Stealing the Duchess

by Marie Higgins

  “I believe you.”

  Although they weren’t the exact three words he wanted to hear from her, at this moment, they were the greatest words she’d ever said to him. Happiness sprang inside his chest, making his heart flip. He grasped her hands and pulled them to his mouth, kissing her knuckles.

  “You do?”

  “I do.”

  “Why? Only a few people believed me. Almost everyone trusted that she was telling the truth.”

  She smiled tenderly. “When I met her for the first time, she didn’t appear as a woman with a soiled reputation. She was far too haughty for that. Miss Theresa was the one to come to see me...and I, of course, happened to be on your estate. A broken woman wouldn’t have done that.”

  He rested his mouth against her fingers, enjoying the warmth seeping into his body from hers. “Tell me you understand now why I didn’t want to talk about it before. All these years, I was made to appear as a bad person for what I’d done. I knew the truth, but most people wanted to believe the worst in me because I’d been a scoundrel.”

  “Julian, I do understand now why you didn’t tell me.” Her smile faded. “Can you ever forgive me for being so critical?”

  “Oh, my blossom. There is nothing to forgive.” He released her hands to cradle her face. “It is I who needs to ask forgiveness. Will you ever be able to find it in your heart to forgive me?”

  “Julian, I do forgive you for keeping this from me. However, I’m still hurt that you didn’t trust me enough to tell me your true identity.”

  He was relieved to know he’d passed one obstacle with her. At least he was halfway there...

  Just then, the movement of the coach slowed considerably. Mere seconds later, a crackling noise rent through the air, and the coach turned sharply. Alexandria fell against Julian, but before he had time to wonder what was happening, the coach crashed to the side. Suddenly, they began rolling inside the vehicle.

  As difficult as it was, he wrapped his arms around Alexandria and pulled her against him, trying to protect her with his body as the coach kept rolling. Every time he slammed into something, pain ricocheted through him. When they fell again against his injured leg, a blast of pain speared him. Closing his eyes, he clenched his teeth to keep from screaming in agony.

  Finally, the vehicle stopped and he was lying on top of his wife. His head throbbed nearly as hard as his leg, and his body cried out with aches. He breathed with difficulty, knowing he’d bruised a few ribs.

  “Lexie, are you all right?” he asked, trying to rise off of her. When she didn’t reply, he asked again, “Lexie?”

  He glanced at the woman in his arms. A deep gash on her forehead bled profusely, and she was not moving.

  His chest wrenched as a different type of pain rushed through him directly to his heart. “No!” He cried out, touching her face, neck, and chest, hoping to feel some kind of heartbeat. “Lexie you cannot die on me. I won’t allow it!”

  Tears formed in his eyes, but the sinking feeling of dread washed over him. Too many people he’d loved had been taken from him. Was she the next to go?

  TWENTY-THREE

  Darkness surrounded Alexandria, and all sounds were void. It seemed she was floating on a cloud, but that didn’t seem logical, since there was no way to make that happen. Yet she couldn’t feel anything, so perhaps she was dead and drifting upward toward Heaven just as she’d assumed.

  From in the distance, she heard her name being called. It sounded like Julian, but his voice was too panicked—almost a tearful pleading sound. What had happened to make him this way?

  Within seconds, tingles of warmth seeped into her body, making her ache. The pain increased by the second until every part of her cried out in suffering. She struggled to even open her eyes because of the pain, and breathing made her chest ache. But she must identify whoever it was that kept encouraging her to look at him.

  Good heavens, what had happened to her to make her feel this beaten and bruised? The last thing she remembered was traveling in the coach with Julian and falling, and then spinning...

  Moaning, she tried to turn her head, but couldn’t. It throbbed like nothing she’d ever felt before, and a warm, sticky substance coated the top of her forehead.

  “Lexie, please don’t die. I cannot go on without you.” Julian’s voice broke. “Please open your eyes and look at me.”

  Perhaps she should do what he requested even though it would be very difficult. The heartfelt tone of his voice was too much for her to bear. She concentrated hard on blinking, and although it pained her greatly, she was able to do it. Fuzzy vision coated her eyes when she finally opened them, but she could tell Julian’s face was very near to hers. It was then when she realized his strong arms were wrapped around her.

  “Oh, my love,” he whispered as though in reverence. “You are alive. Thank the good Lord above.”

  She blinked again and gradually, her vision cleared. Julian’s face came into view. Tears swam in his eyes. Concern was his first expression until she met his eyes, and then he smiled.

  “Oh, Lexie.” He sighed. “I’m so happy...” His Adam’s apple jumped as though he swallowed hard. “Tell me how you feel. Are you hurting anywhere in particular?”

  She didn’t want to move, so it was hard to tell if there was one area worse than the others. “I—” She cleared her throat and started over. “I don’t know.” Her head throbbed harder as she tried to concentrate. “Why does my head pound so intensely?”

  “You have a cut.” He brought up a blood-spotted cloth and dabbed her head. “I’ve been trying to stop the bleeding.”

  “Is it very bad?”

  “Thankfully, not anymore.”

  She tried to shift in his arms, but every muscle in her body screamed in torture. She moaned and closed her eyes again. “Why do I hurt so much?”

  “I’m going to touch certain places on your body to see if you have any broken bones. You tell me if the pain is unbearable.”

  She nodded, hoping he didn’t find anything. His distress was evident as he slid his hands up and down her arms. Once in a while his palm ran over something that hurt, but she could tell it was merely a bruise.

  He administered the same exam to her legs. When he reached her right ankle, she flinched as a moan escaped her throat.

  “Forgive me for causing you more anguish, my love.”

  Strange, but he’d referred to her as my love twice now. Hearing those words did silly things to her heart. “I understand.”

  Carefully, he lifted her limb and felt the bones as he inspected her foot. “Can you move your foot, like this?” He showed her and she copied his actions. “Good. I don’t believe it has been broken. You may have just a severe sprain.”

  She swallowed but even her throat hurt to do that simple task. “I’m relieved to know that.”

  His eyebrows drew together as he moved his fingers to her ribs and poked around. It hurt, but not bad enough to inform him. He checked her neck and her back before straightening and meeting her gaze once again.

  “Well, I’m not a physician, but I’ve been injured enough to know when something is broken. I believe the only serious injuries you have are your sprained ankle and the cut on your forehead.” He blew out a breath. “I thought you were worse, especially when it took so long for you to respond. I had wrapped you in my arms to try and protect you as we rolled around in the coach, but when you’d gone limp and unresponsive...” He blinked back the moisture in his eyes before kissing her cheek. “You don’t know how happy I am that you’re alive.”

  “You...wrapped me in your arms?”

  “Indeed, I did. I didn’t want you to get hurt, even though you did, anyway.”

  Immediately, her mind pictured him cradling her in his arms. Perhaps she remembered what had happened after all. Her heart softened and tears burned her eyes. He cared enough about her to protect her, risking his own life in the process?

  A knot formed in her throat. Perhaps she’d been wrongly judging hi
m all this time. She should re-examine her feelings and what she knew about him. Was he truly the same man she’d fallen in love with before knowing his true identity?

  “Thank you for doing that.” She licked her dry lips. “I know not how to thank you.”

  “Let’s not think of that now. We will have time later.”

  “Julian? What happened to us—to the coach?” She finally looked at her surroundings. They were still in the vehicle, but now laying on the inside roof. The coach seats above them seemed to mock her. The contents of the boxes she’d loaded in the coach after their shopping trip were scattered everywhere. The new beige shawl hung halfway out the window. Slippers that she was eager to wear were crunched under Julian’s legs, and a pair of lavender gloves she’d purchase to match her lavender riding habit were plastered against a portion of the roof, wet with the water that seeped through.

  “I wish I knew, my dear. All I know is that the coach rolled.” He glanced to where they were sitting. “And because there is water inside the vehicle, I can guarantee we landed in water.”

  “Will we be able to get out?”

  He nodded. “Now that I know you don’t have any broken bones, I’ll waste no more time in getting us out.”

  He maneuvered to stand, balancing in the unsteady vehicle. When he grimaced and rubbed his previously injured leg, she knew something wasn’t right. His jaw hardened and lips thinned as he slammed his shoulder against to coach’s door, trying to get it open. The struggle he obviously was going through tugged at her heartstrings. He was probably in as much pain—if not more—than she was.

  “Julian, you are hurt.” She tried to stand in order to assist him, but he quickly grasped her arm to keep her down.

  “You need to stay still to keep your forehead from bleeding again, and I don’t want you to do further damage to your ankle. I shall be fine by myself. I’ll get us out of here, I promise.”

  She answered him with a nod, but she really didn’t want to see him in so much pain. When his face lost a little color, her stomach churned. He must be fighting intense pain, and as much as she wanted to help him, she allowed him to do this for her. Besides, how much assistance could she be with a sprained ankle and bloody forehead, anyway?

  When the door finally opened and he pulled himself out, she breathed a sigh of relief. He sat on the edge of the vehicle as his legs dangled inside. His head moved back and forth, scoping their location. She wished he would say something to let her know what kind of predicament they were in, but silence grew between them as he surveyed their surroundings.

  Finally, she could stand no more. “Julian, where are we?”

  “It appears we are at the bottom of a ravine. However, I don’t see the horses or the driver.”

  Her heart dropped. “Oh, dear. That cannot be good at all.”

  “And because they are missing,” he continued, “that tells me the horses were not injured in the accident and they had ridden away, or they were unhitched from the vehicle before we went tumbling down the hillside.”

  Panic gripped her chest. Did she hear him correctly? “Are you saying that this accident was planned?”

  He scratched his chin. “It appears that way, doesn’t it?”

  “Do you think Martin was behind it?”

  Julian looked down at her and nodded once. “That’s definitely a possibility.”

  JULIAN GRUMBLED AND smacked his fist on the desk top. “This must stop. Now!” It had only taken thirty minutes before they were spotted by another coach traveling that way, and the occupants had stopped to help, taking them back to his manor quickly.

  He’d been in his study since he and Alexandria arrived home and after the physician checked them both. Thankfully, she only sprained her ankle, as Julian had suspected. He, however, had truly messed up his leg. According to the physician, if Julian stayed off his leg for at least a week, his limb would finally be able to heal and not give him any problems. Perhaps he should follow the physician’s advice. After all, he’d not had a moment’s rest since the day the cannon blast nearly took it off. And currently, he didn’t have time to dally by tending his injury the way the physician had advised. Finding the person responsible for trying to kill him and Alexandria earlier today was most important and could not wait another day.

  Indeed, someone had planned this coach accident right down to the missing driver and horses. Julian wondered if the driver was somehow involved. After all, Martin had been the person to hire that particular servant.

  Groaning, Julian rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. He couldn’t just sit and wait for something to be done. He needed to do it himself, just to put his mind—and heart—at ease.

  He stood and moved away from the desk. Before making it to the door, someone knocked.

  “Enter,” Julian said.

  The butler opened the door. “Pardon me, Your Grace, but Lord Hawthorne has sent a messenger with this missive.” He held out the parchment. “I explained that you were not feeling well, but the messenger says it’s an important matter.”

  Julian nodded and took the missive. “Thank you, Higley. I’ll read it directly.” He hobbled back to the sofa and sat, propping his injured leg on the coffee table.

  As he scanned the urgent message from Dominic, excitement grew inside of him. Apparently, his friend had witnessed Martin talking to two men—their descriptions matched perfectly with the blokes Alexandria had witnessed coming to the manor to speak with Martin a month or so ago. Dominic requested Julian’s immediate presence at The Boar’s Nest, one of the local inns. Dominic would keep watch on the three until Julian arrived.

  “Higley,” Julian shouted as he struggled to stand.

  “Yes, Your Grace,” the butler answered breathlessly as if he’d been hurrying.

  “Have my horse ready in five minutes.”

  “But Your Grace, your leg—”

  “I don’t care about my bloody leg right now. Lord Hawthorne needs me, and I won’t let him down.”

  It didn’t take Higley very long to inform the stable hand to prepare Julian’s horse. Thankfully, two of the hands helped him to mount, since his leg was swollen and throbbing. He tried to will the pain in his limb away. There were other things more important.

  The ride into town was bearable, but he knew he’d be in more pain tonight. When he rode up to the inn, Dominic was out front waiting for him. Dominic assisted Julian with dismounting. The moment his foot touched the ground, he gritted his teeth against the increasing pain.

  “Are they still here?” Julian asked.

  “The two blokes are still here, but your cousin left about ten minutes ago.”

  Julian waved his hand at his friend. “That doesn’t matter. I’m here to talk to those two men, not my cousin.” He limped past his friend and toward the door, but Dominic stopped him again, grabbing his arm. He threw a glance over his shoulder.

  “Linden, I think you should know that these men are with your driver.”

  Surprise shook through Julian and he gasped. “I should have known.” He shook his head. “My driver had gone missing after the accident—or it could have been before the coach rolled into the ravine.”

  His friend arched a thick eyebrow. “What accident?”

  Julian moved with Lord Hawthorne to the side of the structure as he briefly told Lord Hawthorne about the accident earlier this afternoon. Recalling what happened and how his precious Lexie could have been killed, fueled his anger. He would find the culprit. Hopefully, it’ll be here in a moment when he enters The Boar’s Nest.

  “I believe it’s time to ask some questions,” Lord Hawthorne said with a growl in his voice.

  “Precisely.”

  Julian turned to head up the walkway toward the door again, but someone exited. When he recognized his driver, he flattened himself against the wall. Dominic copied his actions.

  Although Julian couldn’t see the middle-aged man’s face, he knew this was his driver because of his black hair with streaks of white. The dri
ver walked without any sort of impairment. Julian’s anger intensified. Obviously, the driver had somehow gotten off the vehicle before it plunged into the ravine.

  Julian would definitely have to make sure this man was locked away for his crimes. The question was, what else had this man done? Julian had trusted him at one time.

  Now Julian didn’t know who to trust.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Julian watched until the driver was out of sight, before he and Dominic entered the establishment. At first, Julian had to adjust his vision because the lighting in the room wasn’t bright. He studied each man closely as they sat at the different tables, searching for two men who fit the specific descriptions.

  Dominic bumped his elbow to get Julian’s attention, and then pointed to the corner of the room. The two men sitting at the table were exactly how Alexandria had depicted; early thirties with slender frames, wearing the clothes of the lower class. One had bright auburn hair and a scar on his cheek. The other man was blonde.

  Julian fisted his hands and marched directly to their table. He quickly took the empty seat as Dominic grabbed another chair and sat. The other men jumped. Both wore stunned expressions, but Julian could tell they didn’t recognize him.

  “I hope you don’t mind if we join you,” Julian kept his tone of voice low.

  “Uh, well...” The redheaded man shook his head.

  “That’s unfortunate because I’m not leaving until I get some answers,” Julian snapped.

  The blonde man’s eyes widened. “What kind of answers?”

  Julian leaned on the table, aiming his glare at him. “First, I want to know what you were talking about to my driver just now.”

  “Yer driver?” The redheaded man shook his head. “We don’t know yer driver, gov’na.”

  Julian exhaled deeply, trying to keep calm, but it wasn’t working. He pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled slowly. “The man who just left your table was the driver for the Duke of Linden.”