Scandalous Scoundrels

by Aileen Fish

  Two weeks passed in much the same routine. Lily was worried that she was getting ill. The stress of the past few months seemed to have finally caught up with her. With so much family around, she and Eric rarely spent any time together. She slept late, went to bed early, and ate ravenously. She was sure that she must have put all the weight on that she had lost.

  The family was attending a ball that evening, one of the last of the summer, and Eric had asked her to try to make it down for breakfast so that he could talk to everyone about their plan for the evening. While the Colonel had fled the city, Lieutenant Colonel Andrews had stayed behind, and Eric feared it was to once again capture her. They had attended a limited number of social events to announce their marriage and publicly have the support of their families but each affair had been exhausting for Lillian and she was not looking forward to tonight.

  She entered the dining room, as everyone was taking their seats, still feeling sleepy. Eric rose to kiss her forehead. As his lips passed over her head she inhaled the distinct odor of eggs Florentine, which was placed at the end of the table. She felt the nausea rise in her chest. Her whole body went suddenly hot then cold. She covered her mouth and nose. She was sure she was turning absolutely green. Eric pulled back from her, a look of concern passing over his face.

  “Lily, what is wrong?” His brow furrowed as he looked at her but all she could gasp was, “Bucket!” As she doubled over.

  James grabbed an empty bowl and stuck it under her face as Eric supported her torso and she emptied the contents of her stomach. She heard the groans and gasps behind her but she couldn’t care.

  Finally, Lily was done. Eric grabbed a napkin and swabbed her face. She felt immediately better but dared not smell. “Take the eggs away,” she gasped through her mouth, holding her nose.

  “Are you all right, what’s the matter?” Eric was scowling but everyone else at the table seemed to be smiling.

  “Don’t you know?” Mrs. Sampson smiled angelically at her son and Elise had tucked her head down to giggle. What was going on?

  A servant started carrying the eggs away but Chris stopped him. “We’re not going to waste perfectly good eggs are we?”

  Eric gave his brother a black look. “Take them away,” he barked. Eric held her close but she could feel him smiling on top of her head.

  “Why is this so funny?” It was her turn to look less than amused.

  “How are you feeling now?” Eric asked.

  She looked at the table of food and her mouth began to water. “Hungry,” was all she could say when the whole room burst into laughter. Only Toby seemed to share her ignorance.

  “Is Lily all right?” he asked, a look of concern on his face.

  “She’s fine.” Eric patted his son on the head. “You are going to have a little brother or sister.”

  Lily looked at her husband, completely stunned, as the pieces fell into place in her mind. He stroked her cheek and then whispered into her ear. “You had better go eat!”

  She smiled back and headed down the table to dig in.

  After the family had finished eating, they discussed that night’s ball. While Eric would spend most of the evening with Lily, one of the three brothers would always be with them, in case Eric had to step away. In addition, two women would go with Lily whenever she needed to use the powder room. They would take several carriages, all looking alike, so that it would be difficult to tell which one Lily and Eric were in.

  After lunch, she was feeling sleepy. Now that Lily knew why she had been so tired, she decided to take Toby for a walk, instead of retiring to her room. Kurt looked relieved, he was clearly tired of standing outside her room all afternoon.

  They spent a pleasant afternoon identifying flowers in the garden, Lily taught Toby the Latin names of several of the plants. He was a charming boy to be with and she found herself laughing a great deal. Finally, he was called in by his nanny and Lily sat on a nearby bench, exhausted.

  Her eyes began to close and she thought she had better go inside and lay down. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and her eyes snapped open.

  Mrs. Sampson was standing above her. “Are you all right?”

  Lily smiled weakly, “Just sleepy.”

  “You should lie down before tonight.” Lily nodded as her mother-in-law sat down next to her.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes “Neither of my other sons are married. Chris seems to despise the idea and Nate is completely indifferent. I was excited when Eric first told me he was marrying, but I didn’t see eye to eye with Caitlin. I always thought she was more interested in Sampson money than Eric. You will have to forgive me for the way I acted the first night I met you. I was afraid that you were cut from the same cloth. It is obvious that you are not and that both my son and grandson love you.”

  Lily did not know what to say. It was very gratifying to here but she wasn’t sure that Mrs. Sampson was right. “Thank you. I appreciate your kind words and support. I...I love them more than anything.” She answered honestly and Mrs. Sampson squeezed her hand before she departed.

  The sun began to set in sky but Lily sat pondering Mrs. Sampson’s words. She wanted so badly to believe that Eric loved her, that she was as important to him as he was to her. She had lost track of time when another figure approached. In the sun, she would have sworn it was Eric. The broad set of his shoulders, the particular way that he moved. She smiled with her whole heart and stood to greet her husband.

  “No wonder my brother is so crazy about you. That is quite a smile.” Lily instantly realized her mistake. It was Chris, not Eric, who approached. She sat down again, blushing with embarrassment.

  “I’m sorry, I thought you were Eric.” She floundered, unsure of what to say.

  “No harm in smiling, although I knew you must have thought I was him. I have to warn you, Nate looks even more like him than I do.” Chris smiled an amazing smile of his own.

  “I don’t believe it,” Lily shook her head. “I must be careful who I smile at.” Chris chuckled in return.

  “I’m glad that you and my brother are so happy. After Caitlin, I thought he might give up. It’s nice to see him in love again.” Chris stretched out relaxed but Lily felt her whole body tense. This was the second family who had mentioned love.

  “I thought your mother told me that you were opposed to love or is it just marriage?” Lily was not usually so forthright and she bit her lip at her words but Chris only smirked.

  “My mother would think so but I am not opposed to either. I’m just waiting for the right girl. When I do, I’m sure I’ll act as crazy as my brother.” Chris glanced at her but stopped to stare and she realized that she must look pained. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just... I didn’t think our marriage... why do you think he’s in love?” Lily finally just asked the question directly.

  “Why, do you not feel that way?” Chris sat up looking stunned.

  “Of course I do, I just didn’t think...” Her voice trailed off.

  Chris suddenly rolled his eyes. “The man can’t keep his hands or his eyes off you. He’s been up and down the eastern seaboard to protect you, he’s spends every waking hour attempting to keep you safe, if he were any more in love, I think he might keel over and die. Why wouldn’t you think he was in love?”

  “He seemed to court everyone but me and he only married me to save my reputation.” She wasn’t sure if it was pregnancy that had her answering so honestly, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself from saying exactly what was on her mind.

  Chris laughed long and hard until tears ran down his face and Lily began to get annoyed. She stood to leave but Chris pulled her down. “Wait, I’m sorry. I’m sure that Eric is having a difficult time sharing his feelings because of his first wife but sometimes I am amazed at how absurd he can be. I am sure, once all of this is behind you, that he will be very open about his feelings. But you have to know that they are there.”

  Lily said goodbye to Chris, her head full of what
he had said. Kurt escorted her inside, it was time to get ready for the ball. Eric was waiting for her.

  “There you are, I expected to find you sleeping.” He smiled at her she did not return it. She had something she wanted to say.

  “Eric, I just want you to know, I love you and I am so glad we’ve...” He interrupted her before she could finish.

  “Nothing is happening to you, I won’t let it.” He gave her a squeeze then let her go as a soft knock came at the door. Her maid had arrived to help her get ready for the ball.

  The entourage of carriages pulled out of the Sampson home and made their way the short distance to the home of Senator Graham. Lily was to claim that she had hurt her ankle so as not to dance with any one and never be parted with her family. She understood the need but Lily rather liked dancing and was sure this was going to be a tedious night. They entered the ballroom and worked their way through the crowd.

  It was mid-August and the heat of the night, coupled with the mass of people made it incredibly hot. Lily felt herself getting dizzy and nauseous and prayed that she would not be sick in the middle of a crowded room. She was beginning to think the Eric had been right about not going. She turned to tell him so when a figure squeezed his way through the crowd and grabbed her arm.

  “So nice to see you again, Mrs. Sampson. It has been too long.” Lieutenant Colonel Andrews smiled, his eyes running up and down her in a way that made her extremely uncomfortable. “You are even more beautiful than I had expected.”

  Eric’s hand clamped over the Lieutenant Colonel’s. “What do you want?” His voice came out in a low growl.

  “Just to ask your wife to dance.” Andrews sneered at the word wife.

  “Lily is not dancing tonight, she has hurt her ankle.” Eric leaned closer to the other man. “Besides, I don’t let her dance with kidnappers.”

  “You have me all wrong. I thought I was saving the Colonel’s niece, if I had known what a criminal he was.” Andrews shrugged his shoulders as if to emphasize his innocence.

  James had come up on her other side and she heard him snort. “Please, no one is buying it.”

  The crowd was extremely thick pressing all of them together. While they were surrounded by people, no one was listening or had any idea what was going on.

  “Precisely. Now, if you will excuse us.” Eric lifted his hand off her arm and spun her to his other side. The Lieutenant Colonel nodded with a smirk then melted into the crowd but Lily knew that was not the last they would be seeing of him.

  Lily and Eric made a quick circle of the party, speaking with a few people and nodding to several other acquaintances. Amazingly, it took almost two hours to complete and Lily was exhausted by the end. Everyone was tense and Lily breathed a sigh of relief when they left the ball.

  “Thank god that is over!” Lily climbed into the carriage and plopped herself onto a seat.

  Eric chuckled at her statement then slid next to her. “I hope it is. I am trying to figure out what the Lieutenant Colonel’s end game was in approaching us but I don’t know what it is yet. I’m afraid what might happen next.”

  Lily sat up straighter, a knot of fear twisting in her stomach. It was a short ride home and she felt the tension building until they finally reached the drive to their home. Eric seemed to relax somewhat until they approached the front door to see it wide open. Lily swallowed a gasp as Eric hissed to her.

  “Stay in the carriage!” He jumped out and bolted up the front steps into foyer. James followed close behind, Chris and Tom directly after James.

  Kurt climbed into the open door and drew a pistol, shutting the door behind him. “Don’t worry. I’m just gonna stay with ya until Mr. Sampson gives the okay.”

  She nodded as they sat and wait for what was only a few minutes but felt like hours. Finally Eric returned looking pale and visibly shaken. “Toby is gone.”

  “What!” She gasped, feeling the color drain from her face.

  “He’s been kidnapped. Two of the servants are dead and three more were bound and gagged. They headed north, James says the trail is extremely clear, they didn’t try to hide it like with you, they want us to follow.” Eric shuddered and Lily wrapped her arms around him tears falling from her eyes.

  “Go.” She nodded as she said the words. Her heart felt like it was breaking into a thousand pieces.

  “But, I can’t leave you unprotected, James is going to...” He stopped his face contorted with pain.

  “Kurt will stay with me. I’ll be fine, you go.” Kurt nodded but Eric shook his head.

  “What if this was the plan. We all chase after Toby and they take you. I have to think clearly here.” Eric raked his fingers through his hair.

  “Eric. Toby is more important. Kurt can take care of me. You have to go. Remember... I love you.” She kissed him and he held her for a moment.

  “I love you too.” He kissed her again then ran for the stables.

  Kurt gently nudged her, “We should get inside.”

  She followed behind him but her thoughts were filled with her husband. She had waited so long to hear those words but now she realized she would trade them for a second to have Toby and Eric back safely. Her stomach knotted in fear.

  Lily entered the house followed by Elise and Eric’s mother and she saw firsthand the destruction that had been caused. The butler, normally so composed, was still being untied on the floor while furniture had been destroyed and paintings torn down from the walls in the foyer. Lily wondered if any other rooms had been vandalized.

  Lily turned to Elise. “Kindly make some tea for everyone. We need to put this place back together before Eric and Toby return.” She could say one thing. For the first time since entering Eric’s home, she felt like she had a purpose here.

  They spent an hour, removing broken furniture and paintings and sweeping up the mess. It looked better, although replacement furnishings would have to be found. Lily turned to the housekeeper. “Are there any other rooms?”

  The housekeeper nodded. “The library is the worst and Mr. Sampson’s study.”

  Lily felt her shoulders droop but straightened her spine.

  Mrs. Sampson cleared her throat. “Perhaps we should change into something more suitable.”

  Lily looked down and realized they were still wearing their ball gowns. She chuckled. “Good idea. We will meet back down here in half an hour.” And she started up the stairs and toward her room, Kurt behind her.

  Kurt entered the room first and searched it before allowing her to enter. “I’ll be just outside, and I plan on leaving the door open a crack. Hope that’s all right?”

  She nodded and Kurt stepped out as a servant stepped in to help her undress. She put on a simple day dress that was much more practical for cleaning and moving furniture. She reached into her top drawer and pulled out a small knife, tucking it into the sleeve of her gown. Lily sat down to have her hair undone and braided when a movement caught her eye in the corner of the mirror. She motioned for the woman to stop. Lily turned to see what had moved when a hand shot out and covered her mouth while the maid disappeared from view. She reached to pull the hand away when another arm closed around her like a vice, knocking the chair over. Her capturer swung her around and she could see the open window where he must have entered and relief washed through her. Kurt would hear the noise and come to her aid. But as he spun her the rest of the way around, she saw Kurt being wrestled to the floor and tied up by three men. A sick dread filled her stomach and all she could think was—not again.

  Chapter 20

  She stopped fighting. It was futile and it used up her energy. This time Lily was going to be smart. She knew that Tracker was not behind her and she was not safe. The question was, who was her captor? Kurt looked at her and she tried to say with her eyes that she was calm. He seemed to read her message.

  “Twice in one night, what a treat, Miss Carter.” Lily clearly recognized the voice of the Lieutenant Colonel and she felt herself grow more relaxed. She was relieve
d that it was not Colonel Kingsley. His reference to her maiden name was not lost on her but she hoped that with Andrews she might be able to get some information. She smiled under the hand that was covering her mouth and forced her body to relax.

  “I’m going to uncover your mouth, you can scream but no one is coming to your aid.” She nodded as the arm holding her torso shifted so that he had both of arms trapped under his one. “You and you may go.” He nodded to two of the men who exited out the door. Lily assumed that they were to subdue any servants who came to investigate. There remained only the Lieutenant Colonel and one other soldier.

  The hand holding her mouth slowly lifted and he stroked her cheek then began to touch her hair. She took a deep breath to try and keep relaxed, she wanted to shiver with revulsion but she forced it down. It was time to play her part.

  “How nice to see you again, Lieutenant Colonel Andrews. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Lily turned her head slightly and gave him the most winning smile she had. She thought of her mother and Amelia and the flirtation lessons that Elise had given her.

  She batted her eyelashes and Andrews gave her a lopsided grin.

  “Well ma’am, I’m here to take you to your husband. Your new husband that is.” He shrugged, drinking her in with his eyes. He was obviously attracted to either her inheritance or herself. Most likely it was both, but she was going to play it to her advantage.

  “You don’t strike me as a cruel man, why would you do this to me?” She looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him to be her savior and he smiled in return.

  “Unfortunately, we need your property to operate our business and bring it to the next level.” Andrews frowned slightly.

  “But does it have to be him? He frightens me.” She squeezed his arm for effect. She glanced at Kurt and he nodded his assent, ever so slightly. He agreed with her plan.