She could not imagine what this scene might possibly mean, and waited to see where the carriage would go. Her confusion grew when they did not drive past the entrance to Cublertone, but rather turned down the drive, heading toward her front door. Since her father was not at home, it would fall to Paulina to deal with whatever might be happening.
She turned to William to see if perhaps he had any idea of what this might mean. She supposed it ought not to have been a surprise that he looked quite as confused as she felt.
Chapter 28
Michael still felt angry and humiliated as he approached Cublertone. He was sitting awkwardly at the front of the carriage, crammed next to his driver, who had brought them here from the village of Tinsworth. They were joined by Betsey, as well as a constable with two criminals in tow.
Michael thought that he could hardly have assembled a stranger cast of characters if he had set out to do so specifically. They were travelling to Cublertone to discover what, exactly, had brought this strange party together. For the criminals claimed that the Earl had arranged for the whole thing, but Michael very much doubted that this would be the case.
When they walked across the drive to the entrance of Cublertone, Michael saw Lady Paulina standing in front of the house with the Marquess of Portam. In spite of the absurdity of the situation, Michael could not help but feel happy for Paulina, knowing that she was in love with the Marquess.
“My Lady,” Michael said, approaching Paulina and bowing slightly.
“My Lord?” Lady Paulina responded, looking and sounding confused. She looked around her and took in the group behind Michael. When her eyes landed on Betsey, Michael saw them widening with shock.
“Betsey?” Lady Paulina said, her tone even more shocked now. “What on earth is going on?”
“My Lady,” Betsey said, greeting her former mistress with a smile and a curtsey. “It is quite an unusual story! Please forgive me for returning to Cublertone unannounced, and in such strange circumstances.”
“There is no need to apologize, Betsey,” Lady Paulina said with a smile. “In fact, I was very sad that we did not have a chance to see each other before my father sent you away. I am pleased to see you now, but I would very much like to hear this unusual story.”
“Perhaps the Viscount of Somerwich had better tell it, as he knows more about it than I do,” Betsey said, turning to Michael with a smile. He smiled back at her and then began to speak. Behind him, the constable and his coachman were restraining the two large, surly criminals. They struggled to break free of their captors, but only half-heartedly, and Michael ignored them.
“After my last visit to you, when I learned that Betsey had lost her position as your maid, I knew that I must go and find her,” Michael began, seeing Lady Paulina nodding as she remembered their last conversation. “I set out for the village of Tinsworth, and had nearly arrived at Betsey’s home when my coachman and I were attacked.”
Lady Paulina gasped at this, covering her mouth with her hand. The Marquess of Portam touched her arm tenderly, to steady her, Michael thought.
“You were attacked?” the Marquess said in disbelief. “Why, My Lord?”
“That is exactly what I would like to find out,” Michael said. “And it is why we have come to Cublertone.”
“What do you mean, My Lord?” Lady Paulina sounded more confused than ever. “What can you possibly hope to find out at Cublertone that would be relevant to an attack in Tinsworth?”
“Yes, I’m afraid I don’t follow your logic there, Somerwich,” the Marquess of Portam agreed with Lady Paulina.
“Of course,” Michael said, his tone conciliatory. He realized now that his previous statement had made no sense without context. “Let me start from the beginning, and it will all become clear.”
Michael was about to begin recounting the unusual events he had experienced today, when a carriage pulled up in front of the house. The driver stepped down and opened the carriage door, casting puzzled glances at the company assembled in front of the house every few seconds.
The Earl of Cublertone emerged from the carriage and looked about him, blinking several times. It seemed to Michael that the Earl was struggling to take in the scene before him. After a moment, during which everyone present looked around awkwardly, the Earl finally spoke.
“Somerwich, Portam, what are you doing here?” he said, and then seeming to remember his courtesies, added. “Of course it is a pleasure to see you both, My Lords.”
There were a few uncomfortable laughs at these words, and the Earl continued to look around from person to person. The Marquess of Portam spoke first.
“I came to call upon Lady Paulina, My Lord,” he said in a neutral tone. “We were about to take a walk in the garden, when we saw Somerwich approaching the house with the rest of the persons you see here. In fact, he was just about to tell us why he has brought them here.”
“Oy, will you bloody well tell ‘im what’s happening, or what? We’ve not got all day, you know!”
Everyone looked around in shock to see who could have spoken. Michael knew at once that it must have been one of the criminals who had assaulted him and his coachman. Upon further inspection, he saw that it was the taller of the two. He was larger than his associate, and heavily muscled—an intimidating specimen to be sure, but Michael thought he was the less clever of the two criminals.
“Shut it, Billy!” his associate hissed.
“Come off it, Dick!” Billy argued back. “Might as well tell what happened and be done with it, there’s no getting out of it now.”
The two criminals stood side by side, with their hands tied behind their backs. The constable stood behind Billy, holding tightly to the ropes on his hands, while Michael’s coachman stood behind Dick, holding on to his restraints.
“No, you come off it, you bloody fool!” Dick said, sounding exasperated. “Why can you never keep your mouth shut?”
“Oy! Don’t talk to me like that, I’m not the one who got us caught, am I?” Billy said, angrily. At this he attempted to lunge toward his associate, as though to hit him. Since his hands were tied behind his back, he merely stumbled forward, nearly pulling the constable to the ground.
The constable let out a yelp of shock, and then cleared his throat, seeming to compose himself. In a stern voice he said, “Both of you, be quiet! The Viscount of Somerwich will tell us what has happened, and then you shall say your piece!”
Both of the criminals grumbled unhappily at this, but seemed to agree, however reluctantly. While Michael explained what had happened, Billy and Dick stared daggers at one another, and Michael did his best to ignore them.
“As I was telling Lady Paulina and the Marquess of Portam, before you arrived, My Lord,” Michael said, addressing the Earl of Cublertone directly. “I had traveled to the village of Tinsworth and was near Miss Babington’s home, when I was assaulted by these two—” he gestured vaguely toward the pair of criminals being restrained behind him, “—oafs. My coachman and I were attempting to fight them off, when Miss Babington came outside and saw what was happening. She summoned the constable, who arrested them.”
“I see…” said the Earl, though he still looked puzzled. “But why were you in Tinsworth? And why would these…oafs, as you put it, assault you? And why have you brought them to Cublertone?”
Michael looked at Lady Paulina, wondering what he ought to say about his reasons for visiting Tinsworth. Lady Paulina seemed to understand the meaning behind his look and gave him a slight nod of the head to indicate that he should speak freely.
“I went to Tinsworth to call upon Miss Babington. I understand that she lost her position at Cublertone on my account, and I wished to apologize to her about that,” Michael said, watching the Earl closely for his reaction. The Earl, for his part, looked perplexed by this revelation, frowning slightly.
“In addition to apologizing,” Michael continued, “I wished to speak with her father about my intention to marry her.”
�
�What?” the Earl asked, sounding enraged. He looked angrily from Michael to his daughter. “Did you know anything about this, Paulina?”
“Father, please listen to me,” Lady Paulina said, her voice firmer than Michael had ever heard it. “The Viscount of Somerwich confessed his love for Betsey the last time he called on me and found that she was no longer employed at Cublertone. I am happy for him, and for Betsey, who was always a good friend to me. I do not wish to marry the Viscount. I do not love him. But Betsey does, and he loves her in return, so I hope that they will be very happy together.”
The Earl stared at his daughter, a look of disbelief on his face. Michael might almost have laughed at the shocked expression on the Earl’s face, had he not been more concerned about discovering why he had been assaulted. To that end, he continued to tell the story of his assault.
“When the constable arrested Billy and Dick for assaulting me and my coachman, he asked them why they had attacked us,” Michael said. Then he turned to the two brutes behind him and said, “Lads, would you kindly tell the Earl why you said that you attacked us?”
“Right,” Billy began. “See, me and Dick would usually never do a thing such as this, but when someone offers ten pounds for the job, that is certainly hard to turn down! Isn’t that so, Dick?”
Dick said nothing, and merely scowled at his associate, looking as though he would like nothing more than to hit Billy.
“Thank you, Billy,” Michael said, “And who was it that offered you ten pounds to assault me?”
“Why, the Earl of course! Culbertram or some such,” Billy said, jerking his head in the Earl’s direction, since he could not gesture with his hands, “You know—him!”
The Earl was protesting that he had no idea what Billy was talking about, that he had never seen these men in his life, and would never do such a thing, when several things happened all at once. Lady Paulina gasped in shock upon hearing the accusation, and fainted. The Marquess of Portam caught her in his arms, and Betsey rushed forward to help her former mistress.
As the Marquess and Betsey carried Lady Paulina inside to tend to her, the Earl’s valet came out of the house. He seemed not to know what was happening, and looked shocked to see such a large company assembled on the front lawn.
“That’s him!” Billy yelled, as the Earl’s valet exited the house. “Him, the tall bloke just walked outside. He works for the Earl and he hired us to take care of the Viscount over there.”
The valet froze instantly at the sound of these words, looking like a startled animal. His eyes darted around from person to person, and everyone stared at him in disbelief. After a few seconds, the spell seemed to lift, and Simon began to run, his destination unclear.
The constable ran after him, while the Earl yelled for his valet to come back and explain himself. The constable had released his grip on Billy when he ran after the Earl’s valet, and Billy attempted to run away as well. With his arms tied behind his back, he was off balance and soon fell flat on his face, cursing the constable as he did.
Michael watched the scene, feeling a bit dazed. He hoped that Lady Paulina was all right, and was glad that Betsey had gone to look after her, though he would have liked to have her by his side. He had been confused about why the Earl would hire criminals to assault him—even if he had been angry that Michael did not wish to marry Lady Paulina, it made little sense.
Now Michael considered the possibility that the Earl was telling the truth and had nothing to do with the plan. In that case, it would seem that his valet had hired Billy and Dick without the Earl’s knowledge. Michael was even more confused by this possibility. Why on earth would the Earl’s valet wish to have me attacked?
Just as Michael was considering what might actually be happening, and why, the constable caught up to the valet. He tied the man’s hands behind his back, just like Billy and Dick, and led him back to the group. The constable asked the Earl if they might go inside so that they could discuss the matter and determine what had really happened.
The Earl agreed to this proposal, though Michael thought that he looked a bit reluctant. For his part, Michael was pleased by this plan. Not only would they learn the truth of what had happened, but he would be able to see Betsey again and make sure that Lady Paulina was all right.
Chapter 29
Betsey thought that this must surely be the strangest day of her entire life. She had experienced the full range of her emotions in just a few hours—sadness at the thought that she would never see Michael again, then fear when he was in danger, relief when he was saved, anger towards his assailants, joy at her reunion with him.
More than anything else, Betsey had experienced confusion like she had never experienced before today. Why had Michael been assaulted? Why would the Earl of Cublertone arrange for such a thing, as the criminals suggested? She had no answers to those questions, and had hoped to find them at Cublertone.
When Lady Paulina had fainted, Betsey had sprung into action, running to her side to help the Marquess of Portam tend to her. She had done it instinctively, without even considering that it was not appropriate as she was no longer Lady Paulina’s maid. She still considered her former mistress a friend though, and she could not refuse a friend in need.
They had brought Lady Paulina into the drawing room, since it would have been too difficult to carry her up the stairs to her bedchamber. Betsey had ordered a maid to bring some tea for the Lady of the house, and the Marquess of Portam laid Lady Paulina down on the sofa, gently stroking her hair.
The Marquess was watching Lady Paulina with a look of such tenderness that Betsey could not help but smile. She wanted Lady Paulina to be happy, and knew that the Marquess of Portam would make her happy. She only hoped that the Earl could be convinced to consent to the marriage.
As this thought occurred to her, Lady Paulina began to stir, looking all around. She wore a bemused expression on her face, but smiled when she saw the Marquess of Portam at her side. Then she turned and saw Betsey sitting across from her.
“Oh Betsey!” she exclaimed. “I am so glad you are back. But what is happening?”
Betsey did her best to explain the events that had just transpired in the front lawn, and the Marquess of Portam occasionally added details here and there. Lady Paulina nodded as Betsey spoke, seeming to remember most of what had happened with just a few reminders.
Her eyebrows knitted together in a concerned expression. “I know that my father would not have done this,” she said in a tone of absolute certainty. “I know that he is ambitious, but he would never want anyone to be hurt. I just know that he would never do this! Why would they say those things about him?”
“I do not know why those men said that your father hired them,” Betsey said, kindly. “But I do not believe that what they say is true.”
Lady Paulina smiled at Betsey, seemingly reassured by her words. In truth Betsey did not believe that the Earl was innocent because she had a high opinion of his moral standards, but rather because attacking Michael would not actually benefit the Earl. She knew him to be a gentleman of great ambition, who would do almost anything to get what he wanted, but he was not careless or stupid enough to orchestrate this particular scheme.
Of course, Betsey could not explain her reasons for believing in the Earl’s innocence, but she was glad to see that she had made Lady Paulina happy with her pronouncement. She poured tea for her former mistress, and was pleased to see some color returning to her cheeks.
Lady Paulina seemed to be getting better with each passing moment, and when the rest of the company entered the drawing room, she was sitting up. Betsey was disappointed, though not shocked, to see that the Earl did not seem particularly concerned for his daughter’s wellbeing after her fainting spell.
“Well, Constable, we can talk in here, to determine what on earth is going on,” The Earl said. His tone and facial expression seemed to suggest that he was eager to be done with this task.
“Thank you, My Lord,” the Constable said, l
eading the accused criminals into the room. Betsey was shocked to see her brother Simon with them, his hands tied behind his back just like the others.
“Simon!” she exclaimed. “What on earth is going on?”
“Betsey,” Simon said, a pleading note in his voice. “I was only trying to protect you!”
“Protect me from what?” Betsey said, confused. “What do you mean, Simon?”
“I knew that you were in love with the Viscount, and when I saw you out of bed late at night, I worried that you might have gone to see him. He will ruin you, Betsey!”
“So you hired these fools to assault him?” Betsey asked, shocked that her brother would ever do such a thing.
“I had to make sure that he stayed away from you, surely you can see that?”
Betsey gave an exasperated sigh. “Simon, you do not need to protect me. The Viscount and I are going to be married.”
The Viscount Who Seduced Her (Steamy Historical Regency) Page 24