Lady Henrietta's Dilemma: Regency Suspense Romance Book 2 (Lords of Sussex) (18 page)

Slowly, Henrietta and Ambros walked back to the breakfast room, their arms around each other, her head on his shoulder.  Ambros whispered, ‘
We’ll make it Etta; no secrets – no fear. You will never be alone again.’

Henrietta raised her head, her eyes now glowing with hope and something more.
‘My love. I feel … stronger; as if you’ve taken away that fear.’

‘You nursed a secret, a dreadful one; protecting your mother and family from shame. Oh no, Etta, you’ve always been strong, hurt – but strong, my lovely wife to be—’

‘Wife to be?’ Alex said laughing at the doorway, with Isa beside him.

Isa rushed over, and hugged Henrietta, ‘Oh dearest; I am so happy for you.’ She stood back seeing the puffed eyes, but warm smile. ‘You have been through so much and now ….’  Her eyes welled up with tears of joy for her dear friend. ‘Tonight we shall celebrate with a sumptuous meal, wine, music and dancing.
Just the four of us.  What a wonderful day.

***

On awakening, Vaughan reached for Esther, only to feel the sheet empty and cold. Frowning, he rose, stumbling to the parlour, to find it deserted. ‘Esther? Esther where are you?’ he shouted. ‘Esther?’ His  eyes flickered to the table, and espied the note. Reaching for it, he read it swiftly. Cursing, he crumpled it throwing it to the floor. Stupid woman, surely she didn’t take it seriously?  He only meant to punish her. Where was she?

Calling for his valet and the butler, he washed and dressed swiftly.  He had to see if Henrietta returned home last night. Her friends had no right to keep her with them, and they knew it. Racing to his townhouse, the butler met him at the door, his face solicitous,
his demeanour stoic. ‘Where’s Lady Henrietta?’

‘Err …I know not my lord. She did not return last night.  However, there is a note.’

‘Not another damn note.’ Vaughan scowled, as he snatched it up from the silver tray. Reading it, he cursed, ‘Dam and blast. If she returns, tell her to stay here.’

Flinging open the front door, he leapt down the stone steps and jumped on his horse, thundering over the cobbled stones to
the Fitzroy’s.  Looking up at the columned portico, he scowled, she’d better be there. He would take no excuses; she was coming home with him, even if he had to drag her out of there. Riding around to the stables, he flung the reins to the groom.

Stomping back to the front of the house, he banged his fist on the door.
‘Fitzroy? Open up. Now.’

The butler opened the door, his bearing dignified,
his countenance frozen.  ‘Yes mi’lord?’

‘Make way – I wish to speak to Fitzroy.’

Pushing the butler to one side, he ran into the reception area, to be faced with Ambros. ‘So Bruges what can we do for you?’

‘Where is she?’

‘Who?’

‘My wife, you fool –
where is she?’

‘Steady on old chap. I don’t think she wishes to see you or speak with you.’ 

‘Don’t be a fool Wiltshire, bring her out immediately, or I’ll come and get her.’

‘That you won’t old chap. Take one more step, and I’ll have to kill you.’

His face reddening, Vaughan blustered.  ‘I demand satisfaction.  My seconds will attend you Sir.’

‘I don’t think so.  I will not suffer the indignity of duelling with a cur.   I will just say you’ve broken into a private dwelling and attacked me – ergo; I killed you.’

Ambros pulled himself up to his full height, towering over Vaughan. ‘Now leave, whilst you still live.’ 

Glowering, Vaughan did not attempt to enter, but shouted, ‘Henrietta
,  I command you to come – come now.’

To Ambros’s surprise, Henrietta appeared by his side, and touched his hand.
‘Tis alright Ambros.’ Raising her chin imperiously, she said, ‘What do you want my lord?’

‘Want? Why you of course, you empty headed bedlamite. You just—‘

‘Enough you bastard.’ With a swift blow, Ambros knocked him to the floor.

‘You’ll pay for this.’ Bruges snarled. 

Henrietta lent over him, her silver pistol held in a firm hand. ‘Never speak to me again, or I will personally shoot you. You know I have a good aim’ she said, tapping his nose with the tip of the weapon.

On a signal by Ambros, two footmen picked Bruges up off the floor, and frogmarched him down the steps to the stables, where the groom handed him the reins to his horse. 

Returning to the drawing room, Ambros straightened his jacket. ‘You’ll see no more of him, my love.’

‘I will have to meet him in court,’ she lifted her chin confidently, slipping the pistol into her reticule. ‘
but, I am now a match for him. I will not tolerate his lies, I will reveal him for what he is – a coward – beater of women.’

‘The marriage will be annulled; I can assure you of that.’

‘It won’t be that easy.’

‘I have taken advice
, and there is no way he can attest your claim. You are a virgin, ill-treated and sold, I and others are witnesses. In fact, it will not reach the courts, not with your father being in the bloodline.’

‘Oh Ambros.
My love.’

Opening his arms, he said softly, ’Come here.’ Catching her to his heart, he grinned, ‘This is us for life now
, my love. For life.’

Henrietta rested her head on his muscled chest, listening to the beat of his great heart. 

EXCERPT FROM Book #
3  Lady Phillipa’s Peril

Chapter 1

‘Oh dear, I am not looking forward to this.’

‘Well we’re nearly there.’

Entering a tunnel of trees, Phillipa peered through. ‘It’s so dark; it's like a tunnel.’ 

The Manor came into sight,  a glory of old stone, turrets soaring through soft cumulus clouds; gothic arched windows glowered, whilst a medieval portico loomed over  a group of figures waving in front of massive oak doors.

She hoped Demetrius was not there.  He was the only one who threatened her happiness. How could she tell Hector of the leering looks, the painful pinches to her waist, his hands on her hips? The rest of his family were a delight, especially his sisters, Amelia and Lily, and the dowager Baroness Edwina, a short plump woman with apple red cheeks and bright eyes. As they alighted from the carriage, the lady tripped alongside the sombre butler to greet her, with the twins following closely on her heels, laughing and waving. The two girls were identical; but for the slight difference in the colour of their red hair, it was difficult tell them apart. 

Her heart sank as she espied Demetrius, lolling with a bored expression just inside the doors. She decided to dismiss him, why should he have priority over her thoughts and mood? At least, as a commissioned officer, he was away for months at a time.’

‘Dearest, come – it is so good you are here at last.’ The dowager, the Rht Honourable Elizabeth Thurston, laughed, standing on tiptoe to kiss her cheek.

‘My maid and seamstress are following; they are bringing the luggage and the wedding apparel.’ Phillipa said, kissing her back on both cheeks.

‘Hodgeson will see to them.’

‘Mama and papa are travelling up tomorrow with Lady Venetia.’

‘I shall be delighted to meet them again.’  Clasping Phillipa’s hand, the dowager led her into the dark confines of the huge baronial hall. Immediately, Phillipa felt the coolness of the stone walls, a welcome respite from the heat of the sun now in its zenith. The stuffed heads of  deer, wolf and bear,  gazed with vapid eyes into an endless day, whilst crossed swords and ancient medieval tapestries of knights and their ladies or the family coat of arms, gave a sense of somnolence and antiquity, dating the manor far beyond the Norman invasion.

Her stomach clenched as she looked up to see the sneering stare of Demetrius.  His smile veiled a message of his lewd intentions. Thankfully, the dowager chattered on oblivious to Phillipa’s discomfort. ‘My dear it must have been a tedious journey’. 

‘Not really your ladyship, we stopped only once to change horses and from then on, it was a delight to drive through the Downs; such a changing landscape of trees and meadows.   We actually saw some deer lope from the trees ahead of us, with some baby fawns. It was so exciting.’

‘Yes mama.’ Hector laughed, ‘So exciting that Philippa insisted on stopping and getting out her sketch book, proceeded to draw them.’

‘I could not resist your ladyship; it is not often one has the chance to sketch from life. The lithographs are staid and lifeless; they lack the softness and vibrancy of an oil or water colour.

‘You sketch? My dear you must show them to me. Hector you naughty boy, you did not tell me we have an artist joining the family?’

Forgetting her irritation of Demetrius, Phillipa smiled, ‘Hardly an artist your ladyship, I will not pretend to be a good artist, but I love to sketch.  In fact, I write and sketch in my diary, making it visual as well.’

‘La, what a novel idea my dear.
It must be more interesting indeed. Such a pleasant way of recording events. It must keep you very occupied.  Myself, I cannot draw at all. I produce stick figures and stick trees to wit.’

Lily came alongside, ‘
You could even have it printed Phillipa, “‘Diary of a Lady’; make it anonymous.  Like that popular novel, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ written by a Lady.’

Her twin laughed, ‘Yes, and you could use us as models. What fun. In fact, let us start today.’ 

‘I do not think that would be such a good idea, Hector quipped, ‘Phillipa does an excellent likeness; the figures would be instantly recognizable.’

Amelia laughed, ‘It would cause such a stir, especially if the gossips suck onto it. Their tongues would be lashing.’

‘Yes, I declare, the scandal teas would become crowded,’ her twin added.

Leading her into a vast drawing room, the dowager waved Phillipa to some comfortable Queen Anne chairs and settees, placed around a massive granite stone hearth. Even in the height of summer, hefty logs crackled on glowing embers, the scent of apples and wild herbs wafting from the flickering flames.’

‘What a delightful scent.’

Elizabeth beamed, ‘It helps offset the mustiness of these large old rooms, No matter how often we open the windows,
we cannot rid the room of the stale odour.  As for the stone walls, I had the maids scrubbing them with the stoutest of bristle brushes, until their poor hands were quite red, but it makes no difference.

Taking a seat on the old settee, Phillipa winced, imagining the blisters forming on the maids’ hands. As if reading her thoughts, the dowager continued, ‘Of course they were delighted when I treated them with lavender hand cream, and little rewards of bottles of rosewater.’

‘You are too kind, too soft with them, Mama,’ Demetrius drawled. ‘They’re only servants.’

‘Human beings.’
Phillip quipped tartly. ‘It is just by the grace of God, we are of a different rank.’

Well said m’dear,’ the dowager murmured, sitting down on a high backed chair.

To Phillipa’s consternation, Demetrius sat beside her, damn fellow, why didn’t he just disappear?  Gritting her teeth, she kept her face composed. Amelia ran to sit on the other side of her, and putting her arms around her, hugged her close.  ‘Oh it is wonderful to have our dear Phillipa with us. With five brothers, you can imagine we are often overwhelmed.

Hector laughed, ‘How come sis? Don’t we see to your every whim?’ 

‘Fie on you,’ Lily grinned from the chair opposite. ‘You are all so patronizing, d’you know Phillipa; they will not let us near the shooting range.

‘But you have the archery and croquet lawns, so you cannot grumble.’

Lily scowled at him; he was the least popular of her brothers. He usually found something to say that upset her or Amelia.’ He smirked, seeing her flush. ‘Why learn anyway? It is of no use to a female.