‘I hope you do not press him,’ she said. ‘I am far too practical to think it romantic that he is willing to go to the gallows for love.’
‘It would do me no good to force a confession from an innocent man.’ David sighed. ‘Especially since it would harm you and your family for no reason. Despite what you might think of me, I would not publish falsehoods just to spite your brother.’
She shook her head. ‘I never suspected that of you. I know you only wanted justice for your friend.’
He nodded. ‘I still want to know the truth of what happened to him. But I cannot see a way forward from here.’
‘I suppose this means we will be returning to London,’ she said. It was the sensible thing to do if their investigation was truly over. But now that the time was here, she did not want to be sensible. Knowing the strictures that awaited her at home, she wanted to keep running and never stop.
He ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. ‘We could do so, if that is where you wish to go.’
It was the last place in the world she wished to go if it meant that they would be parting. But if he did not want her, she could not demand that she be allowed to follow him to the ends of the earth.
‘There is another option,’ he said, looking up at her with a surprisingly nervous expression.
‘Really?’ she said, waiting.
He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, staring at the ground for a moment as if gathering courage. Then he thrust his hand into his breast pocket and produced a simple gold ring. ‘I am probably a fool for even asking this. I have very little to offer you but my love...’ He paused, then started again. ‘We are almost to Gretna. I can afford to keep a wife, of course, but not in the manner you are used to.’
It was the sensible thing to do, of course. If they returned to London to seek permission, Hugh would refuse him, just as he had Alister and Richard Sterling, and any other man who seemed interested in Olivia. If she truly wanted to marry David, this might be the only chance she had. So, trying not to be hurt by the awkwardness of his proposal, she replied, ‘If it is a matter of convenience, we may as well continue on.’
He stared back at her, as if confused to find her response was as tepid as his proposal. ‘Perhaps it seems to you that my feelings are not as truly engaged in daylight as they are at night. I assure you, that is not the case,’ he insisted, wiping his brow with a handkerchief and displaying a level of nervousness she had never expected from him after the masterful way he behaved when they were in bed. ‘I love you and want to marry you, and would have put this all much more prettily had I taken the time to write it down.’
‘You are a very good writer,’ she agreed. ‘It has become my habit to read your articles in the Daily Standard.’
‘You have?’ he said, momentarily distracted. Then he shook his head. ‘At least it is a way to prove to you that I can make a respectable living. But if we return to your brother and put the matter to him, I doubt he will be as impressed as you. He will inform me that you should not be marrying a man who works at all. You are so far above me—’
‘I am sitting at your side,’ she reminded him, inching closer.
‘And I agree with him. You deserve better,’ he said, but he did not move away. ‘Not someone who would trick you into running away with him, then try to turn the trip into an elopement.’
If that had been his plan from the first she wished he had been direct enough to tell her in the bookshop, when her mind was not clouded by two more nights in bed with him. But perhaps it was wise of him to have waited. It had seemed easier to leave London with him when the goal had been the adventure of clearing her brother’s name. If he had stated that his only purpose was to cross the border and marry her, would she have gone with him as easily? Or would she have hesitated like Liv and Alister, waiting for permission that would never come?
What had happened was over and there was no telling if she’d have had the nerve. She could only know the answer that she was going to give him now. She stared into his face, trying to read his heart and asked, ‘If you did not have to worry about the future or the past, what would you want?’
‘To wake gazing into your eyes and to fall asleep with your kiss on my lips,’ he said. ‘To take my last breath with your hand in mine.’
It was what she wanted, as well. Now that he had found the words to describe his feelings, she wondered why she had ever doubted him. Her heart was beating so hard it felt as though it might burst if she took a breath to speak. She smiled through happy tears and managed to whisper, ‘Take me to Gretna, my love.’
‘Darling,’ he said, reaching for her hand and slipping the ring on her finger. He took her in his arms to kiss her and for a time, all doubts were forgotten in the perfection of the moment.
Suddenly, the carriage jerked to a stop and they heard someone shout, ‘Stand and deliver!’
In a single, smooth move, David released her from his kiss, pressed her back into the cushions and positioned his body in front of her to shield her from whoever might come. A moment later, the door opened and the barrel of a pistol poked in, gesturing him out of the way. ‘Lady Margaret? We have come to bring you back to London before you do something you are likely to regret.’
Her brother’s men had caught up to them, proving the foolishness of her earlier wish for a marriage with family approval. No matter what she might feel and how much he claimed to care, Hugh would never let her go. ‘You needn’t concern yourselves,’ she said to the man at the door, knowing that arguing with an armed man was pointless. ‘I am quite fine where I am, thank you.’
‘Your brother begs to differ,’ the man holding the pistol replied. ‘We were told not to return without you, no matter what you claimed.’
That was it, then. There was no arguing with the Duke of Scofield, when he had made a decision. She reached for her reticule and prepared to get out of the carriage.
David pushed her gently back into her seat and continued to block the way, being foolishly brave in the face of a loaded weapon. ‘Her brother sent you? A likely story,’ he replied. ‘I have no intention of handing a lady over to strange men on a public highway.’
The man holding the pistol sighed. ‘Bring the maid.’
There was a moment’s pause and Jenny’s head appeared under the arm that held the pistol. ‘Lady Margaret, I have a letter from your brother. He wants you to come home.’
‘I bet he does,’ David muttered under his breath.
‘Move aside, Castell. It is only Lady Margaret we want. The Duke was not overly concerned about what happened to you.’
And there was the rub. Her brother might not be a murderer now. But if she resisted his wishes, she might see her lover shot as a kidnapper. ‘David,’ she said, as gently as she could.
‘Let me handle this, Peg,’ he said, squaring his shoulders as the Duke’s men took a menacing step closer.
But it was impossible to see how he would handle it. If she didn’t do something, this was going to end with him dead or injured and her back in London, mourning his permanent loss. So she slipped the ring he had given her back into David’s pocket, opened the door behind her and escaped her protector, dropping to the ground as David made a last wild grab to keep her near.
‘Lady Margaret.’ Her maid hurried around the carriage and engulfed her in a terrified hug and a shower of tears.
‘Calm yourself, Jenny,’ she said, pushing the girl away and forcing a handkerchief into her hands. ‘Cease your weeping. I am fine and so are you.’
‘And I am not,’ David said, lunging for her again, only to be shoved back into the carriage by one of the guards. The other one was cutting the horses free of their harnesses to prevent pursuit.
‘Discretion is the better part of valour,’ she shouted to him as Jenny towed her towards another carriage, waiting to take her home.
‘Shakespear
e did not mean that seriously,’ David shouted back, struggling with the man who held him.
‘But I do. We will see each other again. In London. Somehow.’ She was not sure that it was true, but she wanted to believe with a desire even stronger than the one that had kept faith for her brother alive. ‘I love you,’ she added, ‘too much to see you hurt over this.’
David surrendered then and the last glance she got of his face before she was forced into the other carriage was a speculative look, as if he was already planning their next meeting. ‘I love you, as well. I was wrong before. You will be safe with your brother. But I will not let him keep you now that you have promised to be mine.’
‘We will have our day,’ she agreed.
‘Our life,’ he corrected, freeing a hand to blow her a kiss.
The carriage door closed and she craned her neck out the window for one last look at him as the carriage started back for London.
Chapter Nineteen
By the time David returned to London, he’d had ample time to come up with a plan to liberate his beloved from the tyranny of her brother. But it disappointed him that he did not see much chance of success in any of the ideas he’d had so far. He had not expected the Duke to find them so quickly the last time. If there had ever been an element of surprise to their elopement, it was gone now that she had been dragged home from the road to Scotland.
It occurred to him that they might have better luck if he did something completely unexpected and acted like a gentleman. At the very least, it would remove any doubts from Peg and her brother as to the seriousness of his intentions, if he made an effort to get the Duke’s permission before they ran off again.
* * *
So, the next day, he shaved close, put on his best coat, and went to the front door of the Scofield town house, announcing his desire to see the Duke.
He was, of course, refused.
In response, he waited outside, leaning against a tree on the opposite side of the street. The girls might be kept locked in the house, but the Duke could not remain inside for ever. When Scofield appeared, David hurried across to him, shouting, ‘Your Grace, a moment of your time.’
The Duke gave him a look that was almost as deadly as the crimes David had recently accused him of. ‘Castell. Why are you still here?’
‘I have come to offer my apologies,’ David said with his most winning smile. ‘I have uncovered enough of the truth in regards to the murder of your father and my friend Dick Sterling. I know you are not guilty of either of them. I thought you would like to know that I will not be publishing anything about you or any members of your family.’
‘I do not remember asking for your absolution,’ the Duke replied, ready to push past him to get to his waiting carriage. ‘And if you mean to apologise, you are guilty of crimes far worse than your pathetic scribblings.’
‘You mean my trip north with Peg,’ he said, smiling as the Duke flinched. ‘I am sorry but I cannot apologise for that. I feel no regrets at all, other than that it was cut short before we’d reached our objective.’
‘After two days on the road,’ the Duke replied, giving him a look that consigned him to the lowest circle of hell.
David shrugged it off and continued. ‘There is little that I can do to make Scotland come any closer. But there are many fine churches, right here in London. It might prevent an unfortunate delay in the future if you would do me the honour of granting me your sister’s hand, so we might marry in the conventional way.’
At this, the Duke released an explosive laugh. ‘Certainly not.’ Then, he added, ‘If and when my younger sister marries, she will be able to do far better than the likes of you.’
‘And yet it is me she has chosen,’ David said, still surprised at the fact. ‘I am only asking for your permission because I am sure Peg would want me to consult you. Despite what it may seem, she respects your guidance and loves you quite outside of reason. You might like to know that her faith in your innocence never wavered, nor did her desire to follow me around, contradicting all I thought I knew until she had proved me wrong.’
What he had said was close enough to the truth. Even a girl as loyal as Peg had been to the Duke was to be allowed a few hiccups in her convictions. The information had the desired effect for he was sure that, for a moment at least, he saw the Duke’s face soften into something closer to brotherly fondness. ‘She is a good girl, for all the trouble she causes me.’
‘And I can see why you want to keep her home,’ David replied. ‘But she is old enough to know her mind and decide her own future. I have offered and she has accepted. It only leaves your assent to make things proper.’ When an answer did not immediately come, he added, ‘We will be married, in any case. We are in love and meant to be together. But it would be better if you—’
The punch landed a moment after the words were out of his mouth. It was a single blow to the belly, probably delivered by one of the guards, since Scofield was still standing in front of him raising a hand to stop further violence. ‘You already have my answer,’ the Duke said in a soft voice. ‘When you were last in my house, I told you to leave and not return. Do not make this more difficult than it needs to be.’
As David climbed to his knees, one of the guards was reaching for him, ready to strike him down again. But the Duke put a stop to it with another wave of his hand. ‘Leave him. He is not worth the effort.’ Then he continued his walk to the waiting coach and was gone.
When David was able to regain his wind and look up, he was embarrassed to see Peg looking out of one of the ground-floor windows. She had witnessed the whole exchange and was staring in horror, her hand over her mouth. It was not as he wanted her to see him, for he hardly looked like the gallant rescuer she needed him to be.
‘No matter what His Grace has said, if you so much as wave, it will not go well for you,’ said one of the guards before lifting him by the armpits and dragging him away from the house.
When they reached the end of the street, they set him on his feet and the second guard gave him a gentle shove to start him walking away. ‘Goodbye, Mr Castell.’
‘Au revoir,’ he said, managing a smile before continuing on his way.
* * *
‘Well, one good thing has come of this debacle,’ Liv said, staring across the morning room at Peg.
‘And what might that be?’ she asked, glancing dejectedly out the window. She did not really want to see David again, if it meant seeing him manhandled by her brother’s men and thrown from the property. But she could not seem to help looking for him.
‘You are officially the black sheep of the family,’ Liv said triumphantly. ‘You were gone for days before they could find you and bring you back. That is far more daring than any of my brief liaisons with Alister.’
‘I am glad to be of service,’ Peg said with a sigh.
‘Gone for days,’ Liv repeated. ‘Anything could have happened in that time.’
Could and did, Peg thought. It was too early to know whether she was going to miss her monthly courses. But if she did, she might finally have the leverage needed to force Hugh to allow a marriage. Though it was clear from the last unfortunate and very public meeting that he did not want to accept David’s suit, there were some scandals that were impossible to hide. Surely it would be better to have a badly married pregnant sister than one that had not bothered to marry at all.
‘Did anything happen?’
‘What?’ Peg’s mind returned from the ether and she looked at her sister in surprise.
‘Did something happen?’ Liv said, glancing at the door to be sure no one was listening before leaning forward in her chair to hear the answer.
‘Yes,’ Peg said at last. There was no reason to keep a secret that everyone must have guessed anyway.
‘Was it...nice?’ her sister said, trying not to sound curious and failing. ‘Did you like it?’
; Now, it was Peg’s turn to be surprised. ‘You don’t know? I thought, after all this time with Alister...’
Liv shook her head. ‘We have never... But I do wonder...’
Peg smiled. ‘It is very nice. It is quite wonderful, actually. But if Hugh will not allow us to marry, even after what we have done, I doubt I will ever do it again. What I did, I did for love and not some foolish quest for adventure.’
‘You really want to marry Mr Castell,’ Liv said, surprised.
‘I would like nothing more in the world,’ Peg said, glancing out the window again.
‘He is not really our sort,’ Liv reminded her, as if she had not already noticed the fact.
‘It does not matter. I love him and he loves me.’ She glanced at Liv again. ‘You must understand. You love Alister, after all.’
There was a surprisingly long pause before Liv replied. ‘Of course.’
‘If you are not sure, then I recommend you wait for the physical aspects of love,’ Peg said, feeling odd for offering advice to her older sister. ‘I would never have done it, if I was not sure.’ And even then, it had netted her nothing. She glanced at her sister and added, ‘Do not forget that our brother is not forgiving of mistakes.’
It might have been unfair of her to say such a thing, for Hugh had been surprisingly gentle with her since her return. There had been no shouting or lectures. And, contrary to his earlier threats, he had not locked her on the wrong side of her bedroom door. He had merely sighed and announced that they would be leaving for the country in a few weeks, where there would be fewer distractions. It was hardly necessary. Since neither of the girls had been brave enough to attempt another shopping trip, it was more than quiet enough where they were.
Perhaps that was why the sound of Caesar barking in the backyard seemed so loud and frenzied. Whatever had set him off had him so unsettled that he could be heard all the way to the front of the house. The sisters glanced at each other, then hurried to the study window to see what had upset the dog.
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