His Christmas Angel (A Regency Holiday Romance Book 8) (16 page)

Sir Wilfrid

Cold dread enveloped her, and she shivered. Hands trembling, she let out a little cry, and stood up. Walking over to the blazing fire, she tossed the missive into the flames, reached for the poker, and made certain that all evidence of the letter had been consumed by the flames. Devil take that dreadful man. That was the only fate he deserved. He was a foul, loathsome man—much worse than her father.

What could she do?

She had to find a way to protect Clarence. Their time together here had opened her eyes to so many things. She saw the world with a new sense of wonder, and it was all because of Clarence. Her heart stopped, and then started to thunder loudly in her chest, as she realized why she was so afraid.

She was in love. That had to be the feeling that robbed her of breath when she thought of losing Clarence. The reason why she had an ache in her chest. She couldn’t imagine her world without him in it.

His laughter, his love, and his passion for life.

She couldn’t—and she wouldn’t allow some blackguard like Sir Wilfrid to take him from her.

Should she confess all to Clarence? Or should she keep it to herself and attempt to find a way to rid themselves of Sir Wilfrid? The only way she could think to keep him from harming Clarence was to offer herself to him, and have him vow that he would not hurt Clarence.

She walked to her bedchamber door and creaked it slowly open. She could hear men laughing and talking, and was that the sound of them fencing? She sighed, supposing that they were using the Long Gallery again as a strip for their fencing.

She had to forget about Sir Wilfrid’s threats. They were idle threats. He couldn’t touch them. They were safe here in the Country, and they were surrounded by friends. No…they were quite safe. She would keep mum about it all, and not trouble Clarence. She didn’t want to spoil the fun he had planned. He was ever so excited about it all, and spoiling everyone’s mood wasn’t something she wanted to do.

They would leave to visit Ginny and Gideon at Kenilworth Park at some point in time, even though she would dreadfully miss Evesham Hall. She had sent a missive to Ginny. Asking that they all come to enjoy the festivities with them at Evesham Hall. She didn’t suppose that Ginny would take her up on the offer, as the entire family had settled on spending Christmastide at Kenilworth.

She walked out into the hallway, and headed to the Long Gallery, determined to find Clarence.

“Out with it, Felix,” Lucky said, after the bout was over, and they had all collapsed wearily onto hall chairs. “Something has been eating at you since before we left London, and I want to know what it is. You have been in an awfully sore temper so there is no point in denying it. Come on, spit it out, mate.”

“Life is catching up with us, ain’t it?” Tiny said, looking over at Clarence. “You are the youngest out of us all. A baby when I think about it, and you’re married…and well, you should have been the last of us three to get leg-shackled, not the first, and now it won’t be long before me and this lucky bastard here have to attend to our responsibilities. They can’t be put off forever, much as I hate to admit it. I can only act like a dissolute rake for so long, and I think my time is up, but oh, I have had a good time of it. I shall be sad to leave it all. King’s Street has finally seen the last of me.”

“What are you going on about?” Lucky asked. “Talking in gibberish like this doesn’t become you, mate, and it’s doing nothing for me, either. I can’t follow you one word of what you’re babbling about.”

“I…well, that little bastard Sir Wilfrid is going to move against us shortly. Edward Lovett expects he will have a monumental fit when he finds out what he has done to him, and I will stick around until he is sorted but…I fear I will have to leave you all, after he is dispatched. Lucky, you will have to fight any other blackguards without me…for a bit anyhow.”

Clarence sighed. Now he was as irritated as Lucky. “Tiny, we cannot fathom what you are talking about. I am just as befogged as Gil.”

“Indeed,” Lucky said. “You’re usually not so cryptic with your words. I like the get to the point, Tiny, where you bludgeon us with your words.”

“I am talking about debts not being paid—and…” he sighed, and let out a shudder which was uncharacteristic for the man. “I always pay my debts.”

“’Course you do, old man. Now…what debt are you bloody well referring to because you’re starting to confound me and I’m getting a roaring headache. If we didn’t have to be so vigilant, I would go and get myself roaring drunk.”

“I don’t talk about it much. It happened before I became a member of the Angels of Death, and it was something I had put out of my mind for years. I was only just reminded of it when the past came calling, right before we left for Evesham Hall—I have never had someone come out of the past with such forcefulness before.”

“Who paid you a visit?” Lucky said sighing.

“He didn’t pay me a visit. Not in the conventional manner anyway. He found me when we were riding on Rotten Row one day. He must have been watching my comings and goings for a bit, and he said he didn’t want to catch me while I was in residence at Evesham House, so he waited for the right time to approach me in Hyde Park.”

“Well, we have at least part of the riddle solved, Lucky. He owes a debt to a man.”

“Not surprising,” Lucky quipped. “He is such a bastard, I’m certain he owes plenty of debts. What sort of a debt do you owe him? I take it is more complicated than just owing him a few measly quid.”

“It is a life debt.”

“Oh, God. And you kept this from us all of these years? I only thought you owed your life to the rest of us…I never thought…”

“That I had gotten into such a mess before my time with Gideon’s Angels? There were plenty of times that I almost met my maker before I met you lovely bastards,” he chuckled ruefully. “Until you lot came into my life, I fancied myself as a lifer. I didn’t think I would ever leave the Army. There wasn’t much point. I had to keep sending a bit of blunt home to my Ma, and it was the best work I could find, considering my lowborn origins.”

“Who do you owe this most heavy debt to, Felix?” Tiny asked softly.

“Do you remember Colonel Blessing?”

“Vaguely,” Lucky said. “I think he and his regiment assisted us a few times, and you had a past association with him, didn’t you?”

“Aye, they did, and aye, I did. Before I was assigned to the Angels of Death—Colonel Blessing plucked me to be his manservant from among his men. It was a coveted position, and one I didn’t mind having at all. I learned a lot from Colonel Blessing, and through him, I finally had a taste of life as it was for men of his ilk.”

“And didn’t his men used to say that he could be a blessing or a curse? And when they were fighting, they would say to the enemy, ‘you’ve been blessed’, and ‘here comes the pain’?”

“Aye, they did both. I did that as well. He had a formidable personality. Come to think of it, he still does. He wasn’t one to put up with any shite, but he was different from some of the other toffs out there. He was like Colonel Elliot. He took care of his men, and made certain they had the best equipment to see them through the Wars. He spent a lot of his own coin on us, and for that he earned my undying respect. He took care of his troops. He…was a good man and a good soldier…he wasn’t there just out of selfish reasons to bring glory to his own name. He was there to see that Napoleon got what he deserved. He was a man, but you are right, he could be tough, and a little hard—to me, though, he was always kind, even if he did shout at me from time to time—I don’t recall him ever flogging a man for no reason. He wasn’t mean spirited like some out there.”

“From what I recall that’s putting it mildly, Felix. He was one tough bastard. He didn’t suffer fools gladly. He had a hell of a temper on him, and if you pricked it the wrong way—hell hath no fury like him. Colonel Elliot told us that Colonel Blessing hailed from a family like his. They were an old Norman family.”

“Aye,” Felix said. “From what Colonel Blessing relayed to me about his family, they came over with William the Conqueror, and that ancestor was a favoured follower of his, and as such, he established him as a baron. They became earls somewhere along the line, and I think their family seat is in Gloucestershire. He owns land in various counties. He’s simply rolling in the blunt.”

Lucky nodded his head. “That’s why he used to have his nose stuck up in the air. He really thought his shite didn’t stink.”

“He was more layered than that,” Felix sighed. “He was a lot like Doc. Prickly on the outside and soft on the inside. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today. I…I owe him more than I can ever say, and now, in his hour of need, I can’t deny him anything that he asks of me. I…I stay true to my word no matter what.”

Clarence wanted to know what had happened to earn such a debt. He knew that Colonel Blessing had to have saved Tiny’s life. He just wanted to know the particulars. He knew he couldn’t prod, so he kept silent. If Felix wanted him to know…he would tell him all about it.

“What does he want from you, Felix? You might as well get it all off your chest. Hop to it, now.”

Felix sighed, and scrubbed his hand over his face. “He wants me to do something I…something I do not want to do. I am uncertain how I will make myself do it. If there is one thing in life I fear—this is it. It has me quaking in my boots, it does.”

“Surely he doesn’t want you to do something criminal?” Lucky asked, aghast at the thought.

“Oh, no…no, he isn’t that sort of bloke. He is honourable to the core. No…what he wants me to do is definitely legal.”

“Go ahead, Tiny. Spit it out,” Clarence urged. “If it’s something that has you so afraid, we both have to know what it is. I thought you were fearless.”

“Oh, hell no. Not what it comes to this. Every part of me rebels against it.”

“What does he want you to do?” Clarence asked.

Tiny inhaled sharply, and then exhaled before answering. His face turned a bright shade of scarlet. “He wants me to marry his daughter.”

Clarence would have fallen down, if he hadn’t already been sitting, and Lucky looked as shocked as he felt. There was a dreadful hush that fell over the Long Gallery. He looked furtively over at Lucky. Lucky shrugged his shoulders. Neither one of them knew what the hell to do about Tiny’s confession. Tiny looked as if he had sucked on a lemon.

“Well,” Clarence said, sighing. “You could knock me over with a feather. I definitely did not anticipate that answer. I am flabbergasted.”

“You are pitching the gammon,” Lucky whispered, his eyes almost wild.

“I wish I was, mate. I wish I was,” Felix said. “Alas, I am not telling a plumper. I am deadly serious. Oh, what I would give, if I wasn’t.”

“And you managed to keep this quiet for a fortnight?” Lucky asked. “That’s not like you at all.”

“I can be discreet about some things. I don’t always have a big mouth,” Tiny said, looking directly at Clarence.

“I didn’t say you always had a big mouth,” Clarence argued.

“I know,” Tiny groaned. “I’m just feeling a little peevish. I suppose I sat on the news because I didn’t want to face it. I can’t…I can’t do what he wants me to do and I know that if I don’t…his ghost will haunt me—he told me as much. He said quite plainly that if I didn’t marry his only surviving heir, he would come back from the great beyond, and haunt me until the end of my days.”

“His ghost? So, he’s not long for this world?” Lucky asked.

“I thought he was shamming it when he told me. I asked him if he would let Doc look at him, and Lewis went to his townhouse, and gave him an examination. Bloody well convenient that Lewis was in Town. Colonel Blessing,” he let out a shattering sigh, “he was telling the truth. According to Doc, he…won’t live past the start of the New Year…and he wants to see his daughter properly taken care of before he leaves this world. It seems…it seems she is his heir, and there are fortune hunters after her—especially the man who is set to inherit his title, who is his nephew. He told me they are a terrible lot. He said that she doesn’t have the strength to keep them all at bay. Said something about her being a delicate flower. He said something about how the estate wasn’t entailed to the title. What does that mean again? I didn’t want to look like an uneducated fool and ask him what it meant so I nodded my head, and it seemed to satisfy him.”

“It means his peerage goes to his closest male heir,” Clarence said softly, “but the money, the house, the lands, and anything else, can all go to his daughter. His nephew must be seething. He must be furious. He…he will have an empty title, poor little bastard.”

“Aye, Colonel Blessing said that. He said that his nephew always took it for granted that he would win Lady Epiphany’s hand…he said…he said that he would derive great pleasure out of dashing the little pain in the backside’s hopes, and then he laughed so hard, he couldn’t catch his breath and Lewis had to give him a laudanum tincture to make him relax. He told me that if he didn’t see her riveted before he died, she would never marry. He wanted someone strong and able to stand by her after he was gone. Told me his nephew would make himself a real little thorn in her side. Lady Epiphany fancies that she can go at life alone and he believes she probably would, given half the chance, but his nephew…his nephew would find a way to lure into her a parson’s mousetrap. He looked so bloody pathetic, I vowed to marry her. I told him he had my word, and you all know my word is my bond. He also said,” And now Felix looked extremely uncomfortable, “he said that he wants issue from her—he wants to know his bloodline will continue.”

“He has his nephew,” Clarence countered.

“He told me he didn’t want to think of his legacy continuing through that son of a bitch. He also said he adored his wife, and his daughter is a part of her. His nephew isn’t.” 

“Why pick you?”

“I asked him that. He told me that no one else owes him such a debt, and he has heard about my recent good fortune. He says that I have always been a good man, with a character that isn’t common amongst our sex, and he said…he said that I would not treat her ill. He told me that my past acquaintance with her back when I was his manservant would serve me well. He said that she was impressed with me back then, and would be less opposed to marriage if I was the intended bridegroom. He also said that I could keep away the vultures. Saying that he had always trusted me above the rest of his men to serve him faithfully and protect those he loved most and he wants to see her well protected—and with someone she could one day love. I am not certain about the latter but I promised him the former.”

“I can’t believe it,” Lucky said. “You are actually going to marry her, aren’t you? I just…I just can’t fathom it. You run from marriage, Felix. You disdain it. You love your bits of muslin. You’re a bloody libertine, and you do not apologize for it!”

“I know, I know,” Felix said, wincing. “I love the ladies. All of the ladies. I can’t abide the thought of having to be loyal to just one lady—and she is actually a lady. She has the title, she was gently bred. She won’t be able to put up with my kind of roughness. He said she was a delicate flower. What if I roll over in bed and crush the little lass? But I can’t dwell on that. I have no recourse. I can’t slip out of this particular noose. I have little choice in the matter. He is dying, Lucky—I shall have to make the ultimate sacrifice, if I don’t the guilt will weigh heavily on me.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to marry his daughter. She will be fine without you.”

“Who will be fine without you?” Ann asked, walking toward them.

Clarence stood up. “It would seem, my dear, that Lord Spaulding is about to take a wife.”

“A wife?” Ann was completely astonished, her eyes opening wide. “I wasn’t aware he had set his cap on anyone and he hasn’t been courting that young woman, has he?”

“Oh, no, indeed not. He hasn’t even met the girl. You haven’t met the girl, have you, Tiny?” Clarence asked.

“She didn’t come with her father to Town. Apparently, she prefers the quietness of country life. So, I haven’t an inkling of what she looks like now, but we have had a previous acquaintance back when I was serving under her father. She had come with her mother to visit her father. She was just a young lass, with lovely golden hair, that had such a shine to it. Now that I think about it, she was just a mere slip of a girl. Oh, God, I’ll terrify her, won’t I? She looked more like her Mama than she did her Papa, she can’t have gotten much larger. Colonel Blessing was damnably vexed, knowing that he was going to lose me to Colonel Elliot. He didn’t take my reassignment well. He ranted and he raved, he huffed and he puffed, but there was no way around it. Colonel Elliot had orders straight from Wellington that he was to have me. Colonel Blessing lowered himself that day and told me that he would miss me. Then, he grudgingly let me go with the Colonel to be a part of something grander than I had ever imagined possible. The last time I caught a glimpse of Lady Epiphany was right after I was assigned to the Angels of Death.

“My old regiment was supposed to lend us support. She came with the regiment and Colonel Blessing. I overhead him tell Colonel Elliot that he knew a bastard like me couldn’t be killed easily. I think he was secretly relieved to see that I wasn’t dead, as he thought that what Colonel Elliot had planned to unnerve the enemy the way we did, well, I do believe he thought it was a death sentence for me. I think Lady Epiphany must have been around fifteen, or sixteen then. She looked like an angel that had fallen from heaven, with her golden hair, and lively violet blue eyes, and a voice that sounded like she could sing in a heavenly choir. I overheard her singing for her father once, while her mother strummed the little Celtic harp that they had brought with them, and it was as if I was listening to an angel. I don’t think I have ever heard such a voice before, or since. She had the looks, bearing and mannerisms of her gentle mother.”

“Fortunate child, then. She was blessed not to look like hawk nosed Blessing,” Lucky muttered, looking sullen. “Oh, lawks. You are really going to do it. You’ve made up your mind. It’s all set in stone, isn’t it?”

“It is. I must do it. I have no choice,” he said solemnly, nodding his head.

“I don’t want to sound like a snob, Felix…but I have to ask. I know of this Colonel Blessing, he is also known as the Earl of Painswick. I think my father knows him better.” Clarence cleared his throat nervously, and tugged on his cravat. “I…well, that is…I just want to know one thing…”

“You want to know why he would deem a rascal like me good enough for his beloved daughter, eh?” Tiny asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

“Yes,” Clarence stammered.

“I asked him that very question myself. I told him I was a bloody lowdown dirty rascal. I told him I was a rakehell, and I wasn’t highborn enough for his daughter. He told me that he used to feel that way, and that as he has drawn closer to the great hereafter, his views on life have changed. He has realized he has been a pompous prick in the past, and he said that I was ten times better than most of the men he knew, and that he couldn’t hope for anyone better for his only child. However, I don’t think he would have had the change of heart, if I hadn’t been ennobled since we knew each other last.”

Ann sighed loudly, her exasperation evident. “Has anyone thought to ask Lady Epiphany for her thoughts on this match? Or does her good opinion not matter?”

Clarence looked over at her, and was shocked, suddenly remembering that she knew Lady Epiphany. He could recall Lady Epiphany being at a few of the balls that Ann’s mother had held. No other girl had ever caught his fancy, so he only distantly recalled what the girl looked like. She did have blond hair, and she was of a slight frame, and she had been comely enough. Felix was right. She did have lively eyes that danced about whenever she looked your way. And, she did have the voice of an angel. She played the pianoforte with a talent that was rare, and her voice…her voice was a rarity as well. Hostesses always asked her to play and sing for them whenever she attended one of their soirees. She was quite the accomplished young lady.

“You know Lady Epiphany, Lady Evesham?” Felix asked, surprised.

“I do. Fanny is an old friend of mine. She is a dear girl. We are not as close as Ginny and I but she was in our circle and I cannot say that she would appreciate being married off in this sorry fashion. No, indeed. I wager she would appreciate it just as much as I did…and you all know that I do not look at what my father tried to do to me in a favourable light.”

Tiny looked as if he wanted to find a hole to crawl into. Clarence had to do something to put Felix back into Ann’s good graces. Presently, she was looking at Tiny with murder in her eyes.

Mayhap, she would become a load of mischief after all. Even though, he felt pride at the way she was getting stirred up, he wasn’t about to let her take her wrath out on his mate. Felix could have a strong mouth at the best of times but he wasn’t heartless. He wouldn’t hurt Lady Epiphany, and he would do his best to be a good husband to her. 

“Felix isn’t a brute. I don’t think that he would marry a woman who wasn’t willing, Ann,” Clarence said softly, hoping this would be end of it.

“Oh, you don’t, do you? And how do you know that she isn’t being coerced into this foolhardy match? Fanny adores her father. She thinks the sun rises and sets on him—she is far more devoted to her father than I was to mine—and with good reason—her father lavished her with love and anything else she ever wanted. He spoiled her, and thank goodness she didn’t have a disagreeable personality because if she had, why, she would have turned out to be a rotten little chit. Fortunately for her, Lord Painswick wasn’t a churl like my father—but to think that he is arranging a marriage for her. Why he is more of a cad than I thought. Well, she shall simply have to put her foot down. She shall have to fight it. There is no other way. She shall have to become a good little rebel, and I know that Fanny has it in her to be so. She has an awful temper when riled—her mother was part Irish, you know.”

“She can’t,” Felix said forlornly. “I have the special marriage license. It has all been arranged, and he has made his daughter promise him…that she would marry me. He told me he didn’t doubt her word.”

“She will have to break that promise. Men break promises all of the time. It is about time for us ladies to do the same. I shall write to her and give her my full support in this matter.”

Clarence sighed. Ann wasn’t looking at this situation reasonably. She was casting aspersions without the authority to do so. It was all because of how her own father had treated her.

“How can you break a promise that you have made to a dying man?” Felix asked sadly. “Her father is not long for this world, and Lewis confirmed it. If he cannot help him, well, then, her father has no hope—he is as good as dead. I must away to their manor house, Blessing Hall once everything is settled here. He…I owe him a lot. The good turn he gave me led me to being selected by Colonel Elliot for The King’s Royal Couriers that was our proper name, our nickname was the Angels of Death. And…well, he taught me a lot…I…I can’t ever forget it, and I owe him my life. My lady, I am sorry that you feel this way but it cannot be helped. Lady Epiphany shall become my wife, and I shall become her protector and that is the end of it.”

Clarence wanted to save Tiny any further grief. He looked as if he was being tortured.

“I think that we should keep our noses out of this, Ann,” Clarence said softly.

“Oh, really?” she asked, her eyes swirling with her amber fury. He had never seen Ann so angry before. “I thought more of you, Clarence. I really did. I won’t stand idly by while one of my oldest friends is married off against her will—it isn’t right, and I can’t believe you are siding with them.”

“You needn’t sound so indignant. This is far different from you situation, Ann. You cannot think to compare Lord Spaulding to Sir Wilfrid—that is a disservice to Felix. He is worlds away from being like Sir Wilfrid and you know that in your heart of hearts.”