by Joyce Alec
15
“Elizabeth?”
Feeling much better than she had in a few days, Elizabeth smiled as her mother came into the room, although the smile faded as she saw the serious look on her mother’s face.
“What is it, Mama?” she asked, getting to her feet. “Is something wrong?”
“No, no, sit down,” her mother said with a small smile. “It is just that I wondered if you had received a note from Lord Mallon yet?”
“No, not yet,” Elizabeth replied carefully, “but then that does not particularly worry me, not yet at least. It has been some days since I sent the letter—but given that his father is ill and that his reply will take some time to make its way here, I am not worrying over it. Not yet, at least.”
Her mother appeared satisfied by this and came to sit by her. “Are you quite ready for your outing this afternoon?”
“Outing?” Elizabeth repeated, only for a look of understanding to come over her expression. “Oh, you mean Miss Caldwell. Yes, indeed. She should be here very soon.”
“And where do you intend to go?”
Elizabeth shrugged, glad that she would be able to spend some time in Miss Caldwell’s company and be able to talk about all that had happened. She had not seen her friend since the note from Lord Mallon had appeared at her door. Whilst her mother had been a wonderful support, there was nothing quite like sharing such a tumultuous affair with a friend.
“Possibly the bookshop, Mama, although I think Miss Caldwell is more inclined towards a new ribbon.”
Her mother smiled and began to talk about the time past when she had been a young debutante, her heart never quite settling on a favorite color of ribbon. Whilst Elizabeth listened, her mind began to drift back towards Lord Mallon and the uncomfortable silence that came from him. There had not been, as yet, any response from him. While Elizabeth was doing her best to ignore the worry and anxiety that came from that silence, she could not help but think of him and wonder what he thought of her.
Nor could she stop herself from wondering about Lord Parke and why he had not told her anything about Lord Mallon. She had begun to wonder whether or not there was more to Lord Parke than met the eye, whether the uncomfortable feeling she had begun to associate with him was a gut instinct that told her he was not to be trusted.
She had meant to meet him two afternoons ago but had cried off, claiming a headache and sending a very pretty little note in her place. Lord Parke had written back to her a very lovely letter, telling her that she did not need to concern herself and wishing her the speediest of recoveries. However, the concern Elizabeth felt over him did not disappear. In fact, it seemed to grow all the more steadily the more she thought of how he had fawned over her, of how he had encouraged her to think of another in place of Lord Mallon.
Silently, she had vowed not to see Lord Parke again until she had heard from Lord Mallon, even if that turned into weeks instead of days. That had seemed the best course of action. Her mind and heart praying that Lord Mallon had not turned his back on her and did not think too ill of her for her lack of response to his missing note. If only she had received it! She could not think where it might have gone to, for a missing letter between two townhouses in London could not exactly be commonplace.
It must have, by some mysterious force, been taken away from the servant’s fingers, perhaps caught by the wind, and the servant had been too ashamed to admit his mistake. Not that she thought Lord Mallon was a hard man, but since he had left London, mayhap the servant that had meant to deliver the note had chosen to simply forget about the matter in the hope that Lord Mallon would not ask.
Her mother fell silent as there came a knock on the door and the butler announced Miss Caldwell. Elizabeth forgot all the concerns she had only just been thinking about. She embraced her friend, who began to chatter excitedly about a new bonnet she had seen in a shop window, exclaiming that they would need to leave almost at once before someone else were to find it and claim it as their own.
Laughing, the countess shooed them out of the room. Elizabeth collected her bonnet, shawl, and gloves from the maid who was to accompany them and walked with her friend out of the front door and onto the busy London street.
“You will never guess what has occurred,” Elizabeth said, the moment she could get a word into Miss Caldwell’s almost constant monologue. “Lord Mallon has written to me!”
Miss Caldwell gasped and clutched Elizabeth’s arm all the harder. “Do tell me, my dear!”
Quickly, Elizabeth laid out the details for her friend, who made the appropriately shocked noises at various ventures, shaking her head at how foolish men could be. Elizabeth, however, was determined to defend Lord Mallon, expressing her own sadness that the note he had written initially had gone awry and giving voice to the thought that he might still turn from her.
“Poppycock!” Miss Caldwell exclaimed, with a toss of her head. “I do declare, Lady Elizabeth, you can be quite ridiculous! The man has no reason to call into question what you have said, and there is certainly no requirement to seek his forgiveness. I am sure the matter will be easily settled, and you will find yourself walking down the aisle toward him yet.” She gave Elizabeth a sidelong glance. “That is, so long as you are happy about such a thing?”
“I am,” Elizabeth replied firmly. “I care for Lord Mallon. As you know, I have been rather distressed over his absence. I can only hope that he does not hold it against me as you have suggested.”
Miss Caldwell chuckled. “I fear for whichever of his servants was tasked to bring you that note and did not,” she said with a wince. “That is the person who will be seeking his forgiveness, have no doubt! It is all just one big mix-up, and I know he will not turn his back on you; no gentleman of quality would do so.”
A sigh of relief escaped her, as Elizabeth felt herself relax, a smile catching her lips. “Thank you, Miss Caldwell. You have taken a weight from my mind.”
Miss Caldwell smiled warmly. “I am glad of it. Now, here is the shop where that wonderful bonnet was. There is a bookshop next to it, if you wish to go in there once I have completed my purchase?”
Elizabeth, glad that her friend knew that she had been doing a lot of reading in order to keep her mind from Lord Mallon, agreed at once. “But you must show me this bonnet first,” she insisted, as they approached the window. “I must see just how beautiful it is.”
Miss Caldwell laughed and obliged her. Elizabeth nodded and smiled and said how lovely it was and just how much it would suit Miss Caldwell. Then, when her friend stepped inside the shop, Elizabeth made her way to the bookshop with the maid just behind her. Miss Caldwell promised to only be a moment and would join her once the sale had been made.
The bookshop was quiet and dusty, which was something of a relief from the hustle and bustle of the London streets. Elizabeth smiled to herself as she walked in, asking the bookshop owner to send her friend to the left of the shop when she came in, just in case she became hidden between the shelves of books. Then she continued on her way further into the shop, looking at each row of books in turn and finding delight in just the titles she saw.
“Well, well. I am glad to see that your headache has disappeared. Are you feeling much improved, Lady Elizabeth?”
A familiar voice had her heart stopping with a painful squeeze. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Lord Parke leaning against one of the bookshelves with a rather sly expression on his face. He could not have followed her, surely?
Dismissing that thought, she tried to put a smile on her face, as he pushed himself away from the bookshelf and came towards her.
“Your headache is gone, yes?”
“Yes, it is. Thank you for your concern, Lord Parke,” she replied calmly. “I was sorry to have missed our walk the other day.”
“Then we shall have to rearrange it,” he exclaimed, his expression brightening. “Shall we say tomorrow?”
Hesitating, Elizabeth put a forlorn expression on her face, wanting to find a way to put
him off approaching her until Lord Mallon returned. “I am afraid I cannot. Mama is taking me to have a new gown fitted tomorrow afternoon, and then I expect to see Miss Caldwell. She has become something of a dear friend, you see, and it is my hope to see her tomorrow afternoon after the gown fitting has taken place.”
“I see,” Lord Parke murmured, a slight frown creasing his brow. “This is a shame. The following day, then?”
No more excuses bounded into her mind, no quick answer came to her lips. She struggled for a moment, staring at him as he waited expectantly.
“No, Lord Parke,” she admitted heavily. “I cannot see you again, I think. Not until I find out what has become of Lord Mallon.”
His frown deepened. “Lord Mallon?”
“Yes, I have heard from him, you see,” she continued, watching him carefully. “Were you aware that his father was ill or injured?”
The surprised expression on his face took a trifle too long for her to believe it genuine. He shook his head, one hand on his heart as he stared at her.
“Ill or injured, you say?” he exclaimed, appearing to be horrified. “No, I had not heard. How awful!”
Elizabeth kept her gaze fixed on him, seeing the shock his face and finding her disbelief rising all the more. “Indeed, Lord Parke,” she murmured, tilting her head just a little. “I am surprised that you did not know. He also said that he sent me a note, but I had never received it. I now quite understand his absence, of course, and I only hope that he can forgive me for my silence. It was not intentional, and I am assured that he will understand that entirely.”
“Of course, he will,” Lord Parke replied with a slight frown. “Did he say whether or not he might be coming to town?”
“He did not say,” Elizabeth replied, quietly, wondering whether the frown on his face was due to something she had said, or if it was, in fact, a deep surprise over what she had revealed. “I expect him to reply to me any day now.”
“So, you have not yet received a reply to your letter as yet?” he asked, with a slight tilt of his head. “He has not yet written to you again?”
“I expect it any day now,” Elizabeth replied at once, just as the doorbell jangled behind her. “I think that will be my friend, Miss Caldwell. Do excuse me, Lord Parke.”
She did not wait to hear what he said nor even at the expression on his face, as she turned away and walked towards the door. It was not Miss Caldwell as she had hoped. Finding that she wanted to be as far away from Lord Parke as possible, Elizabeth chose to leave the shop altogether and stood outside on the street, taking in great long breaths of air in order to calm her beating heart.
And then, without warning, something grabbed at her arm. Something painful, something strong, and something entirely unrelenting. A carriage stopped, the door opened, and Elizabeth found herself shoved, unceremoniously, inside.
She had not even been able to scream.
16
Luke smiled and bowed as the countess entered the room, seeing the rather relieved expression on her face.
“My lord, I am very glad to see you,” the countess exclaimed, gesturing for him to sit down. “Is your father recovered from whatever illness befell him?”
“It was not an illness, but a bad accident,” Luke replied, choosing not to sit down. “He is well recovered now, I thank you. However, I am in a great hurry to speak to my betrothed. Is she here?”
The countess shook her head. “No, she is gone to the hat shop in town with her friend, Miss Caldwell. However, she has not been gone long. I think you should be able to find her.”
Luke gave a short bow. “I will, of course, return to explain everything to you, but for the moment, I must find Lady Elizabeth. I want to put her out of her distress as soon as I can.”
Nodding and smiling, the countess rose to her feet, and Luke excused himself at once, jamming his hat back on his head as he stepped back into the waiting carriage. Giving the driver directions, he sat back as the carriage began to roll down the cobbled streets, his worry over Lady Elizabeth rising all the more.
He had not told the countess of his return to his townhouse, finding that not only had Lord Parke been living there, but that he had been taking liberty with much of Luke’s things. He had been eating and drinking well, sending bills for clothes he had purchased to Luke’s home, clearly with very little intention of paying for them. By the state of the bedchamber, Luke guessed that Lord Parke was thinking of leaving very soon, seeing that there were bags half-filled with various items—some that did not belong to Lord Parke. It was clear that Parke had begun to worry that Luke would be returning to London in the near future, and he did not want to be around when that happened. Luke supposed that the man would simply disappear for a while—unless, of course, he managed to persuade Lady Elizabeth to marry him instead of Luke.
However, Luke had no thought that Lady Elizabeth would agree to such a thing. He was quite sure that she was as dedicated and devoted as he had thought, recalling the affection in her eyes when he had kissed her that night. Worry churned in his stomach, as he peered out of the window in search of her, aware that Parke might be desperate enough to try and coerce the lady into doing as he wished.
A sudden shriek met his ears. To his horror, he saw a maid half running down the street after a carriage. Rapping on the roof of the carriage, he waited until it had stopped before jumping out, just as another lady came out from the nearby shop to stare after the maid.
“Are you, by any chance, Miss Caldwell?” Luke asked, turning towards the lady who was staring at him with wide eyes. “Were you out shopping with Lady Elizabeth?”
“I was,” she said hoarsely. “I heard a shriek, and then…”
The maid came hurrying back, tears pouring down her cheeks, as she struggled for breath. “A gentleman,” she gasped, her cheeks burning with color. “A gentleman took her.”
Miss Caldwell gasped aloud and clung to Luke for a moment, but he kept his gaze firmly on the maid.
“A gentleman, you say?” he asked, frowning. “Did he take Lady Elizabeth in his carriage?” Quickly, he described the coat of arms that would have been on the side, calling for his driver to listen carefully so that he knew what they would be searching for.
The maid nodded, her lips trembling. “I could not stop him,” she whimpered, her skin paling with every second that passed. “He was so quick, darting out of the bookshop like that. I do not think anybody else saw what happened.”
Luke’s heart slammed into his chest, as the maid gestured to the other passersby. No one stopping to ask them what the fuss was about, no one hurrying over to tell them what they had seen. There were a few puzzled glances towards the maid, with some wondering mayhap why she had screamed, but whoever had taken Lady Elizabeth had moved quickly
Luke had no doubt who it was. It had to be Lord Parke. He had met Lady Elizabeth in the bookshop, and she had told him about their correspondence. Perhaps she had even asked him why he had not told her about the reason for Luke’s absence.
“I must go,” he said as gently as he could. “Here, you must take Miss Caldwell home.” He had no time to spare. He hailed a hackney, knowing he could not leave the pale-looking maid and horrified lady standing on the London street. “Miss Caldwell, I will inform you at once the moment Lady Elizabeth is safe. Pray, do not speak to anyone about this.”
“No, of course not,” she whispered, her hand still on his sleeve. “You are Lord Mallon, are you not? Her betrothed?”
Realizing that Lady Elizabeth had told her friend about his engagement to her, Luke managed a small smile, his heart lifting for a moment. Lady Elizabeth had not been ashamed to tell her friend then. There was no concern in that regard.
“Yes, I am he,” he said quickly. “Now, I must go. I will find her. Have no fear.”
The lady moved towards the waiting hackney, the maid holding her arm, and Luke climbed into his carriage, sending the driver ahead as fast as he could go.
Unfortunately, it was now clo
se to the fashionable hour, and the streets were becoming busier. There were carriages and phaetons, gentlemen and ladies on horseback, and more than a few walking the streets of London. Gritting his teeth, Luke tried to think where Lord Parke might go and what he might do. If he intended to force Lady Elizabeth into matrimony, then there were only two ways Parke could accomplish such a thing. Either he could go to Scotland and have her marry him over the anvil, regardless of whether or not she agreed to do so, or he could ruin her reputation in such a way that marriage to him would be the only way out.
Groaning aloud, Luke threw back his head and closed his eyes tightly, his hands slowly curling into fists. Parke had betrayed him in the worst possible way, using Lady Elizabeth for his own ends. His debts were now snapping at his heels, and having nowhere else to turn, he had thought to try and worm his way into Lady Elizabeth’s affections so that she would agree to marry him instead of Luke. Her dowry would be more than enough for him, Luke was quite sure. However, Lady Elizabeth had not turned against Luke in the way that Parke had hoped, and so now, he had turned to desperate measures.
Luke just hoped he would, somehow, be able to stop him.
“Whoa!”
Suddenly, unexpectedly, the carriage was pulled to a sudden, harsh stop. Entirely unprepared, Luke was thrown forward, falling to his knees on the carriage floor, as his head hit the floor of the carriage.
The door flew open, and without warning, Luke tumbled out, landing with a thud on the cobbled ground.
A horse whinnied, rearing up near him, as the driver of his carriage shouted aloud and began to climb down from his seat, throwing the reins to the man who was sitting next to him. Luke stared up at the blue sky, only just realizing what had happened and trying desperately to catch his breath.