by Lucy Adams
The man was trembling visibly, clearly horrified by what had been said and all too aware of what threat now lingered over his life. “I did not,” he whispered hoarsely. “I thought only to make him ill, just as Lord Cammish suggested.”
Phillip looked at Lord Watt, seeing him nod and knowing that his friend knew precisely what Phillip was thinking.
“Then Lord Cammish,” he said, turning around. “It is you who is working for the French.” He waited for a moment, all too aware that the gentleman was watching him with an almost lazy smile on his face, as though he were about to tumble everything Phillip had said to the ground. “Will you deny it?”
Lord Cammish let out a dry chuckle. “Of course I will,” he stated unequivocally. “After all, there is no proof other than Lord Dayton’s word. And given that the poison came from his house, there is very little he can do to defend himself.”
Phillip made to say more, only for there to come the sound of a slamming door, followed by a loud cry of exclamation. Lord Watt moved towards the door at once, only for Lady Dayton and Lady Louisa to appear, both of them looking pale and afraid.
“Dayton,” Lady Dayton exclaimed, hanging onto her husband for all she was worth. “What is it they are saying? What is it they are doing to you?”
Lord Dayton swallowed hard, pressing his wife’s hands and trying to smile. “There is nothing wrong, my love,” he told her, with very little belief in his voice. “I am quite all right.”
“Lord Dayton was about to tell us that he was the one to procure the poison that was to steal the life of the Prince,” Phillip said, suddenly coming to a forceful realization. “Although he does not say that it was to kill the Prince but rather to make him severely unwell.” He watched Lady Dayton’s face carefully, seeing how her eyes shifted towards Lord Cammish, how fear etched itself into every line of her face.
“Unless,” came a voice from behind him, as Lady Olivia rose to her feet and came out of the shadows, eliciting a gasp from Lord Dayton and Lady Louisa. “Unless it was you who had it, Aunt.” Her voice shook and Phillip held out a hand to her, holding it tightly. “Pray tell me that is not why Margaret is ill. Pray tell me that you did not give it to her also.”
It took only a moment for Lady Dayton to crumple. She fell to the floor in a heap, sobbing, whilst her husband looked on in astonishment.
“Margaret overheard Cammish and I talking,” she said hoarsely, closing her eyes tightly as sobs racked her frame. “I had no other choice. Cammish threatened to kill you if I did not.” Tears poured down her cheeks as she looked up at her husband. “Why did you ever have to become involved with him, Dayton?” she whispered, as Lady Olivia leaned heavily against Phillip. “He is not the man you think him to be. He is a spy, a traitor to all that we hold dear. And now he has pulled you into the darkness with him.”
“I—I never had any intention of killing the Prince,” Lord Dayton answered, bending down to take his wife’s hands in his. “I swear to you I did not.”
Phillip cleared his throat, taking a small step forward. “There is a lot more to this than there first appeared, it seems,” he said, looking directly at Lord Cammish and feeling a sense of grim satisfaction that the man was no longer smiling. “Lord Cammish, what have you to say for yourself?”
He waited in silence, the quiet room filling with sparks of tension, threatening to explode at any moment.
And then Lord Cammish reached around behind him, pulling something from his pocket, something that flashed in the candlelight, before, with a roar, lunging at Phillip with a scream of rage ripping from his mouth.
It was a knife.
Chapter Fourteen
Olivia did not know precisely what she had done but, at the moment she saw the flashing knife in Lord Cammish’s hand, she reacted without thinking.
Using all of her strength, she shoved Lord Monteforte hard and, with the shock of her action, Lord Monteforte found himself spinning to one side, whilst the knife in Lord Cammish’s hand scraped across her arm.
Then there were exclamations and shouting and all manner of noises, but Olivia could only see one face amongst it all.
Lord Monteforte.
Someone was helping her to a chair, but her hand reached out for Lord Monteforte, who came in a moment to take her hand in his. His eyes searched her face as he shook his head wordlessly, his hand holding hers tightly.
“Whatever did you do, Olivia?”
Blinking rapidly as the rest of the room came into focus, Olivia saw Louisa kneeling beside her chair, her hands tight around Olivia’s other arm. Olivia made to protest, made to say that there was no cause for alarm, only to suddenly feel a deep pain begin to spread up her arm.
“You saved my life, that is what you did,” Lord Monteforte breathed, looking at her as though she were the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. “If you had not pushed me out of the way, Olivia, then I might now be struggling with a knife to my chest.”
“I—I did not know what else to do,” Olivia answered, surprised at just how tremulous her voice was. “The knife caught the light, and I could not simply stand by and watch you get stabbed.” She shook her head, her breath catching tight in her chest. “I am glad you are uninjured.”
“As am I,” he said, his face a little paler than before. “You gave me quite a fright, Olivia. But I am most grateful to you.” He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed his mouth to her skin, and Olivia felt a sense of relief begin to flood her, covering over almost every other emotion that filled her heart. Gathering herself she looked across the room to see Lady Watt hurrying towards her, with her aunt still sobbing in a heap on the floor, with Lord Dayton’s arm around her. A shudder ran through Olivia’s frame as she watched her uncle and aunt, thinking to herself that she had very little notion of whom they really were.
Louisa let out a long breath, lifting up the cloth that she had pressed to Olivia’s arm whilst looking at it with careful eyes.
“It is not a severe injury,” she said softly, catching Olivia’s attention. “I will have someone send for the doctor.”
Olivia blinked in surprise, a little astonished at how calm Lady Louisa seemed to be. “There is no urgency, Louisa,” she said carefully, watching her cousin’s eyes dart from one place to the next like a butterfly looking for a safe place to land. “Do you not wish to speak to your parents?”
Louisa swallowed hard, and as she lifted her eyes to Olivia’s face, Olivia saw that she was close to tears.
“My mother has just confessed that it was she who brought about Margaret’s illness,” she whispered. “My father has been working with a French spy!” Tears began to fall onto her cheeks, and she looked at Olivia in desperation. “I have no one to turn to. I have been so very cold towards you, Olivia, and now I find that I have no one else to draw near to but you.”
Olivia’s heart swelled in sympathy and—in that moment—all of the anger and disappointment, the coldness and the callousness that had been held against Louisa seemed to fade away. She looked across at Lady Dayton, a crumpled heap on the floor and no longer the proud and elegant lady she had once been. Then she looked at Lord Dayton, his arm about his wife and with such a wretched expression on his face that she could not help but feel sympathy for him, despite the foolishness of what he had done.
“You will have both myself and Lady Olivia by your side,” she heard someone say, looking up sharply to see Lord Monteforte looking directly at Lady Louisa, his expression warm but still slightly stern. “Lady Louisa, there is nothing that you need face alone. I know this situation is deeply distressing, but you can be assured that we will not leave you to face this alone.”
Louisa looked first at Olivia and then again to Lord Monteforte, her expression one of confusion, her pallor almost waxen.
“We are to be married,” Olivia said gently, her hand on top of Louisa’s. “Lord Monteforte has asked me to be his wife, and I have accepted him. But he is right.” Her fingers pressed lightly against Louisa’s cold ones,
trying to encourage her. “You will not be alone. Our home will be open to both yourself and Margaret, of course.”
“And we will do all we can to keep this situation from the ears of the rumor mill,” Lord Monteforte finished, as Louisa began to cry again, although Olivia hoped it was from relief. “You need not fear that everyone in the ton will know of it.” He gestured to those in the room. “Those present will not spread a word of gossip.”
At that moment, Lady Dayton looked up, her eyes red rimmed and her face pale. One hand stretched out towards Olivia and Louisa, looking at them both with desperate, pleading eyes.
“Please, you must understand,” Lady Dayton wept, her voice shaking with all the emotion she felt. “I had no choice. I had to make sure Margaret said nothing to anyone for fear that Lord Cammish would kill your father! I could not even say a word to him!”
Olivia touched Louisa’s hand and, with a visible effort, she rose to go and speak to her mother. Lifting up the cloth carefully, Olivia winced as she looked at the long red gash that ran the length of her arm. It was not deep but still oozed blood, with her gown sleeve ripped and torn. She carefully put the cloth back on it, pressing it gently.
“I must go and see the other gentlemen of the League,” Lord Monteforte murmured, his arm about her shoulders as he looked with concern into her eyes. “Will you be all right sitting here for a few minutes?”
“Of course.” She smiled at him, aware of the pain in her arm but feeling such a great relief that this dreadful circumstance was at an end that the pain seemed to fade away. Her smile suddenly faltered as she looked up into his eyes. “But what of my uncle? What will happen to him?”
Lord Monteforte hesitated, then shook his head. “I cannot say for certain,” he said slowly, “but I believe that he is speaking the truth when he states that he had no intention of killing the Prince. That was my assumption and mayhap I was wrong. If Lord Cammish was, in fact, doing what your aunt states, then it is clear that whilst what your uncle intended was very wrong, it was not something treasonous.”
Olivia let out her breath slowly. “Then he will not hang?”
“I would not think so,” Lord Monteforte answered gently. “I think he will have to be confined to his estate for a time and certainly would have to prove his loyalty to the Crown, as well as pay a good amount to the Treasury, but I do not think his life will be asked for.”
Relieved beyond measure, Olivia closed her eyes and fought a sudden swell of tears as Lord Monteforte pressed his lips to her cheek. It was all at an end. Her uncle had done wrong, yes, a great deal of wrong, but he had not attempted treason. That, at the very least, was a relief – although quite how Lady Louisa and Lady Margaret would think of their parents, she could not say. Lady Margaret had been grievously ill indeed—unconscious, in fact, and when she recovered, Olivia had very little idea as to whether she would understand why her mother had been forced to do such a thing.
“Lord Cammish, on the other hand.”
Her eyes flared wide as she looked up at him, seeing the dark expression on his face and the lowering of his brows. His tone had become suddenly serious, his voice holding a hint of steel.
“I will not detail what I think will happen, but his actions will merit the greatest of punishments,” he continued, as Olivia swallowed hard. “It is all come to an end, my dear Olivia.” His tone lightened just a little as he rose to his feet. “And soon, I will be free to make you my bride.”
It was not until a fortnight later that the very first banns were called, and after that, Olivia was forced to wait for another month until she was finally able to marry her dear Lord Monteforte. The church was quiet, with only a few guests for, given the situation, they had chosen to keep things very subdued. Olivia did not care, for her love for Lord Monteforte was all that mattered. She wanted for nothing, longed for nothing, desired nothing more than to make her promises and become his wife.
“I do hope you have forgiven me, Olivia.”
Olivia looked at her uncle as he followed her into the church, his wife on his arm.
“You need not worry, Uncle,” she said gently, seeing how the last few weeks had aged him. The lines on his face seemed to have deepened, the wrinkles around his eyes all the more pronounced. There was still a haggardness about him, a sadness and a regret in his eyes that Olivia feared would never quite leave him. “Lord Monteforte and I are to become husband and wife, and I know that he is quite contented that we continue as we are.” She smiled at him, but Lord Dayton did not smile back. “He is not about to take me away and never again allow me to visit.”
“He is a good man,” Lady Dayton said, her voice shaking but her eyes filled with what looked like pride. “You have found a gentleman of excellent character, Olivia, and I am truly glad for you.”
“Thank you, Aunt,” Olivia answered, aware of just how much things had changed between herself and her aunt over the last few weeks. Lady Dayton had seemed to shrink within herself, becoming almost a wraith that floated about the estate with no specific purpose. Her daughters had wavered between anger and compassion, and it was only this wedding that had seemed to bring them together finally. For that, at least, Olivia was glad. “I look forward to taking my vows. It is truly my heart’s greatest wish.”
Lord and Lady Dayton smiled and began to make their way past Olivia, walking into the church and leaving Olivia and her two cousins to make their way inside. Louisa and Margaret – who had made a full recovery – stood to one side, having watched the exchange between Lord and Lady Dayton and Olivia.
“I thank you both for being here with me today,” Olivia said, as warmly as she could. “I know we have not always found ourselves to be as close as cousins might be, but for the present moment, I will say that I am glad to call you my family.”
Louisa smiled, her eyes free of the sadness and the pain that had been there for so many weeks prior. “It seems that we are to return to London next Season,” she said, as Olivia nodded. “Lord Monteforte is a very generous man.”
“Very generous indeed,” Margaret agreed, with just a hint of envy flickering in her eyes. “To know that he is willing to take us both to London with you when you go is kindness itself.”
Olivia let out a long, contented sigh, smiling at her cousins and feeling a new sense of happiness fill her heart. Lord Monteforte had indeed been kind. Knowing that Lord and Lady Dayton could not return to London for the next two years at least for fear that any whispers about him might only intensify – as well as due to the edict of The King’s League, he had offered to ensure that both young ladies enjoyed the following Season, and with Olivia to accompany them, she was certain that they would both find husbands very soon.
“Shall we go?” she asked, gesturing towards the door with laughing eyes. “If you are quite ready?”
With a warm smile on both of their faces, Louisa and then Margaret held open the doors and waited for her to walk ahead of them into the church. Her eyes fixed solely on the gentleman who rose to stand at the very front of the church, Olivia made her way forward slowly, her heart filling anew with a fresh love for Lord Monteforte and all that he had become to her.
His eyes were practically glowing as he held her gaze, his smile speaking to her of all the love that he carried for her in his heart. As he reached out one hand towards her, she felt herself step forward into her future, her smile growing all the more as she felt her spirits lift to the skies.
“You look more than beautiful, if there is such a thing,” he whispered, his fingers tight against her own. “I cannot imagine what I have done to deserve such a creature as you to call my own.”
The parson gestured for the congregation to stand, but Olivia could pay him no attention. The words that were on her heart could not be stayed, not even in front of the watching crowd. They were there on her lips, said only for Lord Monteforte, and knowing that it was to him that her heart belonged.
“I love you with all of my heart,” she whispered, as he pressed his othe
r hand over their joined ones. “And I shall love you until my very last breath.”
His eyes burned with joyous affection, his fingers tight on hers. “As I love you,” he promised, his voice loud and echoing through the church for all to hear. “I love you most ardently, Lady Olivia, and this day, this wonderful, glorious day, is the most joyous day of my life, for it is the day I have the honor of making you my wife.”
Her smile matched his own, her heart filled with a love that she knew was returned. There was no more darkness, no more confusion, no more pain nor doubt. Her love for Lord Monteforte carried a bright light forward into her future, for there, her happiness with him awaited.
Trusting Lady Hemmingway
The King’s League Book Four
Book Description
After a difficult few months, Baron Robert Franks has returned to London for the Season. Thrown immediately back into the work of ‘The King’s League’, he begins to pursue an elusive villain, who always seems to be one step ahead. When the trail leads him to one Lord Hamilton, Robert finds himself in the difficult situation of having to feign an interest in Lord Hamilton’s sister, Miss Hemmingway, so that he might investigate further. However, Miss Carolyn Hemmingway is much more intelligent and quick witted than he expects, leaving him struggling to keep all that he is doing a secret from her.
Carolyn is delighted with Lord Franks’ attention, only to realize that he might not be as attentive in her as she first thought. When she discovers his real intentions, she must decide whether to be loyal to her brother or to help Lord Franks with his investigation. Secrets, grudges and disaster swirl around them both, leaving Carolyn and Lord Franks clinging to each other for security as they face the foe, their two hearts twining together as they finally uncover the truth.