by Jenna Brandt
William had spent the last hour looking for Debbey everywhere at the ball. Her coat and clutch remained in the coat room which made him believe she had stayed at the estate. He thought she would have found a corner to sit and calm down in. The longer he looked for her and could not find her, the deeper his concern had grown.
After talking to most of the guests and servants discreetly, one of the footmen outside mentioned seeing a red-headed woman fitting Debbey’s description rush from the party on foot. William hoped she had headed home and he could explain everything once he arrived.
As the carriage pulled up outside, William started preparing what he was going to say to Debbey. He had no excuse for allowing himself to be put in such a compromising situation. He knew his only chance to remedy the situation was to throw himself on Debbey’s mercy after explaining it was all a misunderstanding. He hoped she would believe him.
Clara was coming down the stairs when William burst into the house. Her eyebrows arched up in surprise. “What are you doing back from the ball so soon?”
He glanced around the estate. “Where is Debbey?”
“She is not with you?” Clara asked in confusion.
“No, something happened, and she left. I assumed she returned home.”
Clara sighed. “What did you do this time, big brother?”
“No time to explain right now. Help me look for her.”
The siblings split up and began scouring the grounds for her. William was checking the parlor when he heard Clara scream from upstairs. “William, you need to get up here this instant.”
He barreled into the room and fear took hold of him instantly as he glanced from his tear-stained sister’s face around the room which was pulled apart with items strewn everywhere.
With a shaky hand, Clara reached out with a letter in her hand. William took it and opened it.
Dear Clara,
I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. You have been good to me over the past few months. I have grown to consider you my own sister and I regret having to leave in such a fashion. Perhaps in time, when I have settled into my new life, I can correspond with you. I wish everything had turned out differently, but I’ve come to realize, there is no place for me in William’s world. Please take care of Matilda for me. Make sure she knows I love her, and it wasn’t her fault I had to leave.
With much love,
Debbey
Filled with disbelief, William had to read the letter twice. She had left him. Of course, considering what she thought she witnessed, he did not blame her.
“What happened tonight at the ball, William?”
“Debbey found Madeline and I in what looked like a compromising situation. Before I could explain, she ran off.”
Clara shook her head as big gulping cries came puddling out of her mouth. Her hands flew up to cover her face and she sputtered out between sobs, “Oh, no, they actually went through with it. This is all my fault. I should have told you when I overheard mother earlier today.”
“What are you talking about? What should you have told me?”
“I was so scared. If she knew I heard, and worse told you. . .”
“Told me what?” William demanded as he put his hands on his sister’s shoulders and gently shook her to get her attention.
Her eyes snapped up to meet his own. “I overheard mother talking with the earl this morning. He secretly came to visit her. They met in the gardens. They do that often, so the servants cannot gossip. I was outside getting some fresh air, and when I saw them, I hid. They planned everything that happened today. The earl was to tell Madeline about Debbey’s wolf attack and the suspected rabies condition. He would then send her to you, knowing she would be concerned. He said he was going to even offer to let the two of you discuss the matter in his study. so he would know exactly where to send Debbey to find you alone together.”
“Mother did not try to stop him?”
Clara shook her head. “She was glad. She said she hoped it ended your marriage once and for all. And there is more, William. Something even worse.”
“What can be worse than that?” William asked with incredulity.
“Mother admitted that if the incident tonight did not destroy your marriage, she had been implementing a plan over the past couple of months which she knew would succeed. She was the one making Debbey appear to be suffering from rabies. She had one bigger incident she was going to orchestrate. When Debbey appeared unbalanced in front of the family, she was going to insist you send Debbey to a sanitarium. Once she was gone, Debbey would be dealt with discreetly, leaving you to marry Madeline. The earl said his daughter would thank him later for his intercession. It sounded like she was a pawn in all of this as much as both of you.”
William inhaled sharply as rage boiled inside his heart. He knew his mother did not like Debbey, but he had no idea she could stoop to such despicable depths in order to try to end their marriage.
“I wish you had told me sooner, Clara.”
“I know I should have, but I was frightened mother would find out I told you. She scares me.” Clara’s bottom lip started to tremble as she whispered, “Can you ever forgive me, William?”
“Yes, of course, Clara. You were put in an impossible situation. I understand why you refrained. This is all mother’s fault. She only cares about herself and what she wants, but this time, she has crossed a line and gone too far. I will deal with her later.” He headed towards the door as he added, “Right now I need to go find my wife and I have a pretty good idea where I might find her.”
Chapter 33
The men along the docks were staring at Debbey in ways that made her skin crawl. She was starting to realize she hadn’t thought her plan through entirely.
With a tight grip on her bag, she sent up a silent prayer for protection. Lord, please keep me and the baby safe. Help me to find somewhere safe to sleep for the night.
Debbey had been in such a hurry to flee, she hadn’t thought about the fact the ticketing agencies for the ships wouldn’t be open until the morning. This meant she needed to find a place to sleep while she waited for them to open. She also needed to find somewhere she could sell the jewelry in order to convert it to money to purchase the ticket.
Across the street, a wooden sign was swaying in the wind with the words Trident’s Tavern written on it. She was pretty sure taverns had rooms for rent. She rushed across the road and stopped just outside the door. With a deep sigh, she turned the knob and entered the establishment.
The noise was deafening as she walked inside. Women were cackling at the patrons who were either shouting, singing, or cussing. The mixed smell of liquor, sweat, and dirt was thick in the room. It made Debbey gag in reflex. She forced the bile down that rose at the back of her throat.
She made her way over to the bar and gave a hesitant smile to the barkeep.
“Are you lost little lady?” the short, balding man asked from behind the bar.
“Not exactly. I need to rent a room for the night while I wait to book passage out of the country.”
He shook his head as he stated, “We don’t have any rooms at the moment, and to be honest, I wouldn’t rent you one anyhow. A fine lady like you has no business being down in these parts.”
Debbey stiffened under the man’s rebuke. “I thank you very kindly not to comment on my choices. I simply need a place to stay for the night. Can you point me in the direction of somewhere I might find a room?”
The man snorted. “The Belmont Inn would be my suggestion.”
“I cannot go there. They know my husband and would most definitely tell him of my presence.”
The man stopped cleaning the glass in his hands and slammed it down hard against the bar. With an irritated look, he stated, “Look, miss, I don’t know what to tell you. You made a mistake coming down here. My suggestion, head back to wherever you’re from. Get the silly notion of running away out of your head.”
Although his assumption was spot on, she didn’t like
how he phrased it, nor the fact it was so obvious what she was doing. As Debbey turned around to leave, one of the men at the bar reached out. He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her hard against his body.
“I couldn’t help but overhear your predicament. I can offer you my room.”
Debbey resisted the urge to pull away from the repugnant man. She needed a room. She could handle his temporary proximity if it meant he could help her get one.
“Thank you. I appreciate your generosity.”
“Oh, I’m not offering my room out of the kindness of my heart. I will be staying in the room with you, sweetheart.”
This time, Debbey yanked away from the man’s hold. “No, thank you, sir. I am a married woman, and a Christian lady at that.”
“Either way, if you get desperate enough, my offer stands.”
“I won’t be taking you up on it; I can promise you that.” Humiliated, Debbey rushed from the tavern without a backward glance.
William was certain Debbey would attempt to book passage back to America. She had been homesick for some time, and it would make sense she would want to go home under the circumstances.
As his carriage drove along the docks, he looked outside his window for his wife. He also instructed the driver to do the same.
William hoped he had gotten there in time before she found a room for the night. If she already found one, he would have to go from place to place until he found where she was staying.
He heard the driver shout from his seat, “My lord, I think I see her on the left side.”
William moved across the carriage and looked out the other window. In the distance, he saw Debbey’s retreating figure. He tapped the side of the carriage and yelled, “Pull up next to her.”
The driver tried to comply but just as they were closing the final distance between them, Debbey turned down an alleyway that was too narrow for the carriage to follow.
“Stop the carriage,” he demanded.
Once it came to a stop, William hopped out of the carriage and ran towards where Debbey disappeared. Just as he rounded the corner of the alley, he heard a blood-curdling shriek. Immediately, he knew it was Debbey’s scream. Terror filled his veins as he approached the end of the alley. He saw three menacing men surrounding Debbey. They were jeering at her with lewd looks on their faces. One of them held a knife and was moving towards her.
“Just hand us the bag, missy, and we will let you go. I promise.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. Everything I have is in it.”
“What good will it do you if you are dead? We can just kill you, and then take it,” one of the other men pointed out.
“Or we can have our way with you, then kill you, and take it,” the second man amended.
They all chuckled as the man with the knife stopped within inches of her. He reached out and was about to grab her when William pulled his sword free, shouting, “If you touch her, you are going to live to regret it.”
Caught off guard, the three men spun around to face William. Two of the men looked shocked to find him there. The third man with the knife seemed to adjust quicker than the other two. He gave a devilish grin before stating, “Coming to the damsel in distress’ aid, are you? Mighty stupid mistake on your part.”
William looked past the men and saw Debbey was shaking with tears streaming down her face. “She’s my wife which means I’m not leaving here without her.”
“You just keep getting stupider by the minute,” the man retorted.
“The same could be said for you. As I see it, you have two choices; leave now without any further incident or continue down your current path and meet the end of my sword.”
“There is a third choice; I kill you, have my way with your wife, kill her, and take both of your possessions.”
William noticed the other two men were trying to stealthily flank him. He continued to stare at the lead man, not letting any of them know he was aware of what they were doing. “You can try, but I guarantee you won’t like the outcome.”
With a cackling laugh, the man with the knife lunged at William just as the two men darted in from the sides. With quick precision, William twisted out of their way while swinging his sword at the man on his left. The sword pierced his upper torso, and he cried out in pain, slumping to the ground. William quickly moved towards the man with the knife and thrust his sword towards him. The man countered and dodged the attack. The other man came at him from the side, but William saw the movement from the corner of his eye. He swiftly rolled away but not before the man with the knife rushed at him. This time, William was not quick enough. The edge of the knife dug into his upper arm, causing him to grunt in pain and fall to one knee for a split second.
Debbey screamed out in fear. She rushed at the man from behind, lifted her bag and slammed it into his head. The man grabbed the back of his head, spun around and hollered, “That was a foolish mistake, missy. I’m going to enjoy making you pay for it.” He grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her towards him.
William regained his footing and thrust his sword towards the man, but before he could make contact, the second man slammed into him. They fell to the ground in a lump.
William knew he had mere seconds to end the fight. He balled up his fist and swung as hard as he could against the man’s face. Once, twice, and before the man could blink, the third strike knocked him out.
As he stumbled back onto his feet, William grabbed his sword from the ground. He saw the man had his wife with a knife at her throat. “I told you not to touch her.”
“I’m thinking you don’t get to tell me anything if you want me to let her live.”
William growled in anger. What was he going to do? Both men knew he would not be able to strike the mugger down before he slit Debbey’s throat. William needed to let the other man think he had control to buy some time.
William placed his sword back on the ground. “Alright, whatever you want, just do not hurt her.”
“Put your wallet and watch by the sword, right now,” the other man ordered.
Without argument, William did as he was told. The man seemed to relax for just a second and his hand with the knife dipped. It was the mistake William was waiting for, allowing him to dive for his sword. He grabbed it and thrust against the man’s side. The sword sliced into the other man, causing him to drop the knife and fall to the ground.
Debbey collapsed into William’s waiting arms.
William quickly guided Debbey out of the alleyway and towards the waiting carriage. The driver hopped down with a worried look. “What happened down there?”
“We need to get the viscountess home immediately.”
Once inside the carriage, William asked with concern, “Are you alright? Have you been hurt?”
Debbey shook her head. “I’m fine. Just shaken from the encounter.”
“I am so glad I found you before they. . . “
Debbey realized he didn’t want to finish the thought. They both knew if he had not arrived when he did, she would have met a tragic end.
“How did you find me?”
“Clara showed me the letter you left her. Once I read it, I knew you planned to return to West Linn. You had to book passage out of Europe to do so.”
“This incident hasn’t changed anything, William. I’m still leaving.”
“Do you not at least owe me the chance to explain what happened?”
Debbey shook her head. “I don’t think I can stomach any excuses.”
“And I am not offering any. I simply want to tell you the truth. When I told Clara what happened, she told me what my mother did. It was all her doing, Debbey. Clara overheard her and the earl planning the whole scene at the ball tonight. They set us up. I am so sorry. I had no idea she was capable of doing such a thing.”
With a shake of his head, William continued, “There is more I need to tell you. What she planned with the earl was not the worst of it. She was the one causing all the events which made you seem not in you
r right mind.”
Debbey whispered, “How can we trust your mother after this?”
William replied, “We cannot.”
“Why does she hate me so much?” Debbey asked, dejected.
“I wish I could give you an answer that makes sense. I am not even sure if my mother has one other than she did not pick you for me.”
“Why would she do such things, William?” Debbey asked with deep hurt.
“To convince me you were suffering from symptoms related to rabies.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I told you after the wolf attack there was a chance you might have been exposed to rabies.”
“I don’t remember that,” Debbey stated with confusion.
“I wanted to talk with you about it again, but the further we got away from the attack, the harder it was to bring it up. I did not want to worry you.”
“What good would it do to make me look like I have rabies?”
“She was hoping to convince me to send you to a sanitarium where she planned to get rid of you discreetly.”
Debbey sucked in a deep breath and squeezed her hands together in her lap. Suddenly, everything was spinning around her, and she felt ill. “Please stop the carriage.”
William shook his head. “No, Debbey, I am not letting you run away again.”
“I wasn’t planning on it. I need you to pull over because I feel sick.”
“Stop the carriage,” William shouted through the window at the driver.
Once they came to a stop, Debbey climbed out of the carriage and bent over in pain. The next moment, the cake from the ball was coming up. Debbey felt William’s hand on her back, and he was pulling her hair back for her.
“I am sorry all of this sordid business has made you sick.”