The Duke's Challenge (17 page)

‘Lord Thurston
is on his way, Renshaw. Please inform him I am waiting in the…?’

‘Yes, Miss
Carstairs. Shall I conduct you to the drawing-room?’

‘Thank you. I
am making very free with Dr Andrews’s home, am I not? But he is a kind
gentleman and I’m sure he will not object.’

The butler
bowed. ‘The room is this way, Miss Carstairs.’ He led her to the double doors
on the far right to the hall. ‘Shall I have refreshments sent in when Lord
Thurston arrives?’

‘Yes, I expect
he will be hungry and thirsty after being out of all night. I shall leave it up
to you to decide what would be best.’

A further ten
minutes elapsed before the front door opened and the sound of Jack’s footsteps
approached. Renshaw opened the door and announced him grandly.

‘His grace, the Duke of Lenster, to see you, Miss Carstairs.’
Then he tactfully retired, closing the door firmly behind him.

She stared
open-mouthed at her beloved. She had been the expecting a heroic but bedraggled
figure in mud stained breeches and dirty boots, his face grey with fatigue. He
was none of those things. He was cleanly dressed and clearly well rested. ‘You
have changed your clothes,’ she said when she eventually found her voice.

He smiled. ‘Of
course I have, sweetheart. I would hardly sleep in my filth. I have a man to
take care of me now, remember.’

‘You’ve spent
the night in the safety of your own bed?’ She was barely able to contain her
fury.

Puzzled by the frosty tone he shook his head and began to walk towards
her. Instantly she stepped back. ‘Where else did you expect me to spend it, my
love?’

Her anger
erupted at his insensitivity, his callous disregard for her feelings. ‘I
expected you to have spent it outside, or under a hedge, or perhaps lying injured
in a ditch. I have been beside myself with worry, whilst you, my lord, have
spent a comfortable, untroubled night in your own bed, thinking of no one’s
comfort but your own.’

He understood. But he underestimated her anger and laughed. ‘You should know
me better than that,
sweetheart,
it takes more than a
couple of murdering bas……, murdering villains to stop me.’

‘I am delighted
to hear it, my lord. It might also amuse you to know that I spent the entire
night nursing Beth, who is very poorly still. No, do not approach me.’ She held
out her hand haughtily. ‘I am disgusted by your behaviour. You sent no message
to tell me you were well or ask how we did. Is this how it’s going to be, my
lord? I am to stay at home worrying, whilst you gallivant around the
countryside killing people?’

This was a
silly thing to say but she was so angry she didn’t care. She was overreacting
now the man she loved was safe.

He was no
longer amused. He raked her from head to toe, his expression murderous. ‘I
shall tell you how it is going to be, Miss Carstairs. You are going to speak to
me in future with respect or I am going to be forced to teach you how to do so.
Have I made myself quite clear on this point?’

She wilted.
This was a man it would be foolhardy to disobey. She had let her tongue run
away with her once more and must now endure the consequences. She dropped her
eyes.

‘I apologize
for speaking so intemperately, my lord. Pray excuse me; I must go upstairs to
attend to Beth.’ She didn’t wait for his permission but picked up her skirts
and fled past him only to be stopped by the doors so thoughtfully closed by the
butler. She flinched as a long arm reached past her.

‘Allow me, Miss
Carstairs.’ He opened the doors and stepped aside, making no move to prevent
her ignominious retreat.

Charlotte
didn’t go to Beth’s room but back into the room recently vacated by

Harry.
She closed the door and leant, trembling, against it. She didn’t know whether
to cry, or scream with vexation. She had offended him by her childish outburst
and still didn’t know what had happened. Had he managed to capture the two men
who had escaped yesterday or were they out there waiting to renew their
attacks?

She splashed
her face with the cold water she found left in a jug in the dressing-room then
checked her eyes were not too red, before venturing downstairs. She would ask
him to forgive her and explain why she’d been so upset. She was halfway
downstairs when she saw him striding across the hall on his way out. She
watched in despair as Renshaw opened the front door and bowed him on his way.
She couldn’t put things right today, but would tomorrow be too late to heal the
breach in their relationship before it became permanent?

*

Jack stood at
the head of the imposing marble steps that led down from Upton Manor unsure
whether to go back inside or return to Thurston. What was it about Charlotte
that brought out the very worst in him? Made him revert to autocratic
officer,
treat her like a snivelling schoolboy? God, what a
mull they had made of it together.
She berating
him
like a shrew and he responding like the veriest nincompoop. He should have sent
word to her, but was not yet used to having another care whether he was alive
or dead.

He pushed himself away from the door just as Jethro rounded the corner
with the carriage. ‘Miss Carstairs and the children will not be returning this
morning. Miss Beth is unwell. Take the carriage back, you can return to collect
them tomorrow morning.’ Jethro touched his cap and drove on. A stable-boy
appeared with Phoenix, the horse’s temperament as fierce as his coat.

Jack vaulted
into the saddle and ramming his boots home in the irons, clattered off down the
drive. He had not told Charlotte what had happened overnight, how the militia
had surrounded the cottage early this morning only to discover that one man had
escaped under the cover of darkness, leaving his companion, the one with a
bullet in the leg, to be captured.

The injured man
was now at Thurston. Dr Andrews was attending to him at this very moment.
Perhaps the man was well enough to be interrogated, the quack had not been
sanguine about the villain’s chance of recovery. He had lost too much blood and
fever had set in.

He was
cantering out through the imposing iron gates, when he reined in abruptly.
God’s teeth! Beth! Charlotte had said she was too ill to come home, that she
had sat up all night with the child and he had not even enquired how she did.
He turned the huge horse, urging him back into a canter. Small wonder she
considered him insensitive, he couldn’t believe he had ridden off in this way.

A stable boy
appeared on cue to take his horse but he detected
a certain
reluctance. Dipping into his pocket he removed a silver coin. He tucked it into
the boy’s waistcoat pocket. ‘Here, lad, take this. It should compensate for
stamped toes and a lump or two out of your arm.’

The urchin
grinned. ‘Thank you, your grace. He’s a handful, this one, ain’t he? But I’ll
see him right. Will you be wanting him again soon, your grace?’

Jack laughed.
‘I have no idea, possibly.’

Renshaw,
equally vigilant, opened the doors at the precise moment Jack arrived at the
top step. ‘Miss Carstairs is
upstairs,
shall I send
word that you have returned, your grace?’

‘No, have
someone conduct me to her.’

The butler snapped
his fingers and a footman appeared. ‘Take Lord Thurston up to Miss Carstairs. I
believe she is in the Green room.’

Young man was
about to knock on the door to the room but Jack waved him away. If he was to be
sent packing he wanted no sniggering footman to witness his embarrassment.

*

Charlotte heard
the knock on the door and ignored it. She had no wish to speak to Renshaw and
it could be no one else. Rose would come in through the servants’ door as would
the tray she had ordered. She rolled over and pulled the covers over her head.
She had been so overcome she had not even paused to remove her dress before
flinging herself onto the bed hoping sleep would obliterate her misery.

She didn’t hear
the door open softly or Jack’s footsteps muffled by the thick Persian carpet.
The first she knew of his presence was when the bed dipped. She tried to
wriggle away. She wasn’t ready to receive a second scolding. But her escape was
prevented
by
 
his
arms, one slipping under her shoulders, the other around her waist.

Held like this,
her tear soaked face cradled in his hand, he rocked her gently. ‘Sweetheart, I
am so sorry. I am a brute. Come, please don’t cry, little one. I cannot bear to
see you so distraught.’

She couldn’t
answer, the sobs she’d been doing her best to repress burst out. It was so long
since anyone had held her and comforted her; normally she was the one to do the
comforting. He soothed her, stroking her back, letting her cry. Eventually she
shuddered and raised her eyes.

‘I am so sorry.
I didn’t mean to shout at you, but I was worried and I had not slept.’

He mopped her
face dry with his handkerchief, his expression tender. ‘It is I who must
apologise to you, my love. I have no excuse to offer apart from the fact that…’

She reached
out, stopping his lips with her fingers. ‘Do not apologize to me. You do not
have to. It’s not your place to explain your actions; I promise I shall not
question you like that again.’

He tensed and
his lips opened, drawing her fingers into his mouth. Her breath stopped and a
delicious heat pooled in her lower regions. Whilst his tongue caressed the tips
of her fingers he pulled her close, crushing her breasts against his chest,
whatever he wanted from her she would give it to him willingly.

Chapter Seventeen

Charlotte was
melting, she no longer knew where her body ended and his began. She moved her
head restlessly from side to side, not sure what she craved, but was aware it had
to be he who gave it to her.

Her hand had
fallen from his mouth and buried itself in his thick dark hair, revelling in
the springy softness. His mouth seared its way along her collarbone before
finding her parted lips and covering them with his own.

She understood
what he wanted her to do and widening her mouth allowed his intimate invasion
to send spirals of pleasure around her body. Tentatively she tangled her tongue
with his and his response showed she had pleased him. He swung his legs onto
the bed bringing one across hers. His boot caught her naked calf and she jerked
back in pain.

Instantly he
released her. ‘Damn it to hell! What am I thinking of? I’m sorry, sweetheart,
my behaviour’s unpardonable.’ As he spoke he removed his legs from the bed and
sat up.

She felt
abandoned, unsettled, didn’t understand. She only had the vaguest idea what
actually occurred between a man and woman but knew it usually involved removing
one’s garments. She was fairly sure it wasn’t usual for the gentleman to be
wearing his boots and topcoat. Jack had no reason to apologize, apart from
bruising her leg with his boots.

‘It was your
boots, they hurt my leg. Perhaps it would help if you removed them?’

He bent down,
kissed her and stepped back. ‘Don’t tempt me, my love, I am finding it
difficult enough.’

She giggled,
stretching like a contented cat, aware her breasts strained enticingly within
the confines of her rumpled bodice. ‘I believe I’m beginning to enjoy this….’

‘Lovemaking?’

‘Oh! Is that
what it’s called?
How very appropriate.’
She wriggled
to the edge of the bed and tumbled off in a rush of arms and legs. ‘Not only do
you have your boots on, you still have on your topcoat.’

‘I do, my love,
and they must remain on for the present.’ He reached out and tried
ineffectually to straighten his neck cloth. She stepped up to do it for him but
he warded her off. ‘No, sweetheart, please don’t touch me. I haven’t the
willpower to prevent myself finishing what we started.’

‘Your stock is
ruined, whatever will people think?’

His rich, dark
chuckle sent ripples of excitement down her spine. ‘I expect they will draw
their own conclusions and think that I am an unprincipled rogue.’

‘And I am one
too for I was a willing partner in this… this lovemaking.’ She attempted to
shake the creases out of her gown. She feared his arrival had destroyed

any
hope she might have had of being able to appear in
public dressed as she was.

He strolled
over to the
chaise longue
and lounged
back, crossing his legs. He pointed to a delicate walnut armchair with a padded
seat. ‘Sit there, my dear, we have to talk. Tell me, how is Beth? One of the
reasons I returned was to discover how she does.’

‘She is much
recovered this morning, I’m glad to say. She has had bouts of fever before, and
always responds to the cooling treatment papa taught me.’

‘And Harry?
I’m surprised he hasn’t come bouncing in to see
me.’

She raised her
eyebrows. ‘But he is at Thurston - he returned an hour ago with Annie and the
animals in Doctor Andrews’s carriage.’

‘I rode across
the fields, not along the lane. I must have missed them, but I’m glad he is
well. How long will you be obliged to stay here?’

‘I intend to
return tomorrow, another day’s rest is usually sufficient to restore Beth. I
have sent for Mary and some fresh garments.’ She grinned. ‘I must look a sad
romp, and this poor gown used to be my best.’

‘You look
enchanting, my love, as always. But I would suggest you adjust
your
 
dress
before
going downstairs again.’ His expression was innocent but his tone teasing.

She glanced
down and flushed scarlet. ‘How could you allow me to sit with you like this?’
Hastily she pulled the bodice straight. ‘I don’t like your tendency to find fun
at my expense, sir,’ she said stiffly.

He yawned and
stretched. ‘Do you not, sweetheart? That is a great shame as you are going to
have to learn to live with it.’

Incensed, she
jumped up. ‘There is no talking to you in this mood. I’m going to see how Beth
is.’

Ignoring her
annoyance he said lazily. ‘Very well, my dear, then I shall return to Thurston,
my tale untold.’

She stopped.
How silly of her - she didn’t know what had happened during the long night she
had spent worrying herself sick. Crossly she returned to her seat and glared at
him. ‘Well, my lord, tell me.’

He straightened
and began his story. When he’d finished she had quite forgotten her annoyance.
‘The injured man, do you think he will tell you who’s behind these attacks?’

‘I sincerely
hope so, but, as I said Andrews doesn’t hold out much hope for his recovery.’

‘And the other
man, what of him?’

‘Captain
Forsythe and his troop are scouring the vicinity. He’s also searching for the
carriage which collected the corpses; if we can find that we shall have the
paymaster the man behind all this, and the reasons for it.’

‘I’ve been
considering all the possibilities and have come to the conclusion it has to be
linked to your inheritance. You must speak to the lawyers; they must have had a
list of possible heirs to pursue when grandfather died. I never asked you— how
remote
is
your connection to me?’

He shrugged. ‘I
have no idea. When I discovered I had inherited, I didn’t question it.

I
was still recovering and was just glad I had somewhere to hide away.’

‘We haven’t
spoken of this before, but I must ask you, did a lady turn you away?’

‘She did, and
it damned near killed me.
 
I carried
Sophia’s image in my head when I fought, her love kept me going in the most
dangerous circumstances. Knowing she was waiting for me kept me alive, stopped
me taking stupid risks.’ He seemed lost in his thoughts and Charlotte didn’t
like to intrude. ‘It never occurred to me she would no longer wish to marry me.
Maybe if I had been a duke then she would have taken me and tried to ignore her
revulsion.’

‘I’m sorry she
treated you badly. But she is the loser, not you.’ His head stayed down so she
got up and joined him on the day bed. ‘Jack, your face is damaged but you are
still a handsome man. You must know that it’s what’s on the inside that matters
and you are brave, resourceful, kind and intelligent. Think, did you see anyone
flinch away in horror in Ipswich the other day? Have you seen the maids and
footmen here retreat in shock?’

Slowly he
raised his head. ‘I hadn’t thought, but no, you’re correct.’ He ran his fingers
over his scar. ‘Do you know, I’ve not looked in a mirror since that day, is it
possible things have improved?’

‘Go and see for
yourself, there’s a looking-glass above the mantelshelf.’

He walked over
and for the first time in over two years stared at his reflection. She held her
breath. How would he react? She hardly noticed his injury now and even when she
had first seen him, it was not that which had repelled her, but his unkempt
appearance, his brooding expression and his inebriation.

He straightened
his cravat before turning back. ‘I’m not as hideous as I was, but I am still
disfigured, have only one working eye. But obviously I no longer frighten old
women and children by my freakish appearance.’

She laughed.
‘It’s your bad temper and drunkenness that frighten people, not your face.’ For
moment she thought she’d gone too far, said too much, for he appeared to
freeze.

He swung back
to stare critically in the glass. He faced her, a strange expression on his
countenance. ‘How can someone so young and beautiful be so wise? It would seem
I have been hiding myself away needlessly these past years and it took a girl,
scarce out of the schoolroom, to show me.’

‘I am not a
schoolroom-miss, I am a woman grown – as you very well know.’

He chuckled.
‘Indeed you are, sweetheart, but compared to a battle scarred soldier of nine
and twenty you are a babe in arms.’

‘Jack, I
thought you told me you are eight and twenty or did I miss hear you?’

‘Actually, I’ve
anticipated the event by a few days. My name day is October the first, which I
believe is next Monday.’

‘How exciting!
Shall we have a party to celebrate your name
day and our betrothal?’

‘Have you run
mad? There’s still someone out there trying to kill us, not, I would think, a
cause for jollity.’

‘My mother always
said when things were bad was exactly the time to have a party.’ She grinned.
‘And have you forgotten your lawyers are stealing from you, as well, so we have
two things to try and forget for an evening.’

He stood. ‘Good
God! Blower and Thomas; I had intended to go into Ipswich today to demand to
see the originals of those documents. I ought to do so now; if their offices
are still closed I’ll organize a warrant for their arrest and appoint a new
firm to look into matters.’

‘But what about the party?
If we are to have one I’ll have
to start thinking about the organization immediately -there is a lot that goes
into planning something of this sort.’

‘I have far
more important things to consider, you must do as you please. It’s something
the females of the species are good at, in my experience. I must find Captain
Forsythe and speak to him.’

‘I’m not happy
with the thought of you riding alone in the lanes. You have just told me there
are still men at large who wish you harm.’

‘I’m not a
noddy
, my love. I’ll have four of Captain Forsythe’s
militia to accompany me. I’ll be perfectly safe.’

He stretched
out and placing a finger under her chin raised her head, to drop a gentle kiss
on her parted lips, then without further ado, strode out, calling back his farewells.
She flopped back on the day bed. Being with him was like being tossed in a
tempest, it left her emotions, as well as her appearance, in disarray.

She considered
his comments; would it be a bad idea to hold a party? No - it would not. Now
was the ideal opportunity for with the militia camped at Thurston they could
not be safer. Outside the Hall they would be protected by the soldiers, inside,
once the doors were locked, they were even more secure. Thurston might be old
and in poor repair but the fabric was solid; no one could enter once the bolts
were pushed home each night. She couldn’t wait to return to begin her
preparations.

A party - this
was exactly what they needed after so much sadness and danger. She shut her
eyes and her thoughts inevitably turned to her mother so recently departed. She
counted back - was it only three months since that dreadful day? She could
hardly believe how much her life had changed in so short a space of time.

Then she
recalled Jack’s anguish when he had spoken of his rejection by someone named
Sophia, a woman he had loved so much. What sort of person could break a hero’s
heart like that? She determined to do everything she could to make him forget.
She understood why he had reacted so badly when she had mentioned love. He had
been so damaged by that woman he was no longer able to love another, but at
least he held her in affection and respect. Did he not lard his speech with
endearments? A rosy glow engulfed her as she considered another aspect of their
relationship. At least she could be confident he desired her, that he wanted
her in his bed.

The sound of a
carriage turning on the gravel outside the window ended her solitude. She was
pleased to see Mary had arrived, bringing with her fresh garments and other
necessities.

Beth recovered
quickly, as expected, and was as eager as Charlotte to return to Thurston Hall.
She wanted to play with her kittens. Charlotte had dined upstairs with Beth and
had not spoken again with the doctor. However, he was waiting to say his farewells
when they descended the next morning.

‘I wish you God speed, Miss Carstairs and Miss Beth. Lord Thurston has
sent some militia to escort you home so I am sure you will come to no harm
today.’

‘I must thank
you for your generous hospitality, Dr Andrews. When Lord Thurston and I are
married you will be the first person invited dine with us. I hope we can count
you as a friend from now on.’

He bowed. ‘I am
honoured, Miss Carstairs. And I shall always be ready to offer my home or my
skills if you or your family should have need of them.’

She curtsied
and they left in a flurry of good wishes. Jethro handed them into the carriage
and the four soldiers closed ranks. She was pleased to be on her way home where
she didn’t have to ask permission to move from room to room. Beth was too tired
from her bout of fever to do more than rest her head in her sister’s lap.

‘Good heavens,
Mary, look at that. The gate has been re-hung and the weeds are gone from the
drive.’

‘Isn’t it
grand, Miss Carstairs? The men from the village are that glad of employment
that they’re working all hours to please his grace.’

She stared at the acres of parkland which a week ago had been a meadow.
‘Beth, darling, if you sit up a little you will see your maze is now clipped.
It will be so much more exciting for you and Harry when you can get right
inside it to play.’

Beth sat up.
‘Can I go in it later, when I’m feeling a bit better, Lottie?’

‘Yes, of
course, but tomorrow, not today.’ Beth’s eyes filled. ‘But you can have your
kittens up in your room to play with for a while. You haven’t decided on their
names yet, have you?’