Honoria yawned. “You are a remarkable person, Diana MacLeod. I wonder if anyone has told you so.”
The only thing she was remarkable at was getting the people she loved killed. “I’m very flattered that you are fond of me, my lady. I’m quite fond of you too. I don’t think I have ever had a finer friend.”
Throwing her feet over the side of the bed, Honoria cocked her head and watched Diana. “I like you, Diana, but that has nothing to do with the fact that you are extraordinary. I would not survive more than a few hours in this hovel, yet you endured worse for years and still glow with hope.”
“I think that just makes me a fool.” With nowhere to sit other than the bed, Diana leaned on the wall. It was unladylike, but she no longer cared. It was as if the past few months had never happened, and she was a prisoner again. There was no need for the rules of society where she was going.
“You are certainly no fool. You are a vibrant, beautiful and brilliant woman who was thrown into an unbearable situation through no fault of her own. Yet look at you. Most people would be a whimpering mess after such a turn of fate.”
“I only endured because I had no other choice.”
A sad smile tipped Honoria’s lips. “Oh, my dear, there are always choices.”
“I have made some terrible ones. I should never have involved you and the Everton Domestic Society in my messy life. It would have been better to find a quiet place to live, out of sight, and take a job as a shopkeeper’s assistant. If I had done that, you would not be here. Maybe I would still be sweeping some bookstore’s floors right now. It wouldn’t be wonderful, but it would be safe.”
Rising and stretching did little to add to Honoria’s height. Yet there was something regal about the woman. She walked to Diana and patted her cheek. “Coming to Everton House is the smartest thing you’ve ever done, and I imagine you have done some very brilliant things. Jane and Rupert know everyone, and almost everyone owes them a favor. They won’t rest until we are safe at home.”
“They have no way to find us, my lady. I don’t want to upset you, but we are likely to be loaded on a ship bound for France at any moment.” Diana hadn’t meant to raise her voice, but her calm facade was slipping.
Taking her hand, Honoria led her over to the bed, and they sat. “Tell me how you escaped last time.”
Diana cringed. “It is not a nice story. You will be shocked and likely never speak to me again.”
“Nonsense. We are friends and nothing you will say can change that. Tell me. I think it will do you good to let it out.” Honoria patted Diana’s hand where it lay in hers.
Could she? Diana had held on to all the pain of her imprisonment for so long, she didn’t know if she could share it or if sharing it would help. Hands shaking, she took a moment to steady her nerves. In the daylight, it was harder than telling Jacques about being captured and losing her parents. “I don’t know where to start.”
Honoria squared her shoulders. “I will help you. You were taken from your family home in the north and carted where?”
“The carriage bumped and banged me around, but they’d put a hood over my head, and I couldn’t see where they were taking us. Mother found my hand and held tight. Her hand trembled in mine, and I wanted to be strong for her sake. The ropes that bound our wrists cut and rubbed my skin.
“The sun shone through my hood after what seemed like hours of travel and the scent of the sea reached me. When they tossed us in the hold of a ship, they cut our bindings and removed our hoods.”
Squeezing her hand, Honoria lent strength and stability. “How horrible that must have been for you.”
“We were at sea for a long time, though I have no idea how long. They rationed our food, barely keeping us alive, and the rocking made Mother so sick she couldn’t keep much down. As bad as the ship was, I dreaded arriving.”
Honoria nodded. “Did your father say anything? Did he know why they had taken you?”
“Yes. Of course, he knew. He was the foremost expert on rockets. The French had tried to curry favor with him before. They had offered him riches to give them his research and had even tried to steal it once.” Pulling her hand back, Diana crossed her arms.
“Where did they take you once you reached France?”
“It was an old castle.” Diana relived the moment when she’d seen the dark spires and crenellations against the gloom of an approaching storm. The rain that followed was nothing compared to the deluge of her life for the years to follow.
“You can tell me, Diana.” Honoria’s jaw was tight, but her gaze steady.
“I think you will be sorry you asked, my lady.” When Honoria nodded, Diana continued. “They put us in a dungeon and demanded my father make improvements on their rockets. They wanted them to go further. Father refused, so they beat Mother and I in order to get him to comply. Eventually, he started work. Most of what he told them was misleading. They would do as he said, and the rocket would fail. This went on for months. Victor Caron became our warden some months into our imprisonment. He’d been promoted and was very pleased with himself. He was also determined to succeed where his predecessors had failed. His brand of torture was far worse. He cut off two of Mother’s fingers. He beat us until we lost consciousness.”
“My God!” Honoria covered her mouth as a tear ran down her soft cheek.
“It might have been much worse, but I don’t believe Victor likes ladies much. He became more and more obsessed with me, trying to prod me to work with my father. I refused, and Father said I was just a girl who knew nothing of science. However, one day Victor lost his patience. He came at me, disgusted but determined. Father lost his temper and attacked. Mother did what she could. My hands and feet were bound. All I could do was watch in horror while the guards stormed in and killed my parents.”
Honoria pulled her into a hug.
Diana wanted to cry, but a chill settled where her heart had been. “Once it was clear they would force me to finish my father’s work, I bribed a guard with the very thing Victor threatened to steal and made my escape. I walked miles through muddy woods. Eventually I found a kindly farmer who hid me in his cart and carried me to the coast. I dressed as a boy to get work swabbing decks on a ship to Spain. There I managed to find a small boat to take me to Cardiff. It took me a long time to make my way by land from Wales back to England.”
The silence that followed gave Diana time to shake off the memories that haunted her sleep. Somehow, she felt lighter. It was wrong to share her burden, yet as Honoria said it would, it helped. “I’m sorry you know such terrible things about me, my lady.”
Honoria placed her soft, chubby hands on Diana’s cheeks. Gently, she turned her head and met her gaze. “These things are not about you, my dear. They only happened to you. You endured more than most people could bear.”
Unable to fathom why Honoria wasn’t disgusted by her, Diana stared. She probably looked like a fish as she gathered her words. “You understand I gave away my virginity to escape. I’m soiled beyond repair. I’m a whore and you should keep clear of me.”
“Nonsense!” Honoria smiled. “You did what was necessary. No one would fault you for that. Besides, no one need know such a personal thing.”
Jacques’s face flashed in Diana’s mind. He must never know. She couldn’t stand it if he looked at her with disdain.
“One day, when you fall in love, you can tell your husband the truth or you can tell him you fell from a horse as a child, it will be entirely up to you. You can thank God that no child came of it and move on unhindered by such a small thing.” Honoria kissed Diana’s cheek and brushed out her skirts as if she were brushing away the ugly thoughts.
“I’m surprised you put such little stock in virginity, my lady. Generally, people of society value it in a young lady above good character.”
Honoria smiled. “And isn’t that a shame?”
It w
as, but there wasn’t time to say so. Boots clomped up the stairs and down the hall toward them.
Leaning in to Diana’s ear, Honoria whispered, “I hope you are a good actress, Diana. Follow my lead, but don’t say too much. Keep those bits of lace from your petticoat handy. We’re getting out of here.”
Even if she’d had time to contradict Honoria, Diana was too shocked by the ferocity in the dowager’s tone to utter a word.
The bolt slid and Victor threw open the door. “I want to know how you intend to give me money, old woman. If you can convince me, I will keep this lovely little bitch alive a while longer.” He pulled Diana’s hair, ripping several strands from her head.
Diana bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out at the sting to her scalp. Screaming never did any good, and Victor seemed to derive pleasure from it.
Honoria narrowed her eyes. “As you keep mentioning, I’m an old woman with little to live for. If you don’t control yourself and treat Miss MacLeod with respect, I’ll give you nothing.”
“I could kill her and torture you until you give me what I want, hag.” He pulled Diana close and licked the side of her face.
Diana’s stomach roiled. His breath, putrid from rotting teeth, sent a wave of disgust through her. It was as if her escape never happened. She’d done it all for nothing.
“Torturing me will not incite my man of business to give you a thing. You will take me and Miss MacLeod to Fleet Street where we will visit C. Hoare & Company and meet with Mr. Richard Colt Hoare. He will give you the balance of my account. You will not be disappointed. I expect you to release us after you are paid.” Honoria added the last sentence quickly.
“I will not release her. I need her. You may stay with your Mr. Hoare for all I care. Your payment will only grant your life, and an extension on hers.” His grin exposed crooked yellow teeth.
Honoria flounced on the bed. “Then you may as well kill me now. I’m not giving you a penny unless you agree to free us both. Keep in mind, with the kind of money I’m going to give you, you’ll not need to return to France at all. You can live in luxury anywhere in the world. Though I would suggest you leave England, as your welcome will be rather bleak.”
Eyes flicked back and forth between Honoria and Diana.
He glanced back at his assistant, who shrugged and raised his eyebrows. “The port is closed.”
“Percy seems to think we should believe you.”
“Percival must be a very wise young man and a good judge of character.”
Staring at her a long moment, Victor appeared to be making his decision. He turned to Percy. “Tell Roger and Finn we will not be needing them today. Give them half their wages.”
It wasn’t surprising that Victor planned to cheat his own hired men. His character demanded despicable behavior. In fact, she was certain he would go back on his word to Honoria as well. Still, getting out of that room and not being put directly on a boat set to sail was an opportunity. It was more than she and her parents had ever had. Diana placed a piece of her lace petticoat on the mattress just beneath the thin blanket while Victor took the bundle of black cloth Percy had been holding.
He tossed the cloth at Diana. “Put these on. We cannot have you looking like that in the middle of the day.”
Unraveling the cloth revealed two overcoats. Diana handed one to Honoria and put the other on.
The women were loaded in the carriage, Finn and Roger leaned against the building and watching as Percy drove the carriage away. It was a bit of a ride, as Honoria’s banker was close to Westminster though still within London. The air improved as they angled away from the river.
Cold and damp, Diana pulled the overcoat tighter around her neck. It wouldn’t keep her safe, but she appreciated the idea of protection just the same. She turned toward the window while Honoria babbled about how her second husband had been quite rich. Diana dropped a bit of lace out the window. She did so twice more when Victor was properly distracted.
Just as Victor closed the blind on her window, she would have sworn she saw Michael Rollins, the Duke of Kerburghe, standing at the corner with a blond man she didn’t recognize. If only she could have dropped another piece. Michael hadn’t seen her, if it really was him and not just her imagination playing tricks on her.
She sat back and watched as the city rolled by. Victor left his window open, and it was uncomfortably cold, but even riding backward it was good to see daylight. Two pieces of lace left. She put her hand on the window frame and let one slip away before they turned on Fleet Street.
When they stopped, Honoria said, “I suggest you pretend to be a gentleman, or Mr. Hoare will suspect a problem.”
With a hideous grin, Victor jumped down from the carriage. He handed Honoria down and bowed with mock grace before handing Diana down.
Richard Colt Hoare was thin and wore his cravat with an intricate knot. He was dressed for a day of business in a black jacket and powdered wig. He had a crooked nose and pale skin. When he saw Honoria, he sauntered over and bowed over her hand with flourish. “My dear Lady Chervil. What a pleasure it is to see you. How may we be of service today?”
Honoria smiled and blinked a moment longer than was comfortable. She acted a bit addled, which was out of character. “This is my nephew Victor and his wife, Diana. I’m granting them funds to buy some land up north. May we sit in your office, my lord? I’m afraid these old bones are sore and tired at my advanced years.”
Good gracious, she was pouring it on a bit heavy. Diana had to keep from rolling her eyes or laughing. Luckily, the pistol under Percy’s overcoat that jutted into her ribs deterred any sudden outbursts. After all she’d been through, this trip to Hoare’s was farcical. Had her father been a rich man, he might have paid off the men who captured them and they would all still be living in peace and obscurity.
A heavenly notion, but not at all useful. Diana inspected Hoare’s office for ways to escape, or at least indicate they were in trouble. One window faced the street. Voices and the clatter of carts filtered in, muffled but present. The window was about two people wide and tall enough to get through. However, it seemed rash to try to jump out while Percy had a gun. Honoria could never manage such a feat, and Diana wouldn’t leave her alone with Victor.
“You are such a generous relation, my lady. What amount should I draw for your fine nephew and his lovely wife?” Richard Colt Hoare charmed with every word. He was a bit like syrup, but Honoria drank it up.
“He has been such a good nephew to me. I shall give him everything that is in the account from Bastian Cumberbatch, my dear second husband.”
Diana had never heard the name before, but perhaps that was not strange. Yet Mr. Hoare looked confused for several heartbeats. He looked at Honoria for a long moment, and her gaze did not waver.
Standing only inches from Honoria’s right shoulder, Victor said with a near-perfect English accent, “Is there a problem, Aunt?”
“Of course not. I think Mr. Hoare is just shocked that I would give so much at one time.” She turned back to the banker. “You see, Bastian Cumberbatch, my dear second husband, was particularly fond of Victor, and I want to help.”
For his part, Victor actually looked contrite. It was an extremely odd expression for him. He must be a very good spy for the French, with his ability to sound English and look kind.
Mr. Hoare smiled. “I completely understand. Family is so important. I myself owe everything to my family, since it was my great grandfather who started this establishment. I’ll just go and check the balance on your account and be right back.”
As he rounded the desk, Victor took his arm. “You know, sir, I’m very close to my aunt. I would not like to think you had designs on her money.”
Diana had tucked the last bit of lace in her sleeve. She eased it out now and worried it in her fist.
Eyes wide, Mr. Hoare had not missed the threat, even
if it had been given with charm and a grin. “I assure you, my intentions toward your aunt are, and have always been, honorable. Her finances have been safe with C. Hoare & Company for many years. I only need to retrieve the ledger book pertaining to the lady’s account. I shall return shortly.”
Stepping forward, Diana squeezed Victor’s arm. “It’s all right, dearest. I’m certain Mr. Hoare is an honest man.”
“Thank you, madam.” Mr. Hoare beamed at her and took her offered hand.
Diana remained expressionless as she slipped the bit of lace into his palm. “We will be happy to wait.”
It was a risk, but Mr. Hoare gave no outward indication that he had received the bit of her petticoat.
With Percy at her back, she had no idea what kind of reaction he’d had to her moving away from him until he grabbed her upper arm and hauled her back.
Mr. Hoare gaped at them.
Victor laughed. “You will have to forgive my man of business. He’s very protective of my wife.”
With only a slight stutter, he said, “I see. Well, I’ll just be a moment.”
Once Mr. Hoare had bowed out of the room, Victor’s charm evaporated. “You do anything so stupid again, and I’ll kill the old woman.”
The harsh whisper sent a chill up Diana’s spine. Maybe it wouldn’t matter. Either the banker would see that something was amiss and call for help, or he would return and give Victor the money. Victor would not keep his word, she was certain of that. If he left Honoria behind, that would be good enough. “I only wanted to smooth over your and Percy’s blunders. Grabbing that man’s arm! Really, what were you thinking? You could have ruined everything. I want you to get that money as much as you do. It’s the key to my freedom.”
“You are a stupid—”
The door opened and Mr. Hoare poked his head in. “I’ll just need Lady Chervil to come sign these documents.”
Honoria stood.
Victor put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “Why can they not be signed in here? My aunt is old and feeble.”
A Lady's Past Page 13