“I am sorry, my lady. It is just that it is a sensitive matter and I am not comfortable sharing it with anyone at the moment.” Despite the slight blush, Elizabeth could see from his clenched jaw that he was quite resolute on the matter.
She shot him a withering look but restrained herself from comment. Looking straight ahead she saw that they were nearing a town. It was hard to believe that only twenty minutes had gone by. It felt as though she had aged several years in the last two days. Elizabeth wondered if he would allow her to be served a drink containing spirits. She thought rather wildly for the first time in her life that she might need the fortification. She actually laughed at her own thoughts. When she felt the earl’s questioning gaze resting upon her she realized she had laughed out loud. Elizabeth could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks with mortification. She really was in danger of losing her mind.
They had arrived at an establishment called The Ball and Castle. It looked to be a respectable enough place. Her mouth had grown dry and she looked forward to some sort of fortification. She doubted the earl would order her any sort of spirits, but even a lemonade would do at this point. Elizabeth was shocked to feel the familiar shiver of awareness trickle up her spine as the earl lifted her down from his curricle despite her feelings of anger and outrage toward him. Her life was getting murkier by the moment. She wished she had someone she could discuss everything with, but her dearest friend was unavailable to her. She would have to deal with this on her own. Elizabeth determined to make idle conversation with the earl until he returned her home. She reassured herself that she was safe with him at least until after they were wed. And the man would most likely want his heir at some point as he had told her that was his reason for seeking another countess. No doubt he would keep her alive for at least a little while after the marriage. She would have to keep her wits about her and learn as much as possible about him in the meantime.
The delighted landlord quickly showed them to a private dining room and left them to a strained silence that was only broken when he returned with two glasses of lemonade and a plate of biscuits that were far more delicious than they appeared. Elizabeth sighed silently with reluctance but then strove for conversation.
“Tell me about Heath, my lord.”
She knew her question surprised him, but she was discomfited to see that it also looked as though he was delighted over it. He launched into an enthusiastic speech about all the aspects and merits of his ancestral estate. Despite herself she grew interested and questioned him on many details.
“Do you have other properties in addition to Heath, my lord?” She could tell by his raised eyebrow that he was remembering his request that she call him by his Christian name, but she was nowhere near comfortable enough to do that at this juncture. She ignored the look and awaited his answer.
“I do, actually. I shall be happy to settle them on our younger sons if we should be blessed with many children.” His answer made her blush to her roots and wonder if perhaps he was considering not killing her. She would have to find out as much as possible about his first countess in order to determine why she had died. There was no way she could condone the killing, but perhaps he had some sort of a reason that made sense to him. She rather liked the thought of remaining upon this earth. Even though the inn was comfortable and remarkably well appointed, Elizabeth had no wish to linger and was relieved when the earl suggested they return to Town as soon as they had finished off their collation.
She tried to keep up a steady stream of chatter as they returned to the carriage. She had so many conflicting feelings to deal with and hoped fervently he didn’t notice or at least wouldn’t ask about them. Elizabeth sucked in her breath as he hoisted her up onto her seat, but was relieved when he didn’t comment even though the light dancing in his eyes made her think he had noticed. Ignoring her reaction, she asked him another question about Heath.
They continued to discuss his estate, tenants, and crops as they drove back to Mayfair. As he was dropping her off at her home Elizabeth thought with amazement, if it was not for the fact that she was convinced he had killed his first wife she would have quite enjoyed the afternoon and would be almost looking forward to her life with him. It was a ridiculous notion. Rumours such as that do not spring from nothing, she reminded herself fiercely. Just recall what Lady Meriwether had said the night of her ruination. Even that old harridan believed he’s guilty. And the fact that he wouldn’t confide in her about his own involvement with Broderick just shows how untrustworthy he is. You must not lose sight of that fact, she admonished herself then dashed up the stairs.
As the butler held the door open for her, Elizabeth looked back at the earl shyly and lifted her hand in a small wave, gratified to see that he stood watching her attentively. He winked and waved back at her. Elizabeth averted her gaze with a stifled smile and ran into the house, allowing the butler to shut the door with a resounding click. Climbing up the stairs toward her room as swiftly as propriety allowed, Elizabeth called out for her maid to be summoned to her room for her. Her mind was abuzz with her constantly conflicting thoughts. The earl was so handsome and attentive, and yet she did not feel that she could trust him. She felt torn between reaching out to him and pushing him away. Elizabeth could feel a headache wanting to form from the conflict.
* * *
Justice stood beside his curricle as his future bride climbed the stairs to her home. He was delighted when she looked back at him and waved. The girl was certainly a strange mixture of conflicting thoughts and feelings. He had been fully aware that his refusal to confide in her had hurt and angered her but he was not about to start confiding in a woman. That had gone so horribly wrong for him in the past, he recalled with a grimace tightening his face. He was glad that the door had already been closed behind her when that thought crossed his mind as he was certain she would not be happy to see him frowning at her from the street.
Shaking his head to rid himself of his straying thoughts, the earl climbed back into his curricle and directed his horses toward the offices of his solicitors. If he was about to take on a wife, arrangements needed to be made. He needed to apprise those fine gentlemen of the promises he had made to Lady Elizabeth’s father and make arrangements for her future in case his enemies came after him once more.
He hadn’t wanted to make her any more nervous than she was when she asked about Broderick but had been quite aware of her anger and disappointment. The more time he spent with his future bride the more convinced he was that this was going to be a wonderful match. He didn’t want anything to interfere with it. He was quite well aware of the fact that Lady Elizabeth was looking for any possible means to get out of the union. If she knew there was a possibility that her life was in danger it might be the final motivation she needed to defy convention and take her chances with the scandal.
Justice could feel his hands tighten on the reins and had to force himself to relax and get his high strung horses under control. His mind was made up about Lady Elizabeth. He felt badly that she was disappointed over the way things were progressing, but he had no intention of allowing her to cry off. She was beautiful, intelligent, and could even see the humour in difficult situations. He actually found that he quite liked the girl, even when she was trying to rip up at him. The next Countess of Heath was going to be a delight for him. He was determined to help her see the benefits and get over her disappointment that it was not the love match she had dreamed of. Perhaps, if he exerted himself sufficiently, he could make her love him and then she would be happy. With a nod of determination, Justice firmed his resolve even more and set about his plans.
Chapter 5
Elizabeth was standing in the middle of her bedchamber wringing her hands and worrying her lower lip when her maid entered the room.
“What has happened, my lady?” Pansy cried as she saw her mistress appearing to be in distress.
“Have you found someone to teach me self defense?” she asked by way of an answer.
Pansy
stopped abruptly in front of her mistress, taking one of her cold hands into her own work worn ones. “Yes, m’lady. One of the footmen, Stanley, is knowledgeable in such matters and strikes me as being a trustworthy sort, if you’re wanting to keep this matter quiet.”
“That would probably be for the best. While I am terrified and want to be as prepared as possible, the entire purpose of this arrangement is to avoid a scandal. If it became known that I was learning to defend myself it would stir up far worse gossip than anything else that has gone before it, I am sure. How soon do you think we could start?”
Elizabeth could feel her maid’s worried scrutiny. “We are at your disposal whenever you wish, m’lady, surely you realize that. But why the urgency?”
“My mother has decided that I ought to be married within the week. That gives me very little time.”
“Oh!” Pansy’s widened eyes were full of excitement, but Elizabeth could tell she was trying to keep it under wraps.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes at the maid’s tone in the one-word answer. She was well aware that for the maid it would be a huge advancement in her status to go from being the personal maid of an earl’s youngest daughter to the lady’s maid of a countess. But she was loyal enough to feel trepidation on her mistress’ behalf. The other girl was still holding her hands so Elizabeth squeezed them gently before releasing her. She paced across the room, no longer able to stand still.
“Under the circumstances, I doubt if my mother will require my presence this afternoon until it is time to prepare for our social engagements for the evening. If you would be so kind as to arrange for Stanley to meet us here, I would like to begin as soon as possible.” She paused in thought, glancing down at her fashionable attire. “Well, perhaps it would be best if it were in half an hour. I really ought to put on my oldest clothes. I would hate to have to explain the loss of one of my newest gowns. I am quite certain this is going to be a physically demanding exercise.”
“Very well, my lady. I will run down to have a word with him and be back momentarily to help you change.”
Elizabeth was left alone with her thoughts. Her stomach tied itself into knots as she thought of all that had transpired. Was it possible that just last week she had been blissfully unaware, thinking she could wait out her mother’s ambitions and set herself up independently upon her twenty-first birthday, if she didn’t manage to find someone to love in the meantime? In the past week her best friend had been abducted, she had been compromised, and now was engaged to marry a man who was thought to have killed his first wife. It is enough to give one a fit of the vapours, she thought as she gazed searchingly at her own reflection in the mirror over her dressing table. Seeing the harried expression on her face, she stuck her tongue out at her own image before turning her back to the mirror. She would not give in to such weakness. She was a resourceful young woman. She would find a way to work with the wretched circumstances being thrown her way.
She was relieved when Pansy returned. Action was much better than her own worries. Together they made short work of getting her changed, and within a few minutes the footman presented himself and they were ready to get to work.
The footman was a sturdy young man who looked decidedly uncomfortable to be in the bedchamber of his master’s daughter. Elizabeth tried to set him at ease. “Thank you so much for agreeing to do this for me, Stanley. I appreciate your promise to keep this a secret. You do understand that I am about to be married and am feeling nervous about moving to an estate where I know no one. At all of our properties I have known everyone since my birth. I have no worries there. But when I move to Heath, I shan’t know who to trust. Pansy and I thought it best if I learn how to look after myself a little bit.”
“But surely his lordship will see to your safety, m’lady,” the footman tried to protest.
“I am certain he shall do his best,” Elizabeth agreed, “But I would so much rather have a little bit of preparation, just in case.”
Stanley must have accepted the wisdom of her logic as he gave up any protests and launched into an explanation. “For this to work, m’lady, it would be best if you could take your assailant by surprise. And you had best be prepared to run like a rabbit, because I can assure you that he’ll be mighty angry with you as soon as he is able to move.”
Elizabeth gazed at the young man in bewilderment until he furthered his explanation. “I’m going to teach you how you can down a man by hitting him in his jewels.”
This did not clear the matter up for Elizabeth, but Pansy was quick to explain. “You’ll be hitting him in his private parts, m’lady.”
Elizabeth could feel her blush scorch her face. “That surely would be beyond the pale.”
“If you’ll be needing these instructions, m’lady, the last thing you’ll be worriting about is being beyond the pale.” Pansy’s words were sensible and bolstered Elizabeth’s determination. And reinforced her fears.
“Very well, Stanley, let us proceed.”
“All right, m’lady. If a man comes at you from the front you’ll want to grab his shoulders to give you as much leverage as possible. Then you’ll push up with your knee as hard as you can, doing your level best to aim at his private area. If you make a direct hit he should be down for quite some time. But even if you just wing him he’ll have to bend over with his pains. Then when he bends over you’ll bring your knee up again as hard as you can and knock him in the head. Then you’ll push him over and run like the very devil is after you, because I promise you, he will be if you wait around any.”
Elizabeth could feel that her eyes were probably as wide as saucers, but she nodded her understanding while the footman positioned himself in front of her.
“Now m’lady, I would appreciate it something fierce if you would try not to actually hit me, but you ought to practice the motions at least so that you can feel how high you would have to bring your knee and how much your skirts might get in the way.” The poor young man’s face appeared to be on fire and Elizabeth had to stifle a nervous giggle despite the seriousness of the situation. She truly appreciated his tutorial.
They went through the motions several times. He had been quite correct that it would take a great deal of effort to be effective, but she knew that if she was terrorized she would be quite motivated. The exertions were causing her to sheen with sweat, but she was beginning to feel quite empowered, as though she were regaining a level of control over her life that had been lost the night before in that small room at Lady Oliver’s. She grinned at the two servants before her.
“Very well, m’lady. I quite think you have mastered that as well as you can. Now you ought to be prepared for an attack from behind.”
Elizabeth could feel a little of the blood drain from her head, and her feeling of triumph fizzled. She was grateful for the footman’s thoroughness. She hadn’t even thought of that eventuality. She gave her head a quick shake to regain her senses and concentrated on Stanley’s continued explanation, nodding to show she was listening.
“If anyone grabs you from the side or the back, you have a few options. You could try to drop down low, slipping out of his grasp. That could work, but then again, your skirts could be a problem. Depending on the attackers position you could also use your knees to good effect, but if he is directly behind you that probably wouldn’t work. The best bet for an attack from behind is to use your head.”
“My head?” she parroted, all her attention focused on the young man’s words.
“Yes, throw your head backwards to crush him in the nose. But this could bite you back if you miss his nose and hit his head as it will hurt you as much as him, and you could be stunned from the blow.”
Elizabeth was nodding, feeling nerves tighten all over her body. How have I come to this point where I am contemplating ways of fending off possible attacks from my future husband or one of his henchmen? She shook herself from her inertia and focused again on the footman’s instructions.
“The final thing I have to say to you m’l
ady, is if you find yourself under attack, forget that you are a lady. Use every means at your disposal to escape and keep yourself safe. You are an earl’s daughter and soon to be an earl’s wife. No scandal will be allowed to touch you for looking after yourself under an attack. It is more important to get yourself free.”
Elizabeth nodded and smiled over the young man’s wise words. They went through a few more practice runs and then Elizabeth dismissed the footman with a reminder to keep this to himself and a request to return the following day for another practice session.
By then it was time to get ready for the evening’s events. After her bath, Elizabeth was seated at her dressing table deep in thought.
“What is troubling you now, m’lady? Are you too worn out from the exertions? Ought we to send your regrets for the evening?”
“I wish I could, Pansy, but after last night, I am quite certain my mother will consider it imperative that I show my face around Town. The entire point of this engagement is to avert scandal. If I hide myself away it will be assumed that I have something for which to be ashamed and the talk will increase, not disappear as we intend.”
“Then why the long face?” the maid persisted.
Elizabeth sighed. “While I truly appreciate Stanley’s instructions, and I will keep them in mind and practice them again on the morrow, I fear that they will not be sufficient. When you think on it, there are so very many ways for a man to rid himself of an unwanted wife. A so-called shooting accident. Poison. A good shove down the stairs or out a window. Even a riding accident could be arranged. No. I do not think that these self-defence instructions will be sufficient. We need to find out how the previous countess died. While he would most likely have to change his method lest suspicion be truly focused on him, because really, two suspicious deaths would be difficult to escape, if we could find out the means of her death, it could give us some idea of his methods and I would be better prepared.”
The Countess Intrigue Page 7