A Lady’s Choice: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance Book

by Fimch, Fanny

  She thought frantically for a moment before deciding that she would have to take that chance. If there was someone there and they meant her harm, surely she would already be hurt, possibly not even alive.

  She braced herself, turned over and sat up, looking around the room. It was empty other than the furnishings. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her relief was short-lived as she realized she did not recall ever having been in the room before. She had been taken to a strange place for unknown reasons.

  She looked under the blanket and saw that she was still dressed in her nightgown. She lowered the covers and slid her legs out so she was sitting on the side of the bed.

  Fear struck her again when the doorknob turned and the door was pushed open. Her eyes opened wide in shock when the Duchess of Corning came through the door. She glared at Emma. She was carrying a tray, which she set down on the dressing table near the door.

  “You are awake, I see.”

  “What is going on, Mother? Why have you brought me here? Where am I?”

  The duchess came toward her, an angry look on her face. Emma was caught off guard. She would never have expected the duchess to do something like this. “You will behave while you are here, Emma, or you will be punished.”

  Emma’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Mother, what is going on?”

  “I saw the Duke of Lox and the Duke of Rabney last night as they were speaking to your father. He has agreed to let the Duke of Lox marry you.”

  A pleasant thrill moved through Emma and she could not help smiling. “I suspected as much. But what has that to do with you? You cannot possibly be so upset about the arrangement you tried to make with Lord Archibald. The Duke of Lox is much better equipped to take on the duties my father will leave behind when he passes.”

  A cold chill lit up Emma’s skin. Was her father still alive? Her step-mother’s behavior made no sense to her. She was beginning to think Camilla was right. Lord Archibald had something on the Duchess of Corning that was causing this irrational behavior.

  “You will do as I say, Emma. Your father will die soon and Lord Archibald will take over Corning Manor after you are married to him.”

  Emma frowned. “I do not wish to marry Lord Archibald. I wish to marry the Duke of Lox.”

  “What you wish is not important.” The duchess approached the bed. Emma shrank from her, staring up at the woman’s furious eyes. She did not understand what had made the duchess so angry with her. “What is important is that you obey me, just as you will obey Lord Archibald when you are wed to him.”

  Emma shook her head. “I will never marry Lord Archibald. You may be able to create a wedding for us but I do not have to go through with it. My father has given the Duke of Lox his blessing, I am sure of it.”

  “But you do not know for sure,” the duchess replied. “And I will not give the Duke of Lox the satisfaction of having his way.”

  “What do you have against the Duke of Lox? Why do you hate him so?”

  “I do not hate him. Quite the contrary. I am doing what is best for our family.”

  Emma was confused. She struggled to find the right words to say, the right questions to ask. But it was difficult when she could not fathom how the duchess could think she would get away with kidnapping Emma long enough for her father to die. The thought hit Emma like a ton of stones.

  “Mother, do you plan to keep me here until Father dies? Surely, no! You would not deprive me or my father of each other in these last days. You cannot do that! Please tell me that is not your intention.”

  The Duchess of Corning grinned in an evil way. Emma felt tears rise up in her throat. She knew she would not be able to hold them in. She pictured her father in her mind, lifted her hands up and covered her face, unwilling to let the duchess see what kind of pain she had leveled upon her step-daughter.

  “It was obvious to me last night that I could waste no more time.”

  “But it is daylight! I will be missed!”

  The duchess shook her head. “You will not be missed. I told Gertrude to inform Camilla and your father and anyone else who inquired that we have gone to do some shopping in the London district. I did not specify where. They would need to search all over London for us. Also, we are not in London, we are in the country and no one will ever find you here.”

  “Where am I? Do I at least get the courtesy of being told where I am?”

  The Duchess of Corning shook her head. “There is no need for me to tell you where you are. I believe you will find out soon enough.” She gestured to the tray. “I have brought you some breakfast. Eat to keep up your strength. There are clothes for you in this trunk. Get dressed. Someone will be back for the tray later.”

  She went toward the door.

  “Mother, why are you doing this? I do not understand!” Emma hopped off the bed and moved toward the duchess but stopped when the older woman gave her a hard look.

  “You will come to understand in time. For now, you will do as I say. Eat your breakfast. Get dressed. We will talk later.”

  “Please do not do this to me! I wish to marry the Duke of Lox, not Lord Archibald. Surely, you would not deprive me of a lifetime of happiness to please Lord Archibald.”

  The Duchess of Corning threw back her head and laughed. Emma did not like the sound of her laughter. It made her miss the pleasant sound of Camilla’s. Camilla was going to be curious about this turn of events. She might even be suspicious that something else was going on besides shopping in London. She was fully aware that Emma did not often go shopping with the Duchess of Corning and certainly not without Katherine.

  Katherine. Emma wondered if her little sister knew what was going on. Surely she was not in on the plot, as well. Emma’s heart ached. She hoped not.

  “Dear sweet innocent Emma. Your happiness means nothing to me. Do as I say.” The older woman flicked her fingers in Emma’s direction as if she were a fly to dispose of. She turned on her heel and swept out the door quickly, turning back to pull it closed before Emma could even think of trying to get out.

  Emma heard the lock turn as the duchess locked her in. She ran to the door and hit it with her fists. “Mother! Mother, do not lock me in!”

  She did not keep up the pounding on the door or calling out to her step-mother. She knew there was no use. The Duchess of Corning had made up her mind and nothing would stop her now. It was too late to stop now anyway. If Emma was given a chance to run away, she would. And she would tell everyone what the duchess had done.

  With that thought, Emma looked at the tray of eggs, ham, and biscuits. It looked and smelled delicious. She went to it and picked up the fork, pushing the food around on the plate before taking a few small bites. She had no appetite, as her fear had run it out of her. But she knew the duchess was right. She had to keep up her strength so she could fight against this travesty.

  There was no way the Duchess of Corning would get away with what she was doing. Emma would tell everything before or after her father passed on. It did not matter who she was married to. And if she knew the Duke of Lox at all, he would figure out what had happened. He would rescue her.

  She continued to eat, taking the tray to the bed and sitting on it. She concluded her step-mother had truly gone over the edge and lost her mind. She could not keep Emma away from everyone she loved forever.

  Could she?

  Thoughts began whirling through Emma’s mind, scaring her. If the Duchess of Corning wanted to tell everyone she had “run away,” she would. And she might be believed. Even the Duke of Lox knew that Emma would run away if she was forced to marry Lord Archibald.

  Still, the chances of Emma leaving when she was on the brink of marrying the Duke of Lox were slim to none. It had taken her half a season to relax around the man and now that she was ready to commit to him, her step-mother interfered.

  She sighed.

  A thought came to her mind. Her eyes darted to the window. If she had been in this home before, she would recognize the outside. She would re
cognize something.

  She stood up and went around the bed to the window, gazing down at the landscape with dismay. She did not recognize anything around her. She shook her head. How could this be? Where was she?

  The words she and Camilla had spoken before rang in her ears. Lord Archibald would take her to a high tower and leave her there with only his company for comfort. He would hide her away from the world. Looking down from where she was, Emma realized that was exactly what had happened. She had to be at least six stories up. The room she was in had only two corners on the side where the door was. The window was placed strategically in the middle of a rounded wall. She was reminded of a fairy tale she had recently discovered in her father’s library. It was called Rapunzel. The girl in the book was placed in a high tower and raised there by a witch.

  The Duchess of Corning was not a witch. But she had taken Emma hostage and was planning to hold her there until her father died.

  Emma lifted her hand and pressed it against the window ledge, leaning over to look down at the ground below. It made her slightly dizzy and she pulled back into the room.

  “Father,” she whispered softly. “Wait for me, Father. Please wait for me. I will return soon.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The Duke of Lox woke to the sound of knocking on his bedroom door. He frowned and sat up in bed, running his hands through his hair. The knocking came again, more frantically and he heard Helga’s voice come through the door.

  “Your grace!” she called out.

  “What is it?” he called back.

  “May I come in, sir?” Helga asked through the door.

  The Duke of Lox sighed. If it had not been the first time Helga had ever done such a thing, he would have been less forgiving. “Yes! Come in!”

  Helga pushed open the door and took one step in the room. “I am so sorry to wake you, sir. There is a young woman downstairs who wishes to speak with you.”

  The Duke of Lox gave her a confused look. What young lady would dare to come to his home and wake him in the early hours of the morning?

  “What time is it?” he asked. Judging by the sun, he would have said it was about seven in the morning.

  “It is half past six, sir. She is in distress. Do you care to speak with her?”

  The Duke of Lox nodded and waved for her to leave the room. “Tell her I will be down shortly.”

  The only woman the Duke of Lox thought might come at this hour to speak to him was Emma. Perhaps Camilla. Lady Christian would not dare to wake him up unless it was a true emergency. He ran through the other women he thought might come asking for his aide but could think of none that he would suspect of doing such a thing.

  He dressed quickly and pulled a brush through his hair. Before he left the room, he splashed water on his face and dried it with a towel. It would help make him more alert and awake. He would have been up in a few hours anyway.

  He took the stairs down to the foyer and stopped at the last step, staring at the young woman in surprise. It was not Emma or Camilla. It was someone he did not expect at all.

  It was Katherine Wentworth. He looked at her with concern on his face.

  “Miss Katherine! What on earth are you doing here at this time of the morning?”

  Katherine took a step toward him. Her face was in distress, just as Helga had said.

  “My lord, I am so afraid. I am so afraid.” She lifted her hands and covered her face, breathing heavily.

  The Duke of Lox walked to her and placed both his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her.

  “Miss Katherine, have you come here alone?”

  Katherine nodded without taking her hands from her face. The Duke of Lox was immediately worried for the girl’s reputation. He looked around for Helga. She was standing by the foyer door, staring at the ground.

  “Helga, wake Christian. Tell him to come down to the parlor immediately.”

  “Yes, my lord.” The woman went directly to the stairs and started up.

  “Come with me, Miss Katherine.” The Duke of Lox gently turned Katherine toward one of the sets of double doors and went to it, opening it for her. “Sit down. I will have some tea brought in. Have you had breakfast?”

  Katherine nodded. “Yes, my lord, I ate breakfast at home before I left.”

  “It is very early, Miss Katherine. Why are you venturing out on your own so early in the morning? Has something happened?”

  “I… I do not know, my lord. That is why I am here. I am afraid. I believe something has happened to Emma!”

  The Duke of Lox pulled in a sharp breath. He remained standing when Katherine dropped into a large chair. She leaned forward, still covering her face with her hands.

  “Do not despair, Miss Katherine. Tell me what has happened. Wait…” Before she could speak, he lifted one hand. “We must wait for the Duke of Rabney. Is Lady Fielding all right?”

  Katherine nodded, removing her hands from her face but staring down at them when she balled them up in her lap. “I… I think she is. I… I am only concerned about Emma… oh, my lord, I do believe she has been harmed.”

  “Who would do such a thing?” He shook his head, holding his hand up again. “Hold your thoughts. I will get you some tea.”

  He stood up and went to the counter that ran along one side of the parlor. He reached up and pulled a cord to notify the scullery maid or the cook. It was only moments before the young woman appeared, having come directly up the steps from the kitchen in the lower part of the house.

  “My lord?” The girl looked at him curiously. He could tell she was wondering what was going on. He would not provide gossip for her.

  “Fetch Miss Katherine some tea, Minnie. And bring some for myself and the Duke of Rabney, as well.”

  Minnie nodded. “Yes, my lord.” She turned and went back down the steps, closing the door behind her.

  The Duke of Lox went to a side table by the doors they had come in and opened a drawer. He removed a soft handkerchief from it and returned to Miss Katherine with it.

  “I can see you are trying not to cry, my dear. You must be quite concerned for your sister.”

  Katherine nodded vigorously. “I am. Oh, your grace, I do not know what to do or how to feel. I am so afraid for her. I just know something terrible has happened to her.”

  The thought that Emma was in danger and he knew nothing about it made the Duke of Lox feel nauseous. He sat in a chair near Katherine, staring at her, wishing the Duke of Rabney would hurry up. Just as he was thinking it, his friend appeared at the door, staring at Katherine with wide eyes.

  “Miss Katherine!” he stated in a tone eerily similar to the one the Duke of Lox had used. “What is going on?”

  “Come in, Christian,” the Duke of Lox said, leaning forward and waving his friend in. “There appears to be trouble.” He turned back to Katherine. “Tell us now, Miss Katherine. What has happened to Lady Wentworth?”

  “Something has happened to Lady Wentworth?” the Duke of Rabney spat out the words before Katherine could explain. “Is Lady Fielding in danger?”

  Katherine looked at the Duke of Rabney through teary eyes as he approached with concern in his eyes. “No, my lord. She was fine when I saw her this morning. I… I went to Emma’s room to see if she wanted to go to London with me today to purchase a new gown. Mother said a few days ago that I could get one. But Emma was not in her room. I went to Camilla’s and she was still sleeping. I found Gertrude and asked her where Emma and my mother were because Mother was also gone. She said they had gone shopping in London early.”

  * * *

  The Duke of Lox blinked at the young woman, eventually turning his eyes to the Duke of Rabney to see what he thought of that explanation for Miss Katherine’s arrival. Both men looked at Katherine with curious looks.

  “Why do you suspect that might not be what happened?” the Duke of Lox asked her.

  Katherine shook her head. “My lord, Mother and Emma have not been getting along since… since you came
into her life. Mother is determined to have Emma wed to Lord Archibald. I know she is.”

  “How can you be so confident?” the Duke of Rabney asked as he sat down in a chair facing both the Duke of Lox and Katherine. “Perhaps that is exactly what happened.”

  Katherine shook her head even more violently. “No, no! Emma would not go without Camilla or without telling someone else. Her bedsheets were messed in a way I have never seen. As if… as if someone dragged her from her bed.”

  A chill ran through the Duke of Lox. He stood up in his anxiety and began to pace, thinking about the situation. “Why would Gertrude tell you she was gone to London with the duchess if that is not in fact what happened?”

  Katherine lifted tear-filled eyes to him. “I am afraid, my lord, that my mother told her to say that.”

  The Duke of Lox stopped pacing and stared at the young woman. Before he could speak, the Duke of Rabney stated in a calm voice, “Do you realize what you are saying, Miss Katherine?”

  Katherine nodded without vocalizing her feelings.

  “This is a very serious accusation to level against your own mother.” The Duke of Lox sat back down again, his heart pounding in his chest. Would a mother truly take a child away from the family home and hide her away just so that she would be forced to marry another man? It seemed so unlikely.

  “I realize that,” Katherine said in a desperate voice. “But I have thought about it and I cannot come up with any other reason for the state of Emma’s bedroom and the fact that she did not speak of her intentions to leave to anyone. It is not like Emma to do that. She always tells Camilla where she is going, if her cousin is there. And Camilla stayed last night.”

  The Duke of Lox looked at the Duke of Rabney. “I thought something was odd when the ladies did not stay up to say good night to us.”

  The Duke of Rabney nodded. “Yes, I agree with you, Baldwin. Though it was very late.”