by Rose Pearson
Phillip nodded, shrugging his shoulders. “I must have been mistaken. My mind has been playing tricks on me, it seems.” He turned enquiring eyes onto the Duke who was frowning slightly. “You have not seen your relative these last weeks?”
“No, I have not,” the Duke murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Although my steward tells me he is not at home either, which is something that has been rather a concern to me. It has been difficult not knowing where the man is, which is why I still insist that Harmonia remain in the house for the time being.”
His lips curved into a smile as Phillip let his thoughts rest on his dear Harmonia, suddenly desperate to see her and hold her close.
“Might I ask where you thought you saw Luke?”
Caught by Lady Amelia’s question, Phillip was pulled from his own thoughts and tried to recall what exactly had happened. “If it was him – or even if it was not – the gentleman emerged from a small house I did not recognize, clad all in black. He climbed into a waiting carriage which bore no markings. That, I confess, made me somewhat anxious since I was not sure what Lord Darnsley was intending, particularly when I saw the carriage turn down the street that would lead towards your home.” He gave Lady Amelia a rueful smile, shaking his head. “I am being quite ridiculous, I know, but I have always been somewhat anxious over Lord Darnsley’s absence. I thought I saw him last evening at Lady Marmaduke’s ball, but he was gone before I could discover his true identity. Rather foolish of me to allow my mind to play such games with me, is it not?”
“You are concerned for Harmonia, which I quite understand,” the Duke replied, in a somewhat gruff voice. “I confess that I too have an equal concern. However, let us go inside and not stand out here talking so openly. It is best to inform Harmonia of what you thought you saw, regardless of whether or not it was Luke.”
Phillip nodded and waited for the Duke and Lady Amelia to ascend the steps, but the butler was not there, ready and waiting to open the door. Appearing a little confused, the Duke pushed it open himself, stepping inside – only for there to come a shriek from within.
Terror clutched at his heart and Phillip hurried in after Lady Amelia, only to see one of the maids sitting down heavily on the staircase, her hand at her heart. The butler appeared from nowhere, his face ashen, as he stared at the Duke as though he had seen a ghost.
“Your grace!” he exclaimed, looking as though he were about to faint. “Are you quite recovered? We have all been in such a state of angst!”
“Recovered?” the Duke repeated, frowning heavily. “Get a hold of yourself, man! Whatever are you talking about?”
His concern growing with every moment that passed, Phillip came closer so as not to miss a word.
“Your nephew appeared at the door and threw himself in without warning. He found Lady Harmonia and, of course, I arranged two footmen to come and remove him from the house – but then he said that you had been taken ill, that you were on death’s door.” The butler stared at the Duke, his eyes rounding. “Am I to take it that this has all been a…. mistake?”
“Not a mistake,” Phillip said, swiftly, buttoning his coat and turning to face the Duke. “Your grace, it appears that Luke has managed to get Harmonia into his carriage.”
The Duke frowned, his expression grave as he turned back to the butler. “Is that the case?”
Now looking incredibly agitated, the butler nodded slowly, his hands clasping and unclasping together. “She would not remain here, your grace. Lady Harmonia insisted on going to see you. Lord Darnsley said that you had asked for her, that you were close to death and that she would regret it forever if she did not come to see you.”
“My goodness,” Amelia whispered, her face growing pale. “He has taken her.”
Phillip closed his eyes, trying to quell his emotions. Drawing in a steadying breath, he lifted his chin and looked at the Duke, who was swaying slightly.
“You have not failed her, papa,” he heard Lady Amelia say, holding the Duke’s arm. “This is not your fault.”
“I will go after her,” Phillip said at once, taking a step closer to the Duke. “I saw the carriage he was in and, whilst it bore no markings, I can guess where he might be taking her.”
Lady Amelia looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears. “To Scotland?”
Gravely, Phillip nodded. “It is the only reasonable course of action, although I do not think that Harmonia will go quietly. There is a fire in her, a determination that she will foster.”
The Duke drew in a long breath, steadying his gaze. “I would expect Luke to take the Highbury road, then. In my examination of his finances, I have discovered that he has a rather low-born acquaintance who owns an inn some distance outside of London where he has often stayed. Since Luke has very little money, I would suspect that he intends to use that inn to rest for a time since his acquaintance might be more willing to put any need for payment to the side for a time.”
“The Highbury road,” Phillip repeated, mentally working out where that would be. “Thank you, your grace. I will leave at once. I swear to you that I will bring her back. Please, remain here with Lady Amelia so that I might bring Harmonia home to you both.”
“Take my stallion,” the Duke said, clicking his fingers towards one of the footmen who hurried off at once. “He is fast but easily controlled – although he has not been ridden much of late.” He swallowed, his gaze filled with sadness. “I pray that you will find her.”
Phillip nodded, his anger over what Lord Darnsley had done beginning to burn deep within him. “I will, your grace. Have no fear.”
Without hesitating for another moment, Phillip left the house and descended the steps, waiting impatiently for the few minutes it took for the stallion to be saddled and brought to him. The beast was magnificent, clearly strong and ready to be on its way. Throwing his leg over the saddle, Phillip began to weave his way through the crush of carriages and hackneys, relieved that, as a single rider, he could move faster than any of the others.
“Where are you, Harmonia?” he whispered, making his way towards the outskirts of London and praying that Lord Darnsley had taken this route.
The carriages were all as dark as each other, although some bore coats of arms and others had a few brighter colors on display. Phillip kept his eyes trained on each carriage in turn, ensuring that he could eliminate them from his search. Hackneys he disregarded, knowing that Lord Darnsley would not have risked putting Harmonia into another carriage or hackney when he had only just got her into one. It would be too much of a risk.
The roads grew busier as he came to the Highbury road, as though all of the beau monde had chosen to leave London on the very same day. His heart was beating wildly as his horse continued to move through the crowd, panic beginning to surface in his veins.
“I will travel to Scotland if I have to,” he said aloud, his mind filled with thoughts of nothing more than Harmonia. He knew that she would not give into a marriage to Lord Darnsley without being seriously intimidated, for she knew that Phillip would not turn from her simply because her cousin had tried to ruin her reputation.
And yet he did not think that Luke would care how he got Harmonia into matrimony. There might yet be a man in Scotland willing to wed them even without Harmonia’s consent. The dowry was what he cared about, not Harmonia himself. Phillip felt his stomach tighten painfully as he thought of it, knowing that he could not allow Lord Darnsley to get away with what he had done. This time, he had gone too far.
A sudden shout echoed towards him, a few whinnies of startled horses following soon after. The crowd seemed to grow unexpectedly, carriages and hackneys coming to a stop. Gentlemen put their heads out of carriage windows, trying to see what was holding them up whilst the frustrations of the ladies echoed from the open windows.
“Harmonia?” Phillip shouted, urging his stallion forward through the crowd, growing frustrated with how long it took him to move through them all. “Harmonia? I’m coming for you!”
There was no r
esponse, no answering call. His heart in his throat, Phillip rode forward, his eyes searching the streets for any sign of his love. He had to find her, had to finally put an end to all of this.
Lord Darnsley would not escape punishment this time.
Chapter Twenty-One
Harmonia opened her eyes, having had them closed for the last few minutes as she tried her best to think carefully about all that was happening to her. The weakness that had filled her when she’d first heard about her father’s supposed illness had slowly begun to dissipate and, instead, there came a growing strength spreading all through her. For too long, Luke had taken her for granted, presuming her to be weak and gullible. He had thought her easy to manipulate, ready and willing to do just as he asked and expected. She was not like that and, yet, no matter how often she had tried to stand up to him, he had simply ignored her. He had refused to accept anything that she’d been saying, had decided that he was to have her and that was all that mattered. Her decisions, her thoughts, her feelings on the matter had been entirely disregarded, to the point that he was now attempting to abduct her with the promise that, one day, she’d simply accept him as her husband.
Harmonia was determined that such a thing would never happen. She would not allow herself to be so manipulated, to be so deceived. She would never agree to this marriage, would never let the words ‘I do’ slip from her mouth when it came to standing over the anvil with Luke. She would do all she could to fight him, to escape from him. He would see that there was a fire in her that he could not put out.
And Phillip, her beloved Phillip, would be right by her side. Harmonia had no doubt that, should she return home with her reputation in tatters, he would still take her as his bride. There was such a depth of love between them that Harmonia knew it could not be easily pushed aside, not even by Luke’s cruel determination to have her as his own.
“I will not have this, Luke,” she said, firmly, looking across at him from where she sat. His eyes darted back towards her, his lips thinning. “I mean it when I tell you that I will never agree to this marriage.”
He snorted. “You will have very little choice.”
Trying not to let his words assail her soul, Harmonia lifted her chin. “No, Luke, I will always have a choice. And that choice will be to refuse you. Whether or not you try to force me into matrimony, I will always turn from you, always be looking for a way to run from your side. I have another man who I intend to call husband and it is not you.”
Anger flared in his eyes. “Lord Newford has no right to your hand.”
“He has every right!” Harmonia exclaimed, a little more loudly than she had intended. “He is to be my husband, Luke. He proposed, and I accepted. My love for him grows stronger with every day that passes, as does his love for me. I will never turn from him, no matter what you try to do to me.”
“Be silent!”
Luke’s words were harsh and angry, his tone wrathful. Harmonia felt fear clutch at her heart, but she fought it tooth and nail. She would not allow him to intimidate her any longer.
“I will not do as you ask, Luke,” she said definitely, directly to the face of his anger. “I will never obey you as you wish. This is not who I am, regardless of what you think.”
His hand shot out and Harmonia recoiled, feeling the air billow over her skin as she missed his slap by only an inch.
“Be silent,” he snarled, his eyes narrowed, and face filled with fury. “I will have you silent one way or another, Harmonia. I have too much dependent on you and your dowry for this to fail. Without you, I will be bankrupt.”
Her heart was beating so loudly that Harmonia didn’t know if she could speak with any kind of firmness, but the fire within her belly forced her not to back down, not to remain silent.
“Why should I save you from your own mistakes?”
Her whisper filled the confines of the carriage and she felt the heat of his glare on her the moment she finished speaking. His mouth worked, his jaw clenching but yet he did not say a single thing.
Her skin prickled with dread as he leaned forward, his fingers curling into fists.
“Now you listen to me, Harmonia,” he said, hoarsely. “It will be painful for you if you do not –”
The carriage jerked suddenly, cutting off the rest of his words. With a frustrated groan, Luke struggled to seat himself back in his seat before pulling back the carriage window curtain, trying to see what was going on through the small gap.
“We’ve stopped,” Harmonia murmured, her heart suddenly bursting into life as hope filled her. “The carriage has stopped.”
Dropping the curtain back into place, he jabbed one finger at her. “Don’t even think about trying to get out,” he said, firmly. “That door is firmly locked from the outside and this one….” He chuckled, darkly. “Well, this one is right where I’m sitting so I doubt you’ll be able to get past as easily as you might hope.”
The hope that had flared to life slowly began to fade as Harmonia realized just what he meant. There was no easy escape for her, not if she couldn’t use one of the carriage doors. Luke would be easily able to hold her back should she try to use the other one, making escape seem almost entirely impossible.
“We need to move,” she heard him mutter as she sat back in her seat, her sudden anticipation fading away. “We can’t stay here.”
The curtain was lifted again as Luke stared out of the window. From where she sat, Harmonia saw nothing more than carriages and hackneys alongside them, each sitting as still as their own. Apparently, the road they were on was quite busy with other travelers making their way out of London.
“Whatever’s the matter?”
Luke rapped on the roof once and shouted aloud, but there came no reply from the driver. That was not surprising, given the number of other travelers about them, but that did not stop Luke from shouting again and rapping all the harder.
Harmonia held her breath as he slammed one hand down, hard, on the seat beside him. Clearly, Luke was getting more and more frustrated with each minute that ticked by.
There came no answer from the driver and, since the carriage was still stationary, Luke had no choice but to open the door and look outside.
An idea suddenly hit her, one that took her breath away. Were she brave enough, were she quick enough, it might be her only chance to escape although she had no idea what Luke would do should he catch her.
Her heart began to hammer so loudly she was sure he could hear it. Sitting as still as she could, she lowered her eyes as Luke turned his head to face her, his hand on the door handle.
“Stay still,” he hissed, before opening the door a crack and sticking his head outside.
“Whatever’s going on?” she heard him call and, with one deep breath, Harmonia acted.
With all of her strength, she shoved Luke, hard. Unbalanced, he tipped forward, hanging onto the door handle with all his might as he tumbled forward. Harmonia pushed at him again, her whole body trembling as he fell out of the carriage entirely.
Without hesitating, she climbed out of the carriage, her dress catching and tearing as she struggled to get down without assistance. Luke was shouting, holding his head, but she did not so much as look at him again. Taking to her heels, she ran between the carriages, not seeing the many curious looks from the others making their way out of London.
“Harmonia!”
Something huge, something black, came into her path, forcing her to a stop. Her breath ragged, she looked up in terror – only to see Lord Newford’s anxiety-ridden face peering down at her.
“Phillip!”
He slid from his horse and ran to her, catching her in his arms. She clung to him, tears slipping down her cheeks as she closed her eyes.
“You’re safe,” he breathed, relief evident in his voice. “You’re safe, Harmonia. I have you now. Luke will never touch you again.”
“Harmonia!”
Her body tensed as she heard Luke’s angry voice reaching her.
�
�Don’t worry, Harmonia,” Lord Newford murmured, as she turned around in his arms, standing just a little behind him. “You leave Lord Darnsley to me.”
Luke appeared from between two carriages, apparently unaware of the many people now watching all that was going on. Blood was trickling down the side of his head, but it was the fury in his expression that made Harmonia’s breath catch.
She had never seen him look as wrathful as this. His whole face appeared dark, his cheeks burning, his eyes dark and hands clenched.
“Get away from Harmonia, Newford,” he grated, his eyes wild. “She is coming with me. She belongs to me. She was promised to me before she ever gave any kind of affection to you.”
Harmonia gasped, but Newford did not appear to listen to Luke’s words in the least. “You have done more than enough, Lord Darnsley,” Lord Newford replied, firmly. “This time, you are to be punished for what you have done. Consequences. In front of all these people here, I am calling you out, Darnsley.”
That appeared to stop Luke in his tracks. Still shaking, Harmonia saw the somewhat glazed expression come over his face, as though he had not quite realized that trying to abduct Harmonia would lead to something as serious as this.
“I suggest you find yourself a sword, Darnsley,” Lord Newford continued, as the murmurs from those in the carriages began to grow in volume. “Hyde Park. One hour. I will be waiting for you.”
Luke did not have time to either speak or react, for Lord Newford caught Harmonia around the waist and turned her away from Luke, leading her carefully back towards his stallion.
“We will find a hackney soon enough,” he murmured, tossing a coin to the beggar boy who held the horse’s reins. “Come quickly, Harmonia. You must be brave for only a few minutes longer.”
Harmonia drew in a long breath and nodded, feeling as weak as a kitten. The fire that had pushed her to react so strongly to Luke’s attempted abduction had begun to fade away, leaving her with nothing but ashes in her veins.
“You are going to fight him?” she whispered, her fingers tightening on his sleeve as he wrapped his arm around her and helped her towards a waiting hackney. “I cannot let you do that, Newford. You might be hurt.”