The Duke's Challenge (15 page)

This was no
casual hold-up, this was a professional job, a deliberate ambush, and it could
only mean one thing. Whoever was out there was not after their property but
their lives. He tensed. Was that a flicker of leaves? Yes! He aimed and
fired,
his one eye as good as another man’s two. His victim
screamed and there was a crash as a body fell through the bushes. Ice cool he
stuck the unfired pistol into his boot whilst he reloaded by touch alone. He
was watching the hedge and the far right of the gig. He was certain there was
another villain biding his time. He needed to draw his fire, make him show
himself.

Should he risk
it? If he was shot Charlotte and the children would be left unprotected, at the
mercy of whoever was out there. His heartbeat slowed, his brain cleared. He was
a veteran of the Peninsula, no bastard was better than him in a skirmish.

Decision made
he straightened and keeping his guns out of sight he walked round the stationary
vehicle. His head and shoulders were visible, a clear target, and he had his
blindside to the danger area. But his ears were sharp, he could hear as well as
most people could see. He called to Jethro, keeping his voice
even,
trying to sound like a man who believed the danger was
over.

‘Jethro, I hit
him. I’m going to check the bugger’s dead.’

The coachman
was at the horses’ heads, he had his hands over their muzzles, keeping them
quiet. He knew his lordship was relying on his hearing. ‘On your left, your
grace, two of them,’ he hissed.

Jack swung
round and fired both guns into the hedge. He heard the ladies’ screams of
terror but ignored them. He ducked back and retraced his steps, managing to
reload one pistol before he reached the rear of the vehicle.

He dropped to
his knees and slid underneath, intending to make his next attack from between
the wheels. He crawled on his belly until he reached his position. He could
hear Beth crying and the sound made him even more determined to kill the men
who dared to frighten his family.

He moved
forward cautiously and could see the hedge. Had his first two bullets done the
job, or were there still unseen killers hiding there? At first he could see
nothing, no bodies, no live men, but then he detected a darker patch amongst
the leaves. With a triumphant grin he raised his pistol, squeezed the trigger
and saw the leaves explode outwards as a masked figure fell forward to crash,
dead, inches from his face.

He was a
soldier, he lay still before reacting. It wouldn’t do to break cover until he
was certain the murdering bastards were dead or had fled the scene. He heard
the sound he was waiting for, men moving backwards through the hedge. Whoever
they were, their progress was slow. He smiled, he had winged at least one of
them,
they
shouldn’t be hard to track.

‘Jethro,’ he
yelled, as he shuffled out from his hiding place. ‘Get back up; it’s safe to
resume your journey.’

He felt
energised, renewed by his battle, all his doubts about his abilities, his
manhood, had vanished. He had killed two men and winged another, not bad for a
man with one good eye.

*

Charlotte had
no time to consider her own
terror,
her concern was
for the children. Harry had soiled himself in his fear and was shivering as
though afflicted with the ague. Annie could take care of Beth; she would
concentrate on her little brother. Gently she wrapped him in the blankets and
lifted him back onto the seat pulling him onto her lap as soon as she was
settled.

‘There,
darling, it’s all over now. Cousin Jack has saved as, is he not a hero?’

Harry was
incapable of speech. His hands clutched her jacket and he continued his silent
crying. Charlotte felt something warm wriggling under her feet. The puppy,
Buttons - she had forgotten all about him. The kittens had been returned to
their box but Harry had insisted he cuddled his new pet on his lap.

She groped
about in the middle of the blankets and found the tiny animal. ‘Come along,
Buttons, you’re needed.’

She placed the
puppy on Harry’s chest and was glad to see him release one hand from his
vice-like grip on her spencer in order to hold the dog. The puppy licked his
young master’s fingers and then snuggled down inside his jacket.

By this time
Annie had Beth back on the opposite seat and was comforting her. Normally the
child hated to be fussed but she burrowed into her nursemaid’s side, burying
her face in the well-padded shoulder. The carriage rocked as Jethro returned to
his seat and Jack opened the door and climbed in beside Charlotte.

‘Sweetheart,
the danger’s over for the moment. I’m sorry you had to undergo this
experience.’ He gathered her and Henry into his embrace and held them to his
heart. ‘I promise no harm shall come to any of you. This is the last time
anyone takes shots at my family.’

Charlotte
relaxed in his arms for a moment, his strength, his warmth, slowly restoring
her. Then she glanced over his shoulder and saw the body prostrate in the dust.
Her stomach lurched and she felt as if a stone had lodged in her throat. Before
she could speak the skies opened and the threatened rain came down in torrents.

He shot out of
the gig and closed the door. ‘Upton Magna is closer than Thurston, Jethro, who
lives there that could take as in?’

‘Dr Andrews,
your grace, he’s about half a mile from here.’

‘Then get going,
the ladies and children are too shocked to withstand a soaking as well.’

He vaulted onto
Lucifer and forced the horse to squeeze past the vehicle. ‘Charlotte, I am
going ahead to alert them, but I shall return to escort you.’

She saw him
vanish into the rain but was too wet and cold to worry about being left
temporarily unprotected. Jethro whipped up the horses and the coach rattled off
at a spanking pace. No one minded the jolts and bumps; they were all too
concerned with trying to keep the rain out and were huddling beneath the
blankets.

Jack was back
to escort them the last few hundred yards. The manor house was ready to receive
the unexpected visitors. He assured her that Dr Andrews’s housekeeper had hot bricks
heating and towels and dry clothes ready in a guest chamber. A bevy of
chambermaids and footmen were at that very moment hurrying up the backstairs
with jugs of water to fill two baths; one for Charlotte and the other for the
children.

Dr Andrews would
have taken Harry but Jack was their first. Ignoring his smelly state he swung
him up, being careful to include the puppy in his hold. ‘Off we go, young man.
What you need is a hot bath and some dry clothes.’ Harry was strangely silent,
his face pinched and white and in no state to respond.

The doctor
assisted Charlotte from the carriage. ‘There is a hot bath waiting for you,
Miss Carstairs, and for the children. As your physician I can tell you the
sooner you all get out of your wet clothes the better. Being soaked to the skin
after such a horrible experience will not help at all.’

Charlotte
checked Beth was following before allowing him to escort her into the house.
There the housekeeper took over.

‘If you will
permit me, Miss Carstairs, I will conduct you to a guest chamber. I have put
the children in the adjoining room.’

Charlotte
nodded her thanks, finding it took all her remaining energy just to mount the
stairs. She ignored the room she’d been allocated and followed Jack. Her first
priority must be to Harry and Beth – her own comfort would come later.

Jack placed
Harry and his pet on the day bed. ‘I must leave you, sweetheart. I have to find
the men who attacked us before they can make good their escape.’

She roused
herself sufficiently to answer. ‘Please take care. I wish you God speed and a
safe return.’

He pulled her
close and his mouth covered hers in a fierce kiss, sending welcome waves of
heat coursing through her icy limbs. ‘I shall be, my darling; I have a family
to come home to and I intend to be around to enjoy the experience for many
years to come.’

*

He released her
and strode off and then gratefully accepted the loan of the doctor’s many caped
drab-coat
. He was also glad to add two grooms with
stout cudgels strapped to their saddles, to his search party. Jethro had
borrowed a saddle and was mounted on one of the grey carriage horses. The four
men thundered down the drive, ignoring the driving rain, determined to find the
attackers before full dark.

Chapter Fifteen

Harry fell asleep cradled in Charlotte’s arms and she was able to carry
him over to the bed whilst Annie took Beth to the other guest room to bathe and
rest.

‘He is finally quiet,
Annie. Thank God! I’ll go and have my bath and see what Mrs Baker has managed
to find me to wear. Please sit with him until I get back.’

‘Would you like
me to sleep in with Miss Beth, seeing as you’re staying with
Master

Harry?’

‘Yes, I was intending to suggest you did so. Beth’s a sensible girl, but
after what happened today I fear if she wakes in a strange room she could be
frightened.’

A chamber-maid had topped up Charlotte’s bath and the water was still
pleasantly warm. She sank back allowing the lemon scented water to soothe away
her stress. It had taken so long to settle Harry her beautiful gown had all but
dried on her. She feared it would never recover from the experience.

She tried to
block out the image of guns firing and bodies littering the lane but whenever
she closed her eyes they were all she could see. A sound behind her made her
jump, but it was only the chambermaid.

‘Mrs Baker has
found you something to wear whilst we clean and press your own clothes, Miss
Carstairs. They are ready on the chair.’

‘Thank you; is
Miss Beth sleeping comfortably?’

‘Yes, miss. Mrs
Baker said I should sit with her until her nursemaid comes back. I can hear her
from the dressing room if she stirs.’

Charlotte was
glad to have the girl’s assistance. Her limbs were leaden, her head heavy and
it took all her willpower to get out of the safety and comfort of the tub. She
raised her arms and legs as instructed, not noticing, or caring, what she was
being dressed in.

‘There, miss;
not exactly what you’re used to but at least you’re warm and dry now.’

Charlotte
glanced down at her gown – it was a plain grey bombazine with a low waist, long
sleeves and high neck. Although a trifle loose, it served its purpose. Rose,
the chambermaid, brushed and braided her hair and wound it around her head in a
neat coronet.

‘That’s
excellent, Rose. I’m going back to sit with Master Harry. Annie will be here
directly to relieve you.’

‘Mrs Baker said
to tell you she would send up a tray, seeing as you missed out on dinner.’

The thought of
food nauseated Charlotte but it would be impolite to say so.

She discovered
Dr Andrews in the bed chamber examining Harry. She hurried forward her heart
racing. ‘What is it? Is he worse?’

‘His temperature
is going up. I fear he could have contracted an inflammation of the lungs.’

‘He was fit and
well this morning. How can he be so very ill now?’

The doctor’s
face was grave. ‘Shock does dreadful things to a person’s health, Miss
Carstairs. The horrific events he witnessed today, coupled with his prolonged
exposure to inclement weather, have lowered his resistance.’

‘But he will
recover? He’s a healthy boy, he’s never unwell. Indeed he has not even had a
head cold in his entire life.’

‘Unfortunately
he is only four, a high-risk age-group. I shall do my best to save him, Miss
Carstairs, but must warn you I cannot promise a happy outcome.’

Charlotte ran
to her brother’s side. She placed a hand on his forehead; this was warm but not
unduly so. Puzzled she turned to find the doctor standing close behind her. Too
close.

‘Dr Andrews,
Harry is not burning up with fever so how can you be so sure he is about to
succumb to a congestion of the lungs?’ She tried to shuffle sideways, increase
the distance between them; his presence was making her uncomfortable.

‘I’m a
physician, Miss Carstairs. It is my job to know such things. His temperature
will continue to rise and by the small hours he may well be fighting for his
life. I recognize the signs.’ He smiled warmly. ‘But have no fear, I shall sit
by your side all night, you can be sure I shall devote all my expertise to his
care.’

She was too
tired to argue, but something prompted her to protest. ‘Thank you, Dr Andrews,
but I prefer to sit with my brother alone. If I have need of your assistance, I
shall not hesitate to send for you.’ For a moment she thought he would refuse
to go, his eyes narrowed with annoyance. Then he stepped back.

‘Very well, Miss Carstairs.
I’ll not intrude on your
privacy.’ He walked towards the door. ‘I fear you are making a dreadful error
of judgement, but so be it. I shall pray you are able to recognize the moment
when Master Harry needs my medical skill and do not leave it too late.’

The door closed
softly behind him. She brushed her palm for a second time across Harry’s brow;
his skin was no hotter than before. The doctor was scaremongering, using her
brother’s indisposition to insinuate himself. But a lingering doubt persisted,
what if she was wrong and he sickened and died because of her actions?

She would call
him back, apologize for her rudeness. She was making her way across the Persian
carpet when the door in the dressing room opened. Rose appeared bearing a tray
with a tureen of chicken and vegetable broth and a plate covered by a cloth.

‘Here you are,
Miss Carstairs. Cook thought as you would prefer broth, nice and warming and
ever so easy to eat.’

‘Put it over
there on the small table. I shall come and eat in a moment.’ She hesitated.
Should she involve the chambermaid in her problems? ‘Rose, could you sit with
me tonight? Master Harry is a trifle warm and he might develop a fever and need
careful watching. But m so fatigued I fear I shall fall asleep and fail in my
duty.’

‘Bless you,
miss, of course I will. Mrs Baker said as you might need me. I’m a light
sleeper so between us we’ll not miss a thing.’ The girl, having put a tray
down, came over to join Charlotte by the bed. ‘Can I touch him? I’ve nursed my
little brothers and sisters and will recognise a dangerous fever right enough.’

‘Please do,
Rose. I should be glad of your opinion.’ She did not mention the doctor had
already pronounced Harry to be in mortal danger.

The maid gently
felt Harry’s face. ‘Good heavens, miss, I don’t reckon he’s got a fever at all.
Whatever gave you the notion that he’s poorly?’

‘His forehead
is warm to the touch.’

‘No warmer than
it should be; he’s a little lad and they sleep hotter than us.’ Rose stepped
back. ‘No, miss, I think you’re worrying too much. But I’ll be happy to sit up
with you anyway, just to be on the safe side.’

The
knot in her stomach begin
to unwind. ‘No, Rose, thank you.
I’m over anxious. No doubt it’s shock from the events we experienced today.’

‘Of course it
is,
miss
, and no wonder at it! But the duke will catch
those villains, they’ll not bother you a second time, I’ll be bound.’

It would be
inappropriate to discuss the matter further with a servant, but she wished she
could tell this friendly girl that this was, in fact, the third attempt in as
many weeks. ‘I’m sure you are correct, Rose. Will it be you who returns to
collect my tray later?’

‘Yes, miss, it
will. Mrs Baker says I’m to attend to you personally whilst you’re here. Better
than dusting and polishing any day, I can tell you.’

Charlotte
lifted the lid of the soup-tureen and inhaled the savoury smell. She wasn’t
hungry but this was exactly what she needed. The clock was clearly visible in
the bright light thrown by the four oil lamps. It was after eight o’clock. She
rather thought she would ask Jack if they could change to oil lamps, they gave
so much more illumination and less smoke and smell.

Using the
ornate silver ladle she spooned out a generous bowlful and took it to eat
beside the cheery fire. The broth was so delicious she returned for a second
helping but this time she remained at the table. She took a slice of the fresh
bread and spread it thickly with butter, then added a slice of the game pie.
The lemonade provided was a perfect complement to the meal.

She brushed off
the crumbs and stood up, carefully stacking the plates and utensils before
pushing in her chair. She checked her brother was sleeping peacefully -
reassured he was no hotter than before. Should she ask Rose to help her disrobe
when she returned to collect the tray? She recalled how close the doctor had
stood and his eagerness to sit up all night with her and decided against
undressing.

She sincerely
wished Jack was with her. When he was there she was safe, confident nobody
could harm her or take advantage. She grinned – that wasn’t strictly accurate. She
had, so far, been shot at twice and the only person who behaved improperly was
Jack. She giggled— and she was no better! When in his company all the years of
instruction at her mother’s side in what was, and what was not, acceptable
behaviour for a young unmarried lady came to naught. Her common sense flew out
of the window and she behaved as badly as he did. How strange that when in Dr
Andrews’s company she had no difficulty behaving with absolute decorum- only
with Jack she forgot herself.

It must be four
hours since the men had left. What were they doing? Had he caught up with the
attackers? Like Rose she had every faith in his ability to achieve his
objective. He would be cold and wet and hungry, but he was a soldier and would
be able to function without comfort – he was trained to do so.

A slight noise
from the bed alerted her. Harry was stirring. She hurried to his side. ‘Harry,
darling, it’s your Lottie – would you like a drink?’

He ignored her question.
‘Where’s Buttons? I want my puppy here.’ She saw his eyes fill and his mouth
tremble.

‘Buttons had to
be taken out to the stable with the kittens. Dr Andrews doesn’t like pets in
the house. But I’m sure he’s being well cared for.’ Harry turned his head away
and cried silently into his pillow. ‘Darling – it’s only for tonight, we shall
be returning to Thurston tomorrow and you can have Buttons in your chamber, if
that’s what you really wish.’

His reply was
muffled by his tears. ‘Promise me, Lottie, do you promise me?’

‘I do; but I
warn you, Harry, puppies in bedrooms are not a good idea. They have no concept
of cleanliness or respect for carpets and furniture.’

He rolled back,
brushing away his tears. ‘Do you mean that he will soil everywhere?’

Why did little
boys so love to converse about bodily functions? ‘Yes, my love, he will. And
when he does it will be your responsibility to clean up after him.’

‘But Annie will
do it; she won’t mind.’

‘No, she will
not do it. I’d not dream of asking her to. It’s your puppy. If you wish to have
him upstairs before he is housetrained then it’s you who must take care of his
mess.’

He pushed
himself upright. ‘I didn’t know that - do puppies learn to be clean like babies
do?’

‘They do, if
you teach them. You have to show them where and when to do their business but
they soon learn. But by the time Buttons is a few months old he will be well
behaved in that respect and quite safe to have indoors.’

‘If I can have
him indoors when he’s trained then that’s all right. I’ll wait till then.’

Charlotte
kissed him, pleased his skin felt cool under her lips. ‘Good boy. Now, as we’re
talking of such unpleasant matters, do you wish to use the chamber pot?’

Harry did and
he ate the rest of the broth and half the apple pie left on the tray. When Rose
returned Charlotte decided it would be safe for her to undress.

‘Rose, is there
a night-rail I can borrow? Harry’s perfectly well and I intend to join him in
the bed.’

‘Yes, miss.
I’ll fetch it; it’s been warming by the dressing room fire.’ She winked at
Harry. ‘Your little scamp has eaten well and is now fast asleep in his box.
He’s warm and snug down in the stables.’

‘Thank you,
Rose.’ He grinned. ‘At least he has no carpets to dirty out there.’

‘That’s true,
Master Harry. And the kittens are with him, they’ve been having a right old
game together. I reckon as they’ll be the best of friends in the future.’

When Charlotte
settled down beside her brother the rain had ceased lashing the windows. She
sent up a fervent prayer that Jack and his little band were safe and had found
somewhere to shelter.

She was woken
by Annie, a few hours later, vigorously shaking her shoulder.

‘Miss
Carstairs, Miss Carstairs, you must come at once. Miss Beth, she’s been taken
right poorly. She’s burning up with a fever.’

Charlotte
scrambled out of bed. ‘I don’t have a robe; I can’t come out in this. Quickly,
help me to pull on my dress over the top.’

Five minutes
later she checked Harry was sleeping soundly and, with her bedside candle held
aloft, followed the nursemaid into the adjoining chamber.

*

Jack led his
men to where the ambush had taken place. The two grooms carried lanterns, but
these were not lit for there was still light enough to see, even with the rain.

He dismounted,
pulling the reins over his stallion’s
ears,
the horse
was wild but, like all the warhorses he had ever owned, knew to wait quietly if
the reins were dropped in front.
‘God’s teeth!
Where
are the cadavers?’

Had he come to
the correct place? Yes, there were broken branches where the body had fallen
out into the lane but the corpse had vanished.

He crouched by
the hedge and saw the pool of blood that indicated the man had indeed been
dead. The heavy rain had begun to remove the sticky patch but it was still
clearly visible. ‘Jethro, is there a way through this hedge? A. gate anywhere
we can use?’

Jim, one of the
grooms, answered. ‘There is, your grace, a bit further down. Shall
me
and Billy have a look-see?’