by Ella Edon
“He already knows of Derby’s intentions, and he hasn’t walked away.”
“Oh, love.” Anna put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, Amy. I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere.”
* * *
The day had barely started, and Derby already had a headache. He had risen early, dressed, and gone downstairs with the intention of having breakfast before getting on with some of his estate’s accounts. Once those were out the way, he would be able to spend time with Amy. The thought of being in her company gave Derby a lighter step as he descended the stairs.
And then Hartley and his wife had come into the dining room as Derby was eating. They barely acknowledged him, sitting at the far end of the table. Moments later, Leicester had strolled in like he owned the place. Smirking at Derby, the Earl had sorted out his plate of food and then sat on Hartley’s other side. Hartley greeted Leicester warmly, and the three of them started to talk.
Derby silently seethed. Merseyside had pulled him aside and told him what Leicester had done to Amy after the two of them had spoken. Derby wanted to throw the man out of his house. Nobody touched Amy without repercussions. But he knew that Hartley would leave as well, and Amy would be dragged along with him. He had to grit his teeth and show that he was a better choice. Surely her father wanted his daughter to be happy and not abused?
Then again, Lord Hartley hadn’t had a sentimental bone in his body for years. Derby didn’t know when that suddenly changed, but it was dramatic. He could vaguely remember the Viscount being friendly, amicable. It didn’t match the reality in front of him.
At some point, Hartley had turned to his wife and said loudly that she needed to see where Amy was, and that she and Leicester had things to discuss. Beatrice had left the room just as Sarah and Baron Maudlin came in. The Viscountess gave them a smirk before shooting Derby a smug look as she left.
Derby left and headed into his study. He wasn’t going to be involved with these petty games. He knew where Amy’s heart lay, and he was going to fight. He wasn’t about to be a child attempting to get the bigger present. As far as he was concerned, Derby had won.
A thought wandered across his mind. Maybe he could elope with Amy to Gretna Green. Scotland had different laws, and Amy wouldn’t need approval from her father. If Hartley still wanted Amy to marry Leicester, maybe the two of them could run away to marry.
Derby couldn’t see Amy agreeing to that. Not immediately, anyway.
A knock at the door shook Derby out of his thoughts. It was then he realized he had been sitting at his desk staring into the distance and someone was at the door. Clearing his throat, Derby stood and came around the desk.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and James Day stuck his head into the room. He smiled at the Earl.
“My Lord Derby.”
“Doctor Day.”
Now that was a welcoming sight. As a precaution, and for Amy to have someone on her side, Derby had also written to James Day and his wife. Amy’s mother would be a calming presence, someone for Amy to turn to. And Doctor Day was more level-headed. Derby often wished he had a say over Amy’s life instead of Viscount Hartley.
Beckoning the man in, Derby shook hands with Day.
“Thank you for coming at such an early hour. I hope your journey was uneventful.”
“It was pleasant enough. And Anna is a light sleeper, so we decided to head off shortly after dawn.” Day looked around the study. “I must say, I’m impressed. This is where you like to hide, is it?”
Derby grimaced.
“Can you blame me with the undesirables currently in my house?”
“I suppose not.” Day sat when Derby offered him a seat. He stretched his legs and crossed them as Derby sat opposite. “I thought you wanted to show to Lord Hartley that you were a more desirable match for his daughter than the Earl of Leicester.”
“That can wait.” Derby rubbed at his eyes. “Right now, they’ve just forced me out of my own dining hall. Sitting there like they own the place and ignoring the host.”
“You really should put your foot down.”
“If Hartley leaves, so does Amy. And she’s the one I want here.”
Day grunted.
“He’s got you between a rock and a hard place.”
“Pretty much,” Derby grumbled. He scowled at the wall. “I’m also hiding in here waiting for Miss Colburn to stop following me around. She hasn’t woken up yet, and I’m waiting until she leaves to go into town with her aunt to do some shopping.”
“Good idea.” Day grinned. “She does have an intense fancy for you, I must say.”
“You make it sound like I haven’t figured that out already.”
“I have a feeling everyone in Society knows about it, and they’re wondering when Miss Colburn is going to wear you down.” Day steepled his fingers together. “She is a pretty girl.”
“You’re not trying to push us together, are you?”
“Of course not. I’m just making an observation.” Day shrugged. “Besides, you certainly can’t do better than my stepdaughter.”
Derby peered at the older man. Even after a very early start and knowing the storm that was brewing close by, he was calm and collected. Every part the doctor he was.
“I wish Hartley was more like you. You’re much easier to talk to.”
Day chuckled.
“Well, you can’t have everything.” Then he frowned. “Speaking of everything, this visit was rather elaborate, wasn’t it?”
“How do you mean?”
“Having two sets of parents come up here so you can show that you’re worthy of Amy’s attention and affection?”
Derby winced. He hadn’t thought of it like that. He just wanted to have Amy with him and prove to Hartley they were a good match. Then Derby had just started inviting people he knew wouldn’t make Amy uncomfortable. Rebecca Colburn and Lord Leicester hadn’t been part of that, and that had dampened the mood.
This plan was starting to unravel a little bit.
“I wasn’t about to leave Amy here alone with her father and stepmother. She needed a balance.”
“Glad to be of service.” Day drawled.
Derby smiled. He had always got on well with James Day. The man was a good influence, a good doctor and a good man. Amy was blessed to have him in her family.
“Have you heard what Hartley wants to do?”
“I figured it out when I caught sight of Hartley and Leicester conversing in the dining hall as I walked past. They didn’t see me, or you might have been aware of my presence much earlier.”
“What do you think of the Earl?”
Day made a face.
“Nothing complimentary. And nothing I should say out loud.”
Derby couldn’t help but smile at that.
“You sound like Dobson.”
“He’s just another version of Hartley.”
“Dobson?”
“No, you fool, Leicester.” Day rubbed at his temples. “Hartley wants a man like him to control his daughter. And I don’t think Leicester’s cruelty will have boundaries. He’s a very clever man.”
“I wouldn’t say he was clever.” Derby scowled. “Not after what he did last night.”
“Eh?”
“He put his hands on Amy and was caught about to beat her on my staircase.”
Derby was still furious at that. He wished he had seen it because Leicester would not be walking this morning. Or even alive, if nobody stopped him. From the stunned look that turned into anger on Day’s face, he was thinking the same thing.
“He assaulted Amy? And didn’t Hartley do anything about it?”
“From what the Marquis of Merseyside said, he just stood there and watched. Didn’t seem to care that his daughter was getting beaten.”
Day looked like Derby had punched him in the stomach. Derby couldn’t blame him; he felt sick at the thought as well. He slumped in his chair, pressing his fingers to bridge of his nose.
> “Leicester must have a woman like Amy. She’s beautiful, and her father has contacts that are useful. If he molds her to what he wants, then Leicester will have the perfect wife.”
He didn’t want that to happen. Amy was timid, but once you got past that, and she knew she wouldn’t be ridiculed, she became a confident woman. Derby loved how confident she was. Amy just sparkled, and that smile was radiant. He didn’t want to see that taken away from her.
“You love her, don’t you?”
Day was watching him. Derby was beginning to feel like he was one of the man’s patients, and he resisted the urge to shuffle in his seat.
“I wouldn’t treat Amy in that way. Never.”
“That wasn’t the answer to the question, Lord Derby.”
Derby shook his head.
“I’m only just getting used to understanding my emotions. When I say those three words for the first time, it’ll be to Amy and no one else.”
Day grunted.
“I suppose that’ll have to do. And I hope you don’t treat her like she’s being treated by her father. You don’t want me coming after you.”
“Trust me, that won’t happen,” Derby vowed. He meant it. “Amy is a treasure to me, and I will treat her as such.”
Day sighed.
“At least your intentions are more honorable than that odious man.” Then he sat up, tilting his head to one side. “And speaking of odious…”
That was when Derby realized someone was bellowing out in some part of the house. He had heard a rumbling before but hadn’t comprehended it to be a voice. Now he was beginning to hear a familiar voice shouting at the top of their lungs.
It was Hartley.
Groaning, Derby stood and headed towards the door. Day was behind him as they headed into the hall. The Viscount was in the foyer, almost squaring up to his first wife. Anna stood beside Dobson, clutching onto his arm and looking like she was about to fall over. Her face was pale, but she faced her ex-husband down as he shook a finger in her face.
“You shouldn’t even be here, you whore!” Hartley snarled. “You have nothing to do with my daughter!”
“She’s my daughter, as well!” Anna shot back. Her voice was loud, but nowhere near Hartley’s level. “And I’m not going anywhere, Graham!”
“You are!” Hartley lunged forward and grabbed Anna’s arm. “Get out of here right now!”
Anna pulled back and slapped him. Hartley snarled and grabbed for her again, only for Dobson to put himself between them and for Hartley to bounce off his chest. Day darted past Derby and stormed over, grabbing at his wife as Anna swayed on her feet.
“Derby!” Hartley advanced on Derby, looking like his head was about to explode. “What were you thinking inviting them here?”
Derby folded his arms.
“I was about to ask you the same question about Lord Leicester and Miss Colburn,” he shot back calmly. “They are not my guests, but Doctor and Mrs. Day most certainly are.”
Hartley snorted.
“They’re not welcome. I don’t want them here.”
“If it was your house, then it would be your choice. But it’s my home, and I invited them. You and Lady Hartley are also here as my guests. Doctor and Mrs. Day deserve to be here unabused, much like you and Lady Hartley.”
From the look on the Viscount’s face, he had been expecting Derby to bow down to him. After all, he believed that Derby wanted to impress him enough to be a contender for his daughter’s hand and would do as he was told. As far as Derby was concerned, that wasn’t how it worked.
Hartley bared his teeth, jabbing a finger in Derby’s face.
“If you allow them to stay, I will leave, and I’ll take my daughter with me.”
Derby said nothing, merely looking at Dobson over Hartley’s shoulder.
“Dobson, take Doctor and Mrs. Day to their room. And make sure they’re not bothered.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Derby turned and walked away, leaving Hartley spluttering behind him. He wasn’t about to argue over this. If Derby had anything to do with it, Amy was staying.
* * *
Amy poured out the tea into two cups and then picked up a cup and saucer.
“Here you go, Mother.”
Anna smiled and took the tea offered. She took a sip, her hands trembling slightly, before putting the cup and saucer back down on the table. Amy’s heart pained to see her mother still scared from her encounter with her ex-husband. Even after years since the divorce, Hartley terrified his first wife.
“Are you sure you’re all right, Mother?”
“I’ll be fine, darling.” Anna gave her a small smile. “I’m glad you didn’t have to see that earlier.”
“You shouldn’t have had to deal with that.” Amy sighed. “I wish I was brave enough to speak my mind to Father.”
“I’m afraid he wouldn’t listen even if you were brave enough. I’m just glad Dobson was there before Hartley did anything to me.”
Amy was glad she had missed that. While she was glad not to have seen her father explode again, she wished she had been there for her mother. From the look of it, the traveling hadn’t done Anna any good. She was paler than before, and Amy was terrified that Anna was going to keel over if someone breathed on her the wrong way. Anna had declared she needed some fresh air, the encounter with her ex-husband having clearly shaken her, but there was something else going on.
Amy was happy to see her mother, but at the same time, she wished Anna and James had stayed back in London. Anna was just not strong enough to be here.
It made Amy want to cry to see her mother looking so weak.
Chapter Fifteen
There was a rustling behind them, and Amy shot to her feet, spinning around. She had taken Anna out onto the terrace, right into the far corner, so they wouldn’t be disturbed. Leicester had been prowling around the house looking for her, and in their current spot, hidden by potted plants and the angle from the back door, the two of them wouldn’t be seen. She was expecting to see Leicester walking towards them with his usual leer.
But it was Merseyside stepping through the plants. He chuckled when he saw Amy.
“I knew you wanted to hide away, but this is ridiculous.”
Amy huffed.
“It was working until you found us, my lord.”
“Well, if you want me to leave you alone, you might need to help me out.” Merseyside gestured at the nearest plant. “I appear to have been caught.”
Amy went over and saw that a couple of twigs had snagged onto Merseyside’s jacket. She unhooked him and moved the plant aside.
“You’re welcome to join us, Lord Merseyside,” she said. “Just don’t say out loud where we are. I don’t want Father or Lord Leicester to find us.”
“My lips are sealed.” Merseyside gave her a warm smile before approaching Anna. “Mrs. Day.”
“Lord Merseyside.” Anna allowed the Marquis to take her hand, kissing the back of her knuckles. “Is your wife well?”
“She’s gone back to bed. Poor thing was up all night with an unsettled stomach, and then breakfast didn’t agree with her.”
Anna laughed.
“That’s to be expected. Don’t be surprised if that happens for the next six months.”
Merseyside grimaced.
“So, that means I’ll be sleeping in another room? The sound of her being unwell turned my stomach as well.”
“Don’t be such a coward.” Amy laughed, swatting his arm as she sat down. “A man should stay with his wife. We shouldn’t have to suffer alone.”
“Oh, leave him alone, Amy. He’s a first-time father.” Anna gestured at the third chair. “Please, sit with us, my lord.”
“Thank you.” Merseyside sat, brushing a leaf off his thigh. “Anyway, I didn’t happen upon you two by chance. I heard about Lord Hartley’s treatment of Mrs. Day a short while ago, and I wanted to make sure Mrs. Day wasn’t too shaken up.”
“I’m as well as I can be right now.�
�� Anna sighed. “I’m unscathed from our argument for once, though.”
“I’m glad.” Merseyside turned to Amy. His smile faded a little, a worried look passing across his eyes. “And what about you, Miss Hartley? Has Lord Leicester bothered you?”
“No, thank God.” Amy shuddered. “I need to keep out of his way for now. But I can’t keep dodging him. It makes me feel like a prisoner.”