Pride and Retribution

by Lyndsey Norton

  ‘I have, Mrs. Hastings.’ He looked softly at Lucy. ‘She tried to drink the soup Abigail brought, but she only threw it up a few minutes later, so no more broth for a while.’ He smiled at Evelyn,’ that’s why she is without apparel, I’m afraid. Her nightgown was utterly covered in vomit and we had to change the bed as well!’ He tucked the sheet around her body and rolled her onto her back again, wiping the flannel over her upper chest, shoulders and down her arms. ‘She’s a lot calmer, now. I think she was overly hot.’

  ‘Shall I get the fire seen to?’ Evelyn asked and Wilfred shook his head.

  ‘No. Let it go out for now.’ He pointed to the window. ‘I’ve opened the window for some fresh air and the cooler in here, the better. When she starts shivering with cold, I will put on the blankets and ask for the fire.’

  ‘Did you use this approach with your sister?’ Evelyn asked curiously.

  ‘Actually we tried many different things. We had her covered up with a pile of blankets in a hot room to sweat the fever out, but that didn’t make Caroline feel better, in fact it made it worse. So we went to the other extreme the next time and stripped her and the bed. Mother said she was less distressed, we tried starving her, which worked quite well, rather than feeding her masses of food she would just throw up. We even tried the “kill or cure”!’

  Evelyn sucked in a gulp of surprise. ‘I know about that. That’s where you submerge the body in ice cold water and it either cures or kills them.’

  ‘In Caroline’s case, it cured.’ Wilfred said with a smile. ‘She hasn’t had a fever since!’

  ‘Well, I won’t advocate using it with my daughter, unless there is no alternative.’ Evelyn said firmly.

  ‘I wouldn’t let the doctor apply a blister either, unless she was almost dead!’ Wilfred said harshly, ‘the last time I saw one of those, the skin damage was permanent.’

  At that moment Lucy opened her eyes and looked at Wilfred. She frowned in confusion and immediately clutched the sheet in her fist and pulled it up under her chin.

  ‘Are you cold, Lucy?’ Evelyn asked and Lucy’s eyes swivelled towards her, her brow still creased in confusion.

  ‘Mama?’ she croaked out.

  ‘Yes, Lucy. I’m here.’ Evelyn said in her most calming voice as she patted the hand clutching at the sheet. Lucy’s eyes immediately swivelled back to Wilfred.

  ‘Wilfred?’ She murmured, ‘was I sick, again?’

  He shook his head and smiled. ‘No, my love, I needed you to drink another fever powder.’ He lifted her spare hand and gently kissed the palm. ‘Are you cold?’

  Lucy shook her head. Her mind was full of kaleidoscopic images of Wilfred doing erotic things to her as well as other, more disturbing images. In her fever Lucy was seeing images of Markham and confusing it with Wilfred, but one was harsh and the other soothing. ‘Why are you here?’ she murmured and looked at the canopy, ‘and where am I?’

  ‘You ran out in the snow last night, don’t you remember?’ Wilfred said softly as he stroked the cool flannel over her sweating brow. ‘I brought you to the Dower House.’ She shook her head slowly as her eyes closed and she drifted away. He glanced at Evelyn. ‘She keeps doing that, waking and then drifting away before she can really get to grips with anything. I’ve already told her three times she’s in the Dower House.’ He offered the flannel to Evelyn. ‘If you want to do the front, I shall move away, Mrs. Hastings.’

  Evelyn took the flannel and walked around the bed as Wilfred moved away. ‘How did you manage before I came?’ she asked as she dipped the flannel in the icy water and squeezed it out.

  ‘I kept the sheet over her.’ Wilfred said from the other side of the room, ‘and if you believe that, you’ll believe anything!’ he snorted as Evelyn twitched the sheet back and wiped the flannel over Lucy’s torso and thighs.

  ‘Have you made love to my daughter?’ Evelyn asked calmly, her heart pounding that he would say yes!

  ‘No.’ Wilfred sighed. ‘I have managed to refrain from indulging my base instincts. What kind of a man do you think I am?’ he asked slightly indignant, after all, he did have the reputation of a rake.

  ‘I was just asking, My Lord.’ Evelyn said with a sigh. ‘I had hoped you were a gentleman and had not taken advantage of my very sick child.’

  ‘I love her, Mrs. Hastings. I would never do anything to hurt her.’

  ‘Well, Robert says she feels the same about you, so we will have to see if she will admit.’ Evelyn said and smiled happily. ‘It would make me very happy to see my only daughter settled with a good man.’ She looked up at him as she flicked the sheet back over Lucy. He was stood at the bottom of the bed watching, ‘and you are a good man, aren’t you?’ Wilfred shrugged his shoulders. ‘You are.’ Evelyn said with determination. ‘Anybody who could rescue my cousin from that bastard Markham is a good man!’

  ‘Does Lucy know Harriet is your cousin?’ He asked softly and Evelyn shook her head.

  ‘And I want it to stay that way, so please don’t tell her.’ Evelyn went and sat back in the chair and Wilfred moved back to Lucy’s side. ‘Robert knows she is our cousin, but only Robert. I had asked him to try and intervene with Markham and get Harriet out from under his crushing influence, but she turned to you for help.’

  Wilfred shook his head in disgust. ‘I wasn’t quick enough.’ He admitted. ‘Gossip travels too fast in London and Markham already knew she was leaving before I could spirit her away. By the time I realised what was happening she was almost a bloody corpse among a wrecked house.’

  ‘I know.’ Evelyn said compassionately. ‘Harriet has told me all about you and everything you have done for her and my family.’ She smiled broadly, ‘Oh! Yes! I know how you have tried to protect Lucy from Markham even as far back as last spring, so I’m grateful. You undoubtedly have prevented her from being horribly abused and I’m only sorry her father isn’t here to protect her.’ She finished sadly.

  ‘I knew your husband quite well, Mrs. Hastings.’ Wilfred admitted. ‘He talked about his “little pigeon” an awful lot. There are times when I think I know everything about her, when in reality, I know her so little.’

  ‘Well, you’re going to get to know her very well over the rest of your life.’ Evelyn said firmly and Wilfred nodded solemnly.

  *****

  Lucy’s fever got worse at tea time and she became distressed with it. Tossing and turning as she writhed in the horrors of her nightmares caused by the fever seering her body. During the afternoon the wind had picked up and the storm was now raging outside. The wind howled across the chimney, making the small fire in the grate draw so fiercely it roared.

  Evelyn had retired back to Bassett Hall, taking a note to Wilfred’s father, explaining events. Mrs. Herbert had finally accepted that Wilfred knew what he was doing and helped instead of hindered. Abigail couldn’t have been more helpful.

  ‘Abigail?’ Wilfred’s voice sounded hollow. ‘We will have to try the “kill or cure”!’

  She looked at him in horror for a moment, then her eyes swivelled to Lucy and he could see the acceptance in them before she turned back. ‘It doesn’t look good, does it, My Lord?’

  ‘No, it doesn’t. But if I leave it to the doctor, she’ll end up with a blister scar for the rest of her life and I would like to prevent that.’ He smiled sadly. ‘Bring up the bath and as much ice cold water as they can bring.’

  ‘Yes, My Lord.’ Abigail whispered and bobbed a curtsey before she left the room.

  While he was alone with Lucy, Wilfred gently turned her and wrapped the sheet tightly about her body, tying the corners in a tight knot to prevent the footmen from seeing more than her normal décolletage. As Abigail arrived back, she carried in a huge pile of towels and some clean sheets. ‘I thought I should change the bed at the same time.’ She murmured as she put the stack of towels in the chair.

  ‘That’s a good idea, Abigail.’ Wilfred helped the footmen position the bath where he wanted it and had the buckets of icy water lin
ed up. He spread a couple of towels inside the tin bath and then fetched Lucy, laying her carefully on the towels, with her head and shoulders resting against the end of the tub instead of flat on the bottom. Wilfred took a deep breath, murmured for God’s assistance and picked up the first bucket. At that moment Mrs. Herbert burst into the room shouting.

  ‘You can’t do that to Miss Lucy! I forbid it!’ she bellowed.

  Wilfred lowered the bucket to the carpet and looked at the housekeeper as if she was a hoyden. ‘You would rather see her scarred for life by a blister?’ he demanded.

  ‘Well at least he is a doctor. What you’re doing could kill her!’ Mrs. Herbert shouted and Lucy cried out in her delirium.

  ‘So could a blister, Mrs. Herbert. Now you will be quiet, or I shall have you removed.’ Wilfred said harshly and he spoke in the voice he reserved for the House of Lords. Mrs. Herbert quailed under the icy expression on his face and finally capitulated with a mumbled ‘I’ll tell Mrs. Hastings all about it!’

  ‘You do that, Mrs. Herbert. In the meantime I intend to save my future wife!’ He sighed. ‘You can make yourself useful and change the bed.’

  Wilfred took another deep breath and picked up the bucket again. Abigail had knelt beside the tub and soothed Lucy, so she was now quiet for a moment. Wilfred slowly poured the icy water over Lucy, starting at her head, making her splutter and moving the stream over her body. He did this over and over until the tub was almost full of icy cold water and Lucy was shivering. ‘Thank you, could you give us a few minutes to get her out, dried and into bed?’ he said to the footmen, who nodded and left to wait in the sitting room.

  Wilfred quickly untied the sheet and opened it up as Abigail got out the biggest bath sheet he’d ever seen and held it up. He lifted Lucy under her arms, like a baby and held her for Abigail to wrap the towel around her body. She quickly grabbed another towel and wrapped it about Lucy’s wet hair, and then Wilfred swept her up in his arms and carried her to the freshly made bed. Using another dry towel, Abigail thoroughly rubbed dry Lucy’s extremities and Wilfred laid her down, loosening the towel so that Abigail could thoroughly dry her. Lucy was still shivering when Abigail finally pulled the clean top sheet over her and helped Mrs. Herbert unfold some blankets for the bed.

  ‘Thank you, Ladies.’ Wilfred said softly as he started to unbutton his shirt. Mrs. Herbert practically screamed in horror as Abigail sniggered and pushed the housekeeper to the door.

  He could hear them arguing for a while as they shooed the footmen away and he knew Mrs. Herbert had taken up station in the sitting room. He quickly stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed, turning Lucy’s shivering body on her side and snuggling up behind her.

  By ten o’clock her fever had broken and she was softly snoring. Her body temperature had dropped dramatically and Wilfred got up, dressed and then asked Mrs. Herbert for something simple to eat.

  She huffed and puffed, but after she had seen Lucy sleeping fairly quietly, she left to get Wilfred some food. He ate in the sitting room and drank a few brandies with it. By half past eleven he was so tired that he manoeuvred a fireside chair over to the bed and sat in it with his feet resting on the bed and dozed off.

  *****

  Lucy slowly opened her eyes and had her first coherent thought. Her eyes immediately settled on the Earl of Buxton, looking decidedly rumpled, slumped in an easy chair and fast asleep. How long has he been here? She wondered and tried to think. Her last memory was of rushing out of the terrace door after Wilfred accused her of being one of Markham’s whores. She was far too exhausted to get indignant about it, right at that moment she didn’t care what he thought. She only had vague visions of seeing Wilfred or her mother and her body ached as if it had been trampled by a herd of stampeding wildebeest.

  She was thirsty. She could see the water glass on the bedside table and she tried to reach for it, but she didn’t have the strength to pull herself over the bed.

  ‘Here, let me.’ Wilfred said softly and she saw his strong hand lift the glass down. She tried to take it, but Wilfred pushed his arm under her shoulders and lifted her, first, before he held out the glass. ‘Do you want to hold it, or shall I?’ He asked. In response, Lucy closed her fingers around the glass and tried to lift it to her lips. Fortunately, Wilfred didn’t let go of the glass and he supported it for Lucy to drink. She drank four glasses of water before she allowed him to lower her back to the mattress.

  ‘How long have you been here?’ Lucy asked and her voice croaked. She tried to clear her throat, but couldn’t.

  ‘Since I found you in the snow last night.’ He murmured. ‘Do you need the commode?’

  Lucy looked up sharply. Then she looked down and peeked under the edge of the bedclothes. ‘Have you seen me without my nightgown?’ She gasped in horror.

  ‘Yes, I’m afraid so.’ He said gently. ‘It was necessary, believe me.’

  ‘Get out!’ she almost shouted. ‘You depraved beast. Get out I say!’

  Abigail arrived at that moment and frowned at Lucy. ‘Miss Lucy, do you want something?’ She asked as she straightened the bedcovers.

  ‘Make him leave, Abigail.’ She sighed. ‘I don’t want to see him again.’

  Wilfred walked slowly from the bedroom and waited in the sitting room for Abigail to arrive.

  ‘Why would you send him away, Miss?’ Abigail asked as she tidied the room. ‘He hasn’t had a wink of sleep since he brought you her last evening and he’s been here looking after you.’

  ‘Where is my mother?’ Lucy whispered.

  ‘Mrs. Hastings came early this morning and left you in the Earl’s capable hands. She had to see to the guests.’ Abigail smiled. ‘He’s going to make you a fine and caring husband, Miss Lucy.’

  ‘Never.’ Lucy intoned. ‘I wouldn’t marry him if he was the last man on earth. He’s probably spent the whole day debauching my body.’

  ‘How can you say such a hateful thing!?’ Abigail blurted. ‘You have no gratitude, just like all the rest of you nobs!’ Abigail slapped her hand over her mouth as tears sprang into her eyes. She abruptly bobbed a curtsey and said ‘Excuse me, Miss Lucy. I’m afraid I have some duties in the kitchen to perform. Mrs. Herbert will be with you shortly.’ She turned on her heel and almost ran from the room, leaving Lucy all alone.

  Abigail looked at Wilfred with compassion as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. ‘I wouldn’t go back in there if I were you, My Lord. You should leave her to Mrs. Herbert.’ She bobbed a curtsey to him and muttered ‘ungrateful bitch!’ as she headed for the door.

  Two minutes later Mrs. Herbert bustled into the room and frog marched Wilfred to the front door. ‘You can find your own way back to the Hall, My Lord.’ She said coldly. Jenkins drew in a sharp breath before turning to the Earl.

  ‘Do you need a guide back to the Hall, My Lord?’ Jenkins asked as he fetched out a large cloak. He draped it around Wilfred shoulders as he called one of the footmen to get a coat on as Wilfred nodded. Wilfred left quickly with the footman and Jenkins turned a baleful expression on Mrs. Herbert. ‘I shall be informing Mrs. Hastings about your attitude to the Earl just then and if she decides to relieve you of your post, you will be out of this house before the end of tomorrow!’ He snapped coldly. ‘Never have I heard a commoner like you talk to the son of a duke in such a fashion, and it will never happen again in this house. Do I make myself clear?’ Mrs. Herbert bristled, but as Jenkins continued to look at her coldly, she stamped her foot, spun on her heel and stormed back to the kitchen.

  ‘Abigail! Go and keep Miss Lucy company.’ She commanded.

  ‘No.’ Abigail said firmly. ‘I’ve got too much work to catch up on to waste my time with a selfish bitch like that!’ She said as she vanished through the door into the scullery.

  ‘But somebody has to do it?’ Mrs. Herbert yelled.

  ‘Then you do it, you maungy old bag!’ Abigail shouted back. ‘I’ve just spent all bloody day pampering her skinny carcass and what thanks do I get for
it? I have to listen to her accuse the Earl of debauching her body while she’s ill! Ungrateful bitch!’ Abigail slammed the scullery door and went to the stables to see Billy.

  Mrs. Herbert sighed and had to take the stairs again to go and see to Miss Lucy. When she arrived, Lucy was trying to walk to the commode, by pulling herself around the furniture. ‘Oh! Miss Lucy! You’ll do yourself an injury like that!’ she said and tried to help, but she didn’t have the strength to lift Lucy on her own and suddenly she wished she hadn’t made the Earl leave. ‘It’s a pity the Earl has gone.’ She murmured. ‘He would have lifted you onto the commode, like he did this morning.’

  ‘Don’t talk to me about that odious man!’ Lucy snapped. ‘He took advantage of me!’

  ‘I’m sure he didn’t, Miss.’ She said placatingly. ‘He’s a gentleman, after all.’

  ‘He’s a damned Rake.’ Lucy muttered with a frown as Mrs. Herbert dropped her clean nightgown over her head, making sure to keep her lips buttoned. She was already in enough trouble and she didn’t need to make matters worse.

  Chapter Ten

  Wilfred arrived back at Bassett Hall just as Egerton was going to lock the doors for the night. The footman had taken him in the back door, as it was the nearest entrance to the Dower House.

  Evelyn met him at the door to the hall and sighed at his expression. ‘Did you ask her?’ she asked softly and Wilfred shook his head.

  ‘Summarily dismissed as a debaucher of innocent sick girls!’ He said with a certain amount of vitriol. He sighed. ‘I had to give her the “kill or cure” as she didn’t look too good at tea time. Her fever broke just before ten and she was awake and spitting vitriol by half eleven.’ He smiled wanly. ‘I would suggest you pack her personal maid off to the Dower House, because Abigail probably won’t want to do anything for her now.’

  ‘How do you know that?’ Evelyn asked softly as Evangeline de Lacey emerged from the drawing room.