In Pursuit of a Scottish Lady (Moonstone Magic Book 2)

by Hunt, Brenda

  Worth smiled. He turned serious. “He will undoubtedly wish I had killed him. Oxley is to continue with the plan I have set into motion.”

  “You mentioned a plan earlier?”

  Worth nodded as he took another sip of brandy. “Meet me at the warehouse in the morning and watch it put into motion.”

  Lynden raised an eyebrow in question.

  “Better explained by seeing it in action,” stated Worth.

  Lynden nodded. “I am always available to watch your plans in action. They are often quite entertaining. Speaking of entertainment, what about Madame Demey?”

  Worth smiled. “I will let her sit for a few days, wondering what I will follow up with. Besides, there are a couple of her associates, I have not been able to identify, as of yet. I want to know everyone who backs her.”

  “You can be ruthless.”

  Worth smiled. “So I have been told on numerous occasions.”

  Lynden downed the last of his brandy. “Early in the morning?”

  “About 8 will do,” replied Worth.

  Lynden nodded and rose to his feet. “Till the morning then.”

  Worth watched his friend leave. He poured himself another splash. He twirled it about gazing at the colors as he did so. Lili was safe upstairs. It didn’t appear as though she had been harmed, except for the bruises on her wrist and cheek. He could breathe easier. But his mission was not finished. Not until Edward and Madame Demey were made to pay for their part in all of this. They would know that the Duke of Worthington protected what was his and Lili was his. His swallowed that last bit of brandy and rose from his chair.

  Meyers met him at the door. “Is there anything else you need, your Grace?”

  “No, thank you, Meyers. Go on to bed. Tomorrow I have much to tend to. I will need you to continue to keep Lili safe,” explained Worth.

  “Of course, your Grace. No one dare try anything here,” replied Meyers as though the thought of anyone entering Mannery House with the intent of taking Lady McGowan from the premises needed to be in Bedlam.

  Worth smiled. “Good night, Meyers.”

  Worth walked up the stairs and entered Lili’s room. Marie sat in the chair by her bed. Worth smiled.

  “She’s been sleeping, yer Grace,” said Marie as she rose from the chair.

  “Thank you, Marie. I will sit with her now. You go on to bed. I will have to go out in the morning. I would like you to come back to sit with her if she hasn’t awakened,” explained Worth.

  “Mrs. Nettles said she may sleep all day tomorrow, too.”

  “Then I want someone here when she wakes up. She’ll not know where she is. I hope to be back before then, but just in case, I will need you with her, Marie.”

  “But certainment, yer Grace,” replied Marie. She gave a small curtsey and left the room.

  Worth sat in the chair Marie vacated and pulled it next to the side of the bed. Lili lay on her side curled in a ball as she was want to do. He wanted to curl against her back as he had done most of the nights she shared his bed. Instead, he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. He let out a deep sigh of relief. She was safe in his home. Tomorrow, when she awakened, he would explain all to her. Never once did it cross his mind, Lili would have something to say concerning all the plans he had made.

  Worth laid his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes. Being able to finally relax after the stress of the past days took its toll. He fell asleep holding Lili’s hand in his.

  Streaks of sunlight penetrated the drapes when Worth awakened. He smiled when he saw Lili asleep in the bed. He had rescued her. It was not a dream. He stretched. The chair was not the most comfortable thing to have slept in, but that was of little consequence to Worth. The most important thing to him lay in the bed safely sleeping.

  He walked to the door with the intent of summoning Marie only to find her walking to the room.

  “Good morning, yer Grace.”

  Worth smiled. “Good morning, Marie. She is still asleep.”

  “Bien. Good.”

  Worth exchanged places with Marie and walked off to his room, knowing Bennings would be there to help him get ready for the day ahead. Lynden would be back shortly.

  .

  Chapter 15

  Let me close the eyes of my soul

  That I may not see

  What stands between thee and me.

  Despair

  Paul Lawrence Dunbar

  Lili woke up staring up at tufted butter colored silk top of the bed she lay in. It matched the coverlet that covered her. Her head pounded like Harper, the blacksmith from home, was pounding on some metal he was working on. Her mouth tasted dry like she had followed the mail carriage down the dusty road past the keep.

  Memories of the past couple of days were blurred and hazy at best. She felt like she had been wandering among the hills in the early morning mist, lost but there were bits and pieces of recognizable landmarks, no memories.

  She remembered getting to London with Edward. So far she had been able to ward him off, but she just didn’t know how much longer she could continue to do so. This was not Edward’s lodgings. His consisted of a dirty one room on the third floor of some broken down house in a very seedy part of London.

  Yesterday or was it yesterday, he had brought her to this magnificent mansion. There, she met this gregarious woman The woman and Edward had talked for what seemed like forever. She couldn’t hear the words but she could see Edward was adamant about something.

  Then he had looked at her, sneered, “Good riddance,” and walked off.

  Lili looked at Madame Demey. She smiled at Lili but the smile did not reach her eyes. Her eyes of dark brown were hard and calculating.

  She pulled a cord near her a chair and immediately a young girl not much older than Lili walked in. She had to have been waiting just outside the door to have entered so quickly.

  “Ah, Sylvie, please escort our new guest, Miss Lili, to the red room. See to it she is properly dressed and prepared for tonight.” She turned to Lili. “You, my dear, will follow Sylvie. She will show you to your room and all that is required of you.”

  “I don’t understand,” answered Lili. “What am I doing here?”

  Madame Demey smiled smugly. “This is a home for young women. Your uncle has brought you here to work off his debts. Your duties will be shown to you later. Until then follow Sylvie and she will get you settled in.”

  “But--.”argued Lili.

  “It is done,” Madame Demey replied haughtily, and waved her hand in dismissal.

  “Come, Miss Lili. I’ll explain it to you upstairs in your room.”

  Lili sighed in resignation. She would figure it all out, once she knew more about this place. She followed Sylvie up the stairs to the red room. In the red room, a tea tray sat on the table by the window.

  Sylvie poured her a cup of tea and added some biscuits. “Tis best ye drink and eat now. Supper be a long time away,” she encouraged.

  Lili nodded and sat down in the chair by the window. It looked out to a beautiful laid out garden below. “Where am I?” she asked. She took a sip of tea. It had a bitter taste. She added some more sugar to it and tasted it again. Better, but there was an aftertaste to it.

  “This is Madame Demey’s House of Girls.”

  “I don’t understand why I am here. I know what Madame Demey said about my uncle but I have a home in Scotland and the twins, my little brother and sister, to take care of back there. Is this some sort of school?” asked Lili. She took another long drink of tea.

  Sylvie laughed. “Yes, you could call it that.”

  After that things became hazy, jumbled, flashes of bits and pieces. She remembered Sylvie helping her bathe and then dressing her in some sort of gown. She lay in this big bed as Sylvie and Madame Demey talked but she couldn’t remember the words or even if she understood them.

  There were voices, garbled, flashes of people, voices. Nothing, she could remember just voices coming in and out.
She must have had strange dreams because she remembered Colin’s voice. Calling her name, telling her to hang on. He was getting her out of there. She shook her head. No, Colin had no idea where she was. He had been in Edinburgh when Edward had come and forced her to leave Glendenning. No, she had to have been dreaming.

  Lili shook her head. It made the pounding worse. This was not the red room. Then where was she, how had she gotten here and why was she here?

  She turned to her side and gazed about the room. She lay in a large canopied bed. The wood was light. Two large windows occupied the opposite wall. A window seat was covered in butter colored silk with small peach colored roses. Two peach colored wing chairs sat before the fireplace. A small writing desk stood in one corner, in the other corner, stood a dressing screen. Lili looked about the room. This was the room of subtle elegance.

  Lili threw off the covers and sat on the side of the bed. Her head pounded more. She put her head in her hands. Why did she feel like this? She noticed a pitcher and glass on the side table. She poured herself a glass of water and drank it thirstily. The water seemed to ease the pounding in her head to a reasonable ache. She sat on the side of the bed and rubbed her hands over her face massaging the sides of head. If she tried to think too hard the pounding became worse. She needed the pounding to stop, so she could think.

  She looked down at the soft linen night shift she wore. It was finer than anything she had ever owned. Where had that come from? So many questions and no answers. One thing she did know, she needed to get out of here. She needed to get back to Glendenning and the twins. But where was she? Of that, she had no idea.

  Lili watched as a small dark haired young girl entered carrying a breakfast tray.

  “You’re awake m’lady,” she said in a heavy French accent.

  “Yes,” replied Lili.

  “I have your breakfast tray,” she replied, as she placed on the small table between the two winged chairs.

  Lili eyed her closely. She did not remember her from last night. But then, what did she really remember about last night? Was it even last night?

  “Where am I?” Lili asked. Not being able to remember was agonizing.

  The young girl smiled. “Why you are at Mannery House, the Duke of Worthingston’s London house.”

  Lili sighed with relief. The Duke of Worthingston was Colin’s employer. So perhaps, hearing Colin’s voice last night might not have been a dream after all. It must have been real because how else would she be here.

  “Is Mr. Colin Wells here as well? I seem to remember hearing his voice last night. I know he works for the Duke.”

  The young girl looked at her confused. “No m’lady. Only his grace, Lord Colin Harwell, the Duke of Worthingston and his friend the Marquess of Lynden. Them the ones that brought you here.”

  It was Lili’s turn to look confused. Her eyes narrowed, a suspicion began growing. “What was the Duke’s name again?”

  “T’is Lord Colin Harwell, the Duke of Worthingston,” answered the maid looking at her strangely.

  No, it could not be. Colin Wells, Colin Harwell. Too close, too similar. And then him telling her the Duke of Worthingston would not care, if he took his time at Glendenning. Of course, he would not.

  “Is the Duke, tall, broad shoulders, hair light brown but with streaks of gold and eyes to match.” She needed to ask. It was beginning to become clear to her, Colin and the Duke were one and the same. She just needed to be sure.

  “Ah, oui, m’lady. That is the Duke. A very handsome man, he is,” admitted the maid.

  Lili sat down in one of the wing chairs. It was true. Her suspicions were true. Colin was the Duke of Worthingston. She should have realized it before.

  “Thank you-----.” Lili left the sentence hanging.

  “Marie. My name is Marie, m’lady. His grace said, I am to be your maid. I have only been in his grace’s service the past year. I am from France. His grace helped my parents get here. They work here, too. Everyone here says, he is a good man to work for,” prattled Marie, as she went about the room.

  “Has the Duke been here the past few months?” Lili asked. She needed further confirmation, that her Colin and the Duke were one and the same.

  Marie shook her head. “Non, not at all. He just returned early yesterday morning. The house, it was not ready for his return. I heard, he was in Scotland these many weeks. Is there where you met him?” asked Maries. My lady did have a Scottish accent and his Grace was very adamant, she be very well cared for.

  “His Grace left a dress for you. He said he would join you for supper. That he had business to tend to. It would keep him out for the day. I am here to help you dress after you eat. His Grace said you liked hot chocolate,” said Marie as she poured a cup and handed it to her.

  Lili wanted to scream as she listened to Marie. His grace this, his Grace that. No wonder Colin was so highhanded in all his decisions. How many times had she accused him of being autocratic and overbearing? He had just given her that smirk of his. Colin was a duke. No, he was the Duke of Worthingston. It was no wonder, he was not concerned about what the Duke of Worthingston would say about him not doing the errand he was sent on. Now she wondered, what exactly was this errand? So many half-truths, no lies.

  Lili sat in one of the wing chairs and sipped her hot chocolate, fuming. How dare he lie to her and not tell her who he was. There were now so many ramifications with Colin being the Duke of Worthingston.

  She half listened, as Marie prattled on about how his Grace had rescued her and her parents in France and brought them here. He had saved their lives and now they worked for him.

  Did he think because he had helped her and Aiden and Alysa, they now could work for him? Well, he had better think again. Aiden was laird of Glendenning. Maybe they were not on the same level of nobility, but Aiden was still a laird. How dare he?

  He had hurt her, perhaps more than Edward ever could. She had trusted him. The little voice inside of her said, no, it was more than that. She had given her heart to him. She loved him. She took a deep breath as the realization hit her. She loved him and that made his betrayal all the more painful.

  But the same little voice told her, he saved her from whatever Edward had done, from whatever place Edward had brought her to. Why hadn’t he told her the truth? Did he not trust her? But he expected her to trust him explicitly. How could she trust him now? All these past months, he had lied to her. Surely in all that time, he could have told her the truth. She would have understood.

  That nagging little voice disagreed. No, she would have not understood. Just like now, she did not understand. Why, oh why, did she have to fall in love with him?

  Lili put the biscuit she had been nibbling on down on the plate with force. She needed to get out of here. She needed to get back to Glendenning. She needed to be gone before Colin, no the Duke returned. Aiden and Alyssa had been left in Elsbeth and Rab’s care. She had never done that before. They would all be worried. She had to get back home.

  “Marie, when did his Grace say he would be back?” Lili asked. She needed to be away from here before he returned. There was no way, she could face him now.

  “He said, he would join you for supper. Supper is usually served about nine in the evening when his Grace is in attendance.”

  Lili nodded and looked at the clock on the mantle. It was just after eleven in the morning. She had never slept that late in her life. That gave her time to come up with some sort of plan. There was one major problem. She had no clue to where she was in London or even how to get out of the city.

  “Shall I help you dress now, my lady?” asked Marie.

  For a moment, Lili paused. No, this would not do. She needed to be alone to make plans.

  “No, thank you, Marie. I have been dressing myself for a very long time. I think though, I will just go back to bed. My head is still pounding.”

  “His grace said, he thought you had been drugged. Maybe, I should get Mrs. Nettles to fix you a tonic. She is very good at m
aking people feel better,” suggested Marie with concern.

  “Mrs. Nettles?”

  “Oui, Mrs. Nettles. She is the housekeeper here. She said, she would check on you later or if you wanted to go downstairs, I could show you the way.”

  Lili shook her head. No, this would not do. “No, please donnae bother her. I think all I need is more sleep. Would you see to it, I am not disturbed until it is time for me to dress. If I decide to come down earlier, I will ring,” instructed Lili. She needed time and quiet to come up with some sort of plan.

  “I understand, my lady. I shall make certain you are not disturbed. I will come back in time to assist you to dress for supper.” Marie went to take the tray.

  Lili halted her. “Please leave the tray, Marie. I may want to nimble on it.” She would eat on it later.

  “Let me bring up some more hot chocolate,” argued Marie. “This one is cold.”

  Lili smiled. How often had she drunk it cold at Glendenning? “I often drink it cold.”

  “Oui, my lady. Are you certain?” she asked again. She did not understand, but then there were many of these English customs, she did not understand.

  “Yes,” replied Lili. She covered her mouth as she yawned.

  Marie smiled and gave a brief curtsy. “Have a good sleep, my lady. I will be back later.”

  Lili nodded and watched as Marie walked through the door. As soon as the door closed, Lili was up and began pacing the room. She needed a plan. She needed a map of the city, a horse and a disguise. She would need to hide her red hair as she had before. She could disguise herself as a boy again. But here, she had none of those things. She felt like she was in a quick mire and sinking fast.

  Lili stopped in front of one of the windows. She pushed the curtain aside to see an immaculate garden below her. She looked to the back of the house. It looked like the stables were back there. She looked to the front of the house and she could see a tree lined avenue, an avenue to where?

  Reality set in. Though she was not being held here against her will, there was no way she could safely leave this place. Even if she could, how would she get out of London? She had no idea where she was. That realization did not sit well.