An Unkissed Lady: A Historical Regency Romance (The Evesham Series)

by Audrey Ashwood

  “I am pleased to hear that.” Gabriel was relieved but could not ward off the impression that something else would follow that sentence, something he would not like. Dr Hollingsworth seemed like a man trying to lessen a heavy blow by mentioning the good news first.

  “Lady Catherine is physically perfectly healthy. She is a lady in her prime and has a strong resilience.”

  If he remembered correctly, Lady Catherine was younger than his father and in her mid-forties, the same age as Dr Hollingsworth. No wonder the man spoke of “prime.”

  “But what is Lady Catherine suffering from?” Gabriel tried to get his counterpart back on the actual topic.

  The doctor gave an embarrassed shrug. “Unfortunately, it is not that easy to make a diagnosis for a mental illness.”

  “Lady Catherine is not insane.” No sooner had he uttered these words than Gabriel began to doubt them. He had been away for two years – was he allowed to judge the state of mind of his great cousin? Another thought came to him, which brought even more regret. It was not surprising that his sister had been seduced by de Coucy. She had been alone and had to shoulder far too much responsibility for a woman. Not only had she been responsible for the household, but also for her sick cousin.

  “I agree with you completely.” Dr Hollingsworth surprised him and smiled a little. “Lady Catherine is suffering from slight melancholy, which shows itself in a certain lethargy. That is not something we cannot treat. I could have your relative transferred to a specialist hospice for this type of illness.”

  “There is no way I am going to let Lady Catherine go to Bedlam,” Gabriel said firmly.

  “I am not talking about Bedlam,” Hollingsworth replied. “I have already spoken with Lady Henrietta about it and have shown her the establishment that I consider appropriate for your relative. You are welcome to ask Lady Henrietta. I am talking about a place in a quiet rural area, where the sick are not on display like in Bedlam. I know the warden of the institution personally.” He smiled impishly. “If you want to know who he is, the man is my father. If you are not satisfied with my words or that of your sister, you are cordially invited to have a look at the house yourself.”

  “How long will the treatment take?” Gabriel wanted to know. The longer he talked to this very unusual doctor, the more he liked him. He was calm without feeling callous, and genuinely concerned about the welfare of the sick. Apart from that, every man who rejected Bedlam was likeable to Gabriel. His father had once taken him there – to make a man of him, as he had said – but the tour accompanied by a shabby, rough caretaker had the opposite effect to what the old marquess had hoped for. The man who led them through the stinking, lightless corridors had spurred on two of the women with his stick until they started on each other, but that had not been the worst. For Gabriel, an unforgettable sight had been a man sitting in a corner of a solitary cell, rocking to and fro, his eyes refusing to acknowledge the world around him. The old marquess had slapped Gabriel on the back and laughed heartily as the guard threw a living rat through the grate and woke the man from his stupor.

  “Are you all right, my Lord?” Hollingsworth stared at him, worry evident in his expression.

  “Of course,” Gabriel protested. “Forgive my absentmindedness. How long did you say that my great cousin would need treatment?”

  “That is not exactly predictable,” Hollingsworth admitted, rubbing his grey-bearded chin. “Some patients respond well to treatment, others less. The most important thing is to awaken their desire to cooperate, as I already told your sister.”

  “My sister is discussing family matters with you?”

  “I assure you, my Lord, that I take medical duty of confidentiality very seriously.”

  Gabriel believed him, but he was still surprised that Henrietta spoke so openly to a stranger. “What are the different stages of the treatment?” He topped up the drink of this most unconventional doctor and motioned him to continue, although he was determined that he would accept the man’s advice and send Lady Catherine to the country for recovery. Was it perhaps even possible that Henrietta could accompany her? He observed Hollingsworth, attempting to weigh him up and decided that it was too early to completely confide in the man. Nevertheless, a solution was starting to emerge for Henrietta’s problem, which would not be concealable in a few weeks’ time: his sister could give birth to the child away from London. Gabriel would ensure that the child was settled with good adoptive parents, and his sister could start her search for a suitable husband, without that extra burden.

  “I will consider whether to place Lady Catherine in the care of your father.” He would think in peace and talk to Catherine himself to form his own impression. “But tell me, Dr Hollingsworth, would you do me a favour?” Gabriel had never been particularly spontaneous, but firstly, he needed a man at his side and secondly, this would be a way of testing Hollingsworth’s reliability.

  “Yes, my Lord?”

  Gabriel noticed that, unlike most men, he did not blindly commit when a man from the nobility asked him for something. “Would you do me the honour of serving as my second tomorrow?”

  The doctor’s expression darkened. “I do not think much of this obsolete practice, nor the spilling of blood,” he replied and went to rise. But Gabriel asked him to sit down again, which the doctor reluctantly did.

  “I assure you, I have no intention of killing my opponent,” he said. In fact, the doctor’s presence could prove to be a blessing. “On the contrary, I have to make sure he survives for a number of reasons. Your presence would be an invaluable benefit.”

  “You want to duel, but spare your opponent – without him knowing? You are … forgive me.” He did not finish the sentence, which was not necessary.

  “Yes, I know how strange this must seem to you. However, I cannot go into more detail without ruining the honour of a lady whose reputation is dear to my heart. If you had a sister or a fiancé, you would understand that, in certain situations, a man cannot look away.”

  “I understand,” the doctor mumbled. “In that case, I am ready, my Lord.”

  For the first time in days, Gabriel had the feeling that perhaps everything was turning out well.

  Chapter 11

  Making a decision was all well and good, but putting it into practice could prove exceedingly difficult. Especially if you were a young, unmarried woman who had to sneak out of the house at five o’clock in the morning and had to travel a distance that was not exactly short.

  The first problem was simply getting out of the house. Mrs Prisson, sleeping in the room next door, was the least of her problems. She had a deep sleep and snored. To make sure that her chaperone slept soundly, Rose would just have to listen to the sound that accompanied her night after night. After everyone had gone to bed, the butler carried out his rounds and checked that all the doors and windows were properly locked. The front door could only be unlocked with considerable effort, which increased the risk of getting caught. Although the servants’ quarters were away from the lobby, Rose was still reluctant at the idea of stepping out on the street at five o’clock in the morning and marching off. Some delivery man would certainly choose this precise time to make his call. Rose was aware that she was behaving recklessly, but she was determined to make the matter as safe as possible. After all, she had an excellent reason for her behaviour. At least, that was what she told herself as she paced up and down the room, devising plans and then rejecting them.

  The only way out was through the garden gate. It was also checked and locked at night, but Rose knew that Annie, one of the kitchen girls, sometimes stole out of the house at night, making sure that the back-door hinges and bolts were always well oiled, making them both easy and silent to open.

  Rose sat down on the small sofa and slumped back, with no regard for grace or elegance. She closed her eyes and imagined slipping away into the garden and out onto the street. Once she got there, she had to make it to Battersea Fields undetected. Walking the entire way was not worth
considering. Felicity had taken her once on a Sunday to one of the forbidden markets held on the marshes, and Rose recalled that the journey had taken a good hour. To walk there on her own would mean that she had to leave in the middle of the night, which was out of the question in every respect. She was prepared to risk everything for Richard de Coucy, but there were limits. Muggers, thieves, highwaymen, and riff-raff were a risk and would mean the final ruin of her reputation. How was she going to let Richard know that she was bearing all these risks for him – if she did not even get to the place of the wretched duel?

  Rose was unable to stay on the sofa and resumed her pacing around the room. What she needed was a means of transport, preferably with a coachman who was trustworthy. Just how did Annie manage to get from here to the place of her rendezvous without ever falling into the hands of a thief – or worse?

  There was only one way to find out. She would ask Annie!

  Sometimes, a straightforward approach was the easiest, so Rose went to the kitchen. It was not too unusual for her to show up there, especially when the cook was having a baking day. Rose helped herself to one of the delicate biscuits and ate it right there. “Heavenly,” she murmured and licked the fine sugar from the corners of her mouth. “Annie, would you bring me a plate of these up to my room?” She made an effort to sound casual and seemed to succeed, for no one paid any attention to her request.

  Upstairs, she took the plate from Annie’s hand and set it down on her dresser. “Annie, I have a question, or rather a request,” Rose began, her courage suddenly seeming to fade to nothing.

  “Yes, my Lady?” The red-haired girl gave a clumsy curtsy, while her eyes caressed the fabric of the dress that Rose’s maid had laid out for the afternoon.

  “I, um, am looking for a way to leave the house and get to another part of the city without having to … bother anyone.” The girl’s reddish eyebrows rose sceptically. “I happen to know that you occasionally leave the house after bedtime to … visit your sick mother?”

  Annie’s face contorted with fear, nodded hastily to the way out that Rose had presented her. “Yes, my Lady.”

  Rose touched her arm very briefly. “Do not worry, I will not tell anyone.”

  “And … what do I have to do for that?” The girl crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Rose suspiciously. “I need the position here, my Lady. I can’t afford to upset His Grace by smuggling you out of here.”

  “You do not have to do anything at all. I just want to know how you manage to walk safely through the nightly streets without anyone harming you.”

  “I just stay out of sight,” Annie replied.

  “And if you had to travel a longer distance, let us say to Battersea Fields, for example, how would you do that?”

  “I’d ask my brother to take me there.” Annie stared at Rose as if she doubted that her young mistress was in her right mind. “He has a carriage. Of course, I’d have to pay him.”

  “Do you think your brother would take me, as well, if I gave him some money?”

  “Absolutely,” said Annie. “Just tell me when and where, and I’ll do the rest.”

  Could it be that easy? Rose could hardly believe that her biggest problem could be solved in this way, even though she had just told herself that sometimes the direct path was the simplest.

  “I need a carriage to Battersea Fields in the morning at half past four,” she said slowly. With a bit of luck, she would get there before Richard and de Vere and could familiarise herself with the terrain.

  “What is your brother’s name?”

  “Jack, my Lady.”

  “Please tell Jack to wait for me at Marlborough Square.” It was less than two minutes’ walk from here, and the street was lined with street lamps.

  “Very well.” Annie curtseyed again and left. Before she left the room, she turned again. “I know, it’s none of my business, my Lady, but … are you sure you should be going there, and mostly, all alone?” For the first time, she looked Rose straight in the face. “I have no idea what you are thinking of doing in Battersea Fields, of course, but that’s no place for a fine lady.” She sighed. “It’s not just thieves out there.”

  “I know that,” said Rose, abashed. She did not know how to react given the younger girl’s intended concern and could not find the right words. “But you also steal yourself out of the house at night.”

  “That’s different.” Annie shrugged off Rose’s objection. “Firstly, there’s nothing to be got from me, and secondly …” She tilted her head, then unexpectedly grinned. “And secondly, I do it for love.”

  Then she was gone, before Rose could even ask how she would recognise Jack or how much to pay for the journey to the place of the duel and back. Hopefully, a guinea would be enough. As far as recognising him was concerned, Rose did not think that at half past four in the morning, there would be many coachmen on Marlborough Square.

  Everything will be all right, she assured herself and sat back on the bed. She had taken the most important steps to carry out her plan, and that was all that mattered. Richard would live, they would marry. What had Annie just said? I do it for love.

  Just like Rose.

  Chapter 12

  Gabriel had slept remarkably well and almost felt quite rested when Peters woke him in the morning at half past four with a cup of tea. He had taken the first steps to dispel the chaos of his father’s death and the disappearance of his brother that had caused the Cavanaugh household to topple. Although he still had no solution for the problems called “Henrietta” and “Catherine,” possibilities were on the horizon.

  As soon as he had taught De Coucy a lesson, he could forget about Lady Rose. She had chosen another and, although he could not deny that he still held a certain attraction for her, another man’s betrothed was, as far as he was concerned, taboo.

  His reluctant second man waited for him at the corner of Grosvenor Square, as agreed.

  “Once again, my most profound thanks,” said Gabriel, signalling the coachman to set off, as soon as the doctor had sat down opposite him. “I appreciate your overcoming your reservations.”

  “Do not mention it,” said Dr Hollingsworth. He was immaculately dressed again, but at this early hour, his age was more apparent than it had been yesterday. “This way, at least I can make sure that the injured – should there be any – receive the proper treatment.” He gave a crooked smile to take the sting from his words and leaned back. “Yesterday, I visited Lord de Coucy, as agreed, and formally delivered your demand to him.”

  Gabriel thanked him with a nod.

  “Have you considered my offer from yesterday, my Lord?” The doctor seemed to sense Gabriel’s reluctance to talk about the duel as he changed the subject. “My father will be coming to London in the next few days, and, if you wish, he can talk to Lady Catherine herself. And to you, of course,” he added, as if he had just remembered that the decision about Lady Catherine’s whereabouts were subject to Gabriel’s decision.

  “Not yet,” Gabriel admitted. He glanced out the window and saw that they had already left Mayfair behind. “Thank you for the proposition, and I accept it, but I would also like to talk to my cousin. Tell me, Dr Hollingsworth, how did your father come across this type of activity?” He might as well take advantage of the time it would take to get to the venue to gather more information about the doctor who seemed to be coming and going at their place.

  “You mean, the treatment of diseases of the mind instead of the usual fractures and births?” A hint of amusement crossed the man’s face. “If you would like to know whether my father is still capable of treating the sick at his age or what qualifications he has, you are welcome to ask directly.”

  “I meant it the way I said it,” Gabriel replied. “It seems to me a strange choice for a doctor, because you cannot see an immediate result. I always thought that doctors chose this profession either for the sake of money and good earnings, or because they found enjoyment in being successful.”

  The
y spent the next hour talking about the background of Hollingsworth’s father – who was already over sixty but refused to retire – and the treatment options available in the field of mental illnesses. To his surprise, Gabriel found the subject not only captivating, but almost enthralling. Many of his comrades who were injured during the war suffered from the consequences of the bloody battles, even though they would have never openly admitted it, similar to him. Dr Hollingsworth spoke enthusiastically, even passionately, about the subject, without ever falling into scholarly lecturing. Gabriel noticed that he kept coming back to Lady Catherine and her well-being, thinking that Henrietta had shown great prudence in choosing the doctor. When the carriage stopped and Gabriel saw that they had already reached their destination, he almost regretted the interruption.

  He jumped out of the carriage and looked around. Battersea Fields was the preferred place for duels, not just because it was out of town, but above all, because the land was wide and open. Anyone who approached the duellists could be seen long before their actual arrival. Also, you could see if someone had not yet made an appearance, thought Gabriel, searching the marshes in vain for de Coucy’s coach. “Let’s give him some more time,” he said to Hollingsworth, leaning against the coach.

  The doctor nodded. “I personally presented your request to Lord de Coucy,” he repeated, narrowing his eyes.

  “I do not doubt it,” replied Gabriel, who had, in fact, not thought that his second might try to prevent the duel in this way. “It is still early. Maybe he has been stopped.” Richard would not try to get out of the affair by not showing up? Even a man like him would not dare to do so. Or would he?

  “What will you do if he does not turn up?” Hollingsworth inquired.