The Duke and the Dressmaker (The St. James Series) (21 page)

Sara kicked as hard as
she could, and she finally connected with flesh. He slapped her face hard.

“Dumb bitch, don’t you be touching me!” He
yanked her hair and she screamed louder. “Just for that, after I collect me pounds, I am going back to your shop to tear it apart. Yeh, I’ll start it on fire, I will. I don’t like dollymops that hit. Your new boss will be breaking you of that, he will.

***

Bloody hell, of all nights to have a jam of carriages. It had been a perfect night until now. Philip searched the area for Adam or Graham.

He knew Sara was losing control. Was she right? Was Stinky in the area? He had searched the area and didn’t see anything unusual. After all, he was about the tallest
around. It wasn’t hard to peer at the sea of faces. He didn’t like the way she shivered. She still was not in the best of health. He needed to get her inside a carriage, away from the crowd.

He finally spotted
Eli. He hurried toward him, eager to get back to Sara’s side. The longer they were out in the open, the more he would worry about her. Zounds, but the woman was gorgeous. He was falling hard and he knew it. Falling hard? Hellfire, he had already fallen. The most shocking part of it was that he was happy, dem happy, as his brother would say. He liked having her at his side. This was the best night he had ever spent at the opera, and he knew it was because of her. She was vivacious, beautiful, and intelligent. What more could he want in a woman? At least he finally had his priorities straight. He had to thank his mother again.

Seeing Caroline had cemented his feelings. There
were none left for his ex-wife. Not even hatred anymore. He was glad to be free of her. He couldn’t have been happier to see her with another man.

“
Eli, tell me where our carriage is. I want the ladies in the carriage,” he shouted to his footman.

“Your Grace, it is still a long way back. I don’t know if the ladies can walk that far. Something has blocked everything from moving, some injured horses or something. We will probably be here for awhile.”

“Are the two carriages together? Is my mother’s closer?”

“I don’t know, sir, let me go check.”
Eli turned to head down the street.

Philip
was about to go back and inform the women of what he had learned, but then he thought of Ardleigh.

He turned back away for a moment and yelled,
“Eli, hold up! Look for the Ardleigh carriage. Surely I can have the ladies in their carriage. Perhaps it is closer.”

Eli
nodded and took off in the other direction. Philip marched back to Sara in time to see her lose her balance as two men in dark capes seized her from behind and ran off with her in the opposite direction. His mother yelled and Emma screamed, but the only sound he could focus on was Sara’s.

“Philip, Philip, help me!”

His world crumbled around him. He yelled for Eli and Graham as he tore in Sara’s direction, but more and more people moved in front of him to satisfy their curiosity. As Sara’s screams reached a fevered pitch, his blood pumped furiously as he pushed and shoved his way through the crowd. Time moved in slow motion. He couldn’t believe what was happening. He watched the kidnappers gain ground from him. Women were shoved out of the way by their husbands, but the men filled the area in front of him to follow the chaos.

Where was she? He scanned but couldn’t see her. How in blazes could this be happening again? They were at the opera with a mob of people around. Why
didn’t someone intervene? He bellowed her name out for all to hear. He grabbed and shoved in his panic to reach her. Men yelled at him as he pushed women out of the way, but he didn’t care. Nothing would stop him. He finally caught them again in his line of sight in time to see the two men fling their dark capes off before continuing.

“Stop them,
” he shouted. “They’re kidnapping her. Help! Someone stop them!”

No one ventured near the two criminals, but at least they stepped aside for him.

He was gaining. She was in his line of sight again. She fought, kicking and screaming. “Don’t give up, Sara! I am coming. Keep fighting.”

He almost fell, but righted himself after knocking a young man over.

“Help! Stop those men! Get the Bow Street Runners. Where are they?”

He heard Sara scream and saw the vicious
roughness of their treatment. How could she not be passed out from both fright and pain? He couldn’t bear it. He finally understood what real love was, and he was going to lose her? Absolutely not! He fought his way through the crowd as he continued shouting to Eli and his brothers and to her. He raced so hard he felt light headed.

Don’t stop!
He had to reach her. He had to! He would not lose her now.

He
was powerless as he watched her captor slap her hard across the face, while she raked her nails across his neck. Her beautiful face! He would kill them when he got his hands on them. But first he would beat them to within an inch of their lives.

Graham suddenly appeare
d behind the kidnappers. Philip, almost upon them, saw Graham grab a cane from a bystander and swing it across the knees of the man in front. It was all he needed. It slowed them enough to allow Philip to reach in and grab the man who had Sara. Philip sent him soaring through the air as he watched the first man take off. Graham started to follow but stopped as three Bow Street Runners appeared in front of the man.

Sara had also gone flying, but Philip c
aught her just before she hit the ground.

Her hand reached up and grabbed onto him. “Philip, Philip! Get them away from me!”

He sighed deeply in relief as he pulled her into his chest. “I have you, love. Everything will be fine now. Are you all right?” Philip listened as her control burst, and she sobbed into his coat. “Sara, I have you, I won’t let them get you. Please tell me you are all right?”

She nodded her head while she held him in a death grip. Zounds, what more could happen to this woman?

He heard his brother shout, “Over here, Philip.”

He made his way
toward his brother and came upon his mother’s carriage. Graham opened the door and helped him get Sara inside.

Graham sat inside and asked, “
How is she? Who in blazes were they, Philip? What was that about? I have never seen those men before. But my guess is they were the ones that injured the two horses in front to stall everything.”

“I suppose you are right
. I have never seen them before either.” He shook his head. “I knew of one that had accosted her before. The other must have been his boss. Apparently, there is someone her husband owed money to and he sends this other guy out to do his work.”

He
brushed her hair away from her face as her sobs started to subside. “Sara, have you ever seen the other man?”

She shook her head
, turned to Graham with tear-stained cheeks and hiccupped her words. “Thank you for your assistance, Graham.”

Philip
peered over her head at his brother. “Do me a favor and find the Bow Street Runners and make sure they caught them both.”

Graham
practically leaped out the door. “Nothing I would rather do. I might happen to lose control of one of my fists while I am talking to them, too.” His brother winked at him and departed.

Chapter Thirty

Graham stuck his head back in the door. “You’re in luck, things are starting to move.”

“I am taking Sara to the
Ardleigh house. Get Mother to the Ducal Carriage. Wait up for me.” Philip waved his brother on.

Her
sobs finally slowed enough for her to be able to speak properly. “Thank you, Philip. I was so frightened.”

“Love, you were not half as frightened as I was. My heart was in my throat when I turned and saw you in their hands. The look in your eyes fractured my heart for certain.” He rubbed slow circles across her back
and then gently took hold of her chin. “May I take a look?” He checked her face for bruises. “Are you in pain? When I saw him slap you, I never experienced such rage before.”

“My arm is sore, but I am all right. He wrenched my arm a few times, but I was so scared, I did not take much notice. It is sore now, but not intolerable.” She managed a feeble smil
e as she gazed up into his eyes, but she couldn’t quite interpret the meaning of his look.

He kissed her forehead, her nose
, and then her lips. “I love you, Sara, and I am sorry it took such a fright for me to be able to tell you. I have never experienced such a gut-wrenching episode in my life. I fear you have captured my heart completely.”

“Oh, Philip!”
She threw her one arm around his neck and hugged him. “I love you, too. I am so sorry for all the trouble I have caused you though.”

“You haven
’t caused me any trouble. Stinky has, and your deceased husband has, but not you.” He brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek. “Hopefully, this is the end of it. Stinky should be apprehended by now and behind bars. I want you to be able to put this behind you.”

Sara was elated. Was it true? Did he really love her? She had so hoped he would someday. Coming this soon was more than she dreamed possible. She stared at the man she loved. Rubbing her thumb ac
ross his bottom lip, she smiled and said, “Kiss me; I want to forget about what happened and just think about us.”

Philip growled as his mouth descended on hers in a hot, possessive kiss. His tongu
e swept her mouth in passion. Sara was lost to everything but Philip. She loved this man with all her heart. The kiss deepened as they reveled in the taste of each other.

The door of the carriage flew open. Sara jumped
and turned to see Phoebe’s wide eyes gaping at her. They had arrived already?

“Gadzooks, Sara!
Are you all right? We heard terrible stories about you being kidnapped and beaten. What happened? Get out of the cold and inside. Your Grace, do move her, please!” Phoebe fussed.

“Phoebe, I am fine. Thanks to Philip and his brother,
Lord Graham, I am safe. I may be a bit bruised, but I will be fine in a couple of days.” Philip set Sara down from the carriage.

“
Brentwood, you had a most exciting evening I hear?” Ardleigh stood to the side and ushered them in the door.

They stood in the foyer, removing their wraps as the butlers and the footman ran to do Phoebe’s bidding. She ushered them into the sitting room and covered Sara’s lap with a blanket.

“Please bring the poor lady some tea to warm her, Mildred.” Phoebe sent her maid into the kitchen.

“Oh my word, Sara
. What more could happen to you? Ardleigh, how can this happen? Your Grace, this must stop!” Phoebe turned in several directions in her angst.

Philip tried to calm her.
“Lady Ardleigh, please sit down. I think this will be the last you hear of this. Fortunately, my brother, Graham, came along at the right time and helped me stop the two men bent on kidnapping Sara. They should be in the hands of the Bow Street Runners as we speak. I sent Graham to follow up on it and report back to me. It should be the last we hear of Stinky and his men.” Philip sat next to Sara, wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in tight to warm her. “We have all had a terrible fright, but we should finally be able to put this all behind us.”

Ardleigh
spoke quietly. “Did they say anything to you, Sara? Do you know what they want? They could not have expected you to have any money on you.”

Sara
glanced at Philip. “I…I remember some things Stinky said. The other man never spoke. Stinky was angry with me.”

“Why? Saints above, how could anyone be angry with you, Sara?” Phoebe stopped pacing long enough to ask her question.

“He was angry because I was with you.” She turned to Philip again. “I remember he said something about my telling the duke or something similar.”

Sara’s
hand rubbed her forehead as her thoughts returned. “I think, just a moment. I think he said he was going to sell me. Yes, that was it! He said he would be selling me to his boss!”

“Did he give you the name of his boss, Sara?”
All three stared at her, awaiting her answer.

Her hands trembled
. “No, I did not hear a name. What did he mean by that?” She glanced first at Philip, then at Ardleigh and Phoebe.Neither Ardleigh nor Philip answered her. Phoebe’s hand went to her throat.

“What is it?”
Sara’s eyes searched Philip’s first, then Phoebe’s. “What is his intention? I do not understand what he was talking about.” Her face paled in the silence.

No one spoke.

“Philip?” Tears gathered at her lashes again.

“Here now, it really is not pertinent, is it? He has been apprehended. He will never bother you again.” Philip held her hand and leaned over to brush a kiss on her brow.

Phoebe ran out of the room and reappeared quickly. “Sara, your arm is bothering you again.”

“Yes, I confess it is starting to throb
.” she held it gingerly in her hand. She pinched her fingers again in an effort to distract herself from the pain. “I was jostled quite a bit.” She peeked at her audience to see what their response would be. Her headache was about to burst through her eyes. Perhaps some medication would help.

“Jostled? Your arm was jostled inside the opera house.
That was wrenching and twisting your arm. Stinky wrenched it several times. It must be bothering you.” Philip stared at Phoebe as if to make her move faster.

“Perhaps it is time for me to sleep. Philip, please forgive me.”

“Here, I brought the sleeping draft the doctor left for you last week. I think you should take a bit. Let me put a few drops in your tea.” Phoebe took the cup of tea from Mildred and offered it to her. She stood by while Sara took a few sips.

“Thank you, Phoebe, for all your kindness. You and your husband have been too kind to me.” She placed the cup back on the side table.
“Philip, I thank you for a lovely night at the opera. It was wonderful until the chaos outside.”

Philip quickly stood and
escorted Sara to the stairway. He wanted to speak to her alone and waved Phoebe away. When he reached the stairway, he turned Sara back to him.

“Please try to get some rest, even though this is so unsettling.” He gave her a chaste kiss, “Remember I love you. If you need me, just send a messenger for me. I will call on you tomorrow.”

“Thank you for everything: the opera, the necklace, and for rescuing me. I love you, too.” She glanced up at Philip. The look in his eyes was so comforting. She really believed that she saw a man in love with her. Was this possible? Duncan had never looked at her the way Philip gazed at her now.

Philip
helped her up the staircase then beckoned the maid to escort her to her room.

He
met Ardleigh in the library to fill him in on a few details.

He finally shook his head.
“I don’t understand it all yet, but I am anxious to get home to Graham and see what he has been able to find out. I will return in the morning, Ardleigh.”

***

“Bloody hell! How could such a thing happen?” Philip paced back and forth across his breakfast room as he spoke with his brothers the next morning.

Graham folded his arms across his chest as he bellowed at his brother.
“I don’t know, Philip. He was in the hands of the Horse Patrol when I last saw him. I don’t know how they lost him.”

“Dem, Graham
, Ben and I can’t do everything. We did our best, Philip. At least we stopped it. What did he want with her anyway?” Adam flopped down into a chair.

“Deuced if I know for sure.
Sara said something about Stinky selling her, and I do not like the implications of that.”

Adam glanced at Graham before returning to Philip
. “Sell her for what? You just cannot sell a member of the aristocracy for your whims.”

“If you remember, she is no longer a member of the
four hundred, thanks to her husband. She is a member of the working class,” Philip barked.

“You don’t have to yell
at us,” Ben said. “We did not kidnap her. We’re trying to help, remember?”

“I know, I am sorry.
The thought of Sara being sold for prostitution is more than I can handle right now. I finally find the right woman, and she could be swept out from beneath my eyes to perform as a dollymop.”

“Prostitution!
Dem, are you out of your mind? “ Adam bounded out of his chair.

“Right woman?
Did I hear you correctly, Philip? Are you that besotted?” Graham asked with a smirk on his face. “Finally you found the right one?”

“I would have chosen her if you hadn’t
,” Ben added. “The woman is gorgeous.”

“Hellfire
, you would! I would have had her first,” Graham shouted. “I was hoping he would keep playing the fool and let me have her. I don’t care if she is noble blood or not. Who cares when she looks like that? Think how handsome your heirs will be.”

The sound of a throat clearing and a foot tapping interrupted them. All
four brothers turned to see their mother standing in the doorway.

“If you please, keep your yelling contained.
I do not care to have to be forced to explain to your sister why someone like Lady Downey could be sold into slavery in modern times like these. Keep your voices down. Words such as ‘dollymop’ are not to be uttered in this house.” The duchess used her best steely gaze to get her sons in line. “Kindly fill me in on everything, Philip.”

Philip sat down
across from his mother and reviewed the evening in detail.

“
Oh, and whether you care for my opinion or not, you are getting it. There is noble blood in Lady Downey somewhere. Stop talking about her as if she were a slattern. I will not allow it.” She stood up with her hands on her hips. “What is the plan?”

“There is no plan, Mother. Sara is
with the Ardleighs. She will be fine as long as she stays there. She was exhausted last night.”

“Yes, but when she awakes? You need to
inform her that he is still out there.”

“I am not telling her anything. She needs to have a few days rest without
living in fear. She has lived through a nightmare, Mother, and I will not have her troubled. It is a wonder that nothing else was broken on her last night the way she was mistreated. She needs time to heal.”

His mother
marched over and stood directly in front of him. “I know that, and I see you have developed strong feelings for her, but you cannot keep this from her.”

Philip crossed his arms.
“I do not want her told anything. Please do not go to the Ardleighs’ and tell her. I will protect her from the truth for a few more days.”

“And what if Lady Downey decides to return to her shop for some of her belongings? What if she returns to find a dress she needs to finish? She is a conscientious person
, and she will feel compelled to finish her consigned work.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! The woman had the fright of her life last night. She will not be able to move from her bed
, much less think about traveling anywhere. You should have seen how she was tossed and wrenched about. She is probably in agony this morning with all the bruises she will carry.”

She shook her head.
“Where did you get this ridiculous idea that women are made of such frail constitutions? I did not teach you that. It must have been your father.”

His
brow furrowed. Frail constitution? Sara did not have a frail constitution. Was he treating her as such? Deuce it, no. Any woman would be upset by all that had happened in the past few days. Hellfire, in the past month! How was she still of sane mind after all that had happened to her? He wanted to protect her. That was all. She needed his protection. Stinky would never touch her again. How many times had he said that? This time he would see to it, he had to—he couldn’t handle watching her disappear in front of his eyes. He had felt so helpless, but would he ever be able to guarantee she would never be bothered again by the vile man?

He
turned to his mother. “I will tell her. But I think she needs a day or two of peace. Can you not grant me that? I do not want her bothered today.”

“All right, Philip. I see you have stronger feelings for her than I believed possible right now. Your ex-wife has finally released her hold on you, hasn’t she?” She reached over and patted his hand. “It could not have happened at a better time. Lady Downey is everything you need, son.” She smiled at her son as she
strolled toward the kitchen. “That was quite a necklace you gave her, by the way. It was made for her.”