Lady In Distress (The Langley Sisters Book 3)

by Vella, Wendy

“Sssh!” The noise came from behind them, so Bella turned to glare in that direction. “The show has not started yet, sir, so there is no need to shush my friend.”

  “Yes, how dare you shush me!” Thea said.

  “For the love of God, woman, just sit still and be quiet.”

  Bella saw the surprised look on her friend’s face after Mr. Dillinger had said these words. However, even more surprising was the fact that Thea subsided, although she did send a fuming glare his way which he ignored.

  She felt Luke’s shoulders begin to shake as she settled back in her seat.

  “Care to enlighten me as to what you are laughing at?” She was close enough to see his face, even though the lamp light was weak.

  “You telling that man to be quiet, and then Thea doing the same. She I expect it from, but you—I have not heard you take someone to task for quite some time.”

  Bella rather liked the idea that she had taken someone to task. It made her feel strong.

  “I did not know you were coming here, or I would have escorted you, Bella.”

  “Can you tell me where here is?”

  She heard Luke exhale and then look around her to Thea, who was attempting to ignore the giant on her right.

  “I should have known it wouldn’t have been you.”

  “I am capable of doing exciting things,” Bella said, “and now I’m able to walk without a cane, I plan to do many more.”

  “And I shall be happy to escort you anywhere you wish, my sweet.” The words were whispered in her ear and the endearment made her knees go weak.

  “Phoebe mentioned that she had not seen a lot of you lately, what have you been busy doing, Luke?” Bella did not add the fact that it was she who broached the subject of his absence and that her sister had merely confirmed it.

  His face lost all expression and became blank.

  “Will has kept me busy.”

  He was lying to her; she knew it, because she had spent years watching him. Bella felt her heart sink. She could never remember him lying to her before. Even her father’s letter had not been a lie, as she had not asked him about it before that day in the cemetery.

  She fell quiet then, her eyes looking towards the screen at the front of the room, very aware of the man seated beside her. She could smell him, feel the heat from his body, the brush of his arm when he moved, and it was hell. Why was he lying to her?

  “Brace yourself, Bella,” Thea whispered, thankfully interrupting her thoughts. Looking to the stage, she watched two men blow out the lamps that had provided only a small amount of light for the guests, and then suddenly it was dark. She heard a voice talking about horrors and ghostly apparitions and suddenly every hair on her body stood.

  Bella wasn’t particularly fond of the dark, but she didn’t let anyone else know that. She wasn’t the type to get upset easily. She didn’t squeal at mice, nor run from the room if a spider crawled up the wall; however, what did disturb her was being in the dark and wondering if there may be other things existing in it. When she had first injured her leg, Bella had taken so much laudanum to ease the pain that she had seen visions in her room most nights, scary, evil things intent on hurting her. And while in the light of day she could tell herself they were not real, at night when she was tossing and turning in a fevered sleep, they had become very real.

  “Dear Lord,” she whispered as the first ghostly apparition appeared.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Luke hadn’t wanted to come to the magic lantern show, but Ace had insisted, and after what they had just found out, he was happy to sit in the darkness and think.

  Someone was attempting to discredit him. Every financial move he had made so far, someone was there to shut the door in his face. He was told that they needed no more partners, told that his money was not welcome, and every time he asked why, the person being questioned would say nothing further.

  He’d started this journey alone for a reason; he wanted to prove to himself and that he could do this, become the man others believed he could be. But each step he took was met with failure.

  Luke had known he would be rejected, but not at every turn, and that had lead him to believe he was being discredited deliberately…but by whom?

  He’d been seated about five minutes before he saw Bella and Thea coming into the room and suddenly he felt the pressure in his chest ease. Just one look at her had made him feel better, and a smile had tugged at his lips as she moved closer, his chest filling with warmth.

  He had lowered her into the seat beside him and then he had proceeded to lie to her when she had questioned him about his absence from Will’s house, not wanting her involved in whatever was happening to him.

  Pulling his eyes from the foolish ghost, he looked down at her again. She was so still, her eyes wide as she watched the show. Leaning closer, he noted her breath was uneven, as if she was panting and her fists were clenched.

  “Bella?” She didn’t respond, so he leaned closer and said her name again. This time she pulled her eyes from the ghost and found his. She was terrified. “It’s all right, sweetheart, it’s not real.”

  She dragged in a shaky breath and gave him a jerky nod. “I-I should know that, truly I should, and part of me does, but they are so similar.” Her eyes went back to the stage as if drawn there, and this time more ghoulish apparitions had formed on the side screens and she flinched.

  “Similar to what?” He took one of her hands in his, lacing their fingers together.

  “It matters not.”

  “Similar to what, Bella? Tell me.”

  “The ones I saw when I took laudanum.”

  His heart hurt as he thought of how much pain she had suffered, how she must have struggled to sleep while those images filled her head in feverish dreams. He wished again that he’d been here to comfort her when the accident happened.

  “I know I’m being silly, Luke, and I know they cannot be real, but the fear was once so strong that it is difficult to dislodge, even with reason.”

  “Take a deep breath,” Luke urged her, watching as she did as he asked. “Now look closer, love. Look for the things that tell you they are not real. See the edge of the screen there?” He pointed and her eyes followed. “Behind the screen there is a man with a lantern, and it is that which is projecting the images, sweetheart. Nothing sinister, I promise you.”

  He felt her fingers ease their fierce grip as she listened to him talk, until finally she began to relax. She still held his hand, but was no longer gripping it hard.

  “It was called Phantasmagoria. A man named Etienne Gaspard Robertson was one of the most famous showmen to do it.”

  She looked at him again, her face inches from his and the words suddenly died in his throat. He watched her blink, the sweep of her lashes covering her eyes briefly. He saw her swallow and then her teeth nibbled her bottom lip. Closing the distance he kissed her.

  “I’ve missed you.”

  “And I you, Bella. But there are some things I must do that will take me away from you for a while.”

  She nodded. “I understand.”

  She didn’t, and right at that moment he could not enlighten her, because he had no understanding of what was happening to himself, either.

  “Is it not amazing, Bella?”

  She pulled her head back as Thea spoke and quickly turned away from him, and in doing so released his hand. Luke took a deep welcoming breath and fought the urge to take it back. He wanted to feel her small fingers nestled against his, her body close, her breath brushing his face, and he knew that he would always want her as long as he lived.

  The risks he’d taken had been for her, for the life they would lead, but they were not working out as he had planned. He had lost no money, but his name was being blackened, which would mean he could not ask her to share it with him, unless he found a way to clear it.

  He sat beside her, barely aware of the show, only her and his thoughts. He had to find a way out of his mess. He knew three powerful men. With their help
, they could surely find who was doing this to him? Perhaps it was time to ask.

  They escorted the ladies out and back up to the street once the show had finished.

  “Well, good day to you, gentlemen,” Thea said when they reached the path.

  “Where is your carriage?” Luke said, looking up and down the street.

  “We are to meet our maids over there in that teashop. The carriage will be there shortly,” Bella told him.

  “Then I shall see you soon.” He bowed, then rose, his eyes catching and holding Bella’s before she moved away. He and Ace stood and watched them until they had walked into the teashop.

  “The thing about women, I’ve found, is they can tie you in a knots before you even realize they have hold of the rope.”

  “Amen.” Luke’s reply was heartfelt as he started to cross the street behind Ace. The carriage came from nowhere; it was traveling fast and bearing down on him. He saw it from the corner of his eye just in time.

  “Run!” Calling to Ace he followed, and as the carriage swerved toward him, he dived out of its way.

  “Luke!”

  He struggled to fill his lungs with the much-needed air as he heard her cry.

  “A-are you hurt?”

  Opening his eyes, he saw that Bella had dropped to her knees at his side, her hands reaching for him.

  “Talk to me, damn you!” Her fingers were on his head, pushing his hair aside to see if he was hurt, then moving to cup his face as, finally, he inhaled a large relieving breath.

  “Are you cussing, Miss Langley?”

  She threw herself at him, grabbing his neck and hugging him into her soft, sweet-smelling body.

  “Th-that carriage was aiming for you, Luke.”

  “No, Bella. It was just an accident, love.” He held her until she stopped trembling, and then lifted her back to her feet, before regaining his. “It did not see me. Therefore, when it did, it was too late to swerve.”

  “Are you hurt?” She started to pat his shoulders and back.

  Looking around, he saw Thea and Ace watching with interest and that they had drawn a few other spectators.

  “Enough now, Bella. I am well.” Taking her hands, he pushed them back to her sides. “Go now, and have your tea, and I shall see you later.”

  “Are you sure?” She didn’t want to leave him, her eyes filled with worry, and he had a battle the need to stop himself reaching for her.

  “Thea, come and take Bella to the teashop and make her drink a cup of something sweet.” Thea did as he asked.

  “Goodbye, then.” Bella gave him one final look as Thea began to lead her away. Forcing a smile onto his face, he raised a hand, and minutes later it was just he and Ace alone on the street once more.

  “That carriage was aiming for you.”

  “Yes,” Luke said, looking down the road the carriage had come from. “I believe it was.”

  ***

  The morning of Lord Anthony’s picnic dawned clear and bright. Bella was traveling to the venue with Livvy, Henry, Hannah Wooller and Phoebe in the carriage, while the others went on horseback. Bella’s skills in the saddle were better, but she feared her leg would not yet cope with too long a journey. Phoebe, of course, moaned about this, but as she was not allowed to ride, there was little she could do.

  Looking out the window, Bella wondered where Luke was. She hadn’t seen him since that day, when he was nearly run down by the carriage, and that was over two weeks ago. She had sent a note around to his new house to ask him to call upon her, but he had not come. It was not like him to stay away from her, to stay away from any of them. She had asked Will after him, and he said that he had seen him only briefly also, and the frown on her brother-in-law’s face told Bella that something was not right, but no one was telling her what.

  “Could you not drool a bit and look green, Phoebe? If I were carrying, I bet my bosom would decrease and I would look like a haggard crone.”

  Pulling her eyes from the scenery, Bella tried to push Luke from her mind. She could do nothing about him today, especially as today was the day she had chosen to tell Lord Anthony that she no longer wanted his attentions as she loved another.

  “Such a petty nature you have, Hannah Wooller, to speak in such a way to your dearest friend in her time of need,” Phoebe said sweetly. “But I must own that now the sickness has gone I do feel back to myself. In fact, I’m now looking forward to the next two months.”

  “If I didn’t love you so much you would be the person I loathed the most, simply because you never look ugly like the rest of us,” Hannah added. “Even with that large stomach you look beautiful and elegant.”

  “I didn’t look ugly, surely?” Livvy protested, patting Henry on the back.

  “You did when you were carrying. Sometimes you actually looked green, Livvy,” Bella pointed out.

  Phoebe roared with laughter.

  “But never fear, Livvy, she will look ugly when she’s giving birth. No one could go through that looking pretty,” Bella said, patting her elder sister’s hand.

  “True, and we shall be there to witness her downfall.” Livvy looked far too happy at the prospect of her sister’s pain.

  “And yet I will never witness this ugliness, which hardly seems fair,” Hannah declared. “Perhaps when next she falls ill, you could call me. Red nose, swollen eyes, anything like that.”

  “I don’t get sick, Hannah.” Phoebe looked smug.

  “I give up,” her friend sighed.

  The chatter continued for the entire journey and Bella was still laughing as the carriage door opened after their arrival.

  “Allow me to help you down, Miss Langley.” Lord Anthony appeared at the carriage door.

  “Thank you, my lord.” She took Eddie’s lead in one hand and his arm with the other, and they were soon making their way to where the blankets were set on the crest of a hill beneath the shade of three large trees.

  “The journey was no doubt tiring for one of your delicate constitution, Miss Langley. Please sit while I organize things and I shall come back and escort you to luncheon when it is ready.”

  “I am quite capable of making my own way there, Lord Anthony,” Bella said, annoyed that he viewed her as too pathetic to handle a carriage ride. The sooner she dissuaded his attentions the better she would feel. He was starting to annoy her now. She had once thought him a pleasant companion, but now she found him stifling. Always speaking for her, acting as if she were an invalid and, loathe as she was to admit it, Thea was right. There was something about him that she was beginning to dislike.

  “Please, Miss Langley. There is no need to be strong with me.”

  Before she could snap back that she was strong he had lef, leaving her frustrated and petty for thinking badly of him.

  “He’s a foolish man,” Thea said, arriving. “Dismiss him from your thoughts and we shall walk that silly dog of yours for a while and see if we can tire him enough so upon our return he will sleep.”

  “I’m going to tell him today, Thea, that I no longer want his attentions.”

  “Well, it’s about time!”

  They looked up as the thunder of hooves sounded the arrival of more guests. Both Thea and Bella waved as the Hetherington twins rode up.

  “By Jove, what a jolly affair!” Ben called as he dismounted.

  “Will you allow me to walk with you, Miss Langley, while our lunch is being set up?”

  Thea gave her hand a squeeze and then released it as Lord Anthony moved to take her arm.

  “Of course. Thank you, Lord Anthony.”

  They walked slowly down to the lake below and began to make their way towards a small stand of trees. Eddie kept dashing back to check Bella was near and then he would run off again, following some scent.

  “We have not known each other long, Miss Langley, but I feel we are fast becoming friends.”

  “Friends, yes, but I’m afraid there can be nothing more between us, Lord Anthony.”

  He patted her hand. “I
understand, my dear, and that you do not feel ready to make a decision yet, but I’m sure you know that my feelings for you are growing deeper than friendship with each passing day.”

  “Oh, well, I—”

  “No, don’t say anything until you are ready to do so, Miss Langley. It was merely my wish for you to know how I felt. I expect nothing in return.”

  “But I have no wish to think beyond friendship, Lord Anthony, nor will I ever feel that way about you. There is another I care for.”

  His fingers tightened on her arm briefly and then released.

  “Speak no more on the matter, my dear. We shall discuss it again when you are ready. Such are my feelings for you I am willing to wait.”

  Blowing out a frustrated breath, Bella tried again.

  “Lord Anthony, I don’t think—” Her words turned to a squeak as he kissed her. She tried to push him away but he was too strong, so she kicked his shin instead.

  “Forgive me, my dear Miss Langley. But my feelings overcame me.”

  “Well, you had better pray they do not overcome you again, my lord, as next time it will not be just your shins that will bear bruises.”

  “Beautiful day for a picnic, my lord, and I have to commend you on the location.”

  Bella made herself smile at Ben Hetherington as he appeared before them. Lord Anthony took her arm again, and she could do nothing to stop him with Ben standing before them. She wanted to wipe her lips to remove all trace of him. How dare he kiss her? She did not speak to him again as they made their way back to where the blankets had been set out. Bella allowed Lord Anthony to help her down onto one beside Livvy and Henry. It was the last time he would touch her; she would make sure of that.

  “Thank you, Lord Anthony. I wish to spend time with my sister and nephew now.”

  If being polite hadn’t worked, then she would try rudeness. So with a flick of her wrist, she dismissed him. Turning to give Livvy a silencing look, she did not turn to see if he’d walked away.

  “What was that about? I thought you liked Lord Anthony.”

  “Hold that thought in your head until you help your sister, who is carrying a baby elephant in her stomach, down onto the blanket.”