by Fiona Miers
“James, please. Listen to me. There is no need to put your life at risk—”
“Sister, you asked me to assist you, and that is precisely what I am doing. I am not murdering anyone, so leave me be,” James said.
Lizzie raised her hands in defeat and stepped away, allowing him to climb into the coach.
James glanced out of the window and simply nodded at his siblings before the coach began to move and left the estate.
James pounded his fist against the wooden door of the address he knew all too well, his anger building inside him. The door opened after a few moments, and a butler stared at him.
“Your Grace.” He bowed.
“Please get Lord Dorset for me.”
The butler nodded and within a few moments, a disheveled Lord Dorset stood before him.
“Your Grace,” Lord Dorset chimed with a smile. “How lovely it is to see—”
Before the rake set on ruining his sister was able to complete his greeting, James punched the arrogant lord in the face. He stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. James reached down, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him outside, where several people were gawking at the ruckus they were causing.
“Unhand me, you brute,” he struggled against James’s grasp, but James threw him down on the ground.
“How dare you drag my sister, and my family’s name through the mud! Spreading lies about her purity and her character as a young woman is unforgivable.” James growled.
“Your sister is the one spreading lies, as she does with her legs,” Lord Dorset grinned smugly.
James knelt and punched Lord Dorset once more, and the Lord groaned as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
“You are a liar, and you will set this straight. I will not allow you to ruin my sister’s reputation because she wouldn’t become another notch on your bedpost.” James grabbed his collar and stood, forcing Lord Dorset into a standing position.
He glanced around him at the crowd forming.
“Tell everyone here how you spread lies about my sister,” James ordered.
“I will not,” Lord Dorset spat, blood trickling down his chin.
“Tell them!” James yelled, and tightened his grasp around the cad’s throat.
Lord Dorset gasped for a few moments, until he panted, “Very well! I never laid a finger on her. Everything I said was untrue. It was only to boast of another conquest.”
The people who had come closer to witness Lord Dorset’s confession gasped and whispered amongst themselves.
James turned to Lord Dorset and snarled. “If you ever go near my sister, or any other young woman whom you attempt to ruin, I will tear you limb from limb and feed you to the dogs. Is that clear?”
“Yes,” Lord Dorset whispered.
James released Lord Dorset from his grasp and the man fell to the ground, trembling at the impact. James stepped away and walked back to his coach without another word. He glanced intently at the people on the street who had witnessed his altercation with Lord Dorset.
“To clear matters up,” James announced to the spectators, “as I am certain there will be many tales circulating with regards to this incident, let it be known that Lord Dorset is a rake. He ruins women by promising them the moon and stars, then discards them as soon as he has gotten what he wanted from them. Those who oppose him and reject him, he smears their names, as he did with my sister. That will not happen again. Keep your daughters and your sisters away from this man, as he is more worthless than the rats.”
James turned away and walked back to his coach, not the least bit interested in the murmurs behind him. He had done what he came to do, and that was the end of it.
17
Kitty stared into Lord Windham’s eyes and her blood froze in her veins. Despite his outward appearance being the same as it had always been, there was a sudden and evil darkness emanating from inside him. Kitty froze, unable to move as fear pulsed through her.
“My lady, your mother wishes the best for her only daughter, and who am I to argue with that? She did, in fact, invite me to dinner, so desperate was she for me to marry you,” Lord Windham sneered.
His tone made Kitty straighten her spine and find her tongue.
He thought he’d won, had he?
“My mother is under the impression she knows what is best for me,” Kitty answered, struggling against Edward’s grasp. “Now, please, unhand me at once.”
He glared at her, then loosened his grip abruptly, stepping away from Kitty as though disgusted.
“What happened to you, Edward?” Kitty whispered. “You are not the man I remember.”
“Many things change in a decade, my dear. You, of all people, should be aware of that,” Edward answered and paced around the room. “While I was adapting to my new life in the north, there was not a day that passed when I did not think of you. I wondered what you were doing, and why you’d forgotten me.”
He sounded hurt, which did not correlate with the scary behavior from a moment ago. “My lord, you were a very large part of my life, and I could not simply forget you.”
“Then why did you?” he inquired as he stopped abruptly in the center of the room.
“I didn’t,” Kitty said, shaking her head.
“Of all the people your mother could have chosen, she chose James of Somerset?” he spat.
Kitty’s mouth dropped open. What did Edward have against James?
“He was the wealthiest prospect, and according to her, our children would be very handsome,” Kitty said, her heart contracting at the thought of James.
Despite her inability to ever admit it to anyone—even herself—she missed the duke desperately. She still spent every night staring out her window, hoping James would come to her rescue, now more than ever.
“Did she not think I was good enough for you? It was only after the duke rejected you that she found it in her heart to consider me?” Edward asked and glanced in Kitty’s direction.
“It was not James who rejected me, my lord. It was I who rejected him,” Kitty pointed out.
Lord Windham turned towards her and cocked his head. “Why is that?”
“I could not marry a man such as him, regardless of how wealthy he is. Wealth does not excuse a heart of stone.”
Perhaps she had been callous in her decision to accuse James of not being a man she could marry.
Had she been unreasonable and too quick to judge him?
Perhaps James had been meaning to send for a veterinarian to examine and treat Lord Windsor, but had not had the time to do so? He was a duke with all the obligations the title carried, and entertaining her family at the time.
Her stomach tightened as the thought took hold.
Perhaps she had jumped to conclusions too soon?
Her heart ached for James—his touch, his kiss…
“Kitty?” Edward’s voice called her back to the present, where she had little desire to be..
Kitty now knew why Edward had visited. Her mother had practically begged him to visit and join them for dinner. Her mother had grown desperate after the termination of the arrangement with James.
Lady Dunne had sought out desperate measures to keep their family from financial destruction, with absolutely no though to her happiness.
Sadly, Kitty’s wellbeing had never been a factor, at least not to her mother. She had always simply followed along with whatever notion her mother wished, or had single-handedly decided.
Terminating the arrangement with James had shocked her mother, obviously, but now that she had adjusted course to come to terms with Edward there would be no stopping the formidable Lady Dunne now.
Kitty had no say in the matter, of course, but she did not feel angered or betrayed.
She simply felt terrified. Edward was not here because he loved her. He was here for revenge. Against her for never responding to his letter.
And her parents for never thinking he was good enough. Not until she’d been rejected by a duke.
That would not bode well for a marriage that would last a lifetime.
“Are you well, Kitty?” Edward inquired. “You seem lost in your thoughts.”
“Not at all, my lord.”
“You were thinking of James,” Edward’s eyes darkened suddenly.
“I was not.” She snapped back, not interested in his temper once again. “I was thinking of my mother, and how she enjoys manipulating those around her.”
“And why would you say such a thing?” he asked, calm once again.
“She hid your letters from me. Were you aware of that?” Kitty said. “She did not wish for me to know how you felt. She was afraid that it would make me change my mind, or jeopardize their arrangement with James.”
“But that happened regardless. Are you happy you did not end up marrying the duke?”
She nodded, though her chest tightened and her throat burned. “Of course. It was what we both wanted.”
“You seemed hesitant in your answer,” he countered.
Kitty frowned at the man before her.
She had outgrown her childhood friend it seemed, and she no longer wanted anything to do with him. “I am merely finding this conversation tiresome. Marriage is a matter I do not wish to discuss any longer.”
Kitty sighed. “I must apologize, my lord, but despite being close acquaintances with you since we were children, I do not desire to marry you—or anyone for that matter. I am exhausted and overwhelmed, especially given the fact that my father—”
“Is losing all his money due to embezzlements by his business partner?” Lord Windham interrupted, and Kitty’s eyes widened.
He knew about that and yet he still wanted to marry her?
Before she could answer, however, he continued, “I am aware of many things involving you and your family, my dearest Kitty.”
“It is rather unsettling,” Kitty admitted openly and shrugged her shoulders in discomfort.
And so was the fact that he had kept a personal eye on her and her family.
“Well, imagine how I must feel knowing that you shared a bed with James?” he said, his eyes narrowing.
Kitty inhaled sharply, fear quickening her stomach. “You must be mistaken.”
“Do not attempt to lie to me, Kitty. I know it is true. I knew it the moment I saw you enter your father’s parlor. You are different now, and I do not approve.”
Who was he to approve her or not?
“This is who I am now. I am not here to please any man, ever again.”
Much to her shock, Edward grabbed her arm once more and pulled her close to him, but not in an affectionate manner. His eyes grew dark, and his lips thinned into an evil smirk. “My lady, I am not a disrespectful man, but listen to me. If you think for a single moment that you have a choice in this matter, you are wrong. I already arranged the marriage with your father, and we will both honor it.”
“Never,” Kitty hissed.
Lord Windham’s grasp tightened, but Kitty stared at him. “My lord, you are a weak-minded man and if you think your violence will have any impact on me, or my decisions, you are a fool.”
“You will do as I say, or I will reveal to all of society that you lost your innocence to the duke, and are no longer a respected member of society. Your reputation will be ruined and you will be forced to roam the streets as a light skirt, allowing men to have their way with you for a simple coin—if you are worth that much,” Edward snarled. “Your parents will sleep in the streets with the rats and perish like the worthless animals they will become.”
Tears formed in her eyes as Edward’s cruel words suffocated the life out of her. She stood silently, staring at him, her heart shattering into a million shards.
Kitty could still live with a tainted and ruined reputation, but she could not allow her parents to live among the rats and perish in such a manner.
Now was the time to stop being selfish, to cast her own interest into the fire and allow it to burn. Her family required her assistance and cooperation.
“Very well, my lord,” Kitty breathed, then shuddered as she said, “I will marry you, and serve you as a wife should a husband.”
A smirk formed on his mouth, and he said with a satisfied tone, “I am delighted to hear you see it my way.”
“I do apologise for my resistance, my lord,” Kitty forced herself to say, fearing what sort of retribution would come in the future when he was legally able to do what he wanted with her.
“It is your fire that I always adored about you, my lady,” Edward whispered as he tenderly stroked her cheek.
A rush of disgust surged over Kitty, but she kept her composure, simply nodding at him. “Perhaps we should rejoin my parents for dinner. Would you not agree?”
“Indeed,” he answered. “You and I have the rest of our lives together.”
18
“I can’t believe my knuckles are still bruised,” James said as Lizzie wrapped his hand in a bandage soaked with alcohol.
“I still cannot believe you punched him,” Lizzie said, her tone annoyed and yet full of pride.
“Several times,” James pointed out with a painful wince. “That hurts, Elizabeth.”
Lizzie glanced at him apologetically and continued wrapping his hand.
“I cannot believe you threw a punch that actually made him bleed,” William chuckled. “Where did you learn to be such a brute?”
“When the reputation of someone you love is at stake, even the gentlest person can become a fighter,” James said, not regretting his actions for a moment.
“Indeed, and I appreciate it more than I will ever be able to express,” Lizzie said. “Thank you, brother.”
“You do not need to thank me,” James said quietly, meeting his sister’s gaze and smiling at her.
William went on, “It’s wrong to spread untruths about another person for your own personal gain. It astounds me that he was under the impression he was going to get away with it. But James… you took care of him, in front of a crowd, as well. Dorset was certainly not expecting that. Even though you did it for Elizabeth, you are now my hero, James.”
James grew quiet and lowered his gaze, wincing one last time as Lizzie finished wrapping the bandage around his hand.
“Brother,” Lizzie whispered and touched James’s chin. “Are you well?”
“It is not only my hand that is bruised, Elizabeth.”
“Did Lord Dorset hit you? Where?” Lizzie inquired and examined him briefly.
“No, it wasn’t Lord Dorset. This was caused by my own hand,” James answered.
“I don’t understand,” Lizzie answered with a furrowed brow.
James sighed wearily. He’d come to this decision earlier, but it was more difficult to say aloud than he’d originally thought it would be.
He took a breath and braved the dragon. “I wish to make amends with Kitty.”
Lizzie gasped.
“I was under the impression she made you miserable?” William scoffed.
Their sister whirled on him. “Can you not see he is even more miserable without Kitty?” Lizzie snarled at William.
“I was never truly miserable with her,” James pointed out and glanced at his sister. “I wish she was here with me right this moment. I wish I had the courage to say all the things I still carry within me, that I was given the chance to say.”
“Which are?” Lizzie inquired, her eyes sparkling with hope.
Oh God… he had to say it. Aloud. Right now.
“I am in love with her, Elizabeth. I must be. I cannot stop thinking of her. The entire estate reminds me of moments with her. I spend my days thinking of her, and I spend my night wishing I had not told her to leave.”
“She left on her own, James,” William pointed out. “The young lady could have stayed if she wanted.”
James shook his head. That was incorrect.
“No, I told her to leave, and to never come back. That she was no longer welcome here,” James sighed, feelings of guilt and remorse
welling up inside him. “I was such a fool, chasing away the only person I wanted near me.”
“James,” Lizzie sighed and placed her free hand on his arm.
“If I could merely tell her that I am sorry, and I wish for her to come back.”
Lizzie glanced at William over her shoulder and she bit her lower lip. William exhaled and turned away, avoiding James’s eyes.
“What is it?” James asked and glanced at Lizzie. He shifted away from her, his hand out of her grasp and she glanced at him intently.
“There is something you must know, James,” Lizzie said quietly.
“What is it, Elizabeth?” James asked once more, his tone filled with more urgency than before.
“Kitty is already betrothed to another,” Lizzie answered carefully.
“What?” James exclaimed and stood from the low stool, gaping down at Lizzie.
“Kitty is betrothed to Lord Windham,” Lizzie repeated with more clarification and stood as well.
“Since when?” James demanded.
How was that possible?
“It has only been a few days. Lady Josephine, a mutual friend, spoke to me during our visit at the tea house,” Lizzie explained.
“And you were under the impression that you shouldn’t inform me of this?”
James ran his hand through his hair, frustration twisting his gut.
“I only wished to protect you, James,” Lizzie insisted.
“I do not require your protection. I am a grown man—”
“With the heart of a boy,” Lizzie interjected.
James stopped and stared at his sister angrily, his jaw clenched. How dare she say such a thing to him?
“Your heart was fragile after Lady Penelope, and as much as you wish to deny it, her actions still affect you. I see it in every single choice you make, even with regard to Kitty.” Lizzie smiled gently. “I understand that you are upset, but it is better this way. She is betrothed, and you cannot walk back into her life and disturb everything.”
James clenched his jaw and lowered his gaze. Lizzie knew him better than he knew himself.