by Dilly Court
‘He’s cut his head, and I think his arm is broken,’ Gabriel called back. ‘We need something to tie the arm in place before we try to lift him.’
Balancing precariously, Lily slipped off her petticoat and proceeded to tear it into strips. She dropped them into the carriage. ‘Lucky I put on fresh linen yesterday,’ she said, smiling. ‘Ma always said we should wear clean underwear in case we got knocked down by a horse and cart and taken to hospital. It seems she was right.’
‘That’s fine,’ Gabriel called. ‘I’ll buy you a new petticoat as soon as we get back to London.’
‘We’re going to Paris,’ Molly protested. ‘You can get a new petticoat in Paris. I’m sure my husband will be pleased to buy you two or three if you like.’
‘Husband?’ Philippe roared. ‘So I’m too late to stop the young fool from making the worst mistake of his life?’
‘Yes, pa-in-law,’ Molly retorted with a pert smile. ‘I’m afraid you are. We was married last night by a man in a top hat and Armand’s got the papers to prove it. I’m your daughter-in-law now so you’d better get used to it.’
Philippe threw up his hands. ‘Merde. I could not believe it when I read the telegram Armand sent to me. I hoped I was in time, but no, it was not to be. This is a disaster.’
Lily tugged at his sleeve. ‘Never mind that, monsieur. Look, they’re pulling Armand from the wreckage. Don’t you think there are more important things to worry about at the moment than your hurt pride?’
‘I will have this marriage annulled,’ Philippe muttered. ‘My son deserves better.’
Clawing her fingers, Molly lunged at him, but Lily caught her round the waist and dragged her a safe distance from Labrosse. ‘No, that’s not the answer, Moll. Armand needs you now.’
Philippe turned away in disgust, but even as he made a move towards his son Molly pushed past him and ran to Armand, throwing her arms around his neck. ‘Armand, my darling. Are you all right?’
Pale-faced and with his left arm strapped to his chest, Armand managed a weak smile. ‘A few bruises, ma chérie. Nothing to worry about.’
‘I think his arm is broken,’ Gabriel said. ‘He needs to see a doctor.’
‘We must make haste to Paris where my personal physician will treat Armand.’ Philippe glared angrily at Molly. ‘You will return to England with your sister.’
Molly’s smile froze and her bottom lip trembled. ‘But I am Armand’s wife. My place is with my husband.’
‘My lawyers will sort this matter out. I have nothing further to say to you.’ Philippe eyed the wreckage of the carriage and the horses now tethered safely to a tree, and his gaze travelled to the shabby vehicle owned by Christian’s second cousin. The Frenchman had remained on the driver’s seat with his hat pulled down over his eyes and was apparently sound asleep.
‘Papa, no.’ Armand slipped his uninjured arm around Molly’s waist. ‘We are legally married and there is nothing you can do about it.’
‘Go with her and I disown you.’
‘You can’t do that to him,’ Molly cried passionately. ‘What sort of man are you?’
‘I love her, Papa,’ Armand said faintly. ‘Don’t make me choose between you.’
‘The marriage cannot have been consummated,’ Philippe snarled. ‘It can be annulled and you will be a free man.’
Molly flung herself between father and son. ‘That’s where you’re wrong, mister. We did plenty of consummating last night at the inn. I’m his missis good and proper.’ She turned to Armand. ‘Tell him, Armand. Tell him.’
Lily groaned inwardly. She could see Christian taking in every word that was being said and no doubt filing it away in his head to be written up for a newspaper story as soon as they returned to England. It was not difficult to imagine how the news would be received at home. Matt would be furious and Nell heartbroken on seeing their family’s name dragged though the mire. Grandpa and Aggie would back each other up as never before in their disapprobation, and easy-going Mark might lose his chance with Cobbold’s pretty daughter Flossie. Then there was Ma. Add this to her mourning for Everard and it might tip her over the edge completely. Lily sent a desperate silent plea to Gabriel and as they exchanged glances she knew that he had understood.
He cleared his throat, addressing Philippe. ‘May I suggest that we get Armand to the nearest doctor, Monsieur Labrosse? A long journey with a possible broken bone would do him no good at all.’
‘Yes, Papa,’ Armand murmured. ‘That is a sensible suggestion. I fear I might …’ He slid to the ground in a dead faint.
‘Well, you’re a fine lot I must say.’ Christian picked up his bowler and rammed it hard on his head. ‘That poor bastard is in agony and all you can do is stand round arguing. If that’s how the toffs behave then give me the common man any time.’
‘He’s right,’ Lily cried passionately. ‘Armand must be seen by a doctor and Calais is only a couple of hours away, less if you take him in your carriage, Monsieur Labrosse. You fast horses will get him there in no time.’
Labrosse frowned, as if considering all the possibilities. With a resigned shrug of his shoulders he beckoned to his coachman and groom, issuing instructions in rapid French. They leapt to do his bidding, picking up Armand and carrying him to the waiting carriage. Molly followed him, shooting a defiant glance at her father-in-law. ‘Don’t you dare try to stop me, mister. I’m going with my husband and that’s that.’
Lily laid her hand on Labrosse’s arm. ‘She really does love him.’
He brushed her off as if she were an irritating insect. ‘Would she love him if he had no money? Can you answer that, Mademoiselle Lily?’
‘I think she would,’ Lily said slowly. ‘Yes, monsieur. I think that for once in her life my sister really cares more for another than she does for herself.’ She turned to Gabriel, who was standing close behind her. ‘It’s back to Calais then.’
He took her hand in a warm grasp. ‘Are you all right, my love?’
‘Of course. Nothing can harm me when I’m with you.’
‘Ahem.’ Walton cleared his throat noisily. ‘What happens to me, guv? I can’t walk all that way and I ain’t no bareback rider.’ He jerked his head in the direction of the horses, tethered to a branch of a tree.
‘You must come with us,’ Gabriel said firmly. ‘That’s if you don’t mind sitting beside a newsman who will plaster your life story all over the front pages if you aren’t careful.’
Christian grinned. ‘I think I’ve got enough material to fill my column for a week. D’you play poker, mate? I’ve a feeling we might be stuck in Calais for a day or two.’ With a cheery wink he strolled off to awaken his cousin by knocking the tricorne hat off his head.
Christian’s prophesy proved surprisingly accurate as the weather took a turn for the worse and raging storms and wild seas stopped all sailings to and from Calais. Labrosse had booked into a hotel on the seafront, refusing to pay for Molly’s accommodation and ignoring all the pleas from his son, as Molly related tearfully when Lily and Gabriel arrived a couple of hours later. Walton had told them where Labrosse usually stayed, but they had booked into the inn where they had spent the previous night. Armand, Molly explained through angry tears, had been given a strong sedative by the physician and was in no position to argue with his autocratic father. ‘He won’t let me stay with Armand. He means to separate us forever.’
‘I’m sure that won’t happen,’ Lily said, casting an anxious glance at Gabriel. ‘If he truly loves you Armand won’t allow anything to keep you apart, least of all his hateful pa.’
‘You don’t know Labrosse. Armand’s told me some dreadful stories about his father. What he did to you was nothing compared to how he’s treated other people, Lily.’ Molly sniffed and blew her nose on a hanky provided by Christian, who hovered in the background.
‘Look, this ain’t my business,’ he said gruffly. ‘I’m going back to the inn. Walton and me have got a game laid on for tonight. You’re welcome to join us, Gabr
iel old boy.’
‘Thanks, Christian, but I’m no gambler, and I’m a bit short of reddies at the moment.’
‘Then you was diddled, mate. I reckon old Forrest saw you coming. That painting would have fetched a small fortune if you’d put it up for auction.’
Gabriel pulled a face. ‘Maybe, but I’ve more important things to think about now.’ He kissed Lily’s hand. ‘Lily’s agreed to marry me and that means more than fame or fortune. All I’ve got to do now is to convince her family that I can support a wife.’
‘Good luck, mate.’ Christian tipped his hat and strolled off in the direction of the inn.
‘That’s all very fine for you,’ Molly said, sniffing. ‘But I am married and I’m not allowed to be with my husband.’
Lily slipped her arm around her sister’s heaving shoulders. ‘Come back to the inn with us, love. Maybe Monsieur Labrosse will see things differently in the morning.’
Molly shook her head. ‘I’m going to have one last try. I’ll appeal to Monsieur Labrosse’s better nature, if he has one. I can’t bear to leave Armand to his father’s tender mercies.’ Ignoring Lily’s protests, she left them in the hotel foyer while she went upstairs to find her father-in-law.
She returned half an hour later in floods of tears and it took Lily some time to calm her down.
‘It will be dark soon,’ Gabriel said, glancing out of the window at the lowering sky. ‘We’d best go now, Lily. We don’t want to get caught in the storm.’
Lily slipped her arm around Molly’s shoulders. ‘Come with us, love. We’ll sort it all out in the morning. You can’t stay here, that’s for certain.’
With Lily clutching one arm and Molly the other, Gabriel battled his way through the strengthening gale. The rain started before they had gone more than a hundred yards and lightning rent the dark sky, followed by a huge crash of thunder. With their heads down, they fought against the wind and rain, but a different danger threatened as they turned into the narrow side street which led to the inn. Seemingly from nowhere, three men leapt out at them brandishing weapons.
‘Which of you is Madame Labrosse?’ The voice was unmistakeably English but a second flash of lightning revealed that the man wore a neckerchief tied around the lower part of his face.
‘What do you want?’ Gabriel demanded. ‘We have no money.’
‘I am Madame Labrosse,’ Molly said, pulling free from Gabriel’s grasp. ‘I am married to Armand Labrosse.’
‘No,’ Lily cried, as the man drew a pistol from his belt. She made a grab for Molly just as Gabriel leapt in between her and her assailant.
Chapter Twenty-three
A loud crump of thunder accompanied the crack of a gunshot and Lily uttered a terrified scream as Gabriel fell to the ground. Almost immediately appearing from the depths of darkness, three men fell upon their assailants brandishing cudgels. Molly stood motionless, as if turned to stone, ignoring Lily’s pleas for help as she attempted to staunch the blood from Gabriel’s wounded shoulder. The fight raging over their heads barely registered with Lily as she concentrated her efforts on saving the life of the man she loved. Gabriel attempted to sit up but his eyes rolled upward and he collapsed onto her lap.
‘For God’s sake don’t just stand there, Molly,’ Lily cried in desperation. ‘Fetch help. Gabriel’s been shot.’
Molly stared at her as if she had spoken in a foreign tongue. Her lips moved soundlessly and she buried her face in her hands, shaking her head.
‘Help,’ Lily cried. ‘Someone help me.’
A body flew past her, falling with a dull thud onto the cobblestones. Another of their attackers hurtled through the air and landed close by with a man still pummelling him.
‘The bastards shot him. We were too late.’ Christian knelt beside Lily, taking a close look at Gabriel’s wound. ‘I think the bullet went straight through his shoulder,’ he said cautiously. ‘But he needs a surgeon. Gaston.’ He turned to his cousin who was struggling to his feet, having rendered his opponent unconscious. In a stream of rapid French accompanied by meaningful gestures, Christian sent him staggering on his way. ‘He’s gone for the doctor, who just happens to be another distant relation of mine.’
‘Why did they attack us?’ Lily whispered dazedly. ‘We’ve done nothing to them.’
A flash of lightning revealed that it was Walton who had been grappling with the third assailant and he forced the man to his knees. ‘These men work for Labrosse. I recognise this ’un. Ain’t that right, matey?’
The man grimaced, raising his hand to his bleeding and swollen lips.
‘He don’t speak English,’ Walton said with apparent satisfaction. ‘I can call the stupid bugger anything I like and he don’t know the difference.’
‘We should call the police,’ Lily murmured faintly as she continued her efforts to staunch the flow of blood from Gabriel’s shoulder. ‘They tried to murder us.’
Christian picked up his bowler hat and dusted it off on his sleeve. ‘Looks to me like they was after her.’ He jerked his head in Molly’s direction. ‘My guess is that Monsieur Labrosse decided to get rid of his daughter-in-law by any means, fair or foul.’
Molly sank to her knees, uttering a stifled moan. ‘It could have been me lying there on the ground, dying.’
‘Gabriel isn’t dying,’ Lily said angrily. ‘He saved your life.’
The man on the ground moaned as he started to regain consciousness but Walton pushed him down with the toe of his boot. ‘Make a move and I’ll give you another pasting, cully.’
Christian eyed Gabriel with a worried frown. ‘We’d best get him to the inn, I told Gaston to take the sawbones there. We’ll leave these fellows to the gendarmes.’ He turned to Walton, who was still grappling with his captive. ‘Let him go. I need you to help me carry this chap.’
With a none too gentle shove, Walton allowed the man to lumber off into the darkness. ‘I’ve got you marked, mate,’ he shouted. ‘You won’t get far.’
Lily dropped a kiss on Gabriel’s forehead as Christian and Walton lifted him gently from her lap. She shuddered at the sight of the blood pooling on her skirt, and as she rose to her feet she was shaking uncontrollably.
‘What shall I do?’ Molly moaned. ‘Where shall I go? I want to be with Armand.’
Lily gave her a pitying look. ‘Don’t you ever think of anyone but yourself?’
‘No,’ Molly said truthfully. ‘Why should I? Who will look after me if I don’t stand up for myself? You were always the baby of the family, Nell was more like a mother than a sister and so perfect that it made me want to scream. I was the middle one and no one noticed me unless I put up a show, but Armand loves me for what I am and I want to be with him.’
Touched by her sister’s obvious sincerity, Lily held out her hand. ‘Come with us to the inn. We’ll send word to Armand at the hotel, and let him know that you’re safe. The rest is up to him.’
Molly managed a smile. ‘Thank you, Lil.’
They arrived to find the doctor waiting at the inn. A room had been made ready and Gabriel, now fully conscious, was able to walk upstairs with Christian’s help. Lily followed them, but the doctor refused to allow her into the room, addressing her volubly in French.
‘He won’t let me in, Christian.’ She had to raise her voice to make herself heard above the doctor’s vociferous argument.
Christian poked his head round the door. ‘Best do as the sawbones says, Lily. I’ll call you when he’s done.’
Reluctantly, she made her way downstairs to the private parlour that the landlord had provided, where she found Molly huddled up by the fire sipping something from a glass that smelt suspiciously like alcohol. ‘It’s brandy,’ she said defensively. ‘I need it for my nerves. Why don’t you have some?’
‘I might,’ Lily said, forcing a smile. ‘But not until I’ve made certain that Gabriel is all right. The wretched doctor won’t let me into the room.’
‘I want to go home, Lily. I don’t like it here, and I
hope they throw old Labrosse into jail. He’s a murderer, or he would have been if Christian hadn’t come along when he did.’
‘We’ll go home,’ Lily said firmly. ‘As soon as Armand and Gabriel are well enough to travel, we’ll go back to London where we belong.’
‘I won’t be living in Paris.’ Molly’s bottom lip trembled. ‘And I suppose I can say goodbye to fashionable gowns and a big house with my own carriage and pair.’
‘I suppose you should. But you still have Armand.’
Molly sighed. ‘Yes, and I do love him, even without his fortune. I hope he’ll still want to marry me after all this.’
Lily stared at her aghast. ‘But you said …’
Molly had the grace to blush. ‘I know what I said, but it wasn’t true. We didn’t have time to get married. I just told old Labrosse that so that he’d have no choice but to let me stay with Armand.’
Three days later the party arrived back in England. No arrests had been made in Calais, as it seemed that Labrosse had influence with everyone from the mayor to the chief of police. Walton had elected to stay in France, having set eyes on a pretty chambermaid at the inn who happened to be the landlord’s daughter. Gaston had offered him a job looking after his horses, and it looked as though his future was settled and that he might soon become part of Christian’s extensive family.
They had travelled on the London, Chatham and Dover line and Christian parted from them at Victoria Station. Lily threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. ‘I used to hate you,’ she said, smiling. ‘But that’s all changed now, Christian. You saved our lives and I can’t thank you enough.’
He flushed brick-red, looking sheepish and quite unlike his usual self. ‘It was nothing. I’d have done the same for anyone.’