by Wendy Vella
It was not full as the weather was cold, but there was a family there, adults and children. All were talking and making a great deal of noise. Walking by them, she laughed as a young boy ran away from an elder man. He stopped just before Thea, noticing her suddenly.
“Hello, young man. Are you having fun?” Thea bent at the waist and smiled at the child who smiled back.
“That’s my grand da. He’s old.”
Thea followed the hand the boy pointed and saw that the man was now coming toward them. He was big, with a headful of gray hair and a lovely smile that lit his brown eyes.
“Liam, I hope you are being polite to this pretty lady.”
“Indeed he is, Sir. He also told me that you were his old grand da,” Thea added, smiling.
“Did he, now. Well, you can rely on a child for honesty,” he said, ruffling the little boy’s head. “And the truth is he makes me feel old with all his running about, but luckily as he is a grandchild I can send him home to his parents when I want rid of him.”
Thea laughed as he gave the boy a menacing look, which made the lad giggle. There was obviously a great deal of love between grandson and grandfather.
“Well, good day to you, Sir.” Thea gave him another smile before making her way toward a seat tucked away off the path, in front of some trees to await her carriage. It was peaceful here, and she could still hear the family playing, and the sounds of Liam’s laughter made her own lips twitch. It was nice to just sit quietly and think.
“Do not move or make a sound as I have a knife at your back.”
The words were whispered into her ear, low and guttural.
“What do you want?” Thea said quickly.
“All your money and jewelry.”
She wore her mother’s brooch today, and the small ring her father had given her that she removed only to sleep. To lose them would be devastating. Anger began to mix with the fear as she tried to think.
“The bag first,” the voice said and a hand waved in front of her face, pointing at her reticule.
“I will give you what I have in here, but not the jewelry.” Thea kept her words calm and tried to sound strong.
“You’ll do as I say.”
She winced as the knife dug into her left shoulder.
“I will not!” Thea leapt to her feet and tried to run, but he was quick and in seconds he’d grabbed her, pulling her backward into the trees. She fought with everything she had; punching him like Ted had taught her. His grunt told her she had connected with something. She screamed for help, and the man cursed and swung his fist at her, knocking Thea to the ground. She lay there, stunned, as her attacker fled, hardly daring to believe what had just happened.
“Dear God!” Gentle hands reached for her minutes later, lifting her into a sitting position. “Madam, are you all right?” Thea looked up at the large man before her. It was Liam’s grandfather with a worried look on his face.
“I-yes, thank you.” Thea’s head was hurting now along with her jaw, and she lifted a shaky hand to feel the lump at the base of her skull.
“The man had fled by the time I reached you, Madam.” He pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it into her hand. “Will you allow me to carry you to somewhere more comfortable?”
Thea nodded as she was feeling light-headed. Closing her eyes as he lifted her, she rested her head on his chest as he walked.
“Dear Lord, Mathew, what has happened to her?”
Thea didn’t open her eyes as a woman spoke. Her head was spinning and she felt as if every part of her body was trembling.
“A man attacked her. I suspect he was trying to steal from her, Sarah.”
Thea didn’t care where they were taking her as long it was warm. Her body was shaking so much now that her teeth were starting to chatter.
“A few minutes more, Madam, and we shall have you inside and comfortable.”
“Thank you,” Thea managed. She was sure in a few minutes she would be stronger, more like herself. It was just the shock of what had taken place setting in. If only Ted would return with the carriage. She longed for his familiar face.
She opened her eyes as she was carried into a warm room, and then lowered onto something soft.
“Can you tell me where you are hurting, Madam?” The man was crouching before her, his dark eyes concerned.
“It is my head and jaw, Sir.”
“Madam, my name is Mathew Dillinger, and this is my wife, Sarah. Will you allow us to care for you until your carriage returns?”
Dear God, it couldn’t be. Surely, there was more than one Dillinger in London, and not all were related to her Dillinger? The pounding in Thea’s head increased. He was a big man, though, and there was something about him of Oliver. Now she knew there could be a connection.
“Are you Oliver’s parents?” Thea whispered, hoping she was wrong.
“Do you know our eldest son?” Delight showed on the woman’s face as she reached for the ties of Thea’s bonnet and gently removed it. She had a lovely, soft smile. Her hair, like her husband’s, was gray, which was not surprising considering the amount of children she had raised.
‘I actually had nine siblings, but my youngest sister, Beth, died in my arms. That was a dark day, Lady Althea. Watching a part of you suffer and slowly die, and know there is nothing I can do to keep her alive.’
Thea heard the words Oliver Dillinger had spoken as she acknowledged the woman who had lost that child, too.
“I do, yes, and my name is Lady Althea Ryder.”
A look flashed between husband and wife before they faced her again.
“I shall fetch the doctor for you, my lady, at once.” Mathew Dillinger rose with these words.
“No, please,” Thea stopped him. “I have a sore head and my jaw aches but there is no need for a doctor. Perhaps just a cup of sweet tea and a cold cloth and I shall be set to rights.”
“If that is your wish, my lady, but if you change your mind I shall send someone at once,” Mathew Dillinger said.
They brought her a cold cloth that felt wonderful on her aching jaw, and then another was placed behind her head. She sat up when the tea arrived and even managed a smile for the worried family before her.
“There, you see, I feel much better already,” she lied as she took the cup Oliver’s mother handed her. “Will you introduce me to the rest of your family, Mr. Dillinger?”
“We have only our grandchildren at home with us today, my lady,” and she heard the pride in his voice. Mr. Dillinger loved his family very much. “You’ve met Liam.” He patted the boys head.
She met Sally who was eight and the twin six-year-old boys, Phillip and John. Their coloring was varied, but some had Oliver’s dark hair and deep brown eyes. Thea tried to smile but felt her lips tremble, so she pressed them together.
“Now you boys go outside and wait for Lady Althea’s carriage, so you can tell the driver she is in here,” Sarah Dillinger said, directing her grandsons from the room.
“I have no wish to throw your grandchildren out in the cold, Mrs. Dillinger,” Thea said, speaking slowly as it hurt her face.
“They’re never inside so don’t you worry about them. They don’t feel the cold,” the woman said.
“Will you have a currant bun with the tea, my lady?”
Thea’s stomach churned as she looked at the plate Mathew Dillinger held out to her.
“They look delicious, but I’m not hungry, thank you.”
She let her eyes wander around the room as she slowly sipped her tea. Her strength was returning and with it, the memory of that man attacking her. Thea hoped he had a few bruises of his own. There were paintings and drawings on the walls, and papers and books on every available surface. It was a well used, and lived in room, and had the circumstances been different, she would have loved it. It was a home, a place where you spent time with the people you loved.
“I have some salve, my lady, that will help to reduce the swelling. Will you allow me to put it on you?” Mrs
. Dillinger moved to kneel before Thea now.
“Thank you.” Thea nodded slowly, and then almost sighed at the woman’s gentle touch. Her mother had once touched her like that, so soft and caring.
Thea heard voices outside the door.
“Please excuse me a moment. I hear my son.”
Son? Dear Lord, please don’t let it be the eldest as she had no wish to disgrace herself by collapsing upon Oliver’s large chest and sobbing, if indeed it was he who walked through that door. She’d half risen from the sofa as it was thrown open and in walked another Dillinger, however not her one…Oliver, of course she meant. He wasn’t hers, he was just…Oliver. Dear Lord, she was addled. The attack had left her wits scattered.
“Daniel, this is Lady Althea Ryder.” Mrs. Dillinger made the introductions.
“Good God, is it really?” Daniel Dillinger walked forward and bowed elegantly before her. “It is a great pleasure to meet you, Lady Althea. My brother Oliver has told me much about you.”
He had his father’s happy eyes but he was not quite as tall, perhaps more his mother’s size, which was still great indeed. In fact, they all made Thea feel small, and that did not happen often as she was taller than most women of her acquaintance.
“She was attacked in the park, son, and we carried her here to await her carriage,” Mr. Dillinger said
“Our park?” He frowned. “How bloody dare someone do that to you here?”
“Daniel.” The rebuke came from his mother. “Lady Althea has no wish to hear your coarse language.
“No, please,” Thea said. “Really, I have two brothers who speak like that constantly. Do not apologize, Mrs. Dillinger, and good day to you, Mr. Dillinger,” she added. “I-your father and mother were kind enough to invite me in here after the incident in the park, as my carriage has not yet returned, and I was visiting the Browns, you see, and they were not there.”
Shut up, Thea, you are babbling.
“Of course they did,” Daniel said. “No sense sitting out in the cold after what you’ve just endured.”
He was immaculately tailored like Oliver, but, unlike his brother, he had a ready smile that lit his handsome face. Thea suspected he did not have the hard-earned edges and cold control either that his elder brother had perfected, and that was perhaps due to circumstance rather than family traits, as Oliver had lived a hard life.
Her cup was replenished as around her the Dillinger family chatted softly. She thought that normally their voices were a great deal louder, but as she was in the room and injured they were keeping them lowered.
“Is Uncle Oliver coming soon? He promised to let me ride on his back.”
“He is busy, Liam, but will arrive later,” Daniel said, stripping off his coat. “However, if you care to mount up, I shall be your steed until his return. You must be quiet, however, as Lady Althea has a sore head.”
Thea, who was still reeling from the fact that Uncle Oliver let his nephew ride on his back, could not quite believe what she was seeing as Liam climbed on his uncle’s back. Daniel Dillinger was soon galloping around the furniture in his tailored trousers whilst Liam smiled gleefully on his back, to the obvious delight of the rest of the family.
“The carriage has arrived, Grandfather.” One of the twins popped his head around the door.
“Off now, Liam.” Daniel Dillinger stood again and came to her side, where he held out his hands. “Take my hands, my lady, as I can see you are in pain.”
“Th-thank you.” Thea took them and slowly regained her feet. Her head pounded and her jaw gave a fierce tug.
“Thank you all so much for taking care of me,” Thea managed. Pressing the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Dillinger, she then let Daniel lead her from the room.
“You shall look like Oliver by the morning, after a fight,” he said, placing an arm around her back.
“You saw your brother fight?” Thea concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.
“No. My brother left home at twelve, my lady, and I did not see him again for ten years. But he was always in fights before he left us, and my mother concocted that paste you now have on your chin to bring out his bruises.
“I see.” She didn’t, but now was not the time to ask further question, especially as she was feeling extremely light-headed again.
Ted, who was seated beside the driver, jumped down as soon as he saw Daniel Dillinger leading her down the stairs.
“My lady, what has happened to your face? I thought the Brown family lived in number ten?”
“They do, Ted, but…oh, dear,” Thea sniffed.
“Ted, your mistress was attacked whilst she walked in the park. She has hurt, both her jaw and head,” Daniel Dillinger said. “My parents were also in the park and came to her aid.
Ted didn’t speak, just took her other arm and lead her to the carriage. He then opened the door and helped her inside.
“I shall leave you in Ted’s capable hands now, my lady.”
“Thank you, Mr. Dillinger, for everything,” Thea said. “And please thank your parents again for me.”
“Of course.” He gave her a bow. “I’m sure we shall be seeing you again one day, my lady.” With those words, he left, climbing the steps and back inside the lovely, warm, cozy house.
“I should have stayed with you.” Ted said these words as he climbed in beside her and shut the door. Pulling a blanket from beneath the seats, he then placed it over her legs as she was shivering again.
“I told you to go, Ted. Please, no blame is necessary.” Thea leaned into the side of the carriage in the hope it would alleviate the throbbing in her head.
“Take a small sip of this, my lady.” Uncapping the lid on a flask he had pulled from his pocket, he handed it to her.
Thea swallowed and the liquid left a warm trail down her throat, and then took another before handing it back to him.
“Are you certain there is nothing further I can do for you, my lady?”
The worry on his face made her want to weep but she didn’t, instead forcing a smile onto her lips she shook her head. As soon as the carriage started moving, she braced her shoulders and took several deep, steadying breaths. Weeping and feeling sorry for herself would do nothing to aid her cause. She was injured and would heal, and she would not think of those moments in the park, where a man could have killed her, again.
Chapter Seven
Ace knocked on the door and stood back to wait. He had just left his family after a visit and they’d told him about Lady Althea.
“She’d been like a ray of sunshine when she’d entered the park, son, happy and smiling, and then a few minutes later she was screaming for help,” his father had said. “Pale and shaking, there were tears in her eyes that she refused to shed. I tell you, Oliver, that woman was in pain when I carried her into the house, but she sat there drinking tea and pretending she wasn’t.”
Someone had attacked Thea, laid their hands on her and hurt her and he wanted to kill them. Rip them limb from limb. The anger he had felt at his father’s words had been so swift it had taken Ace a moment to speak.
Daniel and his mother had added to the story, but Oliver had not heard much more as his head had been filled with worry for her. Lady Althea Ryder, the woman he could not have but yearned for, had been attacked, and he wanted to hunt down whoever had done this to her and make them pay.
He didn’t like to think of her hurting. It made something churn inside him and that just made him angry, as no one but his family created that kind of reaction in him, and he should not feel anything for her, because she was not a woman he could ever contemplate a future with.
Spending the past few mornings riding through the park with her should not have been the highlight of his day, but it was. He would wake with a foolish smile at the prospect of seeing her. She would then tease and torment him into doing what she wanted, and he loved that, too.
“I thought Ted was to tutor me, my lady,” he’d said to her the first morning his lessons had begun,
to which she’d replied that Ted was sensitive and she feared he could not withstand any of the insults Ace was likely to throw at his head.
She was mouthy, sharp-witted and the need inside him to see her was becoming dangerous, and something he needed to address soon. And now someone had hurt her, and Ace hadn’t hesitated—he needed to see her to make sure for himself she was all right, so he was at present standing in the cold on Luke’s doorstep.
God, what a mess.
“Mr. Dillinger.” The butler smiled at him after opening the door. “I’m afraid Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher are from home, but we expect them back at any moment.”
“Good evening, Vickers.” Ace walked inside and then handed his outer clothing to the man. “It is actually Lady Althea that I wish to see. I have just heard about the incident in the park today.”
“Yes, a nasty business,” the butler said. “She is taking tea in the front parlor. I shall see if she is receiving visitors.”
Ace stood in the entranceway, looking around him as the butler walked down the hallway. Bella had made the house homely and it vastly differed from the one he had walked through many months ago with Luke, who at the time was unsure if he wanted to purchase it. Back then, his friend had been straddling two worlds, unsure where he fit, but now he knew his place in society and was happy to be one of the new breed of men whose numbers were steadily increasing in England—industrialists and businessmen who lived on the periphery of those who fought against change.
“Mr. Dillinger has called, my lady.” He heard Vickers speak and impatience made him move toward the door.
“Please show him in then, Vickers, and bring some fresh tea.”
He heard her voice and relief coursed through Ace. If she could talk then surely she was not too badly hurt. Walking passed the butler as he left, he found her seated before the fire in a pale lavender dress with a blanket over her legs. At her feet were small, matching slippers which told Ace her feet were bare, and for some foolish reason he wanted to see them.
