The clergyman looked back over his shoulder. William pasted a pleasant smile on his lips and tipped his head. The clergyman frowned and redirected his attention to the lord beside him. Oh yes, his cleansing fee was going to be exorbitant. Well, he was sure his pocket book could stand the strain. Beating off every desperate spinster, however, was going to be next to impossible. A fallen duke with a large pocketbook would be an obtainable prize for those with no other options. Every devious old maid would think she could lure him into another comprising position and thereby snag a marriage proposal.
He turned in the saddle to look back at the road to the hunting lodge. Perhaps he should return there after they removed the chains from his ankle and live out the rest of his life as a hermit. He straightened in the saddle. Somehow the idea of returning to the now empty lodge didn’t appeal to him.
They rode into the town of Twin Forks amid a bevy of curious stares from the townsfolk. Luckily, due to the heavy snowfall, the streets were more deserted than usual, he supposed. He snuck a peek at Felicity. She sat ramrod straight and stiff, still focused between Joe’s ears. Her lips were pressed in a thin line and she clung, white knuckled, to her mount. To be fair, their public appearance chained together was bound to be worse on her than him. As people pointed and whispered, her cheeks flamed and her jaw tightened. He wanted to offer some sort of sympathy, but there was little he could say which would make her feel better about the situation.
When they drew up in front of the smithy, he dismounted and then turned to help Felicity down from the wrong side of her horse. She looked down as he raised his hands to cup her tiny waist. The sorrow and fear in her eyes wounded him. He lifted her from the saddle and set her on her feet. Turning away, she headed inside the smithy and he followed in silence. There was nothing he could do, for she had brought this all on herself by believing his father some sort of monster.
* * *
Felicity sat, head bowed and hands in her lap as the blacksmith fashioned a key to open the locks on the shackles. She dreaded her release, for it would bring a greater imprisonment. Her tongue slid over her bottom lip of its own accord, seeking the taste of him still lingering there. At least she would be locked away with the memory of his kiss, her first kiss. That one wondrous moment would be enough to sustain her for the rest of her life, she was sure.
The smithy cooled the key in a vat of cold water and then held it up. “This should do the trick, my lord.” He handed it to William. William gave Felicity a small smile and then inserted it in the lock. The shackle popped open and he reached over to repeat the action on hers. He handed the key back to the blacksmith. “Thank you good sir.”
The man nodded and went about his business.
The clergyman entered. “I have decided Miss Beinfait shall be remanded into the custody of the sisters of Her Holy Parish here until such time as a circuit judge can be summoned to hear the charges of kidnapping leveled upon her. ’Tis not acceptable for a delicate young lady to stay in the town lock up, you see. If you will come with me, Miss Beinfait.”
Felicity gave William a weak smile. “Good bye, my lord.”
He squeezed her hand. “Good bye, Miss Beinfait.”
In silence, she followed the clergyman from the smithy and along the walk. She peeked over her shoulder and spied William standing at the door, watching her retreat with a solemn expression. As strange as it sounded she would miss him.
The Sisters of Her Holy Parish were a stern and silent lot. She was shown to a bedchamber the size of a closet consisting of a small hard cot, a prayer rosary and a tiny, cell-like window overlooking the vegetable garden. The next few days followed a cycle of rising at dawn, two hours of morning prayer, a breakfast of porridge sweetened with one spoon, and one spoon only of honeyed cream, scrubbing dishes, more prayer, a simple lunch of bread and butter, helping in the gardens, a dinner of potatoes, vegetables and fish, more prayer and then finally back to her bedchamber well before dark. She supposed prison would be much worse, though she had a tough time imagining anything as boring.
Two weeks passed before the traveling judge arrived. As she removed the simple habit she’d worn since arriving at the parish and changed into her day dress, she couldn’t help but wonder if William would be at the hearing. It seemed unlikely, for surely he would have returned to London by now. A knock on her bedchamber door halted her thoughts on the matter.
“The constables are here for you now, Miss Beinfait.”
Straightening her skirts Felicity opened the door. The little nun who first greeted her when she arrived with a stern lecture on the need for silence and complete obedience stood waiting. “Thank you, Sister Mary.”
The woman simply nodded and led the way in silence to the chapel. Two constables stood by the door, shuffling their feet and looking at the floor as she entered with the nun. The one crossed himself when he spied her and her escort and then nudged his friend. “We’ll take it from ’ere, Sister.”
Sister Mary nodded and left her without a word.
The first constable attached a set of light shackles to her wrists. “Right then, come along, the judge awaits.” Grasping her elbow, he nudged her along between him and his partner.
It was a short walk to the makeshift courthouse set up in the town church. The large crowd gathered in front gave Felicity pause. Was all of England privy to what occurred at the hunting lodge? Her face flamed at the thought. When they entered the church, she found it packed with nobles and commoners alike. Dropping her gaze to the floor, she marched up front to stand at the accused’s podium.
A man in a white wig and black robe entered and sat in the chair by the pulpit. “Court is in session. Could someone please read the charges?”
The clergyman stepped forward. “Miss Felicity is charged with kidnapping Lord William Lancastor and holding him against his will for intended ransom at his hunting lodge. In addition Lord William is charged with unlawful confinement and inappropriate behavior in regards to Miss Beinfait.”
The judge eyed her unconcealed surprise. “Well, I would say this is a highly unusual case to be sure. And where is Lord Lancastor?”
A movement out of the corner of her eye made Felicity turn her head.
The crowd parted, and William stepped forward to stand at the podium to her right. “I am in attendance, your honor.”
The judge cleared his throat and leaned back. “I sense this is a long and complicated story. Would you care to enlighten me as to the details, Lord Lancastor?”
“Ah, yes, your honor.” William glanced at her. “I arrived at my hunting lodge and found Miss Beinfait awaiting me. She over powered and shackled me to the staircase—”
The judge held up his hand. “Hold there a second, my lord. You say the petite woman before us did overpower you? How is that possible, given your gender and obvious superior strength?”
William mumbled, “She hit me with a skillet.”
The judge frowned. “I beg your pardon, my lord, could you speak up?”
William shuffled his feet and then glanced at her before addressing the judge in a louder voice this time, “She hit me in the head with a skillet, your honor.”
The crowd tittered and the judge’s eyes narrowed. “I see….” He cast Felicity a stern look before turning back to William. “And why would she do such a thing?” After William explained Felicity’s reasoning, the judge fell silent for a moment. “I see…. How did it come about you were found chained to Miss Beinfait, in bed of all things, by Father Brown and Lord Carivale?”
Felicity spoke up. “I am afraid that was my fault, sir.”
The judge swung his gaze to her. “Do enlighten me, Miss Beinfait.”
“After I fell ill with a fever, William, I mean Lord Lancastor chopped through the railing to free himself and then nursed me back to health. Once I was better I sought to take advantage of his slumber and re-shackle him, but he awoke in the midst of the process and clamped the other end on my leg. We did wrestle over the key and it fell int
o a crack between the floor boards.” The crowd gasped. Swallowing Felicity continued, “There was little to do but await rescue….” She trailed off at the judge’s thunderous expression.
“You wrestled with a duke on the floor like a common peasant child?”
“I—It was not quite like that….” She looked down at the floor, wishing it would open up and swallow her, as the crowd erupted into catcalls and guffaws.
The judge banged his gavel on the arm of the chair. “Quiet down, or I shall have you all removed from the building.” When the crowd settled, he sighed. “And I suppose Lord Lancastor took advantage of your virtue in retaliation while you were shackled to him?”
“Yes—no, I….” She glanced at William who had the worst surprised deer look on his face. Oh dear, how was she to save face now? “He did naught but kiss me—” She paused at the crowd’s gasp and then added, “But in his defense, sir, I asked him to.”
The judge threw up his hands. “This is the most hare-brained, noddy, irregular case I have ever heard in all my years as a judge.” He scowled at the constables. “Is this some kind of trickery afoot?”
Both shook their heads and answered in unison, “No, your honor.”
“Well then, Father Brown and I shall retire to the clergyman’s chamber while I think on a sentence.” With that he stood and disappeared through a small door behind him with Father Brown in tow.
One of the constables brought her a chair and she sat. While awaiting the verdict she peeked at William across the room. He stood beside none other than the young Lord Carivale. They were deep in conversation, but William’s gaze flickered to hers and held her stare for a moment. She looked away and fidgeted with the braid on her skirt. He was so familiar, yet so much a stranger today. In truth she missed his company, or perhaps she only missed company in general after being cloistered with a bunch of silent nuns for the past two weeks.
A pair of Hessian boots appeared before her and she followed them up to the face of William. He cleared his throat and gave her a tight smile. “How do you fair, Miss Beinfait?”
“I am well, thank you, your grace.” She did her best to smile back.
He took her hand in his. “I fear we put on quite a show for the gossip mongers today.”
“Yes, I suppose we did.”
His look softened. “I am sorry, I fully intended to let you go on your way, but being found shackled together had to be explained.”
A tear slipped down her cheek. “I understand, ’twas all my doing, anyway.”
With gentle fingers he wiped away the evidence of her sorrow. “I am not entirely free of blame, I suppose.”
The murmurs of the crowd faded away as she looked deep into his eyes.
He raised her hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of it before cupping it between his two tanned ones. “I am truly sorry.”
“Lord Lancastor?” Jolted from their focus on each other, they turned to find the judge had returned to his seat unbeknownst to them. “Please return to your podium so I might render my verdict.”
“Yes, your honor, my apologies.” William released her hand, tipped his head to the judge, and hurried back to his place.
The judge tapped his gravel to ensure he had everyone’s undivided attention. “It seems to me there is much more to this case than a simple kidnapping. Even in this very room I have witnessed Lord Lancastor and Miss Beinfait’s emotions. I find both parties at fault here, firstly Miss Beinfait for the heinous act of kidnapping, and second Lord Lancastor’s blatant disregard for the polite rules of society. The question here is what to do about it?” He paused for dramatic effect. “I do not think anything shall be served by sending Miss Beinfait to Newgate. I believe it would be a horrid punishment for one as delicate and refined as a young miss. However, a punishment must be meted out for her crimes, yet one that suits the situation eludes me. As for Lord Lancastor, it has been suggested the church might benefit from his financial support and a donation of a five hundred pounds should suffice.” He paused as the crowd murmured and then fell silent under his stern stare. “As for the claim the elder Lord Lancastor was responsible for the late Lord Beinfait’s murder, I find there is not enough evidence, or live participants to open an investigation into the matter. In light of all this, I have decided that in such an unusual case, the punishment must fit, so I hereby declare Miss Beinfait shall in such time as the bans can be read, marry Lord Lancastor.”
The crowd erupted and Felicity stared in shock at the judge, as he banged his gavel over and over again to restore order. She could not have heard right. Me? Marry the duke? The son of the man who killed my father?
When the crowd was silenced, the judge continued, “I hereby remand custody of Miss Beinfait to Madame Bernard’s School for Young Ladies until such time as her wedding should occur. She shall be escorted back to the school by a nun from The Holy Parish and Lord Carivale. Furthermore, I command Lord Lancastor to settle her graduation fee at the school and have no contact physically with Miss Beinfait until their nuptials. You are dismissed.” With a well pleased smile, the judge banged his gravel a final time and left the church.
Horrified Felicity met William’s grim gaze and moaned, “Fie and fire!”
Chapter Fifteen
“My, my, Felicity, you certainly used every tool at your disposal to snare yourself a husband, now did you not?” Lady Rebecca Carivale sneered. “Luckily the rest of us do not have to resort to kidnapping to make a good match.”
Felicity bit her lip. No good would come of defending herself and, no matter how much she wished to put Rebecca in her place, it would only make her last few days at the finishing school more dreadful than they had already been. If she was excluded before, she was now outright ostracized for her exploits with the duke in the lodge. Not to mention the headmistress, Madame Bernard, was still angry over the loss of her pony and cart. She opened the door to her room. “If you will excuse me, Rebecca, one of us has wedding plans to finalize.” With a sweet-as-pie smile, she stepped inside and closed the door in Rebecca’s face. Once in the privacy of her room, she leaned back against the door with a sigh. Two more days were all she had to get through before she would wed the duke and be free of her tormenter at long last.
She flung herself face down upon the bed. In two days she would be Lady Lancastor. The idea terrified her. They hardly knew each other and had very little in common. He liked to cook; she burned everything she touched—including herself. He was patient and she was frustrated when things did not go her way. He was strong and graceful, while she was weak and clumsy. He was funny and charming…and caring… and handsome and…and she was smitten with him. Rolling over, she stared up at the ceiling. And he? Did he have any feelings for her beyond annoyance and anger for being kidnapped and forced into marriage? Most likely not.
Her groan echoed in the empty room. As usual Felicity Blunderbuss had struck again. All she wanted out of her plan was the blunt to see herself taken care of for the rest of her days and justice for her father. Getting engaged to her sworn enemy’s son was not in the equation. Unfortunately, what was done was done; the bans had been read and there was no escaping a missive from the law.
At a knock on the door she sat up, dreading dealing with Rebecca again. “Yes?”
It opened and the headmistress stood on the threshold. She held out a note and a tier of boxes. “These just arrived for you.”
Felicity rose and took them from her. “Who are they from?”
“Your fiancé I would imagine,” the headmistress snipped. Before Felicity could thank her, she left, shutting the door behind her.
Felicity set the packages on the bed and opened the note.
Dearest Felicity,
I know our pending marriage is not what either of us had in mind. However, I would like to try and start things off with the right sentiment. Please accept these gifts as a token of my esteem.
Yours,
William.
She set aside the note and opened the sma
llest of the three boxes. Her gasp echoed when she spied the sapphire and diamond necklace nestled against the velvet interior. Each fingernail-sized, teardrop shaped stone was set apart from the next by a smaller, crystal clear diamond. When she tilted the box to catch the light a pair of matching earrings rolled into view. She opened the next box to find a pair of white slippers decorated with matching sapphires. It was the final and largest box, however, that brought an exclamation of delight to her lips. Inside she found a swath of sapphire silk. Grasping the gown she drew it out of the box and shook it out. The tight strapless bodice came to a fashionable ‘V’ in the front covered with little teardrop-shaped costume diamonds that followed the gathers to the skirt. The skirt itself was layered and crimped to fall in a graceful froth of silk and faux diamonds. Though Felicity’s aunt had always ensured her clothing was of the best quality, she had never owned such a beautiful garment. She spied a note in the bottom on the box. With the greatest care she hung the dress in her wardrobe and opened it.
I wondered if you had a special dress for our nuptials when I saw this one at the dressmaker’s and thought how much it reminded me of your eyes.
W.
She sniffled to hold back the tears welling in her eyes. How did a beast like the Black Duke sire a son as thoughtful and kind as William? She put the boxes away in the wardrobe and at the last minute decided to wrap a sheet around the costly gown to protect it from dust. After putting it in the very back, where it wouldn’t be in danger of getting snagged, she took her coming out gown and hung it on the outside to relax any wrinkles it might have acquired from a year in the closet. The dress was nowhere near as costly as the one from the duke, but she prided herself in the fact she had stitched it by hand, back when she was naive enough to think she might attract a husband. The shiny pink satin had a simple cut bodice, small puffed sleeves, and a straight skirt that fell to a modest train. Many a night had been spent closeted in her room stitching away, while the other girls giggled and socialized. Not only had the project spared her more taunts and teasing, but it gave her a sense of accomplishment. Though the stitches were sometimes clumsy and unrefined, she had done each and every one of them herself. She would wear the dress at her graduation on the morrow with pride.
Kidnapping the Duke Page 10