‘Then lie still and rest.’
‘Arabella, I am so sorry that I have brought you to this.’
‘No, no, this is not your fault. It is mine,’ she told him earnestly. ‘But never mind that now.’ She reached for the bottle Teddington had left. ‘Here. At least he had the goodness to leave this for you.’
‘No.’ He turned his head away as she held the phial to his lips. ‘It is laudanum. I. Cannot. Take. Laudanum.’
‘What do you mean?’ She sat back on her heels, frowning at him.
‘Teddington forced some down my throat earlier. If I take more, I may not be able to stop. I was addicted to it, years ago. It addles one’s brain, Arabella. One will do almost anything to get it.’
His eyes were closed and for a moment she thought he was unconscious. Then he began to speak again. His voice quiet with fatigue.
‘I spent six months on the transport ship. Prisoners are not allowed laudanum. I was denied it, no matter how much I begged and pleaded. It was a simple choice: to survive or perish. Thankfully I had Joseph to look after me. With his care I did survive the voyage, heaven knows how. When at last we reached Sydney Cove I was assigned to Joseph—as a free man he made himself responsible for me. Over the years, with his help, I thrived. The cravings for opium and for strong drink eased, although they have never disappeared completely. I can never let down my guard where those temptations are concerned.’ He exhaled slowly. ‘There, you know my weakness now. Despise me if you wish.’
‘I do not despise you,’ she said softly. ‘I admire your fortitude.’
She picked up the bottles and the glass of wine that Teddington had left and carried them to the corner of the room, where she emptied everything into the chamber pot.
‘You do not want the wine for yourself?’ he asked her.
She came back to kneel beside him. ‘If you cannot drink it, then neither shall I. We have water, if we are thirsty.’ She took off her cloak and threw it over him. ‘You should try to rest.’
‘What about you?’
‘I shall keep watch. I told Ruth to take your ring and Teddington’s note to Joseph Miller. I hoped he might be able to follow us.’
Ran nodded. ‘If anyone can find us, it is Joseph.’
He sounded weary, and when he closed his eyes, Arabella rose and went to the window. The moon was no longer visible and a handful of stars twinkled. She remembered talking with Ran at Beaumount, discussing the night sky. She had told him how, as a child, she had wished on a shooting star, if she saw one. Her eyes searched the velvet blackness, but there was no sudden streak of light, nothing to wish upon tonight. She looked down into the deserted street. Her hopes of rescue were fading. She had been so sure Joseph and Ruth would have followed them. Perhaps they had tried. Perhaps they had been turned back, or had lost sight of the carriage. Whatever the reason, there was no one in the street below.
* * *
Arabella kept her lonely vigil for an hour or so until the chill in the room grew too much and she could not prevent a shiver. Ran stirred.
‘You are cold.’
‘I thought you were asleep.’
‘I was, for a little while. Come and lie with me. Let me warm you.’
She glanced out the window again. Apart from a stray dog running through the shadows, it was empty. Surely if help was coming it would have arrived by now. She went back to Randolph and stretched herself out on the floor beside him, arranging the cloak over them both.
‘I had hoped the next time we lay down together it would be a softer bed than this,’ he murmured.
His attempt to lighten the moment brought a lump to her throat.
She said, ‘Is your shoulder bruised or may I put my head on it?’
‘I have no idea. You will have to try it.’
She gently rested her cheek on the soft wool of his coat. ‘Does that hurt?’
‘Not at all.’
She measured her length against him, allowing his warmth to drive away the chill from her bones.
‘Bella?’
‘Yes?’
‘I am so sorry. I never meant for it to end like this. I wanted only to help you. Instead of that I have made things infinitely worse.’
‘Hush now.’ She put a hand over his, trying to ignore the cold unyielding manacle that shackled his wrists. ‘Do not give up hope just yet. There is still time for someone to find us.’
* * *
Ran wished he could share her confidence. Joseph would have been looking for him from the moment he realised Ran was missing. It could take him days to discover what had happened and by then it would be too late. At least for him. The best he could hope for was that they might rescue Arabella from a forced marriage.
He squeezed her hand, saying bitterly, ‘I should never have interfered. As soon as I found you at Beaumount I should have sent you back to the Roffeys.’
‘No, I needed to find out about my husband.’
‘But even that has brought you nothing but pain.’
‘It was painful, yes, but it has made me understand George better.’
‘To discover that he had used you!’
‘Yes, perhaps, but I have learned a great deal more in the past few days. I know now that he did love me, in his way.’
She snuggled closer and he clenched his jaw not to cry out. He would bear the pain as she pressed against his bruised and battered body. It was a small price to pay to have her lying beside him. But now she was going to tell him about her husband and that hurt would be much harder for him to bear. Her breath caressed his cheek as she spoke, adding to his torment.
‘I learned from Charles Teddington that George was weak-willed and prone to wild living. He had spent the independence he inherited from his grandfather and he was living on a small allowance Sir Adam made him. Then, last year, his father told him he would no longer fund his excesses. That was when he married me. He had no option.’
Ran took a breath to speak, but she quickly placed her fingers on his lips.
‘I know. I know you would argue that an honourable man would not have done so, but I believe George was already a slave to laudanum and...and other desires.’ She sighed. ‘He suffered so much before he died. When he came back to Revesby Hall, he asked me to get him some juice of the poppy, for the pain. I begged Lady Roffey to let me send out to the apothecary, but she said Dr Philps had advised against it. That it would only make matters worse. Now I realise he was so near death that it would have done him little harm. It might even have eased his suffering.’
‘And the Roffeys did not tell you of his liking for laudanum?’
‘Sir Adam did not know. George had confided in his mother, but she had never spoken of it. To anyone, until I asked her about it.’ She paused, then continued in a whisper. ‘But it was not only laudanum. When the Roffeys’ London doctor called at Park Street a few days ago, he told me that he had treated George, just before his death. Then I found some entries in the accounts. Bills from the apothecary for calomel and something called liquor swietenii. I went to see Dr Locke and I... I asked him about them.’
She stopped again and Ran did not press her. He merely held her hand, trying to comfort her as best he could. Eventually she continued.
‘Doctor Locke was treating George for the pox. That was why he did not consummate our marriage. Why he refused to share the marriage bed. He did not wish to pass on the infection.’ Her voice broke. ‘So you see, he d-did love me, in a way.’
It was an effort, but Ran managed to put his shackled hands around Arabella, and he held her while she cried. When at last she fell asleep, he kept his arms about her and stared up at the ceiling, the aches of his body as nothing compared to the pain in his heart. She saw George Roffey as a martyr and he could never compete with that.
Chapter Seventeen
Ran woke just as the first grey streaks of d
awn were lighting the room. He felt stiff from sleeping on the floor all night, but when he moved, he was relieved to find the pain had lessened considerably. Arabella was already awake and standing by the window.
As if aware of his gaze, she turned.
‘Good morning.’ She filled a glass with water and brought it over to him. ‘You are moving a little easier, I think,’ she said, helping him to sit up.
He held up both hands to take the glass and she saw the red marks where the iron shackles had rubbed his wrists.
She said fiercely, ‘I will not let them send you to America! When Teddington returns, I will insist he releases you before the marriage.’
He shook his head. ‘He will never agree to that. You must save yourself, Bella. Play along with him, at least until you get to the church, then throw yourself upon the mercy of the priest.’ He saw the stubborn set to her mouth and added quietly, ‘It is the only way.’
‘No.’ Her voice shook. ‘I will not let him kill you!’
Her distress pained Ran more than his bruised body. He railed silently against his feeble state. Shackled as he was, he could not even hold her. She was wiping her eyes, trying to be brave, and he gave a hiss of frustration.
‘If I could just remove these chains, we might try to get out of here!’
‘I have been attempting to open the lock with this.’ She held up a bent and twisted hairpin. ‘To no avail, alas.’
‘It is too weak.’ He struggled to his feet, putting his hands against the wall to steady himself. Just as he was too weak to save her, he thought bitterly. Confound it, he was as feeble as a newborn babe!
‘I have looked about the room and there is nothing else to use,’ she said. ‘I even considered climbing from the window, but we are too high.’
He forced his aching limbs to move so he might stand beside her at the window.
‘You are right, Bella. It would most likely result in broken legs, if not worse.’
The air in the room shifted as the front door opened and thudded shut. There was a rumble of voices below.
‘They have come for you.’ Ran cupped her face with his hands, sweeping his thumbs across her wet cheeks. ‘Even if you are forced to go through with this marriage, you do not have to stay in it. Escape from Teddington as soon as you are able.’ There was the sound of heavy feet on the stairs. Time was short. He said urgently, ‘Promise me!’
The door opened and Teddington came in with two men. Ran thought it likely they were part of the gang that had attacked him, a suspicion strengthened by the fact that one of them was sporting a black eye and split lip.
‘A farewell kiss,’ Teddington scoffed. ‘How touching. But you won’t pine long for your lover, madam. I shall soon make you forget him.’
It was a blatant taunt and anger flared in Ran. Bella caught his hands. He saw the tiny shake of her head and he fought down the urge to throw himself at his enemy. She smiled up at him.
‘I shall never forget,’ she said softly.
Ran’s heart leapt as he read the message in her eyes, clear and unequivocal. She cared. Perhaps not as much as she had loved her husband, but she cared.
Teddington strode forward. ‘Fine words, my dear, but it is time to complete our bargain.’
‘Not yet,’ she said quickly. ‘It cannot be more than seven o’clock.’
‘It is in fact some minutes past the hour,’ he corrected her. ‘We must dress you as befits a bride and that will take time. Come.’
Teddington grasped her wrist. Instinctively Ran moved to protest, only to be felled by a blow from one of the henchmen.
‘Ran!’
Arabella cried out in horror as Randolph collapsed, his face twisting in pain. She struggled to free herself, but Teddington’s grip on her arm only tightened.
‘If you fight me, I’ll order them to stay here and kick him senseless,’ growled her tormentor. ‘Believe me, they would be only too happy to oblige.’
She could not stop her voice from wavering as she pleaded with them not to hurt him further.
‘He shall have every care,’ replied Teddington. ‘As long as you behave yourself.’ He was pulling her towards the door. Ran was on his knees, coughing. He looked up at her.
‘I will find you, Bella,’ he gasped. ‘I promise you I will survive this.’
‘Of course you will,’ mocked Teddington.
He stopped, pulling Arabella out of the way as Barnes came into the room carrying a number of bottles, which he placed on the upturned crate.
‘You see, I have catered for your every comfort, my lord. Barnes has brought you more wine and brandy, so you may toast our nuptials. And believe me, I intend to enjoy my new bride. I shall tell you all about it tomorrow, when I come to see you on your way. Oh, there is another full bottle of laudanum, too. You see, I understand only too well what it is you need, my lord. Enjoy them all. They will help you to endure what is to come.’
‘You devil!’ Arabella gasped. ‘You know what laudanum can do! You saw what happened to my husband.’
‘Aye, poor Roffey could not get enough. When we were in Devon, I could barely keep up with his demands for it.’
‘So you did not try to help him,’ she said, twisting in his grasp. ‘You killed him.’
‘He killed himself! As will your precious Earl, no doubt.’ He turned to Barnes and barked out an order. ‘Take away the water. If His Lordship is thirsty he can avail himself of the bottles.’
Arabella managed one last look at Randolph before she was dragged out of the house and to the waiting coach.
* * *
Randolph remained on his knees until they had all left the room. Then he staggered to the window. He was in time to see Bella climbing into a closed carriage followed by Teddington, Barnes and one of the henchmen. Then the door was shut and the carriage rattled away along the street. Only one man came back into the house and Ran heard and felt the dull thud of the door being closed. He waited, listening, but there was no sound of booted feet on the stairs.
So, he was not to be murdered just yet. He had thought Teddington might have given orders for him to be dispatched as soon as Bella was out of the way. Then his eyes moved towards the bottles standing on the upturned crate. His mouth twisted. Of course. He was expected to do the job himself.
Ran picked up Bella’s cloak, which was still lying on the ground. He bundled it up and sat down in the corner with it in his arms. He was damned if he would destroy himself. He would do his best to escape, but first his aching body screamed out for rest. He buried his face in the cloak, breathing in the faint trace of Bella’s perfume and ignoring the siren call of the wine and laudanum on the far side of the room.
* * *
He must have fallen asleep. A loud crash roused him, followed by the rumble of voices, then shouts and swift feet on the stairs. He heard the scrape of the key. The door burst open and Miller entered, his usually neat appearance somewhat ruffled. He strode towards his master, his face creased with anxiety.
‘Joseph!’ Ran hid his relief behind a growl that he knew would alleviate the worst of his man’s fears. ‘What kept you?’
The anxious look faded. ‘I beg your pardon, my lord. I would have been here last night, only they were obviously expecting someone to follow Mrs Roffey and a group of ruffians held us off. They bundled us away so we had no idea of your direction. It has taken us all night and a great deal of palm-greasing to find you. How are you, sir?’
‘Bruised and bloodied, but it could be worse.’ Ran saw Joseph’s eyes move to the upturned crate and his lip curled. ‘Our friend was considerate enough to leave those bottles for me. I haven’t touched them, although if I had been here much longer, I might have had to empty them into the necessary in the corner.’
As Bella had done. Just the thought of her brought back the gut-wrenching urgency he had been trying to conceal.
He glanced to the window. ‘Teddington took Arabella away at sunrise. What’s the time now, Joseph? Those curs took my watch and ring.’
‘As to the ring, my lord, Mrs Roffey’s maid brought that to me, but I am very much afraid we shall have to buy you a new timepiece.’
He noted Ran’s look of impatience and became serious again.
‘It is gone eight, sir. We cannot be more than an hour behind them.’
‘Good.’ Ran struggled to his feet. ‘Teddington intends to marry her at eleven. At St Anne’s. The problem is I have no idea which St Anne’s church! We must—’
Miller interrupted him. ‘I know a few reliable men below who can help, my lord.’ He frowned down at Randolph’s wrists. ‘First of all, though, we need to find you a blacksmith.’
Chapter Eighteen
The image of Randolph, bruised and on his knees, remained with Arabella throughout the morning, and it numbed her to her own plight. When they reached Grillon’s Hotel, her escort explained away her dishevelled appearance to the startled staff by saying she had been taken ill. She was hurried up to Lady Meon’s suite, where she permitted herself to be bathed and gowned in sprigged white satin.
Lady Meon herself fixed the white veil over her golden curls and invited Arabella to view herself in the long mirror.
‘There,’ she purred, standing with Arabella before the glass. ‘As pretty as a picture. What do you say, Charles?’
Her brother approached, a glass of wine in one hand.
‘Quite ravishing,’ he declared. ‘By Gad, I think I will kiss the bride now!’
Arabella recoiled as he came towards her, but Lady Meon held him off, laughing.
‘No, Charles. If you spill wine on that white dress, you will undo all my good work. Off you go to the church. Leave me to follow with Mrs Roffey.’
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