“My lady, please, how can you speak thus?” chastised Lord Dunbar, disbelieving the words he was hearing.
“The previous Duke of Wrentham was responsible for the death of my firstborn, I will not let the current duke get his hands on my daughter.” Lady Smythe looked like a vengeful angel with her pale skin and her dove grey gown flowing as she paced in her wrath.
“But how could the Duke of Wrentham have had anything to do with your son’s death? He was so happy to be off to the war. It had nothing to do with Wrentham.”
Lady Smythe gazed at Wesley, her expression arrested. “What could you possibly know about the matter?” she demanded.
“I was there. I was in the same regiment as both your son and Wrentham’s brother.” Wesley looked between the Smythes and Alex, amazed that they were all gazing at him searchingly. “Surely you all realize how much they both wanted to be there.”
“My son never said anything about enlisting. He must have just gone because he felt such a loyalty to his friend. The last duke was such a wretch, no doubt his son thought the only avenue of escape was to enlist. My dear boy had to go, too.” Lady Smythe muffled her sob with the handkerchief she hastily held to her face.
Gently, Dunbar sat next to her and took her other hand. “I am loath to contradict you, my lady, but I have to tell you that both the boys joined up without telling each other. They both thought the other ought not to, but they each wanted to do so quite urgently. They were so happy to discover they were both there independently, and despite the trials and privations of being in the army’s camp, they both thought it almost a lark right to the very end. They were so eager for an adventure.”
“But why would my dear son want to join up? And why would he not tell us that he wished to do so?” Lady Smythe was clearly bewildered.
“I cannot rightly say why he did not tell you. I do know that Luke thought you would be proud of him for doing what he thought as his duty to his country. He felt that it would put him in better stead to follow in his father’s footsteps as a diplomat if he fully understood what they were battling over. It seemed as though he felt very strongly on the matter, but he did not wish Wrentham’s brother to know because your son felt that it was Maxwell’s duty as heir to a dukedom to remain at home, and Luke did not want to make his friend feel divided in his loyalties.”
Turning to Alex, Wesley continued his tale. “On the other hand, your brother really did wish fervently to get away from home. He felt terrible for leaving you behind, and he did not wish to tell either you or Luke that he was going for fear that you would wish to accompany him. Someone had to stay home and be the responsible heir,” Dunbar explained with a lopsided grin.
There was a pause as everyone absorbed the viscount’s words, but then Alex prodded for more information. “But you say they were happy?”
“Oh yes, Your Grace, very much so. Both of them were delighted when they discovered that each of them was there without any prompting from the other. They acted like boys. In a way, I do not think either of them realized the gravity of the situation, nor do I think they thought there was any possibility of them getting injured, let alone killed. But they most definitely were happy. They took to the regiment life like naturals. They acted as I would imagine they did when they were away at school. It was often hard to believe that they were men and soldiers, not the schoolboys they resembled.”
Lady Smythe let out a watery chuckle as Wesley’s tale wound down. “They always were such rascals when they were getting into mischief together.”
Lord Smythe had come to stand behind his wife. With his hand upon her shoulder to offer her comfort, he looked at the duke sitting in his receiving room. “While I cannot condone some of the words your father said to us at the time of our sons’ deaths, I realize now that none of this situation was any of your making, Your Grace. Please, accept our apologies for any rudeness we may have subjected you to, as well as our condolences at the loss of your brother. Over the past couple of years many have told me that we ought to be sharing our grief with your family instead of blaming each other. I can see now that they were right.”
Alex smiled sadly at the older man. He was glad that relations between their families could warm, but it did not change the fact that the young men were dead nor that Rose was still missing. “Thank you, my lord. I do appreciate that. We shall have to get Dunbar here to visit my mother when this situation is cleared up and retell this story to her. But in the meantime, I feel as though I must do something. Are you absolutely certain there is no one else you can speak to who might have some information that could be pertinent?”
Alex had stood up and begun to pace as he was speaking. “Why does no one have anything new to tell us?” he demanded in frustration.
Just then there was a knock on the front door and the butler ushered in a rather scruffy looking man. “Jim is here to see you, Your Grace.”
“I apologize for appearing in your front room in all my dirt, my lady, but I figured as you’d all rather hear what I have to say rather than see me clean.”
“Yes, of course, pay it no mind,” Lady Smythe quickly urged.
“Have you found out something useful this time, Jim?” demanded the duke, harsh in the face of his frustration and exhaustion.
“I do believe so, Your Grace. Pete and I were able to track down the man who was watching you and Miss Smythe at the museum.”
“What did you just say?” Lady Smythe interrupted.
“Never mind that now, my dear. We shall sort it all out later,” her husband urged as the poor man before them blushed to the roots of his hair.
Clearing his throat bashfully, Jim carefully kept his eyes on the duke’s face, not looking at any of the other occupants in the room. “As I was saying, Your Grace, we tracked him down in a seedy tavern near where Charlie saw him. He was rather bosky, so it wasn’t too difficult getting information out of him. He said as his employer has a bunch of sheds down by the docks. I was going to set out to search it, but I thought you would want to be along and maybe we would need help in case things turn dicey.”
“That was excellent work, Jim, thank you. Were you able to get a description from him so that we can narrow down our search? I am perfectly willing to search the entire dock area, but in case they have someone on lookout, it would be best if we could be as specific as possible in our search.” The duke was already on his feet heading for the door, eager to begin.
“Indeed I do, and I’m ready to take you there, Your Grace. I also took the liberty of getting some of your men together—they’re waiting in the mews.”
“Excellent.” Alex was glad to see that Wesley was right behind him. He turned to Lord Smythe. “Are you ready to join us, my lord?”
“I am, Your Grace. But come through the back way here. I wish to stop in my library on the way by, and it would be best if we exit discreetly now that the day is well advanced. Who knows if we are being watched?”
“Good thinking, my lord,” Alex complimented politely as he urged the men forward. They couldn’t be gone fast enough to please him.
Much to Alex’s relief, before long they were nearing the wharf and he could see the warren of buildings and sheds, relieved that Jim had some sort of description to go by. Jim went in front and led them to a section of dilapidated sheds huddling together near the shore of the river.
Quietly giving directions, Alex sent the small group of men to fan out in their search for Miss Rosamund.
Chapter Twenty
Rose had once again lost all track of time as she struggled with her bonds. As quietly as possible, she had wiggled and tugged, this time using her teeth to assist as she tried to untie the knots holding her captive. She almost sobbed with relief when she got her hands free. Striving for silence, she turned in her chair to fight with the rope holding her to it. She made short work of that, too, and was soon free.
But now she faced the question of what to do next. If Squint woke up and discovered her freed, she might really be in
the suds then. She dithered for another couple of moments looking between the filthy window closer to her and the doorway just beyond the sleeping Squint. The window would be a safer bet on the one hand, but there was no way of knowing if it would even open. Then she remembered that her supposed guard had not woken until Broderick had kicked him, so she thought he must be a terribly heavy sleeper. She decided to take her chances and tiptoed quietly past him. Holding her breath, she opened the door, praying there would be no squeak to give her away.
Within the space of a few heartbeats she was out the door and sighing with relief. She gave up on tiptoeing, picked up her skirts, and ran for her life. Rose must have made too much noise for she could hear Squint clambering after her. She saw a door at the end of the hallway and burst through it out into bright sunlight. Looking around, she was stunned to see Alex in the distance along with Lord Dunbar.
Running as fast as her feet would carry her, she dashed toward him. “Alex!” she screamed as he turned toward her. She threw herself into his waiting arms. Sobbing with relief she clung to him as Squint, rather dull in intellect, ran after her, not realizing that he was endangering himself. Wesley quickly subdued him while Alex was occupied with soothing the young lady on the verge of hysterics.
“I cannot believe you were so close,” she was babbling. “I could have waited for you and you would have found me.”
“It is not in your nature to wait around for rescue, though, is it, my darling?” Alex used the endearment without either of them noticing. “Besides, it is just as well that you did rescue yourself, as it seems we were slightly off in our directions. We had reason to believe you were in the set of sheds next to the one you were in. It would have taken us some time to get to yours.”
“True, but Broderick would have never been able to come for me with you and your men searching the area.”
“Speaking of Broderick, have you any idea what he is up to? Now that you are safe, we should probably see about thwarting him once and for all.” Alex could not make himself let go of Rose, but he did lift his head to look about.
At that moment, Rose’s father approached. “What is the meaning of this, Your Grace? I would ask that you unhand my daughter this instant.”
Rose felt the rush of embarrassment heating her face as she tried to pull away from Alex. In the fierce emotions that had dogged her during her escape, she had failed to notice that she was still clinging to the duke. She realized he must have felt the same as he was slow to release her. After a moment, he let her go and she ran to her father.
Lord Smythe engulfed his daughter in a fierce hug before holding her away from him and examining her closely. “Did that wretched man hurt you in any way?” He gasped when he saw the bloodstained cloths wrapped around her wrists. “Good heavens, child, what happened?”
Rose followed his gaze to her wrists and blushed guiltily, trying to hide them from sight as she realized that all the men were staring at her, awaiting an explanation. “Perhaps we could be getting along home now, Papa. I would dearly love a bath and perhaps a meal. And a change of clothes would not be amiss either.”
“Yes, yes, of course, my dear, but pray tell, what happened to your wrists? Did Broderick cut you?” Lord Smythe tried not to be demanding, but he wanted to disembowel the cretin who had so harmed his only daughter.
“No Papa, I did this to myself, actually.”
“How could you have possibly done that to yourself?” Alex demanded, incredulous.
“Through the night, my arms were tied behind my back. I had hoped to escape at first light and make my way home before my absence would be noticed. I struggled against the ropes for hours. This is the result.”
“Well, it cannot be said that you did that to yourself. You did not tie yourself up. Any right-minded individual would do their best to escape. Broderick did this to you. For that he will pay.”
Alex looked so fierce as he said those words that Rose could not help the grin that broke over her face. “Could we please leave, Papa? Your Grace? I have no wish to remain here another moment.”
Those last words were not as strong leaving her mouth as she would have wished and to her chagrin she felt her legs giving way weakly. In the blink of an eye Alex was there, scooping her into his arms, disregarding Lord Smythe’s objections.
“Never mind your protestations, my lord. Clearly, she is worn out and needs to be escorted home. Let us see her there safely, and then we will deal with the rest.” Turning to Wesley he gave him an assignment. “Dunbar, could you remain here with a couple of the men in case Broderick returns? If you capture him, send word. We will see Rosie home safely and then spread out through the city to capture him. Rose had been about to tell me what he was scheming.”
Rose chose that moment to revive herself. “He is trying to get the Prince to sign over the lands being negotiated from France to him. That is why he wants to keep Papa occupied, so he cannot thwart his plans. He was hoping to ensnare the backing of the Duke of Wrentham to assist his efforts. But when that did not work out as planned, he decided to prevent Papa from going to Paris for the negotiations.” Looking into Alex’s eyes shyly, she whispered, “You can put me down now, Your Grace. I am fairly certain that I can walk under my own steam.”
“Never,” he whispered back with a smile. “You need to rest.”
Rose relaxed slightly, enjoying the shiver of pleasure that shimmied up her spine at his masterful ways. Within minutes, they were in a carriage and on the way to the Smythe residence. Alex had had to relinquish his hold on her when he placed her on the seat and the baron had been quick to take his seat next to his daughter. He sat glaring at the duke for the duration of the ride. Alex ignored the hostility, smiling calmly as they drove. Rose looked between the two men curiously, wondering how they came to be cooperating together, but she was too tired to ask about it.
Things moved quickly as soon as they got home. Rose was bundled into the house through the servants’ entrance at the back. Her mother cried and fussed over her, as did her maid. A bath was quickly drawn for her and her wounds anointed with ointment. The gentlemen took themselves off to avenge themselves upon her captor. Before long, Rose was tucked up into bed to sleep off the rigors of her ordeal.
∞∞∞
Some hours later, Rose groggily climbed from the bed, facing the eager attentions of her loyal maid.
“Oh Miss, I am ever so glad to see you alive and well. We were all so terribly worried about you. It has been awful being stuck here, not being able to do anything. At least the men were able to dash about searching for you. All we could do was sit about wringing our hands and worrying.”
“I am so sorry that everyone was put to such trouble over me.”
“Don’t be daft, Miss Rose. You didn’t ask for this trouble and, of course, we would worry over you. Everyone loves you.”
“Thank you, Mary. Do you know how my mother is? I was so tired when I got home I could hardly see straight, but I did notice that she looked rather drawn.”
“She stayed up most of the night waiting for word. His Grace and your father were in and out throughout the night searching for you and waiting for news from their different sources.”
“Does it not strike you as strange that my father and the duke have been cooperating over this?”
“Somewhat, yes, Miss. But maybe you won’t have to be the one to broker the peace after all. Perhaps it has already been negotiated.”
“Now that I find hard to believe, Mary.”
As they were talking, Mary had helped Rose to dress in a simple day gown of pale yellow sprig muslin, with long sleeves to nicely cover her bandages, despite the early evening hour.
“Surely Mama has sent our regrets to whichever entertainments we were supposed to attend.”
As Mary was just putting the finishing touches to her hairstyle, there was a scratching at the door.
“Come in,” Rose called, admitting her anxious mother.
“You look remarkably lovely, my dea
r,” Lady Smythe said with a lightness that Rose had not witnessed in her in years.
“Thank you, Mama,” Rose said with a smile.
“Looking at you, no one would ever believe you have just escaped the clutches of a madman.”
Rose blinked at her mother. “You seem remarkably sanguine about the entire affair, Mama.”
“I, too, had a nap and it did me the world of good. It is so wonderful to have you home safe and sound.”
Looking into the mirror, the two shared a look of warm companionship. Lady Smythe inquired politely, “Are you truly as comfortable as you look, my dear? Should we have called for the doctor to attend to your injuries? Are you certain there is nothing else hurt on you?”
“I am quite certain. My main concern at the moment is how very hungry I am. Even my wrists are not causing me much discomfort. The housekeeper’s concoction has worked wonders for my scratches. Now all I can think of is to eat.”
“Well then you are in luck. The kitchen staff has been expending themselves all afternoon as you slept making all your favourite dishes. If you are ready, they will be serving it momentarily.”
The two Smythe ladies made their way down to the dining room in companionable silence. Lady Smythe had her arm around her daughter, reluctant to take her hands off her. Rose was surprised at the display of affection. Her surprise was to exceed its bounds as she entered the dining room to see the Duke of Wrentham seated conversing quietly with her father. Rose gazed wonderingly between the two men.
Lord Smythe stepped forward to kiss her gently on the cheek and Alex winked at her when no one was looking. When no explanation of his surprising presence was offered, she smiled crookedly at them both and allowed her mother to guide her to her seat.
Dinner was a quiet affair. Just as they sat down Lord Smythe assured his daughter that Sir Jason Broderick was safely confined, no longer a threat to her or the Prince, but everyone at the table silently agreed not to discuss it for the duration of the meal. It would be much safer for everyone’s digestion if they stuck to innocuous topics such as the latest on-dits or which play they had enjoyed most this Season.
The Duke Conspiracy: A Sweet Regency Romance Adventure (Mayfair Mayhem Book 1) Page 28