by Anne Herries
‘It is all such a nuisance,’ Jenny said the next morning as they were riding together in the park, accompanied by their grooms. ‘Edward told me that awful man was seen here, and we must be careful when riding or walking—but even worse is the news that Bonaparte is believed to have entered Paris or to be on the point of doing so. If there is a war, and of course there must be, Edward has told me he must rejoin his regiment.’
‘Oh, no!’ Georgie was shocked. She glanced across at her friend as their horses walked sedately side by side. ‘He wouldn’t leave you, Jenny? How could he?’
‘Edward was in the army before we married,’ Jenny told her. ‘I married a soldier and I followed wherever he went for the first year or two. When my first child was born I came here and Edward visited when he could. He promised to resign his commission when Bonaparte was defeated and he did—but I know he will fight if there is a war.’ She gave a little wail of despair. ‘I do hate wars! They are such a waste of life, do you not think so?’
‘Yes, I do,’ Georgie agreed. She looked at her friend with sympathy. ‘I know Richard must feel as Edward does—but he is not married.’ She looked thoughtful as it occurred to her that he might have been thinking of the coming war when he told her that he could not ask her to marry him the previous night. ‘But surely Edward will not go—he must think about you and the children. If you begged him not to, he would listen. He always gives you what you want, Jenny.’
‘I couldn’t do that,’ Jenny said, surprising her. ‘Edward gives me everything I ask for, Georgie—but I never ask for anything he could not give easily. It is an unspoken agreement. I am spoiled and loved, but I love him too. If I begged him not to join his friends when they need him, it would break his heart. I would not do it.’
‘Oh…’ Georgie looked at her thoughtfully. ‘Yes, I understand—but perhaps it will not happen, Jenny.’
‘I pray that it will not,’ Jenny replied. ‘But I fear that it will. Bonaparte did not break free of his prison to live peacefully somewhere else. He will fight for his country and the power that was his.’
‘Yes, I suppose so,’ Georgie agreed and frowned. ‘Does this change our plans for Bath?’
‘Oh, no, of course not,’ Jenny said. ‘Everything must go on as usual for the moment, though—’ She broke off and shook her head. ‘We shall see what happens. After all, there may not be a war at all.’
Georgie was introduced to her hostess’s friends that evening as, ‘My dear friend, Miss Georgina Bridges. Her great-aunt was the late Countess of Shrewsbury, you know. She has come to live with me and we are to visit Bath together very soon, but after that she will make her home with me.’
Georgie smiled, curtsied and made polite conversation throughout the evening, but her mind was not truly on the affair. She could not help wondering what Richard was doing, and, glancing at Lord Maddison’s face once or twice when he was not aware of her interest, she guessed that he too was concerned. She knew that he must be aware of what was happening, and wondered that he had the patience to be the charming, considerate host.
However, he disappeared at about ten o’clock and did not reappear for an hour, just as his neighbours were about to take their leave. After the last one had gone, he came up to Georgie, taking her aside for a moment.
‘Richard wanted me to tell you that he was unscathed by the evening’s events. It was a successful raid and most of the traitors were taken after a mere skirmish. However, there was no sign of Thierry. It seems that he did not turn up for some reason.’
‘Do you think he was warned?’
Edward frowned and looked anxious. ‘Richard thinks he must have known something was going to happen. However, he did nothing to prevent the others being caught, so it may mean that he could not.’
‘Unless he had no further use for his friends,’ Georgie said. ‘He is ruthless and would not hesitate to put his own safety first. Where is Richard? Are you sure he isn’t hurt?’
‘He is perfectly well. I think he knew you would be anxious and he asked me to give you his message. He had to ride to London, but he assures me that he will visit us in Bath when he can.’
Georgie nodded, her expression serious. ‘Is it over now, sir?’
‘I wish that it were,’ Edward said with a sigh. ‘If Thierry had been taken with the others, it might have been as far as you are concerned, but he was not—and we have no idea where he is now. He could be anywhere.’
‘Do you think he has gone to France?’
‘I suppose it is a possibility,’ he said. ‘With the arrest of so many of the conspirators his plans to cause chaos here may have been overturned, but much of his plan will be in France. If Bonaparte is to take the people with him in his attempt to regain all that he lost, there will need to be work done over there. It may be that Thierry has decided to transfer his attentions there.’
‘I admit I should feel safer if I believed he had gone,’ Georgie said. ‘But Richard warned me I must be careful and I shall not forget his advice.’
‘You will be wise to follow it,’ Edward said. His smile faded as he looked at her. ‘I am glad you have come to be a friend to my wife, Georgie. She may need you in a while.’
‘Yes, she has told me,’ Georgie replied. ‘I shall not desert her. I give you my word, sir.’
‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘But we must not be too gloomy too soon. We have the visit to Bath to look forward to—and I am confident that Richard will come when he can.’
‘Yes, thank you,’ Georgie said. ‘You must not worry about Jenny if you have to leave, sir. We shall do very well together.’
‘I am certain of it. And now I shall bid you goodnight, Georgie.’
Georgie smiled, dipped a curtsy and left him. She was thoughtful as she walked upstairs, but also conscious of a warm feeling of relief. Richard was safe enough for the moment, and the English supporters of Bonaparte had been routed this time.
Outside in the darkness, a man stood and stared up at the windows of the house as one by one the lights were extinguished. It was lucky chance that had brought him here the previous evening to hear Hernshaw telling that little witch about the imminent arrest of his friends.
He could have warned them to stay away from the inn, but he had decided to let the fools be taken. Very few of them had ever done anything but talk and drink wine at his expense. He could afford to let them go; they were expendable, and he had other men in place—harder, more experienced men who knew their business. He imagined that Hernshaw must be pretty pleased with himself over this night’s work. No doubt he thought it was over, finished, and that might cause him to let down his guard.
Thierry wanted revenge on the man who had come so close to destroying him and all his work, but he also wanted the girl. He needed her money. She would inherit her father’s estate very soon, but the countess’s money was already hers, though no doubt the lawyers were still sorting it out. He still had a little leeway, and he wanted to make sure that nothing went wrong this time.
She was still wary. He had been watching the house since she came here, and he knew she never went far without company. He might handle the other woman, but he couldn’t manage two grooms as well. Unless he killed all three and took her prisoner, but she would never accept him as her husband if she saw him murder her friend before her eyes. If his aim had been truer that day he fired at her, the money might already have been his. Thierry touched his right arm, which still pained him. The manservant had spotted him before he had the chance to get off another shot, and he’d been winged as he fled into the trees. It wasn’t a deep wound, but it had annoyed him, made him aware that he had to be careful. He couldn’t be sure that Hernshaw wasn’t having her watched all the time.
He knew that the ladies were repairing to Bath in the next day or so. Lord Maddison would accompany them on the road, and he would travel with too many servants to make an ambush viable even with the men he had at his disposal. But once they were in Bath, it would be impossible for the girl to be
protected the whole time. She would mix in company and one of these times she would forget to be on her guard—and then he would grab her. Once she was his captive, he could take his time persuading her to see his point of view. She was lovely and he would enjoy her for a while before disposing of her.
Besides, he would need her signature on various papers to force the lawyers to release her fortune. He wouldn’t put it past the countess to have tied some of it up, but if he had all the deeds he could raise a loan, as he had on the property that had come to him through her late husband. He cared little about anything he owned in this country. He would not need any of it once he was restored to his rightful place in France.
Yes, he would abduct the little witch, force her to wed him, and make sure of the money before he took ship for France. He already had men there waiting for his arrival, just as the assassins he had paid to kill both the Regent and the Iron Duke were waiting for their moment to strike. He would present their deaths as his personal gift to the Emperor and take his place at his side when he swept to victory.
‘Well, the house is comfortable,’ Jenny said, glancing around the handsome parlour into which they had been shown by a friendly housekeeper. ‘I am glad the journey is over for I felt that I should be shaken to bits, and I dread to think how poor Nanny endured it with the children.’
‘I should think it could not have been easy for her,’ Georgie said with a smile. They had travelled in Lord Maddison’s very comfortable carriage, the children and nurses following in another almost as well sprung, but the road had been badly rutted, particularly in country areas. ‘But we are all here safe and sound and that must be the important thing.’
‘Yes, of course,’ Jenny agreed. ‘No broken wheels and no highwaymen, and that is something to be thankful for!’ She turned to her husband as he entered the room. ‘I have sent for some tea, Edward. Shall you take a dish with us or would you prefer something stronger?’
‘Nothing, thank you, my dearest,’ he told her. ‘I fear I must go out almost at once. You and Georgie will be all right, I trust?’
‘Yes, of course,’ his wife replied. ‘But you have ridden all the way here, Edward. Must you really go out at once?’
‘It is just a small matter of business,’ he replied. ‘Nothing for you to worry about. Richard wrote to me here from town. I believe it concerns Georgie’s lawyers, but I shall tell you when I return.’
‘Oh, well, if it is for Georgie you must go,’ his wife said. ‘I do not think I shall stray far today, but I may send for the seamstress so that she can begin working on some gowns for us.’
‘Yes, dearest, you must have something decent before you can be seen about town,’ her loving husband agreed, though he knew that she had brought three trunks filled with beautiful clothes to Bath. ‘I shall see you before dinner.’
Jenny sighed as her husband left. ‘We shall have some tea before we do another thing, Georgie. I declare I am fatigued near to death, but I shall recover bye and bye. I caught sight of a lady in a beautiful blue gown as we drove here and it has given me an idea for your clothes…’
Georgie was sitting in the back parlour looking through a pile of swatches of silks and muslin when Lord Maddison found her that evening. She glanced up as he entered and smiled.
‘The seamstress brought so many samples that I am not sure which to pick, and Jenny seems to think I shall want a deal of new gowns.’
‘I am certain she is right; she always is,’ he replied. ‘I am the bearer of good tidings, Georgie. Your lawyer is staying at an inn not far distant and he will call on you in the morning at ten. I believe you can look forward to some good news concerning both your father’s estate and your inheritance from the countess.’
‘Oh…’ She was a little surprised. ‘I had thought it must be some months before the countess’s affairs were settled.’
‘I dare say it would if you required the capital,’ he replied. ‘But I imagine you will wish for an income and leave the bulk of your fortune invested?’
‘Oh, yes, certainly,’ Georgie said. ‘At least, I shall be advised by my lawyers—and you, sir. I understand you advised my great-aunt for some years?’
‘Yes, I did, and I shall be pleased to do the same for you, Georgie—should you wish it?’
‘Well, I have no family—at least none I can trust,’ she said. ‘Unless and until I marry, I should be grateful for your advice.’
‘Your lawyers will do as you ask them. If I were you, I should continue with the investments your great-aunt held, and draw only a generous income for your pleasure. Since you are to live with us you do not need to finance an establishment of your own, but you will want clothes and pin money, of course.’
‘Thank you, it is all I need for the moment.’
‘It would be safer for you. If the money is invested in a mixture of bonds and property, it cannot be liquidated too swiftly—if someone should try to defraud you.’
‘Yes, that is a consideration,’ Georgie said. ‘One I have not had to consider before. I am glad to have your friendship, sir, for a woman alone in my situation might be vulnerable.’
‘The countess was very aware of it, which is why she did not trust her husband’s cousin, my dear. He cannot in law touch what is yours, but he may try something.’
‘Yes, perhaps—though he must know it is too late now that my great-aunt is dead, mustn’t he?’
‘We shall pray that he has given up and gone back to France,’ Edward said. ‘Now I must go and find my wife—I have a little gift for her.’
Georgie smiled to herself as he left. Jenny was very fortunate to have such a charming man as her husband. She did hope that the talk of war would come to nothing, because it would be so awful for her friend if anything were to happen. She frowned as she put the swatches aside. Lord Maddison had said nothing of Richard coming to visit. She did hope he would come before too long. Surely there could be nothing to keep him in London now that his work was done?
‘It cannot be over until Thierry is found, you know that,’ Rawlings said as he leaned forward to pour wine into Richard’s glass. ‘I appreciate that you have given us good service, Hernshaw, but I cannot release you yet. With Bonaparte on the rampage we know it cannot be long before there is war. We have to beat him soundly, make an example—make sure he is finished this time.’
‘Soldiering is one thing, and I shall of course rejoin my regiment when the time comes—but I am tired of all this other business. I want a life of my own, Rawlings.’
‘The girl, I suppose?’ Rawlings arched his brows. ‘It might interest you to know that her uncle shot himself when the bank foreclosed on his loans. His wife left in tears to live with a friend and the house was closed. I believe it belongs to the bank for the moment.’
‘Mowbray killed himself?’ Richard exclaimed. ‘Good grief! Things must have been worse than I imagined.’
‘He had been selling jewellery for months, and the land was mortgaged. I think everything must be sold to cover what he owes.’
‘Some of the jewellery he sold did not belong to him,’ Richard said. ‘The lawyers entrusted things that had belonged to Georgie’s mother to him, but she will not see them again, unless they can be recovered.’
‘I might be able to help you there. We have been keeping an eye on him, because of his dealings with Thierry—if you wish to recover them I could give you the name of the jeweller who bought them.’
‘Thank you, I shall be grateful.’
‘Grateful enough to end this business?’ Rawlings raised his brows. ‘Thierry isn’t finished, Hernshaw. Find him and stop him before it is too late.’
‘And then I am free?’
‘You will have paid the debt,’ Rawlings said. ‘Whether you are free or not is a matter of your own conscience, my dear fellow. You were not to blame for what happened to your men that day. If you could accept that, you were free long ago. However, we need you to do this one last thing.’
Richard inclined his head. �
��You are right. Thierry isn’t finished. I doubt anything less than a ball in the heart will stop a man like that.’
Georgie’s heart quickened as she entered the house after Jenny one morning later that week and heard the sound of male laughter. She knew at once that Richard had come, and despite his last words to her she was filled with a sense of hope. He cared for her, she knew he did, even if he did not feel able to ask her to marry him.
‘Ah, here are the ladies,’ Lord Maddison said as they entered the parlour, a handsome room with fine proportions and a particularly pleasing aspect over the garden at the back. ‘I trust you enjoyed yourselves? Lady Maddison, if you have overspent your allowance you may send the bills to me.’
‘Naturally I should do so, Edward.’ The adored wife offered her cheek for his kiss, a wicked smile in her eyes. ‘However, we have been spending Georgie’s money this morning. I may have ordered a few gowns for myself…’a mere dozen was not so very many after all ‘…but Georgie has been enjoying herself buying bonnets and trifles of no account. She has ordered some new gowns, of course, and one of them is to be delivered in time for this evening.’
‘Jenny,’ Richard said, ‘you look wonderful as always. Miss Bridges, I believe Bath agrees with you.’
‘If that is a compliment, it is a poor one,’ his sister scoffed. ‘You must have noticed how beautiful she looks in that bonnet, Richard. It is a new one and it suits her admirably, do you not think so?’
‘Yes, I do,’ Richard replied, amused by his sister’s remarks. ‘I think Georgie knows that I admire her in many ways.’
‘Then you might say so,’ Jenny replied, but looked pleased. Her brother was not often given to compliments, at least within her hearing. ‘We have been here but three days, and already several young gentlemen have called to pay their respects. Is that not so, Edward?’
‘Yes, my dearest. I do not even know some of the gentlemen who have been wishing to make themselves known to me, and I am sure it must have something to do with Georgie.’ Edward grinned, joining in the teasing with alacrity. ‘Despite their earnest desire to talk to me on matters of horseflesh, I am not deceived. I know I owe my popularity to the fact that I have the latest beauty as my guest.’