“And you will write often?”
He smiled. “I will pour my heart onto the page for you.”
“I love you, my darling Edward.” She leaned up and kissed him on the lips, savoring every moment they had left together. In truth, she feared his journey homeward, and prayed for God to watch over him. That dastardly devil was still out there somewhere, with the desire for Edward’s death still rife in his twisted soul.
“And I love you,” he replied softly, kissing her again. She sank into his embrace as the moments passed, knowing she would have to release him soon. He needed to go before any more trouble could find him here.
“I suppose we must say goodbye?” Her heart broke a little at the words she spoke.
He nodded. “As the French would say—au revoir; until we meet again.”
“Then au revoir it shall be.” She kissed him once more, the sensation long and lingering, her hands running through his curls, so she might have the memory to keep her warm throughout the cold, lonely nights to come.
“I love you. Do not forget me.”
“Never,” she vowed.
Reluctantly, he pulled away and walked to the horse, pulling himself up into the saddle. She stood at his side as he grasped the reins, her hand upon his thigh.
He leaned down and tilted her chin up, stealing one final kiss from her ready lips. “I will see you again soon, my darling. You may rely upon me and my promises. I will not forsake you.”
“I will wait, my love.” She stepped back as he dug in his heels, and the horse took off out of the stables at a brisk pace. She hurried to the door and clasped her hand to her heart, watching him go. She did not take her eyes off him until he vanished into the darkness of the driveway, headed for home.
“He will come back for you, my darling girl,” her mother’s voice spoke softly.
Lydia turned. “Do you truly believe that he will?”
“I have seen the love between you, Lydia. Wild horses could not keep him away, nor a musket in your father’s hands.” Her mother put her arm around Lydia’s shoulders. “Now, come back inside the house. I shall send for some tea, to warm our bones. For when the sun rises, there is work for us to do. Your father will not be persuaded easily, and you must be on your best behavior if you wish to win his favor.”
“I will, Mama.”
A glitter of tears brimmed in her mother’s eyes.
“What is the matter?” Lydia lifted her hand to brush her mother’s tears away.
“You have not called me Mama in many a year, my sweet girl. I had forgotten how dearly I longed to hear you call me that again.”
“I have been a selfish fool these past years, Mama. I will do my very best to be better, not only for myself, but for you, and for Edward, and for our family.”
Her mother held Lydia’s hand closer to her cheek. “I am glad that Edward found his way to our home, my darling. He was a gift to the both of us, I am certain of it.”
Together, they walked towards the house, linking arms as they went. Lydia had never known such a bittersweet feeling before. Yes, she had said farewell to her dearest love, but she had somehow recovered the love of her mother in the wake of it. One day, she hoped she might have both, and find herself the happiest young lady in all of England.
A figure sat by the fireside of the local inn, warming himself in the chamber he had purchased with the last of his coin. His heart lay heavy in his chest, the bruises on his body fringed with yellow and black. He had rested awhile, after the altercation in the woods, but he had not forgotten his purpose. He would not.
I came so close, and yet the devil survived.
He burned with unfettered rage at the escape of his quarry. A shot to the heart should surely have rid the world of such a man as the Duke, but he had missed by a mere fraction of flesh and bone. Though it would have broken a weaker fellow, prompting them to give up, this man was determined to succeed. Even if it cost him everything. After all, what did he have left to lose? The Duke had taken everything already.
You think yourself safe, but that is the most dangerous place you can be, Duke. I am coming for you, you may rely upon it. At the very moment when you think you are content, I will destroy you, and everything you hold dear. Just as you destroyed me, and everything I had in this world.
Chapter 27
James hurried to the front door of Summerhill Hall as a rider approached. He had not recognized the horse from the window and had hurried to meet the potential intruder. However, now that he stood on the top step, he saw the face of the man as he approached.
Edward…you have returned.
“Is everything well, Cousin?” Adrian appeared behind him, a sleepy expression on his face. The household had rested far easier, knowing that Edward was safe. James, on the other hand, had slept fitfully. He could not rid himself of his guilt at speaking to his mother so harshly. Indeed, she had not spoken to him since, and refused to see him.
“Edward has come back to us.” James pointed towards the rider.
“Then, we may have our answers at long last.” Adrian stretched out his muscled arms and tilted his head from side to side, unleashing an unpleasant crack of bone as he did so.
James nodded. “Indeed, we shall.”
They waited until Edward neared, moving down the steps to help him steady his horse as he leapt from the saddle. Without any sort of greeting, Edward enfolded both gentlemen in his arms, hugging them tightly to him. James stiffened, for he had never been one for displays of open affection. Adrian, however, clapped Edward on the back.
“The wanderer returns,” he chirped brightly.
Edward chuckled. “And what a tale I have to tell.”
“Well, come inside. I shall have some sandwiches prepared and sent to the drawing room. You look pale, Brother. You must eat something and rest awhile, and then we will talk of where you have been.” James ushered Edward into the house, whilst one of the valets came out to take care of the horse.
“That sounds marvelous,” Edward replied, heading straight for the drawing room. “I will go to Mother as soon as I have had something to eat, for I am decidedly famished. I have ridden all morning without stopping and I fear she would think me a ghoul if I strode in, in my current state.”
He seemed cheery enough, despite the apparent injuries he had suffered. Had it not been for the tightly-wound bandages around his chest and arm, James would not have believed that any harm had befallen Edward at all.
The trio of gentlemen settled in the comfortable armchairs around the fireplace, whilst Edward devoured the sandwiches that soon arrived. He gulped down hot tea as if he had not drunk a drop of liquid in weeks. James stared at him with discreet curiosity, eager to learn more of what had happened to him.
“Are you going to continue to keep us in suspense?” Adrian broke the contented silence, with a small smile upon his lips.
Edward laughed. “My apologies. I had almost forgotten you were in the room, for these delightful sandwiches had quite stolen my attention.” He paused. “Indeed, one might ask what you are doing here at Summerhill. I thought you had absconded to Scotland with your rather beautiful wife?”
“And I long to go back to her, dear Cousin. As soon as I am satisfied that you are well, and have caused no trouble, I will return to my dear wife and her charming estate and think nothing more of either of you until Christmastide comes around again.” Adrian grinned, and James felt a flicker of envy. The two gentlemen had always had an easy friendship, beyond their relation as cousins.
Perhaps Mama is right. Perhaps Edward does possess a social grace that I lack, but how can I be held to ransom for it? Papa never allowed me the same social courtesies that he gave to Edward. How could I have learned, without due experience?
“You did not answer my question, Cousin,” Edward replied. “Did James call upon your services when I did not return?”
“I heard of your absence and came of my own accord. You gave our family quite the fright, disappearing like that.”
Edward’s expression darkened. “Would that I had had a choice, Cousin. It was not my intention to disappear.”
“What happened? Start at the beginning.” Adrian sat back in his armchair and folded his hands in his lap.
“I was on my return from London when I was intercepted by an unknown rider. He wore a cloak and a hood and was armed with pistols. When I saw him coming towards me, I knew I had to steer him away from the house. I rode with all my might, and took an obscure turn into some woods, many hours’ ride from here. A low-hanging branch caught me in the throat, and I was knocked from my horse. I hit my head upon a rock and woke up with no memory of who I was.”
Adrian frowned. “Is that the truth?”
“Do you think me a liar?”
“You see, we followed a rather different trail, Cousin.”
Edward looked puzzled. “Whatever do you mean?”
James sighed. “We went looking for you, and it led us into London. We discovered letters in your room, sent from a Miss Veronica Simpkins. It took us to a boarding house, where we found one of the family pins, and then onto a place called Woolford Grange, where another of your pins was recovered from Miss Veronica’s belongings.”
“I confess, I am only vaguely acquainted with the lady you mention, and I have certainly never received a letter from her.” Edward sipped his tea slowly. “I did receive some of my friend’s belongings several weeks ago. He asked me to keep them safe for him, whilst he trained with the militia in Northumberland. You know him, James—Alfred Dale.”
“So, you do not know Miss Simpkins?”
Edward shrugged. “I know her in passing, but she and I have never…enjoyed an attachment. A beauty, indeed, but I have never been one for casual affairs of the heart. Gambling, perhaps. Drinking, almost certainly. But ladies? I have always avoided entanglements.”
“Then, how did your pin find its way to that boarding house?” Adrian pressed.
“My goodness, is this an interrogation?” He laughed awkwardly.
“We must know, Brother,” James replied sternly.
“I have no answer for you, for I have never partaken in any sport in any boarding house. You and I went to one once, if you recall, James? Perhaps that was where I dropped it, and one of those ladies took it for a keepsake. It is likely worth a pretty penny.”
James felt his stomach churn at the remembrance of that night. It had scarred him deeply, and he had never quite shaken off the humiliation. He had imbibed too much brandy, and Edward and his friends had urged him to go into the house with a strange young lady they had only just met. The rest remained a vile haze that he loathed to stir up again.
Adrian shook his head. “Say that were so. How did Miss Simpkins come to have one of your pins?”
“Again, I have no answer for you. I did not give a pin to her. She partook in some revels with myself and a group of dear friends—maybe that is where she took it.” Edward looked strained, a sheen of perspiration upon his brow.
“Are you speaking honestly, Edward?” Adrian’s voice held a tone of warning. “The truth will not shock either of us, Cousin. If you have behaved foolishly, tell us so that we may take measures to conceal it.”
“I have not, Adrian,” Edward replied sharply. “My story is the truth. I hit my head and lost my memory and woke in a strange house. I have spent the last three weeks at that residence, and…well, I hoped to give you this news under warmer circumstances, but I see that is not to be. I fell in love whilst I was there, and I have found the young lady that I hope to wed.”
Adrian’s eyes widened. “Does the lady have a name?”
“Yes, Lydia. She is quite remarkable and is the daughter of…a Duke.”
“Which Duke?”
Edward turned his face away. “That is of little consequence at this present moment. I shall send for her presently, once I have seen to the affairs of my own dukedom. I wish to make the house fit for her, when she arrives.”
James narrowed his eyes. “Who is she, Edward?”
“I have told you. She is the daughter of a Duke, and she is the lady that I intend to marry. I love her, and I will not be without her.”
“So, you did not try to elope with Miss Simpkins?” Adrian said uncertainly. James could see that his cousin was starting to doubt the entire goose chase they had endured to try and find Edward.
Edward snorted. “Certainly not! I am not foolish enough to seek the hand of a merchant’s daughter. Even if I have not been a particularly enthusiastic Duke, I would not disgrace the family so. I would definitely not attempt to elope, not unless it was for the right lady.”
“So, you really did lose your memory?” James chimed in.
“I did. I worked as a stable boy for almost a fortnight, if you can believe it. In that time, I was attacked by the same fellow who chased me—twice, in fact. He had followed me to that house. Anyway, after the second attempt on my life, I awoke with my memories restored.”
Adrian seemed utterly baffled. “Are you certain?”
“Once you meet with this young lady, she will vouch for my tale herself,” Edward replied. “It seems the two of you have been on a rather unfortunate journey. Tell me, where did such a trail run cold?”
“We followed Miss Simpkins to Woolford Grange, but she had already gone. Apparently, she is awaiting ‘her love’ in Chester. I sent men to look for her, but when you wrote to say you were safe, I called them away from the mission.” Adrian folded his arms across his chest.
James nodded. “Indeed, we suspected her brother might be the one who had pursued you that night, for he is intent on finding his sister. We thought he might have murdered you on the road.”
“Maybe Alfred is the lucky fellow,” Edward mused. “They were always rather close, and if his letters were in my bedchamber, perhaps he is the one who has gone to meet with her.”
“But there was a mention of a Duke in her notes, Edward,” Adrian urged.
“Gentlemen lie, Cousin. Maybe Alfred has made himself out to be more wealthy than he really is.”
Adrian tapped his chin in thought. “I suppose that could be the case. Do you think he might have been the one to give her your pin?”
“Alfred often admired the one I wore on my lapel, but I lost it during a particularly hazy few days in London. I can write to him, if you would like?”
James heaved out an exasperated sigh. “I can see no reason to trouble ourselves with Miss Simpkins any further. If she is intent on entangling herself in a troublesome marriage, then we ought to leave her to it. I wish Alfred well, if he is the potential bridegroom.” This had been a rather long day already, and he did not wish to talk about it anymore. Edward was home, and that was all that mattered.
“Are you sure? I can do so, if it would set your minds at ease.” Edward smiled, for he evidently realized just how much trouble they had gone through, to track him down.
“There is no need, Brother. You ought to go to Mother and then see to the affairs of the dukedom. They have been rather neglected in your absence, as I have had little time to take care of them for you.”
Edward nodded. “I am very sorry to have put you both through so much turmoil.”
“It is Mother you should be apologizing to. She was so very unwell during your absence, though she has improved after learning you were safe.”
“And you have not told her any of this bizarre tale, that you have just told me?” Edward sounded concerned.
James struggled not to roll his eyes. “No, we have not. As with all of your misdemeanors, I insured that any potential wrongdoings were kept solely between Adrian and me. As for your absence, that has not found its way into the gossiping populace, either.”
So much for gratitude. James struggled not to say it out loud.
“I really am sorry, Brother,” Edward said quietly. “I did not ask for any of this, nor do I know who my assailant may be. I saw his face, but I did not know him. He was a stranger to me, though he claimed I had aggrieved him deeply.”
James frowned. “Oh?”
“Do you know of anyone within the dukedom who might have reason to detest me so?”
“I do not. As far as I am aware, everything is in order. I have seen to it myself.” No thanks to you.
“Then it is a very peculiar anomaly.” Edward paused. “I only pray that he does not follow me here, too, whoever he may be. I departed with the utmost discretion, so I do not imagine he knows I have journeyed here. Then again, I did not know I had an enemy until he was upon me, so I shall have to be wary. I will speak with the guards and ask them to look out for any strange activity.”
Adrian nodded. “There has already been some strange behavior in this house, for a young fellow managed to drug your brother and I, some nights ago. Do you think it could be related?”
Wicked Temptations for the Seduced Duchess: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 20