing. I don’t believe it myself.” He shook his head, crossing his arms.

  “Why did she collapse?” Philip led the doctor into his library, then motioned for Dr. Newberry to take a chair and asked the butler for tea. His mother came down the stairs and took a seat on one of the other chaises. Philip still couldn’t bring himself to sit.

  “Probably shock,” Dr. Newberry answered. “Breaking a finger causes considerable pain, and she did walk all the way from her shop. Frankly, I don’t know how she made it this far. She also bears several bruises on her body. Someone knocked her about pretty well.”

  Philip’s blood boiled at the thought of someone beating Sara. He stared at the physician. “Any idea who?”

  “No, and she is not saying. Where is her husband? She is married.” His gaze went from Philip, who’d started pacing again, to the duchess.

  Stevens arrived with the tea on a tray with some biscuits, which he left on the table in between the duchess and the doctor.

  “He ran away with their money,” Philip said once Stevens had left. “I believe he was with my ex-wife.” He stopped and stared out the window for a moment.

  “Then who would you suspect? Do you know of anyone else she might have angered?” Dr. Newberry asked as he sipped his tea.

  “I am afraid I don’t know much about Lady Downey’s life. I only recently met her. She has been making gowns for my sister and my mother.” And he had not yet heard anything from the investigator he’d paid to look into her problem.

  “Well, try to find out. Someone could cause serious injury to this young lady, and she refuses to get the authorities involved.” Dr. Newberry pointed a finger at him. “She needs some protection in my opinion.”

  “Thank you, Doctor, I will keep that in mind,” Philip said, shifting his hands into his pockets.

  Mary shook her head. “Poor girl.”

  “Duchess, I gave her some laudanum. She should sleep for a while. I would advise bed rest for a couple of days.” He pushed away from the table. “Thank you for the tea, Your Grace.”

  “Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter, Dr. Newberry,” Mary said. Stevens escorted the doctor to the door.

  When they were alone, his mother looked at him with a thoughtful expression.

  “Tell me your thoughts, Mother. I know you want to.” Philip smiled cautiously, but he didn’t feel much humor about the situation.

  “Dr. Newberry is correct, in my opinion,” she said, rising to her feet. “Someone has to protect that girl. She looks like she could break easily, but you should see the bruises on her body. Philip, it is awful. You
need to do something about this.”

  The more she talked, the closer she came to her son.

  “Mother, what would you have me do? I’ll admit that I’ve taken an interest in her situation, but she is not forthcoming about her business and we have no idea what’s going on. I’m attempting to get information in other ways, but to no avail yet.” Philip’s eyebrows rose as he stared at his mother.

  “Well, you better make it our business, young man. How are you going to feel if she turns up dead one day? Do you know how much guilt I will bear if that happens, Philip? You better act while you still can. She has no one. We must help her.”

  Philip turned and stared out the window. “I intend to, Mother. Believe me, I will find out who is hurting Lady Downey, and I will stop him.”

  Chapter Ten

  When Sara awoke, it was morning. For a moment, she couldn’t place her surroundings—she only knew the beautiful, refined room was not her own. Pain drew her attention to her left hand, and when she saw the splint on her finger, the memories came flooding back. She was at the St. James home. Although she recalled starting out to see the duchess, she could remember nothing else.

  She was attempting to get out of bed, poorly, when a maid appeared in front of her. “My lady, you should not be getting out of bed. Her Grace will be very upset.”

  “Well, I need to wash up and take care of certain needs.”

  “I will help you, my lady.”

  Sara did not want to give in, since she’d never had a maid around to help her before, even during her short-lived marriage to the baron. But if ever she’d needed one, it was now. Every bone in her body ached. Sighing, she allowed the maid to help her get clean with the water on the side table. There was a fresh night rail on the chair for her to wear, but she could not get back into bed. There was simply too much to be done. She only had two weeks to raise the money.

  The maid, however, tried her best to coax her back into bed after seeing to her needs.

  “I am sorry,” she said, tugging on her shoes, “but I must go home. I have many things to do.” Sara tugged at her shoes.

  The duchess strode in quietly. “Are you feeling better, Sara?”

  “Why, yes, Your Grace, I am.” Sara stood quickly and brushed the wrinkles from her gown. “I appreciate your help, but I really must be going. I have much sewing to do.”

  “Remember, you agreed to call me Mary. Would you please do me the honor of coming downstairs and having breakfast with me? I am sure you must be hungry by now.”

  Mary’s voice soothed her immediately. Sara realized the duchess was right; she was starving. What could it hurt to have breakfast before she left? She realized it would be rude to walk away without properly thanking the woman for her help. Breakfast would be a great way to accomplish that, and besides, she had very little food at home and no coin.

  “Of course, Mary, I would be delighted to have breakfast with you.” She followed Mary out the door and down the stairs, her cloak over her arm.

  The two sat in the breakfast room. The maids served plates of coddled eggs and ham, toast, and pastries with icing. Sara’s mouth watered. She had not eaten well ever since Stinky had first arrived. Nerves had held her back—and so had the money. Any money she spent on food would not be going toward her husband’s debts.

  The duchess filled Sara’s plate. “Here you are, my dear. I gave you a bit of everything. We have a wonderful cook here. You must try her pastries.” Mary smiled as she set Sara’s plate in front of her and poured her a cup of tea.

  “Thank you, Mary.” Smoothing a napkin on her lap, she settled her left hand on the table and took a sip of tea. As soon as she picked up her fork, the duke entered the room. She couldn’t help but stare at him. The man truly was magnificent to look at. His hair was dark, his eyes a light blue. Everything about him was perfection, even his cravat. When his gaze met hers, she almost choked on her food.

  Mary had the grace not to comment on her blush.

  “Good morning, Your Grace,” Sara said, setting her utensils down to regain her composure. “I thank you for your hospitality last night. I remember little, but I owe you both for your fine care.”

  The duke sat across from Sara. “You are welcome, Lady Downey. But you certainly do not owe us anything. Well, other than an explanation for what happened to you. How did you end up in such a predicament?”

  Sara swallowed hard and cast her eyes down. “I don’t understand, Your Grace. What predicament?”

  “How did you come to collapse on our doorstep? And who broke your finger? Perhaps you were not comfortable talking about it with Dr. Newberry, but I think you should be truthful with us.”

  The duchess brought her hand down abruptly next to her plate. “Philip, where are your manners? You will not bother the lady while she is eating. Your rude interrogation can wait.” The dowager glared at her son.

  Philip nodded slowly. “Of course, Mother, you are correct. I apologize, Lady Downey.” He accepted his mother’s chastisement without another word.

  Sara took a timid bite of egg as the duke continued to stare at her. Finally, he heaved a sigh and stood up to fill his plate.

  “Sara, tell me, is there a friend you can stay with while you are recovering? Is there perhaps someone at the boardinghouse who could assist you?” asked Mary.

  Sara played with the napkin in her lap, her eyes darting to Philip as he returned to his seat across from her. “I am afraid I do not have many friends. Ever since my husband left, people have avoided me. You know how demanding the ton can be. I am now a working woman, and there is little appreciation for my place in society.” She then lifted her chin. “I will be fine, Your Grace. I appreciate your concern, but I assure you that I am capable of taking care of myself. I have much work to do.”

  She looked into Philip’s eye as she said that last bit.

  ***

  He’d allowed his mother’s chastisement quite simply because she was correct. He hadn’t noticed how thin Sara had become.

  What was going on with her? Thin, nervous, using poor judgment, frequent injuries. It all reeked of something he didn’t like to think about. Someone was either threatening her or abusing her, but who? Was her husband returning to frighten her for some reason?

  He could not fathom what was going on in her life, but he vowed to find out.

  Philip curbed his tongue at her declaration that she would return to work. A broken finger and a bruised body and she planned on continuing to sew? The woman had an iron will. Perhaps she had succumbed to exhaustion yesterday. Was she that desperate for money? He reflected on his visit with the private investigator earlier in the week. The man better be a fast worker. He didn’t care how much it cost. He wanted to know who was beating his woman.

  His woman? Where had that thought come from? Philip stared at Sara, shock running through his mind. The woman did have a way of making certain parts of his body stand at attention every time she was in the room. He wanted more food right now but didn’t dare get up to go to the sideboard. He sat directly across from the siren, and she would surely notice if he stood. Instead, he motioned to one of the servants to fill his plate.

  He would have understood it better if it had been a mere physical attraction, but his feelings were much more complicated than that. He longed to hold her. To soothe her and protect her. To make her smile.

  Philip didn’t remember having the same feelings for Caroline. What was happening to him?

  They ate in silence until Emma strolled into the breakfast room.

  “Oh, Lady Downey, I am so excited to see you!” Emma ran over to the table, her face flushed with excitement. “Do you know when my gowns will be ready? I was really hoping that my pink one might be ready this week. It would be perfect for the Earl of Ardleigh’s ball next week. Philip is allowing me to attend, since he is friends with the earl, isn’t that so, Philip? He is going to escort me. I am so thrilled to be going. I cannot wait to see what everyone else is wearing. How many gowns are you ma
king for the ball?” Emma finally ran out of words when she noticed the splint on Sara’s finger. “Oh my goodness, what happened to your finger?”

  “Emma, cease your chattering tongue, child,” the duchess said. “You are exhausting Lady Downey with your prattle. Stop, please. You will not be in attendance if you cannot demonstrate better manners.” She pulled on her daughter’s arm and gave her a harsh look.

  “I am sorry, Mother. I am just a bit excited. Pray forgive me, Lady Downey.” Emma blushed.

  “Emma, you have no reason to apologize,” Sara said. “I am working on your pink gown now. I plan to have it finished for you midweek. Hopefully, if you could, we might schedule a fitting for Wednesday. That’s why I need to get back home. There is much work to be done.”

  Sara made a motion to get up from her chair and a servant appeared at her side to assist her.

  The duchess stood quickly and grabbed her daughter’s hand. “Come, Emma, I need your help in the kitchen for a moment. Please excuse us, Lady Downey.”

  Philip thought to applaud his mother’s timing. She truly did have a quick mind. It would be impossible for Lady Downey to depart without taking proper leave of her hostess.

  “Now, Lady Downey, you were going to tell me what happened to you yesterday, were you not?” Philip studied his companion. “That is if you have finished eating.” He did not intend to let her leave without some kind of explanation. He hoped she understood that by his look.

  She took a sip of tea and set her cup back down. A moment of silence passed between them, and then she met and held his gaze. “All right, Your Grace. I will tell you what happened. But you won’t be happy. I cannot tell you much.”

  “Please, let me decide that.”

  “It is very simple. I am being blackmailed. I do not know who he is, just that he has threatened to break every bone in my body if I don’t pay him what he wants. As you can see, he has made a great start.” Sara didn’t pull her gaze from his as she held up her left hand.

  Philip fought to keep his rage under control. He would kill the man.