Two Notorious Dukes Page 18

  ‘I haven’t the foggiest!’ Argyll said as he took his glass of wine. He looked down the chamber and couldn’t believe his eyes. ‘Good God! Is that Sarah?’ he said as he could see his blond fiancé, dressed in britches and a shirt, in a full blown wrangle with the steward on door duty. ‘It is! What the hell is Sarah doing here?!’ and he leaped off the bench and forced his way out. Robert looked at her with a sinking feeling in his stomach and took off after his friend.

  As Argyll got to the door, he saw Sarah kick the steward in the shin. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ he demanded brusquely. ‘This is no way for a Lady to behave!’

  ‘That all depends on whether stupid stewards will listen to her!’ she spat and eyed the steward with disdain. She turned to Robert as he came through the door.

  ‘Robert, he has her!’ she blurted. But of course, Robert was still a little groggy from just waking up.

  ‘Who has got whom?’ he asked in exasperation.

  ‘Alexander Audley invaded our house this afternoon, knocked Elizabeth unconscious and threw her into his carriage to take to his home!’

  All the colour drained from Robert’s face. ‘Where is your horse?’ he asked with such a chill in his voice that Argyll was worried. But before he could say anything, Sarah blurted. ‘It’s outside the door!’

  Robert ran to the horse, threw himself in the saddle and galloped away from Parliament as if all the angels of hell were on his heels.

  ‘Call my carriage!’ Argyll ordered and grasped Sarah by the arm, frogmarching her out of the door. ‘Damn, Damn! DAMN!’ he finished loudly. ‘Why couldn’t the stupid man listen this morning?’

  ‘Well, he kept muttering about how she’ll be too busy seeing to her wifely duties and he had just the thing for a wayward wife.’ Argyll turned to Sarah in horror. She looked up at his face. ‘It didn’t sound too clever when he said he’d got it from a slave trader, either.’

  ‘Oh! Dear God!’ Argyll muttered as his carriage drew up and he manhandled Sarah inside. ‘Berkley Square, as fast as you can!’ he told the driver and threw himself into the coach.

  ‘What did that mean?’ she asked so innocently he could have cried.

  ‘My dear, not all men are as nice as Robert and myself. We have been unfortunate enough to see the horrors of this world. When we get there you must stay in the carriage. You must. I don’t want you to see what that monster will probably have done to Elizabeth before we get there. I may have to stop Robert from killing him.’ He turned to face her and saw the tears on her cheeks. ‘I love you, Sarah. Remember that.’ And he engulfed her in his arms and kissed her so passionately she started to moan. They parted as the carriage skidded around a corner and Argyll had to hold on.

  Robert was panting with his effort to urge the horse to greater speed, but it was a small horse for a man of his size and it was starting to flag. He was burning with impatience and wished he could sprout wings and fly to Berkley Square. The traffic was quite bad as it was the middle of the afternoon and the hawkers carts were everywhere. He scattered a gaggle of nannies in the park and narrowly missed trampling an old woman selling violets on the corner of St. James’s Street and Piccadilly. He had to slow down on Piccadilly as the traffic was terrible. A couple of Shire horses pulling a wagon filled with ale barrels had fallen and it was almost impossible to get past, so Robert flew into Dover Street, along Hay Hill and into Berkley Square. Robert slowed his pace and trotted calmly up to the front door of Craanford’s Town House. The only reason he knew where he lived was because Verity had mentioned it during dinner one night and Elizabeth had described the house and told them the address.

  Robert stepped down calmly from the back of the horse and strode to the front door, rapping the knocker sharply.

  The butler opened the door slowly and Robert strode in. ‘I need to see Lord Craanford, now!’ he said briskly.

  ‘I’m sorry, Sir, but his lordship is resting.’ The butler said calmly.

  Robert pulled himself to his considerable height, looked down his nose and said haughtily. ‘You can address me as Your Grace! Where is Audley?’

  ‘I’m sorry Your Grace, but he asked not to be disturbed. He has a Lady with him, Sir.’ The butler said calmly hoping to deter this exceptionally tall duke. At that moment Elizabeth screamed. It was a blood curdling scream and even the butler closed his eyes and shook his head.

  ‘Which room?!’ Robert demanded as Argyll arrived behind him ‘Dammit man, that’s my fiancé he’s raping!’

  ‘Main suite at the top of the stairs, Your Grace.’

  Robert took the stairs two at a time and Argyll was right behind him. ‘Where’s Sarah?’ he asked softly.

  ‘In the coach, I hope. I tried to impress upon her the need to stay.’

  Robert arrived at the door and neither men could miss the hiss and crack of a whip, it sounded like a bull whip like the drivers used. Robert tested the handle but the door was locked. He took a run and kicked it with his heel just above the lock and the wood splintered allowing Argyll who was following to barge the door open with his shoulder.

  At first Robert couldn’t quite take in what he was seeing. In the centre of the room, instead of a bed on the dais, stood a punishment frame. He’d seen enough of them in the army as unfortunate soldiers caught in a misdemeanour were stripped and flogged. The difference with this one was the shackles, like a prisoner would wear. Hanging from the shackles was a naked woman, with fiery dark hair. Standing to the side and dipping a cat o’ nine tails into a bucket was Lord Audley, without apparel, his erection hard to miss and in his other hand was a bottle of brandy held by the neck. In his obviously drunken state, he turned and peered at the newcomers.

  ‘You can bugger off. She’s mine, just like Edward promised she would be!’

  Robert went to step forward as his fist balled beside him and Argyll grabbed his shoulder and said ‘See to Elizabeth.’ Argyll walked towards Audley and kicked him straight in the balls. Audley lifted up on his toes as his breath was expunged and he slowly folded up onto the floor.

  Robert started looking for the key to the shackles and found it on the table on Audley’s watch chain. He carefully opened the shackles and Elizabeth collapsed into his arms. ‘Get me a sheet or something?’ he asked as he carefully laid Elizabeth on the carpet. Argyll ran into the next room and yanked the eiderdown off the bed and between them they managed to wrap Elizabeth in it. Robert lifted her carefully and walked slowly down the stairs. In the foyer he looked at the butler. ‘Give him a message. He can either meet me a dawn tomorrow morning in Hyde Park or he can run back to Ireland, but if he chooses to run, tell him to be out of London by the end of tomorrow, or I will kill him!’ The butler looked at Robert’s eyes and nodded his head.

  Robert went to the carriage and Sarah was stood beside the door, the coachman hanging onto her arm. ‘Sarah you should take your horse.’ Robert told her and she climbed on the beast without comment, but waited for the carriage. Between them they manoeuvred Elizabeth in until she was lying on her side on the seat. Robert knelt on the floor in front of her and stroked her head. ‘Home! As quick as you can!’ Argyll said and plonked his backside in the corner of his carriage.

  Chapter 14 Grass before Breakfast

  Elizabeth moaned with every jerk of the carriage, but she hadn’t opened her eyes. Robert frequently kissed her temple and talked to her, telling her it was over and how much he loved her.

  Argyll sat in the corner, his heart breaking for his friend and prayed she would recover. He had been horrified at the amount of blood on the carpet, but it wasn’t the first time he’d seen a flogging either. ‘Until we can get the wounds cleaned up, we won’t know the extent of her injuries.’ He murmured.

  ‘We’ll call a physician as soon as we’re home.’ Robert muttered. Argyll pulled down the window and leaned out, he could see Sarah and beckoned her to him. ‘Ride ahead, my love, and send Rogers for a Surgeon.’

  She didn’t reply as such, just nodded her head and
kicked her horse forward.

  Elizabeth could hear Robert, but a part of her was afraid it was a dream. All that seemed real was the pain. The pain she had suffered for a thousand nights with Edward. She felt fingers on her face, a hand stroking her hair and suddenly Robert’s voice was in her ear, whispering how much he loved her and begging her to stay.

  Although it was difficult, she forced herself to open her eyes. She couldn’t really believe that she was seeing Robert’s white face before her eyes. But then he blurted. ‘Oh! My God! Elizabeth!’ and kissed her forehead so gently.

  She was lying on a carriage bench. She swivelled her eyes and saw Argyll squashed into the corner of the coach and his face was pale too. ‘Robert?’ she tried to say his name, but wasn’t sure if she managed so she tried to clear her throat and say it again. ‘Robbie?’

  ‘I’m here, my love.’ He said firmly and stroked her cheek again.

  ‘Did you kill him?’ she asked and Robert slowly shook his head.

  ‘He has until tea time tomorrow to leave London, or I will!’ he said vehemently.

  The carriage pulled up with a jerk and Argyll was out and holding the door for Robert. He carefully lifted Elizabeth in his arms and tried not to slip on the steps. Then he walked purposefully across to the broad stone steps of Argyll’s ducal residence.

  Rogers opened the door and Robert winced at the bruising. ‘Have you sent for a physician?’ Robert asked.

  ‘Lady Verity insisted I get one, so he is waiting in Lady Elizabeth’s room, Your Grace.’

  Robert ran up the stairs as quickly as his feet would carry him and a foot man was waiting to open the door. As he entered the room, Mary sobbed ‘Oh! My poor Lady!’ and helped Robert get her on the bed, then she slowly opened the eiderdown.

  ‘Do you know what he used?’ the Doctor asked softly as Mary revealed Elizabeth’s bloody back.

  ‘A cat o’ nine tails.’ Robert said hoarsely, the Doctor nodded and hustled him out of the room.

  ‘Go and have some brandy, Your Grace. I’ll come and see you later.’ The doctor instructed and closed the door in his face. Robert backed away from the door and Argyll took his elbow and steered him to the study where he opened the brandy and poured two healthy measures.

  ‘Here, drink this!’

  The first thing the Doctor did was give Elizabeth a large dose of Laudanum, to relax her and dull the pain. He worked over Elizabeth for a good hour. He and Mary cleaned the wounds and he was relieved to see that most of them were superficial. ‘Well, we can be grateful whoever did this wasn’t particularly strong, or the lashes would have been deeper. I had a feeling the blood made it look worse than it really is.’ He smoothed an unction of his own making over the cuts and welts on Elizabeth’s back, buttocks and thighs and laid a piece of cotton gauze over it.

  ‘Now you say she’s with child, do you know how far along she is?’

  ‘Not many weeks, Doctor. Possibly a month, maybe a little more.’

  The doctor took out his abdominal trumpet and carefully turning Elizabeth over he listened intently to her lower abdomen. Elizabeth looked at him with huge eyes. ‘Did he kick you at all?’ the doctor asked and Elizabeth shook her head. ‘Did he force intercourse?’ and again she shook her head.

  ‘He needed to beat me first otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to!’ and she started to laugh, ‘just like Edward.’ And the laughter snagged in her throat in a rush of tears. She rolled on her side and curled up in a ball and cried. Mary covered her body with the blankets and gathered all the debris and started handing it out of the doors to the footmen and maids waiting to take it away.

  The doctor snapped his bag shut and looked at Mary. ‘Keep her warm and give her hot drinks for the shock, but no alcohol.’ He handed Mary a jar. ‘Spread some more on at bedtime and again tomorrow morning. I’ll be back around mid morning to check on her condition.’ He sighed. ‘Try not to leave her unattended. This type of attack can make people do strange things.’

  ‘Yes, Doctor.’ Mary said and showed him out of the room, ‘Would you take the Doctor to His Grace, please?’ she asked Rogers.

  Robert was pacing in the study and as the door opened, he span on his heel and confronted the physician with a harsh ‘What’s the prognosis, Doctor?’

  ‘Robbie let him get in the room, first?’ Argyll said and picked up the brandy. ‘Drink, Doctor?’ he asked and Robert tried to contain himself.

  ‘Just a small one.’ He turned to Robert. ‘Are you her husband?’

  ‘Not yet, but I will be as soon as I can get a special licence for it!’ Robert said forcefully.

  ‘But you are aware she is with child?’ Robert nodded. ‘As far as I can tell the child is well. It’s a little difficult to tell with such a young foetus, as the heart is not quite fully developed yet, but she assured me there were no blows to her abdomen, so I suspect the child is fine. Only time will tell. As for her back, once we washed away the blood it wasn’t as bad as I feared and most of the damage is superficial. Some cuts were a little deeper and had severed some of the veins, but they will heal. He did not force intercourse, so she should recover fairly quickly, but I doubt she’ll ever forget it.’ He accepted and sipped the brandy Argyll offered. ‘Be cautious with her and try to understand this has been traumatic. She will exhibit mood swings and impatience, so be patient with her.’ He drained his glass. ‘Thank you for a fine brandy, but I have another patient waiting, so I must away.’ He shook hands with both Dukes and left quickly.

  Robert stared into the fire, his brandy forgotten in his hand. Argyll had seen the expression on his face before. It was the one that came before a battle, when Robert would close his emotions off and prepare to face the enemy and perhaps die.

  ‘What do you intend to do?’ Argyll asked softly as he poured another brandy for himself.

  ‘I intend to nurse Elizabeth tonight and then I shall kill Audley at dawn tomorrow, if the blackguard has the guts to turn up.’ Robert sighed and finished his brandy. He stood and put the glass down on the desk. ‘I’ll see you later.’ He murmured and turned for the door.

  ‘Do you need a second?’ Argyll asked.

  Robert stopped with his hand on the handle. ‘I wouldn’t refuse your company, but I would normally take Burke on this kind of expedition.’ He said and opened the door.

  ‘I shall make myself available.’ Argyll said as Robert closed the door. He finished his brandy and then went to change. He had business to attend to now.I wonder who his second will be.He asked himself.Still, it doesn’t matter. I just have to go and offer weapons.

  Mary opened the door at his knock and smiled. ‘Good evening, Your Grace. Lady Elizabeth is expecting you.’ she said formally as she pulled the door wide. ‘She’s had some Laudanum, so she’s a little sleepy.’ Mary informed him as she went to go out of the door.

  He put his hand on the jamb, stopping her. ‘Thank you, Mary. Have you had your face checked by the Doctor?’ he asked as he gently turned her head to the light and inspected her black eye. ‘That looks quite painful.’

  ‘Yes, Your Grace. The doctor did check it.’ Her eyes took on a haunted look. ‘I was outside the drawing room as usual and he appeared like ghost. As I stood up to stop him, he just hit me and I don’t remember anything else until Mr. Rogers woke me up.’ She was frowning. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him.’ She whispered and turned soulful eyes up to his. She could see how hurt he was by this event and her heart went out to him.

  He patted her shoulder. ‘Do not be upset about it, Mary. Even Rogers couldn’t stop him.’ He shook his head. ‘He used the element of surprise very effectively.’

  ‘Yes, Sir.’ She said morosely. ‘You go downstairs and have some dinner and sit by the fire. I’ll see you a little later.’

  ‘Yes, Sir.’ She muttered again and he let her leave the room.

  He turned to the ornate bed and could see Elizabeth’s head above the white sheets. Her hair had been plaited and laid like a rope over the sheet. He walked
slowly up to the bed and knelt down. He picked up the plait and curled it about his fist, lifted it to his lips and gently kissed it. ‘I love you, Elizabeth and I’m a fool.’ He whispered. ‘Can you ever forgive me?’

  Her eyes opened, but they were unfocused. ‘Robbie?’ she murmured. ‘Damn! I feel drunk!’ she said and giggled. ‘Would you make love to me while I was drunk?’ she asked quizzically.

  ‘No, my love. I wouldn’t take advantage of you like that.’ He said and smiled gently.

  She frowned. ‘Why are you on the floor? You should be in bed where I can hold you.’ she murmured as her eyes closed.

  Robert stripped off his boots, jacket and cravat. He opened the collar of his shirt and carefully climbed on the bed beside her. She moved across the bed, flinging her arm over his stomach and resting her head on his chest. ‘Mmm! That’s better.’ She mumbled and was asleep again almost immediately.

  He lay and watched the flames in the fireplace and considered his actions. He didn’t really believe his attack on Craanford had precipitated his subsequent actions, but he did believe that he’d brought them to a head and pushed Craanford to make an unplanned move.If I’d not hit Craanford this morning, might he have waited to try and take her?He debated.But of course, if he’d been able to take her on his timetable, he would have been ready and might have secreted her at another location.He leaned over, kissed her forehead and she moaned and rubbed her face with her fist.Like a child.He thought softly as his heart squeezed in his chest.Why do I love you so much?He asked himself again, but still couldn’t find an answer.Is it because you’re beautiful? Or is it because you seduced me and that’s never happened before.He was glad that the only damage to her face was a bruise on her jawor is it the fire in your eyes and your strength. I must admit that at the opera, the moment you appeared through the door I had a hard on! But that is not love, it is lust.