by B L Bierley
They reached the shoreline in less than ten minutes. Lord Westford turned Bliss forward so that she was facing him, the gag still clamped tightly between her tongue and the roof of her mouth. He raised the gun back to eye-level.
“Be quiet now, I need to think,” Lord Westford whispered low.
Without realizing it, Bliss raised an eyebrow at him while lowering her eyes pointedly at the red cloth sticking out between her lips. The insolence of her silent reminder set him off.
Westford moved with swift anger in retaliation, backhanding her with the butt of the pistol. Bliss felt the moment her mouth unclenched at the instant the metal and wood of his weapon hit her cheekbone. The coin took the force of the momentum and shot back into her throat.
Bliss began to struggle against her will, knowing that the effort would only cost her precious seconds of air. Seeing her distress, Lord Westford tore the cloth from her useless mouth. He struggled frantically to discover what happened. He slapped her forcefully, shouting without concern for her to stop moving.
Bliss fell to the cobbled river walk face first, rolled to her side and dropped back to her chest to try and move the coin. She felt Lord Westford trying to untie her hands. He pulled her up again and used the dagger to cut the rope. Bliss’s hands moved swiftly to her mouth, pawing her tongue and trying to take in air.
Lord Westford hit her again and again, but the coin was hopelessly stuck. Bliss heard the sound of footsteps coming in their direction, but the edges of her sight were already growing black leaving her unable to see who approached.
Falling down in a heap, Bliss tried desperately to see a way to survive. Knowing her remaining air was spent, she offered no further fight as Lord Westford lifted her body and dumped it over his head and down into the river.
Bliss felt the drift of her consciousness as her sight became obscured by the murky water. Feebly trying to swim seemed a last ditch effort, and she managed one pitiful stroke as her mind went black at last.
Chapter Twenty-two
Eric, Bristol, April 1811
The realization of where Bliss might be didn’t upset him as much as the sounds of a man’s voice screaming obscenities from the nearby river walk. The guards at his heels heard the noise at the same time and began running in his wake toward the river.
Eric searched the scene, frantic to find Bliss. He saw Lord Westford there on the shore and thought first to ask his assistance. But as he drew closer he saw the gun and the dagger held in the man’s fists.
Hoping the guards were drawing a similar conclusion to Lord Westford’s involvement, Eric abandoned any thought of accosting the man. His eyes scanned the edge of the river walk. He spied a body floating face down in the water and lost everything he had in the world in seconds.
Without thinking, he bolted over the small iron fence and leapt into the water. Eric swam straight for Bliss’s lifeless body. His mind was numb as he reached her. Throwing her across his chest he pulled her in a backwards crawl. His will to succeed in saving Bliss was the only force driving him as he swam back toward the retaining wall.
With all his strength, Eric pulled Bliss up and heaved her over his shoulder, scrambling to gain his footing until he reached the walk. The guards apprehended Lord Westford and disarmed him, one on either arm. Surprisingly, he didn’t put up an ounce of fight. One of the guards whispered low to the approaching constable that the man had just murdered the heiress.
“NO!” Eric shouted. He held his ear to her chest and listened. Her heart was beating! There was still time to save her. Eric began to feel around her body for a wound. But quicker than he could have located it, he realized with horror that Bliss hadn’t begun breathing.
He put her gently to the ground and tried to force air into her lungs. No matter how hard he blew, the air wouldn’t go into her. Eric opened her mouth and the light from a torch carried by one of the guards glinted in the recesses of her tonsils. He saw in horror that a coin was preventing his efforts.
Raising her once more, Eric placed her chest over his thigh and began to pound on her back. The constable moved to stop him, thinking he was abusing a dead woman in plain sight of witnesses.
Eric shouted for him to leave him alone. He wouldn’t give up on her. Keeping a hand against her throat he could feel the flicker of her pulse as her heart tried to keep its rhythm.
“No, Bliss, NO!” Eric fought back the tears as he hoisted her limp body back to his shoulder, letting her ribs slam forcefully against him. He wouldn’t give up.
This was Bliss, and he loved her! Duke’s daughter or not, he would always be there for her. He would never doubt her again!
The coin needed to be forced out! He searched the recesses of his medical training for a solution. Pounding on her back with fisted thumps he pleaded with God and the devil to save her.
In a fit of despair, he yanked her bodily down from his shoulder as he drew his knee up to catch her in the gut. The constable looking on in utter dejection, Eric repeated the move once more.
This time as his thigh hit her abdomen, a grunt of forced air expelled the coin. It rolled away as her body took in an involuntary breath of life! Eric sank to the ground, cradling her in his lap, and willed her with praise and pleas to do it again.
“Bliss, darling, breathe! Please, for me? Breathe again, sweetheart. That’s it!” he exclaimed in sobbing relief as her body took over at last, and the sounds of difficult respiration began again.
A wracking cough sputtered from within her chest as Bliss’s eyes opened to see Eric’s face looking down at her. The constable, the guards and a few spectators who emerged from the park were suddenly shouting for the miracle man who brought the heiress back from the clutches of death itself!
Bliss smiled weakly at Eric.
“I knew you would find me. I knew you would remember everything,” her voice was raspy from abuse. Deep bruises had begun to form on her delicate cheekbones. But she was alive, and to Eric that was all that mattered.
Bliss struggled to get upright, but he held her still. He motioned for the nearest guard to summon a carriage for them.
“I’m so tired, Eric. But you must know you will be commended for everything! Your future is brighter now than it’s ever been, dear,” said Bliss in a low whisper. “Imagine how rich your life would be if you would do me the honor and justice of listening to me.”
Eric chuckled at the words she said just before her eyes slid closed and her body relaxed in the relieved posture of sleep.
Chapter Twenty-three
The Osterburg’s, Pauline, Rex the guard, Bristol, April 1811
Less than fifteen minutes after Dr. Benchley left, the sound of a frantic knock at the door brought Mundy from his supper. The pounding fist did nothing to hurry the butler as he made his way with reserve to the front of the house.
Ozzie poked his head out in agitation as Mundy stepped to the foyer and proceeded to unlatch the door. The moment it swung open, Pauline rushed in without waiting and began shouting for Lord Osterburg.
“My Lord Osterburg! Lord Osterburg! Come quickly! Oh, gracious, forgive my shouting, but it’s most urgent, my lord!” Pauline drew up short at Ozzie’s grim face as he stepped fully into the foyer. Penelope hurried in from the nearby sitting room to see what was going on.
“Lord Osterburg, is this maid employed by you or someone from your household?” Rex asked holding tight to Pauline’s arm to prevent an unnecessary scene. Ozzie seemed to realize that the man with her was a town guard. Dread crept over him.
“Yes, she’s the ladies’ maid of my guest, Lady Bliss Penwood. What has happened?” Ozzie demanded in a calm voice.
“My lord, she is gone! She sent me after ices, and when I returned her shawl was draped over the bench where she told me she would wait for me. I sat and waited for a while, thinking she might have met up with some friend and took a turn. But after an hour, she didn’t come back.
“I searched the garden and the museum for the next hour myself, but I couldn�
�t locate her. I asked the clerk at the museum for assistance. He started a search and sent me to the constable’s office,” Pauline’s voice broke off at the end of her statement about the constable.
Pauline’s crying interrupted the exchange briefly until Rex, feeling the need to fill in, began telling of the constable’s dilemma and his treatment. He went on further to explain how often they received similar requests to gain access to the Osterburg’s home, hoping to lessen the severity of his boss’s indiscretion. Ozzie listened with a face void of expression while the guard explained his role in bringing the maid.
“I saw how she was distraught about not remembering how to reach the house, my lord. It didn’t look like acting to me. She was genuinely upset. As soon as I got off from work, I found her on the street and agreed to bring her personally, even if it turned out to be a sham. I’m a sucker for a pretty miss in distress, my lord,” Rex said looking at Pauline with a compassionate gaze.
“What are you saying, sir? Has Bliss been recovered? Has there been some sort of accident?” Ozzie asked quietly. At these words, Penelope fainted.
Mundy and Ozzie were near enough they managed to catch her before she hit the floor. Ozzie swept her up with a grunt and hurried to the sitting room. He placed her on the sofa while Mundy shouted orders to the nearest maids to fetch her ladies’ maid, some salts and bring her water. Pauline dissolved again in another fit of tears. She shrank against the wall just inside the sitting room door, too frightened to move.
“What is your name?” Ozzie rounded on the guard as soon as his wife was being tended.
“I’m Rex Hastings, sir. I’m the daytime guard for the west side of town. I’m at your service, sir.” Rex bowed over his fist in a military stance. Ozzie repeated his question about Bliss, though quieted so as not to upset the ladies again.
“Sir, you know as much as I do now. I hoped if this wasn’t a ruse your own household guard and staff would be better prepared to search for the lady. They will be more familiar with her looks and actions.
“It would likely have better results if they took up the search. But I’m afraid too much time may have passed by this time, sir. It grows darker by the minute and whatever has happened it may be too long gone for anything to be discovered in the dark,” Rex replied in muted tones. Ozzie turned from him abruptly.
“Mundy! Have the stable master saddle up all the fastest horses. I want torches lit and waiting. Saddle my horse as well. Rex, can you ride?” Ozzie faced the guard again.
“I was in the horse guard regiment during the last war effort, sir. I can ride a sturdy mount,” he answered quickly.
“Will you help us? I’ll pay for your services,” Ozzie offered quickly.
“The maid offered to pay me just to bring her here, my lord, but it wasn’t for the money that I complied. I am your servant,” Rex said firmly.
Ozzie turned to look at Penelope. Her face was buried in her handkerchief while her maid, Marla, petted and soothed from behind her shoulder.
“Darling, don’t worry. I’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back safely. Ollie will kill me if anything has happened to her on my watch. I promise to take that duty more seriously if I can just find her whole and unharmed,” Ozzie promised. Penelope looked up, her face tear-stained and reddened.
“Oh Daniel, please, don’t go yet! Send the others! I can’t bear to think of the dreadful things that ... stay with me, I beg you!” Penelope’s pleas caught Ozzie square in the gut.
“Of course I will, my love. I won’t leave you. Rex will go in my place. He’ll take my fastest horse and all of my outriders and send word back every hour until she’s discovered. I’m not going if you don’t want me to,” Ozzie said softly.
Despite his fear that something truly horrific might have happened, he couldn’t leave Penelope alone to face the night in uncertainty. Penelope was a strong woman, but fears of the dead and their unfinished business would haunt her for months if he didn’t support her.
Ozzie said a quick, silent prayer that Bliss would be found safe. He prayed that it was mischief only that kept her from returning home.
“Sir, the horses will be ready in fifteen minutes. I sent our fastest ahead to alert the constable that Lord Osterburg was mightily displeased over his treatment of the situation. I’m certain he’ll have people searching before our first hooves hit the streets. Is there anything further you wish?” Mundy said in efficient ease, looking calmer than usual given the traumatic events unfolding around him.
“No, stand sentry at the door. If anyone returns you will bring me news at once! I’m going to move Lady Osterburg to our bedchamber to rest. I’ll be with her. Do not hesitate to alert me at the first hint of information!” Ozzie told the man as he scooped Penelope up from the sofa. He gave her a look that was intended to be curious.
“Gracious, Pen. If I didn’t know for a fact you were sworn off sweets I’d swear you were a stone or two heavier,” he whispered jokingly, in spite of the seriousness of the evening.
Penelope looked at him with weak amusement before letting loose with fresh, quiet tears. Ozzie squeezed her shoulder and carried her upstairs to the master suite. He heard Rex saying a quick farewell to the maid and promising to come back and see her to make sure she was better.
Ozzie didn’t bother worrying over the propriety of Ollie’s employees’ policies toward personal fraternization. His mind was too focused on soothing Penelope and making sure she didn’t fall into a panic until they knew for sure what happened.
Ozzie had barely gotten Penelope settled in bed when a shout from Mundy alerted them of a change.
“Daniel, quick! Go find out!” Penelope shoved him forcefully away from her side. Her eyes watched as he walked swiftly to the door, leaving it open as he left.
Penelope listened and heard what she needed to know. Bliss had returned at last! Or someone brought her back! The words were overlapped as many voices reported the news.
Penelope said a silent prayer of thanks that she wouldn’t have to worry anymore. Exhausted from the events of the evening, Penelope let her eyes drift closed for just a moment, and without meaning to fell into a boneless sleep.
Chapter Twenty-four
Eric, Bristol, April 1811
Eric didn’t even have to knock when he emerged from the carriage with Bliss, unconscious and cradled in his arms. The shouts from all corners of the house sent up a roar of celebration the minute he told the butler that Bliss was alright, just sleeping.
Ozzie’s eyes were blurred with tears of relief as Eric asked where her bedchamber was. Ozzie directed him to follow Marla. As he followed Eric up the stairs he asked what happened.
“I’ll explain everything as soon as I get done examining her injuries,” Eric said with a nod to Bliss’s face. Ozzie noticed the bruising and his face was livid.
“Who did this to her? I want his head on a pike!” Ozzie growled.
“Get in line! Apparently you, a dozen shopkeepers and I would like to see him hang for his actions against their daughters and nieces. But I need to see to her first.”
Eric continued after the maid into Bliss’s room. Ozzie came in but the maid frowned and curtsied to him while saying she would need to get the wet clothing off Lady Bliss before she caught a chill. While she turned to fetch a dry chemise, Ozzie nodded to Eric and left the room saying as he went, “I’ll speak with you the minute you’re finished.”
Marla quickly began unbuttoning the ruined dress. She and Eric sat Bliss’s still inert form upright to finish the buttons down the back. Eric turned his back as the maid dragged the dress down and off. The maid took a little longer with the chemise, and gasped aloud as the sight of dark bruising on Bliss’s ribs became visible.
Unable to avoid the scene, Eric turned to look at what had alarmed her. The rib bruises might have come from his efforts to dislodge the coin. But he didn’t know what sort of damage he might see if Westford had ...
The thought of what the man might have done to her before
dumping her in the river to drown made him shudder. Marla noticed the change in him.
“Dr. Benchley, perhaps another surgeon would be better to handle this woman? You are awfully pale and upset. She’s special to you, isn’t she? Would you like me to have Lord Osterburg fetch another man?” Marla asked softly.
Eric took a deep breath. He didn’t want any other man touching her, ever again. He shook his head, stopped and got a better idea.
“As soon as you’ve clothed her, I want you to have Lord Osterburg send for my nurse, Scarlet Mackey. I’ll write the direction. I want no one else to bother her until my nurse arrives, is that clear?” said Eric firmly.
He walked toward the escritoire and took a sheet of parchment. He rummaged in the drawer for a quill and a knife to sharpen the point. He wrote directions to the women’s boarding house on High Street. He handed it to Marla who bobbed her head and opened the door to hurry away. Eric sat on the edge of the bed to wait.
Less than fifteen minutes later, a harassed looking Scarlet was practically dumped into the bedroom. The large man Eric had barely noticed as he barged through the foyer was right behind her.
“Dr. Benchley? What on earth?” Scarlet said, immediately forgetting her ire and switching into her own professional demeanor.
“Scarlet, I’m sorry to have to drag you out like this. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t an emergency,” Eric whispered as he turned to the door and shut it. This succeeded in blocking out the man and a harangued looking Ozzie.
Scarlet waited beside the bed, checking Bliss’s wrist for a pulse. Her efficient bedside manner was comforting to him.
“Her heart seems sound. Shall I prep her to be examined?” Scarlet asked looking compassionately at her employer.
“Bliss is my dear friend, Scarlet. And I don’t know what was done to her other than her face is bruised and her ribs. The ribs were my doing. I had to dislodge something from her throat to get her to breathe. I don’t think I broke any ribs, but I’d do the same again even if it had broken them.