by Regina Darcy
The door behind him creaked open, and spinning around, Edward saw a maid come into the doorway, her eyes wide.
“Elsie,” Nora whispered, getting to her feet. “Well?”
“They are searching the whole house!” Elsie exclaimed, rushing towards Nora. “Mrs Banks had to surrender her keys, and every one of us had to leave our rooms.”
Edward walked towards them both, taking in Elsie’s pale face. “But Lady Caroline?”
The girl’s face relaxed into a smile. “Quite safe, my lord,” she replied softly. “The moment you entered the dining room, we all hurried to get her out of the house. The footmen were ever so efficient.”
Hearing Nora’s breath of relief, Edward couldn’t help but grin, patting Nora’s shoulder. “Well done, Elsie,” he said quietly, feeling as though he might burst with delight. “You have my thanks.”
“And mine,” Nora said gratefully. “Did Caroline understand what was happening? Is she quite all right?”
Elsie patted Nora’s hand. “She went just as quiet as a mouse, my lady. Not a word. I think she’s still getting over what happened to her at the hands of Lord Abernathy.” Her face clouded and she shook her head. “Despicable man.”
Even though it was quite out of the ordinary for a maid to express such an opinion, Edward found himself heartily agreeing.
“Indeed.”
“You’d best run along now,” Nora said anxiously. “I don’t want them to have any suspicions about you.”
Elsie nodded. “Thank you, my lady.” As the door closed behind Elsie, Edward heard Nora let out another long, somewhat shaky breath.
“No tears now,” he said firmly, grasping her hands and pulling her to her feet. “Else they’ll know that something is troubling you.”
She blinked rapidly, pushing her tears back. “Thank you for what you have done, my lord, to help my sister.”
He smiled at her. “I did it for you, my dear,” he said softly. “In the hope that you will choose to marry me.”
Astonishment filled her expression. “But I already said that I would do so.”
He shook his head, a small expression of regret on his face. “No, you did not, Nora. You said you would do whatever I wished, even marry me, if I would but help your sister. I would not have you feel pressured in any way. Things are exactly as they have been before.”
Nora stared at him, her face a little white. Clearly, she had been expecting him to tell her that, since he had helped Caroline, she was now to prepare herself for a life as his wife, but that was not what Edward wanted.
“I believe I have proved myself trustworthy,” he said slowly, aware of just how closely they stood together. “But more than that, Nora, I want to prove to you that you have begun to mean more to me than I ever expected. I want you to see just how much I long to make you my wife so that I might be able to give you a home and a life of your own, a life free from worry and fear.” He shook his head, still feeling anger over how the Duke spoke to and treated his daughters. “Your father has held you in a prison for far too long,” he continued softly. “I wish to free you from that.”
Her eyes grew warm as she looked at him. “I have always wished for my freedom,” she said hoarsely. “That was all I ever wanted. To be permitted to make my own choices in life.”
“And you are still to have that,” he said firmly. “You are to choose whether or not this wedding continues on as planned. It does not matter what you choose, I will still do all I can for Caroline. I will not manipulate you into doing what I wish.”
He watched as she studied him, clearly thinking through what he had said, and yet no easy answer sprung to her lips. How desperate he was for her to admit that, yes, she did want to marry him, she did want to spend the rest of her days by his side – and in that moment, he released just how much he felt for this courageous, tormented young lady.
Her nearness made his heart quicken all the more, as he looked down into her beautiful face and saw the trust that lingered in her expression. She had been forced to find her courage in order to aid her sister and had given him everything she had in the hope that he would not use it against her – and he had not let her down. For the first time in her life, she had been able to stand up against her father and protect her sister. He would help her to do so again and again if he had to, knowing that there was the beginning of a deep affection growing in his heart.
“You are a very kind gentleman, I think, Lord Fareshire,” she murmured softly, her fingers twining with his. “I did not expect to feel anything but despair over my engagement to you, but now…”
He raised an eyebrow. “Now?”
Her smile grew. “Now, I feel hope.”
A sudden, overwhelming urge to crush her in his arms and press his lips to hers crashed all through him, and just as he was about to do what he had intended, the door opened and Lord Abernathy and the Duke walked in. Feeling Nora tense almost immediately, Edward kept a hold of one of her hands, placing it behind his back as he turned towards the two gentlemen with one raised eyebrow.
“I presume nothing has been found, Lord Abernathy,” he said with a grim smile as Nora lifted her chin. “No sign of your wife amongst the Duke’s belongings?”
Lord Abernathy threw him a mutinous look. “I have not found any sign of Caroline,” he admitted angrily, “but still, I am quite certain that–”
“I do hope you are not about to lay blame on my betrothed yet again, Lord Abernathy,” Edward interrupted darkly. “For I fear I shall have to take you to task were you to try and discredit her name in any way.”
Lord Abernathy stuttered to a stop, his eyes darting from Edward to Nora. “No, indeed,” he muttered, dropping his gaze. “I do apologise, Lady Drake, for suggesting that any blame be placed at your feet.”
Edward felt himself swell with a sense of satisfaction as Nora murmured a quiet thank you, keeping her dignity and poise intact.
“I am quite sure the Duke will also like an apology for suggesting his youngest daughter has done something untoward,” Edward continued, to which Lord Abernathy muttered something in the Duke’s direction, seeing that he could not avoid Edward’s insistence that Nora be cleared of any suggestion of wrongdoing.
“And now, I think, I must bid you all goodnight,” Edward declared.
Turning to Nora, he offered her his arm, dropping her hand.
“Might you walk with me to the door, my dear?”
Her eyes practically shone as she looked up at him, lifting his heart with happiness. “Of course, Lord Fareshire,” she murmured, not so much as glancing at her father. “And I must bid you goodnight, Lord Abernathy, Father. I intend to retire also.”
The Duke, who until this point had not said a single thing, grunted in his daughter’s direction. “And are you to visit your betrothed tomorrow, Nora?” he asked with a slightly suspicious gleam in his eye. “Was that your intention?”
“Yes,” Nora replied, looking a little surprised at the question. “For afternoon tea, as was planned.”
The Duke did nothing more than nod, then shrug, turning away from them both to talk quietly to Lord Abernathy. Edward led his bride-to-be from the room, feeling a strong urge to remain protectively by her side for as long as he could.
“Do you think my father is in any way suspicious, Lord Fareshire?” Nora whispered, as they walked along the corridor. “I thought that, from the look on his face, he might think you complicit.”
Edward drew in a long breath, feeling his own heart become a little unsettled. “Mayhap he is,” he said quietly, “but he can have no reason to be so. It is not as though he will be able to have men search my house for your sister now, is it?”
She looked up at him contemplatively before nodding, a sigh of relief escaping her. “What will we do with Caroline?” she asked softly, her voice a little heavy. “She can never be found by either my father or her husband, else she will never be able to escape from them again, and I fear what that might do to her.”
A
n idea that had been rumbling along in his mind for a time now pushed itself to the forefront. “I have a gatehouse,” he said quietly. “A place that is secure and safe, within the confines of my estate. If she wishes it, she can remain there for as long as she likes – the rest of her life, if she pleases.” Nora stopped dead, looking up at him with such a look of bewilderment that, for a moment, he wondered if he had somehow made himself unclear.
“You– you would do that for my sister?” Nora whispered, her hands now clinging to his forearms. “You would be as generous as all that?”
He smiled gently. “Of course I would. She is very dear to you, and from what has been described to me, I could not in good conscience allow her to go back to such a man.”
She swallowed hard, tears glistening in her eyes. “You are truly a wonderful man, my lord. How can I think of being parted from you?”
He stared at her for a moment, before she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. “Does this mean what I hope?” he asked a little breathlessly. “Will you marry me, my dear?”
“Of course I will,” she replied, her voice breaking with emotion. “You have taken my trust and proven yourself to be worthy of it. You have stood up for me in front of my father. You have seen my fears and helped me to be strong. You have offered more generosity than I have ever dreamed of. My life with you will be one of happiness, I am quite sure of it.”
He could not speak for a moment, more than thrilled with this sudden turn of events. It had all happened so fast, it was as though a whirlwind had moved restlessly through his life and turned everything on its head – only that Nora had now fallen into his arms, and he felt as though she had always meant to be there.
“Then it seems I shall wed you just as we had intended,” he murmured, as she loosened her hold around his neck. “Although a little under two weeks already seems too long, Nora. I want to start life afresh with you, to give you what you have long deserved.”
Her smile was a beautiful one. “Thank you, my lord. You have already given me more than I could have ever hoped for.”
Chapter Eleven
Two hours later
“Where is she?”
Lord Fareshire smiled and took Nora’s hand. “This way,” he said in a soft voice. “She was resting peacefully, according to the nursemaid. I have had two with her at every moment, so that she is never alone.”
Warmth swelled her heart. “Thank you, my lord.”
He pressed her hand lightly, although his eyes were dark. “How any man could do such a thing…” Trailing off, he did not say another word, although Nora was all too aware of what he meant.
Nora recalled just how horrified she’d been to see her sister so marred with bruises, her lip swollen on one side, with scratches running down her neck. She could tell that this sight had affected Lord Fareshire deeply. He was clearly disgusted with the way Lord Abernathy had treated his wife.
“In here.”
With something like trepidation, Nora walked into the bedchamber that Lord Fareshire had indicated, her stomach twisting itself in knots. It was not that she was in any way worried about Caroline’s presence in Lord Fareshire’s home – for she had learned that she could trust him completely – but more that she was not sure what kind of state she would find Caroline in.
Her sister had done nothing more but sleep and eat, not once smiling in the short time she had been with Nora. Had it been the fear of being in the house she’d once called home, with all the fear and terror that came with it? Would she be any freer now that she knew she was safe?
“I will leave you for a time,” Lord Fareshire murmured, his hand on the small of her back. “Come to the drawing room when you are finished. We have some things to discuss.”
She nodded and walked a little further into the room, surprised that it was so bright. She had thought that Caroline might require more rest, and that, perhaps, the drapes would have been pulled closed.
“She is just getting dressed,” one of the nursemaids explained, as Nora walked a little further into the room. “A bath was drawn for her in the dressing room.”
A little anxious, Nora sat down and waited by the fire, only for the small door to her left to open and Caroline to walk through. “Caroline,” Nora whispered, her throat aching at the sight of her beautiful sister. “How are you?”
Caroline, her face pale, walked towards her and embraced her tightly. “Thank you, Nora,” she said hoarsely. “I did not think this would work – but it has. You have saved me.”
This was more than Caroline had said to her thus far, and as she embraced her sister, Nora realised that Caroline had been nothing more than a ball of fear, terrified that her father or her husband would stumble across her presence and demand that she was returned home. She had not been able to speak, nor to even acknowledge Nora’s presence, such had been her terror.
“Lord Fareshire had a great deal to do with it,” she said, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. “I am so terribly sorry, Caroline, for what you have been forced to endure.”
Her sister let her go gently and shook her head, one finger reaching up to lightly press against the side of her head where the largest bruise was. “This was not your doing, Nora. This was Father’s doing, and then Lord Abernathy himself. Each of them used their own means to force me into doing what they wished me to do.”
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Nora pressed Caroline’s hand. “But no longer.”
Caroline’s expression became anxious. “But what is to become of me, Nora? I cannot remain hiding in Lord Fareshire’s townhouse forever! One day, they will find me and–”
“No, Caroline, no,” Nora said firmly. “Lord Fareshire has already seen to it all. Once he and I are wed, we will return to his country estate, which is a good five days travel away from Father’s. There, Lord Fareshire says there is a gatehouse that is a part of his estate. It is within the grounds and no one can come and go as they please without being allowed through the gates.” She smiled as Caroline’s eyes widened. “And so you see, you will be quite safe there – and with just as much freedom as you wish.”
Caroline began to cry then, her expression both sorrowful and glad in equal measure. Nora cried along with her, both weeping for the home and family they had never had and yet relieved that they were both able to start a new life, so far away.
“Lord Fareshire is a good man,” Caroline said eventually, wiping her eyes. “Oh, Nora, how ever did you find him?”
Nora managed to laugh despite her tears. “It was quite by accident, and I should tell you now that I was quite determined to escape from him at first.”
Caroline looked surprised. “But why should you?”
Shaking her head, Nora let out a long breath. “Because I wished for freedom, a chance to take hold of the reins of my own life and make my way through it. Because I wanted to be free from Father, and yet I lacked the courage and fortitude with which to do so. It was only when Alice was taken into Lord Lester’s arms, when they made their escape, that I realised that it could be done. I just did not know how to go about it.” Recalling her first, foolish attempt, she shook her head. “I stumbled into his arms quite accidentally, and from then on, I have been struggling to decide what to do. It was only when I was forced to beg for his help, when I was forced to give him my trust, that my heart finally settled.”
“You will not turn from him now,” Caroline said as she sat down, the smallest of smiles on her face. “I can tell that you care for him a great deal.”
This caused Nora to consider for a moment, realising slowly that, within the midst of her respect and her thankfulness, there was also an affection that began to permeate her very soul. “Yes, I do,” she said softly, her smile spreading across her face. “I am quite sure we will be very happy, Caroline. And you will be a part of our lives for as long as you wish to be.”
Caroline seemed to soften, as though the relief she felt stole away any lingering tension that was racing through her. And
then, the most beautiful smile crossed her face, the kind of smile that, even with her bruises, seemed to chase the shadows away.
“Thank you, Nora,” she said haltingly, battling with her emotions. “I cannot tell you just what this means to me. In my darkest moments, I thought that this torment of mine would never end, but now I see that I have a future where I might, one day, be happy.
“One day soon,” Nora promised, reaching to kiss her sister’s cheek. She could see that Caroline was tiring. “Rest, my dear sister. You will be leaving ahead of us and able to reside in the manor house until we join you. Have no fear. Lord Fareshire will take care of everything that you require.”
Caroline nodded, her eyes growing dim with fatigue. “And then I shall truly be free,” she whispered, as one of the nursemaids came to help her into bed.
“How is she?”
Nora looked up into Lord Fareshire’s eyes, seeing the concern written in his features. “She is tired,” she managed to say, feeling herself begin to flood with emotion all over again.
“That is quite understandable,” he said softly. “I heard that she went into the carriage and then into my townhouse with nary a word to anyone. The nursemaids were rather concerned for her but told me this morning that she had begun to talk.”
She let out a long breath. “Even more than that, my lord,” she said, her heart quickening. “She smiled at me. You cannot imagine what that meant to me. It has been so long since I have seen any kind of emotion on her face and then to see that look of gladness…” Trailing off, she struggled to keep her composure, feeling closer to this man than ever before. “You have given her – and me – more than we ever thought possible.”
He smiled down at her, walking along into the drawing room with her by his side. There was, of course, the maid knitting furiously in the corner for propriety’s sake, but given that her back was turned, Nora did not think that she would be able to see or even hear anything, so long as they spoke quietly.
“Once she is recovered, I will make arrangements to send her to my estate,” Lord Fareshire murmured, seating Nora first. “She will remain with us until she is quite well and until I can ensure that the gatehouse is quite prepared for her.”