On the Duke's Authority (Ducal Encounters series 4 Book 3)

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘Any help I can give you, then…What is it, Adler?’ Lord Amos asked, frowning when he encountered Zach’s emissary in intense conversation with the head groom.

  ‘Lady Marlowe took a horse out nearly three hours ago and hasn’t returned,’ Adler replied. ‘It’s concerning.’

  ‘Did she give any indication where she intended to ride to, Evans?’ Lord Amos asked the groom curtly.

  ‘She said something about the haberdashery in Compton, Lord Amos.’

  Doran felt a ripple of anxiety pass through him. ‘She’s in trouble,’ he said curtly. ‘We need to go and look for her.’

  ‘Agreed. Saddle horses, Evans. Ours, Adler’s and enough for two more men.’

  Five minutes later the party left the Park at a canter, heading for the cut across the common that Lord Amos said would take them to the outskirts of Compton and save them two miles. As soon as they reached the village, Lord Amos made enquiries and was told that a lady answering Leona’s description had ridden through that morning but had not stopped at any of the shops.

  ‘It’s as I thought,’ Doran said, grinding his teeth. ‘She’s gone to that cottage, the irresponsible fool, and has got herself into trouble.’

  The party rode on at a brisk trot but Lord Amos held up a hand to halt them when the cottage came into view.

  ‘I have managed to discover that the cottage is owned by a man named Hislop,’ Adler told them.

  ‘Never heard of him,’ Lord Amos replied.

  ‘You would not have done, my lord. He is—or was—a cit but he died a year back. He had a manor house outside Winchester, and my sources tell me he purchased this cottage to accommodate his mistress.’ Lord Amos shared a confused look with Doran. ‘Upon his death, it became his wife’s. The rest of the estate went to the son from his first marriage.’

  ‘A bitter woman, then,’ Doran said. ‘And Lady Marlowe has gone straight in there with no idea of what she will be facing. We have to help her.’

  ‘And we shall. ‘We’ll take the front door,’ Lord Amos said, nodding at Doran. ‘Adler, take your men round the side and back and cut off other escape routes. We could have got it wrong. Perhaps they are in there drinking tea and losing track of time, but somehow I doubt it.’

  A shrill whistle told them that Adler was in place.

  ‘Ready?’ Doran asked, grimly wielding the knocker when he received a nod of confirmation from Lord Amos.

  He felt deflated when no one answered his summons. About to knock again, Lord Amos shook his head and tried the handle. The door was locked, so the two men glanced at one another and simultaneously put their shoulders to it. It was old and gave way at the second attempt, flying inwards against the wall behind it. An elderly maid approached them brandishing a frying pan above her head, a stream of expletives slipping past her lips. Doran subdued her easily and removed the weapon from her grasp.

  ‘Where is your mistress?’ he asked.

  She spat on the floor and didn’t respond. Doran pushed her aside and thrust the door to the front parlour open. No one was in the room but his heart plummeted when he recognised a familiar hat on the floor. It was the one that matched Leona’s riding habit.

  ‘She’s here somewhere,’ he said curtly, searching the only other two rooms on the ground floor and finding them both empty. There were no other servants either. Adler appeared from the back door.

  ‘Her horse is in the barn out the back,’ he said grimly.

  Amos nodded at Doran and they flew up the stairs with Adler close at their heels. There were just two doors, both closed, but a muted sound followed by a loud slap came from one of them. The time for finesse was gone and Doran threw the door open to find Leona gagged and bound to the bed, looking furious and petrified at the same time. A woman loomed over her, holding a knife to her throat and Devonshire, who was supposed to be on his way to London, stood in the doorway. He offered them a capricious smile, despite the fact that dried blood adhered to a long cut on his cheek and he appeared to be standing upright with difficulty. Leona’s face was red and swollen on one side and Doran was filled with a murderous rage at the damage inflicted, which was ridiculous given that she could easily die if they played this wrong. Desperate people, cornered and with nothing to lose, were not ordinarily rational beings.

  ‘Gentlemen,’ Devonshire said, with an ironic bow. ‘This is an unexpected pleasure.’

  ‘Let her go,’ Lord Amos said with authority. ‘The game is up.’

  ‘Stay back or I will slit her throat,’ the woman said. A manic look in her eye and a rock steady hand implied serious intent.

  ‘And then we will arrest you both and you will swing for murder,’ Doran said, sounding infinitely more relaxed than he felt. Leona thrashed her head from side to side, mindless of the close proximity of the dagger, and somehow managed to dislodge the gag. Doran sensed that it had been hastily applied when they heard or saw her rescue party approaching.

  ‘Devonshire murdered my husband and hers,’ she said in a choked voice. ‘He admitted it all just now. She is Yaris’s sister.’

  ‘Ah, now it all makes sense. Well then, Devonshire, it looks as though you have an appointment with the hangman to look forward to, no matter what. Best you don’t make it any worse for yourself if you have a lick of sense, which I rather doubt.’

  ‘I made no such admission, and you cannot prove otherwise. It will be her word against mine.’

  ‘And with the Duke of Winchester and his brother supporting her version, whom do you suppose will be believed?’ Lord Amos asked.

  It was then, Doran thought afterwards, that Devonshire finally accepted the game was up. So too, it seemed, did his partner in crime, who threw the dagger aside.

  ‘I had nothing to do with any of this,’ she said, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes, as Doran ran to untie Leona.

  ‘I will deal with you later,’ Doran said softly to Leona as he helped her to sit up. ‘Are you badly hurt?’

  ‘No, not nearly as badly as him,’ she said with considerable satisfaction, nodding towards Devonshire. ‘He made me come up here with the intention of killing me, but didn’t notice that I’d kept hold of my riding crop.’

  ‘Ah, the cut to his face.’ Doran failed to suppress an approving smile, despite the fact that he was trying to be annoyed with her for rushing headlong into danger.

  ‘And the knee to his groin,’ she added, bursting into tears.

  Doran gathered her in his arms and held her as she trembled and cried.

  ‘Adler,’ Lord Amos said, ‘get your men to hold these two while I arrange for them to be taken in charge. Our priority now is to get Lady Marlowe back to the Park. She is in shock.’

  ‘Ah well, my love, we tried and it was one hell of a ride.’

  They all turned to Devonshire, who laughed rather manically and blew the woman a kiss. He then reached for the casement window latch, thrust it open wide and before anyone could prevent him, he threw himself out of it onto the flat roof of the scullery immediately below. He waved to Doran and Lord Amos but his inattention to his footing and his arrogant assumption that he had bested them proved to be his undoing. The scullery was north-facing and the overnight frost hadn’t melted. He slipped, cried out and windmilled his arms in an effort to keep his balance. For a moment it looked as though he would succeed, but gravity prevailed and he tumbled over the edge of the roof, hitting the hard ground below with a heavy thud.

  Chapter Seventeen

  It was dark when Leona awoke, safe in her bed at Winchester Park—a place that she hadn’t expected to see again. She didn’t remember how she had got back there, other than being in a carriage with Doran constantly holding her, telling her she had been foolish, brave, irresponsible and all sorts of other conflicting accusations. Her nightmare was over, but it would take a long time for the terrifying memories of what had turned out to be rather reckless behaviour to fade.

  ‘Ah, you’re awake, lamb. How do you feel?’ Ethel bustled over to sit beside her
. ‘Your poor face took a right battering.’

  ‘What time is it?’

  ‘The family are at dinner. Do you want something sent up?’

  ‘No, I’m not hungry, but I do owe them an explanation. Lay out a simple gown, Ethel. I am going down to thank them for saving my life.’

  Ethel tutted. ‘Can’t that wait until tomorrow?’

  ‘No. I won’t rest easy until I have expressed my gratitude and explained everything to them. They will be wondering.’

  ‘Aye, very likely. But don’t go tiring yourself now.’

  Leona’s face hurt too much for her to be able to bear anything more than Ethel brushing her tangled hair out and tying it back with a ribbon. She made her way downstairs on unsteady legs where Faraday, too well trained to show more surprise than the slight elevation of one eyebrow, stood back to allow her to enter the dining parlour. The gentlemen all stood but she waved them back to their chairs.

  ‘My dear, we were so worried about you,’ Frankie said. ‘How do you feel?’

  ‘Relieved that I escaped relatively unharmed, thanks to Lord Amos and Mr Conroy,’ she said.

  ‘Do sit down and tell us what happened,’ Frankie said. ‘Naturally, we are all curious.’

  ‘How is Devonshire?’ she asked, taking the chair that Doran pulled out for her.

  ‘Dead,’ Lord Amos said, not an ounce of compassion in his tone. ‘He preferred to take his chances rather than face up to his actions, which is probably the only honourable thing he ever did in his entire wretched life.’

  ‘His wife will be saved from the scandal,’ Leona said, nodding cautiously.

  She then explained to her interested audience why she had chosen to go to that cottage and what she had hoped to gain from the excursion.

  ‘Naturally, I assumed that Devonshire was safely out of the way and I hoped to talk some sense into his lady friend. If I had known her identity, obviously I would not have attempted such a rash course of action.’

  ‘You wanted to take back responsibility for your own affairs,’ Frankie said, nodding. ‘I can quite understand that.’

  But judging from the scowling countenances of every gentleman in the room, the duchess was in the minority. Be that as it may, they listened without interrupting as she explained what the evil pair had done, the connection to her late husband’s father and Mrs Yaris’s assumption that she had a claim on the estate.

  ‘But Mrs Yaris was not the driving force, as I had supposed,’ Leona explained. ‘Mrs Hislop filled that role. She met Devonshire by chance, I do not know how, but they immediately recognised one another’s ruthlessness. Devonshire genuinely loved her, I think, and would do absolutely anything to please her. He craved adventure rather than the staid life of a country gentleman.’ She smiled. ‘His own words.’

  ‘We have all met women like her before,’ Frankie said, sharing a glance with her husband.

  ‘What will happen to Mrs Hislop?’ Leona asked.

  ‘She is safely secured in Winchester gaol and will stand accused of kidnap and attempted murder at the next session of the Assizes.’ It was the duke who replied. ‘The best she can hope for is transportation.’

  ‘I shall have to go to London and tell Amelia that her husband is dead,’ Lord Amos said, sighing. ‘She will be upset because she really did love the rogue, but she is much better off without him and will make a very tragic widow.’

  ‘And you, my dear,’ Frankie said, ‘will be able to return and evict your unwelcome guests.’

  ‘We were talking about them before you joined us,’ Doran said. ‘From what you have told us, they were simply following Mrs Hislop’s orders so there is little that they can be charged with. Being sent back to their own humble abode with a threat of destroying what’s left of Yaris’s career hanging over their heads should be enough to keep them in line, especially when word of Mrs Hislop’s fall from grace gets into the public domain.’

  ‘That is a very comforting thought,’ Leona said. ‘I cannot say that I like either of them, but I don’t believe that they would have gone to the extremes that they did if Mrs Hislop had not encouraged them, and she only did so in order to accumulate enough funds to abscond with Devonshire. As much as she is capable of loving anyone, I believe that she loved him, in her way.’

  Doran grunted. ‘I remain to be convinced that she loves anyone other than herself,’ he said.

  ‘Perhaps,’ Leona conceded.

  The conversation exhausted her, and when she had answered their many questions and thanked them repeatedly for their help, she begged to be excused. This time when she returned to her bed, she slept soundly with no nightmares or regrets about Devonshire’s demise. He had brought it upon himself.

  She didn’t wake again until a weak winter sun was high in the sky the following morning.

  *

  Doran had been relieved to see Leona appear in the dining parlour the previous evening. Despite repeated assurances from Frankie that she was recovering from her ordeal, he would not have been satisfied until he saw her for himself, but hadn’t anticipated having that pleasure before the following day.

  But now the morning had dawned, and he had agreed terms with the duke regarding his timber since there was no longer any impediment to his removing it from his land economically. He had no further excuse for trespassing upon the duke’s hospitality. But he did have a very compelling reason to stay, and when Leona appeared mid-morning he had no scruples about getting her to himself in the conservatory.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked. ‘No nightmares, I trust.’

  ‘No, I slept very well.’

  ‘Your poor face.’ He touched the bruises that were forming with infinite gentleness. ‘But I am too cross with you to spare you much sympathy.’

  ‘Why? I am not your responsibility and I acted with the best of intentions. I did not deliberately go looking for danger.’

  ‘True, my sweet, but that is not the crime I intend to hold against you.’

  She sent him an impatient look. ‘Then what is?’

  ‘You have…well, you have made me realise that my disappointment in Coleen happened for a reason. I have come to accept that patience can be worthwhile. Besides, I cannot live in the past forever, nor can I tar all females with the same brush.’

  She swallowed as she fixed him with a steady look. ‘That would be a huge generalisation.’

  ‘When I saw you tied to that bed and the manic look in that woman’s eyes, I really did think that she was about to slash your throat, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get to you in time to stop her. I felt so wretchedly impotent.’ He closed his eyes and threw his head back in torment. Leona impulsively reached for his hand and squeezed it. ‘She was unstable, vindictive and…well, the thought of losing you made me die a little—a lot—inside.’ He shook his head. ‘I am in love with you Leona, and it took your near death to make me realise it.’

  ‘You are?’ She swallowed. ‘In love? With me?’

  ‘I am. I have not known you for long but it has been more than enough time for me to realise what is in my heart. I have overcome my fears of disappointment and am ready to take my chances. Well, it won’t be a chance, not with you at my side. It will be challenging and desirable and everything that is good and right. But for the fact that you are totally opposed to commitment. However, since this situation is entirely your fault for captivating me so comprehensively, I want to know what we are to do about it.’

  ‘What indeed?’ A sensual smile graced her battered features. ‘I cannot bear to be responsible for your being disappointed in love for a second time. I owe it to womankind in general to restore the reputation of our gender in your eyes.’

  ‘My thoughts exactly. Besides, my man and your maid seem to have formed an attachment. It would be unkind to tear them apart.’

  ‘Heaven forbid,’ she said, mangling her lower lip between her teeth in a clear effort to suppress a smile.

  ‘Your home is in London.’

  ‘I ha
ve a yen to take a prolonged visit to my Irish estate, just as soon as I have evicted the Yarises and put the house up for sale.’

  He flexed a brow. ‘You intend to give it up?’

  ‘Certainly I do. I have never really enjoyed city life, and we only kept the London house because of George’s work commitments. He quite enjoyed mixing in society, whereas I do not.’

  ‘Well then, allow me to escort you to London and help with the arrangements.’ His arm circled her waist and he pulled her against him. ‘It occurs to me that if you were to somehow overcome your disinclination to marry again and were to accept my proposal, we could combine our Irish estates and there would never be any difficulties about access again.’

  She sent him a sparkling yet censorious smile. ‘Ah, so you only want to marry me in order to get my property?’

  ‘No, my sweet, I want to marry you because I love you to distraction. I think I knew it the moment I set eyes on you.’

  ‘In that case,’ she responded, standing on her toes to receive his kiss, ‘I suggest we arrange a wedding as soon as possible since I love you just as much. I really cannot recall now why I was so determined not to marry again. It’s just a case of finding the right person, I suppose. Anyway, I don’t trust those sly Irish ladies to let you be, not now that you have given up on past disappointments, if I don’t have your ring on my finger.’

  ‘I will feel considerably safer once you have,’ he replied, closing his mouth over hers and kissing her like a man with a point to prove. A man who didn’t have the slightest intention of letting her out of his sight for the rest of his days. She was far too impulsive and couldn’t be trusted to behave herself and stay out of trouble.

  *

  Frankie and Zach sat together in the small salon, watching Conroy and Leona walking out across the frosty lawns hand in hand, totally wrapped up in one another and apparently oblivious to the cold.

  ‘Perhaps one day we will entertain a visitor here at the Park who doesn’t find her heart’s desire before she leaves us again,’ Zach said, smiling.