The Last Man in London

by Emma V. Leech

  Dinah blew her nose and cursed interfering men. What on earth had possessed Ben to barge into her home like that? What right did he have? Except she knew he had forced his way into the house the moment Joe had implied she was unwell as she’d been listening. The knowledge made her heart swell with longing for silly dreams and things she knew she could never have. She blew her nose harder, wincing as the bruises around her eye pulled tight. There were others, too, hidden by her dress, but it could have been so much worse. Thank God, only one man had been a brute and a bully, the other was a coward, too afraid to interfere and just looking on in horror.

  She’d known well enough what fate had awaited her, and so she’d fought tooth and nail, using every dirty trick that Joe had ever taught her, and the little knife tucked in her boot, until her assailant was just as bruised as she was and a damn sight bloodier. He’d have to hide his face for some time before the deep scratch marks she left on his face disappeared, if they ever did. She managed to sink the little knife into his thigh, too, not far enough to do much damage, but enough to make him scream and let her go. Thinking about it now, she trembled again, and had to suck in a deep breath to stop herself from crying all over again.

  Then the door to the parlour flew open and Ben stalked in, looking more furious than she’d ever seen him before. He stared down at her, his jaw rigid with anger.

  “Why didn’t you ask me?” he demanded, the words low, but so full of fury she jumped as if he’d shouted. “If you needed money, why didn’t you just ask me, for the love of God, instead of …” He snapped his mouth shut, running one hand through his hair. She couldn’t be certain, but it rather looked as though his hand trembled.

  “’Twas my fault,” Joe said, looking utterly miserable as his towering figure stood slumped in the open doorway. “I ought never ‘ave agreed to it.”

  “No, you bloody well ought not!” Ben raged, looking as though he wanted to wring Joe’s neck. Joe was looking so damned guilty, he’d probably have let him do it, too.

  “Oh, stop it!” Dinah cried, throwing the blanket she was huddled in to the ground and getting to her feet. She winced, sucking in a sharp breath and clutching at her side as what she suspected might be a broken rib sent pain spiralling through her.

  “Dinah!” both men cried in unison, though Ben got to her first, putting his arm about her waist to support her, but Dinah just waved them both away.

  “Joe, for heaven’s sake, stop blaming yourself. You know as well as I do that you can never stop me if my mind is made up. I’d have just gone and done it alone if you’d not agreed, and that would have been even worse.” She took a deep breath and turned to Ben, about to tell him she was none of his responsibility. “And as for you,” she began, trying to sound indignant, but seeing nothing but the fear in his eyes for her as her voice trembled and her eyes filled again. “Oh, Ben.”

  Before she knew what had hit her, Ben had swept her up into his arms and was carrying her up the stairs.

  “’Ere, what you think you’re doin’?” Joe growled from downstairs, sounding dangerously angry.

  Ben turned, replying with a tone of voice cool enough to freeze hell. “I’m putting her to bed and taking care of her, like you ought to have done! What the devil do you take me for? As if I’d take advantage of her in these circumstances? I should call you out for that!”

  The two men glowered at each other for a moment before Joe stalked off grumbling and Ben carried her up to the landing.

  “Which room?” he asked, his voice softer now as Dinah pointed to her bedroom door. He kicked the door shut with his foot. “Is that useless creature that passes as your companion here?” he demanded.

  Dinah shook her head. “She took the last of our money and ran off. That’s why things were so urgent.”

  Ben cursed under his breath and she smiled at him.

  “What the devil are you smiling about?” he asked in frustration, sounding quietly furious. “I’ve never been angrier in my life.”

  “I know,” she said, her voice soft. “That’s why I’m smiling.” She reached up and placed her palm against his cheek, feeling her heart clench as he turned his face into it. “I’m a terrible trial to you, aren’t I?”

  “You have no idea,” he muttered. “Can you stand?” he asked, his voice gentle now.

  Dinah nodded, and he set her down as though she were made of the finest porcelain.

  “Let’s get this dress off you and get you into bed.” He gave a huff as his deft fingers applied themselves to the fastenings on her gown. “I can’t believe I’m saying that with no ulterior motive,” he grumbled.

  Dinah chuckled and then stopped abruptly as it hurt too much. Once her dress was gone, she slipped into bed. She’d been in too much pain to put on her stays, in any case, and Ben kept his back to her until she was under the covers.

  He turned once she was comfortable and squeezed his large frame onto the edge of the narrow mattress. “Come here,” he said, putting his arm around her as she rested her head on his chest. He stroked her hair and Dinah sighed. It felt so wonderful to be here with him. It felt as though nothing bad could ever happen when he was close, which was utterly ridiculous, but true. Dinah blinked back tears and gave herself furious instructions not to cry, but it was hard. There was no point in pretending otherwise now, she was in love with him and he would leave her.

  She’d been sure he would offer to take her as his mistress, but if he had intended it once, she felt he’d changed his mind. She didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. On the one hand, the temptation to lower herself in such a way had been taken from her, and it meant that he respected her too much to insult her with such a suggestion. On the other … it meant that he truly was lost to her now, and there was nothing she could do.

  ***

  Ben returned to his house the next morning. He was stiff from the awkward position lying on Dinah’s narrow bed, and full of fury and frustration. No matter how he told himself that she would never be put in a position like that again, the desire to keep her safe, to ensure that no harm could ever befall her, was biting at him hard. He had never before felt so protective of another human being and knowing the man who’d done this was still walking about was killing him.

  He had left them with all the winnings he’d garnered last night, which was more money than Joe had ever seen in his life before, judging on his astonishment at having the hefty roll of notes pressed into his hand as Ben left them. In truth, Ben was bloody furious with Joe, too, but he couldn’t rail at the man anymore. The misery in his eyes told Ben that he was hurting far more from the weight of his own guilt than any physical injury that Ben could inflict on him.

  He greeted Frost with a weary nod and then sighed as the man hesitated, the look in his eyes strongly suggesting he had bad news.

  “What is it?” he demanded, wondering just how much more he could take. He’d not slept a wink last night, tormented equally by imagining his darling girl at the hands of the monster who had attacked her, and the nearness of her as she curled into him while she slept.

  “Lord Dreighton and Lord Fitzwilliam Lancaster are awaiting you, my lord,” he said, his voice heavy with apology. “I did suggest they come back later, but …”

  “But Dreighton is an insufferable bully and wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Ben finished for him with a grimace. He shook his head and cursed, noting Frost’s crestfallen expression. “Not your fault,” he said with a sigh. “In the study, I suppose?”

  Frost nodded, and Ben resigned himself to the inevitable. He could have attempted to creep out of the house again, but his bed was calling him, and he wouldn’t give Dreighton the satisfaction of thinking he feared him. The only thing he was afraid of was that he might bloody kill him, given enough provocation.

  On entering his study, the warning look that Will gave him was enough to put him on his guard.

  “You damn fool,” Dreighton began before Ben had even closed the door behind him. “How did she trap yo
u into it, then?”

  Ben stilled. Damnation. How had he discovered it? “I’d tread with caution if I were you, Dreighton,” he said, the words precise and careful as he felt the edges of his temper fraying, and they’d hardly begun.

  His oldest brother snorted with contempt. “You’ve always thought you were so damn clever, eh, Ben? Yet that little chit caught you out somehow.” He laughed, flicking at the lid of the inkwell on his desk as he stared at Ben. The noise was jarring, and Ben held his breath, watching him. “I’ve spoken to old Osborne’s solicitor, a Mr Grubber,” he said at length, moving away from the desk and closer to Ben, which showed more courage than sense. “Most illuminating he was, too.”

  “The man’s a crook,” Ben replied, feeling as though he was holding on to his composure by his fingertips. He reminded himself that Dreighton was head of the family and that he ought to at least try to hold his tongue.

  “Undoubtedly,” Dreighton replied with a thin smile. “However, he has agreed that the girl will get nothing if she carries this scheme on. Whatever hold she has over you, we can deal with, and for God’s sake, if you have some ridiculously chivalrous notions about the girl ending up in the gutter, Grubber has told me he’ll arrange it so that he marries her. He’ll get the goods, of course, but that’s his incentive to get you free of this appalling mess.”

  Ben was breathing hard now, his fists clenched. How he was standing still and quiet, he couldn’t fathom, except that he was considering the most enjoyable way of killing the man.

  “Dreighton,” Will said, a warning tone in his voice as he must have noted the murderous look in Ben’s eyes. Dreighton, however, was enjoying himself, believing he had saved his youngest sibling from himself and avoided a scandal that would have tarnished the family.

  “I hope this will be a lesson to you, Ben,” he said, his manner supercilious as he looked around at Ben’s study with the air of a man who felt it beneath him. “You have somehow gained a reputation as a rake, yet some pretty slut has you in her snares, for all your expertise.” He began to chuckle at this, but his laughter stopped abruptly as Ben lunged for him.

  Dreighton stumbled back, tripping over the leg of the desk and sprawling on his back as Will met Ben head on.

  “Ben, stop. Stop, damn you!”

  “Let go of me!” Ben raged as Will fought to keep him from their brother.

  “Dreighton, for the love of God,” Will shouted as he struggled to push Ben back. “Get up and get out before he kills you!”

  “Get a grip!” Will yelled in his face and Ben cursed, sucking in a breath as his heart hammered with the desire to pummel Dreighton until he pleaded for mercy. He at least had the satisfaction of seeing Dreighton ashen-faced as he scrambled to his feet, looking far from dignified.

  Ben raised a fist in his direction as Will held onto him with a death grip, just in case. “You dare to interfere in this and I’ll make sure Will isn’t around to save you,” Ben growled, such fury in his voice that Dreighton swallowed hard. “You inform that vile solicitor that he is to give Miss Osborne her inheritance in full and you keep your damn nose out of my affairs or you’ll not live to regret it.”

  Dreighton made it to the door and turned, seeing Will still had a good grip on Ben’s arms. “You’ve made your own bed,” he sneered, with all the contempt he felt for everyone beneath his own title.

  Ben surged forward as Will’s grip on him slipped and Dreighton gasped, running through the door and slamming it behind him.

  “Ben!”

  Ben stopped at the door and kicked it hard, cursing obscenities. Chasing his brother down a public street and murdering him with his bare hands would not help his situation, however, and it would only add to the scandal, no matter how satisfying he might find it. He didn’t care as far as it concerned the family, not now, but Dinah didn’t deserve to endure any more than she already had.

  He stood with his hands braced against the door, head bowed as he fought to calm himself. Looking up a moment later, he found Will beside him, holding two crystal glasses, both with generous measures of brandy. His brother held one out to him and Ben snorted. Will never drank during the day, he was far too in control for that.

  “Isn’t it a little early?” he said, accepting the glass as Will shook his head.

  “You’ve finally succeeded in driving me to drink,” Will replied, deadpan, as he sank into one of the leather chairs by the fireplace with a sigh. Ben took a large swallow and closed his eyes as the alcohol fired through his system, taking a little of the edge off his tension. “That being the case, would you care to explain to me what that little scene was all about?”

  Ben took another sip, giving Will an unloving look. The stupid devil had better not try to interfere now as there was no one here to save him.

  Will held up a hand. “Don’t give me that murderous look, I’m not about to stop you. I’m not fool enough to make the attempt, believe me. You always were the most pig-headed of the three of us.”

  Glowering a little, Ben shrugged and walked over to sit opposite his brother.

  “Well?” Will pressed, sitting forward now, a curious glint in his eyes. “I’m not judging you or the girl, but it would seem there was some truth in what Dreighton said. I was there when the solicitor visited him, you see,” he added as his face twisted into one of disgust. “And you’re quite right, a vile, loathsome sort of man he was, too.”

  Ben nodded, wondering what on earth to tell him, as he didn’t know himself what the hell he was playing at. “It’s … complicated.”

  He was rewarded with a look of frustration from his brother, but he didn’t know what else to say. He shrugged and shook his head, casting Will a look of apology. “I don’t know, Will. I can only tell you that Dinah … Miss Osborne … she’s … she’s …” Ben trailed off, wondering what the hell he’d been about to say. Either way, he didn’t know what to do now.

  Will held out a hand to stop him from making a further attempt at an explanation and downed the last of his drink. “I’ve decided I don’t want to know,” he said, his voice rather concerned and his eyes full of worry. “If Dreighton asks me, I can say in all innocence I haven’t a clue. Going on that dewy-eyed look in your eyes, I think that is safer for all concerned.”

  Ben sat up straighter and glared at his brother. It was the second time he’d been accused of such a thing and it was a damned lie. “I do not look anything of the sort!” he retorted as Will got to his feet. He gave Ben a pitying look.

  “Go and fetch a looking-glass, you blithering idiot, and stop kidding yourself.” He took a moment to adjust his cravat and smooth out his coat collars, which were a little rumpled after trying to restrain Ben from doing murder. He turned back to Ben, a warm and rather affectionate look in his eyes, which was so unusual as to be quite unsettling. “Have a care, Ben,” he said, his voice low. “Be very sure before you do anything rash. Dreighton is a cold bastard and he’d really cut you off.”

  Ben nodded, he didn’t need to be told that, but he appreciated Will’s looking out for him.

  “I know it.”

  Will nodded and bid him good day, and left Ben in as much of a quandary as ever.

  Chapter 19

  “Wherein our heroine takes drastic action.”

  Ben laughed and threw the cards down on the table, shaking his head.

  “I still can’t see how you did it!” he exclaimed, finding himself ridiculously proud of her for being able to cheat him with such ease. “I know damn well you’re cheating, but I just can’t see how, and I’m no greenhorn.”

  Dinah returned a smug smile, looking more than a little pleased with herself.

  “She were taught by a master, that’s why,” Joe said, sticking his head in the door and grinning at Ben. “I’m putting a brew on, want one?”

  Ben shook his head, remembering the last cup of tea he’d endured at Joe’s hands. “No, thank you,” he said politely, making a mental note to bring them some tea next time he came. Which wou
ld be tomorrow, going on current trends. Dinah couldn’t go out at present, as although her bruises had faded, they were still too visible on her pale skin. So, Ben had visited every day. He’d brought flowers and sweetmeats and books, and he’d stayed for hours. They’d talked and laughed and played cards and … Ben couldn’t ever remember having a better time - not without taking his clothes off, at least. The idea of doing just that with Dinah was one he struggled to keep at bay, but Joe was as good a passion-killer as you were likely to find, and an excellent guardian.

  The more time he spent with her, though, the more muddled his thoughts became and the harder it got to see a way to untangle himself from the situation. He shouldn’t even be here at all. They weren’t really engaged, and he should keep his distance to make it easier on them both, but … he couldn’t stay away.

  He’d seen the look in Dinah’s eyes and knew she desired him, felt she cared for him … Did she feel more than that? Did she hope he wouldn’t call things off? It seemed to Ben that she was better at keeping her cards close to her chest than he was; perhaps that’s how she cheated him so easily, he thought with a rueful smile.

  ***

  Dinah thanked Joe as he brought her a cup of tea, hiding her smile as Ben cast the cup and saucer a dubious look. Joe’s tea wasn’t the best and the leaves they used not of the quality that Ben would be used to; she had grown used to it, though, over time. You could get used to all sorts of things, she reminded herself. What you’d never had, you didn’t miss, after all, wasn’t that what they said? Yet she would miss Ben, more than she could bear to think about. Though in reality, she’d never had Ben, neither literally nor figuratively. It was nothing more than a lovely illusion. She was living in a dream and she didn’t want to wake, but the dawn was growing closer and closer at such a rate …

  It worried Joe, she knew that. He warned her constantly, reminding her every day that Ben would leave, that he was a good man, a better man than they had ever realised, but that even he would not shame his family and risk being disinherited to do something as foolish as marry so far beneath him. Dinah would nod and smile and reassure him. She enjoyed his company, they were friends, there was nothing more than that … oh, but there was.