The Duke's Daughter

by Sasha Cottman

  Lady Caroline sighed and put an arm around Lucy’s shoulder.

  ‘My poor girl. I knew I should have pressed you further the day we arrived, but I had hoped things would improve.’

  ‘On our wedding night I offered him a Scottish divorce. It’s why we came up to Scotland ahead of the family,’ Lucy replied.

  ‘Why on earth would you do such a thing?’ her mother replied.

  ‘Because he hates me. He blames me for this forced marriage.’

  The duchess fell silent. She took hold of Lucy’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  ‘You cannot consider a divorce; they are nigh-on impossible to secure,’ she replied.

  ‘Aunt Maude secured one in Edinburgh, so I reasoned we could.’

  In the pale light of the lamp, a look of pained realisation appeared on Lady Caroline’s face.

  ‘Oh, my sweet child. I don’t know who told you that pack of lies, but I can assure you that your aunt and uncle were still very much legally married when he died,’ she replied.

  Lucy scowled. All she had heard from her great aunt Maude was how she had gone off to Scotland and been rid of her odious husband. How she was now free to play the field and find a young and handsome lover.

  ‘But?’

  ‘But nothing. Your aunt told a great many tales when she left your uncle, very few of them true. The reality of the situation is that a Scottish divorce is as difficult as an English one to secure. While you may be able to get some form of annulment here in Scotland there is always the question of legitimacy of any children from subsequent marriages. English law might not even recognise the divorce. And of course an English divorce would take years if you were even able to get one.’

  Even if Avery did leave for Edinburgh and try to be rid of her, he would likely fail. Lucy looked at her mother and for the briefest of moments hope flared in her heart.

  And then it died.

  When Avery discovered the truth, that he would never be fully rid of his wife, he would hate her even more. Without legitimate heirs, the Langham title would die out and return to the crown. Her sister-in-law Clarice would never forgive Lucy for destroying her family’s heritage and bloodline.

  ‘You must talk him out of such a foolish notion,’ the duchess added.

  Hot tears rolled down Lucy’s cheeks. If she had thought she was done with crying her heart out over Avery, she was wrong.

  ‘I don’t know what to do. I know he doesn’t want me. He hasn’t even made me a proper wife. We sleep each night with our backs turned to one another,’ she whispered. The pain and humiliation of still being an innocent after many days of marriage threatened to overwhelm her.

  Lucy buried her face in her mother’s cloak and let the tears flow freely.

  ‘You fell in love with him, only to have to let him go,’ Lady Caroline sighed.

  The price of her stubborn heart would be to lose the one man she thought she could love. With Avery gone and the disgrace of a failed marriage, Lucy would be damaged irreparably in the eyes of London society.

  ‘I’ve tried to reach out to him, but every time he retreats away from me. Truth is, I am powerless to stop him from leaving. I told him I wanted a divorce and he has promised to give me one,’ she said.

  She pulled away from her mother and wiped her tears on her sleeve. With every heartbeat the moment that Avery would be gone from her life drew closer.

  Lady Caroline put a finger under Lucy’s chin and lifted her head until their gazes met.

  ‘You have to tell me here and now what you want. I can try and help you, but you have to be certain of the outcome you desire. This is not child’s play; this is a very serious situation and the decision you make tonight will have lasting repercussions for everyone,’ she said.

  The pain of hearing Avery inform her he was leaving burned fiercely in Lucy’s heart. While he remained at the castle some hope still existed for her to find a way out of this unholy mess. If she let him go tomorrow without a fight, she would never forgive herself.

  ‘I want my husband to want me as his wife. I want the same happy ending that Alex and David have found with their marriages. I want to be loved,’ Lucy replied.

  ‘And are you prepared to fight for it?’

  Lucy nodded, her resolution only tempered by the fact that Avery would be leaving the castle at first light.

  ‘What can I do? He will be gone tomorrow.’

  A hopeful smile appeared on her mother’s face.

  ‘There is only one travel coach at the castle at the moment in working order. Your father had the family coach stripped down for repainting as soon as we arrived. It is in pieces in the blacksmith’s workshop. If you don’t want Avery leaving tomorrow, I can make sure the other carriage is suddenly unavailable.’

  ‘Then what?’

  ‘Then you will have to do what you should have done as soon as you realised you were in love with him. You can’t keep dashing yourself against him, hoping it will make him love you. It will only push him further away and you’ll destroy yourself in the process,’ her mother said.

  ‘What can I do?’

  ‘Well, to quote a good old Scottish saying, you don’t catch fish by throwing rocks. You need to bait your hook and lure them. First things first: you need to make Avery want to stay.’

  Lady Caroline got to her feet and offered her daughter a helping hand.

  ‘Sitting up here lamenting your situation will not do you or anyone else any good. Now come downstairs; we have a lot of work to do before this night is over.’

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ‘Good morning, Lady Emma,’ Avery said as he spied his sister-in-law in the hallway the following day.

  With his departure imminent, now seemed as good a time as any to begin to make his farewells. He wasn’t proud of himself for having deliberately missed supper last night and the family breakfast, but he couldn’t face the Radley family as a group.

  ‘Good morning, Mr Fox,’ she replied.

  He frowned.

  ‘When did I stop being Avery and become Mr Fox?’ he replied, perplexed.

  Emma shook her head.

  ‘You make my Lucy cry. I thought you were part of our family, and in our family we don’t make each other cry. She’s sad because of you. I don’t think I like you any more, Mr Fox; you are horrid just like your dead brother.’

  She began to cry. ‘Why can’t you love Lucy? She is the most wonderful sister and it hurts my heart to see her so sad.’

  Out of the mouths of babes.

  Emma turned and began to walk away. Avery quickly caught up with her and took her gently by the arm.

  ‘I’m sorry I made you and Lucy cry, but it will all be better very soon. I promise,’ he said.

  Even as he spoke the words, he knew they were a lie. His leaving would only cause upheaval in everyone’s lives. As he’d lain awake in his bed the previous night, he had faced the truth of what he and Lucy had agreed.

  As a single man he could easily return to London and not have to deal with having a wife. He could go back to his old life.

  His old, lonely life.

  As he watched Emma walk away, he considered her words. They didn’t make sense.

  Lucy had been the one who offered him a way out of their marriage. She had been the one who tried to drug him on their wedding night. She had proposed they seek a divorce in Scotland. Why then was she the one in tears?

  More importantly, where the devil had she gone? He hadn’t seen Lucy since she left their room the previous day. He’d overheard the servants and knew she had not attended supper the previous night. Upon returning to their room earlier that morning, having spent the night on a couch in the castle library, he saw the pristine state of the bedclothes. Lucy had not slept in their bed.

  It was as if his wife had simply vanished from the face of the earth.

  He continued out into the castle bailey. Alex was often out in the yard at this time of day and perhaps by speaking to him he would get a clearer picture
as to Lucy’s whereabouts.

  Apart from a few castle staff, the bailey was empty. No horses and no carriages were to be found.

  He sought out the head stableman.

  ‘Where is the coach? I was supposed to be leaving for Edinburgh this morning,’ he asked.

  The stable master scratched his wiry grey beard.

  ‘Aye, that was my understanding too last night, Mr Fox, but Lord Brooke made other plans this morning. He and Lady Brooke have taken the only available carriage to see where the Battle of Stirling took place. They won’t be back for at least a day or so. You may wish to speak with His Grace if you want to arrange alternative transport.’

  Something sparked in Avery’s brain. He wasn’t certain what it was, but he didn’t like it.

  Last night he had made firm plans with the duke for him to use the carriage to go to Edinburgh. He had been as vague as possible as to the reason why he needed to visit a city to which he had no real link, making mention of an old army comrade he wished to see. Lord Strathmore had agreed, but Avery could tell he didn’t believe his story.

  Had Lucy told her parents the real reason for his departure? The notion that he had been put firmly in his place had him clenching his fists.

  ‘Very good, I shall discuss my travel arrangements with Lord Strathmore,’ he replied.

  The man shook his head.

  ‘His Grace rode out an hour or so ago to visit one of the other villages. He will be spending most of the day talking to tenants, which means he won’t be back much before supper.’

  Avery turned on his heel and marched angrily back into the castle keep.

  ‘Bloody ridiculous, what on earth do they think they are playing at?’ he muttered under his breath.

  He stormed along the hallway, headed for his room. He still had his travel bag in his trunk. If need be, he would pack what he could into the bag and walk to the nearby village. He would send for the rest of his things at a later date.

  As he passed the doorway to Lady Caroline’s sitting room, he saw it was open. Seated at her writing desk, the duchess was penning a letter.

  He stopped and gathered his temper before knocking on the door.

  ‘Avery, do come in,’ Lady Caroline said, as she lifted her head and saw him.

  He closed the door behind him at her instruction.

  ‘Take a seat,’ she offered.

  ‘Thank you, no; I would rather stand,’ he replied.

  She came and took hold of his hand.

  ‘Sit, please,’ she implored.

  He sighed with frustration, but did as she asked.

  ‘Forgive my decided lack of manners this morning, Your Grace, but I have just come from outside and I understand that I am not able to leave the castle today. I also understand that Lucy has disappeared.’

  Lady Caroline nodded.

  ‘I don’t expect it was quite the morning you had planned,’ she replied.

  ‘No.’

  ‘Then I must ask your forgiveness. The lack of carriage and the change in Lucy’s whereabouts are down to me.’

  He bristled with barely concealed rage. Years of war had bred in him a deep-seated mistrust of arbitrary decisions made by others. They tended to have a detrimental effect on the lives of simple soldiers. Too many friends had died because of orders given by those far from the dangers of the battlefront.

  ‘Lucy has gone up to the hunting lodge at the Key to lick her wounds.’

  ‘What?’

  Lady Caroline shifted in her seat.

  ‘Whatever story you told my husband for your sudden pressing need to visit Edinburgh I know to be a lie. Lucy told me the whole truth last night. You have humiliated my daughter, torn her heart out, and now you expect to just up and leave when you see fit. As far as I am concerned, Mr Fox, you can walk to the village, take a room at the inn and wait for a cart to take you to Edinburgh. I won’t lift a finger to help you abandon your wife.’

  The emotional punch he felt at Lady Caroline’s words pushed Avery back hard in his chair.

  What had Lucy told her mother?

  ‘I think you have the wrong of it, Your Grace; your daughter wants me gone,’ he stammered.

  Lady Caroline arched a brow. ‘Really? Well, if that is the impression she has given you, then she is a good enough actress to be on the stage. From where I sit, the pair of you are stubbornly refusing to see the reality of your relationship. You are both fools, and unfortunately you are likely to reap a fool’s reward if you continue on this path.’

  She stood up and fixed him with her gaze.

  ‘I do hope that you will come to your senses before it is too late. Close the door after you.’

  Avery returned to his room and pulled his old travel bag out from his trunk. He roughly stuffed clothes and as many personal items as he could fit into it before tossing it onto the bed. A mixture of rage and shame coursed through his veins. The last time he had been so summarily dismissed by someone, he had been a wet-behind-the-ears private.

  ‘Sod the lot of you,’ he muttered angrily.

  He snatched up the bag and marched out of the room. If the Radleys wanted him gone, then he would walk to the village. By God, he would walk to Edinburgh if it came to it!

  He crossed the enormous wooden drawbridge of the castle and headed down the hill. There was no one left in the castle to whom he wished to say goodbye.

  In his pocket jangled the few coins he owned. He would need to get employment in Edinburgh before he had enough money to get back to London.

  Rounding a bend in the road, he saw a cart approaching up the hill. He fixed his gaze to one side of the cart, intent on ignoring the driver. He failed to take into account the inquisitive and friendly nature of the locals.

  ‘Morning, Mr Fox, I meant to catch you at the castle,’ the driver said, tipping his hat. He reined in the horse, and the cart came to a gentle halt.

  Avery looked at the man and his heart sank. Of all the people in the castle he wished to elude this morning, it was the grateful sire of James McPherson, but there was no avoiding the man.

  ‘Are you climbing up?’ McPherson said.

  ‘No, I am headed the other way,’ Avery replied and kept walking.

  McPherson chuckled. ‘Then you are going the wrong way. The Key is further up the mountain.’

  Avery stopped.

  The Key. Lucy was at the Key.

  A small voice whispered in his mind. ‘Don’t be a fool, man. Turn around.’

  ‘Come on,’ McPherson said, holding out his hand as Avery reached the cart.

  Avery looked at his bag. What would a few more days in Scotland matter? At least he would have a chance to understand why Lucy had been so upset. Hadn’t he given her exactly what she wanted?

  He tossed his bag up onto the back. Then with a quick jump he got a foothold on the step. He dropped down beside McPherson, finding himself inexplicably smiling as he did.

  They passed the castle and headed up a steep road which trailed to one side of Strathmore Mountain. McPherson whistled a jolly tune to himself. Once they were clear of the castle, Avery’s mood lightened. Looking over his shoulder, he saw several large baskets sitting in the back of the cart.

  ‘What’s in those?’ he asked.

  ‘Provisions; I had to collect them and your good self before Toby and I headed back up the mountain,’ McPherson replied. He nodded at the horse.

  Avery swung a leg over the back of the cart and sat down between the two largest baskets. He looked inside the nearest. It was full of bottles of French wine. Turning to the other basket, he saw cheese, fresh bread, apples and several large pieces of salted pork wrapped in paper.

  ‘How many guests are up at the Key?’

  McPherson chuckled knowingly.

  ‘Once you arrive, there will be two. You and Lady Lucy. I took her and my wife up to the Key at first light to make preparations for your arrival.’

  Avery climbed back over the side of the cart and took his seat once more beside the driver. F
rom the sly grin on McPherson’s face, it was obvious he thought he was delivering supplies to the newlyweds’ love nest.

  How wrong he was.

  ‘So what exactly is the Key?’ Avery asked.

  McPherson pointed toward a rocky outcrop on the side of the mountain.

  ‘It’s where His Grace has his hunting lodge. It’s called the Key because you have to pass through a narrow gap in the rocks to reach it. I’m told if you could fly like a bird it would look just like the inside of a lock, hence the name it was given when they built the lodge over one hundred years ago.’

  They continued in silence for a while, until the oddest of realisations struck Avery. How did Lucy know he was going to come to the Key? How did anyone know, for that matter?

  He recalled his conversation with the duchess that morning and the sudden unavailability of the carriage. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Others had conspired to ensure he found his way to the Key.

  By rights he should be angry at having been manipulated in such a high-handed manner, but his interest was piqued. He was intrigued as to what exactly he would find at the Key. What had Lucy and her mother planned?

  The cart passed into a deep cutting. Tall walls of mud and rock rose up on either side of them. The ever-present wind died away and the only sound to be heard was the jingle of the bit in the horse’s mouth.

  McPherson smiled at him. ‘Now you can see why it’s called the Key. You have to go in through this part of the lock and come out on the other side. The hunting lodge and the lake are still a little way ahead, but you will be with Lady Lucy soon enough,’ he said.

  Finally, the walls of the pass parted and they came out into what appeared to be another world. The high walls of the pass now formed a ringed wall a quarter mile or so across. Over to one side of the Key was a deep lake. As the road passed around to the left, he saw an oddly shaped stone building.

  At first glance it looked round, but toward the back on either side it straightened out. The very back of the lodge was built into the mountainside. He blinked, trying to focus on this most unusual construction.