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

by Fimch, Fanny

  The Duke of Lox returned his eyes to Katherine. “What do you suspect happened to Lady Wentworth, Miss Katherine?”

  Katherine shook her head, reaching up with the handkerchief to swipe the tears from her cheeks. “I do not know, my lord! That is what is troubling me! I cannot fathom where Mother might have taken her!”

  “Corning Manor is a big place. Perhaps she is being held there, in a private room or suite.” The Duke of Lox looked at his friend approvingly.

  “That sounds possible,” he said.

  Katherine shook her head. “No, I do not believe she is still in the house. I believe she has been taken from the house.”

  “Why do you feel this way?” The Duke of Lox was on his feet again, his mind racing as fast as his heart. “Surely the duchess would not hurt Lady Wentworth.”

  “I do not know. I just do not know.” Katherine began to sob, holding the handkerchief over her face. She spoke in spurted breaths. “I fear something has happened to Emma. My mother can be very headstrong. I heard her discussing the marriage arrangement with Lord Archibald and they were not kind to Emma. They do not care if she is happy. They only want her to do what they want her to do. My mother expects the duke to die very soon. If she has taken Emma away from Corning Manor, her father may die without her presence, without knowing. I do not know if he can hold on that long, my lords, and we must find her and return her to Corning Manor so that she is with her father when he passes. I cannot bear the thought of Emma not seeing her father until he is already gone. She should be sitting in his room right now, spending the last moments he has with her. She is his only daughter. He should not be without her.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Emma sat on the ledge, looking down at the green grass below, wishing she was free to leave the castle. She had not realized how precious her freedom was until it was taken from her. She had thought the three days she spent in isolation in Corning Manor was bad. But it was not nearly as bad as being locked away in a tower, kept away from everyone she loved.

  The sun was reaching up into the sky. It was one of the bright sunny days of England. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. She wondered what her friends and family were doing. Did they know she had been taken? Surely, someone would think to check on her. Especially if her step-mother had returned to Corning Manor. What excuse could she have given that would not raise suspicion?

  She could not have returned without Emma. Someone would say something. Camilla. The Duke of Lox. Someone.

  She did not know how they would find her, even if they were looking. She did not know where she was. How would they know?

  She tried not to feel distraught by her situation. No matter what happened, she would be all right. Her step-mother’s threat of “punishment” meant very little to her. After all, a life with Lord Archibald would be punishment enough. She could jump from the window at that very moment and it would be better than living her life with Lord Archibald.

  But Emma was not a stupid woman. She was confident the Duke of Lox would find her. She was not about to take her life to avoid Lord Archibald. He certainly was not worth that price. She looked out over the trees and the rolling hills around her. Winter was coming but the grass below the castle tower was still as green as ever.

  The door opening behind her made her turn her head and look to see who was entering. Whoever the duchess had sent to pick up her tray had not come yet. She wanted to see who was going along with the duchess in her scheme. It could not be one of the servants from Corning Manor. They were loyal to Emma. Most of them had been with the family for many years.

  It was not a servant.

  It was Lord Archibald.

  He grinned wide at her. “Good morning, Lady Wentworth.”

  She did not smile back. She moved from the window ledge. She would not give him an opportunity to push her over when she rebuffed his advances. “Is it still morning?” was all she could say.

  He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Emma immediately felt unsafe. No gentleman would allow himself to be in a room alone with a lady. She crossed to the chair by the bed nervously.

  “It will be morning for another hour, my lady,” he replied, still smiling.

  She shook her head. “Why are you doing this, Lord Archibald? You must know I am not willing to marry you. I will never want to marry you. I will never love you.”

  “You will learn to love me, Lady Wentworth, I promise you.”

  Emma grunted. “Your promises mean nothing to me. You will have much to deal with when my father and the Duke of Lox find out what you have done. Do you not realize what a position you have put yourself in? You will not escape from this.”

  “I have no need to escape. I have what I want already here.”

  “They will come looking for me,” Emma insisted. “You know they will.”

  She did not like the look on Lord Archibald’s face. He was too smug. She wondered how far away from her home he had taken her. Fear slipped through her but she pushed it away. She could not let Lord Archibald know she was intimidated by him.

  “As I said before, they can look all they want. They will not find you here.”

  He stepped closer to Emma but did not come close enough to touch her. After having successfully kidnapped her, she did not know whether he would go even further with his ungentlemanly behavior. She braced for it but he did not come any closer.

  “You must realize I am only doing what needs to be done,” Lord Archibald said, leaning against the canopy bed pole, his eyes directly on her. She gazed back at him with confusion.

  “Whatever do you mean?”

  Lord Archibald sighed and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. She watched him, thinking he had a strange look on his face. He had looked so smug before. Now he looked almost sympathetic, as if there was something he should be sympathetic about. He leaned forward, clasping his hands in front of him with his elbows on his knees.

  “I care a great deal about you, Lady Wentworth. And the Duchess of Corning has told me all about your situation. She is very worried about you. And so am I.”

  Emma frowned in confusion. She could not think what the Duchess of Corning or Lord Archibald could be worried about. “I do not understand,” she said quietly. “What is Mother worried about?”

  Lord Archibald did not immediately answer. He was still giving her that sympathetic look, as if she simply did not realize how she was being hurt. Her heartbeat sped up as several different theories ran through her mind.

  Had her mother told him she was ill? That she was going to be sent away after her father died? What could she possibly have told him that would make it imperative for him to hide her away from the world and keep her from the ones she loved?

  “The duchess said you would deny it. But you do not need to with me. I will care for you as a gentleman should. You do not have to worry yourself.”

  “I am not worried about anything,” Emma protested. “I have nothing to worry about… except you… and Mother. I still do not understand why you are worried about me.”

  “I just want to keep you safe from harm, Lady Wentworth. That is all I hold dear.”

  Emma shook her head. “I am afraid you know more than I do about my own situation. I do wish you would inform me what you are talking about.”

  “I am talking about the Duke of Lox, my lady.”

  His words took her completely by surprise. She frowned deeper. “What do you mean?”

  Lord Archibald pulled in a breath, looking like he did not want to speak the words aloud. “He has a reputation for being a cad. I want to spare you from any humiliation he might cause you.”

  Emma felt a sharp pain in her chest. This had to do with the Duke of Lox? How could it be? She thought back as her reservations about the man flooded her mind. Had she been right all along? She knew nothing about his reputation, other than what the Duke of Rabney had passed on to Camilla and Camilla passed on to Emma.

  “I am so confused.” She regretted her tone o
f voice. Pain and embarrassment split through her. “How do you know this is true? What has been said about him?”

  “I only know what the duchess has told me, my lady. She said that where he comes from, he has been seen with many different women, all claiming to be courting him, apparently at the same time. He has multiple women in different areas of London and living out in the country and he visits them frequently.”

  “That does not make sense,” Emma said. “He has been here in our part of London all season. He…”

  “Just because you do not see him with the women he is purported to have been with does not mean it did not happen.”

  “And just because you say he was seen with them does not make it true,” Emma countered.

  Lord Archibald raised his eyebrows. “Are you saying your mother is a liar?”

  Emma did not know how to answer that. She suspected that the Duchess of Corning had indeed lied to Lord Archibald but she also could not deny her initial suspicions about the Duke of Lox. She had convinced herself that he had just used the wrong words and had not given her the best of first impressions.

  But it was too late for Emma to turn back. She had decided she loved the Duke of Lox and would not be able to come back from that. When she pictured him in her mind, it made her body flood with a warm, pleasant feeling she wanted to feel for the rest of her life.

  She saw his eyes gazing at her in her mind. She felt an inner peace that told her the Duchess of Corning had to be wrong. The Duke of Lox was not a scoundrel. He was not a rake. He was a good man who had given his heart to Emma. Just as she had given hers to him.

  She shook her head. “I do not believe these claims. Mother must be mistaken. It must be another gentleman she is thinking of. It is not the Duke of Lox. I am afraid of you, Lord Archibald, you have made me afraid of you. I do not want to be here. I do not want to marry you. I do not love you. I love the Duke of Lox and I plan to be his wife.”

  Lord Archibald shook his head. “The duchess said you would say as much. But it is simply not going to happen. She has convinced me we must protect you for your own good.”

  Emma felt the flicker of anger slide up the back of her neck and into her head. She clenched her jaw. “I cannot and will not let you and Mother do this to me,” she said through clenched teeth.

  Lord Archibald stood up. Again, she feared he would approach her and try to touch her but he did not. He turned to pick up the tray of food she had left behind. Before he left the room, he turned back to look at her.

  “Lady Wentworth, I am only doing what the duchess said needed to be done. Neither of us want to see you hurt. She has convinced me that the Duke of Lox only considers you another woman to ensnare. I cannot bear to see you end up with a man of that nature.”

  Emma shook her head. “You are wrong, Lord Archibald. My mother is mistaken. It is not the Duke of Lox who should be feared. It is you. You are the one who has taken me from my family and friends. Do you think the Duke of Corning would allow such a thing to happen to his daughter? He will not permit you to marry me. Bringing me here before he has passed on was a mistake. He will demand to know where I am.”

  Lord Archibald gave her a sad look that brought back her fear. Her eyes opened wide and she lifted one hand to cover her mouth. “Why do you look at me that way?” she asked breathlessly.

  “I am sorry, my lady. The Duke of Corning passed on this morning. I am truly sorry. My deepest condolences. I do hope you will see this is why we must keep you safe from the Duke of Lox.”

  He moved to close the door, leaving her alone to drop her head to her hands and sob uncontrollably.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  The Duke of Lox and the Duke of Rabney discussed their next move as they prepared to leave Brisbourne. Their first task was to see Katherine safely home. It took them nearly half an hour to calm her down. Once she stopped weeping, they both escorted her to the Corning carriage which she had brought to get to Brisbourne.

  The Duke of Lox and the Duke of Rabney rode their horses alongside the carriage Katherine was sitting in. She was sitting with her back straight, her worried eyes focused ahead of her. If she had been seen alone in the carriage with a man not her relation, it would have severely damaged her reputation. Both the dukes were attempting to establish themselves in the society of the area and did not wish to damage their own reputations, either.

  They rode down the street in near silence. She was staring out at the passing landscape with melancholy eyes that had grown puffy and red from her crying. The Duke of Lox could see just how much the young girl was afraid for her sister. It touched his heart while also making him very nervous. If anyone knew the family inside and out, it was Katherine.

  She suspected her own mother of wrongdoing. It seemed so unlikely and yet, the Duke of Lox could see it happening. He did not know the duchess well enough to make an established opinion but what he had seen of Lord Archibald made him suspicious.

  Katherine gasped and her eyes flicked to the Duke of Lox. “Oh my!” she exclaimed.

  He frowned, riding up alongside the carriage. “What is it, my lady?”

  “I just remembered something that could prove useful and relevant!” Katherine continued as though she could not believe she had forgotten to mention it. “I overheard Mother talking to Lord Archibald… it must have been last week or perhaps a fortnight ago. I do not remember where Emma was but she was not here. Father had just taken a turn for the worse. You and the Duke of Rabney were there that morning. You did not stay. You had Lady Christian with you.”

  The Duke of Lox nodded. “I remember the day, Miss Katherine.” She was referring to the day that he and the Duke of Rabney had discovered the very muddy, very disheveled Emma and Camilla standing on the side of the road. He glanced at the Duke of Rabney who turned his eyes and twitched his lips. He remembered the day, as well. How could he not?

  “It was that day,” Katherine’s voice turned mysterious as she remembered, “that I went into the parlor and sat by the fireplace. There is a vent near the floor there. I could hear Mother talking to Lord Archibald but I do not know what room they were in.”

  The Duke of Lox leaned forward slightly, urging Katherine to continue with a nod of his head. “What were they saying?”

  “Mother was saying that… that there was a problem she needed his help with and that… that he was the only one who could do it. He… his responses were not pleasant. I must say the tone of his voice sounded more angry than compliant. He asked why he should help her in any way. She told him he would get nothing if he did not cooperate.”

  “Please continue,” the Duke of Rabney said when she hesitated. The Duke of Lox glanced at him, noticing he was as anxious as he to learn what was going on. She nodded, swallowing visibly and her voice dropped.

  “He said he would help her but only because he was required to do so. Why would he say that? Why would he be required to help her with anything?”

  The men looked at each other and then back at her, shaking their heads.

  “Continue, Miss Katherine,” the Duke of Lox said.

  “I did not hear much more. They left the room when Mother said she wanted to check on the duke. But I did catch Emma’s name and… and yours, your grace.” She looked at the Duke of Lox. “She was saying something about… about…” Katherine’s face scrunched up as she searched her memory.

  “But I could not hear what she said. It was so low… I… I thought nothing of it at the time because you had brought Emma home and I thought she was referencing that you had rescued someone in that manner before. If she is speaking to Lord Archibald about you and my sister and now my sister is gone, it cannot be a good thing. Can it?”

  The Duke of Lox was taken by the look on the young girl’s face. She was looking at him as if he was her only hope. He had no doubt she felt he was the only one who could rescue Emma, wherever she was.

  “Miss Katherine.” The Duke of Rabney got the girl’s attention. “Tell me what you think is going on. It
looks as though you have an idea.”

  Katherine flushed prettily. Both men immediately felt sorry for her. “Your grace, I believe my mother and Lord Archibald have taken Emma from Corning Manor. I do not know where they have taken her but… I do believe he is involved in this.”

  The Duke of Lox frowned and sighed heavily. Lord Archibald was becoming quite a problem. It seemed the man felt behooved to act as Emma’s rescuer under false pretenses. “What could the duchess be thinking?” he mumbled.

  Katherine’s eyes grew wide with fear. “Oh, my lord, I do not wish to bring harm to my mother or her reputation. But I do fear she has taken matters into her own hands where Emma is concerned. I cannot… I cannot imagine what she could be thinking. It does not make sense to me.”

  “That is because you are a lady, Miss Katherine,” the Duke of Lox replied. “You have a good heart. Like your sister.”

  “We are not blood related, your grace,” Katherine replied. “We are only step-sisters. My father was killed when I was a child, just before my mother married the Duke of Corning.”

  The two men looked at each other. This was something neither of them knew. They looked back at Katherine.

  “I did not realize that, my lady,” the Duke of Lox said quietly. “I was under the impression the duke was also your father. You are very close in age to Lady Wentworth.”

  “Yes, she is only a few years older than me,” Katherine confirmed. “My mother wed him when I was about five. He has always been my father but he is not my real father.”

  “I am sorry to hear about your father, Miss Katherine.”

  Katherine nodded at the Duke of Rabney. “Thank you, my lord. I do not remember him well. My mother has never given me any details of his death so I cannot tell you what happened. I only know that the Duke of Corning was courting my mother shortly after. And I only know that because he told me about it when he was still a healthy man.”

  “How is the Duke of Corning this morning?”