Chapter Twenty-Three
The hired coach was ill sprung, so thankfully they did not have to travel far to the safe house.
The mews were at the back of the house, and they were ushered through a dark back garden and into the kitchen.
The cook had some tea ready and a few slices of ham, bread, and cheese.
None of the women were hungry and Lucinda looked exhausted, so he sent them to bed.
The butler took him on an intimate tour of the house, so he knew every exit and what every door led to.
There was a false wall in the parlor behind a bookcase that could be used in case of intruders.
He really hoped he would not have to use it.
The house itself was bland, with no touches of warmth.
Just the bare essentials. Tomorrow, in the light of the day, he was not confident it would look any better.
It was, however, a roof over their heads and a safe place to sleep, and that would have to do for now.
Upstairs, instead of going to his room, he went to check on Lucinda.
She was asleep on her side, her parents’ pictures clutched to her chest. She looked so young, but he could see how much the last few days had worn on her.
She had roughly braided her glorious auburn hair, the end trailing over her shoulder.
He wondered how it would look unbound and free to cascade over her shoulders in waves of molten lava.
He should have closed the door and gone to his own room, but instead he went in, his feet making their way to her bedside, his fingers reaching out to tuck an errant lock of hair out of her face. He placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Don’t leave me, Papa,” she murmured groggily. “I’ll be a good girl.”
His heart squeezed within his chest. He could not imagine how she managed to get through those early days when nothing made sense to her.
A child suddenly left alone with strangers.
Never feeling wanted or loved. If only she knew how he felt about her, how they all felt about her. How loved she was.
“Good night, sweet Lucinda,” he whispered before leaving the room and softly closing the door.
In his own room, he took off his boots and pulled at his cravat, sitting heavily on the bed. His mind was full of questions with no answers. This could all be an overreaction, but what if it wasn’t? What if their fears were real? He could not take the chance.
At breakfast, Lucinda only drank her tea and then went back up to her room.
His mother looked worriedly over at Tony. “Poor dear. She has not eaten anything since we left. She will make herself sick.”
He had noticed it too, but other than force-feeding her, he could not make her eat.
“She blames herself for this. It does not matter how many times we tell her it is not her fault she says that it is. Tony, you need to speak to her, reassure her, and get her to eat something. She listens to you. We do not know how long we will be here, and to call in a doctor for assistance will jeopardize our place here so we cannot afford for her to fall ill.”
“I will try and talk to her, but really Marianne is much better at cajoling than I am.”
“Marianne has tried; she needs you.”
“If she does not eat anything at lunch, I will take her aside and do my best.”
She did not touch her lobster salad nor the delicate ham sandwiches at lunch. She moved around some chilled green beans but did not eat them. It reminded him of their first breakfast. She ate only a bite then too.
He caught up to her as she headed back to her room.
“Lucinda, a word if I may.”
“Of course,” she said.
Her eyes were red-rimmed and dark circles had begun to creep in under her eyes. He hated seeing her this way. “Lucinda, you must eat, or you will make yourself sick.”
“I cannot stomach it.”
“You must. We cannot have you sick. We need you to be strong for us, as we are being strong for you.”
“You should leave me here. I have caused enough problems.”
He took her by the shoulders and shook her. “Do not talk like that, do you hear me?”
“Should I pretend all is well?”
A tear fell down her cheek, and he cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. “We are doing this for you because we love you.”
Her eyes grew wide. His own declaration was on his lips but instead he said, “I need you to be brave, for us. For me.”
“But what are we to do? Hide out in this house until we are old and gray? That is not fair to your mother and sister.”
“Edward is right now working with Stafford to clarify the situation. There may be no need to panic. This is just a precaution. Eventually, this will all be forgotten and we can all go about our lives as before.”
“The ton would be having a field day with this. The mysterious debutante disappears, again.”
“I do not care about the ton,” he said. “I care about you.” As his hands were still cupping her face, it was easy to lean forward and kiss her.
She was easy to kiss. He remembered they were standing in the hallway and led her to a small room that had two walls lined with books.
Closing the door behind her, he pulled her into his arms again.
Her arms came up to land on his shoulders, urging him closer, her mouth open to his.
Lips, mouths, and tongues all clashed together.
He was sure she would be able to taste the desperation in his kiss as much as he could taste hers, and it took all his control to stop before someone noticed they were gone.
“Tony?”
God, she looked beautiful. “Yes?”
“I’m not going to marry Dunstan.”
He smiled then and kissed her again. “I know.”
“Oh, you…” She pushed him in the chest, but her smile told him how true her words were. The look of relief on her face was priceless.
“Do not tell me this has stopped you from eating?”
“Amongst other things. I am worried I have let your mother and sister down. They have put so much effort into my coming out. You all have and now it will all be for naught.”
“I think you may well find they are of the same opinion after the incident with your parents’ pictures. I think it quite changed their mind on the matter.”
“I should tell them now.”
“Yes, you should, if only to get it off your chest so you can eat again.”
“It was not Dunstan alone, but I so hate disappointing people.”
“Come. They are sitting in the parlor playing cards for lack of anything else to do.”
When she told them about her decision not to continue her courtship with Dunstan, both women looked at each other and then smiled.
“Well, I cannot say I am surprised,” Marianne said, hugging her. “He was not the man for you, as nice and as talented as he was.”
“You are not upset with me for wasting your time?”
The dowager clutched her hands. “Oh, my dear, the experience you have gained this year will be invaluable to you for when you do want to find a suitable beau.”
“Is this what has had your stomach in knots?” Marianne asked.
“Not just Dunstan. I have been going over everything in my mind, searching back through my memories to see if I missed something. Had my father said something to me and I in my youth not thought it worth remembering? On top of that, I am terribly sorry I have put you all through this. Hiding out like criminals.”
“We are not worried, my dear. We are safe here for now, and making yourself sick over it will not help our cause. Your father did what he did and paid the ultimate price. You are innocent in all this and so we will protect you like one of our own because you have become one of us.”
Lucinda’s eyes filled with tears as she hugged his mother, and Tony could only smile at the tender scene. For once, his mother had said all the right things at the right time. It was quite a proud moment. Then Lucinda hugged Marianne who whispered, “Shall I ring for some tea and cakes?”
“Oh, yes, please. I am suddenly starving.” They all laughed again and Marianne rang the bell. The weight and guilt Lucinda had been carrying lifted from her shoulders. Able to breathe again without the urge to cry was a relief.
At dinner, Lucinda put down her napkin and said, “Can you tell me now who Max is?”
They looked at each other until Marianne spoke. “Max is Maxine. She is Edward’s daughter.”
“Oh, so he is married. Does she live at Ashtonvale?”
“He is a widower. Victoria has been gone these last seven years,” said Marianne.
It made sense now why the duke was often short and cranky. “He must miss her terribly. Poor Edward.”
“He loved her, but she was cold,” Tony said. “She was… a particular person. Not easy to like.”
“Then why did he marry her?”
“Oh, my dear,” the dowager said. “It was the wedding of the year. A grand match in everything but the heart, at least on one side. She was beautiful and accomplished and everything one would want in a duchess, but she was spoiled and petulant and well, they clashed on everything,” the duchess said.
“Oh, the fights they would have,” Marianne explained. “She liked to throw things at him… daily. We lost count of the plates and vases she broke.”
“She sounds positively awful.”
Marianne nodded. “I do not like to speak ill of the dead, but she really was awful. The only good thing that came from that marriage was Max. I fear that Edward still loves her though.”
“If Max is at Ashtonvale, why does the duke not like going there?”
Marianne frowned, which was an unusual sight on her usually serene face. “He has his reasons, not that we agree with them.”
“What could possibly keep him away from his daughter?”
“He is the only one who truly knows why,” Tony said. “Lord knows we have tried but he refuses to let us bring her to London and he will not go to Ashtonvale.”
“Instead, we give all our love to Max, but it is not the same as the love of a parent.”
Tony put his arm around his sister’s shoulder for support. “So, we try not to talk about her in front of him or him in front of her.”
“What a terrible situation. I do hope that someday they will be reunited. How old is Max now?”
Marianne smiled. “She will be seven in November. She is a bright child who yearns to learn and so I have arranged for my friend Rose to come. I am hoping, if they get along, that she stays as her governess.”
“I hope to meet Max soon after this Prussian matter settles. If it ever will be, that is.”
Tony took her hand in his and Lucinda squeezed it back. “It will be. Stafford knows what he is doing.”
“I hope so, my dearest, as we do not want to be stuck here for longer than necessary,” the duchess said.
“As soon as it is safe, we can return to our usual routine. You may return to the ton and make up whatever story you like to cover your absence, although be warned Edward is telling everyone you went to a house party.”
“A house party? At whose house are we guests? They will want to know.”
“I am sure you will think of something, Mother dear.”
His mother did not look pleased, but she said nothing else and spent the rest of the evening playing cards again.
Lucinda wished a pianoforte were part of the furniture there.
She could while away hours playing, and it would be a diversion from the boredom of this bland house.
However, the food from the kitchen was anything but bland, as if the cook was excited to have guests to cook for.
Their meals were wonderful, and they went to bed with full bellies every night.
Lucinda sought Tony out, trying to catch him alone so that she could lure him into more kisses. He usually obliged her, and she felt he was coming to understand her more when they spoke together out in the garden.
He was the only lucky one who could leave the house.
He brought back Sasha one night and everyone was overjoyed with happiness at having their furry friend to play with.
Sasha spent at least an hour sniffing every corner of the house before she was happy to lie down on the sofa and fall asleep with her head in Marianne’s lap.