‘Dismount here, leave your horses, they are too tired to go far. We shall complete our journey on foot,’ Theo told them quietly.
*
The morning sun did not shine into the sitting-room where Marianne still knelt but she sensed a gradual lightening of the gloom and could delay no longer. Her knees were stiff, her legs numb after her vigil and she pushed herself upright with difficulty. She sat on the chair, spreading out her crumpled skirts and opened her sewing case. She selected the silver scissors, their long thin blades ideal for her purpose.
She closed her eyes and put the points to her breast then she placed both hands on the handles. She would need the strength of both arms if she was to be successful. She was so engrossed in her task she didn’t hear the rattle of the door behind her, the urgent voices calling out to her. She took several deep breaths knowing her hands needed to be steady.
The flimsy barrier gave way and Jane and Annie burst in. She would get no further opportunity. She drew back her hands to plunge the blades into her heart.
Annie reached her first, flinging herself forward with outstretched arms and sending the chair and its occupant crashing to the floor. Jane knelt down and prised open Marianne’s fingers, removing the scissors.
‘That’s not the way, my dear. It’s never the way.’ Marianne rolled over, curling into a ball, moaning quietly.
‘Come along, Miss Marianne, you can’t stay down there. You’re overwrought and you need to rest,’ Annie crooned. Then she and Jane lifted her gently and guided her to the bed.
Marianne was lost in a world of despair. She had failed again. God had deserted her. In the distance she heard voices she didn’t recognize. Then welcome blackness swept her away.
*
Jane and Annie removed her garments and pulled the comforter over her. ‘I can’t believe she would try and take her own life. What could have possessed her? We have only one chance on this earth, it’s too precious to throw away. However bleak the circumstances we must trust in the Lord,’ Jane said.
‘To marry that evil man, spend the rest her life at his mercy, have his children, watch him
gamble away her fortune— how could she bear that?’
Jane shook her head and regretted it. ‘Even marrying him is better than being dead. And children are always a blessing; she can find her solace in them.’
‘Well if Miss Devenish is to be married this morning she must have something suitable to wear. I heard that man say so last night.’
Packing away the spilled clothes helped to fill the hours they had to wait until Sir James came to collect Miss Devenish. They selected a high-necked morning dress in deep cerise, the one she had tried on first and loved so much. The requisite undergarments, hosiery and slippers were placed ready. The matching kid gloves were found. With nothing else to do they sat either side of the bed and prayed.
*
Marianne opened her eyes. What had woken her? She could hear voices in the dressing-room and the rattling of a bucket. She felt strange as though seeing the world through the wrong end of a spyglass. Her brain was refusing to function, to tell her what to do. She was unhappy but was not sure why.
Jane would tell her. She pushed back the coverlet and rolled to the edge of the bed. Then inertia took over and she closed her eyes again. She would rest a little and wait for Jane to come back.
‘Up you come, Miss Marianne. I’ve hot water, you will feel much better after a good wash,’ Jane told her.
Marianne allowed herself to be washed and dressed like a child. She felt removed from it all; if she did as she was bid and didn’t argue then perhaps she would be permitted to return to her bed. She wanted to sleep, sleep for ever if she could. Jane was tying her sash when there were footsteps outside.
Ellison appeared. ‘Sir James is waiting in the drawing-room.’
Like an automaton, Marianne, guided by Jane, followed the butler downstairs.
Sir James, dressed in full evening dress, a diamond fob on his snowy cravat, his hair swept back, his eyes alight with anticipation watched her enter.
The vicar paid handsomely to conduct the ceremony, stepped up and cleared his throat. He had been told to dispense with the preliminaries and start immediately with the vows.
Chapter Twenty
Theo led his small troop stealthily around the edge of the open space in front of the house. The place seemed deserted. He gestured for them to follow him as he sidled below the window ledges and around to the rear. He intended to break in here.
He removed the first of his pistols, John did the same - Billy and Tom gripped their cudgels firmly. Theo flung open the kitchen door. The cook, terrified by the sudden arrival of a huge man brandishing a pistol, dropped his skillet on his toe.
Whilst he was hopping about in agony Billy and Tom grabbed his arms and bundled him out. The plan was to tie prisoners securely and leave them in the woods that surrounded the house. Theo waited until the boys returned then moved towards the door. He pushed it open a little and put his ear to the gap. He could hear voices coming from the front of the house.
Good - his enemies were located. He slid through the door and with the others shadowing him stole along the passage pressed hard against the wall, almost invisible in the gloom. He stopped as he reached the hall. This was the dangerous part, crossing the open space where there was no cover. If he was expected, that would be the time for them to strike.
He pointed downwards and then removed his boots, the others copied. In stockinged feet he walked towards the murmur of voices. The door was ajar - thanking God his luck was holding he gently pushed it open and on silent feet stepped in. John was at his left shoulder, the boys on his right.
Gathered at the far end of the room was a wedding party. The vicar with his prayer book open stood in front of the bridal pair. Two women stood to one side both weeping softly, two sour faced men stood on the other.
Theo’s vision misted and he paced forward. Sir James swung round still gripping Marianne’s hand.
‘Good morning, gentlemen, have you come to offer felicitations to my bride?’
‘No, I have come to offer my condolences.’ Theo raised his hand and fired down the length of the room. Sir James clutched his head and fell a look of total stupefaction on his face. For a moment the tableau froze then several things happened simultaneously.
The two men finding themselves staring down the barrels of two pistols, capitulated, holding up their hands in surrender. The vicar collapsed in a dead faint and Theo moved smoothly to draw Marianne away from the corpse at her feet. The blank expression in her eyes frightened him.
‘Marianne, sweetheart, come with me. We will go into another room where it is quieter.’
Without demure she walked beside him her hand trustingly in his as he guided her to a smaller reception room. Jane was close behind them.
‘Mrs Smith, take care of Marianne for me. I shall be back in a moment. This is not over yet.’ He strode back to the drawing-room and hauled the vicar to his feet. ‘You have a ceremony to perform, sir, it would be best if you woke up.’
The man, no doubt, had already been well paid for his services but he had yet to earn his money. ‘I will pay you handsomely. Will five guineas be sufficient to clear your head?’
The vicar nodded and looked round for his prayer book. He was in no position to argue with a cold-blooded killer. Theo picked up the book and handed it over. They stepped round the body of Sir James and hurried back to the room in which Marianne was waiting.
He glanced round— he needed John and Tom to act as witnesses. They were returning through the open front door. ‘John, Tom, with me. Leave him where he is. I haven’t yet decided how to dispose of his remains.’
Marianne smiled at him as he came in. ‘I know you, you are Theo, are you not?’
‘I am, my love. I have come to take you home. I am going to take care of you for the rest of your life.’
‘I should like that. Can I go to bed now please, I am so very ti
red?’
He slid his arm around her and pulled her close. ‘Very soon, little one. Then you can sleep as long as you like.’ He glared at the vicar who hastily opened his book. Theo remembered he had not given the man the special licence authorising the marriage. With his freehand, he pulled it out of his pocket and tossed it to him.
So, he, the Duke of Wister married Miss Martha Frasier. She was in a morning gown, he in his stockings. But however they were dressed the ceremony was legal. The certificate was signed and the vicar paid but when the man started to back away Theo shook his head. John stepped up, indicating the reverend gentleman was to sit down and wait until he was told he could depart.
‘I shall take Marianne up to her room. She needs to sleep, she is in shock. And anyway, we can’t leave until Vincent comes with the carriage.’ He lifted his wife from the floor and cradling her in his arms turned to the door. ‘Where to, Mrs Smith?’
Jane led him upstairs and through a cheerless parlour and into a bedchamber. There he placed her gently on the bed. His stepped back leaving the girl to take care of her.
‘Mrs Smith, will you come next door. I wish to hear what has occurred in the past twenty-four hours.’
She told him about the attempted suicide and when she had finished his cheeks were wet. ‘It’s all my fault, Mrs Smith. None of this would have happened if I had not driven her way.’
‘You have done the right thing now, your grace. Not many men would take her after this.’
Unashamed, he brushed his tears away. ‘I told John I would marry her whatever happened. I just prayed I’d find her alive. It is a miracle she escaped that man’s attentions.’
‘She will come to you as any young bride should, your grace, but, I beg you, not now she is not ready.’
He smiled and touched Jane shoulder. ‘Not for a while, Mrs Sampson. I shall take her back to Frating Hall to recuperate. They will be happy to receive Marianne now she is my duchess. I shall come to her when I can. I pray that day will not be too far in the future.’
‘You’re a good man, your grace.’
He grinned ruefully. ‘But I am a murderer, Mrs Smith.’
‘No, that you are not. You are an executioner. If you had not done it then my John would have. He would never have allowed him to take her.’
‘Please excuse me, Mrs Smith, I have duties to perform downstairs.’
John was waiting in the hall. ‘How are we going to deal with this, your grace?’
‘I have no idea. I would not have done it differently but it’s a devil of a mess. Killing a man in cold blood before ten witnesses was not a wise thing to do. I have a nasty suspicion I might need to make a run for it abroad.’
‘You’ve nothing to fear from us, your grace, we will say whatever is necessary, lie through our teeth if we have to. The cook saw nothing, the other two men have been involved with abduction and false imprisonment and they are in no position to cavil. But the vicar is a different kettle of fish.’
‘Indeed he is. Whatever I decide we cannot leave a corpse on the floor. We had better put it outside for the time being.’
Theo retraced his steps to the drawing-room. He stopped - his eyes widened and his mouth fell open. ‘Good God! Where the hell is he?’
All that remained of Sir James Russell was a patch of blood on the rug. The body had risen and walked. John shook his head.
‘Well, he isn’t dead, that much is certain. You must have winged him and he recovered his senses and sloped off.’
Theo’s laughter reverberated around the empty room. John joined in; relief making the incident seem funnier than it was. Finally Theo regained control and mopped his streaming eyes.
‘I can hardly believe my luck. Bring the vicar in, let him see that piece of filth is gone and I shall be in the clear.’
The vicar was shown the empty room but remained unconvinced. ‘How do I know you have not had the body removed whilst I was conducting the ceremony? Until I see him alive I shall still consider you a murderer.’
‘God dammit! John, take Billy and Tom and try and find the bastard, drag him back by his heels if you have to.’
‘He could be miles away by now,’ John said.
Theo strode across to the French window which he noticed was unfastened. ‘Look here, John, there’s blood on this frame. He went out this way. The boys are outside, so with any luck he won’t have been able to reach the stables.’
John needed no further instructions, he turned and prepared to chase out of the door. Theo called him back. ‘Boots, man, you have no boots on.’ Chuckling at his stupidity John ran back into the hall to put on his discarded footwear.
The vicar had watched this pantomime with some astonishment. ‘Your grace?’
‘What is it now?’
‘I am now convinced Sir James is not dead. I have your word that he will remain alive?’
Theo grinned. ‘He will not perish at my hand but I can’t vouch for other aggrieved fathers and brothers in the future.’
‘Then let him go, your grace. I have no need to see him.’
Theo shouted through the open window. ‘John, leave it, let him go. Tell the boys to let the others go as well.’
John appeared at the side of the house, pushing his pistol back into the waistband of his breeches. ‘I’ll go around to the stables and tell them. Then we all need to eat and sleep.’
‘Could you try and persuade the cook to stay? Bribe him handsomely if you have to.’
The vicar bowed. ‘I shall leave you now, your grace. I doubt I shall have the pleasure of your company again. But I will never forget this morning you can be very sure of that’
Theo frowned. ‘How did you get here?’
‘I walked. It’s only five miles from the village.’
‘Go out to the stables, Tom will find you a mount. Keep it, as a bonus with my compliments.’
The prisoners were quickly released and delighted to be allowed to vanish into the trees with no further punishment. Sir James had not come for his carriage so Tom gave one the handsome horses to the vicar.
An hour later Drayton House was quiet its occupants snug in their respective beds. Theo wondered how much longer it would be before he could make his beloved his true wife.
Chapter Twenty-one
Marianne scarcely remembered the journey from Drayton House to Frating Hall. She recalled being held safely in Theo’s arms, being carried in and out of a coaching inn but little else. She found the world too overwhelming and preferred to sleep; there she was safe from those who had tried to hurt her.
People with soft hands and kind voices tended to her, fed her and did what was necessary but never the one she wanted. Where was he? Why didn’t he come to her, call her back from the blackness that threatened to take over her mind?
One afternoon she was woken by strange dragging noises approaching her room. Frightened, she sat up, pulling the bedclothes higher. Where was Jane? And Annie? Why had they left her alone when she needed them?
There was a loud knocking on the door. Surely monsters didn’t request permission to enter before devouring their victims? Her head began to clear, her eyes refocus and for the first time in three weeks she was fully aware of her surroundings.
‘Come in, whoever it is,’ she called.
The door opened and Charles, on rudimentary crutches, swung into the room. ‘You’re awake. Well done! I was told you have been like the sleeping beauty up here waiting for your prince.’
Marianne smiled. ‘Well, you’re certainly not he. I thought you were a monster.’
He travelled haltingly across the floor to collapse on the end of her bed, a horrible breach of etiquette but neither of them cared. ‘I have come to apologize and thank you for your help.’
For a moment Marianne looked mystified but then it fell into place. She remembered the incident in Bath, the smugglers, her flight to London and her terrible stay at Drayton House.
‘I forgive you, Charles and you may tell Edward that I forgive h
im also.’
He grinned. ‘Excellent. I forgot you’re a duchess, too grand for us, should I call you “my lady” now?’
‘You had better not,’ she paused and returned his grin. ‘For we do not stand on ceremony here.’
Jane who had been spending a snatched hour with John returned to hear the sound of laughter. ‘Oh, miss, I mean, your grace…’ she stopped, as the two young people laughed. ‘I’m sorry…’
‘No, Jane, please. I am Marianne to you and John, not miss, not my lady and certainly not your grace. You are as much my family as Charles after all.’
Jane smiled. ‘You have closer family than us, my dear, you have a husband.’
Marianne’s smile slipped and the joy left her eyes. ‘I have, but he has abandoned me. He did his duty and indeed I’m grateful for that, but he has no use for a wife or he would be here with me now, would he not?’
‘Good heavens, Marianne. I’m sure he would have been back if we’d told him you wished to see him. But remember he had a mission to finish, a traitor to apprehend. I’m certain wild horses will not keep him from your side once he knows you’re well.’
Marianne blushed. ‘Then I had better get up, start taking back my life. I don’t wish Theo to find me still an invalid.’
Charles pushed himself up from the bed. ‘Then I’ll leave you. I hope to see you downstairs very soon. I’ll tell the parents you’re on the mend and I’m sure they will be along to see you too. I believe Emily has been in every day reading to you, she’s going to be pleased you’re finally ready for a conversation.’
The door was no sooner closed than Marianne scrambled out of bed. ‘I need a bath; is Annie here? She can take care of that.’
Jane rang the hand bell and the maid came in all smiles at seeing her mistress up. ‘You’ll be wanting a bath, I suppose, your grace? And I will send down for a tray, you have been eating no more than a sparrow these past weeks.’
Marianne held out her hand; it did look thinner, she could see the blue veins through the skin. ‘I’ll soon pick up. I would like some meat broth, cold cuts, sweet rolls and apple pie and…’
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