by Anne Herries
Lucy felt the sting of tears, but was forced to blink them away as some ladies came up to her. She did her best to reassure them that it was all a mistake and that Judith’s message had gone astray, but she was sure they did not believe her.
She wished that she might have taken some part in the search, but she knew that Paul was right; she would have hindered him, for he must be free to act as he saw fit. If she had insisted on going with him, she might have been more trouble than help.
It was frustrating, but for the moment all she could do was to wait patiently and pray that either Paul or the marquis found Judith before...she suffered harm at the hands of the rogue who had abducted her.
* * *
Judith shuddered as she opened her eyes. Her head ached shockingly, though she thought she must have slept for some hours after she was brought to this house. It had been still early in the day when they arrived, having driven throughout the night with only one stop to change horses. She vaguely recalled that, for Daventry had held a pistol on her and told her that if she screamed he would shoot. She’d been feeling very ill again and any thought of resistance had been far from her mind at that moment. She had only been half-awake when she was carried from the coach into the house and up some stairs, receiving only a dim impression of her surroundings.
It was not, she imagined, a large house, for it was used only occasionally, by gentlemen for hunting. She wondered if Daventry had bought it for the purpose of hiding her, but dismissed it because she was certain that he would not have been so reckless had the idea of her marriage to Elver not angered him so much. Why had he suddenly decided that she must marry him or no one when she could swear he had not thought of her for years—until he’d seen her at Dawlish?
Was it Judith he wanted to destroy in truth or the man she’d promised to marry? Something he’d said to her in the carriage seemed to imply that he had a score to settle with Elver...and that meant that he might not care whether she became his wife or not. He might even prefer to seduce her and then return her to her fiancé, rejoicing in the pain he had caused.
Only a cruel, fiendish mind could dream up such a scheme. If any lingering doubts had survived in her mind concerning the earl, they were banished now. She was angry, disgusted with him for venting his spite on her—a woman he had already harmed. His tale of her father sending him away might indeed have been true, but had he loved her he would have taken her without a penny. Had he done so, her father would have relented in time, for he loved her. Daventry had not cared enough—and that stung her, made her anger burn and grow inside her.
She would never submit to him. She would prefer to die rather than let him touch her intimately; the very thought made her sick to her stomach.
Looking about her, Judith saw that the room had not been cleaned in an age and Daventry must have thought up this abduction without much of a plan. There were chests, a bed, an armoire and a chair, also heavy brass candlesticks...which would make a weapon to defend herself, though only in an emergency. She was not sure she could strike a heavy enough blow to knock him out and to stun him would merely make him angrier than he already was.
What else might she find if she looked? She got up from the bed where she had been lying and began to walk across the room. Opening first some drawers and then the door of the armoire, she saw that the room had previously been occupied by a sporting gentleman. There were clothes, boots, whips and various items of sporting paraphernalia, but nothing that would make an effective weapon. Turning round in a circle, she saw the oak hutch and walked towards it. She lifted the lid and then smiled as she saw exactly what she needed.
Lying on top of a velvet cloak was a box, which she was sure contained a pair of duelling pistols. Her father had a box just like it with the word ‘Manton’ embossed on the mahogany lid. She reached for it, opened it and took out one of the pistols just as she heard the door being unlocked behind her.
‘So you are awake,’ a voice said. ‘Good. I think it is time for your lessons in obedience to begin... Good grief, what have you there?’
‘A pistol,’ Judith replied coolly. ‘Come one step closer and I shall fire.’
‘You little fool,’ Daventry said and moved towards her.
Judith fired. She was a little surprised when the sound of a shot exploded, for she had not known if it was loaded, and even more shocked that her ball hit Daventry in his right shoulder. He lay groaning as she approached him, then she stepped over his body and walked out of the room without a backward glance.
All she could think of was that she must escape before one of Daventry’s servants came to investigate.
* * *
Paul had been driving at breakneck speed for most of the day. He’d stopped once to change his horses and to snatch a glass of ale and a pork pie, which he ate while the grooms saw to the horses. Then he was off again, having been told of a route through narrow country lanes that would cut several miles off his journey to the village of Throckmorton. He had been told that he would come to a gentleman’s hunting box just a mile outside the village.
‘Have you seen a coach pass this way in a hurry—either last night or this morning?’ Paul asked the man who had directed him.
‘There was a coach passed by in the early hours,’ one of the ostlers ventured, ‘but they didn’t stop to change their horses, sir.’
Thanking the ostler, Paul took up the reins of his curricle again and set out. His groom was sitting beside him, keeping an eye out for signposts to Throckmorton, and it was he who cried out when he saw the woman walking down the country lane towards them some twenty minutes later.
‘Look, Captain,’ said the former trooper. ‘Damn my eyes if it ain’t the lady you’re lookin’ for. I’ll swear she’s got away from the rogues.’
Paul gentled his horses to a walk as he saw the rather bedraggled young woman walking slowly towards them. She was weaving oddly from side to side, clearly in a state of distress. Her evening gown was torn and stained, her feet bare and a long-barrelled duelling pistol dangled from one hand. From the look of her face he could see that she had been crying and her cheeks were smeared with mud, her hair straggling about her shoulders.
Paul gave the reins to his groom and jumped down, running towards her in relief. ‘Lady Sparrow,’ he said, feeling pity as he saw that she was close to exhaustion. ‘How glad I am to have found you. Lucy was sure that rogue had abducted you and—’
‘I shot him,’ Judith said, dropped the duelling pistol at his feet and then swooned into his arms.
Paul caught her and carried her to his curricle, taking care to set cushions beneath her head and to cover her with the blankets he had brought for the purpose.
‘Did she say she had shot him, Captain?’ Paul’s groom asked. ‘She’s a game ’un, by George.’
‘Yes, very brave,’ Paul said. ‘I hope that she may have killed him, Ned, though it may cause us some trouble to sort out.’
‘He don’t deserve to live and that’s a fact,’ Ned replied. ‘Anyways, he ain’t goin’ ter complain ter the magistrate, is he?’
‘No,’ Paul said grimly. ‘He certainly is not. We had better get her home, Ned. We can’t stop to investigate now—happily, it will be dark by the time we reach Bath and so we may avoid more scandal if we are fortunate.’
‘I reckon as Fortune was on our side right enough, Captain,’ Ned said. ‘If you hadn’t come across country instead of sticking to the high road, we might never have found her.’
Paul nodded, his mouth tight. ‘She could not have got much further in her state and might have lain out here all night. I think the shock could have killed her. We have been very lucky, Ned. Very lucky indeed.’
‘You always was lucky, Captain,’ Ned said with a grin. ‘That’s why the men was glad to serve under you.’
* * *
It was late and Lucy was on the
verge of going to bed when the door knocker sounded. They had sat at home all night, cancelling their engagements, for neither Lucy nor Lady Dawlish had the heart for an evening of pleasure at Lady Norton’s ball. Lady Dawlish had retired to her bed with a headache, but Lucy had sat up, hoping that something would happen.
She ran to the door as it was opened and gave a strangled gasp as Paul entered carrying an unconscious Judith in his arms.
‘Is she hurt badly?’ Lucy cried. ‘Oh, that devil has harmed her.’
‘If he did, he received just punishment,’ Paul said. ‘She told me she had shot him before she passed out.’
‘Was she at the hunting box Mr Havers told you of?’
‘She must have been at one point, I think, for it was not far from Throckmorton that we found her. It was by sheer chance that we took the country roads rather than the high road. Had we not done so, we must have missed her.’
‘Oh, thank God you did not,’ Lucy said, tears starting to her eyes. ‘Will you carry her up to her room, sir?’
‘Yes, of course. I have sent my groom for a doctor, for she must certainly be seen. As soon as he returns I must ride over to Elver, for her fiancé must be in despair.’
‘Yes, I am certain of it...’ Lucy caught her breath. ‘Will he stand by her if...if she is ruined?’
‘I believe he would, he cares for her very much, Lucy.’
Lucy went ahead, leading the way to her cousin’s room. Anna had come out to see what was going on and gave a little cry of relief mixed with anguish as she saw her mistress carried in Captain Ravenscar’s arms.
‘Look at the state of her,’ she cried. ‘Her pretty gown...and her feet. She has cut her poor feet.’
‘Captain Ravenscar rescued her,’ Lucy said. ‘Put her down on the bed, Paul. Anna and I will tend to her now.’
‘I shall wait for the doctor downstairs,’ he said after placing his burden carefully on the bed. ‘I shall not return this evening, Lucy, but perhaps tomorrow...’
‘Yes, thank you,’ she said, a little distracted. ‘Thank you. I must help Anna look after her now.’
‘Yes, of course, Lucy.’
She glanced his way and smiled, hardly noticing as he left the room and went downstairs. Together she and Judith’s maid undressed her and Anna fetched water to wash the blood and mud from her feet.
‘She must have cut herself on stones,’ Anna said. ‘I wonder what made her take off her shoes?’
‘I dare say she needed to run,’ Lucy replied. ‘I think she is not badly hurt otherwise, so why does she not stir?’
Anna shook her head and looked worried. ‘I do not know...what can have happened to her?’
Lucy wished that she’d asked for more details, but she’d been too concerned for her cousin.
They had just settled the sheets about Judith when they heard the doctor arrive. He was shown up by the housekeeper, who tutted as she saw Judith’s pale face.
‘Here’s a pretty thing,’ she said. ‘When a decent young woman cannot go into a private garden without being abducted.’
‘Please,’ Lucy said. ‘We do not know what happened yet. We must try to keep the details quiet.’
‘Yes, of course, Miss Dawlish. I shall not breathe a word.’
Lucy forced a smile. If the servants knew it all, how soon before the whole of Bath was talking of Judith’s abduction? She feared that her cousin might be ruined, especially if Elver withdrew his offer.
However, she had little time to think of such things, for the doctor was examining his patient and looking grave. After a while he turned and looked at Lucy.
‘Has she been like this ever since she was brought back?’
‘Yes, I think so, sir,’ Lucy said. ‘Do you think she suffered a blow to the head?’
‘I have found no sign of it. I think she has fallen into a state of exhaustion and may just be deeply asleep. There is little I can do for her, because she has no physical injury...but let me know if she does not wake by morning.’
‘What is wrong with her?’ Lucy asked anxiously.
‘I cannot say, Miss Dawlish...unless she has suffered an unpleasant shock, which has temporarily robbed her of her senses.’
‘She will recover?’
‘Oh, yes, I believe she will...but she may be unlike herself for a while.’
‘Yes, I see,’ Lucy said, though she wished she did understand. Why could he not be more certain of his diagnosis?
‘Lucy, what is wrong?’ a very tired and slightly irritable voice asked from the doorway.
Lucy turned her head to see her mother standing there in a pale-ink satin wrap, her hair tucked into a lace nightcap.
‘Judith is back, Mama,’ she said. ‘Paul found her...but she is not well.’
Lady Dawlish gave a little scream and rushed towards the bed. She stared down at her niece’s pale face and moaned, twisting a scented kerchief in restless fingers.
‘Oh, the poor child. What has that wicked man done to her? My brother will never forgive me. I should have taken more care of her...’ She looked on the verge of hysterics.
‘None of this was your fault, Mama,’ Lucy assured her quickly. ‘I believe it relates to the past...some quarrel between—’
Lady Dawlish gave another cry of despair and fainted, falling to the floor in a crumpled heap.
‘Mama!’ Lucy cried and rushed to her. ‘Oh, Mama, please do not upset yourself. We have Judith back...’
The doctor knelt and felt for a pulse. ‘Do not distress yourself, Miss Dawlish,’ he said. ‘The poor lady has merely fainted.’ He took a little silver vinaigrette from his coat pocket and waved it under Lady Dawlish’s nose. She moaned and opened her eyes, and he beckoned to Anna. ‘Help me get your mistress to her room, girl.’
‘Yes, sir,’ Anna said, though she was Judith’s personal maid.
She and the doctor helped Lady Dawlish to her feet. Still moaning and weeping, she was helped along the landing to her own bedchamber. Lucy was about to follow when she heard a faint noise from the bed. She went quickly to Judith’s side and looked down at her. Her eyelashes flickered, then she opened her eyes and stared up at Lucy.
‘Where am I?’ she asked. ‘Lucy...how did I get here?’
Lucy sat down on the edge of the bed and reached for her hand. ‘You are safe now, dearest Cousin. Paul found you wandering. He told me that you had escaped somehow.’
A look of pain passed across Judith’s face. ‘It was horrible,’ she whispered, her voice hoarse. ‘I went out for a little air on the terrace because it was hot and I wanted to be alone for a moment. Daventry had threatened me earlier and...’ She shook her head in distress. ‘I never dreamed he would do anything so wicked. They threw a blanket over me and carried me to a coach. I struggled, but I could not fight them...’
‘Oh, my poor cousin,’ Lucy said. ‘You must have been frightened and in such distress.’
‘At first I was so shocked I did not know what to do, but when he had me in the coach he took the blanket away and told me I would marry him rather than Elver or suffer the consequences. Naturally, I refused and started to fight him. He gave me a foul drug and I slept for some hours. When I woke I was sick over him, which did not please him...’
‘It was no less than he deserved. Did he take you to his hunting box near Throckmorton? Mr Havers told us he had recently purchased it.’
‘Yes, he did,’ Judith said. ‘I dare say he had never looked at it—possibly bought it through an agent. The last owner had left the contents untouched...perhaps he died... Whatever the situation, his possessions had been left intact and it was that that saved me.’
‘What can you mean?’ Lucy asked and then, as her cousin moaned and closed her eyes, ‘I do not mean to tease you, Judith. I dare say you would rather rest?’
; ‘My head aches and I feel strange...faint,’ Judith said. ‘I dare say it was the foul drug he gave me...but I was telling you. I searched the room they locked me in and found a pair of pistols in a box.’
‘Did you use one of them to shoot Daventry?’
‘Yes, I did. He came into the room just after I’d taken one out to examine it. I did not even know if it was loaded, but he spoke of—of forcing himself on me and I fired in desperation.’
‘Did you kill him?’
‘I do not know,’ Judith said and shuddered. ‘He was hit in the shoulder, I think, and in pain... I did not bother to see how badly he was hurt, but ran from the house before his men could discover what had happened. I thought they might try to stop me or come after me, so I kept the pistol to threaten them, but I saw no one. Perhaps they were in the stables, tending the horses, and did not hear the shot. I believe I heard a cry after I left the house, but by that time I was running so hard that I cannot be sure.’
‘You must be exhausted. We were anxious because you did not wake, but after what you have told me...’
Judith’s forehead wrinkled. ‘I thought I heard a scream?’
‘Oh...it was nothing,’ Lucy said. ‘Mama was a little upset to see you looking so pale.’
‘I have been such a nuisance to you all,’ Judith said. ‘But it was not my fault, truly it was not. I could not have known that Daventry would be in the gardens, waiting on the chance that I would go out for some air.’
‘He must have come in the hope of somehow capturing you,’ Lucy said. ‘You must not blame yourself. If you had not gone out for some air, it would have happened somewhere else. He was determined to hurt you...and I think the marquis.’
‘Yes, he said as much.’ Judith closed her eyes and a tear slid down her cheek. ‘I do not see how I can marry Elver now. There will be such a scandal...’
‘I dare say he will not care for that,’ Lucy said. ‘Paul has gone to tell him, but I do not think they will return this night. You should rest now, Judith.’
‘Yes, I think I should,’ her cousin said. ‘Thank Paul for helping me. I had lost my shoes somehow and I do not think I could have walked much further. My feet were painful...’