To Tempt a Dashing Lord

by Lucy Langton

  Chapter 30

  Marcus’ heart pounded in his chest as the carriage rolled through Town. With the hour being so late, there was hardly anyone else strolling the streets or riding through the night. It gave Marcus plenty opportunity to keep a sharp eye out of the window for any signs of Catherine. Though he had no idea where to go or where to look, he knew in his heart that he couldn’t give up.

  When the carriage came to a sudden halt, Marcus wondered if his driver had seen something. He opened the carriage door and poked his head outside before calling to the driver.

  “Why have we stopped?” he asked.

  “There are bright lights up ahead, My Lord. Smoke fills the skies. We should turn back,” his driver said as he leaned over the side of the carriage and spoke down to him. Curious, Marcus stepped down from the carriage and walked to the front to see exactly what his driver was speaking of. It was then that he saw an old, run-down house ablaze, with the high potential of setting the neighbouring houses on fire as well.

  “Sound the alarm,” Marcus said to the driver. “Head into the night shouting that there is a fire.”

  “But I won’t leave you, My Lord,” the driver said as his hands tightened on the reins.

  “Fear not. I promise not to approach the fire,” Marcus said with a smile on his lips. The driver nodded and flicked the reins, sending the horses into a trot. Then, his voice rose into the air as he shouted to anyone that would hear him that a fire had been set. It wasn’t long before Marcus saw families dressed in their nightclothes emerging from their homes. Next came a fire line as men gathered buckets of water and began to throw them upon the blaze.

  Marcus watched it all in wonder, thinking he’d never seen a house fire before. How the families and men in the area began to work together really impressed Marcus, and he thought that these types of communities were needed in all places. He wasn’t sure that if his townhouse caught on fire that his neighbours would do the same for him.

  In the chaos of the fire and the people taking to the streets, Marcus did his best to stay away from the crowd of people that was gathering. He still needed to find Catherine and discover what had happened to her. Marcus began to wonder if he should just return home and hope for some sort of word by the morning.

  As he started to walk in the direction of his townhouse and away from the more dissolute part of Town, he saw a young lady walking at a fast pace on the other side of the road. At first, he thought she might be one of the many family members who had taken to the streets to fight off the fire and protect their homes. But once he realised she wasn’t making her way to help those that had made a line to pass water, he became more curious of her.

  It was when she turned to look behind her that he realised that it was Catherine. He felt the wind knocked out of him as he looked into her eyes. She stopped walking and stared at him in return, her eyes growing wide as her mouth fell open. Without thinking twice about it, Marcus darted across the road, thankful that it was night and there were no carriages out.

  Catherine met him halfway and flung her arms around his shoulders. He looped his arms around her waist and held her tight, tears coming to his eyes. Marcus could hear the sobs coming from her throat as she cried into his chest. He was so thankful to have found her that he felt as though he was just waking from a dream and couldn’t get enough of the feeling that Catherine was with him.

  “Catherine, what happened?” Marcus asked as he took her hands in his and led her out of the road.

  “I was asleep in bed when Lord Whetstone entered my room and dragged me from the bed. He came in with a mask over his face, frightening me so dearly that I didn’t know what else to do but to do as he asked. He struck Mr. Burg in the head as he pulled me from the house and forced me to get into his carriage.

  “It was only then that he revealed himself and his plan. He wanted me to tell the Royal Magistrate that I had lied about him. It was I that set the house on fire in order to escape.”

  Marcus walked with Catherine tucked under his arm, listening to her story as they made haste towards the townhouse. It would be a long walk, but as long as he had Catherine, he didn’t care how long it took to get home.

  “I saw the house ablaze. It is what stopped my driver from leading the carriage in that direction. I came home from the dinner party and saw Mr. Burg in a desperate state. I took to the streets as soon as he explained what had happened,” Marcus said. “I had no idea where to look or what to do. I simply knew that I needed to try to find you if I could.”

  “I’m not sure who helped Lord Whetstone escape the Tower, but I did hear a man call him by his Christian name. He urged Lord Whetstone to leave Town on a ship, but he refused to go anywhere and thought he could force me to lie to the Royal Magistrate,” Catherine rambled, speaking so quickly that it was hard for him to understand what she was saying.

  “I’m not sure what type of man would have the kind of power to smuggle someone out of the Tower,” Marcus said, “but it amazes me that Lord Whetstone didn’t take the chance to flee. When he’s caught, he’ll surely hang for this.”

  “If he is caught. I don’t know who was in the house when I let the candle leap from the stick to the door I was being kept in,” Catherine said. “I’m not sure…if I killed someone by trying to escape.”

  “You did what you had to do, Catherine. Think no more of it,” Marcus said, squeezing Catherine tightly against him as he walked. The night was cold and he wished that he hadn’t sent his driver away. He wanted to get Catherine home as soon as he could and make sure she was alright. The night seemed longer than any night he could remember and all he wanted to do was make sure Catherine would never be harmed again.

  ~*~

  Catherine was sitting in a bathtub of hot water, but still she shivered and shook from the shock of it all. She was back in their townhouse in Marcus’ bedchamber, being washed after the ordeal she had endured at the hands of Lord Whetstone once more. Mrs. Denton was working tirelessly to scrub every inch of dust and soot from her hair and body while Catherine simply stared into the space in front of her.

  A fire burned in the fireplace, filling the room with warmth and light. Several candelabras had been positioned around the room, giving the room a healthy glow.

  A part of her wondered just how much longer it would be to sunrise, and if she would be able to sleep soon. However, the idea of falling asleep frightened her since she feared the idea of slumbering only to be forced awake once more.

  “She should see a doctor,” Mrs. Denton said once she finished washing her hair. Marcus sat in a chair close by. Catherine could feel his eyes on her, but she was more focused on the frightened thoughts running through her mind than reality.

  “In the morning. She needs water and sleep most of all,” Marcus said. He stood from the chair then and stepped into the dress room to have his valet to help him change into his nightclothes. By the time he was finished, Mrs. Denton and Catherine’s lady’s maid had helped her from the tub and had dried her off. With a fresh set of undergarments and a clean nightgown, she was helped into bed with Marcus quickly joining her.

  When the candles had been snubbed and the room emptied of all the servants, Catherine focused her eyes on the dancing shadows on the ceiling casted from the fire dying out in the fireplace. She felt stiff in the bed even though she knew that Marcus was next to her. Sheer exhaustion was running its course over her body, and yet she didn’t dare let her eyes fall closed in fear of being kidnapped once more.

  “Come here,” Marcus said, his voice soft. Catherine turned her eyes from the dancing light to Marcus’ face. He looked as exhausted as she felt, dark circles underneath his eyes. His brown eyes were dark, almost black as he looked at her, stretching his arms open to allow her to cuddle up to him. Catherine moved over in the bed until she was lying next to him, allowing his arms to come around her and hold her tight.

  “Are you alright, Catherine?” Marcus asked as she kept her eyes on his.

  “I’m not su
re, Marcus. I am so frightened that I don’t know what to do. I know I must sleep but I don’t want to,” Catherine admitted.

  “Close your eyes, Catherine. I promise nothing will happen to you while you are in my arms,” Marcus said, his voice soft as a whisper.

  “I’m just so afraid,” Catherine said, tears coming to her eyes.

  “I know, Catherine. I know. I was so scared when I saw Mr. Burg and he explained to me what had happened. I had no idea what would come of you,” Marcus said, his voice cracking as tears flooded his eyes. “But you’re safe now. I promise.”

  Catherine blinked back tears and raised her hand to clear her eyes. Then, she finally gave into the exhaustion and closed her eyes as she cuddled up against Marcus. With her head pressed up on his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her, she listened to the sound of his heartbeat. Eventually, it lulled her into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 31

  Catherine kept telling herself to take it easy the next day. She woke late the following morning, feeling groggy and unsure of herself. A maid had been building up the fire to ensure the room stayed warm. Very little showed in through the window for a storm had come to settle over Town. Catherine thought the weather was very fitting for the way she felt and knew that it would be best to move slowly and focus on her most basic needs.

  Shortly after waking, Marcus came to the room carrying Beth. The child giggled with delight upon seeing her, and for a while Catherine simply sat in bed holding the child close. But eventually Beth tired of being held and wanted to crawl around the bed, then around the floor. She enjoyed watching Marcus keep a close eye on Beth as she moved about, and it did Catherine’s heart some good to see him being so attentive.

  Once Beth tired of the game, she went to Mrs. Denton for some lunch and an afternoon nap. Catherine eventually got out of bed herself and readied for the day, taking a meal in the bedchamber with Marcus as they simply focused on each other, often holding hands or sitting close to one another.

  “I wrote an account of last night and had it delivered to the Royal Magistrate this morning,” Marcus said after Catherine had finished eating a bowl of lentil soup with slices of freshly made bread.

  “Has there been any word of what transpired last night?” Catherine asked.

  “The papers detailed the fire, but with very little details of how it started or who might have been in the fire. Though, it was contained before it could burn any of the other buildings,,” Marcus explained, sipping a cup of black tea.

  “I suppose that is one good thing. That the fire I started did not cause damage to the homes of others,” Catherine said with a sigh, setting her empty bowl aside on the silver serving tray.

  “How are you feeling now that you’ve eaten?”

  “I’m still shaken from last night. A part of me wants to crawl back into bed and pretend as though nothing happened,” Catherine said, tears coming to her eyes once more. She felt foolish for being so full of tears and wished she could feel stronger. But she truly felt weak inside as she continued to remember how she had felt the night before.

  “I should have never gone to that dinner party without you,” Marcus said as he set his teacup aside. “If I had stayed home, or we had gone together, this wouldn’t have happened.”

  “But what if he had taken Beth in return to bribe us to do what he needed?” Catherine asked. “The man was going to get what he wanted one way or another.”

  “I regret leaving you last night for my own foolish ambitions. I truly thought what I was doing was the best for you and Beth. Now I feel as though I never want to leave your side ever again.”

  “Neither one of us could have known what was going to happen because of the foolish desires of one mad man. Lord Whetstone won’t be able to escape the Tower a second time.”

  “Then we should return to the countryside post-haste. I think we’ve both had enough of Town living for now,” Marcus said, drawing Catherine’s attention to him.

  “But what about our reputation? I’m sure you still have ambitions to pursue,” Catherine said.

  “We can attend to them next Season when we return to Town after winter has passed. I should have listened to Aunt Daniella when I had a chance. People will have forgotten about us by the time we return to Town, and we can work on our reputation then. But for now, I think what matters most is making sure you recover from this entire ordeal, and making sure Beth is safe in the process.”

  Catherine nodded as she turned her eyes to the windowpanes, the sound of raining hitting the glass filling the room. The occasional crackle from the fire would mix with the melody of the rain, helping to sooth her nerves and racing mind.

  A soft knocking on the door drew Catherine’s attention away from the rain and instead to the opening of the door as a footman poked his head into the bedchamber and announced the arrival of Lady Evergreen. Catherine smiled, thinking the woman would be quick to respond to any sort of news in the paper. Since the article didn’t detail anything concerning herself or Lord Whetstone, she was curious to listen to Lady Evergreen’s reasoning of the fire.

  Marcus rose from his chair and helped Catherine to her feet. Making sure her day gown wasn’t wrinkled, she allowed Marcus to escort her from the bedchamber down to the sitting room. It was there that they saw Lady Evergreen standing by an open fire, seeming to dry her gown from the soaking rain outside.

  “I didn’t think you’d pay us a visit on such a gloomy day, Aunt Daniella,” Marcus said as he approached his aunt and kissed her cheek.

  “Normally I wouldn’t dare leave my house in such nasty conditions. But my dear friend Lady Phillips spoke to me this morning about the body they pulled from that house fire last night,” Lady Evergreen said, her eyes drifting to Catherine for a moment before speaking once more.

  “They found Lord Whetstone amongst the flames, having passed away from the smoke and fire. The man was supposed to be locked away in the Tower, yet somehow ended up in a burning building.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Marcus said, easing his aunt down into a chair. Catherine came to sit down beside her, wondering what they should say to the woman.

  “Auntie, something else terrible happened last night,” Catherine spoke up, knowing it would be best to not keep secrets between the two of them. When Lady Evergreen didn’t say anything, Catherine continued.

  “Lord Whetstone broke into the house last night and kidnapped me. He took me to that house and demanded I tell the Royal Magistrate that he didn’t take advantage of me. I set fire to the room I was being kept in and escaped through the window.”

  Catherine watched as the colour slowly drained out of Lady Evergreen’s face. Marcus was quick to have the footman bring them all a glass of sherry. It wasn’t until they had finished their drink that the widow said anything.

  “Who knows of this?” she asked.

  “I wrote the Royal Magistrate this morning,” Marcus admitted. “I thought it important for him to know.”

  “Then let no other soul know of what has happened,” Lady Evergreen said as she looked between Marcus and Catherine. “I don’t want people to think that Catherine is a killer.”

  “I doubt many people have a very high opinion of me to begin with,” Catherine said with a sigh.

  “The families I dined with last night appeared very sympathetic towards you,” Marcus said then. “I do have high hopes that we will be able to maintain our position in society come next Season.”

  “We can only hope,” Lady Evergreen said as she set her empty sherry glass aside and rested her hands on her cane. “I think we’ve all been through enough for one year.” Catherine nodded as she sipped at her sherry, feeling more tired than she had earlier when she had woken.

  “Forgive me, Aunt Daniella. I want to help Catherine back to bed. She did not sleep very well last night,” Marcus said, seeming to see that Catherine wasn’t faring very well.

  “Of course, my dears. Don’t mind me at all. I shall simply wait out the storm before returning t
o my townhouse,” Lady Evergreen said.