A Dangerous Debut: A Sweet Regency Romance (Ladies of Mayfair Book 5)

by Wendy May Andrews

  “How dare you?” he demanded, his glare enough to quell the marquis slightly. “Are you trying to say that perhaps she brought it upon herself to be knocked in the head and carried off as though she were a sack of potatoes? No one, least of all a gently bred female, deserves to be treated thusly. And they deserve retribution for their very existence before ever they sought to involve Miss Pembroke in their schemes. I know not why they are after her, but I can assure you I will not stand by and allow her to be accosted.”

  “Why not, Seaton? What is she to you, really?” the marquis’ voice dripped with sarcasm, and Jasper had had enough.

  “If you cannot speak well of my future wife, you may leave our presence,” he stated simply. “I will not ask her to travel after the ordeal she has been through, so the onus is on you to remove yourself.” His own words shocked him momentarily, but he was soothed by the deep sense of satisfaction that filled him. It may have taken him overlong to realize his own feelings, but he saw in that moment that they had been there from the beginning. Jasper didn’t have long to dwell on his thoughts. His mother was beaming at him.

  “Oh Jasper, are you really going to marry her?” the marchioness breathed. “How very delightful.”

  Jasper wondered momentarily if his mother had lost her mind. He ignored the double standards of his parents’ mercurial moods, instead turning to his brother-in-law. “How long do you think it will take for the doctor to get here? I want that injury on her head attended to as quickly as possible.”

  “It should be soon, as long as he can be found. If he is out visiting someone the groom will have to track him down, but it could be a little while. Have a drink, Jasper, you are looking a little wild.”

  “Thank you, Welland, but I cannot avail myself of your kind offer. I need to have my wits about me in order to protect Daisy from the marquis.” Jasper’s tone was kept polite, but the look he directed at his father was as hard as granite.

  “Oh, Jasper, do not be so quarrelsome,” his mother chided, but Jasper paid her little mind.

  Bess made an effort to be conciliatory. “Jasper, I am sure our father did not mean to be insulting. Try to understand. Calm down and have a seat — working yourself up into a fury is not going to help Miss Pembroke.”

  “Your sister is quite correct, Jasper. I had no intention of being insulting to your little friend. There is just nothing we know about her except that she has trouble following her.”

  “I know everything I need to know about her, and I have every intention of keeping her safe. She will be the perfect bride for me.”

  Daisy had just entered the doorway when she heard Jasper’s declaration. She could not suppress the gasp that burst from her lips, revealing her shock as well as her presence.

  “But what about the fact that I am a governess?” she blurted, ignoring the uncomfortable glances of everyone in the room who were clearly embarrassed to be caught discussing her.

  Jasper ignored their audience as well, scoffing, “Why would that matter to me? You are going to be a viscountess.”

  Daisy searched Jasper’s eyes, looking for his true feelings. Her own delight threatened to turn her head and prevent her from being rational on the subject. Jasper must have sensed her concerns because he quickly overcame the objections she was trying to raise.

  “Do not get yourself worked up over this at the moment, my dear. I know I have done it all backwards. I have not even asked you if you will be so kind as to have me. Never mind about all this right now. We have to deal with the little problem of Sadbury and Wright. Then we will have all the time in the world to work out our situation.”

  Daisy saw him glance at his father as he said that last part. She nibbled on her lip in indecision. She knew Jasper was right; nothing could get worked out until the baron and earl were dealt with. She sighed and nodded.

  Again the marquis stepped in. “I still do not see what you think you are going to be able to do, Seaton, Wright is an earl.”

  “That is true, but you are a marquis, my lord, and are you not also the magistrate for your area? And Welland here is also an earl. Surely between the three of us we can exert enough pressure to ensure there are some consequences for these dastards.”

  At first, Abernathy looked uncomfortable but then Daisy saw him look around the room. Whatever he observed caused a change to take place. The marquis stood straighter and declared, “You are quite right, Seaton. Let us be about establishing some justice.” Turning to his wife he continued. “My dear, you should stay here and wait with Miss Daisy for the doctor to see to her wounds. We should have this little mess taken care of momentarily.”

  It seemed to Daisy as though the shortest five minutes of her life passed by. Before she could barely blink, the four gentlemen were hurrying from the room, summoning footmen and grooms as they went.

  Daisy's mouth was agape as she saw Jasper nearing the door. "Wait, wait, wait," she exclaimed. "Do you actually mean to leave me here?" Her incredulous tone indicated just how she felt about this idea.

  Jasper's shocked blinking would have amused Daisy if she were not so incensed. He tried to explain. "But you have been through an ordeal. Surely you do not think to accompany us, do you? There is a very strong possibility that there will be violence. I did not think your sensibilities would be up to witnessing that."

  Daisy could not believe the viscount was being so obtuse. "Of course, I wish to accompany you. This is my problem to deal with. While I certainly appreciate your assistance, I cannot allow you to deal with it without me." She paused for a moment. Seeing his resistance, she switched tactics. Her tone became wheedling, "Do you not realize that I am likely to have nightmares for the rest of my life after this ordeal, as you called it? I am inclined to think that if I see it through to the conclusion of Sadbury and Wright meeting a just end I shall feel much more settled over the entire matter."

  Seeing Jasper wavering in his resistance, she pressed her advantage. "Surely you realize I am not the squeamish sort of female that will cause you problems. My lord, I promise you I shall be perfectly fine, even if you are required to visit some violence upon Sadbury and Wright. I will admit to you that I may even enjoy witnessing such an occurrence."

  This seemed to amuse Jasper, and he could obviously not argue with her logic. With a sigh he acquiesced. "Very well, my dear, but only if you swear to me that you will do exactly what I tell you, and you will stay behind me at all times. I do not want to have to be worried about your safety. You will be there to witness what transpires, not participate."

  Daisy was nodding vigorously, about to reassure him that she would behave, when the marchioness interrupted. "You cannot be serious, Seaton. Daisy cannot accompany you." She turned to Daisy. "You must allow the men to take care of this, my dear girl. You sit down. The housekeeper will bring us a nice hot pot of tea, and we will start making plans for your wedding."

  Bess chose this moment to add her thoughts. She laughed outright at her mother's foolish notion. "My dear lady, you must realize poor Daisy will not be of a mind to sit and discuss anything to do with the wedding at a time like this. For one thing, Jasper hasn't even asked her properly, and for another, she cannot be settled in her mind until these villains are properly disposed of. No, Daisy is quite right, she must accompany Jasper. In fact, I would love to go, too, but I'm afraid I will just be an impediment. But Daisy will not be in the way, and she really must go." Bess took Lady Abernathy's arm. "Come along, Mother. We shall have that tea and discuss the wedding ourselves. I think Daisy would much prefer that anyway."

  She was perfectly correct and Daisy was delighted by her words. While she still could barely believe that Jasper’s proposal was anything but gallantry on his part, if there was to be a wedding, she shuddered at the thought of planning it.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The grooms hastily saddled another horse when they saw Jasper striding toward the stables with Daisy in tow. The earl raised his eyebrows with a touch of skepticism, but Daisy was gratified
to see that the marquis looked almost as though he approved when he saw her in Jasper’s wake. Daisy shook her head, dismissing the thought as wishful thinking on her part.

  She had to grit her teeth to staunch their chattering when Jasper searched her eyes carefully before he threw her up into the saddle. Daisy knew he wasn’t completely convinced it was a good idea for her to accompany them, so she was determined to hide her own trepidation. He would leave her behind for sure if he knew she was having doubts. Despite her fear, there was no conceivable way she could allow them to go on this particular errand without her. She was absolutely convinced her emotional well-being depended on seeing this thing to its conclusion.

  Plastering as believable a smile as she could muster onto her cold lips, Daisy kept her word and stayed behind Jasper, keeping her horse close to his as the group set out on their grim errand. She could feel Jasper’s watchful eye upon her from time to time as the group retraced their steps in the hopes of catching Lords Sadbury and Wright where Daisy had been found. Gone were all traces of the indolent gentleman the viscount usually showed observers. He was sharp-eyed and alert as they set off in pursuit of Daisy’s captors.

  Glancing around, Daisy noticed that all the gentlemen were looking rather grim. A shiver of dread ran down her spine as her mind raced with all the possible outcomes of this particular expedition. None of them were very good. She should have asked more questions before making Jasper bring her, she realized rather late. But in all actuality, no matter the outcome, she felt she needed to be there when it happened, whatever it was.

  Her mind was scrambling, having trouble focusing on any one thing. She could hardly believe it when they arrived at the place where Jasper and the others had found her. She had apparently lost all sense of time. There had been very little discussion amongst the group as they rode, but now the earl gestured for complete silence. Daisy glanced around nervously as she realized that all of the gentlemen and most of the grooms were armed. They rode forward a short distance and then they all halted. They would go on foot from there. All the better to make a silent approach.

  Jasper leaned in close and whispered in her ear. “Are you perfectly sure you want to go through with accompanying us?”

  Daisy was shocked by the question even while his hot breath in her ear caused a hitch in her own breathing. “At this point, I will admit to you that I am terrified, but there is absolutely no way you are leaving me behind. I think I would faint from fear if you left me on my own.”

  Jasper had the temerity to grin, much to Daisy’s disgust. “Of course, I clearly did not think through my question. Forgive me. And remember your promise to stick close.”

  “That will not be difficult to keep,” she assured him fervently as she clasped his hand tightly. She could barely believe that even at a moment like this, she felt the pull of attraction to the handsome man before her. If it were possible, the danger seemed to heighten the sensation. Daisy made an effort to shove the sensation to the furthest recesses of her mind. Now was most certainly not the time to be entertaining such distracting thoughts.

  Stepping back from Jasper, Daisy gave her head an emphatic shake. “Very well, my lord, lead on.”

  Daisy could not decipher the look on his face, but Jasper didn’t say anything as he grabbed her hand once again and followed the earl’s lead as the gentlemen quietly made their way toward the wooden structure. She held on tight and followed him, trying to keep her skirts from impeding their rapid progress.

  She must have been preoccupied with her own thoughts and missed the plans being made, as everyone except her seemed to know what was going on. Daisy just shrugged and made an effort to keep up. It wasn’t as though Jasper would allow her to participate anyway.

  The closer they got to the ramshackle place the louder the voices became. They heard Lords Sadbury and Wright yelling at each other. It would seem that Daisy’s disappearance had been discovered by her captors.

  “You fool. I told you to make sure her bonds were tight enough,” Wright was bellowing at Sadbury. “Could you not do even this small task correctly? Why do I bother putting up with you?”

  “You had hit her so hard, it didn’t seem likely she would be moving until tomorrow,” Sadbury whined before seeming to grow a backbone. “And you put up with me because you need my cooperation, my lord. The question should really be, why I bother with you.”

  There was a heavy silence before the group heard the shattering of glass. It would seem the two gentlemen were growing impatient.

  “Breaking things is going to do you no good, Sadbury. We need to get that girl back. This is all your fault — figure it out,” Wright screamed, no longer his calm, urbane self. A shiver started to wriggle down Daisy’s spine at the hysteria she heard in the man’s voice. She feared what he would do in this state. She tightened her hold on Jasper’s hand.

  ~~~

  Jasper felt Daisy’s fear rising the closer they got to the shed she had been held in. He wanted to reassure her, but his anger kept rising at the thought of her being tied up in that low place. Everything inside him was straining toward the desire to pummel the cretins who had done this to her. Knowing they were here was comforting and yet frustrating. He was quite sure Daisy would not allow the violence he wished to visit upon them. The girl was far too soft hearted for her own good.

  The earl gestured for some of the men to go around back. Seeing that there were three horses tied up, it was obvious that there was at least one more than the two they could hear. No doubt, the servant who had accompanied Sadbury was about somewhere.

  With the sound of the two yelling at each other, Jasper felt Daisy’s hold tightening on his hand. He didn’t want to leave her, but he had to take a hand in their capture. He gestured for one of the grooms to join him. Hurrying Daisy over to stand behind a tree, he uttered his commands in a low voice.

  “Tom, I see you are well armed. Stay here and guard Miss Pembroke.” Seeing the man’s willing agreement, Jasper turned his attention to Daisy. “Stay here with Tom, my dear. I do not want you in the thick of things. There may be bullets flying around shortly. Duck down behind this tree and stay uninjured.”

  It was clear that Daisy did not want to obey. Her lovely blue eyes had turned mutinous. “You promised, remember?” he reminded her.

  “You promised to let me tag along,” she persisted.

  “You have tagged along. You can watch from here. But you will only be an encumbrance to us all if we have to worry about you getting hurt. Stay here and behave.” Jasper didn’t wait for her to agree. He placed a firm, quick kiss upon her shocked lips and hurried after the rest of the men, confident that she would obey him, even if she was stewing about it. She had given her word.

  ~~~

  Daisy huffed her annoyance but obeyed Jasper’s imperative command. “The nerve of that man, ordering me about,” her fierce whisper was directed at Tom.

  “Sorry, miss, but it is for the best, you know. The gents would be right worried about you if you was to get any closer. It’s best if you jest waits here for the dust to settle, so to speak.” Tom was matter of fact in his refusal to offer sympathy.

  Daisy hated to admit it, but she was a little bit relieved to be put on the side. The thought of re-entering that dark shed sent shivers of dread rippling through her flesh. It might be cowardly, but she was rather happy to watch from here.

  “I apologize that you are missing out on the action, Tom. No doubt you would have loved to be with the rest of the men.”

  Tom gave a negligent shrug. “Lord Seaton trusted me with a responsible task. Guarding you is the most important thing for all of us, so I’m satisfied, miss, don’t worry about me.”

  Daisy appreciated his kindness. She was sure it would be difficult for a man to stay away from the action. But she was even more relieved that he was faithfully staying by her side. The thought of being left alone so close to her enemies scared her into silence.

  The action was swift and over before she even realized i
t. It would seem that Lord Sadbury’s servant had put up no resistance when faced with a couple of grooms with guns. Sadbury and Wright had been so busy yelling at each other that they had been oblivious to the approaching men and only resisted once it was far too late. They had been caught unawares, so they were taken into custody without one shot being fired.

  However, there had been sufficient roughness to satisfy the bloodlust Jasper had obviously been feeling, a fact his wide grin attested to as he approached her not too many minutes later. “All is well, and the way is clear if you would like to join us as we determine what to do with these lowlifes. Do not fuss over me,” he implored her when she saw the scrapes on his knuckles and the bruise forming on his cheek. “Wright didn’t go down without a bit of a struggle, but it is merely superficial, I assure you.”

  Daisy would never understand the manly need to release pent up feelings with a show of violence, but she knew enough not to fuss too much. She assured herself she could let him know what she thought of his enjoyment later. There were other, more pressing, issues at hand.

  “Are you sure they are sufficiently restrained, my lord?”

  “Quite.” His brief reply was accompanied by another wide grin. Daisy merely shook her head.

  “What are you going to do with them now that you have apprehended them?” Daisy had to hurry to keep up with Jasper, as he was returning to where all the men were assembled.

  “That is being worked out now.”

  ~~~

  Jasper was astonished to be relieved that his father was along. The marquis had taken over once the two dastards were restrained. He had dispatched a groom to fetch the local magistrate while he lent an air of calm to the assembled group.

  Lord Wright was not taking his treatment in stride, though. “How dare you tie me up? I am a peer of the realm,” he sputtered, much to Jasper’s amusement.

  “You should have acted like one,” the marquis’ replied calmly.

  “This is ridiculous, Abernathy, what is the meaning of this?” Despite being dirty and tied up, the earl was not willing to concede defeat.