Silence of Scandal

By

Jackie Williams

Cover Art

by

Kellie Dennis at Book Cover by Design

www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk

All rights reserved.

Copyright©Jackie Williams 2014

No part of this book may be copied, used or lent in any way other than with written permission of the author.

All names, places and incidents are from the imagination of the author. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely co-incidental.

My never ending thanks go to my wonderful daughter. Her continual support and encouragement knows no bounds.

A note from the author.

For ease of reading I have altered the tone and usage of an accent throughout the story as our hero becomes attuned, as happens in real life, to the sound of his wife’s voice.

Prologue

1799

“How is that cart going to move without the horses? The kettle is surely far too small to create enough steam to move this thing.” Alexander Currurgh waved his hand towards the two wheeled barrow that normally carried the apples from the orchard. It was usually pulled by their oldest horse, Thyme. Now it stood resting on its two wheels with a very strange looking contraption at the front end.

Alexander raised a scornful twelve year old eyebrow. His brother had clearly flipped the coop this time.  “Don’t you recall the ones that drive those engines? We saw them in that mine. They’re huge. The amount of fuel you need to keep the fire running is enormous and we don’t even have a running water supply. Are you sure that you haven’t been at father’s brandy again, Phillip.” Alexander looked up at his elder brother with suspicion and swallowed hard as he remembered the recent late night trip to their father’s study and the fiery amber liquid burning his own throat. He didn’t even want to think about the subsequent spinning head and strange visions he had suffered for two days that made him wish he had never accepted Phillip’s reckless dare.

Phillip looked down his long nose at his slightly shorter sibling. There were only a couple of years between them in age and not a lot in height or build but Phillip gave an extremely superior sniff.

“You haven’t been listening, Alex. This is my first experiment into steam locomotion. I want to see if I can do it myself. Look here, see this pipe from the kettle spout, I’ve sealed the join, and when I release the valve the steam shooting from the kettle will force its way down this pipe to the piston attached to this spoke.’ He indicated a shinier tube of metal that Alexander had seen him guarding for days. “Then with the high pressure steam being forced into the piston, it will turn the wheel.” He scratched his head doubtfully for a moment as he wrinkled his nose at the bits of metal bound together with strips of oiled leather and cloth. “Well, that’s the plan anyway. I’m going to see if this works now and then I should be able to replace the horses by the end of next year, if I can find a kettle big enough.” Phillip explained as though Alexander had never seen an engine before. It was their father’s insistence on letting them see a working mine with steam driven pumping gear that had begun all of Phillip’s experiments. All the noise and machinery had fascinated him.

Alexander had not been nearly so enamoured of all the industry. While he knew about the progression of things he wasn’t entirely happy with such noisy, filthy changes. He looked curiously up at his brother.

“Why do you want to get rid of the horses, Phillip? I don’t think Jennings will be at all happy if you do that. He won’t have a job for a start but apart from that at least the nags are clean, quiet and have several uses. This looks as though it’s going to be hard work and noisy.” Alexander peered at the copper kettle. It looked suspiciously like the one that had hung above the huge stove in the kitchen for many years. The same one that cook had accused Callum the woodsman of removing without permission. Alexander had liked the phrase ‘removing without permission’. He’d remained seated at the kitchen table with a lardy cake halfway to his lips as cook waggled her finger angrily at Callum while she demanded to know where her biggest kettle had disappeared to. Callum had looked as though he was going to choke over the words aimed at him. His face turned beet red and the whiskers in his nose wriggled as he breathed out furiously. Removing without permission obviously wasn’t quite stealing but it was near enough for Callum to storm out of the kitchen after denying the accusation loudly enough to be heard in the next county.

Phillip peered into the kettle and gave it a small shake.

“Jennings will have to move with the times though I don’t think father will give up his hunters anytime soon. This will be for farm machinery, maybe even for transport. The new century is only a few months away; new inventions are coming. The horse as a working beast will soon be a thing of the past.” He tipped another bucket of water into the kettle and looked a little more satisfied. “That should do it.” He pushed a blackened rag around the hole in the top and then forced the lid into the gap. He grunted as he made sure it was tight before he tied some leather strips that looked very much like the missing set of traces that Jennings had spent the best part of the day looking for, around the lid and under the spout. He fastened the buckles, sat back on his heels and nodded in satisfaction. “Now it’s your turn, Alex. Light the fire will you. Keep adding the wood until I tell you.” Phillip passed a tinderbox from his pocket to his brother.

Alexander slid down from his position on a heap of tightly bound hay and looked at the salver hanging beneath the kettle. He glanced up at Phillip as he recognized the large silver platter on which their butler, Grady usually served their mother’s afternoon tea. Phillip ignored Alexander’s raised eyebrows and motioned his brother forwards.

Alexander struck the steel against the flint and sparks burst onto the thistledown. Puffing gently as he added shaving curls brought small flames licking to life and he added twig after twig until the fire was well established and needed larger chunks of wood. Phillip passed him several chopped logs that he had ‘borrowed’ from the woodpile and Alexander positioned them carefully for maximum impact. Then they both stood back and stared at the flames while they waited for something to happen.

Watching the kettle come to the boil was not the most interesting activity in which he been involved. Alexander sat back on the comfortable and sweet smelling hayrick and stared at the blue and gold flames while Phillip tinkered with something attached to the wheel.

“Is this going to take long do you think?” Alexander was not known for his patience. “I promised Jennings that I would help with the new filly father bought mother for a birthday gift. She’s a fabulous high stepper. Mother wants to take her out tomorrow but father says she has to wait until her special day. I don’t have to wait though and I wanted to have a ride first. Only to see if it is safe for mother you understand.” Alexander hid his grin at the prospect of riding the beautiful young horse.

Phillip looked down at his dark haired brother. He might be only twelve years old but the slightness of his body hid inner strength. Riding the new filly would be easy for Alexander. Phillip smiled as he shook his head and he then looked back at the kettle.

“Shouldn’t take too long to get up a head of steam. It’s getting the timing right that might be a problem. I need to keep as much steam in the kettle for as long as possible and then when I release the valve it should shoot out and give it a good chance of getting the piston moving. It’s lucky that I haven’t figured out how to attach the kettle to the two wheels actually. At the moment the cart will only turn in a circle but that will suit my purposes for now.” He looked around at the barn. There was less room than he had hoped due to the sudden and unexpected arrival of several unidentified crates stacked in the corner near the door but there was still plenty of room for the cart to turn. He adjusted the angle of the wheels accordingly.

Alexander kicked at the slender stems beneath his feet. He picked a stalk from the stook, sniffed at its sweet scent and twirled it in his fingers.

“I wish we had thought to bring some tuck. Cook was baking lardy cakes. They smelled as though they had just come out of the oven. I could have brought a few up here if I had known I was going to be all morning.” He sighed wistfully at his missed treat. He could almost imagine the smell of the delicious cakes as they left the oven, freshly baked and begging to be eaten. He sniffed the air and wondered at his own imagination. He would swear he could actually smell the things.

Phillip laughed as he consulted the drawing he had brought along with them. Satisfied that he had everything in perfect order he folded the drawing into his pocket.

“Half an hour is not all morning, Alex. A few hours without filling your stomach won’t kill you and at least if you are here with me you don’t have to put up with Lily Smith hanging onto your coat tails. She was loitering about waiting for lardy cakes too, you know.”

Alexander rolled his eyes dramatically as he thought of his narrow escape from the curly haired Lily earlier that morning.

He had been on the prowl for extras after eating what he considered a very meagre breakfast of coddled eggs, smoked haddock, bacon, kippers and butter smothered crumpets when he heard and deliberately avoided her. After being forced to marry the urchin only the previous week he had hidden behind the tapestry and covered his ears at Lily’s tuneless singing as she headed for the kitchen. It was her usual ditty and she sang it every day, loudly and at inordinate length.

He’d waited until she was well past before slipping from his hiding place and turning back the other way only marginally sorry that he wouldn’t be able to scrounge any titbits from the kitchen. It wasn’t that she was horrible or anything but a seven year old girl attempting to play with grown boys was not the done thing. She had a tendency to sing her favourite rhyme at the worst possible moment, when either Phillip was making his dying speech on the battlefield or when Alexander was in the middle of rescuing his brother from murderous cutthroat pirates.

Even worse, she occasionally tried to entice him into horrifying scenes of matrimonial bliss on their excursions into shark infested waters and Phillip, as Captain of the ship, wasn’t always as helpful as Alexander felt he should have been in extricating his brother and fellow crew members from such peril. Last week Phillip had actually married them before the mast. Alexander had been mortified but not nearly as mortified as Geoffrey, their steward’s son. Lily had draped the lad in a sheet and made him hold a bunch of freshly picked wild flowers while he acted as her attendant for the day. Alexander still blushed at the very thought that anyone might have seen them. Fortunately they had been well hidden in the deepest recesses of the garden.

It was at times like these when he thought it a shame that Smith, their ill-tempered tenant farmer, had been told that the child could come to the house while he worked in the fields, though if this favour hadn’t been bestowed after Lily’s mother’s horrific death, the child might have been sent to the orphanage. Even Phillip would have been appalled if that had happened to the girl. The trouble was that as she grew up she became used to the boys outlandish adventures and she now followed them everywhere, Alexander especially.

He knew that he should be firmer with her, after all being the farmer’s daughter it wasn’t her place to play with gentle folk but he hadn’t been able to harden his heart to the tears that fell from her huge, dark eyes in the same way that Phillip had managed. She made him feel guilty if he left her out and he avoided her as much as possible rather than tell her that a seven year old girl wasn’t wanted. Alexander paused in his thoughts as he realized that he and Phillip were quite happy for Geoffrey, their steward’s son, to join in their games as either foot soldier or cabin boy and he was only five or six, so maybe it was a girl thing after all. The raven haired horror’s eyes filled with water every time he even frowned at her and she always wheedled her way past his manly heart.

He plucked another stem from the hay beneath him and grunted as his stomach rumbled audibly.

“Well, it’s her fault that I am about to waste away as we sit here waiting for this blasted kettle to boil. I didn’t have much for breakfast and what with coming the long way around after father discovered our shortcut, I’m nearly famished. I would have had time to grab provisions if Lily hadn’t turned up so early today.”

Phillip nodded.

“I agree that she arrives at the most inconvenient times but father says we must put up with her. Smith is a sad and harsh man. His wife died in an accident only weeks before he took the farm at Ormond. He had come from a holding in Oxford.  The young Lord who owned the land was trying a new method of feeding cows on a rotating field system but he had not been careful enough. The cows were starving. Annie Smith had been walking across a different field when a herd of ravenous cows broke through a fence to find new grass. She was trampled and crushed in the stampede. Smith has taken it very hard. Father is worried that he will take out his anger on the girl. I think that father should run Smith off the land if he is that worried about Lily but mother won’t hear of it. She calls Lily her Little Treasure! Good grief!” He shook his head in wonder at his mother’s pet name. “She’s afraid that Smith would abandon the girl and then it would mean we would probably end up having her stay with us permanently. At least she’s only around during the daytime at the moment. Can you imagine if she were about all the time?” He snorted disgustedly.

Alexander held back a shudder as his head warred with his heart. Having Lily in the castle permanently would cause havoc to his normal boyhood activities. No more midnight or mid-morning excursions to cook’s delicious smelling larder. No more sneaking into his father’s study to try out the abominable brandy; though he wouldn’t actually miss that experience, Phillip had suggested that they try the port next and he was quite up for that. No more sliding down the polished wooden banisters. No more sneaking up to the loft to steal peeks at the martin’s eggs. As it was they had been forbidden to use the tunnel leading from their father’s bedroom to the beach.

In feudal times it had been built into the castle as an escape route for an endangered Lord but now it was a fun way to arrive at the beach undetected. That was until their father had spotted Lily disappearing into his wardrobe. Alexander had been rather shocked to find himself on the end of a sharp telling off for leading the girl into a dangerous passageway, one that according to his father, due to its age and disrepair, could collapse at any moment. Both boys had been forbidden to use the secret passage ever again. Life would become intolerable if she interfered anymore and he didn’t think he could bear the thought of playing with the girl more than necessary already.

There was a sudden movement in the shadows and, as if listening to the conversation, Tabitha the farm cat jumped down from the wooden crate at his side and presented him with a dead mouse. She dropped it at his feet and gently prodded it forwards with a paw.

Phillip pulled a face but Alexander bent to retrieve his gift. He picked up the mouse by its pale pink tail and began to swing it left and right.

The cat followed the movement with wide yellow eyes and Alexander made his swings bigger as the cat’s head swivelled comically, her eyes never leaving her prey. He was about to drop the mouse again when the little grey creature flung off over the haystack leaving Alexander holding its now worm like tail.

“Ugh! How disgusting!” He yelped as he dropped the pink tail before he looked over at the hay where the mouse’s tailless body had landed. Suspicious rustlings came from in the corner beneath the dry grass. “Go find them, Tabby. Go find dinner, eh?” he urged the cat into the hay after live vermin. “But please don’t bring it back to me next time.” Alexander looked up as Phillip stared down at the forlorn pink tail lying on the floor.

Phillip sniggered at his brother’s horrified expression.

“That will teach you to play with your food…or rather the cat’s food.” He bent over the cart wheel once again and gave it a small shove. It moved an inch or two easily and he added more wood to the fire before he stepped back to ponder his experiment once again.

Alexander watched as the cat prowled forwards slowly and then sprang into the pile of hay, tearing at it furiously as it searched for its prey. Alexander drew in a sharp breath as the dry grass flew in all directions but it all landed a good few feet from the fire. He breathed a sigh of relief. Phillip had swept the floor around the base of the cart and beneath the silver tray to make sure that their fire remained contained and there was no danger of it catching the rest of the straw alight but there was always a slight risk.

Alexander laughed as Tabitha sprang into the air and let out a yowl of frustration as her breakfast had obviously escaped her. He knew exactly how she felt.

Phillip glanced over his shoulder and laughed with him when the cat stalked off to another corner of the barn her nose and tail both held high in the air. The feline looked most put out.

It was only as they quietened their bellows of laughter that they heard a strange clunking sound. Neither of them recognized it and for a moment they looked quizzically at each other. The noise came again then rapid knocking sounds could be heard a second later and Phillip’s eyebrows shot to meet his hairline.

His eyes opened wide.

“My God, the valve, I forgot to open it!” he managed to splutter a second before he launched himself over the top of Alexander, shoving him hard into the earth floor and covering both their heads with his arms.

Alexander was about to shove back, thinking this must be some new form of wrestling game when the mighty explosion came. He only had time to realize that the kettle had blown apart and that fire was leaping around them while super heated steam sprayed in an ominous hiss across the back of Phillip’s coat, when there was a strange fizzing, a screaming swirling sound and then yet another much bigger explosion.

Even Phillip’s protecting arms couldn’t save him. His whole face was covered in blisteringly hot sparks as Alexander felt his and Phillip’s bodies lift from the ground simultaneously and land several yards from their starting point some few seconds later, knocking all the wind from his chest as his head lurched forwards and hit his brother’s elbow. Both boys yelled out in pain and for a few seconds there was a nearly deafening cacophony of noise. Screaming, hissing and ear splitting explosions whizzed around them while stars danced in his eyes and then there was nothing as blackness enveloped him.

Lily stared with big round eyes at the two older boys. The hay covering her head was itchy but she fought the desire to scratch. If Phillip discovered her presence, he was likely to shout at her and she didn’t like that. Alexander would probably pull his eyebrows together in that horrid dark line they sometimes made and even though he never shouted she disliked his frown even more than Phillip’s raised voice.

She had guessed that they were coming to the barn when Alexander had avoided her after breakfast but she could smell the soap he used in his morning ablutions as he hid behind the tapestry in the little hallway behind the kitchen. He had then rushed out of the house and off towards the garden making a long circuit so as not to be seen by his father or mother who sat finishing their meal in the breakfast hall.

Taking a good guess at where he was off to, Lily grabbed up two lardy cakes from cook’s fresh and still warm batch and after tucking them into her pocket, scampered directly to the master’s room in the west wing. She listened carefully outside the great door before she decided that the bedroom was empty and then she slid inside the room.

Jackson the valet had probably gone to have his own breakfast while his master ate and the maids had clearly done their work as the bed was made and drapes drawn back from the windows. She ignored the temptation to leap onto the middle of the huge bed to bounce up and down for a few minutes but walked across the room and turned the key in the wardrobe door. She inhaled the Duke’s scent, marvelling that his clothes smelled exactly the same as Alexander’s before she slipped into the vast wardrobe. She carefully parted the line of white shirts and dark jackets and opened the secret panel at the rear.

She climbed down into the room behind the wardrobe. It was small and looked less than inviting but she had seen the boys disappear through the panel in the wardrobe once before and knew exactly what to do. She turned quickly and made sure the Duke’s shirts hung without creases and closed the wooden door.

A narrow slit of a window let in a slither of light and she could make out a fireplace that looked far too big for the size of the room. A dusty table and chair sat beneath the window but she couldn’t imagine anyone sitting at it. There was barely enough gap to let in air let alone light to do anything constructive. There was a short bed covered with a dusty blanket pressed against the side of the room and she stared at it, trying to imagine how the tall frame of the Duke fitted into it.

She bypassed the bed, walked slowly into the shadows at the side of the chimney and grabbed the lamp and tinder box that someone had left in an alcove. It took only a few flicks of her wrist to light the wick of the lamp before she pressed the secret stone on the underside of the mantle.

The panel at the side gave an echoing click and opened just enough for her to slide through into the darkness beyond. Cool air wafted at her hair as she walked quickly down the steep stone steps and along the narrow passage, avoiding the piles of fallen stones and heaps of muddy soil. She ignored the alcoves and side turnings and in a just a minutes she was through the tunnel and standing at the back of the cave that opened in an outcrop of ragged rocks at the back of the beach. The entrance was hidden by the angle of the rocks and she leaned forwards, peering around checking that her way was clear.

The sea was a perfect blue under the cloudless sky but she ignored the sparkling waves that rushed up the sand in a frothy white surge, turned up the cliff path, and ran towards the stone outbuilding that stood on the hill. The closed door was still locked tight and she sighed a relieved breath that she had made it before the boys. She climbed up through the low window and nibbled at the corner of her lardy cake as she lay in wait beneath the straw.

She didn’t understand why the boys took pains to avoid her. It wasn’t fair as they let Geoff join in with everything but was a pointless effort on their behalf anyway as she knew exactly where they were nearly all of the time. She only didn’t bother following them if Mr Lovell the tutor was expected. He didn’t look much older than either Phillip or Alexander but she liked him even less than she liked Alexander’s frowns. He shooed her out of the schoolroom while switching his thin cane at her bottom every time she tried to sneak in.

Lily loved both Phillip and Alexander of course, but she had decided that she was going to marry Alexander when she was grown up enough. She liked how his dark hair matched her own and how his eyes were the colour of the evening sky.

She smiled at the thought of their wedding game only the week before. It had been such fun and he had looked so handsome as he stood reciting the lines that Captain Phillip spoke before him. The strange noise that reached her ears as Alexander said ‘I do’ sounded exactly the same as when her own father ground his teeth if he was angry but that must have been a figment of her imagination. Alexander had absolutely refused to kiss her after the ceremony too and instead insisted that she walk the plank to await rescue from a deserted island, but she hoped that one day he would. Maybe one day he would hold her hand and kiss her the way she had once seen Grady the butler kiss Sarah the maid. Sarah had turned very pink and had then smiled shyly up at Grady but Lily thought she would grin like mad if Alexander ever kissed her.

The barn door opened a crack and the two boys slid in. They began fiddling with a cart Phillip had dragged to the barn only a couple of days before. For once little Geoffrey wasn’t with them and she wondered why as she watched Phillip grunt and strain to fill cook’s biggest kettle with water from the butt beside the door. She pulled out the second lardy cake and bit a piece while she peered nervously as Alexander lit the fire on the tray beneath. The boys seemed happy with their game but it was a little boring for Lily whose legs had begun to cramp what with squatting for so long.

Alexander’s face had been a picture when Tabitha had arrived a few minutes later and gave him her prize. Lily stuffed her hand in her mouth as she tried not to laugh out loud but his face had been even funnier when the mouse’s body separated itself from its tail. It wasn’t quite so funny for her when the poor little creature’s dead body landed right atop her head.

If she hadn’t had her mouth full of her cake and her hand she might have screamed. As it was she merely poked Tabitha hard with a bony finger when the cat came to retrieve its dinner. Tabitha’s yowl of surprise nearly made her yell out with laughter again but she was distracted by sudden odd clumping sounds coming from inside the big kettle.

She glanced out of the straw to where the two boys should have been but all she saw was Phillip flying through the air to land squarely upon Alexander’s stomach. Alexander let out a great ‘Oomph” and then there was a sudden almighty bang.

Lily didn’t even have time to scream in surprise. The very next second the loudest noise she had ever heard sucked all of the goodness from the air surrounding her and flung her into the stone wall of the barn. She didn’t stop there but carried on as the wall burst outwards and flew through the air with her. She landed with a painful thump amidst the rubble and lay there panting for breath as all the air sucked out of her and then came whooshing back just as quickly. A million fireflies danced around her. She tried to bat them away as they stung her face but her limbs felt far too heavy. She lay there and stared up at the blue sky. Thick clouds blocked the sun and the air seemed strangely charged, almost thick. She tried to lift her head but dizziness and the sound of her own heartbeat were the only things she could even fathom.

When big arms came to lift her she looked up drowsily into the face of Alexander’s father. His mouth was moving slowly. She wanted to laugh because he looked like the big mackerel the boys had pulled from the sea only the week before. His mouth opened and closed close to her face and she thought she was laughing but no sound came. She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing but she didn’t know if she was doing it right. There was a strange ringing in her ears and her chest hurt with each pull. She decided she didn’t like the pain. She tried to take another breath but she felt something heavy on her chest. She could feel herself being moved around on a cool surface and the ringing in her ears hit her again. She yelled for it to stop but her voice seemed to echo around inside her head. Someone was washing her face but the water was too cold. She shouted again, her voice straining to be heard but the silent torturer carried on and Lily gave up fighting.

She would go to sleep. When she woke she would feel better and everyone would take more notice. She settled back into the darkness and waited for morning to come.

The sound of his father’s voice woke Alexander some four days later. His head was still thumping and his face still sore with a myriad of needle like burns.

“No, my dear, you can cry all you like but the boy has to be taught a lesson. I know he never expected anything like this to happen but it did. We are lucky that the magistrate didn’t haul him up in front of the judge for murder. He could have made a solid case if pressed. As it is we don’t know if Alex will survive. Better that Phillip is out of the way for the moment.”

Alexander cowered back into the pillows. He hadn’t meant to murder anyone least of all his brother, Phillip. His heart thumped loudly in his chest as he felt a cooling cloth dab at his stinging face. Then the cloth wiped a particularly sore spot on his forehead and he couldn’t help but yelp in pain.

There was a rush of rustling skirts and his mother crooned.

“Alex, speak to me darling. You’re safe in your bed at home. Speak to your mother, tell me that you are well.”

Alexander gulped. It was time to face the music. He opened one eye and then realized that he couldn’t yet open the other. It seemed to be glued shut. He raised his fingers to touch puffy skin as he peered up at the pale countenance of his mother and the stern but relieved face of his father.

“I’m sorry,” was the first thing he stammered but his father smiled gently.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Alex. Phillip confessed all to us as soon as we knew that you were both alive. We have been waiting anxiously for you to wake up.”

Alexander glanced at the tears on his mother’s face.

“What happened? I thought Phillip was about to rough me up but then there was a bang and a few seconds later the most enormous explosion. We were flung through the air but I recall nothing afterwards. Where is Phillip?” He began to turn his head, looking for his brother in the next door bed.

His father cleared his throat.

“Phillip is not here. We have sent him to school. I felt that your tutor wasn’t exerting enough control over the boy. Young Mr, Lovell already teaches at the school two days a week. He has gone back permanently with Phillip so you needn’t worry that he’ll be alone. The other boys and tutors will whip him into line. He needs a hard lesson Alex but he will become a better man for it.”

Alexander swallowed. His father’s normally passive features had unfamiliar creases covering them.

“But why father? I am fine. Phillip protected me. He never meant for the kettle to overheat. We were watching Tabitha hunt for mice and misplaced the time. Phillip simply forgot to open the valve,” he tried to explain in a husky voice as he worried about his brother among a crowd of older boys. Phillip would hate it. Unless he was adventuring with Alexander, he was the quiet, learned type who loved to sit and read and discover new things. A school of loud and possibly rowdy boys wouldn’t suit Phillip at all. Alexander was only too glad that Mr. Lovell had accompanied his brother.

He noticed tears leaking from his mother’s eyes and she lifted a small square of silk to dab them away. She looked as though she were about to speak but couldn’t. He frowned up at his father, shocked to discover the hopeless expression there.

“Father, what happened?” Anxiety rose in his stomach as he struggled to sit upright. There was something more, he knew “Phillip is alright isn’t he?”

His father nodded mutely and then did the strangest thing. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took Alexander’s hand in his own. He entwined his fingers with Alexander’s and squeezed tightly. Alexander was horrified as he noticed water gathering in his father’s eyes. He gulped and waited to hear the worst.

“Yes, my son. Phillip is fine, a few bumps and bruises and a couple of burns but nothing that will put him out of action for long…I’m afraid the same can’t be said of young Lily,” his father nearly choked over the next words. “We think she followed you two and was hiding in the straw. Unfortunately I had concealed a surprise gift for your mother in the barn. Fireworks to mark her birthday ball next weekend. When your kettle blew up it scattered the burning straw. The resulting blast as the fireworks blew up all together was heard over a mile away.” He hesitated as he took a deep breath. “Poor Lily was blown through the wall of the barn. We brought her straight here of course and it seemed that she was recovering. Smith took her home with instructions that the doctor would be available to him at all times but apparently our doctor was wrong and her injuries were far greater than first appeared. He sent word yesterday morn. She passed away that same night. He has taken Lily’s body to be buried with her mother. The blast razed the barn to the ground. I have put a small memorial at the spot to honour little Lily.”

Alexander couldn’t believe his ears. A band of pain wrapped his chest and pulled tight as he turned to his distraught mother.

She nodded sadly confirming the horror he hadn’t wanted to believe.

“Our little treasure has gone to the angels Alex. We must pray for her.”

Alexander felt his throat tighten. He choked before he spoke.

“This cannot be true…You mean little Lily who sings out of key and pinches the lardy cakes from cook? Our Lily? She couldn’t have followed us because she wasn’t in the barn, unless she guessed where we were going and arrived first.” He heard his own voice rising as the panic set in. “We never saw her father. She never spoke up or told us she was there!” He began to shout wildly as his father attempted to restrain him in the bed.

Alexander tried to stop the tears falling but it was no use. Little Lily may have been a pain to put up with but he would never have hurt her and he certainly didn’t want her to die. Especially not at his hands. The thought was too horrific. He gave up fighting the tears and his father. He grabbed up the sheet as the salty droplets ran down his cheeks. He pulled the linen over his head, sank back down on the pillows and tried to make the darkness take him once again.

Chapter One

Fifteen Years Later

The nightmare of the last several hours continued unabated. The letter had reached Alexander as he disembarked ship. It had been shock enough when he stood at the dockside, now as he stared blindly at the man who dared not return his gaze, he could feel the cold breath of truth tightening its grip in the already frigid room.

“Does my mother know the full details?” His first unsteady question shattered the icy silence as he absently rubbed the scar that graced his right cheek. The skin itched but he felt himself lucky that the sword had been razor sharp. At least the wound healed neatly.

The red and tender skin was a pointed reminder to keep ones wits about them when on the battlefield even if one thought the battle was over. Searching for wounded friends among the supposedly dead enemy had almost become his own downfall. The dying Frenchman had been bent on exacting revenge and in a moment’s inattention Alexander had nearly lost an eye.

He frowned as he realized what he was doing. He forced the itch of healing skin to the back of his mind.

The man in front of him shook his head quickly and Alexander tried not to notice the cloud of dandruff that wafted onto the narrow shoulders of his family solicitor’s black coat.

“The Duchess has been given only the barest details, Your Grace, to save her further heartbreak, you understand.” The nasal tones addressing him in the unfamiliar title did nothing to quell the misery gripping Alexander’s own heart.

“And there was nothing to be done. Both of them perished instantly?” He could scarcely believe the devastating news from home.

“I believe so, Your Grace. Captain Drover was named amongst the dead, apparently refusing to leave his ship until it was too late but several of the surviving crew will attest to the night’s events. A freak wave surged against them. The vessel turned and split without warning. Being cast upon the rocks was bad luck enough but with the storm raging there was no saving them. Drover had tried to warn His Grace and the Marquis away when they launched their bid to save the ship’s crew but they insisted on their course,” his tone showed a little more sympathy as he raised his eyes the good five inches it took to look back at Alexander.

Alexander glanced down at the letters lying on the solicitor’s desk. He cleared his throat, quelling the sob of misery that was desperate to break free.

“And what of Lady Anne? Do you have news of her? She remains with my mother?” He frowned as another thought crossed his troubled mind. “Are we even sure that you are using the title correctly? There could still be an heir.” The question of his sister in law’s possible condition had to be addressed immediately. The solicitor nodded again.

“They are both at the Dower house. The Duchess moved there instantly. She said that she couldn’t bear to remain at Ormond. Lady Anne moved with her of course and she has already established that there will be no heir. She confirmed immediately that she is not...” he gave a small cough to indicate the delicacy of such remarks, “not enceinte. I believe it is her intention to move back to Lavenham. Your brother had made arrangements for her in his will but you can see the difficulties that this…the awkwardness of the situation, may throw up,” his hesitation in naming the problem was not lost on Alexander.

He frowned as he picked up the sheaf of papers from the desk. They had been grim reading the first time.

“There are no more disquieting letters lodged with you by my father? These are the only ones you have?” He waited until the solicitor nodded. “I see the local doctor issued death certificates. It’s not a name I know; he can be trusted I assume?” The doubt in his tone was tangible.

“There was no question. There were certainly no witnesses to say contrary, Your Grace. Everything was in order.” The man coughed into a crumpled linen square.

Alexander sighed deeply.

“And both my father’s and brother’s wills; they are valid? I own everything left including the Ormond jewels?” He shuffled the papers as the man nodded quickly and pointed to the bottom of two of them. “I notice these are dated and witnessed at the same time only one week before their deaths. Is that unusual?” He looked down at the solicitor to gauge his reaction.

The solicitor’s stare met his at last and then the man’s eyes slid to the scar on Alexander’s cheek. He blinked rapidly before speaking.

“No, Your Grace, not in the slightest. Ormond is well off the beaten track. Your father would always arrange it so. Saves both time and money if two things can be accomplished at once. His Grace knew that and so did your brother. Though in the circumstances I wonder why they were so anxious to…” his voice wavered under Alexander’s sudden icy glare and he stopped mid sentence.

Alexander perused the contents of the papers with interest. Their second reading appeared exactly the same as the first. Ormond now belonged to him, though for how long he didn’t yet know. Being the last in the direct Currugh line it would have come to him anyway as Lady Anne carried no child and he couldn’t help but wonder at his father’s and brother’s affirmation. He tapped his finger on the desk as he thought.

“Yes, I wonder too,” he paused, wondering about how to ask for leniency without appearing to beg. He cleared his throat and spoke with as much authority as he could muster. “I will need to see my mother and Lady Anne as well as my father’s steward before I can contemplate any further course of action. Obviously, I have only arrived this evening from Dover and the rest of the journey will take me almost a week. You will give me a month I presume, before anything is moved forwards?”  He hated the question’s obvious hidden meaning but it had to be asked.

The man behind the desk nodded briskly sending more showers of dandruff cascading onto his coat.

“For my own part there is no rush of course. I remain your solicitor for as long as needs be. For the rest I cannot say but I will endeavour to delay the inevitable as long as possible. There may be a possibility to draw up new terms or offer a settlement. You can be assured that I will work relentlessly on your behalf.”

Alexander swept his hand through his dark hair, abhorring the way it had pulled from his normally meticulous queue. His hopelessly mad gallop from the dockside to the family solicitor had done nothing for his toilette. He looked down and brushed at a drying mud spot on his coat sleeve before he lifted his head as he gave a mirthless laugh.

“Only bother if it is on your own time Carter or you can possibly afford the loss. I confess that I didn’t expect to discover this pile of damnation upon my return from France. At the moment I am at a loss as to know exactly what to do. Apart from the shock of losing my father and my brother in one fell swoop I cannot conceive how the rest of this has come about. My mother must have some knowledge of the situation but I dread asking her. It is not an interview I am looking forward to, though it must be done. I cannot begin to put things right if I don’t know what has gone wrong.” He picked up his riding gloves and glanced out of the window at the rapidly diminishing light.

Carter nodded wisely.

“Yes, I am sure that the conversation will be distressing to both of you so I should warn you that there will probably be accusations thrown. The Marquis was a little rash in some of his investments to say the least but it is not my place to lay blame. The Duke wrote notes to cover the debts incurred but I doubt that he would knowingly have gone this far. There was clearly some deception on your brother’s behalf. I would never have advised him to go down this route. A very risky business, however be assured that I will stand by you. Your father has already paid me an advance fee. He was clearly slightly wiser than your brother.” The man shook his head sagely.

Alexander narrowed his sapphire eyes as he stared at the little man before him. He lifted his chin and slapped his gloves impatiently against his thigh.  No one would slander Phillip without coming up against Alexander first. His brother had saved his life as well as being his best friend and fellow adventurer. He remembered all the letters from school, the laughter in the holidays, the pain when they were separated again.

“My brother may not have been the easiest man for some to understand I grant you but he was my brother none-the-less and the best of men. There is also his wife to consider. Please do not cast any aspersions against his reputation in my hearing or anywhere else, Carter. It will not be met well if I discover gossip being bandied about the salons of the ton.” He pulled his gloves over his long fingers and flexed them inside the soft leather. “I will rest at Albany tonight and possibly tomorrow. I am hoping I can glean more information from my father’s study and then I will head directly to Ormond. You will probably have the leech at your neck by the morning. I trust you will be able to hold him off for a while,” he couldn’t disguise the bitterness in his tone.

Carter gave a low bow.

“Of course, Your Grace. The name of Ormond still holds weight. You will have several weeks before the issue becomes urgent. I can promise you that much at the very least. In the meantime I will work towards some form of settlement. There can be no harm in trying. Send word if you have any news that might help. Please present my deepest regrets to the Duchess and Lady Anne.”

Carter rushed around the desk and opened the heavy oak door, bowing low as Alexander, the new Duke of Ormond, left the room.

He ran lightly down the steps of the building, the heels of his riding boots clipping loudly in the quiet evening air. He strode to the mews at the back of the row of houses. Midnight stood quietly chewing some oats as a stable lad rubbed the big horse down with a handful of dry straw. Alexander fished in his pocket and flipped the boy a halfpenny. He smiled grimly as the boy’s eyes opened wide in wonder, then he watched carefully as the lad straightened his thin shoulders, lifted Alexander’s saddle from the rail and placed it over his horse’s back.

“Good lad,” Alexander murmured as the boy fastened the girth and tested it for tightness. The boy grinned as he gave Midnight a last wipe down his neck and then opened the stall door. He unclipped the horse from its tether and led the mighty beast to its owner. Alexander gave the lad a quick nod as he swung himself up into his saddle and turned his horse back onto the street.

The Albany was not far. He was glad that he wouldn’t have long to let his mind drift over the horror of the evening. He had hoped to make a triumphant return home. The war was over. He had survived it more or less intact and had been desperate to relax in the arms of his beloved family before deciding what he would do next with his life.

Being the younger son had never bothered him. In many ways it made his life easier. Phillip was expected to excel, to take the title, to create an heir. Alexander’s lot in life had little to do with running an enormous estate and virtually nothing to do with workers and tenants. He had expected to return home to perhaps help Jennings run his father’s stable bloodlines or to maybe create his own.

There was a small estate awaiting his arrival as soon as Phillip and his wife vacated and he was hoping to build something of a stable himself. His majestic stallion, Midnight was to be the beginning of his new career but he had arrived at port only to have his heart crushed in his chest as he read the waiting note.

He only hoped that some of the staff remained in situ. News must have spread of the double death even though the shipwreck had happened only the week before. He wondered how many already knew of his now desperate straits. Gossip could spread through London quicker than the clap spreading through the troops at the peninsular.

What in God’s name had Phillip been thinking of? He couldn’t fathom how his brother’s debts had risen so fast. Phillip wasn’t a gambler, or he hadn’t been when Alexander had left for war. Not much of a drinker either as he remembered. Their childhood forays into his father’s study had given them both a healthy education into the workings and disadvantages of imbibing too much alcohol, but it had been nearly five years since they had last seen each other. A lot could happen in that space of time.

An almost overwhelming sadness overcame Alexander. He’d not had much time to think on the loss of the two most important people in his life or what it would mean if Phillip had died before him. Losing his father had never worried him; it was the natural way of things, but his brother? He loved his brother fiercely and he knew Phillip loved him back. It had never crossed his mind that Phillip might die before him. His quietly spoken, scientific brother was completely suited to being the eldest son with the duties expected of him from the huge estate at Ormond. He rode only when he had to, he corresponded easily and he negotiated well but Alexander’s heart ached as he thought of the letter he had received from Phillip three years previously. Clearly those duties had already begun and some of them were clearly not to his liking.

It had been a dreadful note, written in a shaky script made worse by the rain that dripped through his tent, spelling out the man’s coming doom. He was to be married to Lady Anne Chartris, daughter of the Earl of Lavenham. Alexander knew immediately from the tone of his brother’s short note telling him the merest facts about his engagement rather than a letter full of hopes and dreams for the new association, that this was no love match and he had crumpled the letter in disgust as he had swallowed back the pity he held for his elder sibling.

Alexander put his dark thoughts to the back of his mind as he turned Midnight into the square and peered into the mist that had gathered as evening fell. There were no lights at the windows of the Albany, but then he hadn’t expected that there would be. If any of the staff remained they would undoubtedly gather in the kitchen at the back of the house. His father maintained a minimum household out of season and he doubted that, in view of the confusion surrounding the deaths, his steward would have had the presence of mind to write to inform Bottomley of his employer’s untimely demise. The letter had only reached the family solicitor a few days previously.

The horse slowed as he reached the passage leading to the stable yard behind the house. Midnight tossed his head impatiently as Alexander squinted into the shadows. Was there even anyone to attend his horse? He dismounted and led Midnight under the arched entrance. The horse’s hooves clattered on the cobbles and there was a sudden flash of a lantern. Hesitant footsteps followed the bobbing light.

“Who goes there? Master Phillip? Is that you? We weren’t expecting…” the voice faded as Midnight reared back. Alexander stepped out of the shadows.

“No, Simon. It’s Alexander.”

There was a stunned silence and then a short snort before an old man appeared from out of the stables.

“Young Master Alex? No, it cannot be. Alexander has gone to war.” The man barrelled forwards on bowed legs.

Alexander laughed with no real mirth.

“No longer, I am returned and can assure you that it’s me, Simon.” The light was thrust in his face and quickly removed as the old man looked upwards at Alexander’s towering form and gasped in surprise.

“By God and all his saints! It is Master Alex. Sir, you have grown like a beanstalk but broadened much too! I would never have believed those shoulders could have become so wide.”

Alexander smiled at the old man’s well meaning shock. The last time Simon had seen him he had been but a bony youth.

“Yes, well I am a little surprised myself considering the rations I have been forced to survive on these past five years. The catering left a lot to be desired but there you have it, I grew regardless though I confess that I am looking forward to some of Mrs. Bottomley’s lardy cake. They have been on my mind for the last five years and especially since I reached port.”

Simon glanced for a moment at Alexander’s puckered cheek but forbore to comment on the scar. He reached out and took Midnight’s reins from Alexander and gave the horse an admiring glance.

“Bottomley is idling by the fire, most likely eating his wife’s excellent lardy cake as we speak. He could do with moving his great backside before he becomes stuck to his chair. Go right on in Master Alex. I will see to this beauty, have no fear.”

Alexander looked down doubtfully at the wizened old man. He smiled again as he saw that there was still strength in the man’s arms and confidence in his stance as he took hold of the mighty stallion. It had been almost impossible to bring the horse home. Space on ship was tight enough already but Alexander had talked the captain around. Midnight was far too great a prize to leave rotting on the battlefields.

“He was rubbed down not long ago. The stable lad at Carter’s mews was competent enough. Maybe some more oats and then bed him down for the night. Come into the house when you are done. I have news for you all that cannot wait.” He turned away from Simon’s quizzical stare and walked straight to the rear door.

The heat of the kitchen hit him as he pushed the door open a moment before the surprised shout reached his ears.

“Lordy! May the Saints preserve us! You scared my ‘eart from my body. Master Alexander, you should have sent word of your arrival. We’ve not ‘eard from Ormond for weeks. Even my sister ‘as neglected writing to me. I am fair put out as I was expecting her new recipe for pig cheeks.” Mrs Bottomley pressed her hand to her ample bosom as she talked about the cook at Ormond.

Her husband’s feet fell from where they had been propped by the fire and Bottomley shot up from his chair.

“My Lord, welcome home.” The rake thin man gave a deep bow, then glanced over Alexander’s face and then down to his mud spattered uniform. “You can have only just arrived from France. We’ll make arrangements immediately. Tilly has this moment gone into the parlour to pull the drapes.” He pulled at his rolled shirtsleeves and grabbed for his coat.

Alexander peeled off his gloves.

“No reason to go to any trouble. This will unfortunately not be a long visit. In fact I have to leave for Ormond as soon as I have been through some of my father’s papers. There are pressing matters that I must inform you of as soon as possible.”  He turned to Mrs. Bottomley. “In the meantime if you could furnish me with brandy and have some of whatever you are all eating brought to the study that will satisfy for now. I need an hour to look through my father’s desk and then I would like you to all join me. I have important news.”

The Bottomley’s both frowned curiously but nodded quickly as Alexander strode from the kitchen to the hall.

“His Grace’s supply of brandy is already in the study my Lord. I’ll send Tilly to light the fire and then come to serve you.” Bottomley’s voice reached his ears and he waved him down.

“I will manage Bottomley. Is there a candle already lit?” It had been a long time since he was there but his father had been an organized man.

“Yes, Sir and the fire is already set. It only needs a flame.”

Alexander pushed open the door to his father’s study and stood for a moment looking around at the dimly lit room. It brought memories of the man to mind. He smiled as he remembered his first taste of brandy, sneaked out of the decanter hidden in the desk drawer at Ormond. He also remembered the spluttering fit he had tried to cover as the liquid heat burned a passage down his throat. The following hallucinations had been even worse. His father’s loud laugh rattled around in his head as he told the young Alexander that the sensation of fire in his chest and spinning vision was punishment enough for his misdemeanour.

He picked up the candle and walked to the mantle. The flare caught the kindling and after adding a few well placed logs of wood, there was soon a glowing fire warming the grate.

There was a light tap at the door and a young woman entered carrying a covered tray. She glanced up at Alexander’s face in the dim light and he noticed her barely hidden shudder as she took in the scar and then looked away quickly. She placed the tray on the desk and kept her eyes down as she bobbed a quick curtsey before rushing back out of the room, skirts flapping about her ankles as she closed the door behind her.

He lit the lamps on the desk before he slumped wearily into the chair and sat staring at the flames for more than a few moments. Then his eyes moved to the brandy decanter sitting atop of the cabinet standing in the chimneybreast recess. He wondered if his father still kept the best supplies in his desk drawer and he pulled it open slowly, smiling fondly when he saw the top of the decanter glisten in the firelight.

He lifted out the heavy bottle and a glass and poured a large measure, drinking it down quickly, savouring the slow burn before pouring another and lifting the cloth from the tray.

There was a selection of cold meats, cheese, pickles and crusty bread at one side of the tray. He smiled as he glanced at the plate at the other end. His stomach gave an audible rumble at the sight of a huge slab of freshly baked lardy cake and dish of custard that sat beside the meats. He ate his fill, savouring all the delicious flavours before he shifted the tray and then delved back into the drawers of the desk.

He considered himself lucky that his father had been an orderly man. Bills had been clearly marked paid and a set of accounts looked current up until the end of the last season. He ran his finger down the previous six months and immediately noticed a regular sum of five hundred pounds leaving the estate income. He frowned at the name beside the debit and turned it to the light.

“Oakley?” He queried aloud before looking up at a smart knock at the door.

Bottomley entered.

“Lieutenant Denvers, my Lord,” he announced the arrival of Alexander’s most loyal friend. They had fought side by side for many years.

“Giles, you made it in good time. Come in and rest yourself by the fire. Bottomley, please ask Mrs. Bottomley to rustle up another plate of food and then will you all please wait up until I call for you. I will probably be about the hour.” Bottomley nodded and bowed out of the room as Alexander pulled a second glass from the drawer and poured brandy for the two of them.

Giles Denvers waited until the door closed behind butler before he lifted his glass and enquired.

“The news was true?” He settled into the chair beside the fire and peered over at his friend.

Alexander nodded. Giles had been left standing at the dockside in Dover waiting for his horse to be unloaded from the ship while Alexander had ridden wildly for London.

“Unfortunately, yes. I can scarce believe the news but I have no time to grieve for I fear the situation becomes worse. I haven’t had chance to check the validity of it all but it would appear that Phillip had passed gaming notes that have not been honoured. A Mr. Gerald Hardacre has bought all the dishonoured debts and is now making enquiries as to how I expect to pay up. At the moment I confess that I am at a loss and I have no one to ask the detail until I can ride to Ormond.”

Giles threw back his brandy and poured himself another before he stood and bowed before Alexander.

‘Your Grace.’ He lifted his glass as Alexander shook his head and waved his friend down.

‘Don’t even think about calling me that when we are private. Ormond in polite company and Alex as usual otherwise, though to be honest, with this potential disaster hanging over me I doubt I will be in polite company any time soon.

Denvers slumped back into the chair.

“By God Alex, this is terrible news. Bad enough that your father and brother have perished but Ormond come to ruin as well? I don’t believe it. There has to be some kind of mistake.” There was a silence as there was a quiet rap at the door and the serving girl brought in another tray of food. She left quickly as Giles immediately began to help himself and Alexander continued with the story while his friend filled his stomach.

“I was of the same mind, but father and Phillip both wrote new wills only a week before the wreck. My mother and Anne are made provision for but I won’t even be able to do that if these figures are correct.” He threw the accounts book across the desk and Giles picked it up. He leafed through the contents, his lips moving silently as he read the amounts. He frowned as he noticed the regular five hundred pound withdrawal. His eyebrows rose into his hairline as he flicked back through the book.

“This has been going on for months, possibly even years if you can check in older books. What in God’s name did he need that much for? The rest looks pretty clear but this is above other household expenses. Who is this fellow Oakley? Or is it there to remind him of the town.”

Alexander took a deep breath.

“I have no idea and have been racking my brains to think if it is a name I recall but apart from the town called the same name near Ormond I can’t think of anyone. It is possibly only a reference for my father. Whether it means anything I have yet to find out. I have to get to the bottom of it or I will go under. The income from the estate will never keep up with this amount and there is already a debt the likes of which you would never imagine. I fear I am staring ruination in the face.” Alexander held his brandy glass firmly.

Giles stared at the book for a moment longer. Regular monthly amounts of this nature could only mean one thing.

“Stinks of blackmail if you ask me. A sum of this size, it can’t possibly be a mistress but even if that were the case this amount would cover a veritable harem besides the fact that your father and brother both seemed the most unlikely candidates for that kind of caper. What on earth had Phillip to hide?”

Alexander closed his eyes briefly as he remembered his elder sibling; a quiet but strong man not easily roused to temper with a brain that far outstripped his peers. It was his avid quest for knowledge that led him into some of his stranger experiments. Pain ripped through his chest as he closed his mind to the disastrous experiment with the steam kettle though others were to follow during school breaks and Christmas holidays. In his dreams at night he could still see little Lily Smith’s smiling eyes and dark, unruly hair and he hoped with all his heart that there were not other deaths to be covered up.

“That’s what I hope to discover. I haven’t been home for over five years Giles. I can only hope that my mother can shed some light on the matter though even asking her is not a prospect that I relish. In the meantime Carter is holding off on the debt. The bank is supporting the mortgage and I have approximately four weeks to come up with a solution. I confess that at the moment one eludes me and all suggestions will be considered.”

Giles Denvers snorted and gave his first smile of the evening.

“Easy, man. You are now a Duke. Marry a girl with plenty of blunt. It’s the beginning of the season; you’ll have your pick of the crop what with a title like yours. Problem solved.”

Alexander frowned deeply.

“If there’s blackmail at its heart then a wife’s dowry won’t last long as soon as the fiend gets wind of it, besides I had always thought to marry for love when the time comes. I’m not going to leap into leg shackles until I have excluded every other avenue open to me. In the meantime I have the delightful duty of telling the staff here that I may be their new employer but I have no money to pay them and may even have to sell this house. I am not looking forward to telling them that they could become homeless.” He flung back another measure of the brandy.

His friend helped himself from the bottle.

“Do you want me to stay? I can go and find a bed elsewhere if you prefer. I don’t want to be an extra burden while you are in crisis.”

Alexander waved his glass and dismissed his friend’s remark.

“I have never had cause to call you a fool before, please don’t give me reason to call you one now. You may as well have your fill of my company while you still can. I might be chucked into debtor’s prison in the very near future. Stay for as long as you can. I’m off on the morrow but you are most welcome to remain for as long as I can keep this place.”

Giles laughed at his friend.

“Fool. Did you think I would let you fall into ruin by yourself? We have ridden together for the last five years; I’m not going to leave your side at the first difficult hurdle. I’ll come with you and help you discover what has brought Ormond to this low. My nag may not be as finely bred as yours but his hooves are sure and his heart is strong. We will ride together at first light.”

Alexander felt his insides warm for the first time since setting foot on shore.

“Thank you my friend. I am honoured to call you such. Now go upstairs and get yourself settled for the night. We can drink the rest of this bottle after I have warned the staff of the imminent possibilities. I will take my father’s room tonight and you can make yourself comfortable in Phillip’s. I’m pretty sure that they will both have been regularly aired.”

Giles stood and laughed.

“After the bunks we have lain in all these years I’m not sure a feather bed will suit my hardened bones but I will do my duty and attempt to make myself as comfortable as possible.”

The sarcasm was not lost on Alexander and he let out a low laugh as his friend left the room. And then he stood and sighed wearily as Bottomley, his wife, Simon and the maid all shuffled into the room.

This was not going to be easy.

Chapter Two

Confessions

The horses snorted, steam wafting from their nostrils as they climbed the last hill before reaching their final destination.

Saddle sore and weary from their five day ride, Alexander and Giles paused as they crested the hill and looked down onto Ormond.

“At least the place looks the same.” Alexander breathed out in relief. He had been expecting dereliction and decay but the castle looked exactly as always; majestic and proud in the evening light.

Giles stared in wonder at the huge edifice as the sunshine cast shadows beyond the crenulated walls.

“When you said it was a castle I assumed that you meant in the modern style. For some reason I always thought you were jesting about the moat and drawbridge,” his awed tone told of genuine surprise.

Alexander grinned at his friend and then urged his horse forwards. Only a few minutes and he would be home for the first time in five years. He could barely hold his himself back from digging his spurs into Midnight and galloping across the bridge.

His eyes took in everything as they trotted closer. Many of the original features were only decorative now. The outer wall had crumbled in places, the large gaps in the stonework leaving the castle practically undefended but for centuries they no longer feared an attack from the Celts. The moat still held water in the winter and even though the drawbridge now led onto brick carriageway over the moat, its original purpose was plain to see.

Alexander breathed in the air of his childhood. It was clean and crisp, fragranced of heather and good health. He smiled as Giles drew abreast.

“You wait until you see the hidden tunnel. It goes out under the moat from a secret room in the west tower. It was meant to be a passage to freedom should the Lord of the castle ever need it but due to my family’s penchant for brandy and my brother’s lust for youthful adventure it has been used far more regularly than t’was first intended. I was furious when father told us it was too dangerous to use. Phillip and I wasted so much time by going to the beach via the track.”

Giles threw back his head and laughed into the cool air, scattering the crows that roosted in the nearby forest.

Alexander looked to the east of the castle and noted the Dower house at the edge of the grounds. He could see a bright splash of colour in one of the windows and smiled as he remembered his mother’s love of flowers. He wondered if she still left them at Lily Smith’s tiny memorial on the headland where the barn had once stood. He shook off the ghastly memory and turned in his saddle.

“I think I will go to my mother first. I must find out the worst before I can bear to visit a home that may not be mine for much longer. Come, we can settle the horses at the Dower house and then take a walk up to the castle later. There will be light for an hour or more yet.” He turned Midnight towards the coastline and set off at a quick trot along the gravelled drive.

It was only as they neared the house that they saw evidence of any neglect. Weeds bared their nodding heads through the stones on the road and unfilled muddied ruts at the edge of the drive caused Alexander to frown. He pursed his lips at the sight of a field of blackened, rotting corn and several uprooted trees as they passed through the copse around the estate.

Giles’s eyes narrowed as he saw what appeared to be the carcass of a dead sheep lying in the next field but he didn’t alert his friend whose own eyes had begun to glaze over.

They arrived at the gate of the Dower house but there was no rush of a stable hand or of a footman. They dismounted in silence and Alexander led them to the stable at the rear of the house.

A tall young man, his shirt flapping and a sweat beading across his brow, strode out to greet them.

“My apologies, gentlemen. I was attending the Dowager’s pair and didn’t hear you approach. How may I help you?” He gave a short bow before he reached out to take the horses and then stepped back in surprise. “Alexander? My God, it is you!” The man’s shocked tones did nothing to clear Alexander’s heavy heart.

Geoffrey’s father was the steward at Ormond and his son had run household errands. Both part of the staff Geoffrey was treated more as a youthful friend by Alexander. He had been fifteen when Alexander had left for war, a boy on the threshold of manhood. Now he was a strapping twenty year old. His chin sported a day’s growth of beard and his shoulders bulged with the muscles of hard work. He grabbed the man’s hand and shook it firmly.

“Geoffrey! I am glad to see you here. Let me introduce my great friend Giles Denvers. He has been with me through thick and thin over the last five years.” Giles and Geoffrey acknowledged each other with friendly nods and then Alexander continued. “But what on earth are you doing tending the horses? Where’s Jennings and where is your father? At Ormond? I need to speak to him urgently.”

Geoffrey’s shoulders slumped.

“Jennings is rather too frail to be handling the horses now. He had a nasty fall last year. Broke his leg and left him unable to do much more than wax the saddlery. Your father wouldn’t hear of him leaving and your mother has been kind enough to let him stay on even now. My father died three years ago, Alex,” he hesitated and then added. “Though I think I should be calling you by your title now, Your Grace.” He stepped back and gave another deeper bow.

Alexander frowned deeply at this unexpected news but then he realized what Geoffrey was doing and groaned in sorrow and frustration.

“Please don’t Geoff. I want everything to be as near normal as possible. We’ve known each other far too long. Formality in polite company only if you please, and that doesn’t include Giles I might add. I am sorry to hear about your father, he was a good man and I know that my father regarded him highly. I would hear the details from you later but I need to see mother instantly. Would you be able to join us at Ormond later? I expect to be with mother and Lady Anne for an hour at most.

Geoffrey nodded and then looked at the sweating horses.

“Of course Alex but Lady Anne is not here. She’s out for a ride in the grounds exercising her mare.” He looked over the two horses that stood patiently by their owners. “I’ll be tending to these two immediately. They look as though they are ready for a rest.” He took the reins from Alexander and looked expectantly at Giles.

Giles slapped the dust from his coat with one hand but held onto his horse with the other. He returned Geoffrey’s gaze.

“It has been a long ride and the horses need their rest. I will help you while Alex greets his mother.”

Geoffrey looked slightly surprised at this offer but then nodded as Alexander agreed.

“Good idea Giles. My mother will not want to make any confessions with an audience, I am perfectly sure. I’ll be a quick as possible.”

It was a shocked and quiet Alexander, Duke of Ormond who returned to the stables less than an hour later. The interview with his mother had been more of a trial than he had ever guessed. It was fortunate that Lady Anne was out riding and had not been within the house to hear the wails and cries of the distraught woman.

The surprise of the arrival of her second son had her rushing to her feet only for her to swoon into his arms the very next second.

He lay her on the chaise, kissed her soft cheek fondly, and fanned her flushed face while he looked about the room. His mother’s deep black mourning gown contrasted with the pots of bright yellow from her rose garden that decorated the windows and the hearth. Her eyelids fluttered open a few moments later and stared up at him as her lips trembled and tears fell from her eyes. She reached up a gentle hand and touched his scarred face. She sighed gently as her eyes assured her that it was not a mortal wound and then she dropped her fingers to his hand and clasped it with a strength borne of distress.

“Oh, Alexander, I am so glad that you are home. If you could have been here but three weeks ago. You would have advised them against attempting the rescue I know but neither Anne nor I could stop them. They insisted on going to the ship’s aid. The storm was the worst in years but I couldn’t persuade them. If Anne hadn’t been deserted with me I know not what I would have done,” her story came out on breathy gasps.

Alexander frowned down at his wilting mother after glancing around the sparsely furnished room. Apart from the chaise whose upholstery had clearly seen better days, there was only one other chair in the room. A meagre fire glowed in the hearth and only two candlesticks sat upon the mantle. Even his mother’s attempt at cheer with the bright flowers the room would be a dreary place to sit after dark.

“But that cannot be the beginning of the story, mother. I can see that the estate is not at its best. I have been gone for five long years; I need to be brought up to date on everything. I had a meeting with father’s solicitor in London last week. The position appears to be dire. You must tell me all that you can.”

His mother composed herself a little. Her hand trembled and he realized how frail and thin hers felt beneath his palm.

“You were only twenty two when you went to war. We couldn’t tell you the worst of it then and even now I am not sure entirely how it has happened. Phillip did everything he could to save us; even marrying a woman he didn’t love in the hopes that her dowry would keep Ormond on its feet but it was a worthless dream. Anne has faded along with her dowry and the estate. Phillip should never have agreed to the arrangement. It was unfair to bring her to her knees too. We are lucky that her parents are willing to see her home again but at the moment she refuses to leave me. She is a good woman, Alexander. She must not be brought down by any of this.”

Alexander tried not to groan in frustration. He was still unaware of the cause of all the difficulties but still he waited patiently.

“From the beginning mother, please. I understand that there were problems before I left that my father had hidden from me but the reason for this sudden downfall is not the failure of a couple of years of crops. I see that Geoffrey is stable hand when he should be steward. He has the brains for it, so why didn’t he take over as soon as his father died?”

His mother sat up on the chaise and sipped at the watered brandy he passed.

“Your father would never tell me all. He tried to protect me from the worst but there were relentless costs beginning soon after Phillip went away to school. I told your father that boarding school would be a drain but after that accident he insisted that Phillip needed to go. When he left school I thought things would become easier but they didn’t. If anything they became worse. When your father refused to tell me I asked Phillip but he had made a vow to your father not to mention the circumstances. He had already tried everything he could think of to lessen the burden. The only thing your father refused to do was to sell the family jewels. He secreted them away, telling me that whoever was doing this would never get their filthy hands on them but now even I don’t know where they are. If someone else gets their hands on Ormond they will be lost to the family forever and we will be utterly ruined. Phillip even tried his hand at cards to cover the increasing debts. You remember what an excellent mathematician he was. He said he had devised a way to recall all the previously laid cards and he felt sure…”

Alexander had given up listening to his mother’s ramblings at this point. The thought of his father hiding the family jewel casket was bad enough. To think that just one of the diamond encrusted Ormond necklaces might have saved his father and brother caused his heart to clench in pain. Why had his father refused to part with any of them? It was a question he would have to ask at a future time, his mind was still reeling at the thought of Phillip inventing a gaming system. The idea was so preposterous that he almost rolled his eyes in despair. No wonder there had been so many notes passed in his name. Sweat broke out on his brow even though the room was cool.

“I must go to Ormond, mother. I need to evaluate the situation for myself. Did you conduct a proper search for the jewels or did you leave and close the house completely?” His tone was worried enough to stop the Duchess’s tale.

She looked up tearfully at her son and dabbed her damp eyes.

“I searched as much as I could for the jewels but the castle is huge, Alexander. I was too embarrassed to ask anyone to help me though I know that Anne guessed what I was looking for. She found me sneaking into different rooms in the house. I told her that I was looking for furnishings to sell but I don’t think I pulled the wool over her eyes for long.” She paused and blew her nose before continuing. “Grady, Sarah and Beth are still there. It is the only home they have known. I have explained that I cannot pay their wages but as long as we keep them fed they refuse to leave. They are keeping the castle clean and aired. I couldn’t bear to remain there after the tragedy and Anne refused to leave me until we could send for you. I brought cook here with me of course and the rest of the permanent staff. We had cut the numbers over the years anyway what with the lack of entertaining done. It was most distressing to see…” she stopped as Alexander lifted his hand to halt another round of misery.

“We will discuss everything further tomorrow.” He dropped another gentle kiss on her brow. “In the meantime I have a friend waiting outside with Geoffrey. I intend seeing Ormond tonight so I will leave you now and return in the morning. I will also need an audience with Lady Anne. I know that I never met my brother’s wife before but the situation cannot continue as it is. I need full information and she may know things that she and Phillip discussed without your knowledge.” He ignored the look of disbelief on his mother’s face as he patted her hand. He turned, rang the bell for the maid and after settling his mother with tea and cake he left the building to return to the stables.

Geoffrey looked up doubtfully at his former friend as Giles rose to his feet from the wooden tack bench. Alexander shook his head.

“I couldn’t make any sense of her tale. Father obviously held most of it back to protect her. Whatever started all the problems is unclear at present but I think Phillip became desperate and made several gross errors of judgement. There is a possibility that I may find out more from Lady Anne.” He looked up as a horse clattered into the yard outside the stables. Geoffrey quickly went to the door.

“Lady Anne, His Grace has returned.” Alexander heard his friend announce his arrival to his sister in law and for one moment he wished that he’d had chance to freshen himself before meeting her for the first time. Giles quickly ran his hands through his hair and then brushed the dust from his coat as he obviously thought the same but there was no time for presentation now; the smart tap of hastening riding boots entered the stable.

Lady Anne’s ringlets of chestnut hair bobbed beneath her riding hat. She curtseyed low and then held out her hand to Alexander. He bowed over it quickly and noted that her steady, green eyed gaze flicked from his face over to Giles and then back again.

“Your Grace, we have been eager for your return,” her husky voice complimented her gentle expression.

“Madam, please accept my condolences at your loss. Though I had not seen Phillip for many years, we were close and he wrote and told me of you often.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Phillip had mentioned her in his letters. He paused as her emerald eyes assessed him before he turned towards Giles. “May I present my friend Lieutenant Giles Denvers.”

Giles bowed low over Anne’s hand.

“I only wish this meeting was under happier circumstances, my Lady. Although I had not met your husband I feel that I knew him through his brother. Alexander has told me many good things about him.”

Anne nodded her acceptance of his wishes and returned her attention to her brother in law.

“Your father’s and brother’s joint passing has been hard to bear. For you to miss them by weeks is dreadful. Please know that they spoke of you often and fondly. Your mother feels the loss acutely, as I do of course.” She lifted a silk square to the corner of her eye. She glanced back out of the stable towards the Dower house. “I am sorry I was not here for your arrival but the horses needed exercising and we are a little short of staff. You have seen your mother already?”

Alexander nodded.

“Briefly. She was somewhat surprised at my sudden arrival and I’m afraid I may have upset her. I intend to make a longer visit on the morrow and I would wish to speak to you also, Lady Anne. Would you be available for tea at three tomorrow. We have much to discuss but I confess that I have a great desire to see Ormond before dark falls. If you would excuse us, I’m sure Geoffrey would escort you in.”

Anne smiled up at him.

“No need, I am quite happy to see myself indoors. You should probably take Geoffrey to Ormond with you. He may be able to answer some of your questions. I will see you tomorrow afternoon, Your Grace.” She dipped into another graceful curtsey again but Alexander caught hold of her hand and pulled her up from it.

“Please, Lady Anne, I would prefer that there be no formality between us. We are family after all. Please call me Alexander.” He hoped that she didn’t find him too forward.

She gave a radiant smile that lifted the heaviness of her deep mourning.

“Of course Alexander and you must call me Anne, but now I must go to see your mother. She will be lacking in company and excited to tell me of your return. I must not disappoint her.” She gave Alexander a quick nod and then glanced over to Giles again, her eyes lingering momentarily as she gave him a quick dip of her head. She turned with a rustle of her black silk skirts and walked swiftly from the stable.

Giles stared after the bewitching beauty as she walked with graceful steps across the yard.

“My God! Are you sure that Phillip didn’t want to marry her? I cannot fathom some men. She’s a positive delight to behold.” He shook his head in wonder as her slim figure disappeared into the house.

Alexander shrugged dismissively.

“She’s a beauty alright but then my brother was never really interested in beauty. Brains would have been far more attractive to him, though I confess that she didn’t come over as some ninny. It’s a pity that I hadn’t really talked to Phillip in so many years. I never really saw him much after he was carted off to that damned school. A few times in the holidays when he could escape his duties but not much more than that.” There was some shuffling behind him and Geoffrey cleared his throat.

“Yes, I recall the occasion that caused his departure even though I was only five or six at the time. Everyone around here recalls it actually. It’s not as though you forget a blast that big and then there was that child of course. Your mother still takes flowers up to her memorial you know. Every single week.” he paused and coughed slightly then moved on quickly. “Lady Anne’s definitely no ninny, that’s a given and her nature is as beautiful as she is herself. Phillip was good to her even though he was a slightly disinterested husband. I don’t think you will hear any complaints from her.”

Alexander nodded then paused in the doorway before he looked back at his two friends.

“Giles and I will walk to Ormond. Finish settling our horses and Lady Anne’s and then come to join us. I want to hear everything you know, Geoff. Including whatever may have been rumoured. I have mere weeks to save our good name, Ormond and all those who still work here. Time is of the essence and no stone can be left unturned. Join us as soon as you can. Giles and I will see how the land lies as we walk.”

The two men strode out of the stables and across the gravelled forecourt before turning onto the drive and heading for Ormond castle.

Chapter Three

Dashed Hopes

The walk to the castle had not been a happy one. As they lengthened their stride to arrive before darkness, the sight of a second dead sheep caused Alexander’s temper to rise beyond all control and by the time he turned the door knob only to find the huge door locked against him he was sure that steam erupted from both ears.

His eyebrows became a solid dark line across his forehead as he banged on the front door of his own home. He paced up and down the forecourt as he waited to gain entrance but it took a third hard rap from Giles before someone eventually came to the door.

Grady, his father’s old butler cracked open the door and peered out with a watery eye. There was a shocked gasp and then the door opened fully.

“Master Alexander! Well I never did! We weren’t told to expect anyone and what with that rabid dog on the prowl I don’t like to leave the door open. Young Geoffrey has been out all hours trying to track the dreaded thing but it seems to have gone to ground somewhere in the woods. My apologies and my condolences, Your Grace,” he added, still all of a fluster. “I will call Beth to come light a fire in the study while we prepare your room. I assume you will take your father’s suite.”

Alexander replied in the affirmative as he walked into the chilly hall and swallowed his anger and shock at the starkness of it all. Gone were the tapestries and fabulously coloured Chinese rugs. The ancient armour appeared to have marched from its pedestals and there were spaces on the walls where priceless paintings had once hung. He turned to a clearly nervous Grady.

“Do you even have enough supplies for a dinner for myself and my friend?” He was relieved when the man nodded quickly.

“Cook sends enough for the three of us with plenty to spare every day. I think she sent a haunch of pork today and Sarah has already prepared vegetables. I can serve you in the dining room in an hour if it pleases, Your Grace.” Grady bowed as Alexander nodded.

“Please tell me that my father’s brandy supply hasn’t run short. I feel that I will need vast reserves of it before the night is out.” His boots echoed around the hall as he and Giles strode through the library and into the study. Alexander flung himself into the chair as Giles picked up the tinder box from the mantle and began making a fire.

“It’s freezing in here, Alex. I can’t wait for some maid to come and light this. The place is like a mausoleum.”

Alexander buried his head in his hands.

“It looks as though half the carpets and most of the furniture has been sold along with anything that could be removed easily. The hallway used to be full of the armour of my ancestors. Phillip and I tried dressing up in it once and staging a battle. We clanked around the hall madly until Phillip rapped my head with a battle axe and dented my helmet. My head became stuck and cook had to use goose grease on my ears before it would shift. My buttocks still smart at the memory of the thrashing we both received but how were we to know that the armour was three hundred years old. It looked spanking new to us and it seemed a rotten waste not to use it.” Laughter filled his tone even as tears filled his eyes as he almost choked at the memory of his mad and exciting adventures with his brother.

Giles looked up from the smoking fire briefly.

“Perhaps it has not been sold but placed in storage. I expect Geoffrey will be able to shed more light on what has been happening, though from the look of neglect in the parkland I think that something terrible has gone on for a long time. I know that you don’t want gossip spreading but servants tend to know everything and the situation is too desperate for awkward feelings. I would ask them what they have heard as soon as we have some insights from Geoffrey.” Giles blew the smoking tinder into flames.

There was a knock at the door. A young maid walked in and bobbed a curtsey before she brought a bottle of brandy and two glasses to the desk.

“Begging your pardon, Your Grace but Geoffrey from down at the Dower House has arrived. Shall I send him in?”

Alexander nodded.

“Please, and furnish us with an extra glass. Lay another setting at the dinner table as well. I doubt I will finish speaking to Geoffrey anytime soon. Prepare him a room too. I think we will be at this half the night.”

She bobbed another curtsey as she glanced at Giles who was now stoking the fire with logs of wood and rubbing his hands as he warmed himself.

Geoffrey came in as the maid left.

“That’s Bethany, cook’s niece. She’s a good little worker. The Duchess has tried to keep as many on as possible but with no income and savings dwindling…” he shuffled his feet nervously on the bare floorboards.

Alexander poured two generous glasses of brandy and then waited while Bethany brought a third glass and filled it before he spoke again.

“Right, I want to hear everything you know from the beginning. Don’t spare me a thing. I have to discover all before I can see what to do, though at this stage I am beginning to wonder if there is anything I can do.”

Geoffrey sat in the chair opposite Alexander as Giles leaned against the mantle.

“I can only tell you what I remember for the first part of the story. I was young at the time and probably didn’t understand all of it but it must be something important because I recall the day vividly. My father was steward as you know but he never revealed much at home and certainly not anything to me. He said that all matters of the estate were between him and your father and he never discussed them but I was about the house all the time and heard things mentioned. I knew that there were already stresses on the estate income. One evening, not long after Phillip had been sent to school, I overheard an argument between my father and yours. I feared that my father would find himself jobless when he told yours that he was a fool for persisting with payments to someone.” Alexander looked as though he was about to ask who when Geoffrey waved him down. “No names were ever mentioned or if they were I don’t recall them. They eventually came to some sort of agreement over this money but I had the feeling it was Smith the farmer. I recall something about a funeral and your father feeling obliged to pay as no charges had been brought.”

Alexander’s frown became deeper.

“You mean that you think father paid Smith to keep his mouth shut about Lily? But it was an accident. None of us knew that the girl had slipped into the barn. Surely my father didn’t think Phillip did it on purpose?”

Geoffrey shrugged.

“Who knows, I am only telling you the feeling I had about the argument at the time. If you remember, Smith left with Lily’s body the day she died. He’d said that he was burying her with her mother but he never returned. I thought it terrible at the time that there would be no funeral for her at Ormond. I thought she would go to hell.”

Alexander drew a breath. He hadn’t known what happened to Lily at the time. He hadn’t woken until later in the week and by then all the arrangements had been made.

Geoffrey took a quick sip of his brandy and carried on.

“The farm was let again when your father realized that Smith wasn’t coming back. I think he had enquiries made but there was no sign of Smith and the land needed tending. You probably won’t remember many of the subsequent farmers as you were at school most of the time by then too. Several other tenants moved in over the years but none of them stuck it. One wife left after saying that there was a ghost in the farm house. Apparently she could hear someone singing out of tune at night.”

Alexander swallowed audibly as he remembered Lily’s awful, out of tune ditties but he waited for Geoffrey to continue his tale before he made any comment. Geoffrey swirled his brandy and stared into the fire before speaking again.

“By the time Phillip returned from school the whole farm was abandoned. He tried to get it going again but you know what your brother was like. Farming really wasn’t his thing and he spent a long time going to visit friends he had made at school. After you left for France things really began to fall apart. We had a frightful spring of wild storms. Ruined what few crops we had for that season. We had nothing spare for the horses or cattle. Feeding them from the land was a nightmare. The fields were bare earth. Those people lucky enough to have decent crops needed all of it for their own livestock and those that had more than enough could charge what they liked. Prices of feed rose quickly. It was that winter that I first noticed a real difference at Ormond. The Duke sold two of his finest breeding mares and then the prize cattle. I know that my father advised him otherwise. Those animals brought in an excellent income and should have been the last to go but the Duke was apparently loath to sell the family silver. Several of the staff either married or moved on and were not replaced and then Phillip announced that he was about to wed Lady Anne. They met in London only two months before the wedding and were engaged for only the necessary four weeks. Phillip didn’t appear very happy at the prospect but he went through with it of course. Rumours abounded about Lady Anne’s reputation but they were soon proven wrong only months later when there was obviously no pregnancy.” He took a long sip of the brandy and swirled it around his mouth before swallowing. “My father took ill that winter. He came down with pneumonia and only survived the cold months due to the Duke’s insistence on sending for his own doctor, but it weakened father so much. He was delirious at times and he said things that I’m sure he would never have revealed if he were lucid.”

Giles poured more brandy and Geoffrey gulped it down before continuing.

“Father insisted that there was a plot to ruin Ormond and all its descendants. It sounded so far-fetched that I didn’t believe him at first but then the Duke began to sell some of his precious furnishings. Of course he made excuses about redecorating and getting rid of the rugs and all the old armour but I never believed him. You could see the pain etched in his face every time something was removed. After the sale of those pieces, he began on the paintings, but he purchased nothing new. My father died that spring. The last thing he told me was to help you discover who was determined to ruin Ormond when you returned. Your father told me immediately that he would be letting our own cottage for the income, but he offered for me to share the rooms above the stables with Jennings. I couldn’t refuse. I had nowhere else to go but I’ve done everything I can to retain my position here, doubling as stable lad and farmer when I can. The estate is huge, Alexander. Your father and brother were doing as much as they could to keep it all going but now that they are gone too, well, you probably saw that there are dead sheep in the fields. A stray dog has turned rabid and I haven’t had a chance to burn the rotting carcasses or find the beast yet. I was hoping the animal would come back to his kill and I could shoot the damned thing then.” Geoffrey looked out of the window at the darkening sky.

“At one time there were a dozen men working the place along with the household staff. Now it’s me, a lame Jennings and your father’s old valet Grady and he knows about as much of running an estate as the pigs do. We’ve only managed to keep the swine and the chickens because they eat whatever scraps come from the kitchens and forage for themselves the rest on the time. Grady has attempted to keep Ormond itself in order but you can see what he’s like. Your mother only kept him on as he nowhere else to go. Ormond has been his home for his whole life.” He hung his head in what appeared to be shame.

Alexander stood up and walked around the desk. He breathed in deeply as he put his hand on Geoffrey’s shoulder. It was clear that the young man had only just been holding the place and himself together.

“One man can’t oversee an estate of this size, Geoff. Your position has been untenable,” he was about to go on but Geoffrey stopped him. He took in a shuddering breath and held up his hand to indicate he had more to tell.

“It gets worse, Alex, I haven’t reached the end of my tale. Have you not wondered why Phillip and Lady Anne were here at all?” He swallowed as he prepared to give Alexander an even bigger blow. “Phillip sold Evenleigh last year. That’s why he and Lady Anne were here for the Spring tide. They moved in last summer and took the East wing at Ormond.”

Alexander felt a weight pressing on his chest. He fell back in his chair in shock. The beautiful manor at Evenleigh had been his mother’s previous home. It was left to her by her father and given to Phillip on his majority. When Phillip became the Duke, Evenleigh was meant to come to Alexander. The estate, ten miles from Ormond was small but there was a living to be had. He steadied his quavering voice.

“Sold Evenleigh? I can’t believe it. Sold it to whom?” The desolation in his tone was clear. He had never for one moment thought that Evenleigh would be in danger. It was his final hope for any standard of home if all else failed. Now he wasn’t even sure that he would have a roof over his head.

Geoffrey saw the pain in his friend’s eyes but he couldn’t hide the truth.

“The manor has never been occupied since the sale as far as I am aware but curiosity got the better of me and I went over a few months ago to see who had bought it. The fields have gone to ruin and the gardens are a mess. Your mother would pass out from the shock if she ever saw it. I don’t know the name of the owner for sure. The local innkeeper said that a fellow called Oakley turned up once and engaged an overseer to keep up with repairs and the like but even he is not there often and he’s certainly not done anything to the land.”

Giles leaned forwards about to speak but Alexander silenced him with a look.

“God! What a blasted mess to come home to. Half my family destroyed and my home and reputation along with it. Why on earth did father not sell some of the jewels? A couple of those outdated tiara’s would have raised a fortune but Mother insists that he wouldn’t touch them and now they are hidden somewhere within these walls.” He sighed wearily. He knew why his father wouldn’t sell them. If there was blackmail afoot the thief would never give up until the last diamond shirt stud was gone. His father had made a stand and come hell or high water the jewels were going to remain with Ormond. He breathed into the silence. “Tell me about the week running up to the wreck. My father and Phillip both wrote new wills which seems odd in the circumstances whatever Carter says. Neither of them could be upheld anyway as there appears to be no way to raise money to cover the debt and that has to be paid before any other gifts made.” He downed the last of the brandy and rang for another bottle. They waited until Bethany scuttled in and back out again before continuing.

Geoffrey breathed in the dark scent of the brandy in his glass and stared into the fire.

“Phillip confided in me that he was expecting a huge shipment of spirits and some unspecified articles. I assumed he wanted to keep the transaction quiet and away from the ears of the Crown. The ship was to arrive well over a month ago but it never docked. Your brother was frantic, literally walking the cliff tops with his eye glass watching for her every day. I know he went to your father at the end of that week and they immediately called their solicitor. I can only assume that this is when their new wills were written, but then after another five days I heard from down in the village that a ship had been sighted floundering off the coast. Something was clearly wrong and with the weather rising there was concern for the crew. I took the news to your brother and he raced to the coast. The storm blew up that afternoon. The swell was higher than I had ever seen before and the ship came crashing in with the tide. It was clear that they had no means to steer the ship. It hit the rocks at the end of Bluff Cove and started to split but your brother and father insisted on taking out their fishing boat regardless of the danger. They had already made two trips, saving nearly twenty men and I was on the beach hauling in the crew when the ship rolled off the rock with the high tide, but there was nothing that could save it. Your father and brother were too close. They had gone back for a third time and pulled in a dozen more crewmen but they were overloaded as it was. A wave engulfed them and the ship tipped at the same moment.” He looked away from the blaze in the hearth and up at Alexander with glassy eyes. “There were only three survivors who were thrown out of the boat before it was crushed against the rocks. The surviving men came up on the shore half drowned by the waves.”

Alexander thumped his glass onto the table. He didn’t want to think about the way his father and brother had perished. It was too horrible to bear.

“What happened to Phillip’s precious cargo?” His voice was hollow and he had trouble even forming the words.

Geoffrey shrugged.

“What happens to all cargo after a wreck? There were hundreds of people on the beach watching the proceedings or helping with the rescue. Any cargo that washed up disappeared within hours. Barrels of brandy, bales of silks, jars of spices, all washed up and gone in the blink of an eye. I was so tied up with identifying your father and brother and arranging lodgings for the surviving sailors along with consoling your mother and sister in law that I confess that it never crossed my mind to guard any cargo that had washed up on the shore. I assumed that it was all insured, but I have since discovered that there was no cargo to insure according to the ship’s manifest that was discovered washed up in a locked box a few days later.”

Alexander groaned in despair and threw up his hands in resignation.

“So my family were involved in smuggling too…well, at least they appear to have tried to assist with the rescue of crew members lives over saving their own reputations.”

Geoffrey nodded quickly.

“No question about it. They had been to and from the ship twice previously and taken several men on board. The captain refused to leave before all his men were safe and that cost him his life too but I can attest to the deeds of both your father and your brother. Even if that hadn’t been their original intention there was no question that they died heroically.”

Alexander looked up. Tears glistened in his eyes but he blinked them away and stood up. He stared into the fire trying to come to terms with the severity of the disaster now staring him in the face.

“Phillip smuggling, I can scarce believe it. He must have been beyond desperate.” He looked over at Giles who stared back at him as he nursed his brandy. “I have heard enough for one night. We must eat and toast the dead, for whatever their faults they were still my kin and brave ones at that. I feel I have been treated lightly during my years fighting for the Crown. Only one scratch to my body and not a thing to worry about otherwise. It seems that my family had not that luxury. Come, we must eat and then look at the problem again in the morning.”

He led the way out into the dining room where Grady served them a satisfactory if small dinner before they all found their way up the cold staircases to the bedrooms.

Chapter Four

Leg Shackles

Alexander took a deep, steadying breath. His three weeks were up and he was no nearer discovering the truth or uncovering bounteous amounts of hidden treasure. The family jewels were nowhere to be found. Alexander had to surmise that his mother was mistaken and they had been sold along with whatever else could be removed from the castle. Carter was expected within the hour and Alexander was filthy, reeking of sweat and burning flesh. He tore his jacket from his shoulders and shouted for Grady to bring his bath.

Giles picked the splinters from his fingers where he had been helping repair a fence with less than adequate gloves. He stared out at the weed free drive in front of the castle. Clipped hedges showed signs of new growth and beyond the surrounding walls several of the fields had been cleared and ploughed in hope of planting a late crop.

“I’m not sure that any of this has been worth the trouble. Seems to me that you could have sat here drinking your father’s excellent brandy for the last three weeks rather than run yourself ragged trying to tidy up an estate that someone else is going to get their grubby hands on. The only benefit of these weeks being over is that at least you will find out exactly who you are indebted to. At least you will have the satisfaction of being able to punch him in the face.” He winced as a bead of blood drew to the surface of his thumb where he had pulled an extra thick shard of wood. He stuck his finger in his mouth and sucked hard.

Alexander kicked off his mud covered boots and stomped up the stairs in his stockinged feet. He spoke over his shoulder as Giles followed him.

“Better to work than sit here doing nothing but brood over what cannot be changed and I couldn’t stand the smell of rotting sheep pervading every breath a moment longer anyway. I’m glad we have burned the things at last. I wish we had caught the damned animal that ripped out their throats though, but even leaving the carcasses to tempt the beast from its lair didn’t work.” He glanced out over the estate from a stair window. “It’s a shame I haven’t another six months. I feel sure I could turn the place around by then.”

The work was only possible with the goodwill of Ormond’s depleted staff. He had spelled out the situation and even written to those at Albany clarifying the situation. All of those remaining had been glad to keep a roof over their heads for a little longer. That was all Alexander could promise them for the foreseeable future but not one of them had left him and all were more than pulling their weight. Grady had been levered, protesting vociferously, into an apron but he managed to dust and clean quite as well as the women. Sarah, cook and Bethany had been seen weeding the drive and digging in the neglected kitchen gardens. Geoffrey had taken over the stables entirely and two lads who worked the land came in everyday for the loaves of bread and slices of bacon cook gave them every evening. Even the crippled Jennings had been coerced into other work and he could now be seen every morning feeding the chickens or hanging out washed linens.

Giles frowned as he thought about his friend’s words.

“That puzzles me too. Someone is spreading something and it smells exactly like the manure Geoff and I cleared from the stables the other day. Ormond should be able to raise another loan from the banks easily enough but none of them are biting. Now that you are home and dealing with everything it’s obvious that the estate is beginning to pull round. It looks a good investment to me and if I had more than a few pounds to my name I would be tempted to invest in you myself. Someone is clearly scuppering your efforts.”

Alexander stopped at his bedroom door and headed inside.

“I have thought the same thing but rumours of my ultimate failure are probably staying their hand. I am also wondering when the next demand for money will come. It has been several weeks since I stopped any payments to the mysterious Oakley and no further request has been forthcoming. Hardacre doesn’t appear to be pressing Carter for the money owed on Phillip’s notes either. I am beginning to think that with my brother gone so has the blackmailers leverage to raise funds and he is now trying to find yet another hold over Ormond. Clearly he cannot blackmail the dead and he won’t have had much luck finding fault with me. It’s not as though I have been here long enough to darken my own name.”

Giles pondered his words.

“It’s a pity Lady Anne left so soon. She was going to tell us some things, I know it, but her brother turning up like that to remove her from the dower house was a bit premature don’t you think? He looked a bit of an upstart, barely out of school I shouldn’t wonder. I was surprised that she went; she clearly didn’t go willingly. I was hoping that she would overlook my humble beginnings.” He looked a little affronted and more than disappointed.

Alexander laughed. Lady Anne had clearly caught his handsome friend’s eye.

“Idiot, that was nothing to do with your beginnings. They are noble enough anyway even if you don’t have a title. She was removed from Ormond to distance her from my family name when the final curtain falls on Ormond. I suspect that her father already has another suitor in mind for her hand and he wanted her to be unsullied by the relationship with us. A month separation is a long time for the London tongues to wag in another direction. I suspect that I am already forgotten about with whatever the scandal to next hit the ton.”

Giles’s expression had darkened at the thought of another suitor for Anne. He leaned against the door frame and watched as his friend tugged at his soiled shirt.

“I console myself that Lady Anne is the height of propriety. She won’t marry again within the year whatever her brother or father want. She had fire in those emerald eyes of hers and looked a determined woman to me. I doubt she will let them walk all over her. She still has her title. They’ll be hard pressed to make her do anything she doesn’t want after you promised her the income from selling your commission. But all that aside, what are you going to do now Alex? With Evenleigh sold do you have anywhere to go at all? You know that I have a small place in Yorkshire that you are welcome to share. It’s not much but you would have a roof over your head at least until you can sort out some form of employment or get your stud farm started.”

Alexander slumped onto the bed.

“Thanks, old friend but you need to go there anyway soon. You’ve been helping me for far longer than I have any right to expect though it has been much appreciated. You must go and sort out your own living and as it happens I do have a plan. Smith’s abandoned farm cottage at the edge of the estate was never part of the title. I have checked the deed and it’s not included in any of the debts or mortgages. Father bought it years ago when the previous owner died. We let it out to tenants when I was very young but it appears that after Smith and all the others left, father took back the fields into the estate and never let the house again. I’ve been over a few times and readjusted the boundaries. The house, though small, has been kept in reasonable repair, nothing I can’t put to rights within a few weeks and the kitchen garden itself can produce enough to feed one impoverished Duke if managed carefully. I’ve already taken one or two pieces of furniture, things that will never be missed from here so I am almost set up already. Even better, it has a small stable at its rear. I’m going there to begin with and what with being so close to Ormond I am hoping to discover what evil deeds were done to gain my estate. To be honest, I can’t wait for this interview with Carter to be over. I know nothing can be done. I don’t even know why the man was so desperate to come and see me himself. His letter was less than explanatory. Maybe that’s part of my creditor’s plan, to see me physically removed from Ormond so that my family’s humiliation is complete. Thank God I moved mother out of the Dower House and into her sister’s home. Aunt Eloise has promised that she can remain there for the rest of her days if necessary and it is as well that she is gone. She would never live down the embarrassment of being thrown out of her own home.” He pulled his limp, linen shirt from his shoulders and dropped it on the coverlet of his bed.

Giles folded his arms across his chest.

“I’m all packed up. I can leave now if you would like. I don’t really want to see you shown your own front door either but I will stay if you think it prudent. You never know, maybe the man has come up with a last ditch attempt at your salvation.”

Alexander laughed as he sat on his bed and pulled at his stockings.

“I think that’s long past. It’s a wonder that he hasn’t sent a letter before now actually.” He glanced out of the bedroom window taking in a last look at the formal gardens. Now that they were back in some semblance of order he was loath to give them up but he sighed in resignation. “Let me bathe Giles. It might be my last chance for a long hot dip for many a day and I don’t want to miss the chance. I’ll see you downstairs in an hour. With a bit of luck we can drink the last of the brandy before Carter arrives.” He winked at his friend and Giles grinned widely as he closed the door before he turned to his own room to wash and change.

Two hours later Alexander sat speechless in is chair as Giles raised his very full glass of brandy and offered him his congratulations on becoming an engaged man.

“Well, we didn’t see that one coming that’s for sure. Out-manoeuvred, that’s all you can say. Made the right choice, mind you what with what was being offered. Any ideas about the woman?”

Alexander looked down at the papers he had signed less than ten minutes previously.

“Elizabeth Carlton Hardacre. Not a bloody clue apart from the fact that she is the daughter of the man who bought my brother’s debts. Carter assures me she is of age and not carrying another man’s child but I can’t believe what happened today. I’m probably buying back the notes with my own freedom. I just can’t fathom it at all.”

Giles snorted.

“Does it matter so long as you hang onto this place? The conditions don’t seem that onerous to me. Hardacre has signed the agreement. The debts are all rescinded if you marry the girl. It looks to me as though you have come out of this mess with a bargain offer.” He peered at the papers over Alexander’s shoulder.

Alexander grunted miserably.

“It’s not what I would choose to have done, Giles. Marriage should be about love and companionship. I never thought I would have to worry about this sort of thing what with being a second son. I know it’s not been on my mind the last five years but children were something I had always assumed would come along at some point in the future when I was the master of Evenleigh. I don’t see how that’s going to happen now. Ormond will probably end up in the hands of some long forgotten cousin. Father was an only child but his grandparents were prolific. There must be ten great uncles and all their offspring gracing the countryside here a-bouts.”

Giles laughed at his friend.

“No heir? Are you going to live as a monk then? It’s not as though I can see you with a string of mistresses. Couldn’t even interest you in any of the wenches in those French brothels and a few of them were more than pretty. They were downright beautiful and very willing to entertain.” He grinned at the memory before making another point. “But that aside, the marriage will have to be consummated to be legal.”

Alexander frowned deeply. His amorous adventures had not been as numerous as he would have liked but there had always been a certain level of attraction between him and his previous bed partners. He’d never had to visit a brothel in his life. He thought about Giles’s last words as he stared down at the papers again and looked over the conditions.

There would be an announcement in the London press and a ball at Ormond to celebrate their wedding. There could be no annulment under any circumstances. His wife was to enjoy all the privileges of a Duchess. No other heir but one born from their marriage could turn Elizabeth Carlton Hardacre from her new home if Alexander was to predecease her. It all looked pretty straightforward and at least there was no clause that stated he had to bed the woman three times a week for the foreseeable future. He could carry on as now and ignore her if he felt like it. All he had to do was marry her to settle the debts. He stared at the papers, looking for the trick but for the life of him he couldn’t see one.

He guessed that there was some difficulty that he would have to overcome. Gaining his family home back couldn’t be this easy. The woman was probably a middle aged hag with a vicious tongue who had been left on the shelf well past her prime. He sighed and wondered how on earth he was going to sit and converse with someone who came at the price of his home. It really didn’t bear thinking about. He looked up at his best friend.

“You’ll stand with me at the ceremony, of course. I don’t fancy bringing mother back from her sister’s to watch me meet my doom and I’ll need a witness. These papers say that Carlton must stand as the other to make sure proceedings are followed to the letter. The receipted notes will be handed over immediately after the ceremony.” He swallowed as the enormity of the situation set in. “Good God Giles, I will be leg shackled with no way out in less than forty eight hours. I don’t know a thing about the bloody woman and I have no idea what to make of all of it. I only hope I am doing the right thing. There’s still time for me to back out of it and become a farmer, you know.”

Giles bellowed with laughter.

“And give up all of this,” he waved his arm expansively about the room. “You would have to be out of your mind. For God’s sake man, if she’s that terrible install her in the east wing and move into the west one. There’s almost a hundred yards between them. Have the evening sunshine on your terrace and never cross paths with the woman again except to hand her pin money and even that you can arrange through Geoffrey or Grady. You will be able to afford to pay your staff and live the life you deserve. I think we should drink to that.”

Alexander closed his eyes and then reached for the ever present brandy bottle.

“I must have drunk my fair share of this over the few last weeks Giles. Thought I was going out of my mind with it all for a while. At least now I can throw myself into estate matters with no worries. I’ve enjoyed the physical work and with what looks like a decent crop this year and restocking of livestock I can maybe bring up the stable again. I always loved the horses’ father kept. Midnight will make a fine stud if I can afford the breeding mares. I might even start by charging stud fees.”

Giles frowned for a moment.

“Talking of stables, where are you going to put your new filly on her wedding night. I’m assuming that you’ll want to get to know the woman before you attempt to bed her. If you put her in your apartments then you are setting yourself up to move if she’s a ghastly harridan, but on the other hand she might be a veritable goddess and then you will have a lot of ground to make up if you have already located her rooms in the east wing.”

Alexander shook his head.

“She’s as likely as I am to want to leap into bed on a half hour’s acquaintance. I should think she’ll be happy with any accommodation until we see how we suit one another. She must know the straits the estate has been in. She should feel lucky that she will be given a bed at all.” He stretched out his long legs beneath the desk and ran his fingers through his hair. He stopped abruptly as he realized that his fingers were well past his shoulders and they were still covered in his thick, dark strands. “I wonder if Grady is up to giving me a trim. Wouldn’t do to make a bad impression on our first meeting would it,” he groaned at the thought of what he was about to embark upon. “And then there’s this dratted ball to organize. At least it doesn’t have to be a grand affair. We don’t have time to send the invites very far. It’s more like an announcement to the local gentry that I have married this woman. I must inform cook immediately. She’s going to have a fit but there’s nothing else I can do. She’ll have to bring in some of the serving girls from the town.”

He closed his eyes for a moment and let the reality of the situation roll over him. If he only had more time. A few months, a year at the most would do it but he had exhausted every avenue short of going to the less reputable moneylenders and he wasn’t stupid enough to follow a route to certain ruin.

He lay his head on the desk for several seconds. This simply would not do. He was being given a second chance at taking his life back and regaining Ormond for his family. He couldn’t let anyone down. His mother still relied on him and she was not old. She had sworn that she would never marry again and after seeing the love between his father and herself, Alexander believed her. The downside of that devotion was that he would be responsible for her for many years to come especially if she decided that remaining with her sister didn’t suit. Living in a three roomed farmhouse overlooking her old home was not the way for a woman of her station to end her life. There was also Lady Anne to consider. Though she had returned to the bosom of her family, Giles clearly showed an interest and she needed to regain her rightful position in society as the widow of a Marquis. He raised his chin in stubborn acceptance of his fate as Giles raised his glass.

“To the new Duchess of Ormond. May she be beautiful, bright and worthy of her Duke.”

Alexander nodded resolutely and they both emptied their glasses once again.

Chapter Five

A Day to Remember

Alexander had been breathing deeply for what felt like forever since he had handed over the special license to the reverend. At last the church door squealed open and a waft of almond blossom and roses tiptoed in.

He wondered for the hundredth time, how was it that when imminent danger presented itself one’s whole life flashed before one’s eyes? Time speeds up until the moment of the dreadful deed and then it slows to a tortuous gait, ensuring that the utmost pain and humiliation is suffered right up until the final moment of missed escape.

A waif wearing the palest pink gown hesitated on the threshold of the church and turned back to the door as she saw her own escape dwindling in the afternoon sunlight, and then the heavy wooden door clicked shut and her hesitant footstep was heard on the flag-stoned floor.

The silence of the church was deafening and for a single moment Alexander wished he had thought about music but it was too late now. The woman lifted her heavily veiled face and walked tentatively down the aisle.

Carter moved to her side as the minister wasted no more time and began the marriage ceremony.

Alexander appraised the woman standing beside him as much as he was able. Luscious dark curls without a hint of grey spilled about her shoulders telling him that she was probably younger than thirty but not a shadow of her visage was visible beneath the Ghent veil. She was tiny and slim, that much he could assess. The circlet of wildflowers atop her head reached to less than his shoulder height but he could see no more in detail. Her gown dropped gracefully from velvet ribbons tied at her shoulders and gathered beneath her breasts. Silk spilled downwards in a straight line and flared elegantly as it reached her slippered feet. She was breathing rapidly. He could see minute movement as her breasts rose and fell beneath the demi length veil that hid any hint of bare flesh as the ceremony commenced. She was clearly as nervous as he.

The band of steel that had circled his chest gave a little and he breathed a little more freely. So far there was nothing to be horrified about. He wondered what her first appraisal of him would be and he thanked the stars that he had thought the occasion important enough to have his hair cut and his chin shaved clean. He knew he cut a fine figure in his crisp white shirt and expertly folded cravat. The dark blue superfine and tan breeches hugged his muscular figure. The weeks working out of doors and the nourishing if simple dinners prepared daily by his faithful cook had filled out his shoulders even more and his jacket was a little tight across his back. As soon as he had his hands on the papers and new that he was free of the blackmailers grasp he would order new attire.

The woman kept her head down as the minister spoke of companionship and children and it was only when he asked if she would take this man as her husband that Alexander began to worry.

She responded not at all.

The minister coughed and Alexander shifted from foot to foot as she maintained her silence. It was only when Carter touched her elbow that she lifted her chin and a small gasp left her lips. The minister repeated the question and she nodded quickly adding mumbled words that could be construed as ‘I do.’

Alexander regarded the minister’s vague shrug before he spoke his own vows with a clear voice. This may not have been his first choice at regaining Ormond but he wasn’t going to give up the chance.

“I do,” his tone left none of the participants in any doubt as to his intention.

The minister cleared his throat.

“Do you have a ring?” It was not always done but Giles stepped forwards and passed a glistening golden circle to the minister.

Alexander peeled down the woman’s lace glove. Her trembling hand was as tiny as the rest of her, the skin of her forearm pale and soft. Her nails were smooth and rounded. Alexander slid the ring onto her fourth finger, admiring for a moment, the rubies and diamonds that glistened in the gold. It fit her delicate finger perfectly and he smiled as he remembered selecting the jewel from the one small box that his mother had left behind. For some reason he had decided that his new wife’s finger would be the same size as the top of his own little finger and he had rejected all others that slid to his knuckle. He was happy with his choice as it settled on her hand. There was a brief flash of glistening tears beneath the veil and then he turned the woman to back to the minister.

“I now pronounce you man and wife; you may kiss your bride.” The minister closed the book in front of him rapidly and Alexander closed the gap between the woman and himself. Her scent caught him unawares and he breathed in deeply. Beautiful. She reminded him of something long ago, something warm and comforting, inviting and sweet. Her only response was to lift her chin a fraction. He lay a chaste kiss on her veiled temple and then turned to Carter and spoke quietly.

“We will sign the register now and you can hand over the notes?”

Carter nodded.

“You will not regret this, Your Grace. Your future is now secure.”

Alexander frowned at the man for a few seconds and then he took his wife’s hand and led her through to sign the register. Giles followed them and signed along with Carter as witness before the Minister shook sawdust over the book.

“Congratulations, Your Grace. I can only hope that this union will be the making of Ormond. A step in the right direction I feel. The years have been telling and what with your brother not producing an heir…well, the neighbourhood had its worries for the place. Work is not easily come by this far from town. Positions are sought after to keep families together.” The man looked as though he was about to carry on but Alexander lifted a hand and interrupted.

“We will discuss this further very soon I am sure but for now I must take my wife to Ormond. She has not had chance to meet the staff or to even see her new home. Please excuse us Reverend, I am sure you will find us in attendance next weekend. In the meantime you and your wife are invited to the wedding party. Please feel free to come along tonight.” He bowed quickly and turned for the church door, then he looked back. “You are coming to the ball Giles? The Duchess and I would be wounded if you didn’t share our wedding breakfast.”

Giles’s nodded towards Carter.

“We’ll follow you. Carter, I verily believe that out new groom has a touch of cold feet. Let us go and join the festivities and help deplete him of his excellent brandy.”

Alexander rolled his eyes as he took hold of his wife’s arm and walked back out into the late afternoon sunshine.

The deed was done. The notes were in his pocket. Apart from one dance at their wedding ball there was no need for him to touch the woman at his side a moment longer, but her hand stayed rested on his forearm and he felt no inclination to remove it. He handed her up into the carriage, helping her gather her long train as she stepped up to her seat. For a fraction of a second he caught sight of a very slender and shapely stockinged ankle and his heart lurched most unexpectedly. Apparently his new bride was not going to be an ugly old harridan. And neither was she going to wear his ears out with unwarranted conversation. He’d not heard a syllable pass her lips apart from the mumbled ‘I do’.

He sat opposite her in the carriage, her veiled face turned towards the window as Geoffrey drove them back to Ormond.

“Madam, would you let me make your acquaintance now before we stand up together in the first dance? I would gladly see the woman I have married.” There was no response from the tiny figure and Alexander wondered if she was in shock at the events of the afternoon. He leaned across the gap and touched her elbow. Her head whipped round towards him and she shrank back into the darkened corner. He sat back quickly and attempted to reassure her. “Madam, you have no cause for alarm I assure you. I only wondered if I could be allowed to see you. You have the advantage of me as you have seen my face but I have yet to know yours. It would be too bad if I didn’t recognize you across the dance floor.” He thought she was going to ignore him again but then her shaking fingers moved to the bottom of her thick veil. She lifted the white lace slowly and drew it back over the flowers that adorned her dark hair. She lifted her chin and took a quick, frightened glance at Alexander before she dropped her gaze to her hands that now threaded together tightly in her lap.

Alexander felt all the breath rush from his body and he frowned as he waited for his vision to clear and reveal his first impression to be false. He blinked and looked again, then he carefully pinched the skin on the back of his own wrist. It hurt and he decided that he wasn’t dreaming.

The woman in front of him looked barely more than twenty years old and was verily the most beautiful creature he had ever beheld. Her perfect complexion was pale but radiant with health, her cheeks hinted of ripening apples. Her thick black lashes brushed the skin beneath her eyes and her full lips were the colour of the rubies in her wedding ring. Her nose was straight and pert, her chin dainty. The skin of her neck resembled the richest, creamiest milk he had ever tasted and the tops of her lusciously rounded breasts rose and fell rapidly under his scrutiny. His heart rate sped up and he could feel the thundering of his own blood as it raced around his body.

A silent tear slipped down her perfect cheek and he lifted his finger without hesitation to catch it but drew back as he saw his work calloused hand. If he touched skin as soft as hers he felt sure he would graze her cheek. His hand dropped away quickly.

“Why do you cry?” He whispered as he watched another droplet fall. She didn’t respond and he took a chance, placed his finger under her chin and raised her face to look at his own. “I won’t hurt you Elizabeth, the circumstances of our union may be unorthodox but you have no reason to fear me.” The tears fell even faster and he reached for his handkerchief.

Her hand shook so violently when she took the square of white linen from him that he thought she was going to drop it. He wrapped her hand in his and held it tightly for a moment. Her shaking lessened and she raised her eyes to his again.

Liquid pools of molten onyx gazed up at him and for a moment he felt his whole universe shift beneath him. Then damning realization took over as he realized what could be causing her distress. She had been as trapped into this marriage as he. He was no catch; an impoverished Duke forced to marry her out of necessity. He wasn’t even good looking in the conventional way. He always wore his hair unfashionably long and cared not at all for the fashions of the day. The scar that streaked from his eye to his chin, although fading would always be there and was still enough to scare most women away.

With her looks she could have had the pick of the land. She had no more wanted him than he had wanted her. She was probably crying from a broken heart, forced to give up her lover by her greedy guardian and to take Alexander instead for the sake of his title.

He dropped her hand and sat back in his seat as his heart shrivelled inside his chest. What in God’s name had her father been playing at? No such wondrous beauty would have needed to take an impoverished Duke such as himself. He had no allusions as to that. This goddess could have chosen from Kings.

They were both pawns playing in a dangerous game where neither knew the rules. He tried to remember the exact wording of the papers he had signed, wishing now it was far too late, that another solicitor had looked over them. This ghastly arrangement would have to be annulled. He couldn’t possibly keep this façade up with her nursing a broken heart. He would have to turn farmer and give up his land and title.

The carriage rattled over the wooden bridge across the moat and drew to a halt. Alexander leapt from the carriage before Grady had taken two steps from Ormond’s front door. He leaned back into the carriage and spoke to his new wife quickly.

“Come madam. I will convey you to your suite and then I will sort this mess out with Carter. We can cancel the ball. I should have realized that I wasn’t the only one being forced into this situation. I’m afraid I was only thinking of myself in this ridiculous piece of theatre. The marriage will be annulled as soon as is possible and you will be free to do as you wish.”

Contrary to his expectations the woman inside the carriage didn’t fall gratefully into his arms but began to sob louder. The noise was not the dainty whimpers that he had heard from his mother as she had cried on leaving Ormond, but great gulping sobs of heart wrenching despair. His gut froze in his body. The woman was distraught.

Grady viewed the group in confusion while Carter and Giles had descended from their carriage with looks of concern.

“What on earth have you done to the woman?” Giles asked as the ghastly noise from inside the carriage grew even louder.

Alexander glared at his friend and then turned to Carter who shuffled nervously from foot to foot.

“God damn it man! Whose idea of a joke is this? This woman is not for me. There has been some mistake and I am married to someone forced into this situation. I’m the one with no choice, not her.” He lifted his chin. “I give up my rights to the title and lands, Hardacre can have them. Give this woman her freedom back instantly, do you hear?”

Carter stood his ground.

“I’m afraid it isn’t that simple, Your Grace. I don’t know what you are complaining of anyway. I can assure you that she comes willingly to this marriage.”

Alexander was momentarily taken aback.

“But why? I had nothing. Hardacre held all my brother’s notes; he could have had Ormond anyway. Why force this woman, his daughter, into marrying me. It makes no sense,” he gasped out.

The sobbing behind him became slightly less pronounced.

Carter shrugged.

“I was there when she signed the papers. There was no coercion.”

Giles had moved over to the carriage. He pulled out the steps and held out his hand while rolling his eyes as he expected a wizened old crone to appear. He actually staggered back as he saw his friend’s new wife for the first time.

“Good Lord! Was there a more beautiful creature ever born on this earth? What the devil is this goddess doing marrying the likes of you?” His incredulous tones reaffirmed Alexander’s first impression. This woman had to have been forced to marry him.

Carter cleared his throat.

“I think we should go inside. Your wife appears to be in need of a rest from the exertions of the day. There is still the ball to come. Your guests will be arriving within the hour.”

Alexander immediately turned to the young woman still sitting tearfully in the carriage. Her eyes were wide with fear as she stared at him. He brushed Giles aside and held out his hand.

“Come, my dear, this will be resolved instantly. Come and take a glass of sherry while we fathom a way to set you free. I’ll have Grady turn away our guests at the door.”

She stared up into his face for a long moment more before she placed a trembling hand in his and took a hesitant step forwards. Her foot caught the hem of her dress and she went tumbling into Alexander’s outstretched arms. He gathered her against him refusing to let her fall to the ground and his blood immediately began to race around his body only to pool in the one place he would have preferred that it hadn’t. Fortunately the fabric of her silken dress covered his embarrassment as he turned with her still in his arms and strode uncomfortably towards Ormond.

Elizabeth Carlton Hardacre cursed her own feeble heart as it lay thumping erratically in her chest. From the second she stepped inside the church she could think of nothing but her escape.

She knew her father to be a harsh man but how could her father have done this to her? Threatening her with destitution and a life on the streets if she didn’t agree. She shuddered at the thought but still she had hesitated, weighing up her options. She took one last look at the door wondering if there would a last chance for freedom but in her heart she knew it was hopeless. She had no other choice but to go through with it. The door clicked firmly closed behind her and she took a wary step forwards.

The dark haired man at the altar stared curiously at her and she was more than relieved that her father had insisted on the heavy lace veil but having her face shrouded so thickly left her little space to breathe. She dragged the air into her lungs as she tried to fathom the reasons behind this union.

It was clear that the man was being forced to marry her. She quailed at the thought. This wasn’t how marriage was meant to be. He was tall and well built, his face tanned and incredibly handsome; even the scar that marked his cheek didn’t detract from his appeal. His coat was a little tight across the shoulder but otherwise of a quality she had only recently come to recognize and his black boots shone like a like a piece of newly split coal.

Elizabeth let her gaze drop to the stone floor. Someone this rich and this handsome clearly wasn’t meant for her. She would become an embarrassment, be a burden for years and he would hate her. She hesitated in her steps, desperate to think of any way out of the dreadful situation but she had nothing. She couldn’t even give voice to her concerns for there was no one here but Carter who she had ever had contact with before.

Her tongue burned in her mouth as she formed the words of her oath, the oath her father had made her repeat for hours on end. When he had nodded and smiled at the two words flowing together she had felt relieved that she had pleased him. She had felt the sting of his hand once too often but now she hated herself for being weak enough to let them slide past her trembling lips. She let her eyes fall to the floor again, her thoughts in a turmoil of anxiety but it was only as he pressed the dainty ruby ring on her finger that she realized that she had missed her husbands name.

The man in front of her would never forgive her when he discovered why she was being married off. Her father was right. No one else would have her. That was the simple truth of it. She was unwanted and undesirable and the only way she could catch a husband was for her father to find a man so deep in debt that he couldn’t say no. The coming festivities were going to be a nightmare but she only had to dance one dance and then claim a headache. Everyone would understand and pass the evening happily while she and her husband escaped the throng. She just had to remember to keep her mouth shut and her eyes down. Feigning shyness in front of all the guests wouldn’t be a problem at all.

She sat staring out of the window of the carriage as guilt burned deep inside her and then her new husband had touched her arm. Fire leapt through her body as she faced him. She stared at him from beneath her veil as his full lips moved gently. He wanted to see her face and she could put off the moment no longer. For a fraction of a second she considered throwing herself from the carriage but as the ground sped by with alarming speed she lost her nerve. Gathering her courage, she lifted her veil and awaited his damnation.

She dropped her eyelashes as the shock registered in his expression and she waited for the slap across her cheek, the angry scowl of frustration as he discovered the deception. She was no beauty, she knew that. Her skin was too pale, her lips too red, her nose too small and her eyes too dark. She looked like something from a tomb and in a way she supposed that she was, kept indoors as she had been and hidden from sight for so many years. Her pinched, haunted looks were exactly as her father had told her. When the man she had married discovered the rest that her father had planned she would be damned to a life of misery.

Neither the slap or the scowl occurred and she lifted her eyes to his again. He sat there looking completely dumbfounded and then the heat of anger flickered in his gaze, the sapphires darkening into pools of midnight blue. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as tears began to flow and his whole demeanour changed. He was appalled and his rejection was instantaneous. He couldn’t bear what he saw, he didn’t want her, he’d been forced into this marriage as much as she had.

The carriage moved quickly through the countryside. The horses slowed as they climbed a hill and Elizabeth’s hands flew to her mouth as she took in the huge stone towers that loomed above them. They turned into the tree lined drive and her gaze shot back to the man sitting opposite her. She stared at his glossy dark hair and then back to his deep blue eyes. His dark brows made a heavy line across his forehead as he spoke again. He was already calling for an annulment.

She almost choked on her own tears as they fell unabated. What should have been the happiest day of her life as she discovered the identity of her husband turned sour and a tear of bitter disappointment slipped from the corner of her eye. The sudden compassion in his expression was beyond anything she had ever imagined and more tears flowed. She couldn’t stop them and she gulped for air, the tightening in her chest threatening to overwhelm her as Ormond came into view.

The carriage stopped on the gravel and her new husband instantly flung the door open. He leapt from the carriage, desperate to put some space between them as she fell back onto the cushioned seat and let full vent to her desolation.

The man who had stood with Alexander at the wedding put his head inside the carriage and quickly withdrew it as shock registered on his cheeks and then Alexander was holding out his hand, beckoning her into his home. She wanted to shout to the driver to move on, to turn the carriage around and take her from this place but her mouth wouldn’t work. Her husband stood there waiting, an angry scowl on his beautiful brow and fearing that his temper would not long remain even she came quickly to her feet. Her slipper caught on the hem of her overlong dress and she fell into his arms.

What should have been heaven was hell. His lips moved above her but she couldn’t make out his words. He seemed to be implying that it would all be over very soon. No doubt he had seen through her father’s idiotic plan. She wanted to escape before her humiliation was complete but the feel of his arms around her and his hard body beneath her was more than she had ever thought possible in her whole life.

If this was the only time it would ever happen then she had to lay there and accept. It would all be over soon enough and she would travel back to her lonely life in the rooms in Oakley with this day becoming a dream to remember.

Chapter Six

Donkey or Goose?

Alexander lay his beautiful bride gently on the chaise in the salon. Her sobbing had ceased but her tear stained face robbed him of breath. That he could have brought such a woman to this depth of despair stabbed him more harshly than any French blade to his face.

He turned to Carter.

“I want this farce stopped now. You can see the stress that has been placed on her. This marriage must be annulled immediately.”

Carter faced him.

“I’m afraid that is impossible, Your Grace. Miss Hardacre was fully aware of the nature of the agreement and so were you. This marriage cannot be annulled under any circumstances.”

Alexander lifted his chin proudly. He didn’t hesitate for a second.

“I’ll forfeit Ormond and the rest of my estates.”

Carter smiled.

“You can forfeit whatever you like but you will still be married to her, that part of the bargain is non-negotiable.”

Giles glanced at Alexander’s bride. Her beauty struck him hard but he could see that it had affected Alexander even more. He moved to Carter’s side and spoke in low tones.

“She’s meant to be a troll or worse. He never expected to marry someone so beautiful. What on earth did you need any agreement for Carter. One look at her and she would have nations kneeling at her feet let alone a humble Duke.”

Carter looked at Alexander who was indeed now kneeling beside the chaise, sherry glass in hand. He offered Elizabeth a sip and placed his arm around her shoulder to help her forward.

“The emotions of the day have run higher than I had considered. Though I hoped for it in time, I confess I never expected this instant attachment. I don’t think her father’s plan will work. The young Duke now has only one more hurdle to overcome,” his voice was low but Giles frowned.

“This has all been planned? For how long and to what end? Alexander is the rightful heir. He has Ormond as he should have done on his brother’s death. What manner of trickery has been afoot?”

Carter’s eyes moved to Giles but he didn’t make a direct response to the man’s question.

“They only have the ball to get through for all the conditions to be met.”

Giles looked over to Alexander and his new bride. Neither looked capable of receiving guests but it had to be done. He went to his friend and tapped him on the shoulder.

Alexander looked up.

“I know...We have a ball to get through. Thank God that only a few dozen people could attend at such short notice. I will have one dance with my bride and then we will excuse ourselves. Can I look to you to hold court for the rest of the evening?”

Giles immediately concurred.

“Of course. No one would expect you to remain long anyway. Just so long as she’s been seen in public is all that the contract requires. Make your escape as soon as you can afterwards.”

Elizabeth appeared calmer and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Weeping women were something few men could handle and neither Alexander or Giles were any different to the norm.

Grady came into the salon.

“Your guests have begun to arrive, Your Grace.”

Alexander turned his eyes to the beauty on the chaise. She stared back up at him.

“Elizabeth, it appears that there is no getting out of this. Can you bear to have one dance with me? After that we can see what is to be done but we have no time to sort this out before without causing a scandal. I cannot bear the thought of my family being food for the wagging tongues of the ton and would not wish it upon you either.”

Elizabeth took a deep breath. She nodded and stood up. She glanced at Grady and then took Alexander’s proffered arm. It was one dance. Just one and then they could escape. She barely knew how she put one foot in front of the other as they moved towards the door to greet their guests.

She felt as though she had been on her feet for hours. Alexander stood by her side as Grady announced their visitors. Each of them stared at her as they bowed or curtseyed. She vowed that she had never felt more uncomfortable in her life.

Fortunately nothing else was required of her save a graceful smile, a nod in acknowledgement and the odd loving glance towards her new husband. She glanced towards the ballroom where she could see the matrons twittering behind their fans and the jealous glances of unlucky maidens. Their hopes had been dashed by her stealing the handsome new Duke so quickly away from them.

Alexander passed her a glass of champagne and she nodded her thanks. She was parched and she gulped it down then opened her eyes wide as the bubbles fizzed in her nose. He brought his eyebrows together as he stared at her curiously before he took her empty glass away.

“Have a care, my dear. Sparkling wine has a habit of finding its way to your head very quickly. We’ll take another after we have eaten but I suggest that we dance first of all. Our guests are waiting for us to lead off with a waltz.”

Elizabeth swallowed her fears and placed herself in Alexander’s care as he swept her out onto the empty dance floor. The musicians in the gallery began their music and she was suddenly caught about the waist and gripped by searing heat as her husband’s palm threatened to burn through the fabric of her gown and leave his imprint branded upon her skin.

She had never danced at a ball before. Her dance master had visited but three times, giving her the basics but practicing with her maid was nothing like the real thing. Stepping out with Alexander was beyond her wildest dreams. Her feet barely touched the floor and his thighs pressed closely against her flowing skirts, as they twirled about the room.

Other dancers began to join them and Elizabeth began to breathe once again but her heart caught in her chest as she glanced up at her husband’s face.

His eyes smouldered down at her. The intensity of his gaze pierced her heart and she suddenly found the room spinning about her. Seconds later Alexander had caught her up into his arms and he carried her from the ballroom, amid laughter and shouts of encouragement of friends and neighbours.

Giles had been watching from the great hall and managed to have a word in Alexander’s ear before they left the ball entirely.

“Grady and I will get rid of this lot as soon as possible. A few more dances and some food and they’ll be away. No one expects more. I’ll call back in a few days when you’ve had time to settle down. I’ll be staying at the Bear and Dragon in town. Send for me there if you need my anything.”

Alexander barely glanced in his friend’s direction. He stared down at the beauty in his arms and spoke over his shoulder.

“Yes, of course, though you are most welcome to stay here. There are rooms aplenty.”

Giles grinned and shook his head.

“I’ll leave you in peace for a couple of days before I lean on your charity once again.” He turned to the solicitor who stood at the door. “Are you returning to the dance, Carter? I think the tide of despair has turned. Alexander will not frighten her again.”

Giles and Carter moved back towards the ballroom just as Grady entered the hall. He bowed before he spoke.

“Your Grace, the Duchess’s maid has arrived with all of her trunks. Shall I send her to the guest rooms?”

Alexander shook his head without looking up.

“No. Show her to her own room and attend to the maid’s needs as necessary before you take all my wife’s belongings to my suite. Install Elizabeth in the chamber adjoining mine.”

Grady bowed as he backed out of the hall and Giles and Carter followed quickly.

Alexander turned spoke to the woman in his arms.

“It seems that we are stuck with one another my dear. I suggest for the time being we make the best of it and have supper served in my suite. We can make any other arrangements after our guests have departed.”

Elizabeth’s heart broke as his shoulders slumped in resignation. He didn’t want her or even like her. His tender touch was only because he was a gentleman. For all the lessons she had learned on how to become a lady, none of them mattered if her husband was only putting up with her. Her heart felt as though it was about to split when Alexander smiled sadly down at her.

Without thinking she lifted her fingers to the scar on his cheek. It looked new but was healing nicely. He would always have a mark but it suited him somehow. He caught her fingers in his own as she looked up questioningly at him.

“A narrow escape. I should have been more careful. A lesson you would have thought I had learned well,” he paused for a moment. She stared up at him with her fathomless dark eyes and he knew that he was already lost. He gulped back his warring emotions and tore his gaze from hers. She was somehow involved in a scheme to ruin his family. He shouldn’t even want to speak to her. He should house her in his most uncomfortable rooms, not give her the time of day. He should leave her at the Dower house. Anywhere but with him.

He looked back at her and knew that he couldn’t do it. He spoke to her gently again. “Would you like to see your room? I’m afraid that Ormond has been neglected for the last few years and the selection is limited. I have placed you next to me for tonight,” he heard her breath quicken and her body stiffen slightly as her dark eyes assessed him. “Not for any other reason than your own comfort. The servant’s quarters are some way hence and if you should need anything in the night I would be the easiest person for you to call. Come I will show you, do not be afraid.”

As if she would be afraid of him.

With a pounding heart she wriggled from his arms and gained her feet then she clasped his proffered arm and walked with him up the stairs.

It was only as they mounted the stone steps and the music faded behind them that Alexander realized how quiet Ormond had become. In his childhood the corridors had rung with excited yells and trampling feel of youthful adventure. Now his footsteps were the only sounds to echo in the halls. He had also grown quite used to Giles tramping along beside him everywhere but this tiny waif of a woman beside him hardly made a sound. Her silk slippered feet were completely silent and only the gentle frou frou of her gown as it brushed the flagged floor could be heard along the quiet corridor.

As quiet closed around them he suddenly realized that she still hadn’t spoken another word since the wedding ceremony.

“Might I ask where you lived before coming to Ormond?” He asked as they walked along side by side. There was no response from her. She looked out of each window into the dusky light as they passed and she peered into one or two of the rooms whose doors were open but she ignored his question completely.

He tried again.

“Did you have a long journey to reach here?” more silence greeted his ears. He frowned. He had hoped that her shyness would pass when she realized that he was not about to immediately force himself upon her.

He reached her bedroom door and guided her forwards. Grady had already lit the lamps and pre-empted Alexander’s desire for supper to be served in their rooms, for a tray laden with silver covered dishes sat on the fireside table. Bottles of wine stood in coolers by the chair.

Elizabeth brushed her fingers down the drapes around the bed before she moved to stare out of the window. Alexander stood behind her.

“This was my mother’s room. She loves bright colours usually but my father persuaded her to tone down her bedroom. He always said that anything brighter would give him a headache early in the morning.” Alexander shut his mouth as he realized the implications of what he was saying, but Elizabeth didn’t look at the primrose yellow. She pressed her hands to the cool glass and looked out over the terraces. She breathed deeply as she gazed out over the wall of the castle and along towards Bluff Cove. The deep turquoise sea rolled gently in the distance. Moonlight left a silver streak across the waves. She sighed contentedly and Alexander moved up behind her. For a long moment he stared at the near translucent skin at the back of her neck, resisting the almost overwhelming temptation to bend his head and lay his lips upon her.

He forced his eyes to follow hers, cleared his throat and stepped back to a safer distance.

“It is a lovely view. I know it was the reason for my mother’s late rising in the mornings. She said that she couldn’t bear to draw her eyes away from it. Did you live near the sea?” Still no response and for the first time he wondered if there was anything seriously wrong. More seriously wrong than marrying someone you had never met before. He reached out his hand and touched her shoulder determined to have her speak to him.

She leapt like a scalded cat and let out the strangest scream he had ever heard. The maniacal sound gurgled around the room as Alexander leapt backwards in surprise.

“Madam, I meant you no harm.” He floundered and sat down hard on the bed as the back of his knees hit the mattress. He grabbed at the nearest thing to him to steady himself. The pale yellow drape instantly collapsed under his weight and floated down over the top of his head. He attempted to fight his way out of the all enveloping material, becoming hopelessly entangled in the process.

And then he stopped dead as the most awful sound reached his ears. It sounded like a braying donkey gasping for its final breath.

He tore at the maddening curtain in desperation to find out what was making the horrible noise and his face was at last free of the drapery.

His wife stood not three feet from him, her hand stuffed over her mouth as she made a sound like a gaggle of honking geese. He almost put his hands over his ears. She must have noticed his horrified expression at the sound because she quickly gulped back her frivolity.

“Elizabeth? Is there something wrong?” He had never heard a woman laugh quite like it. She sounded as though she were in great distress. He extricated himself from the curtain at last and gaped at her as he stood up.

Elizabeth stared back up at him. She placed her hand to her throat and then opened her mouth. For a long moment nothing happened but then she closed it and gave a visible swallow before a strangely nasal sound came forth.

“eesanda.” She smiled nervously at him, her lips quivering as she attempted to speak and Alexander fought to hold his ground. Was she playing some kind of joke on him?

She dropped her hand from her throat and tried again, the stress as she tried undeniable.

“Asanda. I di’in know yoo wer beyind me. Yoo may me yump so mush an I larfft.” Her smile slipped as her nasal accent made the words almost unrecognizable.

Alexander staggered back from her. Was she mocking him? He grabbed hold of the bared bedpost to steady himself again. For a single moment he wondered if she were possibly a Russian princess but then he remembered listening to one of the King’s mistresses. This was no Russian accent.

He frowned and thought about her words.

“I made you laugh?” he queried incredulously and she nodded enthusiastically, her dark hair bobbing before she turned back to the bedroom. She walked gracefully around the wide bed.

“Tiz so ‘uge. I wi’ become los’ in it.” She waved her arm at the four poster and attempted a frightened smile again but Alexander didn’t have a clue this time. There was a sudden knock at the door behind him and he jumped as an unrecognized maid marched into the room followed by Grady, almost invisible behind armfuls of bags and boxes. Grady rolled his aging eyes at his stunned master.

“Women,” he muttered as he staggered past Alexander, but Alexander wasn’t paying him any attention. He was staring at the two women in front of him. The maid stood right in front of her mistress and had what appeared to be a very one sided conversation.

“Well, what a lovely room! The best of the bunch I would imagine looking at the state of the rest of the place, even if someone has clearly been fighting with the drapery.” She glanced up and down at Alexander’s dishevelled appearance and the swathes of material at his feet before she turned back to his bride. “but don’t worry about that. We will have it fixed in a jiffy. I never saw a place so huge. There must be a hundred bedrooms and did you see the moat…well of course you did, silly me, you have to cross it to come here. ‘Tis a pity it’s not still daylight. I imagine the view is fabulous from this window. Sarah showed me my room. I have a whole bedroom and sitting room to meself. Just as well what with all these corridors to walk. I will be worn to a frazzle by my bedtime and will need to put my feet up. Now, where shall we put all your things?” The woman put her hands on her hips and stared about the room ignoring Alexander completely.

And then Alexander had an even bigger shock. With arms waving like a Banshee, his new wife began shouting strange instructions that had the maid scurrying about the room opening doors and drawers.

“ne warobe is bi nuff for evryning  bu ne resser I perfe for my mentionales. I wuner if I can ‘ave a barf too. Is bin a long day.” The loud nasal tone jarred on Alexander’s ears but the maid didn’t appear to notice anything amiss. She turned swiftly to the door.

“Out gentlemen. We are unpacking before mistress’s bath. Please arrange for a tub and hot water. My Lady needs to rest from the events of the day.” The young woman began shooing them towards the door.

Grady didn’t need asking twice in the face of such madness. He dropped the bags and boxes at his feet and ran as fast as his bowed legs would carry him and an aghast Alexander wasn’t many paces behind.

Chapter Seven

Avoidance Techniques

“Don’t be rid…rid…ridiculous man. Bansh...banshees don’t actually exist.” Giles Denvers eventually managed to get his tongue around the words as he stared blearily at his friend over the top of his brandy glass.

Alexander stared blearily back and tried to form his words carefully.

“Try telling that to the one I have living in Orm…Orm...my castle. It was jus’ as well that I could flee from the west wing entrance.” He gave up trying to name his ancestral home and waved his arm expansively towards the tavern window in the general direction of Ormond. He let out a loud belch and then with an unsteady hand poured more brandy into his empty glass. “She is exactly like the stories of old. As beautiful as a g…god…goddess but as soon as you are near enough she opens her mouth and sucks out your soul with her screech. I wouldn’t be surprised if serpents start forming in her hair next.” He nodded his head wisely as if agreeing with himself.

Giles frowned and blinked slowly while he digested this last bit of information. He had heard the same story several times but it differed slightly with each telling.

“She screeched at you with snakes coming out of her head? She’s a Medusa? But I th…thought you said she said that you made her laugh. Can banshees actually change form while laughing and suck...sucking your soul?” He laughed himself as Alexander nodded violently and threw back his brandy but missed his mouth completely. The stain ran down his already filthy cravat.

Alexander looked surprised at discovering that his glass was once again empty and refilled it as he spoke.

“We didn’t get to the sucking souls part or I wouldn’t be here, would I?” He nodded again and spread his hands as if he spoke the obvious. “She spoke in Arabic too. I thought it was Russian first of all but now I know I was mistaken.” He waggled his finger under Giles’s nose as he tried to focus his gaze on his friend but gave up and his head sank forwards onto his chest.

Giles hiccupped as he thought about this for a few moments.

“Arabic? How odd. I thought Banshees came from Ireland. Surely she would speak Gael… Gael...Irwish?” He struggled with his own words as his tongue contorted strangely in his mouth.

Alexander snorted and waved his arms expansively. The brandy spilled over his cuff.

“Since the war we seem to let any riff raff in the country. She must have told them she was a ref…refugee from France and some fool at Dover believed her.” He belched again.

Giles breathed out slowly and tried to focus on the table. It swam before his eyes and he placed a hand on it to steady the motion.

“Now I know you are in your cups. I thought you said that she spoke Arabic. How would any of the customs men know what she said? Was it the serpent heads speaking in many for...forked tongues perhaps?”

Alexander frowned and then stopped as pain rippled across his forehead. He decided that he needed some air. He tried to stand to go and open the window but his feet didn’t move at the same time as his body. He overbalanced and staggered forwards quickly to keep himself upright but now his feet were further ahead than his body. He grabbed the fireside chair for support. The chair tipped up beside him and he dropped his brandy glass as he fell onto his backside. His whole body slumped to the floor and he lay there staring glassily up at Giles.

“I bet she stole the sailor’s so…souls so that they couldn’t report her,” he mumbled and then he turned onto his side and began to snore.

Giles raised an eyebrow and toed his friend with his boot clad foot.

“So she is a mermaid then.” He scratched his head and kicked Alexander gently. “Wake up man. You have me all confused. Is she a goddess, a banshee, a medusa or a mermaid?” He kicked harder but Alexander continued to snore.

There was a sudden commotion at the door as the landlord of the Bear and Dragon came rushing in at the sound of his best private salon being wrecked by the two supposed gentlemen. He looked down at Alexander’s snoring form and turned towards Giles who though drunk, was at least still upright.

“Now look here young gents, I can’t ‘ave any more of this behaviour. ‘Tis becoming ‘ard to keep your conversations private with you getting so badly in your cups. The whole town is already talking about the Banshee that haunts Ormond. Take the young Duke back to ‘is ‘ome and ‘is new Duchess. ‘e can’t stay here on the floor again.” The landlord gave Alexander a nudge with his foot. Alexander grunted and then went back to his snoring.

Giles sighed wearily. Three days of solid drinking were telling on him. He raised his eyebrow at the landlord and then had to wink several times to get it come back down from his forehead again. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

“Have a heart. There will be no moving him tonight. Bring him a blanket, will you. That will suffice for now. I’ll take him home in the morning, banshees, serpents, mermaids or not.”

The landlord threw up his hands in despair. The two gentlemen had appeared within an hour of each other three evenings previously and had spent the intervening period attempting to drink his cellars dry. The innkeeper had heard many lurid stories in the intervening days since Alexander’s wedding ball but he had wisely kept his mouth shut and refused to be drawn on the young grooms where-a-bouts.

Giles had remained marginally more sober throughout the affair though not by much. Now he moved to the other, still upright chair by the fire and slumped down in it. He stared down at his sleeping friend and then looked up briefly as the landlord returned with two blankets. The man passed one to Giles.

“I’ll be bringing you both tea from now on. And I want you both gone in the morning.” He threw the other blanket over Alexander’s prostrate form and retreated from the room, gathering the empty brandy bottles as he went.

Alexander opened his eyes and shut them again quickly. Sunlight streamed in at the window and he covered his face with his forearm as he struggled to open them again. He attempted to sit up but had to give up and lay there for several seconds as the room spun, righted itself, then tipped before it settled itself again. His head pounded and for a moment he wondered if he had been punched but after running his hand over his stubble covered jaw, snippets of memory came back to him.

He couldn’t even think how long he had been there but from the sour smell wafting from his own body and the length of his beard he guessed that it must be several days. He looked around the room and noticed Giles slumped in a chair beside the fire. He was about to speak when the door cracked open and the landlord came in bearing a tray of tea and pastries. He looked down at Alexander who didn’t even try to pretend he was anywhere near sober.

“There’s a bath waiting in your room, Your Grace. I suggest that you drink this and eat a bite, then go and partake of it while I see what we can do with your clothes. Your cravat is going to be impossible I’m afraid but Annie may be able to do something with your shirt and trousers.”

Alexander glanced down at his ruined cravat and attempted to reply but found, rather alarmingly, that his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. He nodded and kicked out his boot towards Giles’s foot. His friend grunted, opened his eyes then shot up in the chair and flung his hands up over his face.

“Don’t let her take my soul!” Giles shouted into his palm before realizing that he had been dreaming.

Alexander snorted with laughter but then stopped as his head felt as though it was about to explode. He tore his tongue from the roof of his mouth and shook himself.

“Good Lord! I feel as though I have been preserved in brandy.”

The landlord began pouring the tea.

“Preserved! You both smell as though you have been pickled in it.” He observed as he passed a cup of dark brew to both of the young men and then offered them a pastry before shaking his head in dismay and walking out of the room.

Alexander sipped the beverage gratefully and chewed the sugared dainty. He drew a sharp breath and clapped his hand to his brow as the sugar rushed to his head.

Giles gulped down his tea and reached over to pour another. He drank the second cup more slowly as he gathered his thoughts.

“This won’t do you know. You have to go back to Ormond and sort this out. There really is no such thing as a banshee or a mermaid. The poor woman clearly has a speech impediment.”

Alexander sighed and put his cup on the table.

“I know that, but it was such a shock what with her maid ordering us about and my bride waving her arms while making that God awful noise. You saw how tiny and beautiful she is. Graceful too. We’d danced so beautifully together and I thought things were going well, all things considered but then there was this horrible loud braying. Absolutely dreadful! It sounded exactly like the knife sharpener’s donkey when he doesn’t want to pull the cart. It was so incongruous coming from such a beauty that I panicked. It’s quite clear now why her father wanted rid of her and bought up all of Phillip’s debts. Expensive way to get rid of her if you ask me. By the looks of her many men would have done it for nothing but I don’t know what she or any of our guests must be thinking of me. I’ve acted like a complete arse!”

Giles laughed and nodded in agreement but then stopped as his head felt as though it might wobble from his neck. He waved his hand dismissively.

“Forget about the guests. Grady saw them all off not long after you had retired for the night. They weren’t expecting too much anyway what with the hurried nature of the wedding and the lateness of the invitations. They didn’t have a clue about you leaving Ormond but I can take a pretty good guess what your wife is thinking about you. She’s going to think that you are a rude, inconsiderate, miserable lout and she wouldn’t be far wrong. Her wedding night Alex? What on earth were you thinking?”

Alexander raised an ironic eyebrow.

“Thanks for spelling that out so graphically. It was my wedding night too you know but you have made me feel so much better about myself,” he said sarcastically as he shoved his booted feet beneath him and staggered upwards. He bent and righted the fallen chair and then massaged his hands into the small of his back. “I had forgotten what sleeping on a hard floor feels like. I’m going up to take advantage of that bath our landlord has graciously supplied and then I’m going home to face the music. I want to sleep in my own bed tonight.”

Giles levered himself out of the chair.

“Want me to come along as back up?” he asked as he picked up the last pastry.

Alexander shook his head and was relieved to find that the hammering had receded slightly.

“No, I’ll have to do this myself or forever be named a coward. I feel bad enough about it as it is. Arabian banshees with serpents coming out of their heads indeed! Thank goodness it was only us two that heard me say it.”

Giles slapped his friend on the back.

“I’m surprised that you recall even that much though you appear to have forgotten that she might be a mermaid too what with the way she swallows sailor’s souls.”

Alexander rolled his eyes.

“Good heavens! I clearly have an excellent imagination when in my cups but really, it’s not one of my better memories I can assure you.” He plucked at his filthy shirt. “You could do me one favour. Send up to Ormond for Grady. Ask him to bring fresh clothes and my shaving gear. I don’t think whatever Annie can do is going to be good enough to sort this lot out.”

Giles raised his eyebrows and grinned at what had been Alexander’s wedding outfit. He looked down at his own sorry appearance and decided he could do with a bath also. He strode through to find the landlord to send a message to Ormond and then he followed Alexander up the stairs to repair his own attire.

Midnight was not happy. He tossed his proud head and pulled against the bit as Alexander held him in check. He wouldn’t have minded letting the big horse have his head but he didn’t think that his still churning stomach could suffer the ride. He kept the horse at a steady pace as they drew up to the castle.

He noted a couple of places where the outer walls had begun to collapse and he made up his mind that those would be the next areas of attention after he had seen his new wife.

He hung his head in shame at the thought of his appalling behaviour. The poor woman had probably suffered all her life. He knew exactly why he had never heard of her before. No father would dare to give her a come out. She’d probably spent the best part of her life behind locked doors.

He’d gathered as much from the heated argument he had with Carter when he had arrived at the inn three days before. The man claimed that he knew nothing of it only that Hardacre had kept her secluded from the world and agreed to the settlement of all bills if the Duke would accept his daughter as his bride.

He raised a hand to Geoffrey who was running across the lawn towards him, apparently in some distress. Alexander immediately brought Midnight to a halt.

Geoffrey didn’t preamble.

“Thank God you’re back! I was about to send word. That bloody rabid dog has been on the prowl again. I had hoped that it might be dead by now but we had another sheep savaged the night before last. Grady swears he saw the thing wandering around the gardens, foaming at the mouth only this morning. I’ve been searching since he told me but no luck so far. I keep feeling as though the damned thing is about to creep up behind me before I get the chance to shoot him.”

Alexander scanned the gardens quickly.

“I’ve not seen it while on my way here. It must be somewhere close still. Have you told the household to stay inside while we make a good search?”

“Sarah and the Mistress’s new maid went into town first thing this morning after they brought your fresh clothes. They took the cart so that only leaves Her Grace, Grady, cook, Beth and me. The Curnow lads are out over in long meadow but they took one of the horses so will be able to avoid the creature if necessary.”

Alexander took one more look about the immediate vicinity. There were too many shrubs and hedges to get a clear view.

“I’ll go and grab my guns. We’ll have to trap it between us. I’ll make sure Grady knows to keep everyone inside too. It’s a damned nuisance especially as the day is so beautiful. We could have done with airing a few of the ground floor rooms,” he coughed into his hand and fiddled with and invisible thread on his cuff. “Do you happen to know where the Duchess is at present?”

Geoffrey grinned up at him, the rabid beast momentarily forgotten as Alexander’s face flushed beneath his post binge pallor.

“Ha! Come home to eat humble pie have you? She’s a beautiful woman that’s for sure, not that I’ve been anywhere near her of course but I did see her in the ballroom yesterday as they were arranging fresh flowers. Her maid was with her and shooed me away from the window. You had probably best go and apologize while the dragon is out. I wouldn’t bet much on your chances of getting near your wife while she’s around.”

Alexander rolled his eyes for what felt like the fifth time that morning and dug his heels into Midnight’s sides. He took off at a trot and tied the horse near the front door. Grady stood inside the hall. All signs of the wedding ball had been removed and he strode through the hall into the gun room. He picked up two of his father’s muskets, grabbed up shot and powder, before he loaded his own pistol and dropped it into his coat pocket. He heard familiar shuffling behind him and glanced over his shoulder.

“Grady, have you seen my wife?”

Grady stepped back and looked horrified as Alexander marched out of the gunroom with a musket in each hand.

“Dear God Sir, she’s not as bad as all that. Give her a chance I beg of you, you’ll see that she’s not really mad, she’s only…” Grady began stammering.

Alexander stopped and bellowed with laughter.

“I’m not going to shoot her, you fool. I know that it’s only a speech impediment. I want to see her and apologize for my appalling behaviour before I spend the rest of the day searching for this damned rabid dog. I can’t leave the situation with her as it is a moment longer.”

Grady beamed in obvious relief.

“Well thank God for that. I had visions of the magistrate taking you away for murder. She’s in the long salon looking at sketches if I remember rightly. She found a box of those ones your brother used to draw when he was inventing stuff. They were in the library. I had no idea that we’d kept them. She seems to like them though.”

Alexander was rather alarmed that Grady thought it more worrying that Alexander be arrested than a woman be shot but he let that go as he pondered what else the man had said.

“I didn’t know Phillip had kept them either,” but then he remembered that his brother was a meticulous cataloguer. He couldn’t think what had caught Elizabeth’s attention with them though. As far as he remembered the drawings of steam driven carriages and flying machines all became rather ridiculous after the blown up barn incident. His father had confiscated the drawings and he had thought that they were destroyed but apparently not. He wondered for a moment if there was the plan of the steam carriage amongst them. He sincerely hoped not. The thought that anyone would ever try to make such an ill thought out machine again brought a shudder to his frame.

He sighed as he always did after remembering that day. He would always remember the dark eyed, curly haired child who had died in the explosion. It had been a terrible accident and one for which he had felt guilty for many years, though strictly speaking the incident hadn’t been his fault but he always wished that he hadn’t avoided the little girl that morning. If she’d been sat on the straw bales with him instead of hiding at the back of the barn Phillip would probably have saved her too. Instead she’d been blown through the wall like so much of the rubble and had died in her father’s arms a few days later.

“I don’t know that those drawings are suitable for a young woman to be looking at. Phillip had some rather outlandish ideas in his youth.”

Grady sniffed.

“Well, she seems to like them and I didn’t have the heart to take them from her when it appears that she’s not interested in any of the books and you were not here to keep your bride entertained.” The admonishment was clear in the old man’s tone

Alexander rolled his eyes yet again. He drew in an ashamed breath as he placed the two muskets on the hall table and went in search of his wife. He really couldn’t fault Grady’s treatment of the woman but Phillip’s old pictures were hardly riveting. He wondered why she hadn’t gone to the library to choose a decent book. Not all of them were dusty old tomes the like of which his father loved. There were several shelves that his mother had collected throughout the years and he had even noticed what must have been a few of Lady Anne’s more modern novels. He thought that Elizabeth would be more interested in those. Perhaps she hadn’t found them yet. It pleased him that he would have something to show her and he strode forwards towards the salon with renewed purpose.

He hesitated as he neared the salon. A dreadful tuneless sound reached his ears. His head thumped furiously and his face blanched as he realized that the noise was someone attempting to sing. He had the awful suspicion that he knew who it would be. He pressed the door open and stood on the threshold of the big room.

The first thing he noticed was his beautiful wife sitting on the floor in a pool of mint silk surrounded by scraps of paper that were covered with intricate drawings. Her gleaming hair sat piled on top of her head with front sections loose and curled over her milky shoulders. The noise she was making belied the picture she made. His headache lurched to the fore again and he forced himself to keep his hands at his sides and not cover his ears.

The next thing he noticed was that her beautiful raven curls lifted in the breeze drifting in the floor to ceiling windows which had been flung open to let in the early summer warmth. It teased the tendrils of his wife’s hair that lay on her swan like neck.

The scent of fresh flowers caught in air and his mind blocked out the awful singing as he gazed entranced at the woman sitting on the floor. She was completely beautiful, stunned all of his senses and he felt his heart give a violent throb. He was about to move forwards to greet her with his abject apology while begging her forgiveness for being a prize clod when a slight and unwelcome movement in his periphery vision caught his attention.

He lifted his eyes to look away from the gorgeous pale neck that demanded his kisses and froze as he at last noticed the huge, mangy dog standing on the terrace outside one of the tall windows. It looked to be some type of wolfhound; it was certainly big enough, standing almost waist height to a man. Its matted grey fur tufted out at all angles and patches of bare, festering skin were visible along its sides. Apart from obviously being in some pain the animal appeared to be annoyed at the dreadful noise his wife was making. The dog snarled and shook his huge head. Thick, foaming drool trailed from its slathering jaws and sprayed trails across the terrace.

Alexander nearly passed out as Elizabeth remained sitting there, her head bowed, her exposed neck looking invitingly delicious as the dog took an ominous step forwards.

Alexander reached into his jacket pocket and quietly picked out his pistol.

The dog took another two steps and passed the threshold of the room. It growled menacingly at Elizabeth who sat there with her back to the beast, apparently completely unaware of the danger she was in. The dog growled louder as its hackles rose and its red rimmed eyes gleamed greedily. It let out a low, fierce bark and still Elizabeth sang tunelessly on as she sifted through the papers.

It took Alexander a whole three seconds to realize why his wife wasn’t terrified and fainting on the floor. He gulped down his fear as it struck him with the force of a charging bull.

Dear God alive! She doesn’t only have a speech impediment, you great fool…The poor woman is stone deaf!

No wonder her voice sounded so odd and no wonder she had not replied once to his questions three days earlier. It all became startlingly clear. She could lip read when he faced her as she had when he had asked her to remove her veil but if she didn’t have a view of your mouth she couldn’t know that anyone had spoken. She hadn’t heard a damned thing he’d said most of the time and she certainly couldn’t hear the murderous creature that now stood feasting its hungry eyes on her tantalizing neck from only a few feet away.

Alexander raised his pistol and stepped a careful pace closer to his unsuspecting wife. The dog sank into a low crouch and gathered its hindquarters, ready to spring at the beautiful creature who was sending it mad with the dreadful noise. Foaming strands of yellow, drool dripped from its gaping mouth as its lips quivered back and its bared teeth formed a vicious snarl.

Something must have caught Elizabeth’s attention because she looked up from the scattered drawings. She smiled widely as she noticed Alexander only yards from her and then her smile froze on her face as she saw that her husband was not smiling back at her but standing there, pistol in hand, aiming it directly towards her head. Her smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared and he saw her swallow visibly as her hands flew to her chest.

“Don’t move.” Alexander cautioned her and his heart broke as he saw a big tear run down her cheek but then she did the most extraordinary thing. She dropped her hands to her lap and lifted her chin as she closed her beautiful dark eyes.

Alexander felt his legs were about to buckle beneath him as he realized what she was doing. She thought he wanted to kill her and was giving him permission to shoot. Even though the creature was only feet away from her she had no idea that a rabid dog was about to ravage her beautiful throat.

The beast sprang at the same time as Alexander fired his one shot. The dog yelped in pain and twisted in mid air as rabid foam and saliva sprayed across Elizabeth shoulders and hair. Blood spattered down her mint coloured dress and the dog dropped into a heap only a hairsbreadth behind her.

Alexander charged forwards and grabbed a stunned Elizabeth up from the floor. He immediately lugged off his cravat and wiped her shoulders and hair of drool before he turned her in his arms and dragged her into his chest. She struggled for a moment and he let her go just far enough that she could see the huge dog that lay twitching and drawing in its last on the rug a mere few inches away from where she had been sitting.

Alexander felt a deep shudder run through her whole body. The blood drained from her beautiful face as her legs collapsed under her. He scooped her trembling form into his arms as he began yelling for Grady. The old man was at the door in moments. Horror registered on his face as he saw her blood spattered dress and the huge animal lying on the rug only a few feet away.

“Heaven help her! Is she harmed?”

Alexander held her even tighter. His arms contracted in a vice like grip and he knew that he could ever let her go ever again. He forced his words from between terrified lips.

“No, she’s only shocked. She hadn’t heard the dog. She thought I was about to shoot her.” Pain lanced through his hear at the very thought. “I’m taking your Mistress to my rooms. Fill my bath and bring an old sheet. I need the water as hot as you can make it and I need a lot of it. Bring your Mistress’s soap and other bathing accoutrements too. Her maid is out and I will attend her. I’ll need a bath too when I’ve cleared this mess. Don’t you or anyone else touch a thing in here; there is no need for others to take any risks. I’ll need Geoff to make a fire so that we can burn everything that damned beast’s drool touched.” He was about to issue more orders when pounding footsteps skidded to a halt on the terrace and a breathless Geoffrey appeared at the window. The sound of the shot had brought him running from the other side of the garden and he looked aghast at the dog lying bleeding on the rug. He fell against the window frame as he stared at the fainting woman in Alexander’s arms.

“Dear God! Did it bite her?” The dread in his voice was undeniable.

Alexander shook his head quickly to reassure his friend.

“No, she’s fine, but it was a near thing. She fainted when she saw how close she had come to being savaged. I came in here to look for her and tell her I was home. I was going to ask her to see me when we had finished our search for the beast but it was coming through the window as I arrived here. The damned thing must have doubled back after you trailed it earlier.” He dropped his gaze to the beautiful woman in his arms and gathered her even closer to him. He looked back up at his steward. “She’s completely deaf, Geoff, and didn’t hear the thing when it snarled at her. I nearly died of fright when it sprang at her throat. It didn’t bite her but its saliva and blood sprayed everywhere.” Alexander paled at the thought of what might have happened if he had been any later in coming home. He shook himself mentally as he looked down again at the woman cradled in his arms. “I’m going to take her to bathe now. Wrap the beast in the rug and burn the lot. I’ll bring down our clothes to burn too. I’ll need buckets of hot water in here and soap too. The floor must be scrubbed but don’t you touch anything. I am already contaminated though at no danger. I would rather not have anyone else put at risk. If her Grace’s maid should arrive please send her to my room as soon as you can. I have a feeling that her mistress will be in need of her.”

Geoffrey looked as though he was about to protest and volunteer to clean the salon but Alexander was adamant and waited until his steward had nodded in agreement. He asked Geoffrey to light a bonfire to burn the beast’s rotting carcass.

Grady had already scuttled off to ready the bath before he carried his wife from the salon and up the ancient stone stairs. He walked straight to his own rooms and shouldered the door open.

Elizabeth’s eyelids fluttered and she woke at the sudden lurch. She stiffened in his arms. He walked into his chambers and after first making sure that she could see his lips, he asked her if she thought she might be able to stand. She nodded and he moved towards the fire where he placed her on her feet and then asked her to stay still while he found her a suitable robe.

He took some swift steps to his wardrobe and tugged out his silk dressing gown. He lay it over the back of the chair and then stood before Elizabeth. He waited until her eyes fixed on his lips.

“We need to get rid of your clothes as soon as possible. I don’t want there to be any chance of that beast’s saliva tainting your blood. We’re going to have to burn everything. Can you undress yourself or do you need help?”

She stared up at Alexander for a few seconds and then she appeared to make up her mind and turned her back. She indicated the buttons that ran down her back. It immediately became apparent that she could reach the top one or two but it couldn’t unfasten those lower down. Alexander stepped forwards and worked on them quickly. There was a knock at the door and Grady came in with two huge steaming buckets and an old sheet over his arm. Beth followed close behind him with more pails of scented water. They quickly walked to the tub behind the screen and then left with a promise of more water in a few moments.

Alexander undid the last button on his wife’s dress and the pale green fabric slid from her shoulders. He closed his eyes as her milk white skin caught him unawares. She wriggled her hips and her dress slithered to the floor. She stepped out of it leaving her standing in her corset and pantaloons. Alexander came forwards again and began taking the pins from her hair. She stared at his reflection in the dressing table mirror with big dark eyes as her curls fell about her shoulders. He dropped the last pin in his silver stud tray on the dresser before he stood back and looked at his wife. He could barely suppress the groan of desire that rose to his lips. She tugged at the ribbons at the back of the corset and then gave an annoyed grunt as they would not come undone.

Taking a deep breath and mustering all of his self control, Alexander concentrated on the matter in hand and unthreaded the boned contraption. At last it came away from her body leaving the thin fabric of her chemise as her last protection.

Beth came in again with more water along with soap and hair lotions. She flushed as she saw her mistress’s state of undress and after tipping the hot water in the tub, hurried back out of the room without saying a word.

Alexander could hardly breathe. His wife’s skin at the base of her neck had taken on a pale pink tinge. Her lashes swept down almost kissing her rose pink cheeks as her fingertips reached for the ribbon at the neck of her chemise. Alexander swallowed audibly as she pulled the lace and the gathering at her breast loosened.

He couldn’t move, couldn’t even take a breath. If he did he would be on her like a rutting bull. The tips of her nipples tightened under his scrutiny and as if in a trance, he reached around her body and lifted a finger to touch one. He brushed the very tip of his finger across the silk covered bud. Elizabeth’s eyes flew wide open and she gasped as the sensations shot through her.

Alexander came even closer his eyes riveted to the reflection in the mirror. Her beautiful mounds of flesh heaved beneath the near transparent material that hid her breasts. They were high but not too tight. There was a gentle dip that made him want to test the weight of them in his hands. Her nipples were dark, jutting forwards and straining the delicate material. He ached to have one in his mouth, to suckle at the juicy morsel for hours on end.

He took a deep breath and grit his teeth determinedly. She needed to wash and get over the shock of the rabid dog, not have her husband attempting to ravage her. He grabbed the robe and draped it over her shoulders, pulling it tight together at her throat. He took a step away and motioned for her to go behind the bathing screen before he did something unforgivable. He made sure that she could see his lips as he spoke.

“The dog was infected with a terrible disease. You need to take a bath while I get rid of these clothes, I’ll need your undergarments too. I don’t know if any of the infection soaked through and contaminated them. Scrub every inch of your body and don’t forget to wash your hair,” his voice was hoarse with repressed need, barely above a whisper but she nodded quickly, her breathing coming in shallow gasps and he looked into her wide eyes as she slipped away from him behind the screen.

A few seconds later his robe and her underclothes were tossed around the screen. He stood trembling for moments on end, knowing that she was only feet from him and totally naked. He took control of his senses before he bent and gathered the garments, still warm from her body, into a bundle. He quickly stripped his own outer clothes and dumped them in the old sheet. He placed the bundle by his door and grabbed up his silk robe. He flung it over the top of the screen and was about to tell her to use it after her bath when he remembered that she wouldn’t know that he had spoken unless she saw him.

He stood and listened to the water sloshing about and gripped the edge of the screen. Without examining his motives too closely he decided that as her maid still hadn’t arrived she would probably need help with her hair. He waved his arm about around the edge of the screen as a warning of his entrance and was rewarded with her strange voice calling to him.

“Alssanda? You wan’ to tall to me?”

His heart lurched in his chest as he wondered what her life had been like before he had met her. He was desperate to know. He walked around the screen and smiled as he saw his wife smothered from head to toe in glorious bubbles. She smiled shyly at him as he fell to his knees beside the tub and her face blushed scarlet as her curious eyes wandered to his bare chest. She dropped her gaze instantly but Alexander lifted her chin for her to look directly at him.

“Would you like me to wash your hair? I must ensure none of that beast’s saliva is left on you. I would rather do it myself than have you miss anything.”

She blinked up at him slowly and then she nodded.

“It would feel goodh to be kleen.” Tears glittered in her eyes as she spoke. “I didn see tha animal. I thor you would shoot me. You scart me with your pistol. I was so fraid of you.” She shivered uncontrollably.

Alexander’s head drooped on his shoulders. He felt more than ashamed of his treatment of her so far. The woman deserved far better. He had to reassure her of his intentions.

“My God woman, you never have to be afraid of me. I wouldn’t hurt a hair of your head, much less shoot you. I can only apologize for my dreadful behaviour and beg your forgiveness for the past three days. It’s not how any marriage should begin,” he replied as it took less than a moment for him to realize that he understood every word she had spoken.

She shook her head at him.

“I shud have splained to you but I was scared. I am sorry you ha’ to marry me.” She cast her eyes down again as she sloshed water over her shoulders and rubbed the bubbles over her creamy skin.

He wanted to tell her that none of it mattered. He couldn’t take his eyes from her. Mesmerized by her beauty, he was about to dip his hands in the water and scoop the bubbles over her hair when he heard his bedroom door burst open and Grady’s outraged shout.

“You can’t go in there now woman. Mistress is taking a bath and His Grace is attending her.”

There was a sharp intake of breath.

“I’ll bet he’s attending her, the brute.” The woman’s response to Grady was less than encouraging and Alexander quickly dried his hands on the sheet at the bath side. He mouthed ‘your maid has arrived’ to Elizabeth who smiled and carried on washing as he listened to the woman yell again.

“What have you done with her?” Her shout almost shook the windows. Alexander sprang up from the tub and peered around the screen. Elizabeth’s maid stood with her hands placed firmly on her hips, glaring at him. “So, you dare to show your face back here again. Get out while I tend to my Lady. That fool Grady says that she was attacked by a rabid dog but I can only see one animal in here.”

Alexander was so taken aback by her hostility that he temporarily lost the power of speech. He grabbed his robe from over the screen and put it on, tying it securely at his waist before he revealed himself wearing nothing but his undergarments to the harridan. He used the few seconds quiet to regain his wits and then stepped out from behind the screen.

“Madam, as to how I dare show my face here, well, I do own the place. You would do well to remember that fact before you begin accusing me of any trespass and regardless of what you think was happening in here I can assure you that I was only about to wash my wife’s hair. I would prefer to do it myself rather than the chance of spreading any infection from a rabid dog.”

The woman snorted in derision.

“Rabid dog my arse! That’s what you say now but then we haven’t seen hide nor hair of you since the wedding. Much good it would have done my mistress if this rabid dog had turned up during in the last three days. You weren’t here to protect her then and you’re certainly not needed now.”

She folded her arms across her chest and Alexander could see that she was not about to back down. He was about to defend himself and his actions but quickly realized that he actually had no defence. His shoulders slumped.

Elizabeth began to hum from behind the screen. The noise was hideous and he was about to cover his ears when something of a memory came back to him. He stopped dead and listened to his wife’s awful tune but then shook his head. The awful noise carried on. He swore that he’d never heard anything quite like it. He was imagining that it was a memory but it was more likely to be a lingering side effect from all the brandy he had drunk while down at the Bear and Dragon. He seemed to remember Giles singing at one point during their three day drinking session. The man could hold a tune about as well as his wife.

He strode past the glaring maid and frowned as he picked up the bundle of soiled clothes by the door.

“I’m going to see that all our clothes are burned. Please attend to my wife. I will be back to take my own bath within the hour.” He stalked out of his room with as much bluster as he could manage and slammed the door behind him.

The maid bustled around the screen and threw up her hands at the sight of Elizabeth lying in a sea of frothing bubbles. She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“You will have to play harder to get than this, Miss. Do you want him to love you forever or merely to take you for a quick tumble? Men are fickle with their women. I know that you look lovely but your disability and that voice of yours will be hard to get over. You’ll have to make him want you with more than passion if he’s to forget your deficiency and your father’s deception.” She sighed and took up the cloth from the edge of the tub. She rubbed it gently over Elizabeth’s shoulders.

Elizabeth looked up at her maid.

“Alassander saveft me from an ‘orrible beast. He will luff me soon. He must for I will ‘av’ no one els’.” She lay back in the tub and let her maid rub the soapy water over her arms.

Betty stopped rubbing and looked at her mistress.

“You will have me. I won’t leave you alone.” She stood up and quickly and peered back around the screen. They were still alone. Betty took a letter from her pocket and passed it to Elizabeth. “I went to see Beatrice while I was in town. She passed me this to give to you.”

Elizabeth shook her damp hands and then opened the letter.

“It is from fadder.” She frowned at the words. “I have to find jewels?” She looked up at her maid. “What jewels?”

Betty took the letter from her mistress.

“He wants you to find the Ormond jewels and bring them to him. Dear God! Is there no end to his greed? Isn’t it enough that you are no longer a burden to him and that he is rid of you?”

Elizabeth crumpled the letter.

“I canno’ steal from Alessander Betty. He saveft my life. I won’t do anything to hurt him. We mus’ burn this ledder before anyone else sees it.”

Betty picked up a jug and filled it with the water. She paused before running it over Elizabeth’s hair.

“Don’t worry, my Lady. We will have him grovelling on his knees before you know it. Your father’s stupid ideas will not matter a wit.” She gently began tipping the warm water over her mistress’s hair.

Alexander knocked on his bedroom door an hour later and was relieved when there was no response. He didn’t think he could take the sight of his naked wife again without ravishing her on the spot and he definitely couldn’t take another dressing down from her vicious tongued maid. He wondered where the woman had learned to dress-down a Duke so efficiently. She looked to be only a year or two older than his wife and was about the same weight and height.

He opened the heavy door and peered around his room to make sure that no one was still there but his chambers, although fragrant with Elizabeth’s scent, were silent and empty. He looked to where her pins still sat in his stud tray and breathed out a sigh of relief.

He didn’t think his throbbing head could stand another tongue lashing from that shrew of a maid and he didn’t trust himself at all in his beautiful wife’s presence.

The very thought of her pale skin and her delicious dark red nipples had him almost bursting the breeches he had borrowed from Grady.

He peered behind the bath screen and was pleased to discover that fresh water had already been drawn. He stripped down quickly and stepped into the tub. His soap had a more masculine scent and he rubbed it all over his body before sitting down in the water and pulling the silk ribbon holding his hair. The stench of burning dog still lingered and he scooped the suds all over his head lathering it as much as possible before bending his knees to their tightest, sliding down and dunking his head under the water.

When he came up for air the burned dog smell was gone and he lay back in the warm water to relax for a moment. His mind immediately filled with the memory of Elizabeth’s naked, foam smothered form. His own body reacted violently and he felt himself hardening rapidly.

He groaned as desire filled him to the point of near pain and without considering resisting the urge, he took the soap in his hand before slickening his tight skin and stroking himself gently. He closed his eyes and relaxed even further in the warm water as he remembered her dress sliding from her milk white shoulders, how her corset fell to the floor leaving her in a nearly transparent chemise and pantaloons. His blood thundered through his veins and his hand’s pace quickened as he remembered the feel of her rosy nipple under his fingertip.

His visions expanded and engulfed him in unfamiliar emotions. Lust was part of it but there was something else there too. She had felt comfortable in his arms as he had carried her to his room. Her head had nestled perfectly into his shoulder, her breath had whispered across his neck and everything had felt right about it.

What had happened later still flooded his mind but it was with a care that he wanted her. He wanted her to want him back. The thought of her crying out his name as he took her, brought her to paradise with him as only true lovers can, was too much. His head fell back and his mouth opened on a deep groan as he whispered,

‘Elizabeth.’

The depth of his climax caught him unawares. He shuddered for what felt like minutes before he opened his eyes and the room came back into focus.

He pushed himself upright in the bath and took a deep, calming breath. His essence covered his hand and he stared at it for a long moment almost ashamed at his lack of self-control. This wasn’t his normal behaviour; he could usually bite down feelings of lust, but with her it was becoming impossible. He rinsed his hand and stomach and climbed out of the bath feeling a complete heel for what he had done. He grabbed up his drying sheet and gave himself a brisk rub all over before donning his robe.

He moved over to his dressing table and picked up his comb, dragging it through his long hair and tying it back from his face with a fresh black ribbon. He put the comb down again and was about to turn to his wardrobe to find a clean shirt and breeches when his hand stopped in mid-air and he stared down at his dressing table in mute horror.

His silver stud tray was empty.

He spun to the door aghast at the thought that someone may have seen or heard him taking his own pleasure. He swallowed as he realized that it could only be Elizabeth or her maid as no one else would know where her pins were. For some reason he doubted it was the maid. There was no way a woman of her nature could have held her tongue if she had seen the state of his arousal. She would have more than likely picked up his open razor that lay beside his stud tray and sliced his offending protuberance off. He winced at the notion but the thought that Elizabeth might have seen him was equally disturbing. She would think he was like some kind of debase animal. His cheeks burned in humiliation as he looked back at the scene of his shame and was relieved to see that the tub wasn’t visible from the dressing table area. If she had only come to pick up her pins then his secret moment of weakness may still be safe. Being deaf she wouldn’t have heard him sloshing wildly in the bathwater so her curiosity wouldn’t have been roused.

He quickly chose a shirt and breeches and dragged them on. He wanted to check that the salon had been set to rights after the floor mopping and finding of a replacement rug. He left his room quickly but then stopped only yards down the corridor as he caught the sound of his wife’s tuneless singing coming from her room. He closed his eyes for a long moment as something tugged at him, a memory of tuneless songs that had driven him to distraction but it was out of reach and he shook his head as he began walking again.

Elizabeth couldn’t stop her heart fluttering beneath her breast. The strange ache between her thighs pulsed madly and she pressed her legs together as she sat at her dressing table in the desperate hope that these strange sensations would leave her soon.

She had opened the connecting door between hers and her husband’s room and run in wearing only her clean chemise and pantaloons to collect her forgotten hair pins while Betty selected a fresh gown from her dressing room.

She had thought his room was empty and she gathered the pins quickly from the tray but the scent of masculine soap roused her curiosity. She sniffed the hay air as she spied his discarded gown and breeches and peeped around the bathing screen. Her hand had shot to her lips masking her gasp at what she saw there.

Alexander lay back in the far too small tub, his muscled shoulders gleaming damply, his sculpted chest looking like one of the statues of the Gods. The water came up as high as his ridged stomach but his long, lean legs were sprawled apart, one over the edge of the tub and the other somewhere beneath the water. His hand was wrapped tightly around a huge length of throbbing flesh that protruded through the water from somewhere between his thighs. She watched in fascination as he moved his hand slowly up and down the length of himself.  Seconds later his pace quickened. His chest rose and fell deeply as he dragged in gasping breaths.

She glanced at his face and for a moment he appeared to be in pain as he threw his head back, but then his expression turned to complete wonder and she saw his lips move.

‘Elizabeth!’

His mouth formed her name and she looked back down to where his hand had now stilled as a great spurt of thick, white fluid erupted from his flesh. His body began to shudder as more of the creamy liquid appeared and splashed onto his stomach and then he sank back into the water with a deliciously sated smile on his face.

She stepped back quickly, not wanting him to discover her watching him and she quietly tiptoed from the room.

She wasn’t sure exactly what she had seen. It was clearly a private moment of almost painful pleasure but she wondered as she read his lips, what part she had played in his satisfaction. Her cheeks heated and her breasts tingled inside her chemise. She hadn’t dared to tell Betty that he had already touched one of them. The memory of it caused her legs to tremble such was the desire she had felt and she could feel it again now.

The part of him that he had stroked had been huge and she remembered the feel of something firm prodding into her back as he had carried her on their wedding day. This was clearly the same part of him but she was surprised that something that big wasn’t visible inside his trousers at all times.

Did all men have this length of thick, pulsing flesh between their thighs? She certainly hadn’t noticed anything like it before but then she hadn’t met many men except her father, Carter and the men who worked at Ormond. None of them had shown any evidence of huge amounts of rigid flesh in their breeches, though she knew there was definitely something more than she had there.

She pondered for a moment. Grady wore his trousers very loose so it was too hard to tell. There was the butcher’s boy of course, and the lad that delivered the bread but they hardly counted as they were not half the size or height of Alexander and their flesh may not have shown. She thought of her husband’s friend, Giles Denvers. She had barely noticed him at the wedding and hadn’t seen him since but when she thought about his fine figure and skin hugging breeches she clearly remembered the outline of something behind his placket. Alexander’s flesh had looked huge in comparison but then she realized that it didn’t look this way at all times. It clearly grew in relation to the amount of pleasure one gave it. Alexander had looked as though he might be about to ascend to heaven.

She wished that she could ask Betty what it meant but she couldn’t. She wasn’t sure that Betty would know any more than she did herself. It was very frustrating.

She sat back down on her chair and hummed a tune from her childhood while Betty lay a fresh dress on the bed. The maid then moved behind her and began to brush her curls, piling them on the top of her head and fixing them with the pins. Her riotous hair tumbled about her face and tickled her already sensitive neck. It felt like Alexander’s hot breath. She bit back the gasp that threatened to escape her lips and concentrated on her reflection in the mirror. Betty quickly finished her hair and it wasn’t long before she was tied into her corset and buttoned into a rose coloured gown. She slid her feet into brocade slippers, took a deep breath and walked back down the stairs to wait for her first dinner with her new husband.

Chapter Eight

Progress

He was unsure how long it would take for her to be ready. His mother had always disappeared hours before the appointed meal time but Alexander was famished and he didn’t feel like waiting hours for his bride. Dinner was going to be tense enough as it was without him having his stomach rumbling throughout the first course. He almost wished he had invited Geoffrey and Giles to join them but then he cursed himself for a coward. He had served for five hard years in the Kings cavalry; there was nothing that could frighten him now. Nothing but a bewitchingly beautiful woman who happened to be his wife.

He tipped back the glass of watered wine that Grady had decided he was drinking from now on and poured another from the carafe on the buffet. The weakened wine was doing nothing for his attack of nerves and he wondered whether his father’s old stash of brandy was still hidden in the back of the glass cabinet. He shook his head. It simply wouldn’t do. He had to keep a clear head when he spoke to her; if he slurred his words she might not be able to understand him and he couldn’t risk that.

He poured a second glass of the wine for when she eventually came downstairs and was about to take a sip of his own when the door opened and Grady announced her arrival.

“Your Grace.” He gave a quick bow and grinned at Alexander as a vision of beauty stepped through the door. Whatever the shrew of the maid had done to Elizabeth’s hair and the cut of her gown left Alexander nearly gasping for air. She dazzled him anew. Everything highlighted her delicate features. Her swan like neck was unadorned and Alexander immediately became desperate to hunt down the elusive family jewels and present her with something suitable to grace her flawless flesh. Tight and low cut in the bodice, the aqua coloured gown fell like a waterfall from beneath her beautiful breasts. It wafted about her form, clinging to her curves as she walked towards him.

Alexander swallowed quickly and strode forwards to take her hand. He lifted it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her warm skin. He stood straight before he spoke, making sure that she was looking directly at him.

“My Lady, you are simply exquisite. I hope you have recovered sufficiently from the shocks of today.”

Elizabeth’s cheeks became a delicate shade of pink at his compliment and she nodded as she took the proffered glass. She sipped the pale wine and then glanced up and down Alexander’s form. For a moment he wondered at her scrutiny and hoped desperately that she wouldn’t find him lacking but then her eyes wandered lower and she appeared to study the front of his trousers.

He shifted uncomfortably and waited until she lifted her eyes before he spoke again. She flushed more deeply as she realized that he’d seen where her gaze had rested. He ignored her embarrassment.

“I hope that you have forgiven me for my appalling behaviour over the last three days. It was beyond rude of me to leave you unattended in your new home but I had no idea what was happening. I confess that for a moment I considered you mad. I’m afraid that my imagination rather ran away with me.” He felt the heat rise in his own cheeks as he made his apology.

Elizabeth stared up at him. His square jaw twitched with strain and she nodded quickly, glad to see the relief in his eyes.

“Maginations can do tha,” she agreed in her strange nasal tones and she took another sip of her wine.

Alexander looked as though he was about to speak again but Grady came in and announced dinner. Alexander proffered her his arm and she lay her gentle fingers atop his sleeve. Tremors immediately ran through him and he glanced down at her slender form.

She didn’t appear to be suffering in the same way and his pride was piqued with disappointment. She kept her eyes forward as they walked and he watched her intently knowing that it was useless to speak while she was not facing him. Her gaze slid to the right. They angled downwards slightly, her eyelashes fluttering delicately and he caught her studying the front of his trousers again.

His soul burned with shame as blood rushed to his groin and caused his breeches to tighten. He gritted his teeth and willed his arousal back down but not before he saw the small smile twitching at the corner of his new wife’s mouth.

My God! The little minx was playing with him! She had seen him in the tub and was clearly curious. He would investigate that thought further when they retired to bed but for now his stomach needed filling.

He guided her to the table and waited until she was seated before he took a seat himself. He had arranged for Grady to place the settings opposite one another, either side of the table rather than him at the head and her at the foot. To try and converse any other way was going to be far too difficult.

Grady served soup and they ate in silence but Alexander wanted to gain some more information about her and as soon as Grady removed their plates he cleared his throat and tried to gain her attention. She kept her eyes downcast but he leaned over and touched her hand. She looked up at him, glanced away again as if scared to see what he might say but when he stroked the back of her hand with gentle fingertips she lifted her gaze once more and stared at his lips.

Alexander waved a hand about the huge room.

“I had lived at Ormond all my life until I went to school and then war but I never expected to inherit it. It has come as a bit of a shock to find myself as its owner. I don’t recall any Carlton Hardacre’s from my youth. Did you live nearby?” He enquired.

Elizabeth stared at him for a moment and appeared to be very frightened. She answered by deflecting the question.

“Misser Carter sayd tha’ your family died. I am sorr’ to hear tha’.”

Alexander nodded.

“I am very sorry too. I loved my father and brother dearly. You were looking at some of Phillip’s drawings this afternoon. I hadn’t known that we kept any.” He took a bite of the roasted capon that Grady had carved onto his plate.

Elizabeth smiled at him, feeling on safer ground.

“I like the drawin’s. I can understan’ them. I like to draw. Betty says that I am goo’ at it. Books are har’. I can no’ make out all the wor’s.”

Alexander nearly dropped his fork. He swallowed before he asked the obvious question.

“You cannot read?”

Elizabeth shrugged her slender shoulders.

“The simpler wor’s but I ‘ave no one to teash me properly. Betty canno’ read very well either an’ my fadder says that is too har’ for me. I canno’ ‘ear the sounds the letters make but I would like to try. Can I ‘ave a teasher, Alassanda?” Her onyx eyes glowed hopefully.

He gulped down his shock and wondered how she had ever learned to speak if she didn’t know the sounds. It took him a few seconds to realize that she could not have been deaf her entire life.

“My dear, you can have anything you like if I can possibly afford it but Ormond has been under unusual financial strain recently. However I would be happy to try to help you myself until I am on a more secure footing. We could start tomorrow evening if you would like. I have also heard of a sign language for deaf people. Many men have come back from the war with hearing problems and a universal system is being talked of. We could ask about that too.”

Elizabeth lifted her delicate shoulders again.

“No, sign only any goo’ if others can sign too. I don’ know any other deaf people but then I don’ know many people anyway. I thin bes’ if I stay here at Ormond. I am happy here. I was miserable when we movt away.” She took a bite of her meat but her mouth stilled for a second before her eyes left his and she carried on chewing.

Alexander stared at her, momentarily unsure of her meaning but then she swallowed her food and spoke again quickly.

“There is a beesh nearby. Can we go to it if the weather is fine? We could take a pinnic or if I can ‘ave some paper and pencils I can draw.”

Alexander nodded immediately.

“I’ll have Grady find what you need. There must be piles of drawing paper bout the place. Phillip was always jotting down something new.” He was about to carry on but then he frowned at her words. The beach was nearly half a mile away and though the sea was visible from her room the beach was not obvious from Ormond. He had thought she had come straight to the church from wherever she had lived previously and the road came in from the opposite direction to the coast. He wondered how she knew about the nearby stretch of sand. He gave a small shrug. It wasn’t important. Maybe she had just assumed or perhaps Grady or one of the other servants had told her. It wasn’t as though she’d had many other people to talk to over the last few days.

“Will you come too, Alassander? It would be good to ‘ave some company.”

He smiled at her guiltily, pleased that she thought him worth getting to know even after running out on her on their wedding night, but time was not on his side. The estate still needed a firm hand.

“One day soon perhaps. I’ll make time early next week. We could go down for the morning tide.” He took a breath as he realized that it would be the first time he’d see the place since the death of his father and Phillip. He placed his fork on his plate, his appetite suddenly gone. “It won’t have good memories for me though. Both my father and brother died there.”

The blood drained from her already pale features.

“I did not kno’ tha. I am sorry to bring the subject up again. I apologize Alessanda. You won’t want to go there.” Her head went down and she didn’t look up again. He reached across the table and put his finger under her chin. She looked back up at him with wary eyes.

“You were not to know Elizabeth. You have no need to be sorry. They drowned trying to save the lives of a wrecked crew. They would have been happy knowing that some men survived,” his voice was not as steady as he had hoped it would be and he had to clear his throat.

Her hand came up to her mouth and she gave a little cry of distress as she rose to her feet and ran around the table. She dropped to her knees by his side and took hold of his hands as he looked down at her. She bent her head and kissed the backs of them.

Alexander nearly choked at her display of compassion. He drew her up from the floor and pulled her onto his lap. The top of her head fitted against his shoulder.

“It really is alright, my love. I am not sad when I think of them. I am happy to have known them and to have had their affection. They were good men,” he tried not to think of the last years of their lives as he spoke into her hair. She lifted her head from his chest and looked at him.

“Yoo said something? I fel’ your chin move.” She put her finger to his jaw and then to her hair to emphasise her point.

“Damn. I forget you cannot hear me if you cannot see my lips. It’s very frustrating.”

She threw her head back and laughed loudly. The sound honked around the long room.

“Yoo think it is frustrabing for yoo?”

Alexander’s eyes widened as he realized how stupid his words sounded and laughed back at her.

“Yes, my pet. It is for me but obviously much more for you. I wonder how you ever learned to speak at all.”

She touched a fingertip to one of her shell like ears.

“I was no’ always deaf. I learned to speak when I was little an’ I member. I was very ill and in bed for a long time and when I was better I could not hear anything.” She pressed her palm to her ear and moved it away quickly as though the pressure may make the sound come back.

Alexander looked at her curiously.

“What on earth sort of illness would have made you deaf? Did you have a proper doctor call?”

Her face paled and she slipped from his knee.

“I have a sudden headache. I am not use’ to all this talking. Is a strain to get my wor’s right. I mus’ go to bed and rest.” She was off and out of the door before he could say a word in protest but his curiosity had already been piqued by her earlier mention of Ormond.

Now alarm bells were ringing loudly in his ears. He turned back to what was left of his plate of food and chewed quietly while he thought about the things she had revealed. It was obvious that she was hiding something from him and he wondered if she could have had a hand in the plot to ruin his father and brother, but how could a deaf girl influence grown men. It was inconceivable. She acted and sounded as though she had barely stepped foot outside her own house.

He made a mental note to find out everything he could about her and to find out soon. Her father had bought all of his brother’s gambling notes at vast expense. He would have to be a rich man to afford them if he could hand them over as soon as his daughter was married to Alexander. Carlton Hardacre wasn’t a name known to him but the man must have known his family to fix things as he had. She must know more than she made out and Alexander was determined to leave no stone unturned in his quest to find the man that had ruined his family.

Elizabeth threw herself on her bed and dissolved into loud hiccoughing tears. Betty appeared through the door and ran to her side. She rolled Elizabeth towards her and pulled her hands from her eyes.

“What did the brute do to you? Has he hurt you?”

Elizabeth shook her head.

“No, Betty. Alessander di’ nothing wrong. It was me being loose tongued. I revealed things that I shoul’ keep quiet. Alessander is no fool. He noticed immediately. I was so comfortable with him and we were getting on so famously I forgo’ what I am meant to be doing here. Now if he guesses the truth ‘bout me, he will hate me.”

Betty slumped on the side of the bed.

“It was a risk you had to take, but are you sure he’s discovered anything? You didn’t mention the jewels did you?”

Elizabeth shook her head and the jetty curls began to loosen from their pins.

“No, that part is still secret though I tell you I won’t steal them anyway. I di’n’ know Alessander was even still alive. I di’n’ even know it was him until I saw Ormond again. Father told me he was dead in the ‘splosion. I was devastated when I managed to understand what he said. I hate my father for doing this to us. Alessander has never done anything to deserve this betrayal. It will be my own fault if he finds out who I am before I have had the chance to capture his heart. I must be more careful. Maybe it would be best if I didn’t speak to him at all.”

Betty handed a soft cotton square to Elizabeth.

“Tush! It will be a darn sight harder to capture his heart if you never speak to each other. He seems caring enough after all. I was mistaken in that. When I had heard your father speak of the family they sounded as though they never cared for anyone except themselves but it’s clear that isn’t true. Grady and the rest of the staff bore me witless with how good the family are to them.”

Elizabeth shook her head.

“No, father mus’ have made that up to scare me and Alassander isn’t dead anyway so I know that he has lied to me but he repeats the tale so often I think he actually believes his own version of events.”

Betty sniffed loudly.

“The man is not only a fool then but mad too. I always wondered how someone of his nature ever made his money. I could scarcely believe he could employ me at first.” She tugged Elizabeth’s slippers from her feet. “How he ever managed to convince the young Duke to marry you is completely beyond me. I don’t see how you could be of any benefit to him, beggin’ your pardon and not wanting to appear rude Ma’am.” Betty added as she frowned in deep thought.

Elizabeth sat up and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and frowned with her maid.

“Alessander said that Ormond has bin under financial strain. Do you think my father has anything to do with it? He’s already asked me to steal the jewels. There is more than one connection here or it wouldn’t be possible. How did father persuade Alessander to marry me?”

Betty shook her head.

“I have absolutely no idea. The Duke would be a fine catch for any young lady. Without wishing to offend, I’m sure there must have been others more suited to the position of Duchess than you. It doesn’t make sense. I know your father wants the jewels but he must have managed some trick to actually get you in here in the first place. It’s a wonder he went to all the expense of a wedding. He could have seen that you were hired on as a maid or something. You could have become the young master’s mistress. It would have been a lot cheaper.”

Elizabeth’s frown deepened and then her eyes widened as a fresh idea came to her.

“But maids and mistresses don’t have the run of the place to search for jewels any time of the day or night. A Duchess can do almost anything she likes in her own home and answers to no one. That must have been why my father wanted me to marry him. He wanted to be sure that I could search without the threat of being thrown out or questions being asked of me.”

Betty sighed.

“Well, whatever you father thought, we’ll have to tell him that you’re not going to do it. He’s in no position to argue. We just have to ignore him.”

Elizabeth nodded.

“And in the meantime I must do my bes’ to make Alessander fall in luff with me. That is the only way to secure my position forever.”

Alexander didn’t run after her. He finished his dinner, picked up his glass and finished the watered wine. Grady stepped forwards with a small jug of port and Alexander walked to his father’s study not only hoping to discover if there were any more clues as to how Ormond had fallen on such hard times but also to search for the connection to his new wife. She clearly knew more than she was letting on but short of locking her in the dungeon and demanding that she give him the answers he couldn’t see how he could force the information from her.

Improving the estate had taken every waking hour until now but he knew that he couldn’t leave his questions unanswered. He wanted to bring the man down who had ruined his father and brother. There must have be evidence somewhere.

He was glad that he hadn’t succumbed to brandy that evening. There were piles and piles of paperwork to look through, though he didn’t really expect any files of the nature he needed to be in plain sight. His father would have wanted to keep any sensitive correspondence very discreet. He tried to remember any secret places that his father thought he and Phillip didn’t know about.

The huge desk was his obvious first choice. He remembered his father’s penchant for hiding the decent brandy but there was always the possibility that the brandy was just a cover for something else.

He unlocked the deep bottom drawers of the desk and peered inside. Sure enough the brandy flagon was there along with a balloon. He lifted them out and placed them on the desk and then looked again in the drawer. It appeared to be empty but he knew that appearances could be deceptive. He stuck his hand inside the drawer and felt around the wood. It was smooth throughout as was to be expected of a piece of furniture of that quality. He was about to give up with that drawer and look in another when he noticed that one edge of the drawer itself was thicker than the other. A lot thicker. He pulled the whole drawer out and placed it upon the desk then turned it over to look at the bottom. As he turned it a solid thump sounded from inside the wood.

He brought the lantern closer and peered at the grain of the wood. There was one section that was slightly worn along the edge. He ran his finger across it and found a clear indentation. He stuck his nail into the groove and pulled.

A whole wedge of wood came up in his hand. There was a narrow, dark compartment secreted between the inner and outer edge of the drawer.

He tipped the drawer and a slim black volume slid into his hand.

Alexander stared at it for a few seconds as tendrils of fear curled in his belly. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to read the book’s contents. He took a deep breath, untied the silk ribbon that held it closed and then opened the cover.

Several sheets of yellowing paper were folded in the front of the book. Alexander raised the wick on the lamp and peeled them apart.

Within seconds he began to feel sick.

It was roughly written note in an unskilled hand demanding the incredible sum of five thousand pounds for Phillip’s secret to be kept. The note was undated but it was clearly the first as the next issued further threats and more demands.

At one point his brother must have found a way to pay the fiend the ransom but then another demand had come. This time for ten thousand pounds.

Alexander couldn’t believe that his brother had anything of this value worth hiding. What was there that could possibly warrant this amount of money?

He flicked open the book and his heart stopped as he read the first line.

‘Dearest Alexander,

If you are reading this, I can only hope that you are alone in my study drinking my best brandy and not sitting in a debtors’ prison.’

It was as though his father was speaking to him. Alexander dashed a tear away from his eye and took some calming breaths as his heart began beating again. He scanned through a page or two of the book and then returned to the beginning. His father had written a diary of events and Alexander sat back to read it, hoping against hope that it would enlighten him as to the name blackmailer.

There were a few more laments on Alexander’s possible position and then the meat of the diary began. His father’s precise hand had written;

‘Phillip came to me this evening in great distress. He confessed, on bended knee, that his love for another has been discovered and that he is being blackmailed to the tune of thousands.

I was confused at first as I could see no harm in this love and I immediately gave him my consent to marry whomever he so pleases regardless of her station in life, for I would not care if either of my beloved sons married a girl from the gutter so long as they are in love with her and she makes him happy.’

Alexander wiped another salty droplet before he could read further.

‘But therein lies the problem for Phillip has revealed to me that he is not in love with a woman of any kind. He is in love with someone completely unattainable and apparently his affection is returned. I cannot mention any name in case this falls into the wrong hands but I am sure you will know who I mean.

My shock at his announcement was nothing compared to the shame Phillip bears, though why I am surprised is beyond me. All the books I left available in the library for you and Phillip to discover should have led me to think in this direction.

Alexander gave a rough snort as he remembered sniggering at pictures of naked women in outrageous positions with wildly contorted naked men lunging greedily towards their willing bodies. He also recalled Phillip’s quick dismissal of such lurid treasures as he trawled Ormond’s library for books on what Alexander considered the drearier subjects discussed by The Royal Society. He returned his concentration to the document in his hand.

I truly feel sorry for my dear son and his situation. He is clearly deeply in love but even a Duke cannot stand against the rule of law or tide of public feeling. I have no doubt that if his situation should ever become public Ormond and all connected with her will be ruined.

We must make plans to refute this accusation, difficult though that may be. I cannot have your mother or you vilified by a report of this nature gaining attention in the ton.

I have agreed to pay the outrageous demand of five thousand pounds on the condition that Phillip marries immediately.

For a few moments Alexander could read no further. His eyes glazed over as he remembered the letter he had received from his brother while in Spain. The desolation in its tone had been tangible and now he knew why. He had been forced to marry Lady Anne in an attempt to assuage suspicion that his natural desires lay in another direction. A futile attempt by the looks of it as a further demand had arrived only weeks after the wedding. This time the accuser claimed to have evidence of Phillip’s crime in the form of letters written by him to his lover. The letters apparently contained dates and meeting places where the lovers would not be discovered.

For a further ten thousand pounds these letters would be returned to Phillip. The next entry in his father’s diary was clearly after another payment had been made.

Alexander, let me tell you now that a title does not ensure wealth or absolve one of guilt. I have sold as much frippery as I can to keep Phillip’s name unsullied. It has been a waste of time and effort. Every day your brother becomes more ill. Even though he has given up his heart’s desire there is no escape from this blackmailer or absolution from guilt. I discovered him standing in the gun room only this week and I truly believe that he would kill himself it weren’t for the fact that I have forbidden him to do such a thing…

Later on in the book Alexander choked as he read a shaky hand.

Phillip’s lover threw himself from the church tower. He sent a note to Phillip stating that he could no longer be responsible for Ormond’s destruction. Suspecting his lover’s plan Phillip set out for the college immediately but it was already too late. Needless to say, your brother is more than desolate. I fear for his mental health. None of his despair can be shown outwardly and dearest Anne, however understanding, can only do so much.

If only you were here Alexander! You would offer your brother solace and support. I know you would not turn your back on your sibling.

There was another short entry near to the back of the book that caught his eye. It was dated on the day of his father’s and brother’s death.

I have hidden the family strongbox. I refuse to leave you with nothing. Ormond may be lost but if you can find the jewels before you are forced out of the castle there may be hope for you yet. Phillip and I are resigned to our fate. It will spare us or take us and there is nothing we can do to forestall it. Search the recesses of your memory to find your treasure Alexander. I dare not reveal its exact location. This menace has eyes everywhere.

Tears dripped freely down Alexander’s face. He flicked through the pages to see if there was any reason other than malice and greed for anyone to do this to his family but he could find nothing of significance.

He wasn’t shocked at discovering Phillip’s sexual orientation or his affair. Whatever the law of the land, it was nothing unusual. One couldn’t help where one’s heart guided them. He had seen it often enough in the ranks and the emotion occasionally displayed on the battlefield when a soldier discovered a downed lover had been heartbreaking.

Now he thought about his brother he realized that he had known for years. His lover’s identity was no secret to him. He had seen their mutual affection grow stronger and stronger over the years.

Their school master had only been a few years older than Phillip, keen on all the sciences, all forms of discovery and their mutual interests had flung them together. Reading his father’s diary over again he could see that their affair had only begun in earnest after his brother had left school. They had obviously been as discreet as possible and there cannot have been many that knew about it.

He folded the blackmail demands back into the book and returned it to the secret drawer. It had remained undiscovered so far, better that it stay there rather than fall into the hands of anyone else. He wanted those vile blackmail notes as evidence of the crime when he gutted the bastard who had done this to his family.

He stood quickly as the clock on the mantle chimed midnight. The hours had flown by. He couldn’t think without a clear head. The effects of the day and the previous three began telling on him.

He would sleep tonight and then restart investigations in the morning. He picked up the lamp as he left and then locked the study. His boot heels echoed as he trod heavily up the stone staircase. He came to Elizabeth’s door and stopped momentarily.

There was nothing for it; she would have to be questioned closely. She appeared guileless but she was involved somehow as her father was the man who had bought the gaming notes. She had been forced to marry him as he had been forced to marry her. Was that part of the blackmailer’s plans to punish the Ormond name further? To what end he couldn’t fathom. It wasn’t as if Elizabeth was horrible or an aging spinster and her being deaf was no bar to him enjoying her company.

Now that he had become accustomed to her tone and the way she formed her words she was as easy to understand as anyone with any form of accent. It wasn’t even as though he might not be able to have an heir. That looked as though it may still be a possibility what with the way her eyes had wandered curiously over his body.

Surely her father couldn’t possibly have wanted his daughter married to an unscrupulous man. If the tale of Phillip’s love life came out she would be ruined as much as he. The man clearly didn’t expect that to happen so were Hardacre and the blackmailer in league with one another or even one in the same? If that was the case, and it seemed to be the only reasonable answer, then Hardacre had not gained a thing. He had returned Ormond with no further demand than to marry his daughter. What else did the man have to gain?

The questions came rapidly to him but the answers would have to wait until morning.

Talking to Elizabeth about it all would be his next step. It wasn’t going to be an easy interview. She only had to pretend to misunderstand him and his search for the truth would be scuppered. He would have to make sure that the shrew of a maid was well out of the way before he asked any pertinent questions. Even though Phillip and his lover were both dead there was still enough prejudice in the world to make his own life and that of anyone connected with him, completely untenable if the truth was discovered by an outsider.

He passed Elizabeth’s door and walked onto his own suite. Grady had been in and turned down his bed. He undressed quickly, hung his clothes in the wardrobe and closed the wardrobe door. Even though he was shattered both physically and emotionally sleep didn’t come easily to him. He stared up at his canopy for a long time thinking about the life his brother must have led.

To love someone so completely unattainable must have been a terrible cross to bear. Being forced into secrets and lies would have weighed heavily on Phillip’s conscience and in his heart. Alexander groaned as he thought of his brother’s marriage to Anne. If she hadn’t known before she must have known about his preferences soon after the wedding. It wasn’t as if one could avoid the marriage bed forever.

Reminded of his own wife, his mind wandered to the beautiful woman sleeping only a few doors away from him. He wondered if she had loved before. He hoped that her tears of their wedding day were not for a previous lover. He hadn’t ever had time to consider his own situation. It had only been a very few weeks since his arrival back at Ormond. Taking a wife had been the last thing on his mind while tramping across the battle fields of Spain and France.

Now he thought of the beauty he had married. Whatever this blackmailer or even Hardacre had hoped to achieve had clearly failed. Alexander certainly wasn’t unhappy with his lot. Elizabeth was intelligent, compassionate and charming in her way. Her voice was easily understood when you listened to her for a few moments and her strange laughter and loud sobbing were easily explained away. He needed to become better acquainted with her. He wanted to know her likes and dislikes her preferences and interests. He couldn’t live in a marriage without love. It would shrivel his soul. He was already more than attracted to her. Somehow he had to discover a way that would make her look past all of his financial difficulties and allow her to fall in love with him.

He thought back to how his stomach had dropped at the sight of the rabid dog waiting to tear out the throat of the beautiful woman. He shuddered and sweat broke out on his brow at the thought of what could have happened if he had delayed his return any longer. The look of acceptance on her face when she thought he was about to shoot her pierced his soul. Why would she have done such a thing? It was unfathomable.

What was even stranger was the way his own heart had leapt in his chest at the thought of her coming to any harm. He hadn’t expected to feel so moved.  They had been married but three days and he’d known her barely a few hours. It made no sense but the way his thoughts of her swirled unstoppably in his head came very close to caring. How the thoughts of her had affected him so riotously when he was bathing was something he didn’t want to look at too closely. His own behaviour had left a lot to be desired and he vowed never to be so weak again.

His heart swelled at the remembrance of her words as she had washed. She had been scared of him but she still accepted her fate. His eyes drifted shut and a smile played across his mouth as he thought again of her naked in his bath, her creamy skin covered in slippery, glistening bubbles.

Deafness be damned! It meant nothing to him. She was absolutely perfect!

He ignored his rapidly swelling desire and rolled over in his bed. This time he would grit his teeth and bear the agony. The next time he took his pleasure it would be with his wife beneath him calling out his name as she came apart in his arms. He looked at the empty space beside him and sighed deeply. He reached out across the sheets, his fingers playing across the cool material and he hoped against hope that it wouldn’t be long before she lay there beside him.

Chapter Nine

Seduction and Secrets

A whole week had passed and Alexander had barely seen his wife. He rose before dawn every morning and he couldn’t wait for her to wake. The estate needed constant attention and with Giles gone to concentrate his own small estate there was now only himself and Geoffrey to take charge. As soon as he was sure of his financial situation and if there was to be any further threat from the blackmailer he would employ more people but until that time he had to do the work himself.

His wife had obviously not kept to her rooms while he was absent. He had caught brief glimpses of her influence in the house.

There were fresh flowers in a vase on the hall stand and in the salon every day. Some of the roses had come from the now nearly clear garden but they had been artfully arranged among a pretty mixture of wildflowers.

He had noticed that several old and worn tapestries, ones that his father clearly couldn’t sell, had been carefully cleaned, repaired and re-hung along the echoing hallways. He admired the new silk cushions on the chaise and in the chairs and as he brushed a weary hand over them he wondered where she had found the material to make them.

Still worried about the estate finances he asked Grady if he had been purchasing material in town but Grady had shaken his head and insisted that Sarah had found the swathes of silk in the attic. Apparently the cushions had been made from two pairs of curtains that had been replaced in the dining room several years previously. Alexander’s mother had thought the material, though dated in style, was far too beautiful to be thrown away and apparently Elizabeth, Betty, Sarah and Beth had plans for several other sets that remained in storage.

Although he came home exhausted Alexander tried to see Elizabeth in the evenings, bathing each night and taking great care with his dress but each time he was disappointed and sat at the table alone as Grady took her dinner to her room. Her recalcitrant maid would say nothing more than that his wife was tired or indisposed and preferred the quiet of her own chambers. Alexander was too exhausted to argue.

He was sure of the real reason behind her avoidance techniques. It was clear that she didn’t want to see him. He guessed that if he asked certain questions she would be forced to lie. He brooded for another day before he decided that she wasn’t going to escape from him again.

He rose before dawn as usual but instead of heading straight outside he went to the kitchen, surprising cook who was just sipping on a dark brew of tea. Her cup rattled in its saucer as she put her morning beverage down and rose from her chair but Alexander smiled and reassured her.

“Drink your tea and pay no mind to me. I will take my lady’s tray this morning, cook. Please would you ready whatever she normally takes as soon as you have finished.”

Cook stared open mouthed at the Duke.

“Her maid does her tray, Your Grace. Betty won’t let any of us touch it,” she spoke quickly and gave a nod of her head as if to convince herself.

Alexander shook his head just as determinedly.

“Well cook, I will be preparing it today. While I am here her Grace’s maid will no longer find it necessary to offer this service for my wife will be taking her breakfast with me from now on. I will load us a tray and take it up to her.” He began searching for tea cups and plates amongst the many cupboards.

The cook grinned and leapt into action, brushing him aside as she gathered the crockery and cutlery. There was soon a tray laden with silver dishes full of griddled bacon and boiled eggs, plates of spiced ham and cheese, more dishes of fresh fruit and oatmeal. Alexander staggered back up the stairs under the weight of it all. He rapped smartly on the bedroom door with the toe of his boot, for forms sake as she couldn’t hear it, and then he walked straight in.

The bedroom was in darkness and he placed the heavy tray on the dressing table before moving to the curtains and letting in the early morning sunlight. He turned to look at the bed. The yellow drapes were drawn closed around the bed but he could hear her gentle breathing.

He pulled back              the curtain and gazed at her. Her dark curls were strewn across the pillow in riotous disorder, her lashes kissed her rose coloured cheeks and her ruby lips were turned up in the hint of a smile. He was about to lean forwards and touch her shoulder to waken her when she rolled to one side and reached a slim hand out across the bed.

“Alessander.” she whispered as her fingertips fluttered over the sheets and then she sighed and drew her hand slowly back again.

Alexander staggered backwards.

My God! She was dreaming of him! She wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Before he could change his mind or wonder about the possible consequences he turned back to the door and quickly locked it behind him then he stripped his clothes to his under garments, slid silently under the coverlet and into bed with her. He gently pulled her towards him careful not to wake her, though for a moment, as her soft scent enveloped him the sound of his own thumping heart gave him cause for concern. He smiled when he remembered that she couldn’t hear it.

As though drawn to his heat she snuggled in closer and a few seconds later her hand wandered up his naked chest, her fingers sliding gently into the dark hair across his pectorals. He drew in a breath as her fingertip touched his rapidly stiffening nipple and he hoped to heaven that she wouldn’t scream the house down when she discovered him in bed beside her. Apart from the fact that he was unsure of her own reaction, he wasn’t sure that the four inch thick oak door would be enough to hold her vicious maid off.

He lay there for a few moments longer enjoying the feel of her against him before he leaned into her luscious curls and breathed in deeply. They smelled of almond blossom and fresh air and he wondered if she had gathered the flowers from the trees for her toilette. His own hair fell forwards and touched the hollow of her neck. She moved her hand and flicked it away as it tickled her skin and then she stilled and he knew that she had wakened.

He pressed his finger to her lips as she opened her eyes and looked at him. She blinked slowly as if wondering if she were still in a dream and for a moment astonishment shone in her face but then the shock of reality set in. She shot up from the pillow, grabbing the sheet around her.

“Alessander, what are you doing here?” Her voice was still husky with sleep.

He leaned up and caught hold of her shoulders, ignoring her momentary resistance before pulling her back down into the warmth of the bed with him. He waited until the flush that had risen to her cheeks subsided before he turned her to face him so she could see his lips.

“I brought you breakfast. I know that we have both been busy and I have noticed the changes around Ormond but I have missed you this last week.” His fingertips skimmed lightly down her cheek.

She lowered her lashes.

“Alessander, I’m sorry if you think I have done anything untoward but this place is so empty. I was hoping to cheer it up a little, give it some life. If you don’t like what I have done it can all be removed.”

Alexander stared at her and began to stroke the length of her throat with his knuckles. When she looked at him again he shook his head.

“No, you have worked hard to improve the place and it all looks wonderful. I only hope I can soon give you some money to make some new purchases. You are skilled with a needle and thread. I would never have believed those tapestries could be brought back to life.”

Elizabeth gave a small smile and flushed at his praise.

“The moths were very unhappy but I hoped you would be pleased. I am having plenty of help from everyone and there is much more I can do without costing you a penny. I was hoping to ask Geoffrey to frame your brother’s drawings to replace some of the pictures in the gallery. They are detailed and interesting and shouldn’t be hidden away.”

Alexander cupped her face with his hand. He brushed the pad of his thumb across her blushing skin. Her skin was as velvety as a peach. From her words he knew that her heart was equally soft. He gulped back emotions that threatened to swamp him. Phillip’s inventions might not have withstood actual manufacture but the drawings themselves were exemplary.

“That is wonderful idea. It will be a great way to honour my brother and you are very kind to think of it. Perhaps we can choose some together. It would give us time to become better acquainted with one another.” He wasn’t sure why he had said the words. He was lying right next to her, half-naked, drowning in an almost overwhelming desire to kiss her senseless but he didn’t want to force her into anything she wasn’t ready for.

She looked up at him and reached to touch his face in return but then hesitated and her eyes wandered over where he lay beside her.

“You make me confused Alessander. My heart feels strange when I am near to you. I know that you were forced into this marriage against your will. I only want you to be happy. I do not want for you to think that anything else is needed or wanted.” She couldn’t look at his face. She couldn’t bear to see him reject her.

Alexander frowned at her words. Had he read her signals wrong? Did she not want him? Had he mistaken her dream? There was no way he was going to force himself on an unwilling woman. Her cheek had turned a deeper hue and he brushed the back of his finger against her silken skin. She looked back up at him and he spoke again.

“I would take nothing from you that you would not willingly give but I have to tell you, Elizabeth that you are driving me beyond mad with desire.”

She blinked slowly at his words, searching the heat in his eyes before she slid her hand from the sheets again and pressed her palm to his face. She touched his scrubby cheek and then ran her fingertip over his bottom lip.

He swallowed at the sensations that raged through his body as he caught her finger in his mouth and sucked very gently.

Her eyes opened wide as she withdrew her moistened finger and she moved her hand down the column of his throat to his broad shoulder. She felt her way down the taught muscles of his arm, her palm almost burning with his heat and then she pressed her hand to his chest. She gazed at her hand for a moment and then her eyes flicked back up to his face. She could see the desire in his eyes. Her disability meant nothing to him. He wanted her.

“I can feel your heart. It is beating as fast as my own,” she breathed up at him as her heart exploded with love.

Alexander groaned and moved his own hand slowly over her cotton covered breast. She made no objection. Her heart was indeed thumping frantically through the thin material of her nightgown. He moved his hand lower and caught the weight of her breast in his palm. She shivered as she smiled and pressed herself closer and he immediately lost the battle for control over his desires. He slipped his arms around her body and pulled her in close.

“May the Saints preserve me! You are driving me insane with want.” His lips brushed hers with his words as any semblance of self-control deserted him and he was suddenly ravishing her lips, devouring them as she writhed against his near naked body.

He slanted his mouth as his tongue tasted hers for the first time and the last vestige of his discipline vanished completely. He had to see her. He groaned his surrender as his hands flew to her night rail and fumbled with the lace. Her fingers replaced his as she pulled on the ribbon and her gown fell open. He feasted his eyes on her rose pink nipples and then bent his head to worship at them.

She arched her body into him as he suckled on the tender morsel, his fingertips circling her other aching peak. They hardened immediately and she let out a low moan that grew louder as he laved her untried flesh.

He tried to calm his fervour as his tongue slid up her neck and around her jaw. He found the temptingly soft skin beneath her ear before skimming along her throat and down once again to the valley between her luscious peaks. He moved slowly down her body dragging the nightgown with him and exposing more and more of her pale flesh. Every inch he kissed drove her wild with delight until she was heaving on the bed, her body screaming for something more.

He pulled the cotton gown from her hips and flung it to the floor then he stared at her in the morning sunshine. Her nipples were dark and peaked from his attentions, her hair was a tangle of wanton ringlets strewn across the pillow, her body glowed with passion.

He looked down at the treasure concealed beneath another glossy thatch at the apex of her thighs and he moved his hands to press her legs apart.

Moisture glistened and there was no way that he was going to deprive himself of this delicacy. He bent his head, about to touch her with the tip of his tongue.

There was a sudden thunderous banging on the door. Shouts and screams and language the like of which he had rarely heard off the battlefield reached his ears.

The real banshee had risen and discovered his deception.

“Alessander?”

He looked up to where Elizabeth was understandably confused as to what he was waiting for. He stared at her for a second and then the door began rattling on its hinges. He feared for the ancient wood.

“It would seem that your maid has discovered my treachery,” he said sorrowfully as he pulled himself away from her and pointed towards the shaking portal.

Elizabeth turned her head towards the door. It shook visibly again and her eyes grew wide with apprehension. She flew from the bed and grabbed up her nightgown taking only a moment to slip it over her head and pull the drawstring close to her throat. Alexander lugged on his breeches and shirt and shoved his feet quickly into his boots. He ran his fingers through his dishevelled hair and turned to the dressing table to serve them breakfast while his wife put on her wrapper and moved to the door to unlock it.

Betty burst in brandishing a heavy broom.

“Ravisher! Rapist!” She shouted until she saw the Duke standing several meters from his wife, innocently dishing up boiled eggs and bacon onto a plate. Betty dropped the broom with a clatter. “Oh…What are you doing here? I serve my Lady’s breakfast.”

Alexander raised an ironic eyebrow as he looked back at the woman.

“I believe that I am allowed to treat my wife to breakfast in bed if I feel like it. I’ve barely had chance to see her in over a week and I thought to give her a change of company. I can assure you that no harm has come to your mistress.”

Betty looked suspiciously between him and Elizabeth. Elizabeth grinned at him and took the proffered plate of food.

“Is this some kind of trick?” Betty asked him as she narrowed her eyes.

He gave his best affronted look and then examined the dishes in front of him carefully.

“No, no tricks. No spiders concealed in the oatmeal or snails disguised in the kidneys.” He grinned at the memory of a plate of food Phillip had once meant to offer him as a trick but their father had suddenly appeared at the breakfast room door, took the dish from his brother and promptly went to eat it himself. Phillip had been put on bread and water rations for two days afterwards. “No, it looks just like breakfast to me. Cook would be fascinated to find out that you believe she would serve such things.”

Betty put her hands on her hips and glared at him while she tried her best not to smile.

“Oh, very funny, Your Grace. I wasn’t talking about the breakfast. I want to know what you were doing with my Lady. You shouldn’t be in here with her un-chaperoned.”

Alexander actually laughed. He threw back his head and laughed until the tears ran down his face. When he could actually speak again he smiled at the woman in front of him.

“My dear lady, I admire your tenacity in keeping your Mistress safe from my advances but it appears that you may have forgotten that Elizabeth and I were married not two weeks ago. I have more right to be in here than you do.”

Betty shut her mouth quickly and looked back at Elizabeth.

“Well, if that all right with you young lady? I thought you were trying to avoid him,” she spluttered an aside to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth smiled at her maid and ran forwards to take her hands.

“It is alright Betty. Alessander and I have been friends for a long while. He would never do anything to hurt me. Please don’t be concerned, it is only breakfast after all. I will ring for you when I need you.” She ushered the reluctant maid out of her room and turned back to her husband.

Alexander was looking at her carefully.

“I hardly think two weeks is a long acquaintance but I have the feeling you will explain it to me while we eat our breakfast.” He shook his head at her shocked expression and motioned her to the chair by the fire. He placed the plate on the table in front of her and then filled his own.

Elizabeth kept her eyes down and her mouth shut unless she was eating and even though he could see the pulse pounding in her throat betraying her guilty heart, to his increasing fury, she ignored every one of his questions.

She pretended to concentrate on the breakfast in front of her. It was a nearly impossible feat. His eyes never left her and she could feel the intensity of his stare as he ate his breakfast.

How could she have slipped up so easily again? He was far too easy to be around. His presence overwhelmed her, made her want to please him. He was becoming impossible to ignore.

She was beginning to think that maybe she wanted Alexander to find out who she was. She shook herself mentally. That could never happen. He would be furious with her, would maybe even hate her. He might even send her back to her father.

She watched fearfully out of the corner of her eye as he forked bacon into his mouth and chewed slowly. She knew that he had been asking her questions, the vibrations of his deep tones could be felt in the air around her but she kept her eyes averted as her heart raced frantically.

She chanced a glance up at him as he went to pour tea. His lean figure was taught with finely hewn muscle that showed through his shirt at his shoulders and on his thighs beneath the material of his breeches. She swallowed at the memory of his bare chest, warm and inviting, heart pulsing furiously beneath her palm.

Discovering him in her bed had been more than her wildest dreams dared to let her hope. The feelings he had induced when he had touched her body was something she had never believed possible. Her heart had almost leapt from her body at his gentle yet fervent touch. She felt sure that it had just been lust on his part. There was no way he could love her yet. She hadn’t given him the opportunity and now she saw that she had been wrong to avoid him during dinner over the last week but she didn’t know how to make this right. When he discovered her beginnings and what she was meant to do he would demand that she left. She couldn’t let that happen. She had nowhere else to go.

He returned to the table and continued eating, his dark eyebrows becoming a thunderous line as they ate their meal in ever deepening silence. Elizabeth could feel her emotions choking her and she picked up her napkin to cover her mouth.

Ten minutes later his patience snapped. He slammed down his cutlery and forced himself back from the table.

She flinched and then looked up into glinting blue eyes as he mouthed the words.

“I will find out about you, Elizabeth. I cannot have anymore secrets kept from me. My family has been decimated and dragged to the verge of ruin. I will not let this go. If you won’t tell me why you were forced to marry me then I will find my own resources.” He waited for her to respond but she couldn’t answer him. She hadn’t known why she had been forced into marriage with him until it was too late, though if her father had told her it was Alexander she had to wed she would have happily skipped up the aisle. Now, after receiving the letter, she knew that it was all for the famed Ormond jewels but she could never let Alexander know that her father had demanded that she discover their where-a-bouts and steal them.

Alexander was long beyond patience. She had lowered her gaze again and he stood up quickly. He strode around the table towards her, wanting to make sure that she could be in no doubt of his determination to discover the truth. She cowered back in her chair and ducked her head as he loomed at her side.

He stopped dead, aghast at the implication of her cringing figure and quickly dropped into a squat beside her. Biting back his temper he picked up her trembling hand and tugged on it gently until she looked into his eyes again.

The frown was gone and his brow was clear again.

He took a deep breath and dropped a gentle kiss onto the back of her hand before he spoke.

“I won’t hurt you, Elizabeth. Not ever. I may not like your denial of me but I have yet to raise a hand to any woman.” He stood up again and stared down at her ebony curls. There was nothing he could do if she refused to answer him. He hesitated but then lay his hand on her shoulder for a moment. He was relieved when she didn’t flinch away from him. She looked up at him and he raised his hand to beneath her chin, refusing to let her look away from him.

“I am leaving you,” he paused as sadness swept her beautiful features and he quickly shook his head. “Not for long, maybe a week or so. Please understand Elizabeth, I cannot let this go. If you know anything I beg of you to tell me now.” He waited quietly for a response but although her lips trembled and for a moment she seemed about to speak no words were forthcoming. He gave a deep sigh. “If you know nothing then I must find out from other sources and apart from the staff and my mother, the only other person here regularly was Lady Anne. I am going to her to ask if she has any papers of my brother’s or any information at all. I will be leaving this morning and expect to be back before Whitsun. If you need anything, Geoffrey will be able to help you or send word for me.” He brought his hands to the sides of her face and brushed his thumbs gently over her velvet cheeks then he leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on her ruby lips before he turned on his heel and was gone.

Elizabeth sat perfectly still. She didn’t want the tingling that covered her whole body to stop. Right from the moment she had woken and discovered him in her bed, she had known that she wanted more than a kiss from him.

She hadn’t been shocked at the feel of his masculine body radiating heat beside her or the musky scent of his arousal. He had filled her whole being with a longing that she could barely describe. She wanted him totally, with her whole heart and soul. Her body had been given new insights into what marriage would mean and she was now glad that her worries had kept her awake at night.

Several times over the last week, while darkness covered her movements, she had taken a candle and ventured downstairs. Her original intention had been to alleviate her boredom but her night time forays into the library had given her some excellent insights into what made her heart thump faster when her husband had fondled her breast and touched the tip of his tongue to her most private place. She had been almost desperate to discover if the pictures in the books were accurate in their depiction of ecstasy on the faces of both the men and women and she was secretly annoyed at Betty’s untimely thumping at the door.

Elizabeth had discovered the small selection of erotic books while she was searching for the drawings of Phillip’s strange machines. She had been keen on her idea for cheering up the castle and she hoped that Alexander hadn’t burned Phillip’s drawings along with everything else touched by the rabid dog.  She didn’t think he would have, his brother being only recently dead but she wasn’t sure.

Catching sight of a loose leaf of paper wedged between two slim volumes had tempted her to pull it from the shelf but the first book had slipped with it. She bent to pick it up but her hand flew to her breast as she saw that the book had fallen open on a drawing of a most unexpected nature. At first she gaped and then she had gazed in wonder at the picture.

A woman lay naked and spread on a bed, her face covered with an expression that could only be described as blissful while a broad shouldered naked man kneeled between her legs. His muscled arms held the lady’s legs high and wide while his face plunged deeply between her fleshy thighs.

Elizabeth had slammed the book shut, perspiration beading all over her body as she gasped at the image imprinted on the inside of her eyelids. She lifted her head to stare at the library door in case anyone had heard the commotion. Five minutes later the castle remained quiet and with her heart still pounding she dared to open the book once again.

She opened it at the first page and stared as heat gathered between her own legs. The pictures the book contained made for riveting viewing as page after page revealed the secrets that lay between the bed sheets. She was glad to see that all the men in the diagrams had protruding parts between their legs, though she noted that they were not nearly so large or as firm looking as Alexander’s had been while he soaked in the bath. It was clearly something men could all hide in their breeches.

She turned the book this way and that while her skin heated as she took in all the various positions possible. There were some handwritten annotations with the pictures and she wished that she could read all of the captions that accompanied and obviously described some of the detail of the drawings.

Returning the book to its place on the shelf, she had picked up the next book to it. It had a similar plain cover green cover and similar but slightly different content. This book contained pictures of a parallel vein but the actions of the participants was not restricted to the bed chamber. Her eyes had returned time and time again to the image of a couple standing against a tree in an overgrown garden. The woman’s back was pressed against the trunk, her skirts raised to above her waist while her legs wrapped the man’s naked hips. The man’s breeches hung low on his thighs but the rest of his clothes remained intact. His head was bent against the woman’s neck, his arm under one of her knees, lifting it slightly higher as his loins pressed forwards.

Other images burned in her head. Women bent forwards over tables, over desks, even over garden statuary. In some of the images the women were naked, in others their skirts were gathered above their waist while several of them had their dress tops pulled down to expose plump breasts with achingly stiff nipples. All of the participants appeared to be in a state of complete ecstasy.

She drew in a deep breath as she remembered the way Alexander’s face had relaxed into a similar expression while he pleasured himself in the bath. The place between her legs clenched hard and heat rose through her body.

At least he wasn’t leaving her for long. A week, he had said. She thought she would do some investigating herself while he was away. Why did her father tell her that Alexander was dead? And then why make her marry him? It was hardly a punishment to her and from the look in Alexander’s eyes as he had almost ravished her that morning, it was no hardship for him either. Were the jewels really worth that much to her father?

She placed her napkin on the table and took a sip of her tea as she sat back in her chair. Her lips still tingled where her husband had kissed her so enthusiastically. She placed her cup back on its saucer and touched her fingertip to her mouth. It felt slightly swollen and she gave a small smile as she remembered his fervour as he had lost nearly all self-control while they had been in bed that morning. She knew that if Betty hadn’t pounded on the door she would have ended up like one of the women in the books. Her pulse fluttered erratically as she wondered if she would have the same look of ecstasy when Alexander eventually made her his.

A sudden movement caught her eye and she lifted her head to see Betty pulling up the rumpled sheets while she rolled her eyes at Elizabeth.

“He won’t fall in love with you just because you fall into bed with him. Men aren’t like women that way. They don’t have the same deep feelings as women do. You listen to me, my Lady, and you will find out that I am right. Don’t lose your heart to him yet. It’ll do you no good and you’ll end up hurt and alone.” She pulled the coverlet up smartly and smoothed it across the bed.

Elizabeth looked carefully at her maid and tilted her head. Betty had been with her for years but she was a private person and didn’t talk much about herself.

“How do you know all men are like this? I’ve never seen you will a beau. Alexander has shown me nothing but kindness and affection. After being forced to marry me to regain his home I imagined I would have been treated far less well. I know he was shocked the first day after finding out about my problems but he’s been the perfect gentleman since. I know that my words are not always clear but never once has he derided me or embarrassed me over it. He saved my life Betty. That vile dog was about to tear out my throat. It’s me who, by my deliberate avoidance of him, has been ungrateful, rude and uncaring. I shouldn’t wonder if he hates me, but I cannot bear the thought of that. I love him and I want to be loved by him.” Her hand fluttered over her heart.

Betty stopped fussing with the bed. She looked up at Elizabeth’s wistful expression. A stab of pain crossed her own brow and then she raised her eyebrows and sighed deeply.

“You are right. I have been far too harsh. I shouldn’t have assumed anything but you must not declare your love yet. You must shield your heart for a while longer, until we are sure of his protection. I have heard stories of unrequited love. It is a painful game. I was only thinking of you.” She turned as if to leave the room but Elizabeth stood quickly and blocked her way.

“Betty? Did something happen to make you feel like this? You are only a few years older than me. You cannot go through the rest of your life fearing that you will lose your heart. Someday there will be a man for you who you want to marry and set up home with.” Elizabeth smiled in encouragement but Betty just shook her head sorrowfully.

“That won’t happen to me. I’ve seen what love does for people.” She closed her eyes as a tear leaked and ran down her cheek.

Elizabeth reached out and took the woman’s hand. She led her back to the table and settled her in Alexander’s empty chair. She poured Betty a cup of tea and placed it in front of her.

“You can’t deceive me any longer. I can see that you have been hurt deeply. Tell me what happened,” she spoke as gently as she knew how.

Betty looked up at her. She sighed deeply.

“It didn’t happen to me. It happened to my poor brother. He’d been employed as tutor to a young family but something dreadful happened and it was felt that his friendly way of teaching wasn’t good enough. He ended up teaching in a school. The change was huge but he was happy there. For a long time his letters arrived full news of his accomplishments and success with the children but after only a couple of years, something changed.” She tailed off and her head dipped as the woman’s face paled with distress.

She began speaking again but Elizabeth couldn’t see her mouth. She reached out and touched her maid’s cheek. Betty lifted her face again. Her eyes were red rimmed as she continued her story.

“My brother told me that he had fallen deeply in love. He wanted to be with his lover for the rest of his life but apparently the circumstances were impossible. She came from a great family and he was considered too low born. What with me in service there was no possibility of his position in society being overlooked. They could never be together openly. He broke his heart when he was forced to give up his love because her family arranged an advantageous marriage for her.”

Elizabeth immediately shook her head.

“How awful for him. There is no shame in being a tutor. Her family should have realized that education is a noble career.”

Betty gave a tearful smile.

“Not nearly noble enough apparently but thank you anyway, my Lady. It is a pity that more didn’t feel the same. As it was my brother was devastated by the family’s actions. His lover kept writing letters and they arranged a few clandestine meetings until a few years ago when all correspondence stopped.

My brother was desperate to hear from her and as a last resort went to the family home to make sure that his lover was content. Although he knew he would never be able to have her again he just needed to know that she was being cared for. He never saw her. She sent him one last letter saying that he should never contact her again for they had been discovered and there had been threats made against her. He was beside himself with worry, not for himself but for her. He couldn’t bear to be the cause of her distress and in a fit of depression and remorse at his actions he killed himself.”

Elizabeth’s hand flew to her mouth and she let out a strangled cry.

“Why did you never tell me of this? You have been my maid for so long I cannot believe that you kept something so awful hidden.”

Betty blinked back her tears.

“I didn’t tell you because I was ashamed. My brother was a suicide and couldn’t be buried on consecrated ground. The woman’s family paid for a private funeral but I didn’t attend. I remained by your side and been glad that there have no opportunities for you to fall in love. But now you have married this man and you are clearly smitten. I can see similarities with my brother in this situation here. Forgive me, my Lady, but the Master is way above the likes of you, at some point society will break you apart and your heart will wither inside you. I can’t let that happen to someone as lovely as you. You must guard your heart and not let the young master take it only to throw it away when society or family dictate.”

Elizabeth nodded at her maid’s final words but she didn’t remind the concerned woman that Alexander had barely any family left and certainly none that would curtail his happiness in any way. She remained silent for the next few minutes and waited until the breakfast was completely cleared away before she let her mind wander back to the events of the morning.

Chapter Ten

Revelations

Lady Anne watched from her bedroom window as the two horsemen rode up the gravelled drive towards the front door. She pressed her hand to her chest as she recognized both riders instantly.

The magnificent Midnight would have been difficult not to remember as he stood at least two hands above any other horse she had ever seen. The man riding the other mount was equally as memorable.

Tall, lean and handsome, her brother in law’s friend, Giles Denvers had set her heart quivering wildly from the moment she had set eyes on him at Ormond.

She stilled the pattering beneath her breast that disturbed her greatly. She was in mourning, for heaven’s sake! She couldn’t have feeling such as these.

It was impossible.

Impossible to stop them she acknowledged to herself as she saw the way the man’s thighs rippled across the horseflesh. She tried to get a grip on her wayward emotions, drawing up the image of Phillip’s sad but handsome face. He had been an extraordinarily good natured man. Obviously not the right man for her but then she hadn’t expected any different. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t gone into the marriage with her eyes wide open. She had been pleased to accept Phillip’s offer seeing as her only other option was to marry the man her father had chosen for her, not that Sir Humphrey was a terrible man. He was so much older and only wanted a young wife to secure an heir. His previous wife had borne him three dead sons before she herself succumbed in giving birth to the fourth who unfortunately died along with her. She shuddered at the thought of bedding a man three times her age.

Even her father hadn’t baulked when she cried off the engagement to Sir Humphrey. She would be marrying the heir to a Dukedom. What father wouldn’t hold out for the best for his daughter? The arrangement with Sir Humphrey was immediately called off and a very relieved Anne married Phillip only three weeks later.

Phillip had clearly been desperate. He had begged her father for an audience after only meeting three times previously. Naturally the Earl had been delighted but Anne suspected something other than her beauty tempted him from the start. Her intuition hadn’t led her astray. Phillip swore her to secrecy and confessed that he couldn’t promise her children. He did not love her and knew that he never would but he avowed that he would care for her, cherish her and look after her for the rest of her life and that he did with as much attentiveness as any man could muster.

Initially surprised at his lack of passion, she soon came to realize that Phillip’s affections lay elsewhere. His regular visits to his school tutor confirmed that his interests lay not only in more scholarly pursuits. After several weeks of heart searching she decided that she didn’t mind. She had heard of such things before and wasn’t as shocked as she might have been. It wasn’t as if Phillip had tricked her. She lacked for nothing and he was a good companion when he was at home.

That the last year of their marriage was under a certain amount of strain only became apparent when Phillip was forced to sell Evenleigh. He had been devastated, pacing as he lamented the sale of what should have been his brother’s home once he took the title of Duke. Even as they moved into Ormond he couldn’t stop berating himself for his actions.

The arrangements at the castle had worked well at first. Ormond itself was huge and offered plenty of accommodation but it was clear that monetary constraints had left the household suffering.

She had watched as Phillip grew thinner and more stressed. His normally handsome features became sallow and pinched.

When his venture with the shipment of goods went awry it was as much as Anne could do to keep his spirits alive. His heart was no longer with the living and he hadn’t taken care over his own wellbeing.

After the wreck she had been stunned to discover two letters in his bureaux. One was addressed to her and the other to be given directly into Alexander’s hands. She had wanted to pass this on while she was still in the Dower house but her brother had turned up only the day after Alexander arrived and there hadn’t been time to hand it to him. Given the nature of the letter addressed to her there was no way she could entrust Alexander’s missive to a messenger. If the contents were as she suspected, they all faced ruin if it were spread among the wagging tongues of the ton.

She had wrung her hands for weeks and was on the verge of writing to Alexander to ask him to call upon her when he arrived without summons along with the beyond handsome Mr. Denvers.

Her father and brother had left for town early that morning and if they continued with their usual habits, they would probably stay in an inn over night. She could only hope that she might have time enough to speak to Alexander privately.

She grabbed the letter hidden at the back of her own personal writing desk and pressed it into her pocket before hurried down the stairs and into the drawing room. Moments later she heard the front door open and their guests were invited in. Within seconds there was a sharp knock at the drawing room door and Fothersby entered. He bowed low before speaking.

“My lady, the Duke of Ormond and a Mr. Giles Denvers have come to call. Are you at home?”

She nodded quickly.

“Certainly, Fothersby. Please show them in and then arrange for tea.” She stood as the two men entered a few seconds later and waited until Fothersby had withdrawn before she spoke. “Your Grace, Alexander and Mr. Denvers.” Her eyelashes fluttered downwards as she saw Giles appraising her. She wished that she was not still in deep mourning.

Alexander accepted her hand and briefly pressed his lips to her glove.

“Anne, I was sorry that you had to leave us so hurriedly. I would have wished a longer acquaintance before I have to ask you some difficult questions.” He appeared genuinely distressed at her leaving his mother and Ormond.

She smiled up at him.

“Alexander, I can only imagine your anger at my sudden departure. Please believe me when I say that I had no choice without causing an unhappy scene and I couldn’t bear for your dear mother to suffer that.” She appraised his features and her smile grew wider. “You look as though life at Ormond suits you. I heard about your marriage and I wish you happy. It was announced in all the London papers but Hardacre is not a name I recall. Is she anyone I know?” She returned to the chaise and smoothed her skirts as she sat. The men took seats either side of the fireplace.

Alexander glanced at Giles and then returned his gaze to Anne.

“No, I don’t think that you would have met her before but believe me Anne, I am happier than I could possibly have imagined. Elizabeth suits me perfectly. There is but one thing that keeps me from total joy,” he hesitated a moment before coming to the substance of his visit. “Anne, you must know why I am here. I cannot rest until I know that Ormond is safe for my heirs. Is there anything you can tell me about what happened before Phillip died?” He took a deep breath and plunged on as he gave Giles a reassuring nod. “You do not have to fear reprisals. I have shared everything with Denvers and can attest to his discretion. I have relied on him with my life and he has never failed the test yet.” He smiled down at her encouragingly. “My father left a diary that explained a lot but I need more specific answers, not least of which is the whereabouts of the family strong box. My mother is adamant that my father hid it rather than sell the contents and my father’s own diary confirms this but we have yet to discover its hiding place.” he lowered his tone as a maid came into the room with a tray of tea and cake.

Anne collected her thoughts as the maid poured tea. The girl bobbed a curtsey to them all before she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Anne glanced at Giles one more time and saw nothing but admiration and loyalty in his eyes. She looked back to Alexander and then took a deep breath before beginning.

“You should know immediately that I know nothing of the Ormond jewels. Phillip gave me only two pieces. One on our marriage and the other on my birthday both of which I still have. The first was my wedding ring.” She held up her left hand to show the band of emeralds and diamonds that circled her finger. “And the other is a matching emerald and diamond choker. Although the famed Ormond jewels were occasionally worn by your mother at special events I never saw where she kept any of them. Please understand that by the time Phillip and I moved in we could no longer afford to go out in society or even entertain lavishly. The jewels had been put into safe keeping years before your father’s and brother’s deaths.” She paused, glancing at Giles before continuing. “There is no point in me hiding anything from you. You may as well know that I only married Phillip to escape a union with someone with whom I would never have been happy. Phillip offered me a reason to cry off and a place of safety. I accepted gratefully.” Her eyes dropped to her hands and clenched them in her lap as she carried on. “He explained that he would never be able to love me or give me children. He was fully aware that Ormond and all the estates would pass to you on his demise. He only promised to care for me, cherish me even and I was just pleased that I would have that but he gave me so much more. We had a genuine fondness for one another, an innocent affection that grew over the three years we were married. I can honestly say that I loved him as a dear friend for his kindness and generosity.” She glanced up at Alexander again and this time looked him in the eye. “I also know that he was in love with someone unattainable under any circumstances. I accepted this also. One cannot always help where our hearts lead us however much the rest of the world disapproves,” her tone was gentle as her gaze flicked towards Giles.

Alexander breathed out a sigh of relief. He had feared her wrath if she had felt deceived but it appeared that Phillip had been as honourable as ever.

“I’m glad he looked after you Anne. It could not have been the marriage that you wished for but I know that you must have eased his fears and doubts considerably. I cannot thank you enough for that.” He leaned forwards in his chair.

She shook her head as genuine tears of sadness welled in her eyes.

“It was no hardship. We had a good marriage in many ways. I only wish I could have helped your brother in his hour of need but he tried to shield me from the worst of it. After his death, I discovered a letter that explained nearly all. He should have let me help him more, Alexander. I would have done anything to protect him as he had protected me.”

Alexander puffed out a great whoosh of relief. He stood up and paced towards the tall windows. The view looked out over the formal gardens and parkland. He rubbed his hand across his face as he blinked away the stinging in his eyes. He turned back to the room a few seconds later.

“You clearly know he was being blackmailed. Some letters had come to light and were being used against him. He attempted to keep apace with the demands by gambling. It was never my brother’s best skill and he failed miserably.” He smiled gently to himself and then cleared his throat. “My marriage to Elizabeth has cleared the debt hanging over Ormond but the blackmailer is still at large. I blame him for my father’s and Phillip’s deaths but I have also discovered that when Phillip’s lover discovered the blackmail plot he blamed his indiscretions and killed himself over the affair. He couldn’t accept that he might be to blame for Ormond’s ruin. He threw himself from the church tower at Oakley St. Mary.”

Anne shot up from the chaise.

“Good God! How awful. I knew something dreadful had occurred but I had no real details. No wonder Phillip despaired. He must have been in an agony.”

Alexander bit back the pain that welled in his chest for his brother and nodded.

“I could feel it before in the letter he wrote to me on your marriage but I am more than glad he was honourable to you and found happiness in your company. I now need to know that Ormond is safe at last. I have had no demands since arriving back home but that is not to say that they cannot restart at any time. If even the slightest hint of this scandal is mentioned our name will be ruined, yours included. We won’t be able to stand against the tide of recriminations that will fall upon us. Should I be lucky enough to have children I wouldn’t want them to suffer for my lack of interest in subduing the bastard that killed my family.” The bitterness in his tone belied his outward calm.

Anne walked towards him and took the letter from her pocket.

“I found this with the letter addressed to me.” She pressed the thick envelope into Alexander’s hand then turned to Giles. “Mr. Denvers, I have been lacking for a good walk over the last weeks. Perhaps you would accompany me for a turn in the garden while Alexander reads his brother’s letter.” She smiled encouragingly at Giles. He shot to his feet and came towards her with purpose.

“Nothing would delight me more Madam.” He held out his arm and turned towards the door as Anne placed her hand at his elbow.

Alexander returned to the chair and looked at the letter. He recognized Phillip’s steady hand immediately.

He turned it over and noted that the seal remained intact. He slid his finger beneath the wax and held his breath as he opened the pages.

My dear Alexander,

This is not my finest hour and this letter will probably make for uncomfortable reading but I cannot leave you in any doubt as to my actions.

I have tried but I fear that I have failed to save Ormond for you.

It has been entirely my own fault from first to last but I can no longer fight the tide of hatred directed at me over the past several years. I do not know the full reasons for it and feel that it must come down to greed but I swear to you that I never once thought that my love for Peter Lovell would be so viciously persecuted.

I was still at school when I realized that I had fallen for him. I barely even knew what love was before it was too late. I fought against the feelings for several years but when I left the school I was more than miserable and sought him out again. You cannot imagine my delight when I discovered that my senses had not deceived me. He was as much in love with me as I was with him. I know that you will not want to hear the particulars of our relationship but I assure you that we were always more than discreet but that is apparently not enough for the fiend who threatens to bring me to my knees.

When Peter died I thought my life was over. My best friend and beyond wonderful wife, Anne, has brought me back from the brink of despair. I have told her as much as she needs to know and I think she has already guessed the rest, though I have written her a letter explaining as much as I can too.

I beg of you to keep her close. Help her find the husband she so deserves and the one I could never be. If you retain Ormond and ever discover the felon who stole not only my birthright but also Evenleigh from you please return the estate to Anne. She should be not be left destitute through no fault of her own and neither should she have to rely on her father’s charity. Nor should she be at the whim of her brother, who is unfortunately far too young to understand the heart of an independently minded woman.

Alexander glanced up from the letter as Anne and Giles passed by the window. They were walking slowly and Giles stared down, his eyes never leaving his beautiful companion’s face. He was clearly captivated by the lovely woman on is arm. Alexander smiled as Anne gazed adoringly back up at his friend before he returned to the letter in his hand.

I have confessed every detail to our father and, to his credit he hasn’t disowned me or even pressured me in any way except in the matter of my marriage but the estate cannot survive these blackmail demands. I have no recourse to refuse to pay them as they are sent with details that only someone close would know. Peter has sworn that he has told no one and I am sorry for it but I even considered Geoffrey at the start. I now know that to be false but the details are too sure to be the idle guess of a stranger.

Someone knows my secret Alex.

The letters arrive at Ormond every few weeks. A man arrives a few evenings later and collects the cash from a designated place in town. I have had him followed on several occasions but this man is skilled in the art of deception and always avoids capture or questions. Even if he were caught I do not think this person to be the actual blackmailer but a man hired expressly for the job. I cannot offer proof of anything without bringing dire shame not only on myself but on our family.

With this final demand, as a last resort I offered the contents of a ship that I just happened to win in a fool’s game of cards. If the man who forfeited this hold is to be believed the goods therein should amount to the sum of nearly Fifty Thousand Pounds when sold. I have buyers already waiting but the ship is already two weeks late. I can only hope that I have not been fooled once again and that the weather is the cause of the delay. If it is then I hope that you will never have to read this letter.

If such is not the case then I will have gone to my grave for even though father has forbidden me to countenance such action, I can bear no longer the shame I have brought upon our name and will not help myself escape my demise.

Please forgive me Alexander,

Your loving and loyal brother,

Phillip

P.S Father has secreted the family treasure in an effort to save something for your return. He begs that you use them only as a last resort. I cannot tell you where they are kept in case this letter finds its way into the wrong hands but if you look deeply into our boyhood adventures your will know where to begin the search for your treasure.

Alexander closed his eyes and crumpled the letter in his hand as rage swept over him. If he had been at Ormond he would have yelled to the heavens with fury. That his brother could have been brought to such a state over something that was entirely private was unthinkable.

Perspiration beaded on his brow as his blood thundered round his body. If the man who had done this had stood in front of him now, he would have ripped the felon’s own heart from his chest with his bare hands and thrown it for the crows to pick.

There was a sudden commotion outside the door. Alexander stiffened as Fothersby opened the door and bowed as two men came in. They both strode forwards.

“Your Grace, we have not had the chance to meet before but I beg that you will forgive this lack of formal introduction. I am George Ellesworth, Earl of Lavenham. I believe you have already met my son, Edward.” The older man gestured towards the youth standing beside him.

Alexander took a breath and kept control of his temper as he eyed the upstart who had had the effrontery to almost drag Anne from the Dower House at Ormond. Edward was barely past school age and already far more arrogant than he should be. Alexander looked down his nose at the younger man.

“Yes, we met briefly when he came to collect my sister in law. We were sorry for her hasty departure. I had only arrived the evening before and barely made her acquaintance. I would have liked to have been more of a comfort to my brother’s wife. My mother was particularly distressed at the loss. Lady Anne was a great comfort to her.” He ignored the Earls embarrassed grunts. “I came to visit my sister in law with my friend, Giles Denvers, who I believe your son also met at Ormond. He is, at this moment, escorting Lady Anne on a walk about the grounds. You have a splendid park here Ellesworth.” He attempted to find some neutral ground while he regained full control of his temper. It was not to be for although the Earl gave a cursory nod, Edward stepped forwards, his chest puffed up with his own self importance.

“Anne is unattended while walking with that commoner? Father I must go to find them…My sister appears to have lost all sense of propriety since you let her cry off from her original engagement.” His nasally toned insult affronted Alexander almost as much as the letter he still held crumpled in his hand. The boy could have been all of fifteen when Phillip married Anne and the insult to Giles was beyond Alexander’s endurance. He turned towards Anne’s brother with a disdainful air.

“I think you will find that my sister in law is in perfectly acceptable company, Ellesworth. Denvers may not have a title but his uncle is a Lord and even without that noble connection he has far more admirable qualities then many supposedly better men that I have had the misfortune to know.” He looked down on the puffed up boy, glad that his stature and title made the young buck look small and insignificant.

Edward appeared about to respond but his father lay a restraining hand on his son’s shoulder.

“I am sure Anne knows how to conduct herself, Edward. Look, here they are now just walking towards us. They will be here in just a moment.”

Edward’s face reddened and he turned towards the door expectantly. They had only a few moments to wait until they heard laughter in the hall.

They came into the salon together, Giles’s face wreathed in smiles. Anne’s face was flushed and pretty, her rosy cheeks bright against the dark black of her gown. She stopped dead as she saw her father and brother. The Earl raised an expectant eyebrow and Anne rushed into an explanation.

“Father, Edward, His Grace and Mr. Denvers were in the area and came to enquire after me. I’m afraid that I didn’t expect you home so early, if at all, and I entertained by myself.” She stopped as Edward stared down is over long nose at her.

“Clearly we were unexpected! It’s just as well that the Duke and his friend were recognized as they came through town. We were informed of their direction and assumed that this would be their ultimate destination. We left our business in town and came home immediately. It appears we were just in time to put a halt to this scandal.” He pulled himself up to his fullest height in a ridiculous attempt at intimidation as he almost shouted at his sister. “What were you thinking of, entertaining this man while you are meant to be mourning your dead husband? Have you no conception of how this would look to others? Father, really…You are going to have to bring her under control. We can’t have her gallivanting about like this. Think of our reputation.” He moved to his father’s side.

Anne’s face clouded and for a moment Alexander thought she was going to concede but then her chin came up and her eyes turned stone cold as she faced her brother. She gave a brittle smile.

“Edward, darling! Have you listened to yourself lately? You are beginning to sound like one of those men at the market.  Always repeating the same line over and over. I’m afraid that I grow bored with you.” She turned to her father. “I have asked Alexander to stay for dinner and remain for the night. I have things I need to discuss with regard to Phillip’s estate.”

Alexander didn’t think that he would be able to discuss anything much with her brother in attendance but he gave a grim smile.

“I thank you Lady Anne. We would be delighted but do not wish to cause any discord. We will spend the night at the inn in town and then call on you again in the morning.” He ignored Giles’s lowered brow but Lady Anne dismissed his refusal with a wave of her hand.

“Nonsense, I won’t hear of it. We have rooms aplenty. I will inform Fothersby that we will be two more for dinner and I will arrange rooms for you instantly.” She walked to the door but Edward blocked her way and spoke in an audible whisper.

“You cannot be serious Anne. Our reputation has already suffered enough because of you. Crying off once was bad enough and becoming the wife of the Marquis with such indecent haste nearly ruined our good name. It was only luck that nothing came of it, but now you are associating yourself with a man of common stock. It will all be seen as a slap in the face to those who matter.”

Alexander could hear no more against either his family, friend or his sister in law. He spoke as he heard Giles grinding his teeth.

“As our presence is so abhorrent to the young Lord, we will take our leave immediately. Anne, if you would speak to me for just a few moments privately I would be grateful. I will correspond with you directly concerning any other matters. Please know that Ormond will always be available to you should ever need somewhere to stay. My Lord.” Ignoring the son completely he gave Ellesworth a short bow and with Giles at his side, he marched from the room.

As they strode across the hall they both heard Anne begin to speak. He voice was controlled but she was clearly furious.

“How dare you embarrass me in such a manner, Edward! Alexander is my brother in law and Mr. Denvers is a perfect gentleman. It is a pity I cannot say the same for you, you pompous arse!” There was a swoosh of silk skirts and then Anne followed Alexander and Giles out into the hall.

She waited until they were outside on the drive before she spoke. Her face was flushed again but this time with anger and sorrow. She threw up her hands in despair.

“I cannot believe the cheek of the young idiot. What my father has been doing with him the last three years is beyond me. I am so sorry Giles and thank you for not rising to him. He would like nothing more than the attention and possible notoriety of a duel.”

Giles slapped his gloves against his thigh as their horses were brought round from the stables. He held himself in check but spoke bitterly.

“The young pup’s damned lucky I didn’t call him out. One more word and I wouldn’t have been responsible for my actions. Know this Anne, he would not have survived to report his notoriety.” The muscle in his jaw ticked wildly.

Alexander lay a calming hand on his friend’s tense shoulder.

“And you would have been quite within your rights however you know you would regret killing the little idiot. We were all hot tempered in our younger days though it would serve master Edward well to know that Giles here is a not only a crack shot but skilled beyond most with a rapier also. If pistols or swords were called for, Edward would die at dawn.”

Anne’s face paled slightly but she nodded her head. She knew that Giles forbore calling for the duel in favour of her feelings. Her brother needed to learn his lesson. He deserved the warning.

“I will let him know that he should make sure he can back up his insults.” She drew a deep breath as the stable master came around the house with the horses. She looked quickly up at Alexander. “I think it best if you do not write personal missives to me here. I could not be sure that any letters would go unopened. If you need to ask me anything else please arrange a visit through your mother. Any notes can reach me from her sister’s. I will immediately send a note to you if I can think of anything that will help your situation.”

Alexander nodded and bent over her hand as she curtseyed to him then he turned away and mounted Midnight. Anne turned to Giles and smiled with genuine affection. Giles glanced up at the manor and noted the Earl and young Edward both staring out at them. He turned back to Anne and took her hand. He moved the lace of her glove with his thumb and pressed a gentle kiss to her heated skin.

Anne gasped as his fingers tightened momentarily on hers before he stepped back and let her hand go. He turned and swiftly leapt onto his horse then gave her a quick smile before he put his heels to his mount’s sides and galloped off after Alexander.

Chapter Eleven

Secrets and Lies

Giles tossed the crumpled letter back to his companion and stared into the fire.

“Is it true do you think?”

Alexander raised his eyebrows.

“I would think so. I can’t imagine Phillip lying in what appears to be his confessional letter and it backs up what father had written in his diary.”

Giles began to pace the room.

“So our trip to see Anne was worth it then.” He gave an embarrassed smile. “I confess that I was only thinking of myself when I said that I would accompany you. She’s a fine woman Alexander. Phillip was lucky to have her at his side when things became difficult.”

Alexander nodded.

“Yes he was, but you do understand what being the wife of my brother meant? I can’t imagine that the marriage was consummated.” He eyed his friend and smiled at the man’s shocked expression.

“My God! You’re right. Not that it would make any difference to the way I feel about her but it certainly adds a lure.”

Alexander snorted.

“As if you needed one. It’s quite clear where your heart lays.”

Giles smiled wistfully.

“The way she strode into that stable when we first saw her, cheeks flushed with health and her hair all awry from riding. She took my breath away. I fell for her at first sight, not that I stand much of a chance what with my lack of title and lands. My estate is tiny in comparison to Ormond or Lavenham. She would be a fool to even look at me.”

“She’d be a bigger fool not to.” Alexander tried to cheer his friend.

Giles waved his compliment away and gave up the subject.

“Well, at least you know what the blackmail was over now. I can’t say that I envy your position. Damned difficult in the circumstances. No wonder your brother was trapped into complying with the blackmailer. He had no choice. This letter refers to missives from this Peter to your brother. Do you think the blackmailer still has them? He could use them to your detriment still.”

Alexander shook his head.

“I don’t think he’d chance it. It would be damned hard to prove with both my brother and his lover dead. As far as I know only my father’s diary and the letter Phillip sent to me confirm it. Any handwriting could easily be called into question. Anne knows but she is unlikely to ruin herself over the affair. Of course you may wish to distance yourself. I would understand perfectly.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to block the pain that threatened to envelope him.

The strain was evident in his demeanour and Giles came to stand by his friend. He clasped a steady hand to his shoulder.

“I won’t call you out for that insult to my loyalty. You know that this won’t affect my relationship with you, don’t you Alex?” He waited for Alexander to open his eyes before he spoke again. “Phillip was your brother. He was clearly a good and kind man. If he had been left to follow his own desires he would have been discreetly happy with his life. Just because society dictates who we can love does not mean that a person’s heart will follow the same course. You know how many confirmed bachelors have completely unnecessary stewards and you cannot deny that some of the relationships the men made during war were far more intimate than merely comrades in arms. None of the men I knew who favoured that way of life were the worse for it. They were as strong and as reliable as you or I. Their hearts just led them in a different direction to what is viewed as the norm. The law will catch up with people’s needs and emotions one day.” The sincerity in his tone could not be ignored.

Alexander blinked away the water that had gathered in his eyes. It had not come as a shock to him to discover from his father’s diary that Phillip loved another man. That Phillip’s letter had only confirmed it was no surprise. He realized that he had probably known for many years but just forced it to the back of his mind. In any case it made no difference to him but he was glad that it made no difference to Giles either.

“Thank you for those words. You have no idea how much they mean to me.” His voice was husky. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “Even with the letter confirming the blackmail I still don’t see why I had to marry Elizabeth. There is nothing left to blackmail me over so the only advantage to Hardacre was to try and embarrass what’s left of my family by saddling me with a deaf wife, but that is a ridiculous thing to attempt to do. The man must think I have no compassion.”

Giles frowned.

“Or he thinks that there is something to gain by the union. What would further his blackmail attempts or his never ending need for more money? As it is he has kept every penny your father and brother paid him. Phillip’s gambling debts were a mere fraction of that sum. All he has done is place a young woman in your home...What reason could there be behind it all?”

Alexander pressed his fingertips to his temples and rubbed hard.

“There’s nothing for her to gain but maybe a more stable household. If I can carry on with Ormond the way it has worked over the last few weeks, there will be money aplenty coming in by the end of the season. The only reason my family were so badly reduced was due to the blackmail demands. There have been none since the deaths. There would be no reason but lack of funds for us to hide away in a crumbling castle, too impoverished to mix in polite society. Why, I am even thinking of bringing Elizabeth to London if she would like to go. Can you imagine her on my arm, dressed in the finest clothes with the Ormond Jewels at her throat and in her hair?” His eyes glistened with pride but Giles choked on the brandy he had just swallowed.

“That’s it!” He spluttered eventually. “It is her own father doing this to you. He’s waiting for the jewels. He’s expecting you to want to show off your beautiful bride and he obviously knows you well enough that you would want her to wear the family finery. He must have realized that your father would try to keep them at all costs. Placing his daughter inside your household was the only way could to discover them. She’s been sent to steal your family jewels.”

Alexander dropped his glass and stared at his friend in open mouthed horror.

“Please tell me that cannot be true. She wouldn’t.”  He gulped down his fears as he stared at his friend but they wouldn’t be silenced. “My God Giles, she has the run of the place and could be searching for them as we speak. The servants already love her, they wouldn’t bar her way. She might even have found them and left already!” His heart hammered in his chest in confusion. He was unsure whether he was more worried that she had left him than if she had left with the jewels. He swirled towards the door of the inn with Giles right behind him. His friend spoke carefully, the determination evident in his one.

“I’m coming with you, Alex. There is more than thievery afoot here. You need all the help you can get.”

Alexander ran round to the stables and shouted for his horse. His mind ran over all the possibilities. If she wasn’t being set up to steal the jewels there could be other ways of forcing Alexander’s hand. His tone rose with genuine anxiety.

“What if this is a plot to kidnap her?” He spoke quickly, attempting and failing to keep his voice down. He wiped his hand across his heated brow and took control of his fears. The less people who knew about this the better it would be whatever the outcome, but he was hard pressed not to shout out his concerns. “Perhaps Hardacre has discovered my affection for her. Her maid hates me and I know nothing about her. She could be in league with the bastard. If Elizabeth is taken he could ask for a ransom. She could be in terrible danger if I do not comply!” The terrifying thoughts came thick and fast.

He had been gone from Ormond for three days, though one of those had been taken with asking Giles to ride with him. It would take him two days to return. His heart plummeted to his stomach. He’d been such a fool. The jewels were the only thing left worth having. Ormond itself was an ancient liability only kept up by the family who had owned her for centuries. No one in his right mind would want to take on the upkeep of such a huge place.

Alexander could have punched himself for his own arrogance. This wasn’t about a title or even a castle. This had only ever been about money. How he hadn’t suspected it before completely floored him. This was the new century. Titles meant little. All that mattered was possessions; land and money. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t seen it before.

Giles was right behind him. He brought his animal abreast as they galloped into the night and glanced over at his friend. The worry was clear on Alexander’s face and Giles knew that the man’s terror wasn’t for the family strongbox.

“Are you telling me that you love your wife? I’m happy for you if it’s true but dread to think of the consequences if she has been playing you for a fool.”

Alexander dug his spurs into Midnight and the horse lurched forwards. He yelled back over his shoulder.

“I don’t know if I love her yet. I’ve hardly had time to get to know her. All I do know is that she makes my heart ache when I am near her. It pains me even more being away from her. I cannot bear the thought of her being hurt by this madman. I cannot consider her betraying me or even leaving me. Her heart is tender Giles; she is as much of a pawn in this game as I.”

Less than two days later they were cantering over the drawbridge at Ormond. Geoffrey came running at the sound of clattering hooves. Alexander barely brought his horse to a stop before he slid from the saddle and ran into the castle, startling Grady as he carried firewood towards Alexander’s study. The chopped wood clattered across the floor.

Alexander bent to help pick up the dropped logs.

“Grady, where is my wife?” He demanded before any formal greeting.

Grady stood up his arms full of the logs again.

“She’s not here, Your Grace.”

Alexander’s heart plummeted to his stomach. He bit out a curse as Giles came running through the door behind him.

“Damn! We’re too late. She’s already gone.”

Grady nodded as he held the logs close.

“Early this morning. Cook packed a picnic for her. She asked for a fire in your study for when you returned. The nights can still be a little chill and she thought you might have business to attend to when you arrived home. We were not sure of the day but she’s insisted on lighting one every night this week just in case.”

Alexander gave a puzzled frown.

“What? Why would she care for my comfort if she’s left me? And what on earth is cook doing packing her a picnic.” He spoke from between gritted teeth and tried to keep the emotion out of his voice but it was a hard task as his heart clenched in his chest and threatened to split in two.

Grady looked at him quizzically. He would have scratched his head if his hands had not been full of logs.

“Who’s left you?”

Alexander fisted his own hands at his sides.

“Elizabeth! My wife of course. You said that she’s not here.”

Grady nodded again.

“No, she’s not here. She’s gone down to the beach. Said she fancied some sea air and what with the weather being so fine she didn’t want to remain cooped up here all day.” He clarified his earlier statement and Alexander’s shoulders slumped with momentary relief before he tensed again.

“Tell me that she’s not gone on her own.” Worry surged up in him again as he considered a possible kidnap plot.

Grady shook his head.

“Betty went with her in the cart. Jennings is driving. Her Grace insisted that she didn’t want the closed carriage what with the weather being so fine.”

Alexander felt weak from his roiling emotions. Somehow he kept to his feet and staggered into the study. Giles took the logs from Grady and followed Alexander after ordering Grady to ask Sarah to make a strong brew of tea.

Alexander was already in the chair by his desk. Giles dumped the logs in the basket and fell into the chair by the fireplace.

“Dear God, Alex. I thought you were about to pass out.”

Alexander raised his eyes.

“You were not the only one. I had no idea how badly this has all affected me. I feel as though I am about to go out of my mind.”

Giles waited to speak while Sarah brought in a tray of tea and a few warm biscuits. The door closed with a soft click behind her.

“Not surprising really if you think about it. We’d barely stepped on shore before you had the terrible news about your family. Then the shock of the debt and the blackmail. You spent the next few weeks desperately trying to pull things together here. Finding out about your brother couldn’t have been easy either and then you are married to a woman whose beauty defies the God’s but she cannot hear a word you say. You rescue her from a wild dog and then we discover a plot to steal the Ormond jewels. It must be confusing in the very least.” He ran his fingers through his hair as he felt the frustration himself.

Alexander barked out a hollow laugh and poured them both a cup of tea.

“You are right of course. When Grady said she wasn’t here I panicked. I feel a complete fool.”

Giles shook his head.

“Not at all in view of the circumstances.” He paused as he took in his friend’s weary expression. “Do you want to go down to the beach to find her?”

Alexander shook his head as he glanced up at the window.

“No, it will be dark before long. Grady expects her home and Jennings is with them. He won’t let them be late. They will probably be on their way back now anyway. I think I’ll go and bathe and change before I attempt to see Elizabeth. Two day’s riding has taken the edge off my toilette and I can’t even begin to think about questioning my wife or searching for the strong box with the dust of travel still thick in my hair. I presume that you are staying for at least the night. I’ll ask Grady to bring you bath water as well.” He put his cup back on the tray and stood up.

They both trudged wearily across the hall and turned into the west wing before heading up the stairs to their rooms.

Alexander had only sat on his bed for a few seconds when he heard a familiar sound. He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he listened to Elizabeth’s awful singing echoing up the stairs. He tugged at his riding boot but it seemed to be attached to his foot. He was about to ring for Grady when the door swung open and Elizabeth ran in smiling, her masses of curls billowing about her shoulders.

“Alessander! Sarah told me that you had arrived. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to welcome you.” She came forwards and after seeing him struggling with his boots she leaned over and lifted his foot. “Let me help you with tha’.” She tugged on the heel but it still didn’t move. She bent further, offering Alexander a wonderful view of the dip between her perfect breasts and then she heaved on his heel, putting all her strength into it.

His boot gave up the struggle and shot from his foot. Elizabeth went reeling backwards. Her skirts flipped up as she landed on her bottom, affording him more than a glimpse of slender, stocking covered claves and delicately frilled bloomers.

He laughed and leaned forwards to give her a hand, hauling her back up. Warmth shot through his hand as she grasped his fingers tightly. He pulled her to her feet and dragged her towards him.

“Thank you. Perhaps you would like to attempt the other one.”

Elizabeth grinned as she rubbed her backside.

“I hope this one is no’ quite so stuck. I will need paddin’ to sit at dinner.” She reached down for his other boot and tugged hard.  This one came away with fewer objections and Elizabeth picked up both boots. She stood them by the wardrobe and turned back to her husband.

Alexander stared back at her. Her hair was in disarray, wind-blown with tendrils falling from her pins. Her cheeks were flushed with fresh air and sand had stuck to the hem of her dress. She looked utterly adorable.

“Giles and I only arrived minutes before you. Grady said you were at the beach. It looks as if you have had a lovely day.”

She nodded enthusiastically.

“Betty had never seen the sea. She was brought up in the city and began working for my father almost as soon as we moved into town. Is so pretty there. She said she never saw so much water.”

Alexander smiled widely.

“Yes, it can certainly take you by surprise the first time. All that expanse of ocean takes your breath away.” He paused and then added. “Where have you seen the sea before?” His casual question belied the smile he fixed on his face.

She laughed joyously, honking like a goose.

“Here of course. The beach has always been lovely. I couldn’t see the sea when we lived in town and I missed it.”

It was only as she finished speaking that she realized what she had admitted. She brought her hand to her mouth and turned to run for the door but Alexander anticipated her move and sprang from the bed. He caught hold of her arm and hauled her towards him. She struggled for a few seconds, her eyes wide with fear, her body trembling with fright. He wrapped his arms around her wriggling form and held her against his chest until she quieted.

She stood helpless, panting in his arms, not quite sure whether she was trembling with fear or just because her body had reacted violently to being pressed against a solid wall of hot, hard muscle. She could feel his heart drumming beneath her cheek as his hands spread across her back and held her firmly.

She refused to look up at him as her brain scrambled for some explanation for her reckless words. She had been so thrilled to see him that her mouth had run away with her yet again. No excuse sprang to mind and she closed her eyes not wanting to see the condemnation in his. It was a good few minutes before his grip lessened and he pulled her towards the bed.

He placed her gently on the coverlet and then dropped to his knees in front of her. She chanced opening her eyes again. There was no anger in his expression just a deep need for answers and she knew that she would have to confess what she knew if he asked.

Alexander just stared at the woman he had married. She had been to Ormond before. His blood raced as he tried to recall anyone like her but nothing and no one sprang to mind. The local debutants were well known to him from his youth but Elizabeth didn’t fit any of the usual moulds.

He took her arms in his hands and gripped hard.

“Who are you? When were you here before Elizabeth?”

She blinked at him as salty tears flooded her eyes. She lifted her fingertips to his lips to touch them gently. Her finger trailed along his cheekbone and then across his forehead, stopping momentarily to rub the crease between his brows. She let out a sigh and dropped her hand.

“It was a long time ago Alessander... I’m Lily.” She waited for him to shout at her, to reel back in shock, for the disgust to rise in his features but none of that happened. His frown deepened and his hands gripped her arms even more firmly. She stifled a cry of pain as his fingers shook and made bruises on her flesh.

“Our Lily? Little Lily Smith? You’re lying. Lily died. Smith buried her with her mother. Who are you really?” The disgust at her lie was plain in his tone.

She could tell that his temper was rising. An angry flush rose to his cheeks. She shook her head, her wayward curls falling about her face.

“I’m not lying. Father took me away into town after the ‘splosion. My hearing never came back. I still have constant ringing in my ears even now. He told me that both you and Phillip had died and that’s why we had to leave so quickly. He told me that I would be blamed for your deaths if I ever spoke of it again.”

Alexander swallowed as his brain tried to scramble around her confession. He was almost too shocked for words. He narrowed his eyes and desperately thought back. She looked nothing like the raven haired horror who had shadowed his steps all those years ago. The only similarity was the colour of her hair and her eyes. He thought again and remembered her dreadful singing. He didn’t want to believe it.

“My father had stored a huge box of fireworks in the barn. They were intended for my mother’s birthday but they blew up. That fact doesn’t prove that you are Lily Smith. Anyone would have known about the accident for miles around. If you insist that you are the child then tell me something about that day. Something that no one but I would know.”

Elizabeth looked at him thoughtfully. She could understand his reasoning but she had been so injured that she couldn’t remember many details.

“I don’t remember much of it at all. One minute I was hiding under the hay eating lardy cakes and the next I was blown through the wall.”

Alexander stared at her as he thought back to the awful day himself. He could almost smell the lardy cakes as she mentioned them. He stood up and paced the room. Lardy cakes didn’t make her Lily Smith.

“That’s not enough. Anyone local would know that. Cook fed half the town with our leavings. Lily had the run of Ormond. The whole village knew that the desperate little girl pinched the lardy cakes. I pinched enough myself and it wasn’t as if the whole affair wasn’t gossiped about for months on end. Phillip was sent away because of it.”

She stared up at him and then closed her eyes as if trying to remember. Her eyes flew open again.

“Sent away? Father told me you both died.” She sighed and thought hard as Alexander’s expression didn’t waver. She smoothed a tendril of hair away from her face and then stopped suddenly. She patted the top of her head and frowned at him. “A dead mouse landed on my head. Tabby caught it and gave it to you. You were swinging it to and fro. The body detached itself from the tail and flung off into the straw. You dropped the tail in the dirt. I nearly choked laughing until the horrible thing landed right on my head.”

Alexander stopped pacing and turned to face her. He remembered the incident well but he had never spoken of it to anyone. He narrowed his eyes as if trying to fit a seven year old face onto her. He took a step closer to her and placed his hand under her chin. He tilted her head, cupped her cheek and stared into her dark eyes. Teardrops glistened on her lashes and he felt the almost forgotten but still familiar lurch in his chest. There was no denying it. She was Lily.

“Why didn’t you say anything when we married, when you realized who I was?” His voice almost broke with the emotions surging into his heart as he brushed an errant tear away from beneath her eye with the pad of his thumb.

Elizabeth sighed and leaned into his hand.

“I couldn’t. I didn’t even know it was you. I didn’t recognize you and I wasn’t looking at the pastor when we married so I missed your name. I didn’t know you were even alive until I saw Ormond that day. I nearly passed out with shock when I discovered that you were not only the boy I once played with but that you were now the Duke. I knew that you would be so disappointed that I wasn’t some beautiful, perfect Lady. I’m just common old Lily who used to follow you and Phillip everywhere and spoil your games.” She wrung her hands together desperately. “The week before we married, father told me that he had found me a husband. I couldn’t believe it as I had barely met any other men. I tried to refuse but I had no choice in the end. Father said if I didn’t marry you he would turn me out. I’m deaf Alessander, a useless drain to anyone. I would not have found employment because no one would want the liability of a deaf woman. I would have ended up on the streets and I couldn’t do that. I had to accept what I was offered but I can only tell you that I am sorry for ruining your life. I didn’t know that you were being tricked into accepting me until it was too late.”

He stepped back and tried to regain control over his rioting thoughts. He could scarcely believe what she was telling him but knew that it had to be true. He put his hand to his forehead and took some deep breaths before he looked back at her.

She stood there, beautiful but so pale. He could feel the tension in her stance, the fear in her countenance and his heart melted at the thought of what she had been forced to do. He took a step back towards her and before she could protest, he gathered her into his arms and pulled her gently against his chest, holding her just far enough away for her to read his lips.

“You poor girl.” He whispered. “I cannot imagine what you have gone through and I cannot fathom any father wanting to do this to his daughter.” He brushed her tousled hair from her forehead and closed his eyes as he leaned forwards and place a kiss in the centre of her brow. He heard her give a quiet sob as her body began to tremble and he looked down at her again. “You have nothing to fear Lily. I’ll never hurt you and I’ll never turn you out. This was your home so many years ago and it will be your home again now. You will always be safe at Ormond.”

She shook her head as the tears began to spill down her cheeks.

“But you don’t want me. You are a Duke; you could have any Lady in the land, one who would stand by your side and make you proud to have her on your arm. I’m just a common farmer’s daughter and my father and I have ruined everything for you.” She tried to wriggle from his arms but he just held her tighter until she gave up the struggle.

“There is nothing common about you Lily. You are a beautiful young woman with a gentle heart and don’t for one minute think that I don’t want you but I think we are going to have to sit down and talk this through. My father and brother died because your father couldn’t curb his greed. I have to bring him to justice. However much it may hurt your father, I cannot let my family rest un-avenged.”

Lily nodded as tears spilled from her eyes.

“I will try and help you but I don’t know where to start. Father lied to me so much. He is a hard, angry man, Alessander. ”

Alexander led her to the chair by the fire and pressed her into the seat. He took the chair opposite and leaned forwards, his elbows resting on his knees.

“I think I know where it all began. Phillip’s experiment nearly killed you. As it was you were deafened. Your father was a bitter man after his wife died and I think he saw an opportunity to make a better life for himself. He told my father that you had died, perhaps even insinuating that Phillip and I had murdered you. He covered the fact that you were still alive by saying that he was taking your body to be buried with your mother. My father paid all his expenses with a little extra as an incentive for not pressing charges against my brother. Phillip was sent to school in town and your father told no-one else what had really happened to you. You must have taken private lodgings when you first arrived in town.”

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. She shook her head.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember. I was unconscious for several days and I was only seven years old. Even if I had remember I was already deafened and in a great deal of pain. I could barely communicate and I know that I was very confused. I can recall not understanding what was going on or why the pain wouldn’t go away. It was months before I could lip read to any extent. Most of the time I had no idea what anyone was saying to me. I only learned later that I had burst both eardrums. We changed lodgings many times before we settled on the house in Oakley. Everyday my father went out and I would have to stay alone in my room until he came home. He left me a few things to occupy myself with and a small amount of food and water. I assumed he was working.” She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and was about to start talking again when Alexander heard a knock at the door. He touched her hand and lifted his chin towards the door to stop her from speaking while Grady, Beth and Sarah came in with steaming jugs of bathwater. His servants disappeared behind his bathing screen and reappeared as wafts of steam drifted into his bedroom.

Grady gave a short bow as he edged backwards from the room and Alexander ignored his enthusiastic wink, the twinkle in his aging eye indicating exactly what his young master should be doing with the beautiful young woman sitting with him.

Alexander rolled his eyes and waved the man out of his room but Elizabeth had caught the exchange. She dipped her head as a delicate flush rose to her cheeks. Alexander reached out and brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. She lifted her chin and stared up at him with wide eyes and trembling lips. He fisted his other hand as he resisted the temptation to pull her towards him. If everything she had told him was true then she had been forced into the marriage. She was vulnerable, an innocent and with the change of her name, their marriage was possibly not even valid.

Tears were gathering in her eyes again. He fought the urge to brush them away. There was no way he could touch her even though it took all he had to leave her sitting there.

His cleared his throat and stood up quickly before he changed his mind.

“You had best leave, Elizabeth. I won’t be answerable to my actions if you stay. We’ll meet later to discuss this further. Perhaps Giles and Geoffrey can help us muddle through and understand this mess before I decide what needs to be done.” His voice whispered across her skin and she blinked in shock as she saw intense feelings cloud his beautiful blue eyes.

It was worse than she had first thought. He had become stiff and distant. He hated her for the deception played by her father! Tears gathered in her eyes as she stood up. She gazed up into his sapphire blue eyes, trying to read the emotions that clearly boiled inside him but he was already tuning away from her.

He walked to his bedroom door and opened it before he stood back and faced her, his meaning quite clear. A muscle twitched in his clenched jaw and she could see and angry pulse beating at his temple. He hated being tricked into marriage to a commoner, couldn’t bear the sight of her. He didn’t want her anywhere near him.

She picked up her skirts and ran from the room.

Chapter Twelve

Treasure Hunting

The bathwater had turned cold before Alexander rose from its depths. He quickly dried on a sheet then shoved his still damp arms into his robe. He carefully shaved the stubble from his jaw before taking fresh clothes from the wardrobe.

His mind wandered again as he revisited his feelings when he thought that Elizabeth had deserted him. Something clenched hard in his chest and wrung his heart. The thought of her leaving him was inconceivable. He gave a grim smile. Deep in his heart he had known that she spoke the truth when she had first told him who she was. The memory of her dark hair and eyes, her horrible tuneless singing even as a child, had come flooding back to him. Her lack of hearing had not altered it one wit.

He was glad that she was alive, more than glad. The guilt he had felt on hearing of her death had been terrible. Phillip’s own feelings as the inventor of the steam carriage that had apparently killed a young child could only be imagined at. Alexander’s blood boiled at the thought of what Smith had put Phillip and himself through. Even his parents had suffered from the loss.

He wondered when Smith had decided to change his name and blackmail his father. It must have been shortly after the accident, possibly only hours. Realizing that the Duke had willingly given Smith money to help his situation with his daughter, probably to keep the man quiet about Phillip’s stupid experiment and the reasons for Lily’s injuries, must have given him the idea to ask for more. Alexander’s father probably would have given it anyway. Nothing would ever replace Smith’s precious daughter, the only thing he had left of his wife, but the Duke would have tried to help in any way he could. If that had meant giving the man money regularly to ease the child’s disability, he would have done it without question but Smith had outright lied about her death.

Alexander shook his head as pulled his shirt over his shoulders. It explained some of the tragedy but not how Phillip had come to be blackmailed. It didn’t make any sense unless Smith had discovered his brother’s preference for his tutor but how had that been possible? It wasn’t as though they mixed in the same circles. Phillip had left school and been in the relationship with Lovell long before the blackmail had begun and Alexander could see no connection between him and Lily’s father. There must have been one and it was his mission to find it and the missing Ormond family jewels.

Alexander’s heart swelled at the thought of his Lily wearing them. Her dark hair and eyes would be perfect for the ruby collection. His mind wandered back to his brother’s wife. Phillip had given Anne the emerald choker and Alexander could clearly recall matching ear bobs and a bracelet. If he found them she would have those too. It was the very least he could do given the sacrifice she had made for his brother.

He pulled on his breeches before he moved to his dresser to comb and tie his hair. He then lifted a cravat from his drawer and tied it in a simple style. He squeezed into his jacket and huffed in discomfort as it pulled across his shoulders. He had still to order broader clothes from his tailor. He tugged at his cuffs and then shoved his feet into his shoes before leaving his room. He almost bumped into Grady who was about to knock and enter.

The older man bowed.

“I was about to come and dress you, Your Grace.”

Alexander turned Grady with a friendly hand on his shoulder.

“No need, my friend. Soldiering soon teaches a gentleman how to dress himself.” He looked along the empty, silent corridor. “Are my wife and Denvers already downstairs?”

Grady gave a frown.

“Mr. Denvers awaits you and your wife in the blue salon. I am not sure about her Grace’s where-a-bouts but her maid is with her so I can only assume that they are in her room at present.” He paused and looked up at Alexander.

Alexander stopped at his wife’s door and rapped smartly. There was no sound from beyond but if Lily was alone than she wouldn’t hear his knock. He opened the door and peered in. The clothes she had worn to the beach were in a pile on the floor and her beautiful scent assaulted him but the room was empty. He stepped back into the corridor and frowned at Grady.

“She must have gone down already.” He turned walked briskly towards the stairs.

His shoes echoed on the stone steps as he hurried into the salon. Giles stood by the window staring out over the grounds. He turned as he heard Alexander come into the room. A deep frown covered his forehead.

“So what did you do to your wife now? Did you threaten to clap her in irons and take her to the dungeons if she didn’t tell you the truth?”

Alexander laughed as he walked to the brandy decanter. He was about to pour himself a generous measure but stopped as he thought about his friend’s words.

“What do you mean? I had thought to find her in here with you but she must be delayed with her maid.”

Giles’s demeanour became even more serious.

“I just saw her leaving with her maid. Jennings was driving them in the carriage but I saw their faces through the window. Your wife looked back at Ormond just as they went across the bridge. You can still see the carriage.” He pointed out of the window towards the long drive.

Alexander took one glance then turned swiftly and strode out of the door. He ran to the front door and down the steps bellowing for Geoffrey to bring his horse. Giles followed him as Geoffrey appeared without the horses.

“Neither of your horses are in any shape to go out again, Alex. They’ve been ridden almost non-stop for two days and you’ve barely been home an hour to rest them. I’ll have them saddled if you want but you’ll be risking serious injury.”

Alexander grit his teeth.

“God’s bones! Why on earth is she leaving now?” He stared down the long driveway after the disappearing carriage. He whirled back to Geoffrey. “If she’s taken the carriage I can only assume that you have some idea of where she’s going.”

Geoffrey nodded quickly.

“She asked to be taken to Oakley. She can’t be shopping at this time of night so she can only be visiting someone there. Jennings said he would only be about an hour so they cannot have gone any further. I can get the cart out if you would like but it seems pointless when they’ll come back with him.”

Alexander thought for a few seconds. Perhaps he was over reacting. He couldn’t imagine who she was visiting but there was no other reason for her departure.

He turned to Giles.

“Come, we’ll eat. Geoffrey, as soon as you finish here come and join us. I have much to tell you too and you may be able to shed light on what Elizabeth revealed to me this afternoon. I don’t know why she has left now but some of the things she revealed clearly upset her. She has been lied to much of her life. I had hoped to clear everything up over dinner but it appears that she has more important things to do. There is nothing for it but to wait until Lily returns.” He pinched his nose and screwed up his eyes in concentration.

Giles looked askance at his friend.

“Lily? Is this some new pet name for your wife?”

Alexander shook his head and stared down the driveway. The dust had already begun to settle again and his coach was no longer in sight.

He trudged back into the castle with Giles at his side.

“Not a pet name but the name we called her until we thought she had died.” He led a curious Giles into the dining room and waited until Geoffrey joined them before he began to explain exactly who Lily was.

Geoffrey was as shocked as Alexander had been when he heard the tale only half an hour later. He leapt from his chair.

“Our Lily? Lily Smith the farmer’s daughter? Can this be true? I never recognized her for a second, didn’t even cross my mind. We all thought that she had died when you and Phillip blew up that cart and all the fireworks years ago.”

Alexander shook his head as he remembered the feeling of desolation at being told of her death and Phillip’s subsequent punishment. He hadn’t seen his brother for months afterwards and the difference was clear when he came home for his first holiday. The guilt had eaten at Phillip and changed him irrevocably. It had been nearly as bad for Alexander but at least he had the knowledge that he hadn’t invented the steam machine.

“I remember crying for days about it even though she had not been my favourite person when I was twelve years old. Phillip was just as devastated but he was packed off to school because of the scandal. A future Duke killing a child? It wasn’t to be borne! Father told me that Phillip was old enough to take responsibility for his actions, though he wouldn’t allow his son to go to prison or maybe even worse. Phillip was nearly fifteen. He could have been hanged.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Smith lied. He told my father that he was taking his daughter’s body to be buried with her mother so I doubt anyone would make the connection between Lily and Elizabeth now. I confess that for a few minutes I didn’t believe a word of her story but she gave me some irrefutable facts, things that she could have only known by being in the barn that day.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply.

Giles gave a small cough.

“I hate to give you any doubts about her but from what you are telling me if she had the run of this place as a child while playing with you and Phillip, she will know plenty of secret hiding places in this castle. Are you sure that she hasn’t already absconded with the family jewels and is on her way to realizing a fortune.”

Alexander looked up sharply and thought about her sudden departure.

“I hope to God that she hasn’t but I am giving her the benefit of the doubt. She’s had plenty of opportunity to find them and make her escape while I’ve not been here. If she was intent on theft then why leave absconding with the loot until after I had returned? She could have taken it and run anytime in the last few days. Her father told her that both Phillip and I had been killed in the same accident. She only married me because she thought that she had no choice. He convinced her that no man would willingly marry a deaf woman. Her father threatened her with destitution and the streets if she didn’t wed me. She only realized who I was when she arrived at Ormond. You remember how she was when we arrived here at the door. She almost fainted and I don’t think she was acting a part. She hadn’t heard the minister or me recite my name at the wedding ceremony because she was too frightened to look up at my face to read our lips.”

Geoffrey shook his head and let out a sigh.

“I remember her hesitation in the church. For a moment I thought she was going to back out of the marriage but then she gave her vow...So her father set her up to discover the missing jewels after he found that he could no longer live off the proceeds of blackmail because Phillip had died, but to do that would not only ruin you but his daughter’s future security too. It doesn’t make sense. Does he hate her that much?”

Alexander tapped his fingernails on the table as he realized how clever Smith had been.

“But don’t you see? In law she is not married to me. Her name is really Lily Smith. She married me as Elizabeth Carlton Hardacre. As it stands I doubt that the marriage is even legal. She could take the jewels, then disappear with her father and marry whoever she wants under her real name. No one would be the wiser if she chose not to tell.” His bitter tone revealed more than he cared to admit.

It was Giles’s turn to look puzzled.

“So Smith or the man now calling himself Hardacre must have guessed that your father hid the jewels somewhere at Ormond. The Duke clearly hadn’t sold them for that kind of information is soon about, especially with the importance of the jewels we are talking about. He couldn’t risk being hired on as staff because Grady, Geoffrey and the others who remained in your employ would recognize him immediately so he sent his supposedly dead daughter into the house to discover them and then make her getaway...but she’s done nothing in all the days that you haven’t been here to find them. Would she have more idea than her father as to their where-a-bouts?”

Alexander pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows as he thought back to his youth.

“She had the run of the place when she was small. Complete pain in the backside as I recall. Turning up and wanting us to play with her at the least convenient moment. She always managed to fill those big, brown eyes of hers with tears if we made her walk the plank or asked her to die on the battlefield. Made me feel awful so I always gave into her.” He snorted with suppressed laughter. “I ended up having to marry her way back then too, just to stop the waterworks. Phillip thought it was hilarious but I thought it most unreasonable of her seeing as we let her join in, and don’t even get me started on her terrible singing that she insisted on inflicting upon the household. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed a bit. Sounds like a Banshee and always has done. Can you imagine that noise echoing about this place all the time? I swear Phillip shoved cotton wads in his ears most days.” He sighed and gave a small smile before he sucked in a breath and continued. “She was like our shadow, followed Phillip and I everywhere. If I know where there’s a hiding place in this castle then she probably does too.” He tapped the side of his glass with his fingertip.

Geoffrey gave a laugh at Alexander’s recollection of Lily spoiling their games.

“I remember the time you had to marry her. I was forced to be a flower girl! Ghastly experience! She made me wrap a sheet around myself like it was a dress. Never felt more embarrassed in my life what with Phillip standing there laughing fit to burst his coat seams. Scarred me for life. You’re right about the hiding places though. Even I know a good few of them, but I don’t think she’s been searching recently. Grady, Sarah or Beth would have noticed. I know that Grady’s an old man now but he knows what’s going on in the place. He would have said something to me if anyone had noticed Lily nosing about suspiciously while you were away.”

Alexander agreed.

“It would have been the first thing Grady told me if she had been. Do you know if she’s received any letters since I’ve been gone? Not that they would help or direct her much as apparently she does not read well.”

Geoffrey shook his head.

“None that I know of. No one has even been to Ormond at all except the usual casual staff. Sarah went into town with her maid but they only went to do the usual shopping and then visited a friend of Betty’s. That’s the only place that a letter could have been picked up but Sarah never mentioned it and I’m sure that she would have told Grady if anything untoward had happened.”

Giles breathed in deeply.

“She could be meeting someone by prearranged design tonight. That’s about the only other possibility if she really is after the jewels. Of course we may be barking up the wrong tree completely and she’s just an innocent caught up in something else.”

Alexander swirled the brandy in his glass.

“I hope to God that she is. I don’t want her to be involved in any of this.”

Giles looked at his friend and smiled benevolently.

“You have become attached to her already. Not surprising really. She is a beauty beyond all comparison. Once you get over her strange way of speaking she appears to be intelligent and kind. Will you try and keep her?”

Alexander placed his glass carefully on the table. He looked up at both of his friends for a moment and then nodded.

“Clearly I could call the marriage into question as there are name differences but I would actually rather not annul it. There is something about her that calls to me and I have no desire to see her gone from here. I only hope that this visit she’s making is innocent, unless it was me that scared her off.”

Giles laughed.

“Whatever did you say that would scare her off? I cannot imagine you being an ogre with anyone except the French. You saved her life after all. Why would she run away from you?”

Alexander raised an eyebrow as he thought of the words he had used when his bath was being prepared. He sighed and confessed.

“I told her to leave my room or I would not be responsible for my actions...rather unfortunately that was right after I had discovered who she was. I was referring to my imminent state of undress as Grady prepared my bath but I rather think she thought I was angry about the deception at being told she had died in the explosion. I was actually more scared of not being able to contain my desires. I was hard pressed not to drag her into the bath with me.”

Geoffrey sniggered into his drink.

“I don’t think she would have needed much dragging. She’s been looking at those books that your father used to leave out in the library. I remember seeing one when I was about ten. I think you must have been almost sixteen or seventeen. I was rather surprised at their contents but I can’t imagine that you were by then.”

Alexander laughed.

“Good God no! But I didn’t let onto my father that then. I think he was just trying to keep me inventive should I ever have the opportunity to be with a willing woman, however I’d rather Lily hadn’t been exposed to them. Some of the details are rather graphic.”

Geoffrey nodded.

“I think she had just been looking for something to do and picked a book at random. A lucky choice I would guess depending on your point of view. She didn’t know that I was in the library. It was really warm and your office was beyond stuffy but the north facing library was very cool. I’d tucked myself into the corner to write up the days books. She came in and I was about to speak but I was curious when she went straight to your father’s selection. She took one of the books and then sat by the window for nearly an hour. Of course she hadn’t seen or heard me scribbling away in my corner and by that time I was too embarrassed to draw any attention to myself as I knew that she would have been mortified if she had been discovered with such a book.” He raised an embarrassed eyebrow at Alexander. “At one point during her perusal she pressed her hand to her chest, closed her eyes and said your name in an awfully breathy fashion. I hardly knew where to put myself.”

Alexander’s eyes widened momentarily before he groaned in despair.

“My God! She must think my family were a bunch of depraved monsters. Those illustrations are not for the fairer sex.”

Giles grinned.

“Really? What shelf in the library? I should go and check myself just to make sure that what you say is true.”

Both Alexander and Geoffrey laughed with him but Alexander soon grew quiet again. He swirled the brandy in his glass and stared at the golden liquid for several moments before he spoke again.

“I have to talk to her when she comes home and I have to find those jewels. By tomorrow morning I hope we can clear up this mystery and make a proper search for the jewels...” A tap at the door interrupted him. Old Jennings hobbled in. He gave Alexander a quick bow.

“One of the lads said that you wanted to see me afore I retire for the night, Your Grace.”

Alexander nodded but looked past his shoulder curiously.

“Has my wife gone into the dining room?”

Jennings looked mightily uncomfortable for a few seconds before he spoke.

“She’s not here. I left her and her maid in town.” He hurried on as Alexander shot from his chair. “There was nothing I could do about it. She insisted that I leave them and come home. I wasn’t happy about it, Your Grace. She swore me to secrecy as to her exact where-a-bouts and I would be breaking my word if I told you.” He took a breath as Alexander’s expression darkened but then he gave a quick grin. “However I never promised her maid that I would keep my mouth shut and she gave the exact directions to twenty seven Dove Lane. It’s right near where Sarah went to see the maid’s best friend a couple of weeks back so I felt that I had no choice in the matter. It was obvious that she knew the area. I had to follow Her Grace’s instructions to take her there, but I didn’t just leave them. I moved the carriage around the corner into Bakers Grove and sneaked back on foot to make sure that she had entered the establishment safely. I was just in time to see the crafty wenches disappear into number thirty three.”

After his initial shock at being deserted Alexander offered the old man a glass of the brandy.

“I could take the carriage now and bring her back but I feel I should give her until the morning. She must be safe if she is with a friend of her maid’s and maybe she will be more disposed to talking to me if I give her some space. I’ll ride into town tomorrow at first light and hopefully persuade her to come back with me.”

Jennings grinned around his glass.

“I don’t think you’ll have too much of a problem with that. Wailing and fretting all the way into town she was. Nearly burned my ears with her singing your praises. I was embarrassed on your behalf! One thing about her being deaf, she doesn’t know how loud she is speaking. I couldn’t help but overhear her talking to that maid of hers. Betty didn’t think it was a good idea that they were leaving Ormond anyway. She seemed to think that there was more danger in town than there was here which would be true of course but then I have no idea why she should think there is any danger here now that diseased dog has gone. I wasn’t at all happy at dropping them off but it cannot be a long stay that they were considering. They didn’t appear to have much luggage between them. Just a small reticule.”

Alexander paced the room thoughtfully.

“Maybe she was thinking of coming back tonight then. Are you positive that she asked you to leave?”

Jennings nodded vigorously.

“I’m crippled not daft. I heard what she said alright and excepting a quick trip into the public house where the only talk was about the Banshee of Ormond,” he grinned momentarily, “I followed me orders and came back here.”

Alexander cringed at the thought of everyone knowing how cup shot he had been on his wedding day but he put on a brave face and nodded.

“Of course, you could do nothing else. I don’t know what her intentions are but I’m still going into town early. Geoff, please have Midnight saddled by dawn. I’m going to get an early night. As we’ll all be treasure hunting at first light I suggest that we all do the same.” He grinned at his own double meaning, said a quick goodnight and strode out of the room.

Elizabeth stood at the door of number thirty three Bakers Lane. It was the last place that she had stayed with her father and while it wasn’t his permanent home she knew that he had leased it for several months. It was unlikely that he had left the area if he still hoped to have the Ormond jewels. She felt sick at running away from Alexander but she didn’t know what else to do. She had to persuade her father to give up his futile quest for the heirlooms.

She knew he was going to be angry with her. He would expect her to hate her new husband as much as he did. His continual vicious spite over the years in maligning the Ormond name for their part in her injuries and her refusal to contradict him would lead him to believe that she hated the family too but she didn’t and she never had. She had cried for what felt like weeks when he told her that Phillip and Alexander were dead and she was truly frightened by the thought that she might be held accountable.

He probably assumed that Alexander would also be furious at being forced into marriage to a disabled burden. He wouldn’t expect her husband to be so kind and caring and she didn’t know how her father would react when she told him that she wouldn’t steal from the man she had loved nearly all her life.

Once again she had been left with few choices but this time she was going to fight back. She was not a thief and she would rather scrub floors than steal from the man she loved even if that love wasn’t returned. She wiped a tear and looked at her hand as she felt metal scratch at her face. Her wedding ring that Alexander had slipped onto her finger a few weeks previously twinkled up at her. It was the only thing she owned of any value but it was also a symbol of her love and she would try to keep hold of it for as long as possible.

She pulled it from her finger and tried not to notice the softened circle of cool skin it left behind before she tucked it into the dip between her breasts moments before the door in front of her opened and she stepped into the darkened hallway.

Before she could even think her bag was snatched from her hand and she saw her father’s lips snarl at her.

“At last! It’s taken you long enough girl.” She didn’t have time to answer as she was pulled through to the small lounge where the man upended her bag and tipped the contents onto the dining table. He rummaged through her meagre belongings and let out a strangled cry before he grabbed her upper arms and began shaking her violently. “Where is it all? Where are the diamonds? What do you mean by coming here without the jewels?”

Elizabeth tried to pull away from him. The sleeve of her dress tore at the seam as she struggled in desperation. Her teeth chattered in fear as she spoke.

“I cannot do it, papa. The message you gave to Betty when she came into town was too much. I am not a thief. I beg of you to give up this idea to steal the jewels. No one even knows where they are. Alessander’s father hid the diamonds months ago. He was determined that no one would lay their hands on them unless it was the rightful heir.”

He stopped shaking her and for a moment she thought his wrath had receded but the next thing she knew she was halfway across the room, her cheek almost numb with pain from his backhanded slap. She gasped as she lay on the floor and lifted her hand to her face. Her skin felt hot beneath her fingertips.

He father leaned over her and spoke as she gazed fearfully into his deranged eyes.

“You shouldn’t have come here without them, girl. I want those jewels for what they did to us. Ormond is back in that bastard’s hands and I want him to pay. I want them all to pay.”

Elizabeth refused to let the tears in her eyes fall.

“But why, papa? It was an accident. You told me that Phillip and Alexander had died. Why did you lie to me?”

Her father laughed maniacally as he paced about the room.

“That boy was an accident of birth. Fools like him meddling in new fangled ideas cost my Annie her life and left me with a useless girl who will never earn me a penny. Experimenting never did anyone any good and then to discover that the boy was an aberration anyway. The scandal I could have caused but I was cleverer than that. I couldn’t let him become the Duke and see people bow and scrape to him. It was just luck that I employed the sister to help with you and I found out about his relationship with that idiot school teacher who used to be there all the time. Her brother wrote to her regularly and I opened one of the letters from him. It was a genuine mistake but I found my own goldmine staring me in the face. I had a direct link to him. His letters came every few months and he just couldn’t keep his mouth shut about his sick relationship. He tried to disguise the name but I remembered his own from when I worked at Ormond and soon figured things out. My little girl never liked the man or his cane and she told me about him nearly every day. I knew exactly who he was talking about in his revolting letters. The Duke’s son couldn’t trick me even when he went and married that trumped up tart. I’ve used all the information to my advantage for years but then the stupid school master chucked himself from the roof and his idiot lover drowned himself and his own father. My unending fountain of wealth had dried up. As I can’t get away with murder like he did with my wife and my little girl, I am doing the next best thing by getting my hands on the famed diamonds. With a bit of luck your husband will be so shocked he’ll shoot himself when he finds out that he has married a lowly commoner and lost his family jewels. That pile will crumble around his ears!” Hardacre’s bloodshot eyes stared down at Elizabeth.

She stared up in horror at the man she hardly knew. Spittle spewed from his mouth and his eyes were red rimmed. He reminded her of the rabid dog. She couldn’t fathom the bitterness in her father’s heart or exactly what he was even saying. In one breath her father seemed to think she was dead and the next that she wasn’t. Her mother’s death had been a freak accident and while Phillip’s experiment was a little outlandish he hadn’t known she was in the barn. He would have protected her if he could.

She struggled to her knees as her father stormed from the room. He had always been a hard man but now it seemed that he was deranged.

Betty appeared at her elbow and helped her from the floor. She placed a cool hand on Elizabeth’s reddened cheek.

“We did the wrong thing to come here to try and make him give up his mad notions, my Lady. He’s gone off his rocker. He’s completely mad. Your husband’s family never killed anyone. His grief has eaten his soul and damaged his mind. He’s determined to make everyone at Ormond suffer.”

Elizabeth dashed the tears from her cheeks.

“But why make me suffer too? I’ve always tried to please him. Why lie to me about Alessander and Phillip? We could have stayed at Ormond and worked on his farm. We would have had everything we needed and been happy. The Duke was a fair man and his wife was always very kind to us, insisting that I came to play every day so that father could work.” She sniffed into the cotton square that Betty passed to her.

The maid shook her head sorrowfully.

“I don’t know why he’s done this but it seems as if he had it planned for years. The accident that deafened you was fifteen years ago and he came up with the idea of killing you off within days. I think he had been planning something to avenge your mother for a long time and your accident was the perfect time to begin his evil game.”

Elizabeth stared at Betty.

“But what did he mean about employing the sister to help with me? Alexander and Phillip have no sister. He must have meant the tutor’s sister but you’re the only help I have ever...” her voice faded as she saw the pain behind Betty’s eyes.

Betty scrabbled in her pinafore pocket for another square of cotton. She blew her nose loudly before she spoke in a whispered tone.

“I’m so sorry, my Lady. I didn’t tell you the truth when I spoke of my brother before. He wrote to me often about a Phillippa. She was the love of his life, and he had admired her from afar for many years. He was the happiest of men when she came to him and confessed her love for him at last. He would tell me where and when they would meet, what they talked about and what they both dreamed of. I was so happy for him but when I asked him if I would soon have a sister in law he told me of the impossible differences in their stations. I was furious with the woman but a couple of letters later I began to suspect the real nature of the difficulties. When Peter wrote again he was distraught. Someone had discovered them. He said that he had to marry. At first I was delighted because he would be marrying his lover but then I re read his letter. In his distraction he had used the word ‘he’. I thought it was a mistake but everything he had said about their similar interests suddenly fell into place. My brother loved another man who was being forced to marry to cover their own relationship.” She spoke in a shocked whisper but after a couple of gulped in breaths she carried on. “It was about this time that I discovered that my letters were being opened before they were handed to me. I wrote to Peter and asked him to send any more letters to my friend Beatrice but it was too late by then. A more well read person would have seen in exactly what direction Peter’s heart lay well before I had.” She wiped a stray tear as she continued her story. “Peter’s last letter was terrible. He confessed all to me. His lover was being blackmailed over their affair he could no longer live with the guilt.” More tears chased down the distraught maid’s cheeks as she wrung her hands together. “Worse was to happen. After his death Peter’s effects were sent to me. There was a pile of letters that I assumed were from his lover. Knowing the nature of their relationship I didn’t dare to read them. They went missing from my private box only days after receiving them. I couldn’t report them missing for fear of their contents becoming known. I swear to you that I didn’t know who Peter’s lover was until we arrived at Ormond. The staff filled me in immediately as to why the place was so bare and uncared for. Staff always knows what goes on with their employers but I didn’t want you to think worse of me because of Peter. I tried to keep you away from your husband so that he would never tell you of his brother’s lover. I was so ashamed.” Betty raised her hands and wept into her handkerchief.

Elizabeth stared at her maid, her mind in turmoil. A man loving another man? She had never thought of such a thing before but now that she had she didn’t think it so surprising. Alexander had spoken of his brother with great affection. He must have known Phillip’s preference for Peter and it had not made any difference to him. She lifted Betty’s chin with a gentle hand.

“Alessander is not ‘shamed of his brother. You should not be ‘shamed of yours Betty. I think love must be a strange and wonderful thing. Why did I always love Alessander and not Geoffrey? He is as kind and nice looking as Alexander and has an excellent job but I don’t love him at all. Why do I not have these intense feelings for Alessander’s friend Giles? He is just as big and handsome. Look at Grady and Sarah. They have been in love for as long as I can remember. Grady has never been a handsome man but his heart must be beautiful for Sarah to love him so much. I think love is something and we cannot stop it when it happens, whoever it happens with.”

Betty blinked at her mistress and nodded as she sniffed into her handkerchief.

“Those are wise words and I think you are right, my Lady. I never thought of it that way before but the law doesn’t see it like that. Love between men is hidden for a reason and that’s why your father could blackmail the Duke and his son so easily. If he stole the letters Peter had treasured and kept them as evidence of the Duke’s son’s crime he could demand whatever sum he wanted. He’s robbed me of my brother, them of a fortune and your husband of his family.”

Elizabeth stood up.

“My father is no better than a murderer. Three good men are dead because of him. Even if it began as revenge for me or even for my mother, it passed that point long ago. And he still wants even more. He has lost his senses and must be stopped. Coming here was a huge mistake and leaving Alessander was an even bigger one. I will never be able to persuade my father to give up his plans for revenge. We must go back to Ormond to warn Alessander.”

Betty agreed with a quick nod.

“But we cannot go back tonight. We sent Jennings away and I don’t think we would find another vehicle so easily now it is dark. I’ll ask Beatrice and see if there is anyone who can send word tonight. I know that your husband will come for you as soon as he knows you are here. I’ve seen the look in his eye when he talks to you. There is more than lust there. He has a genuine affection for you. Wait here and I will see what I can do.” She stepped out into the corridor and slipped away into the darkness.

Elizabeth sagged against the wall. She closed her eyes and took some deep breaths in an effort to calm her thundering heart but the next moment savage hands gripped her arms and someone dragged her towards them. She opened her mouth to scream but a wad of vile tasting material was shoved between her lips before she could utter a single sound. The heavy arms moved and tightened around her waist as she was lifted from her feet. She recognized her father behind the demon red eyes that trapped her in their maddened gaze. She slipped to the floor, thrashing and kicking her legs against him but it was to no avail. She hadn’t the strength to fight him off.

Her arms were quickly pulled forwards and tied with a cord before a musty sack came down over her head, cutting off what little light had been in the room. He hauled her up from the floor and across the room. He forced her forwards and Elizabeth lost all sense of direction as her father turned her into the corridor. Only the drop in temperature and the breeze tugging at her skirts a few moments later told her that she was outside.

A few seconds later she was bundled up a bouncing step and pushed down onto the hard seat of what could only have been a carriage. The door shut quickly and she squirmed on the seat as she heard her father move to the front of the vehicle.

Panic rose in her throat. No one had seen her leave. What if they suspected she had run away with her father? She wasn’t sure that Alexander would believe anything Betty told him without something to convince him of the truth. There was nothing to assist her but as her hands searched for the door handle she suddenly realized that her ring finger still felt strangely empty. She had only worn the wedding ring for a few weeks but it had already left an indent in her flesh.

She plunged her tied hands down the neckline of her bodice and splayed her fingers, searching frantically for the ring. She scrabbled for the band of gold and managed to hook it with her little finger. She shifted her bottom along the seat until she felt the side of the carriage before she forced the blind covering the window up a few inches. The ring dropped, tinkling onto the cobbles outside and she fell back onto the seat, praying that it hadn’t fallen between the stones and that someone would see it lying there sparkling.

They were in motion only moments later.

Chapter Thirteen

Treasures Lost and Found

Alexander felt as if he had only just drifted off to sleep when he was being shaken awake again by a frantic Grady. The old man stood beside Alexander’s bed looking slightly alarming in his long nightshirt and woollen hat.

“What in God’s name is the matter? Are you suffering a nightmare?” Alexander rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t dreaming himself.

Grady’s voice trembled as he held out his hand. Something sparkled in his palm.

“She’s lost, Your Grace. The fiend has taken her while Betty was attempting to find a way for them to get back here. She’s in a terrible state; says he’s gone completely mad. I had to wake you. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Alexander sat bolt upright and forced the sleep from his brain. He picked up the tiny ruby and diamond wedding ring. He needed no more clarification of whom Grady meant.

“Who? Who has taken her where?” He swivelled to the side of the bed and grabbed the buckskins that Grady now held out to him.

“It was her Grace’s father. He’s the only one missing from the household at number thirty three. Betty didn’t see them leave because she was asking the parlour maid Beatrice to send someone for you. They only suspected foul play when they heard a commotion at the service door. By the time the staff reached the door they were only able to discern the carriage making off into the distance. Betty found your wife’s wedding ring on the road outside the house. She swears that her mistress would never have lost it. It was so precious to her that fearing her father would demand it from her, she had taken it off before reaching the front door and had hidden it close to her heart. Such was his greed, Her Grace was afraid that her father might force it from her hand. A subsequent search of the property quickly revealed that her mistress and Hardacre were gone.”

Alexander wasted no time. He glanced towards his window. No glimmer of light showed between the heavy curtains. Dawn had not yet broken.

“Alert Geoffrey. I’ll need Midnight, rested or not and go and raise Mr. Denvers too. I’m sure he will be willing to help in the search.” He grabbed a shirt and threw it on. He lifted his head as he heard a voice at the door.

Giles stood already dressed at the threshold.

“I heard Grady knocking on your door and realized immediately that there must be trouble. Grady, please ask Geoffrey to have my mount saddled as well while we question Betty. I’ll be leaving with Alexander.”

Grady bowed out of the room and Alexander danced around as he shoved his feet into his riding boots.

“Bloody Hell Giles! I didn’t expect him to move this fast. How much of a head start do you think he has?” He grabbed his coat and marched through the door.

“Can’t be more than a couple of hours even accounting for having to find another carriage to bring the message here. He won’t have got far.” His tone was firm with resolve.

Alexander strode into the salon where a tearful Betty waited for them. She rose to her feet immediately and ran towards Alexander.

“I found your ring on the stones outside. I knew he had her but I couldn’t stop him, Your Grace. He must have been hiding in the shadows when I went to find Beatrice and took her while I was out of the room. She never had a chance. She wouldn’t have heard him approach her.” She wrung her hands in front of him and raised her eyes. “This is all my fault. Everything. I am even responsible for the death of both our brothers.”

Alexander frowned, barely restraining himself from shaking the woman in front of him.

“What do you mean? If you know what has happened to my wife tell me now. Tell me everything you know.”

It took only a few moments for Betty to relate the story of her brother’s letters and her realization that they had been stolen, giving Smith all the evidence he needed for his evil blackmail plot.

Alexander ran his fingers through his hair and paced the room as he took in her words. He stopped a few seconds later and looked at the tiny ring that only just slid over the end of his finger.

“My God! If he even hurts a hair on her head I will rip his frozen heart from his body and crush it beneath my heel.” His tone left no one in any doubt about his feeling for Lily. He may not have admitted it to himself but it was clear to everyone that Alexander was deeply in love with his wife.

Giles stood beside him.

“The man has clearly gone mad. He’s insane Alex, but we must concentrate on the matter in hand. Do you have any idea of where he might have taken her? There are only three roads out of Oakley and one of them leads here. The other runs straight south but I do not know the third. Where does that lead?”

Alexander scratched his head.

“He’d be mad to take it. It only goes around the estate, past his old farm and down to the beach. There’s a track that leads back through the woods from it but I haven’t got around to clearing the way yet. It will be well overgrown at this time of year. There are one or two cottages that way but nothing else and the farm is locked tight. I saw to that when I thought I might have to make it my home.”

Giles frowned.

“But we have agreed that the man is mad. Mad but clever. He knows that we would catch him on an open road. Our horses would chase his carriage down within the hour. The only other alternative is to hide her or get away by sea.” He spun to Betty. “Were there boats at the cove yesterday when you picnicked with your Mistress?”

Betty shook her head quickly.

“None that I saw and the horizon was clear. Nothing of any great size was visible.”

Alexander stopped pacing.

“He’s not given up on the jewels. He thinks that we would race after them as soon as we had word of her abduction, leaving the castle only attended by Grady, Sarah and Beth. It wouldn’t take much to overpower them leaving him free to search for the jewels.”

Giles shook his head.

“But the only way into Ormond is over the drawbridge. Even Grady would see him arriving and only need to lock all the doors.”

Alexander gave a short laugh.

“True, it’s the only visible way in but I know another. You remember the tunnel I told you about? It has not been used for many years and is meant for escape rather than entry. I had my ears soundly berated for using it long ago as it was apparently dangerous but I bet it’s still there. Elizabeth knows of it and I suspect that she told her father about it way back then. She would have had to when she explained how she came to be in the barn when it blew up.”

Geoffrey came rushing in at that moment. He skidded to a stop in front of Alexander.

“The horses are ready to go.”

Alexander quickly took off his coat and handed it to Geoffrey.

“Do you think you can handle riding Midnight, Geoff?” He waited until Geoffrey nodded. “Put this on. You and Giles take the horses and head for town like your tails are on fire. Go straight to the magistrate and bring him back here. If as I suspect, Smith is watching Ormond, it will only take him a few minutes to make his move. He’ll be up here searching for the treasure as soon as he thinks we’re gone.”

Giles frowned at Alexander.

“And where will you be?”

Alexander smiled.

“Sitting on my bed twiddling my thumbs I should think. If he’s coming in the way I think he is, he won’t get very far.”

Geoffrey frowned.

“The old passage from your father’s room. I should have realized. It comes directly up from the beach.” He paused for a moment. “But hang on...That passage is likely to be where your father hid the strong box. It’s next to your suite and difficult to find if you don’t know that it’s there. Smith will get away with the family treasure.”

Alexander shook his head at Geoffrey’s words. His expression lightened.

“I don’t care about the jewels. He can have them. Elizabeth is a treasure worth far more than gold. But actually I don’t think my father would have hidden them there anyway. It’s too obvious for one thing. He would never have hidden them inside Ormond where I might be unable to retrieve them and old passages in castles are far too easily discovered. Everyone knows to look for thickened walls and unused windows. It wouldn’t have been long before any new owners found the tunnel. I’m pretty sure I know where they are anyway.” He gave a secret smile as he led the curious men from the room and towards the front door. “Go on now and make it look good. Remember that I am desperate to find my wife. I wouldn’t be just strolling out of the house.”

Geoffrey and Giles nodded before they both hurtled for the door and down the steps, coats flying behind them as they ran for the horses. Geoffrey kept his head low to Midnight’s neck just in case they were being observed and then they were off over the drawbridge of Ormond, hooves clattering loudly.

Alexander ran for the gun room. He grabbed his pistol and loaded it quickly. He picked up his father’s two muskets and tucked his own rapier under his arm for good measure. He took the stairs at a run, startling Sarah who had been coming down to find out where her husband had got to. Alexander ushered her back to her room.

“Don’t come out unless you hear me calling for you Sarah. Tell Beth and cook the same. Ask them to stay with Betty. Lock your doors until I give you the all clear or Mr. Denvers and Geoffrey return. If I can’t hold the man off, given his state of mind there’s no telling what he might do.” He waited until Sarah had nodded and grabbed her husband and Betty who were panting up the stairs behind Alexander before they all walked quickly along the corridor. Knowing that Grady would insist on helping him and probably get in the way, he instructed the old man that to stand guard over the three women was his bounden duty until Alexander declared the way safe.

Mollified by Alexander’s trust in him regarding the woman, Grady walked away without protest and Alexander ran for his room.

He immediately lit a lamp and made for the massive wardrobe. He shifted his shirts aside and pressed his hands against the loose panel at the back. The gap looked a lot smaller than he remembered from his youth and for a moment he wondered if he would be able to squeeze through but he shifted his shoulders slightly and managed to slide into the hidden room only grazing his back marginally.

He placed the lamp on the table and looked around him. The cold, stone room was exactly as he remembered; curved, tiny and almost bare, only now the layers of dust were somewhat thicker. Spider infested cobwebs hung in sweeping curtains from every corner and wafted in the breeze coming in at the slit like window.

He walked towards the fireplace. Shadows leaped in the flickering lamplight and he stepped back as he let the light touch the stone mantle. His fingers knew exactly where to touch and he heard the subtle click as the panel beside the fireplace moved outwards.

He looked warily at the gap. He would only be able to slide through sideways and as he remembered the passage was nearly as narrow as the gap. He frowned as he realized that he’d be at a huge disadvantage. He wouldn’t have room to turn or manoeuvre. He backed into the room and looked around again. The room was small but he could turn easily in it. If Smith came in this way he would find it difficult to get past Alexander. The only trouble would be if Lily was in the room too. There wouldn’t be enough room for three of them but if she could escape to the safety of his bedchamber then he would be able to hold Smith here.

Once the stone panel was closed Smith would never find the release switch easily and Lily could close the wardrobe escape. Alexander had no qualms about defending himself but what if Lily was actually on her father’s side, could he defend himself against her too. Could he take her down with his blade if it became necessary? He shook the abhorrent thought from his mind. It was impossible to believe. Betty had said that she thought his wedding ring her most treasured possession. There was no way that she could be in with her father’s scheme. He took out his pistol. It would be useless in the confined space. The ball would bounce off the flint and endanger anyone in its path if he missed his target first time. He took up his rapier. The light glinted off the razor sharp blade. It had been weeks since he had practiced or fought on the battlefields but he didn’t doubt himself, even young and fit men hadn’t bested him. It was unlikely that a bitter old man would.

He closed the panel, trusting that either Lily remembered how to use the lever inside or had told her father how to. He looked at the bed that rested against the wall.  The blanket covering it was old and grey with dust and he decided against sitting on it.  He shaded the lamp and waited patiently, leaning against the edge of the table by the window. The dust hadn’t settled there quite so thickly and the position gave him some fresh air too.

It wasn’t long before he heard scraping and coughing from inside the walls. He took out his pistol and aimed it towards the panel, ever wary that Lily would probably come through it first. She would be the one to open the panel and there was no room for anyone to pass.

It was still too dark to see but there was as soft click as the stone door opened and the rustle of silk came to his ears at the same time as the thin yellow light of a lantern came into view.

Alexander didn’t say a word. He just stood up from the table as Lily stepped into the room. He quickly caught hold of her from behind and pressed his palm against her lips. She drew in a quick breath but then relaxed against his shoulder as she immediately recognized his scent.

He twirled her towards him, fighting the urge to cover her face with kisses, and put his finger over his lips to indicate silence as he listened for the old man. Laboured breathing and muttered curses echoed up the narrow stone stairs. The old man was struggling in the tight space and Lily had out stripped him by some seconds. Alexander looked down at her tied hands and frowned as he noticed her grazed knuckles. It must have been a nightmare for her to climb the tightly curling staircase being so restrained. He made short work of the cord that bound her wrists and kissed the backs of her scuffed hands before he lifted his chin towards the back of the wardrobe. Lily nodded quickly. She disappeared through the hole and closed it up behind her.

The old man’s mumblings grew clearer as he neared the top of the stairs.

“Bloody gentry and their secret passage ways. I need a drink something fierce. Where is this flipping strong box? I thought it would be hidden along here somewhere. Must be near the old Duke’s bedroom. He would have wanted to keep it close to him. If he’s lying in his bed I’ll kill him!”

He was gasping for breath and for a moment Alexander wondered whether it wasn’t a better idea to just shut the panel door. There was no other way out of the tunnel. Smith would have to return to the beach but Alexander wanted to finish this. He wanted an end to it all. He hoped it wouldn’t come to killing the man with his bare hands. Though he wanted to dearly, Smith was Lily’s father and she probably wouldn’t take kindly to him thrusting his sword through the blackguard’s heart. He listened to the man’s muttered ramblings and wished for a brandy himself.

He looked around the room wondering if there was anything else he could use to his advantage. The only possible weapon was the chair but that was probably rotten if the wobbliness of the table was anything to go by.

The festoons of cobwebs wafted as the breeze coming in the window joined that racing up the passageway and a strange eerie sound could be heard as the wind swept across the slit like window. It sounded like Lily’s painfully tuneless singing. Exactly how he imagined a Banshee to sound and Alexander suddenly had an idea. If Hardacre had been drinking in the inn in Oakley he may have heard the rumours going around.

He quickly took the filthy, dusty blanket from the bed and tied it over his shirt. He reached up with his sword and cut the webs from all the corners of the room. The spiders scuttled away leaving him with great drifts of semi transparent spun silk. They glimmered, pale silver in the dusty light as he draped them over his head, straggling them across his face and shoulders. He gathered a few more and covered his arms and hands. The spiders that had been too slow to scurry away, crawled though the webs across his sleeves. Alexander shivered. He stood and waited, hoping that the effect was as ghastly as it felt.

The light of a candle bobbing inside the stairwell sent shadows dancing about the room and Smith grunted as he squeezed through the doorway. He was a brawny man, not yet shrunk with age and bitterness and for a moment he just stood staring as the web covered Alexander loomed out of the dark corner of the room.

Smith gasped and stepped backwards as Alexander made his voice a bone rattling screech.

“You come to steal! I lay the Ormond curse upon you!” He lifted a pointed finger towards the old man. The cobwebs falling over his hands floated eerily in the half light.

Alexander sucked in a choking breath as the dust from the webs over his face caught him unawares but that was enough for Smith. He let out the loudest shriek Alexander had ever heard come from the mouth of a man and forced himself back into the narrow tunnel entrance.

“Banshee!” Smith screamed and then slapped his hand over his mouth before he stumbled on the first of the stone steps. The old man clearly missed his footing. For the next few moments Alexander could hear thumping and scraping as the man fell screaming back down the steps.

The last echoing thud ended in complete silence. Alexander poked his head through the door and stared downwards. Smith’s light had gone out and he listened in the darkness for a few moments more before stepped back and closed the secret door.

He quickly untied the filthy blanket, scraped the worst of the cobwebs from his head and shoulders and then moved to the wardrobe panel. A few seconds later he had squeezed back into his bedroom to discover Lily standing waiting anxiously for him. He closed the wardrobe door and turned to her only to have all of the wind knocked out of him as she threw herself into his arms.

“Alessander, I am sorry. I thought I could persuade him to stay away but he wouldn’t listen to me. He just wanted the jewels. I didn’t steal them I swear.” Her voice was thick with emotion and fear.

Alexander pulled her closer. She was covered in dust from the tunnel but she felt like a breath of fresh air to him. He breathed in her fragrance before he leaned back and lifted her chin to make sure she was looking at him.

“I know that you didn’t take them but I don’t care about the jewels anyway Lily. All I was worried about was you. You had only just come back to life, I couldn’t bear to see you gone again.” He pressed his lips to her dusty forehead and gathered her in close, loving the feel of her warm body trembling against him.

She leaned her head back for a moment and brushed more of the cobwebs away from Alexander’s hair as she asked about her father.

“Is he gone? I tried to get ahead of him as we climbed the stairs. He couldn’t hold onto me in the narrowness of the passage and I thought I might be able to get away. It was the only chance I had.”

Alexander’s face fell. He suspected that Smith was dead and now he had to tell Lily that he had probably killed her father.

“I’m afraid he fell back down the stairs when I scared him with my ghostly self. I didn’t have any choice Lily. He’s gone mad, you must see that. He was going to kill us all in his quest for the jewels. I think he’s probably dead but I can’t get down that staircase in safety if he’s not. We’ll have to go through the tunnel from the beach end where there’s more room for manoeuvre. I’m afraid I’m a lot wider and taller than I was when I was twelve.”

A lone tear slid down Lily’s cheek but she dashed it away quickly. Her father had been bent on revenge for far too long.

“Can you go? I don’t want to see him. My real father died with my mother long ago. He never cared for me. I was too much of a reminder.”

Alexander’s heart lurched at the thought of the years she had been with the unforgiving man.

“I swear to Lily, if my family had known that you were still alive we would have looked after you. Mother always called you her little treasure. She loved having you about the place. I think that you were the much wanted daughter that she never had. She’s going to be as thrilled as I was to find you still alive.” He brushed his hand over her hair and pulled her into his chest again as she began to sob against him.

Epilogue

Ruby red rose petals rained down upon Lily’s unadorned head. The man by her side grasped her hand tightly as they ran through the arch made by the arms of all their well wishers.

The whole town had come out to see them married again. Alexander’s face glowed with happiness as he handed her up into the open carriage, so proud of his bride that he wanted to show her off to the whole world. A beautiful ruby and diamond choker adorned her slender, creamy neck. Dark jewels glistened in the sunlight at her ears and her wrist. They all matched the ruby ring Alexander had given her at the time of their first wedding.

The drive back to Ormond took far too long for Alexander and he almost wished that Jennings had brought the closed carriage instead but as the sun shone down on his beautiful bride he picked up her left hand and kissed it gently. Her wedding ring sparkled in the sunlight

She smiled up at his handsome face.

“It was better this time. I knew it was you I was marrying. I wasn’t so scared.”

He laughed and pulled her in tight to his side.

“Yes, it’s much nicer knowing that you actually love the person who you are going to be leg shackled to for the rest of your life.”

He ducked her playful slap as she pouted.

“It wasn’t quite right though. Geoffrey simply refused to be my flower girl. I had to put up with Lady Anne instead.” She honked with laughter and Alexander laughed with her.

The horses clattered over the drawbridge and moments later Alexander swept her into his arms and carried her through the huge front doors of Ormond. She clasped her arms around his neck as he made his way up the grand staircase.

“It’s so lovely to be back. I missed being here the last three weeks. Lady Anne is wonderful but I missed you so much Alessander. Sitting drinking afternoon tea with you is not the same.” She referred to his daily, chaperoned visits to Evenleigh. “I don’t know why we had to have another wedding really. I was quite happy with the first one.”

Alexander looked down at the beauty in his arms.

“Well I wasn’t. My heirs could have been called into doubt as your name was made up by your father after he took you from here as a child. The marriage might not have been legal and I wasn’t prepared to accept that.”

Lily smiled up at him and then flushed.

“I understand but it has been a long time to wait. Lady Anne has been trying to tell me what to expect tonight, but I think I may already know more than her. Your father’s library has some very interesting books.” She squealed as Alexander shouldered his way through the bedroom door and dropped her in a pile of pale silk in the middle of his bed.

“Yes, well, I feel sure that Denvers is going to be the first to initiate her into the pleasures of married life as soon as her period of mourning is over. I meant to thank you for handing Evenleigh over to her so quickly. It was her home for two years before my brother had to sell it to your father.”

Lily put her finger over his lips.

“You wanted her to have it back and as it was rightfully yours to give I could do no other. As we are married it was yours anyway as soon as my father died. I was surprised he that he had made a will leaving everything to me. As all of my inheritance was your family’s in the first place I don’t feel at all bad about giving it back.”

Alexander pulled the cravat from his throat and sank onto the bed beside her. He ran his fingertip from her lips to her chin and then down her throat. He stopped at the ruby choker and leaned forwards to kiss the creamy skin that lay beneath it.

“This matches your lips,” his voice was husky with need as he bent his head around to her ear and gently pulled one of the ear bobs with his teeth. It slipped from her ear and he moved back to her neck, dropping the bauble down the front of her dress.

Her eyes opened wide as he caught hold of her dress and pulled it downwards. He buried his face between her glorious breasts and pretended to search for the missing jewel.

Lily caught hold of his hair and pulled gently until he came up for air and stared into her fathomless eyes.

“I love it when you go treasure hunting.” She whispered as she began pulling at the back of his shirt.

He caught hold of her dress and began easing it down further but it stopped as the buttons refused to part.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he shook his head sadly. “This is a beautiful dress but I’m afraid that it’s standing in my way.” He took hold of the delicate material and with one sharp pull, tore it right down the middle leaving her wearing nothing but her jewels.

Lily gasped as she was exposed but Alexander reared back, eyes wide in wonder as he stared at her greedily.

“Good Lord! You’re not wearing anything beneath! Bloody hell woman! I’m glad I didn’t know that earlier. We might not have made it to the church on time!”

Lily laughed as she reached forwards and undid the buttons of his shirt and then the placket of his breeches.

“Lady Anne has been teaching me to read better. Now I know what all those words are in those books. They advise no undergarments if at all possible. It eases love making if the opportunity arises.”

Alexander looked down at himself.

“By God! Something has definitely arisen.” He stood and tore off the rest of his clothes before sliding onto the bed with her.

She placed her hand on his the hard wall of his chest and then began to run her hands over his muscled shoulders.

“Your body is beautiful Alessander.” She swallowed and then blinked up at him as he pushed his fingers into her hair and his lips descended onto hers.

He kissed her thoroughly and was breathing deeply as he spoke again.

“Two bodies are better than one,” his silky tone told her that he couldn’t wait much longer. He dipped his head towards her breasts. His warm breath was nothing to his hot tongue as it swirled over her tightening skin. She gasped and clutched first at his hair and then at his shoulders as he took one hardened peak into his mouth and skimmed over the other with feather like touches.

As much as he wanted her, he wanted their first time to be special. He patiently coaxed the moans of ecstasy from her ruby lips as he kissed every inch of her burning skin and when she cried out her own version of his name as he entered her with one long, smooth stoke he knew that he would never want any other woman calling for him as long as he lived.

It was five days before anyone dared knock on Ormond’s doors. Only cook was allowed inside to prepare them food and then she hustled away back to the Dower house to while away the days along with the rest of the staff.

Giles and Geoffrey were eaten up with curiosity. It was clear that Alexander had found the Ormond jewels. Lady Anne had received the matching emerald bracelet and earrings that went with her choker and wedding ring and Lily had been see gloriously attired in the Ormond rubies but Alexander had not yet told them where he had found them.

The intervening four weeks since Smith had tried to enter the castle had been nothing but visits from the magistrate or solicitors. Lily’s father had died at the bottom of the stone steps. His body had been recovered from the tight space with some difficulty and an enquiry had been immediately launched.

Alexander had answered all questions easily and told the story of his bride and the blackmail, leaving out some obvious facts that would have to remain hidden. He blamed the whole affair on Smith realizing that he could blackmail his father over his and Phillip’s childhood experiment. Telling everyone that Lily had died had been easy. It wasn’t surprising given the size and intensity of the blast and the doctor’s original prognosis. Smith had moved away and everyone forgot about him. When he returned as Carlton Hardacre no one guessed that he was the tenant farmer of years ago. He had spent some of the blackmail money on bettering himself and dressing his daughter well, though he had given her only a basic education, believing that a deaf woman was very nearly useless. They had laid him to rest by his wife. No one but Lily and Alexander attended the funeral.

Alexander opened the door on the third loud knock.

“The Scots had better be invading!” He growled as Giles and Geoffrey strode into the hall.

Giles laughed.

“Married life suits you then, and how is your lovely wife?”

“I’m tired Alessander, can we go back to bed?” said Lily from the top of the stairs. She yawned and then blushed crimson as she noticed three pairs of eyes staring up at her.

Alexander raised his eyebrows and then grinned wickedly.

“You are quite right, my dear. I have been thoroughly selfish with you these last few days but these two have more curiosity than even you.” If possible, Lily flushed even further as she thought about how she and Alexander had worked their way through the whole of the first book from the library and were now well into the second. She looked down at her skirts to check that there were no dust marks on her knees.

Giles swallowed at the implication of her movements and decided that the best course of action was to turn back to Alexander.

“Come on. You can’t keep us in suspense any longer. Where did you find them? You thought you knew even before Lily escaped from her father. Were you right?”

Alexander nodded.

“It was easy when I thought about it.” He led the men into the salon and moved to stand in front of the windows. Giles and Geoffrey sat while he smiled at his wife and took hold of her hand. He pulled her close to his side before he stared out over the grounds.

“It came to me after hearing a word that we never normally used for the family jewels. After all they were just jewels and nothing else but father and Phillip both referred to them as treasure. There was only one thing at Ormond ever referred to as treasure.” He smiled down at Lily and then nodded towards the window. He gazed out of the salon and over Ormond’s walls. “After the barn blew up, father had a small memorial erected to honour the girl who had lost her life. Her father had taken her body for burial with her mother but of course that never happened, however my mother lay fresh flowers at Lily’s memorial every week. She called Lily a little treasure. I went up there almost as soon as I knew everything had been cleared up with Smith’s solicitors. I didn’t go earlier as I was afraid that I might find them only to have them taken from me if anything had come of Lily’s father’s death. My father had removed a few of the stones and placed the strongbox beneath the memorial. He replaced enough of the stones to cover the box and cast the rest into the sea. Ironic when you think about it.”

Giles and Geoffrey were stunned.

“Good heavens!” Geoffrey stammered. He looked over at Lily who tried to cover another yawn. “To think, that she had them all the time! Smith will be turning in his grave.”

Giles shook his head.

“Serves the man right. If he’d have been honest right from the beginning he might have had them and his daughter. You know that you probably would have fallen in love and married her anyway if she had been here. You wouldn’t have needed to be forced.”

Alexander nodded as he glanced about the room. She had transformed it with cushions and drapes and repaired rugs. She had worked so hard in the short time she had been there and she had continued whilst living at Evenleigh. He stared in wonder at his beautiful, talented, courageous wife.

“I don’t think I ever stood a chance. Not even back in my youth could I stand against her. One tear in those dark eyes and I was done for even all those years ago. Lily and I were just recalling the other day Geoffrey...Our wedding wasn’t quite complete. Our flower girl was missing. It would have been even more special with a pair of them.”

Geoffrey’s face flushed a deep red. He shot up from the chair.

“Good heavens! Is that the time. I just remembered that Midnight hasn’t been exercised today. He’ll be getting restless. Giles, do you feel like a long ride to Evenleigh?”

Giles stood quickly and swallowed the last of his brandy.

“Brilliant idea. I meant to call on Lady Anne next week but I’m sure that she won’t mind an early visit. She must be becoming lonely in that big house without your new wife for company.”

Alexander laughed as the two of them nearly sprinted from the room.

Lily laughed loudly at the two retreating figures but as the front door slammed shut she rubbed her eyes.

“Thank goodness they have gone. I really need some sleep Alessander. You have hardly let me close my eyes these last few days.” She turned to walk from the room and began to hum as she reached the door. Alexander rolled his eyes as he followed his wife’s painful tune but there was gleam in his eye as he caught her up at the bottom of the stairs.

Her hips swayed delightfully, tempting him. He heard her stifling another yawn as she sang the dreadful tune but he couldn’t help but smile. She was the most beautiful, loving, vivacious woman he had ever beheld.

He wondered for what seemed like the hundredth time, about what she had lost in her childhood... He couldn’t imagine never hearing her odd, nasal tones ever again. He shuddered at the thought that he might have lost her over a few ancient baubles. It could never happen. He would shrivel and die without her at his side.

Lily looked back over her shoulder and down the stairs. He stared into her lustrous dark eyes as she stopped singing.

She lifted her hand and beckoned him to go with her. He needed no more encouragement and leapt forwards up the stairs. She took his hand in hers and led him towards their suite of rooms but as they reached the door she yawned yet again.

Alexander followed her towards the bed. He’d let her sleep for an hour or two but he didn’t think he could last much longer than that. He needed her, wanted her more than anything in the whole world and he knew that he’d soon have her singing his name in her own special way, over and over again.

The End

If you have enjoyed

Silence of Scandal

Don’t forget to go straight to the second in the series

A Murderous Masquerade

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You can keep up with Jackie and her wonderful author friends on her website

www.romanticsuspensebooks.org

Or contact her at anytime on

Jackie@romanticsuspensebooks.co.uk