He was honestly unsure of what he was doing. Part of him told him to turn back and leave her be. Had he not ruined her life enough with his anger and aggression? Hadn’t he said George would be better off without his influence?
Yet something kept him from stopping the driver. Something kept his transport moving south, and he knew it to be his heart.
∫ ∫ ∫
5 8
* * *
The Redcoat Inn had seemed a clean enough establishment at a fair price. So, after paying, Lucy guided George into their private room and asked that their meal he served there.
George was upset. He hadn’t spoken a word to her since she’d asked to for silence in the carriage a few hours ago. His young face was drawn tight. He’d hardly touched his food.
She wanted to break the tension. The air was thick with it, but she wasn’t sure what to say.
She looked around the room. There was nothing but a small bed and the table they sat at. She looked and George and smiled. “How long has it been since we shared a bed?”
George had been staring at his meal, but he looked up at her then. “You’re supposed to share your bed with Uncle Kent.”
Her eyes widened, and she pressed a hand to her heart. “What do you know about that?”
He looked away. “I know. I hear you two moving in the hall at night.” It was though he were maturing before her eyes.
“We…” Lucy didn’t know what to say. All she knew was George was far too young for this discussion. “Kent and I…”
“Love each other,” George said. “That’s why you’re always kissing. I see it all the time. Miriam told me that’s what people do when they love each other.”
Lucy’s hands trembled as she reached for her cup. “And who told Miriam this?” The girl was even younger than George.
George shrugged and leaned back. “Why are we leaving, Aunt Lucy? Uncle Kent will be upset if we’re gone.”
The truth would have been easy to share, since the sad fact was no, Kent would not be upset the way George thought. Perhaps, he’d go into a rage for being defied, but he’d already pushed Lucy away, was sleeping at Astlen’s, and he planned to send George away.
“This is for the best.” Lucy said.
George shook his head. “He needs us, Aunt Lucy. We have to go back. I don’t want him upset.”
“Do you fear him when he’s upset?” Lucy asked.
George narrowed his eyes. “No, I don’t fear Uncle Kent. He’d never hurt me. Or you. I know he wouldn’t. Just like I would never hurt you.”
Lucy swallowed and put down her cup. “What are you saying, George?”
“Uncle Kent told me that I have to protect you.” George said. “He said no matter what, I must always be there for you.”
Lucy’s thoughts went back to the day of the picnic, when George and Kent had been watching her so intently while they’d sat by the water. She didn’t know how to feel about what George was telling her. She also didn’t know how George was supposed to protect her if he were away at school the entire year.
“You’re only ten.” Lucy decidedly said. “I am to protect you.”
“Aunt Lucy, I’m a man.” he said with anger. “Oh… I will be, but that doesn’t change the fact that you need our protection.”
Lucy sighed and was about to tell George it was time for bed when there was a knock at the door. “Just in time.” She moved to the door to allow the servants in so they could take the remains of the meal.
But it wasn’t a servant who stood on the other side.
Lucy’s opened her mouth to shout, but then she noticed the cap-lock gun in Lord Maltsby’s hand. He flashed it out of his coat, which was far too hot to wear for such a warm night.
“Good evening, Lucy.” the man said with a smile. He hid the gun and whispered, “There is no need to startle the boy. I’ve simply come for what is mine.”
His?
George.
Her stomach fell and panic seized her legs. “No.” she whispered.
He frowned and pushed her out of the way as he forced himself into the room. He smiled before George could see him.
George shot from his chair, causing it to fly back. He looked at Lord Maltsby with fear.
Lord Maltsby kept on smiling. “Hello, my son. I’ve come to take you home.”
Lucy was still too stunned by the man’s presence to speak. Had he followed them here? Clearly, he had. He must have had someone watching the house. How else would he have known they were here?
And now she and George were at his mercy. She should have been more aware of her surroundings before she left. Or maybe…She shouldn’t have left at all.
“My home is with Uncle Kent.” George said, backing away. “He showed me the paper. I’m his.”
Lord Maltsby lost his amusement then. “Lord Ganden doesn’t want you, boy. He was only trying to get at me. He took you from me for revenge.”
“No,” Lucy finally cut in “that’s not true.” She would not allow Lord Maltsby to taint George’s memories of Kent, especially when they weren’t true. “Ganden cares for George.”
Lord Maltsby ignored her. “Come on, George. It’s time to go home.” He held out his free hand.
George looked at him and shook his head and swallowed. Then he looked at Lucy. “I want to go home. I want Uncle Kent.”
Lucy wanted Kent as well. Tears burned her eyes. She looked at Lord Maltsby. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Lord Maltsby said. “I’m reuniting my family. It is what Jessica would have wanted. George is my son.” Lord Maltsby turned to George and stepped forward. His expression shifted into remorse. “George, you can never know how deeply sorry I am for all I’ve done to you. You are my son. I never should have hurt you. I was simply upset, because I missed your mother. But I swear, I’ll never hurt you again. Come home with me, George. Give your father another chance. Let me make amends.” He held out his hand again.
George looked at the offered hand.
“No!” Lucy shouted. She moved forward, but barely got in two steps before a hand flew out and smacked her hard enough to knock her to the floor. She landed on her hip and wrist. Pain shot through both places but also her cheek and split lip. She whimpered but didn’t give up. “Please.”
“That is enough out of you.” Lord Maltsby snapped.
“We’ll not go with you.” Lucy whispered.
“We?” Lord Maltsby asked. “I hate to say it, but you will not be accompanying us on this journey, Lady Ganden.”
Dread filled her, removing her anger entirely. “What do you mean?”
“I was foolish to have ever let you near the boy.” he said. “I should have known you’d betray me. I’ll not make that mistake again.” He didn’t wait for George to accept his hand. Instead, he grabbed George by the arm and started out of the room.
George didn’t even protest. His eyes remained on Lucy as they moved to the door.
“No!” She scrambled onto her feet and grabbed Lord Maltby by his arm, which happened to be the one that held the gun.
He shoved it against her side. The maneuver kept George from seeing it. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve done.”
She stared in pure confusion.
He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I’d pull this trigger if my son weren’t here right now. You think I didn’t notice that someone had gone through my things today? I should have known you and Ganden would scheme against me. While I was in my library, you were in my house. Do not lie.”
She didn’t. She didn’t even dare to correct him or tell him that Kent hadn’t been in on her plan, not with a gun against her stomach. She took deep breaths, as her body shook.
“You’ve ruined my life, forced me to flee my own home.” Lord Maltsby said. “Don’t make me use this. Jessica would not have liked that. Just stay here, quietly, and let me leave with my son. I have a man downstairs who will see to your end if you leave this inn before day
break.”
Lucy was weeping, but she didn’t see any way around giving Lord Maltsby what he desired. If her suspicions were correct, she would likely never see George again. She cared nothing for her life, but George’s last memory of her would not be her death.
Pulling herself together, she choked out, “Please, let me say goodbye to him. Jessica would have wanted that at least.”
He nodded and moved George forward. “Say goodbye to your aunt.”
George was silent, but she didn’t see fear in his eyes. In fact, there was quiet resilience in his gaze. “Goodbye, Aunt Lucy.” The words were said without emotion.
Lucy bent down and hugged him. “Be good for Lord Maltsby.” she whispered through her tears. “I love you.”
When she pulled away, his young visage still lacked emotion.
“The boy doesn’t even cry anymore.” Lord Maltsby said. “At least his time with Ganden taught him something. Come, George. We’ve a boat to catch. You’ll like it, your first boat ride.”
His first boat ride should have been with Kent, but now...
George gave Lucy one last look and then left.
∫ ∫ ∫
5 9
* * *
Lucy didn’t wait ten minutes before she crept from her room. She had no intentions of remaining in the inn. She’d not let George simply get away. Lord Maltsby had spoken about a boat. Lucy knew the closest dock was back in London, but there was the chance that they’d gone elsewhere. What if they were heading to Portsmouth? She didn’t know and neither did she care.
She heard the noise coming from downstairs and was sure that no one would murder her in the midst of such a crowd. She was grabbed the moment she reached the bottom landing. She moved to pull away, but her eyes caught those of Mr. Charles. “You.”
“Hello, my lady.” His eyes narrowed at her face. “Who did that to you?”
“Lord Maltsby.” she said. “You must help me. He has George.”
His expression relaxed, and he showed her out of the inn and toward a carriage. “We will help you.” he vowed. Mr. Charles ushered her inside and then closed the door behind her.
Kent was on the other side. Even in the lamplight, she could see the great sorrow in his eyes.
Just seeing him was such a relief. “Kent.”
“Lucy, allow me to apologize for the way I’ve….” His voice trailed off as he took her face then. Then he shot forward and grabbed her chin. “What happened to you?”
“There’s no time!” she cried. “Lord Maltsby has George and they’re leaving England.”
Kent’s entire expression changed. “Tell me what happened. Everything.”
She told him everything, detailing how Lord Maltsby had barged into her room and then taken George.
Mr. Charles came back out a moment later. His hair was slightly disheveled, but otherwise, he was pristine. “There was a man inside, hired to see that Lady Ganden didn’t leave the inn. He said Lord Maltsby was heading back to the London docks. He’ll be boarding a ship heading to India where he still has hold over portions of an export company there.” Mr. Charles didn’t wait for instruction after that. He simply climbed into the carriage and the horses pulled them forward.
Lucy was shaking. “Do you think we’ll make it in time?”
“I don’t know.” The pain had returned to his eyes.
She took his expression to mean he was just as upset about George’s disappearance as she was. Perhaps, he even rightly blamed her. She never should have left. Not now. She should have been patient and waited for Kent to deal with Lord Maltsby first.
George’s face filled her vision. Her baby. Her beautiful boy. Suddenly, she burst into tears and covered her face in order to muffle her sobbing. The carriage remained quiet except for her weeping and the rattling as it traveled with great speed down the road.
She wanted him to touch her. She wanted his arms around her, but he didn’t move. And why would he? She’d lost George. He was likely angry with her. She was angry with herself. Her tears were a mixture of despair and resentment.
She had no way to tell how much time she spent in her grief, but it was much later when Kent’s voice drifted toward her.
“I’m so sorry, Lucy. I…” His own voice shook. “This is my fault. I’ve caused this.”
She looked up with surprise and found he’d extinguished the light. He hid in the darkness, but she could hear his labored breathing. “This isn’t your fault. I acted foolishly.”
“No. I did this. I pushed you away.” he whispered, his voice strained. “It’s only natural that you’d try and get away from me. I never should have bothered you to begin with. When this is over, I’ll make it so you never have to worry again. You’ll have all the money you could ever want, you’ll both be free of me, free to live as you choose without the fear of me cutting into your life.”
She stared at the dark and took in everything he’d said. He was letting her go. She wouldn’t have to run anymore. Why did the words not make her happy? Why was she hurt by them?
Perhaps, he was done with her, had had his fill. It wasn’t as though she’d truly had anything else to offer him but her body. He didn’t want her love. He likely didn’t even understand it or trust it. And why would he, when her own interpretation of it had forced her to bury the secret of his birth?
“It would likely be for the best.” she whispered.
He pulled in a sudden breath and then let it out.
The carriage was quiet once more.
* * *
Kent had to force himself to keep from reaching out to Lucy. She sat across from him. Her skirts brushed his pants leg. Her scent filled the cabin. Her sobs filled his ears.
He wanted to hold her and give her comfort but couldn’t help but remember the last time he’d tried to touch her and how she’d recoiled. She didn’t want his hands on her, and he would respect that.
But she was asking for his help in another way. He had to find George. Even if it took him the rest of his life, even if he had to cut through the jungles of India and wrestle the wild animals in their own domain, he would do it. He would not stop until he’d reunited Lucy with her boy.
“We’ll get him back.” he said finally, giving her the only comfort he could. “It doesn’t matter if we catch the ship or not. I’ll be on the next one, and I’ll bring him back to you.”
She sniffed. “Thank you, Kent. I just hope he’s all right. I hope he doesn’t upset Lord Maltsby. The man had a gun...” Her voice choked again.
Kent knew what she feared, the man using the weapon on the boy, but Kent doubted he would. “He was hiding the gun from him. He wants George to think well of him. He’s trying to win him over. He’ll not hurt George that way.”
“If you say so.” she whispered, her voice slightly stronger than before. He was glad he couldn’t see her. He was barely holding on himself.
“Thank you.” she said again. “You’ll never know how much this means to me.”
“I know something about what it means to you.” he said. “George is a sweet boy and that’s solely because of you. Any man who’d force you two apart is a fool.”
He heard her shift in the dark before she said, “But…weren’t you planning to send him to school?”
He frowned, though she couldn’t see it. “Of course. Eventually to a good university or school somewhere when he’s old enough.”
The silence that came next was weighty. His skin prickled. He could almost feel Lucy’s mind at work as she continued to shift in her seat. “Kent. When you spoke to Lord Maltsby at his home, I was there.”
“I figured that out from the letter you left.” he said. “Thank you for that, by the way. Astlen is dealing with it. There is no way Lord Maltsby can escape justice now unless he flees England.” If she thought he was angry with her for what she’d done, he wasn’t. “Thank you. Truly, Lucy. It meant so much that you would risk yourself—”
“No.” she cut in. “I mean, I heard you speaking to Lo
rd Maltsby. He said you should send George to Eton and you agreed.”
“I want George to experience a better life than I had, to be given the things that other young lords are given, but after our discussion in the park, I knew I would not send him to Eton. However, Lord Maltsby didn’t need to know that. He doesn’t need or deserve to know the plans we make for George.”
She choked as though stunned by his words. “I thought…I thought you didn’t care about what I wanted. I thought you planned to take him away from me.”
He was done with the dark. He quickly relit the lamp and looked at her. Her face was red, swollen, and still very beautiful.
“How could I when you want him so much? When you love him in ways that a staff at a school could never? I couldn’t drag him from your arms any more than I could…” He shut his mouth and swallowed.
Any more than I can keep myself away from you.
He’d wanted to let her go yet here he was. Mrs. Barton had barely had to push him into doing it. And even when he’d told himself to keep away, he’d reached out to her earlier that day outside of George’s bedchamber. If she’d accepted, he’d have never pushed her away again.
“Any more than you could what?” she asked.
He shook his head. He would not burden her with himself anymore. “Is that why you left? You thought I would send him away.”
She nodded slowly and then closed her eyes. “I should have spoken to you first, given you a chance.”
“You’ve given me plenty of chances.” he said and released a pent-up breath. “It doesn’t matter now. All that matters is that we find George.”
She opened her eyes and then nodded. “Yes, we must find George.”
∫ ∫ ∫
6 0
* * *
They arrived at the docks just as the sun was rising over the horizon. They ran to the ship Lord Maltsby was said to have boarded. Mr. Charles led the way. When they got there, they were greeted by a great commotion. Many stood on the water’s edge.
“Who is that?” someone in the crowd said.
“I saw him go over.” a man said, turning to the people around him. “At first, I thought him a great bird, but then he gave a shout.”
Dread of The Earl (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 28