The Duke's Defiant Debutante Read online

  Frederick, on the other hand, was bowing and beaming and introducing himself to all of Angelica's innumerate acquaintance. "Frederick Grey, Earl of Lathkill, at your service, sir! Delighted to meet you, Miss!"

  Edward felt a prickle of unease at the thought that his life would soon be overrun with all these blushing young ladies. How many friends did Angelica have?

  "You are not doing your reputation any favours," Frederick muttered. He himself sported a glowing smile, which caused girlish giggles to break out in the congregation whenever he turned it their way.

  "I am marrying the best girl in England," said Edward curtly. "If that cannot mend me, nothing will."

  He caught Frederick looking at him oddly. "What on earth is the matter now? I've shaved, haven't I? Isn't that enough?"

  Frederick bit his lip. "You really do care for her, don't you?"

  "What of it?" Edward demanded defensively.

  Frederick shook his head. "It's simply... Miracles do happen, after all. It's wonderful. And to think that I nearly brought the whole thing crashing to a halt because of one lost letter!"

  "Don't think of that," said Edward, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's done."

  "Your Grace," a voice interjected smoothly – a voice which spoke with the sort of feminine confidence only found in the daughters of powerful men. "I am longing to be introduced to your friend."

  Frederick abandoned the usual forms and took Lady Cecily Balfour's hand eagerly. "Frederick Grey, Earl of Lathkill, entirely at your service, Miss!"

  Cecily permitted him to kiss her hand as Edward completed the introduction. He was pleased to see that there was at least one woman in London who was not immediately besotted at the sight of Lathkill.

  "You must think I have some nerve coming to the very wedding I did my best to hinder," said Cecily, turning her eyes on Edward. She was not a bit abashed. Indeed, she carried herself with a lofty hauteur that Edward was sure had most gentlemen eating out of her hand.

  "Not at all. Angelica will be delighted that you could come. I hope your mother is recovering her health?"

  "Despite the antics of her household, she is growing better every day," said Cecily. "Your forgiving nature is quite the surprise, Your Grace, and I must say I do not deserve it – but I am thankful for it all the same. I wish you joy."

  She inclined her elegant neck and took her seat some rows behind Angelica's family, inspiring many admiring glances as the guests tried subtly to decide whether Lady Cecily or Mrs Stirling was the most elegant. Mr Stirling, of course, was not able to benefit from the happy thought that his wife was one of the most admired ladies in the room, for he was outside awaiting Angelica's carriage.

  "What time is it?" Edward asked, for what must have been the hundredth time.

  "She'll be here any minute, old chap," said Frederick, with infinite patience. Edward toyed with the watch in his fob pocket and fixed his eyes on the door.

  To his surprise, it was thrown open immediately and with some force.

  The man who came limping down the aisle was not one of the wedding guests. In fact, his face was the last one Edward had expected to see on that day, of all days.

  Lord Oliver Barnet was still tall and strong despite his disability. He made his way across the church so quickly that Edward had to hurry to meet him in the middle.

  "How dare you show your face in this place, on this day!" he shouted, not caring that every head in the room had turned towards him. "I've given you cause enough to keep out of my way, but I swear on my father's grave, I'll do it again if I must!"

  Lord Oliver leaned on his twin canes and raised a placating hand. "Peace," he said softly. "I come in peace, Thorne."

  "There is no possible reason for you to be here other than to do me harm," Edward snapped. "Lathkill! Assist me in removing this man from the church."

  "Don't let your anger get the better of you," hissed Lord Oliver.

  The words had an astonishing effect on Edward. In a moment he was transported back to Eton, in his schooldays, where he was standing above a young bully he had recently knocked to the ground.

  It was his two dearest friends in the world who were holding him back – Frederick Grey and Oliver Barnet.

  "Don't let your anger get the better of you," Lord Oliver had shouted. "You've given him a taste of his own medicine, now let him be!"

  And at the very moment that Edward allowed the bully to scramble to his feet, the Headmaster came around the corner.

  "Very well," he said, jerking his mind back to the present. "Say your piece."

  Lord Oliver grimaced, half in pain and half in relief, and slowly lowered himself onto a pew. "I did my best to prevent this wedding, I'll admit. I have never forgiven you for that duel, Thorne, just as I suppose you have never forgiven me. But we were young fools then – at least, I have grown wiser. I hope neither of us would act now as we did before."

  "Get to the point," Edward snapped. "My patience wears thin."

  Lord Oliver ran a hand over his forehead wearily. "The fact is, Thorne, that Miss Stirling will not be joining you at church this morning."

  "What?"

  Edward's fist was raised before he knew what he was doing. Only Frederick's quick responses prevented him from striking Lord Oliver down where he sat.

  "Have a care, Thorne!" gasped Frederick, hanging from his arm. "Listen, Lord Oliver, if you've something important to say you'd better come out and say it. I must say I like you being here as little as Thorne does."

  "When Reginald Thorne approached me with a scheme to do you ill, I readily accepted," said Lord Oliver, the words coming out in a rush. "But the man has gone half-mad now that his first scheme failed. He has taken it too far – entirely too far – and put the young lady herself at risk." A shadow passed over his face. "I cannot live with another innocent lady's death on my conscience."

  "You dare mention Addy to me –"

  "Easy, Thorne," said Frederick, wrestling him back. Edward felt the world losing focus around him. There was only one thing he cared about, and that was Angelica's safety.

  "What has he done to her?"

  "If his scheme went to plan, Angelica has been taken against her will to a small house just outside London. I do not know exactly where – I fear I could not mask my horror when I heard the plan, and Reginald would not tell me. I entreated him not to harm her. The man thinks that if you are thwarted in this marriage it may well be another ten years until you try for happiness again – and who knows what those ten years may bring?" Lord Oliver sighed and hunched over his canes. "There. I have told you all I know. Thorne, I can't undo the things I did to you and your family. I freely admit that I have hated you for years. But let this put an end to our enmity. I give you my word, I will not try to harm you again. The cost to others is too great. I only wish I had seen it sooner."

  Edward hardly heard his final words. Before Lord Oliver had finished speaking, Edward was running for the church door. Frederick caught up with him, panting.

  "Thorne! We must summon the Bow Street Runners! We cannot delay!"

  "I know where he has gone," said Edward. "There's only one house Reginald hasn't gambled away, and that's the one he grew up in."

  "What do you mean to do? Ride there and confront him? He might have any number of accomplices!"

  "Then they had better not get in my way." Edward burst through the church door, to the astonishment of Mr Stirling. "Lathkill, explain everything to Mr Stirling and see that the Bow Street Runners are summoned. I will be at Thorne House on the outskirts of London. Did you ride here?"

  "Of course not –"

  "Blast."

  Edward had walked to the church that morning, stopping off at Adelaide's grave. He'd been expecting to leave in the Stirling's curricle, Angelica at his side. Now he was left looking about for a way to ride to her rescue.

  "You mean to ride off somewhere?" asked Mr Stirling, blinking in confusion. Edward ignored his question. There was no time to explain - he would have
to trust in Frederick for that. He marched across to the waiting carriages nearby and selected what looked to be the finest horse of the bunch.

  As a young man, he'd been accustomed to riding bareback, though his father had chastised him for it. It looked as though that old habit would come in handy.

  "Your Grace!" stuttered the waiting footman, as Edward began freeing the horse from the carriage. Edward tossed him a coin.

  "I will return," he promised, swinging himself easily up onto the horse's broad back. Without a moment's hesitation, he kicked it into a gallop unsuited to London's cobblestones.

  If Reginald Thorne had harmed a hair on Angelica's head, he would soon learn the meaning of wrath.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Angelica was kneeling on a cold, hard, dirty floor, and her wedding gown was all but ruined. Lily's head lay in her lap, and Kitty sat beside her, frantically rubbing Lily's hands.

  There was not even a sliver of sunlight to comfort them in the dark and miserable cellar. Only a single candle, whose light flickered frighteningly in the draft.

  When Reginald Thorne had first flung them inside, Angelica had fought him tooth and nail. She had been ready to tear him apart before letting him lock them inside.

  Her face still stung from where he had struck her. She was certain it had bruised, but had no way of knowing.

  She had pounded on the door and jiggled the handle for what felt like hours, and all to no avail. Only Lily's ever-weakening protests had brought her back to her senses. She could not kick through solid oak. It was a waste of her strength to try.

  No, they were trapped – thoroughly trapped, until Reginald Thorne saw fit to release them.

  "You are sure that man is really the Duke of Redhaven's cousin?" asked Lily, her voice barely rising above a whisper.

  "Hush," Angelica told her. "Save your strength."

  She slipped two fingers onto Lily's neck and felt for the heartbeat. It stuttered like the flickering candle: a few steady beats, three quick ones, then a gap that seemed endless, then a flurry of beats again. There was no pattern. No wonder Lily's lips were turning blue.

  "But what motive could he possibly have for this?" Lily asked, raising her head. Angelica pressed her back down again.

  "Lily Stirling, if you do not do as you are told and rest, I will – I will be extremely cross with you!"

  Lily smiled, and her eyes fluttered closed.

  "Don't worry, Miss," said Kitty, with a confidence Angelica knew she could not possibly feel. "We'll be missed straight away. They'll find us in no time."

  "No-one can possibly know where he has taken us," Angelica sighed. "Besides, for all Edwards knows, I have simply taken it into my head to run away again. You two were my accomplices the first time, after all."

  "His Grace wouldn't think that!" said Kitty fiercely. "Not now. Have some hope."

  Angelica turned her face away to hide the tears that threatened to fall. She and Edward had exchanged such words of love in the past days that she hoped he would never doubt again how she felt about him. But, in his position, what was it most natural to think? Would it not seem clear that she had simply returned to old habits and run from him once more?

  "Edward, have faith in me," she whispered. "If only I can have you back, I will never leave you again."

  Angelica had always thought of herself as brave. Only now did it occur to her that she had never had the opportunity to be truly courageous before. She had faced so little adversity in her life. She had been loved, cherished even, by her family. Their life was one of ease and comfort. The only dark cloud had ever been Lily's health, and now...

  Now Lily's breath grew harsher every moment.

  "Mr Thorne!" Angelica shouted, making Kitty jump in shock. "Mr Thorne! I demand that you let us out at once! My sister needs a doctor!"

  No answer came. Not a sound could be heard in the house above them. It was an old building, with thick wooden beams that muffled every noise.

  "Mr Thorne!" Angelica screamed. "Keep me here if you must! Do whatever you like with me! Only let the others go! You have no business with them!"

  Silence.

  "This is my fault," said Angelica, as the echoes of her shouts faded away. "I befriended that snake in woman's clothing, Miss Drake – Mrs Thorne now, I suppose. To think that I listened to her! That I considered her a friend!" She stroked Lily's hair, unable to stop the tears falling and dampening it. "You were not taken in, my dear sister. You knew from the start that she was not what she seemed. If only I had listened to you!"

  "You weren't to know, Miss," said Kitty. "And you mustn't blame yourself. Villains will always find a way to be villains. Why, if you hadn't befriended Miss Drake, Mr Thorne might have made off with you sooner!"

  "At least then he would not have taken Lily, too," said Angelica. "I will never forgive myself if –"

  "Hush!" Kitty raised her head. "Begging your pardon, Miss Angelica, but I hear something – don't you?"

  Angelica heard it, too. The scraping of a key in the lock of the heavy oaken door at the top of the stairs out of the cellar.

  "He must've heard you," Kitty whispered, shrinking back in fear.

  Angelica refused to be cowed. She gently lifted Lily into Kitty's lap and rose to her feet, dusting off her dress as best she could.

  Even if he were to strike her again for her audacity, she would bear it, as long as it kept Lily safe.

  To her astonishment, the face that appeared as the door opened was that of Mrs Valentina Thorne.

  Valentina was wearing a dress as fine and frilly as any Angelica had seen, and her hair was beautifully done and studded with pearly pins. She looked as though she were ready for a celebration.

  Her face, however, was the picture of shock and terror. Tears streaked her cheeks.

  The reason for that became apparent as she walked into the room with stiff, slow movements, and the pistol directed at her head came into view.

  Angelica let out a shout of joy. She did not need to see more than the hand holding the pistol to know that it belonged to Edward.

  He followed Valentina into the cellar, pistol aimed steadily at the back of her head, and dragging behind him the stumbling form of a bruised and bloodied Reginald Thorne, whose hands were tied with a rope Edward held.

  "Edward!" It was all she could do not to run and fling her arms around him, pistol or no pistol.

  "Are you well?" he asked. His face was smooth and stern, but his voice trembled with emotion. Angelica's heart almost broke to think of the pain her kidnapping had caused him.

  "I am not at all hurt. But Lily –"

  Edward's eyes had already fallen on her sister. His face darkened, and he gave Reginald's rope a vicious tug that sent the man sprawling to the ground. "You are not a man but a beast!" Edward roared, turning the pistol on him. "Are you really so callous as to let a sick woman waste away in your stinking cellar?"

  "Please don't hurt him!" Valentina shrieked, covering her face with her hands.

  "Silence." Edward's voice was like a whip; she shuddered under it. "Miss Stirling, can you stand?"

  Lily had woken up in the commotion, but was blinking at Edward as though he were a mirage. "I can, Your Grace. Please, nobody fret about me."

  Angelica ran to help her to her feet. Edward gestured towards the Thornes with his pistol. "Into that corner, and keep your hands where I can see them. Now throw me the keys. That's right, Mrs Thorne."

  Valentina obeyed him, making a high-pitched wailing sound like a cat in agony. Edward caught the keys one-handed. "Let's see how you survive a taste of your own medicine."

  "No!" Valentina shrieked, horrified. "No, Your Grace, please – we'll starve! No-one knows we're here but you! Please, I beg you!"

  Edward watched, impassive, as she fell to her knees and wrung her hands. "That would only be what you deserve. If I had my way, I'd shoot you both where you stand." He glanced at Angelica. "But I have been taught kindness of late – much as I regret showing it to you. The
Bow Street Runners will be here within the hour. They will see to it that you are brought to justice." He nodded to Angelica. "Get your sister out of this damp air."

  Angelica obeyed, pleased to see that Lily was walking without help. Kitty followed, and Edward took the rear, keeping his pistol on the cowering Thornes until the door was closed and locked. Valentina's shrieks of dismay were barely audible through the heavy door.

  "That ought to keep them put," Edward remarked, spinning the keys through his fingers. "If that cellar was sturdy enough to hold you, my Angelica, those worms won't be escaping it in a hurry."

  "How did you know where to find us?" Angelica asked. Edward shrugged, glowering. He was never so handsome, Angelica thought, as when he was serious and brooding. She wondered how she had managed not to fall in love with him at first sight.

  "For better or worse, Mr Thorne is my cousin. I have known him since boyhood, and I know his habits. But you need not waste another thought on him."

  "I will never think of him again, if you ask it." Angelica was ready to throw her arms around Edward's neck. She wanted him to hold her so much that it almost made her weep again. By the light in his eyes, it was all that Edward wanted, too.

  Just as he reached towards her, Lily let out a soft sigh and crumpled towards the ground. Edward sprang forwards and caught her before she hit the floor.

  "Miss Stirling!" he called. "Miss Stirling, stay awake!"

  He nodded briskly to Angelica, lifting Lily up in his arms. "Fetch blankets from the bedrooms upstairs. We need not concern ourselves with taking what we need from this house. Reginald's carriage is still standing outside, and I will drive us to a doctor directly."

  "Quick, Kitty!" Angelica gasped, running up the stairs. "Do what you can to prepare the carriage. I will fetch the blankets. Lily, oh, Lily, stay awake! Stay with us!"

  Before two minutes had passed, Angelica was once again cradling Lily's head in her lap, this time in the back of a carriage which flew over the earth as though it were driven by a demon. Lily's eyes were closed, her mouth part-open, her lips blue and her breath light.