The Disappearing Duchess (19 page)

‘You have a spiteful tongue, sir,’ Lucinda replied with dignity. ‘If you wish to tell your lies, you must do so—to my husband. He will know how to deal with you. Please excuse me now.’

‘You would do better to pay me, Duchess—or your pride will take a tumble.’ He hesitated then, ‘I could have shot you, you know. The day you took a tumble from your horse. I fired into the air to scare the beast—but had I wished I could have killed you and none the wiser. I make a formidable enemy, Duchess, remember that.’

She walked away from him, seeking privacy. How could he say such a wicked thing? Now the tears fell, her shoulders shaking as she wept bitter tears. Justin
would send her child away as soon as she told him of Royston’s threats.

‘Duchess—Lucinda.’ Andrew Lanchester’s voice made her bring her head up. He came to her and sat on the bench beside her, reaching for her hands and holding them firmly. ‘You were happy and now in such distress. Tell me, who has upset you so? If it was Justin, I shall speak to him and—’

‘No, it was not Justin,’ Lucinda caught back a sob of despair. ‘I cannot tell you—it is too shaming. You would turn from me in disgust.’

‘Believe me, I shall not. Have you killed someone?’

Her eyes flew to his, seeing the teasing look. ‘Nothing quite that dreadful, but…I am being blackmailed by a rogue who threatens to destroy me socially and thereby ruin Justin’s good name.’

‘May I ask the name of this rogue?’

‘Mr Royston.’ Lucinda clasped her trembling hands before her. ‘His uncle—Sir John Marston—raped me when I was sixteen. He came into my bedchamber one Christmas and forced himself on me. He then threatened to ruin my father if I told anyone. I had a child, which was taken from me at birth. I believed her dead, but on my wedding day I was told she lived and offered the chance to find her for ten thousand pounds.’

‘Good grief! No wonder you ran away as you did.’ Andrew stared at her for a moment, then captured her restless hands and held them. ‘Sir John is dead, so that
must mean his nephew discovered your secret and is now blackmailing you in his uncle’s place—am I right?’

‘Yes.’ Lucinda looked at him. ‘Have I disgusted you?’

‘Royston and his uncle disgust me, as do all creatures of that sort—you remain what you always were, Lucinda—beautiful, innocent and lovely of nature.’

‘You—you are too kind…’

‘Does Justin know?’

‘Yes. He intends to send my daughter to a good school next week, though I may be allowed to see her when she is older. Yet I think it will not be enough. Royston demands twenty thousand pounds and the price goes up each week I delay payment.’

‘The devil he does!’ Andrew looked angry. ‘The damned fellow—to threaten you so. I shall make it my business to teach him a lesson he will not easily forget.’

‘No!’ Lucinda caught his hand. ‘Justin says he will deal with the man. He might not wish for your help in this matter.’

‘My dearest Lucinda, I would not for the world interfere between you and Justin, but if he knows of this he must act instantly. Believe me, this man will not trouble you again.’

‘What do you mean to do?’

Andrew smiled. He stood up, gave her his hand to help her to rise and then handed her a clean white kerchief. ‘Dry your face, my dear friend, and do not ask. Believe me, this ends here. Go back to the fête and do not give this horrid business another thought. I thank
you for giving me your confidence and I shall rid you of this anxiety.’

‘You make me feel much better,’ Lucinda said. ‘But please do nothing that would bring trouble to yourself or Jane.’

‘You need not fear for me,’ Andrew replied. ‘Leave the matter to me and forget it, Lucinda.’

‘Thank you. I do not know what else to say, sir.’

‘You need say nothing more. Go and find my sister and enjoy the afternoon, Duchess.’

‘Yes, I shall, thank you.’

Lucinda walked away from him. He had been so kind. Yet how could he force Mr Royston to keep her secret? She feared that threats would only make the man more spiteful.

* * *

Had she been privileged to see the subsequent meeting between the two a little later that afternoon, Lucinda would have been very surprised indeed. She might have expected threats or even an offer to pay the blackmail demand, but the cordial invitation to supper and cards would have baffled her.

She made an effort to enjoy the rest of the afternoon, and when she went down to the library before dinner that evening she met Justin with an air of calmness that belied the torment in her mind. Ought she to tell him what Royston had said to her—and should she confess that she had confided her secret to Andrew Lanchester?

‘Lucinda, my dear,’ Justin greeted her kindly. ‘I wanted to tell you how pleased I am with what you did
at the fête. I may have been a little harsh earlier, but in sending the child away I am acting for your sake as much as mine. Believe me, for the moment it is for the best.’

‘I shall never believe that it is for the best. She will be unhappy and so shall I—but I do accept that you are doing what you think right. You have not been harsh, for you might have sent Angela away immediately, but you gave me a little time to accustom myself to the idea and I am grateful.’

‘Would you wish to accompany us when I take her to school?’

‘I think that might make it harder for us both. I believe it will be better if Alice goes with you and I say goodbye here.’

‘If that is your wish.’ Justin frowned. ‘Perhaps if this matter of blackmail is settled, you may visit her and have her here during the holidays.’

‘You are very kind.’ Lucinda took a deep breath. ‘I should tell you that Royston threatened me at the fête this afternoon—the price has now gone up to twenty thousand pounds and will continue to rise each week unless I pay him.’

‘Royston spoke to you this afternoon?’ Justin looked astonished. ‘The devil he did! Why did you not tell me at once?’

‘I was too distressed…’ Lucinda hesitated, then, deciding that honesty was best, ‘Royston fired the shot that made my horse throw me. He told me that he could
kill me if he wished and I believed he would do it. I went to the summerhouse to think and was in some distress when Andrew Lanchester found me there. He asked me what was wrong and—and I told him the truth. He vowed that he would deal with Royston and that I should not be troubled again.’

‘Lanchester said that?’ Justin’s brows rose. ‘I wonder that you cared to share your secret with him, Lucinda.’

‘He—he has been very kind. I thought my secret might give him a disgust of me, but he says it has not. He blames Sir John and Royston—and I think he means to give Mr Royston a thrashing.’

‘As if that would help,’ Justin said and frowned. ‘I had wondered if I should confide in him—indeed, I meant to ask if I might disclose a part of your secret, because I think this matter needs to be handled delicately and two of us might do it easier than one. What you have told me about Royston firing that shot means he is more dangerous than I had thought.’

‘Forgive me for pre-empting you. I was feeling very distressed and he was so kind…’

Justin looked thoughtful. ‘I must just hope that he does not do anything foolish. If we did not have guests this evening, I would ride over there and tell Lanchester what is on my mind. As it is I must wait until the morning and hope no harm is done in the meantime.’

‘I am truly sorry.’

He shook his head. ‘It was not your fault. I have handled this affair badly from the start. Had I been
kinder and more understanding you would have come to me instead of confiding in your friend. I allowed my pride to come between us, Lucinda—and for that I ask you to forgive me.’

‘He will do nothing to harm us, Justin. Andrew is your friend, too.’

‘Yes, I know it.’ His expression eased. ‘I know he has a hot temper. I just hope he will consult me before he does anything precipitate.’

‘You are not angry with me? I thought it best to tell you. I can’t bear there being any more secrets between us.’ She gave him a tentative glance, tears hovering, but not falling.

He hesitated, then reached out and touched her cheek with his fingertips. She caught her breath, looking up at him wonderingly. There had been anger and hurt on both sides, but the look in his eyes made her lips part as her breath came faster.

‘I am glad you did, Lucinda. I wish for no more lies between us. You must tell me the truth—even if I am annoyed I prefer it to being kept in the dark.’

She smothered a sob. When he looked at her that way all the reasons why she loved him came back to her: his teasing smile, his gentleness and care for her when they were courting, his quick mind and so many other things that could not be put into words. She blinked hard, holding back the foolish tears.

‘Yes, I thought you would wish to know, but I feared it would make you angry again.’

‘Have I been such a bear?’ Justin asked, a new softer note in his voice. ‘I am truly sorry, Lucinda. I did not mean to make you unhappy.’

Her heart raced as he bent his head to kiss her softly on the lips. It was a sweet kiss, tender and gentle, but without passion. Her heart caught and she longed to throw her arms about his neck; she wanted him to take her in his arms and love her. He had not been to her room since that night when he had kissed and touched her, but refrained from making love to her, and she feared he no longer wanted her as a man wants his wife, but at least he was being kind to her.

‘I think my unhappiness is my own fault,’ Lucinda replied as he drew back. She blinked away her tears. ‘I should have been honest with you at the start. You might then have withdrawn your offer and much distress would have been avoided for us both.’

‘Lucinda…’ Justin looked white about the mouth. ‘I must ask you again to forgive me. I should prefer not to quarrel with you.’

‘I do not wish for an estrangement between us. Perhaps we may do better in the future. Now, I think we should greet our guests. Mariah will be down and it would be rude to leave her to greet everyone alone.’

Raising her head proudly, she walked away, leaving Justin to follow.

* * *

Justin looked at the regal way his wife carried herself. She was every inch the proud duchess he’d told her he required—why then did he feel so hollow and
empty inside? Why did he regret that look of trusting innocence that he’d seen in her eyes when he’d courted her? Lucinda had trusted him then, which, after the way her family had treated her, was surprising. She had been willing to be his true wife despite all that had happened to her. Perhaps she ought to have told him the truth before they wed. Had she done so, Justin realised now, he would still have wed her. It was his foolish pride and her deceit that had made him react so badly.

Had he lost her?

It was clear to him that Lucinda regretted her marriage and that, of course, was his fault. She had been—despite all that had been done to her—a sweet, gentle and loving woman. Her father and grandmother had failed to break her spirit, but he with his bitter tongue had destroyed the very thing he loved most.

She would never, could never, forgive him. He had hoped that they might find a way to be happy together, but now he was uncertain of the future. Ought he to allow a separation after all? Was he being grossly unfair to Lucinda to insist that she remain his wife? She was unhappy. Her words had made her regret abundantly clear.

Had she fallen in love with Andrew Lanchester? The thought filled him with conflicting emotions; he felt anger and jealousy, but most of all an unbearable sense of loss. Justin was pretty sure that Lanchester felt the warmest emotions for Lucinda, even though he had flirted gallantly with Mariah at the fête. The man’s
ready acceptance of Lucinda’s secret and his willingness to help her was proof, if Justin had needed it, of Lanchester’s feelings.

Justin had hoped that in time they might find a kind of happiness together—but if she loved Andrew the case was altered.

Despite what he had once said to her, Justin did not suspect Lanchester of trying to seduce his wife. Andrew was one of the most honourable of men. He would never do anything underhand or dishonest.

Justin was correct in his assessment of his friend’s character and would have been much astonished if he had been privy to Andrew’s thoughts that night.

* * *

‘You are too good for me this evening, Royston.’ One of the gentlemen seated round the table in the private parlour of the country inn threw in his cards. ‘I’ve never seen such a prodigious run of luck.’

‘Nor I,’ Andrew remarked carelessly. ‘Yet I am not ready to give you best yet, sir. I shall raise my stake and hope to recoup some of my losses. What say you, Hendricks?’

‘What will you raise?’ Sir Philip Hendricks asked carelessly. He flicked open a beautiful enamelled snuff box and took a pinch of the strong mix, placing it on the back of his hand before taking a sniff. He glanced at his pocket watch. ‘It is not above three in the morning, too early to call it a night. Ah, I see, you raise two hundred, Andrew. Yes, I’ll take you—and raise another three. Come, Royston, how do you fancy your luck against us?’

Mr Royston took a sip of his wine, a strange wild expression in his eyes as he pushed forwards a huge pile of golden guineas. He had been drinking steadily, his face flushed, as he grew more and more reckless. His luck had held all night and at least three other gentlemen had withdrawn, complaining that the luck was against them.

‘I’ll see the both of you,’ he said. ‘Unless you wish to raise again, Lanchester?’

Andrew pushed forwards a pile of gold coins. ‘Five hundred,’ he said without a flicker. ‘And I’ll raise another three hundred.’

‘Too steep for me,’ Hendricks said and threw in his cards. ‘I should throw in your hand, Royston. Your luck must have turned.’

‘I’ll raise you by a thousand,’ Royston said and pushed a pile of coins into the pot. ‘And I’ll see you, Lanchester.’

Andrew smiled as he turned his cards over, revealing nothing more than three tens. ‘I give you best, sir,’ he said pleasantly, but then, as Royston sat forwards eagerly to draw the pot towards him, one thin, strong hand reached out and gripped his wrist. ‘Your cards first, sir.’