Protecting Lady Esther: Regency Romance (The King's League Book 1)

by Lucy Adams

  “Get out.”

  She lifted her chin. “No, I will not, Lord Hogarth,” she said calmly, sitting in the carriage and smoothing her skirts as though she intended to remain there. “You, on the other hand, will have to explain your intentions.”

  He snorted. “I hardly think so, Lady Esther. Remove yourself, or I shall do it for you.” Lifting one eyebrow, he waited for her to do as he had asked, but Esther remained precisely where she was, even though her heart was thundering furiously in her chest and her anxiety growing steadily with every moment. Lord Hogarth’s expression grew darker still, sending a tremor through her as she watched him. The man had evil intent, she was quite certain of it.

  “If I have to, I will drag you out.”

  His tone was malevolent, making Lady Ware cry out in fright, but Esther remained steadfast.

  “You have betrayed The King’s League,” she told him, boldly, seeing him jerk in surprise. “Yes, I am aware of them, and I know your part in it. You have betrayed the king. That is treason, Lord Hogarth.”

  Lord Hogarth narrowed his eyes, shadows flickering across his face. “I care nothing for the king,” he replied darkly, showing no sign of fear. “My family has holdings in France that are being significantly increased with every piece of information I give them.” He laughed and shook his head at her, as though she were being ridiculous. “I shall live in a castle instead of a manor house!”

  “And your honor shall be left in tatters at your feet,” Esther responded, the brooch held between her hands with the pin pointing out. “You have nothing but shame crowning your head, Hogarth.”

  “Do not speak to me as though you understand!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the darkness and sending a deathly chill all through her. “You know nothing, Lady Esther! I would do it all again – and more – for what France has to offer me. England gives nothing and takes everything. I would rather give my allegiance to a country that recognizes a gentleman for who he is and what he can do rather than demand they work for a king who does not even reward them for their service to him.” He snorted, sneering at her. “Remove yourself from this carriage, Lady Esther. I will not ask you again.”

  Esther did not move. “I will leave the carriage only if my aunt is allowed to depart first, unhurt,” she said firmly. “You have no need of her, and she will not be able to reach anyone in time to prevent you from doing whatever it is you intend.” Her voice shook, but she continued to speak with determination, ignoring her aunt’s horrified whisper. “Then I will come with you and do whatever you wish of me.”

  Lord Hogarth laughed horribly. “You are brave indeed, given that you do not know what it is I intend, Lady Esther,” he sneered. “But given that you must already be aware of what it is I seek, you must have some understanding of this situation.”

  “The cipher,” Esther replied, aware that her aunt knew nothing of what she spoke. “You wish to know where my father has placed it.”

  “Indeed,” Lord Hogarth answered. “I have held him for a little over a week, but he would say not a word. I intended to have you shot, to have you harmed so that he would see that I had nothing but savagery within me, to prove to him that I would stop at nothing until I had what he withheld from me, but Lord Westbrook made certain that you were saved from that. And I could do nothing but pretend to keep watch on you, just as he asked me.” He snorted and shook his head. “Foolish man.”

  Esther shuddered, realizing just how close she had come to death. “He has been my protector. I trust him implicitly.”

  “He has always got in my way,” Lord Hogarth bellowed, the very carriage seeming to shake at his fury. “When I sought to discover where your father had gone, when you were foolish enough to search for him at The Shrew, he stepped in at the very moment my man was about to discover the truth from you.” Throwing one hand up to the sky in frustration, his features tightened with anger. “He protected you from the bullet that was shot at you. He has not left your side for barely a moment! And yet,” he continued, his voice dropping to what sounded like a satisfactory sneer, “he gave you right into my hands, thinking that he would be able to trust me. I say again, Lady Esther – he is a foolish man!”

  “You have deceived them all, and you shall pay for it, I have no doubt,” Esther said, holding the brooch tightly and praying that her aunt would do as she had been told without question. “Now, are you to let my aunt leave? Or shall we remain in here and continue to throw words at each other?” She held her gaze steady, seeing how Lord Hogarth narrowed his eyes at her. “I shall come quietly and be obedient to your every wish, as long as you allow Lady Ware to leave.”

  Lord Hogarth considered this for some moments, watching Esther carefully as though he could see into her mind and see the determination she had to escape him. A trickle of sweat ran down Esther’s back as she watched him, praying that he would agree to her plans.

  “Lady Ware will tell everyone what she has seen,” Lord Hogarth said eventually, his words slow and calculating. “But that does not matter, I suppose, given that Lord Westbrook will soon realize what has occurred.” He shrugged, then gestured to this left. “I suggest you depart, Lady Ware.”

  “No, no, Esther!” Lady Ware cried, reaching forward and digging her hands into Esther’s arm. “I cannot.”

  “You must,” Esther hissed, turning to face her aunt and glaring furiously into her eyes, trying to force her to remain as calm as she could. “Remember, Aunt.” She said nothing more but held her aunt’s gaze, her lips pulled thin and her hands still tight around the brooch.

  “You have only one opportunity, Lady Ware,” Lord Hogarth said in a bored voice. “It shall end in a moment, for if you do not depart, then I shall have no other choice but to—”

  “I am going now.” Lady Ware shook her head, closed her eyes, and whispered to Esther to be careful. Her hands shook violently as she climbed down from the carriage, side stepping away from Lord Hogarth as though he might reach out and attack her at any moment.

  “Do not return nor try to attack me, Lady Ware,” Lord Hogarth said, as Lady Ware moved away. “I will kill her if you do so.”

  Esther caught her breath, seeing her aunt’s shadow moving away. Within a few moments, there was no other sound, leaving Esther’s heart thumping furiously in her chest. She was alone with Lord Hogarth.

  “Now, you are to come quietly, as you have said,” Lord Hogarth said, in an almost pleasant manner. “I will not pretend that I have qualms over injuring you, Lady Esther. There is a large knife tucked into my belt, but I would prefer not to have to use it.” He tipped his head and smiled, his eyes glowing in a dark manner. “And as for your aunt, it is only out of the goodness of my heart that I have decided to let her go. She is useless to me and, whilst you may think me both evil and calculating, I can assure you that I will never spill blood unnecessarily.” He beckoned her forward, the light from the lantern suddenly gleaming on the knife that hung from his belt. “Out of the carriage now, Lady Esther. We have a short walk, and then you will be able to rest.”

  She shuddered violently, reaching forward to climb out of the carriage and fearing that her brooch would be entirely useless against a man with a knife. She did not know where she was and could not tell where she might hide, but she had no intention of remaining with Lord Hogarth as he expected. She would do anything other than remain here with him.

  “There we are now,” Lord Hogarth murmured, as she stepped down to him. “I don’t have to remind you, Lady Esther, that I have means of making you do as I ask, and you’ll forgive me if I quite believe that you’ll be as obedient as you’ve said.” He chuckled darkly and patted his knife. “Now you walk on ahead of me and I’ll direct you where to go.”

  Esther’s breath was coming quick and fast, her mind screaming at her to move. She only had one chance, one opportunity to stop Lord Hogarth from taking her to wherever it was he planned. If she walked in front of him, then she would not know what he was doing or what he intended to do. He mi
ght pull the knife out at any moment, and then what would become of her?

  It has to be now, she told herself, edging slowly towards Lord Hogarth. You have to do it now!

  Before she could stop herself, before she grew too fearful to do anything other than obey, Esther launched herself forward. She did not know where she had hit Lord Hogarth, and she did not know how deep the pin had gone, for in that one moment, Lord Hogarth bellowed in pain and she had no other thought than to pick up her skirts and run for all she was worth.

  Breathing hard, her soft slippers useless against the stony ground, Esther hurried forward into the darkness, one hand outstretched in front of her. Unable to run any longer, the darkness surrounding her, Esther moved forward as quickly as she could, praying that Lord Hogarth would not catch her.

  Behind her, she could hear him still roaring in pain, calling down curses on her head as he shouted aloud. Her heart was in her throat, her eyes filling with sudden tears as she fell, her knees scraping hard on the ground. Pushing herself to her feet and stumbling forward, she began to whisper a prayer, her eyes damp and her strength fading fast.

  “Esther!”

  The hissed voice of her aunt reached out towards her from the darkness, making her heart suddenly lift wildly in her chest.

  “Esther, are you there?”

  “Aunt?” In the complete darkness of the night, she did not know where she was going, moving forward slowly and fully aware of Lord Hogarth’s voice growing every closer behind her, his lantern his source of light where she had none.

  “Esther! I am here!” Her aunt seemed closer now, and with outstretched hands and more whispered words, Esther finally found Lady Ware.

  “Aunt!” She hugged her aunt tightly, feeling Lady Ware tremble. “We must press on.” Shuddering at the loud voice of Lord Hogarth behind them, hearing how he threatened her with all manner of dark intentions, she began to stumble forward again, only for her aunt to tug at her hands.

  “No.” Lady Ware said hurriedly, pulling Esther back. “No, come this way. There, can you see?” She tugged Esther forward, making her stagger after her as fear began to course through her veins. “The lights.”

  Esther strained to make out what her aunt was showing her, only to realize that the lights her aunt had seen were nothing more than flickering dots of light in an otherwise dark sky.

  “It is the city,” her aunt whispered, hurrying forward and pulling Esther along with her in reckless abandon. “We must return there.”

  Esther began to move forward quickly, pushed on by fear and by the ever increasing presence of Lord Hogarth behind them. With his lantern, he was certain to make better progress than they, which meant that very soon, they would have to battle him again unless they could escape. Her heart hammered furiously, nausea rising up within her as she gasped for air, her hand holding tightly to her aunt’s, with one hand outstretched in front of her again.

  “He is gaining,” Lady Ware whispered hoarsely, turning around to see Lord Hogarth’s lantern light drawing ever closer. “What are we to do?”

  Esther’s breath caught in her chest, her eyes fixed on the lights ahead. “We must press on,” she said, glancing behind her and feeling her heart jump into her throat. “We must find somewhere to hide from him, else we will be useless against him.” With Lord Hogarth’s knife, she knew that they would have no defense. There seemed to be no way out, no easy answer to the struggle that lay before them. Either they would find a place to hide from Lord Hogarth or he would capture them again.

  And just then, when her strength was fading and her lungs were burning for air, when her feet were screaming in pain and her heart was quailing within her, the sound of horses hooves caught her attention. Lady Ware heard it too, stopping dead and looking all about her.

  “A carriage!” Lady Ware cried, seeing lights moving towards them. “We must stop them, whoever they are!”

  Esther, knowing that there was nothing else for it, moved as quickly as she could, waving frantically, knowing that Lord Hogarth was only a short distance away from them now.

  “Stop! Stop, please!” she cried, as Lady Ware cried out the same. “We need your help!”

  “There you are!” she heard Lord Hogarth shout, making her scream aloud in fright. “You will not escape me again!”

  Frantic, Esther began to run heedlessly, not knowing where she was going but desperate to escape. The horses screamed, wheels scraped, and Esther felt something huge hit her, throwing her back against the ground.

  Then everything faded to nothing.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Where is he?”

  Charles’s voice was filled with urgency as he hurried into the small, dank room, which was now lit with lanterns. Lord Riggerton gestured to a small bed on the floor, where a man was lying. Grasping one of the lanterns from the wall, Charles knelt down, just as Lord Watt came to join him.

  “Lord Leighton,” he said, reaching out to grasp the older gentleman’s hand. “You are safe now.”

  Lord Leighton said nothing, his eyes closed tightly and his breathing labored. Charles threw a glance up to Lord Riggerton, who merely shook his head. Evidently, he had been like this for some time.

  “Lord Leighton,” Charles said again, setting the lantern down beside the man. “We must move you to your townhouse. A doctor has already been sent there to wait for you. Your daughter, Esther, she—”

  Lord Leighton groaned loudly, shifting on his makeshift bed, his eyes still closed tightly.

  “Esther is waiting for you,” Charles said again, wondering if it was the name of his daughter that had roused him. “She is longing to see you again, Lord Leighton.”

  “Esther.”

  The man’s voice was weak, his word only just loud enough for Charles to hear.

  “Esther is waiting for you,” he said, throwing Lord Watt a despondent glance. He did not think that Lord Leighton would be able to give them much information in his current state. “We have a carriage to take you to her.”

  Lord Leighton shifted uncomfortably again, and Charles placed one hand against the man’s forehead. He was burning hot.

  “Fever,” he muttered, as Lord Leighton finally managed to open his eyes. He shifted deliriously, his gaze roving from one person to the next, and Charles knew that the man did not recognize anyone. A stream of incomprehensible words came flowing from Lord Leighton’s lips, his daughter’s name mentioned more than once.

  And then, another name that Charles recognized.

  “Ho…garth.”

  Charles frowned, leaning closer to Lord Leighton and trying to make sense of what was being said. “I do not understand, Lord Leighton,” he said gently. “Did you speak of Hogarth?”

  Behind him, a small sound escaped from the man named Leadsom, whom Lord Riggerton had managed to capture. The man with the scar.

  A thrill of dread ran down Charles’s spine. He turned slowly and looked towards Leadsom, who was bound and gagged and tied to an old wooden chair. Leadsom’s eyes were shifting this way and that, his brow furrowed low and his shoulders lifting with tension.

  “Hogarth,” Charles repeated, walking closer to Leadsom and pointing at him. “You know him.”

  Leadsom said nothing, not even lifting his gaze towards Charles as he advanced.

  “You know Hogarth,” Charles said again, as Lord Watt sucked in a breath. “Tell me how you know him.”

  Again, Leadsom said nothing. He looked away from Charles, away from Lord Watt, and set his gaze on the other side of the room. Charles gritted his teeth, his jaw working furiously as he found himself facing a difficult opponent and knowing that he could not use brute force against the man. He needed to know what Leadsom was hiding – which would either confirm or deny his slow-growing fear.

  “You are about to face charges of treason.” Lord Watt stepped forward, his eyes trained on Leadsom. “You do know what the penalty for such a thing is, do you not?” Charles watched as Leadsom’s eyes flicked back towards Lord Watt,
seeing how they flared momentarily. Yes, he was quite certain that Leadsom knew the penalty for such a thing.

  “If you speak of what you know,” Lord Watt continued calmly, “if you tell us how you know Hogarth, then I will speak to the Prince Regent on your behalf. I will tell him that you were willing to speak honestly to us.” He arched one eyebrow, tilting his head just a little. “Do you not think that an excellent prospect? Rather than hanging, you will live. Is not your very life worth more than any loyalty you believe you have to another gentleman?” He threw Charles a swift glance, a hard look in his eyes. Clearly he too suspected that Hogarth was now somehow involved.

  A sickening feeling tugged at Charles’s gut. He had sent Lady Esther and Lady Ware with Lord Hogarth, believing him to be entirely trustworthy. Another thought struck him hard, making his head ache suddenly as he slammed his forehead into his hand.

  “The shot,” he said, seeing Leadsom’s eyes widen again. “Lord Hogarth was present not long afterwards. I believed him to be there by chance and took advantage of his presence to safely move Lady Esther and Lady Ware to the carriage. But now that I consider this, I must wonder if Lord Hogarth himself was the one who attempted to kill Lady Esther!”

  A muffled noise came from Leadsom and, stepping forward, Lord Watt yanked the gag away.

  “Not to kill,” Leadsom said, his voice flat and dull. “Just to injure. In an attempt to get Leighton to tell us where the cipher was.”

  Charles closed his eyes, swaying on the spot. Lord Hogarth was a traitor. He had been working against them, working to try and find first Lord Leighton and then the cipher.

  “Hogarth was with Sir Taylor,” Leadsom continued, clearly now willing to speak the entire truth to them both. “Sir Taylor told him before he died that the cipher was gone to an old friend.” He glanced from Charles to Lord Watt and back again. “It took a bit of time for Hogarth to work out that it was Lord Leighton. I had made some inquiries, of course, but that was all it was. And by the time we worked out that it was Lord Leighton, the man was gone.”