The Viscount in Hiding, page 9
part #1 of Lords of London Series
Chapter Fourteen
William found that he could not sleep that night, just as he had predicted. The events of the day had tugged at his mind, the revelation that Julie was now Juliette, stepsister to the Earl of Perrin, continuing to fill him with astonishment.
He was surprised that he did not feel particularly angry nor upset. It was as if he had simply accepted that this was the way of things, finding it almost a relief that he finally knew the truth about her. There was no longer any mystery, no longer any questions that dogged his mind. For the last few days, he felt as though he had slowly been drifting away from her, as though his questions had pushed her away from him, but now that distance had been forgotten. She had told him everything. There was nothing hidden between them.
Lying on his back and staring up at the top of his four-poster bed, William let out a long breath, a sense of peace filling him. He recognized that he had gone through a significant change of character of late, finding joy in productivity and in being a diligent master. The desire to return to London had gone, for he did not particularly wish to fill his head with thoughts of ladies and the like any longer. He had been such a besotted fool, realizing that those who had taken bets on him had almost a right to do so, such had been the ridiculousness of his behavior! He would be quite content to remain in his country estate for a prolonged length of time, mayhap even for years before he decided to return to London for a short visit.
And if Juliette agreed to marry him, then he was sure his life would be quite complete.
Getting up from his bed, William threw on his dressing gown and went to sit by the fire, throwing on a couple of extra logs since he did not intend to sleep anytime soon. The thought of marrying Juliette ran over and over in his mind, making him smile with happiness. Of course, had her stepbrother not been pursuing her in such a desperate fashion, he might have suggested they court for a little longer, but be that as it may, he would be glad to have her as his wife. She was wise and thoughtful, kind and intelligent. Her beauty had always caught him, her grey eyes so unusual in color and yet filled with whatever it was she felt. Her sweetness spoke to his very soul, her courage to do whatever she had to in order to find a new life for herself filling him with admiration. Their friendship was deeper than anything he had ever experienced before, the depths of affection in his heart more grounded and more alive than when he had thought himself in love with one lady after the next. Juliette was a remarkable woman and one he would be proud to call his own.
“I believe I might even love her,” he said to himself, a small smile on his face as he gazed into the fire.
A sudden sound caught his ears, stilling him into silence. Frowning, he got up from his chair and walked to the bedroom door, listening hard. Everyone else had gone to bed, had they not? It was already the early hours of the morning—so what had been that noise?
Something in him told him there was something badly amiss. Putting one hand on the door handle, he turned and tried to open the door outwards—only to find it come up against something heavy. The door handle itself seemed to stick, unable to open as it should.
The door was stuck.
Another thump echoed from the hallway, making his heart slam into his chest in fright. Who was here, in his home? He shoved the door again, hard, but it would not budge. Someone had put something against it, intent on keeping him within.
His fears mounted as he shoved at it again, anger and fear twining their way through his veins. “Juliette!” he shouted, banging wildly on the door. “Juliette! Where are you?”
Turning around to face the room, he closed his eyes and thought hard. There was, of course, the adjoining door into what he one day hoped would be his wife’s room, but there were various things stacked against it for it was never in use. Wildly throwing them out of the way and ignoring the crashes and thumps of the various items, he scrabbled for the door handle, relieved when it opened at once.
The room was dark and cold, with only a faint trace of moonlight showing through the window. As quietly as he could, William made his way to the door and turned the key, wincing as the click echoed through the room.
Thankfully, it opened at once.
Stepping out into the hallway, he looked along at his own door to see a heavy chair had been placed in front of his door, with something that looked to be a chest of some sort seated on it. He had no idea who had put it there or when, for he had heard very little noise.
But, then again, he had been caught up with thoughts of Juliette as he had lain on his pillow.
Gritting his teeth, William moved quickly to the staircase in the middle of the house, keeping to the shadows. He had very little idea of who might be in his home, wondering if he was about to be robbed. There could be no other reason, surely?
Not unless someone was looking for Juliette.
The thought gave him pause, his heart thundering wildly. If her stepbrother did suspect that his sister was here, then he might try something like this in order to find her. After all, the man gave the impression that he was shrewd enough to know when someone was hiding the truth from him, just as William had done. Besides, given the evidence of Juliette leaving in William’s own landau, Lord Perrin probably suspected that Juliette was hiding here somewhere and that William was simply choosing to keep her location to himself.
And it was not as if William would ever allow him to search the estate for the lady, which mean that Lord Perrin would simply have to accept William’s word for it when he stated that he had never seen Juliette.
Was this Lord Perrin’s way of making sure?
It would make sense for Lord Perrin to begin to look for his stepsister in the upper quarters of the house, for William suspected he would never think that his stepsister would lower herself to the same status as a maid! That meant he had time to hurry below stairs and ensure Juliette’s safety before wakening some of his staff to search the house. It would be no good for him to try and deal with whomever it was alone.
Seeing and hearing no one, he made to scurry down the stairs, only to stop dead. Someone was walking towards the door, clothed all in black—and Juliette was with them.
“Halt!”
The cry left his lips without him even thinking of saying it, his legs carrying him down the stairs towards them both. The man swung Juliette around, his eyes glittering dangerously.
By the light of the moon coming in through the windows, William could see that Juliette had been crying. She was silent now, however, staring at him with a blank expression in her eyes.
“Lord Morton,” Lord Perrin said smoothly. “I thought you were not telling me the truth. How unexpected to discover that my stepsister was, in fact, staying here after all!”
William lifted his chin. “She is my betrothed.”
Perrin laughed harshly, the sound echoing through the house. “Indeed, she is not! She is to marry whomever I decide since I am her stepbrother after all.”
“Ask her,” William replied urgently, wondering why the man still had one hand behind Juliette’s back, the other holding her wrist tightly. “She will tell you what she wants.”
“What makes you think my stepsister has any rights, especially after how she treated me?” Lord Perrin snorted, shaking his head. “I must admit, you had hidden her rather well, Morton. It took me a great deal of time to search the rooms and it only occurred to me later that she might be below stairs.”
“He found my keys,” Juliette whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “The staff…”
Lord Perrin jerked her hard. “You be quiet, just as I told you. Yes, Lord Morton,” he continued, a calm smile on his face as though they were simply having a pleasant discussion. “Your staff is all locked in their rooms, so should you wish to have breakfast come the morning, I suspect you will have to unlock them yourself. How unfortunate for me that the butler holds the key for the servants' entrance, otherwise we would not have disturbed you.”
William’s anger burned, his hands curling into fists. “Let her go and get out of my house, Perrin,” he spat angrily. “You have no claim here.”
“I think I have every claim,” Perrin replied with a small shake of his head. “Come now, Juliette, time to go. Lord Morton, I suggest you do not follow us. I should not like any blood to stain your wonderful carpets.”
As they turned, Morton saw that Lord Perrin held a knife to Juliette’s back, the point jabbing her just between the shoulder blades. She was only doing what he asked because of the pain he was inflicting on her—just as he always did, William suspected.
“Stop this,” he shouted, hurrying closer, only to see Lord Perrin push the blade a little into Juliette’s skin. She let out a hiss of pain, making William’s jaw clench with fury.
“Leave her be, Perrin,” he grated, his voice low and menacing. “Your sister is to be my bride. She cares for me as I do for her. There is no need for you to do this.”
“Oh, but I think there is,” Perrin replied, hurrying Juliette towards the door as he twisted his head back towards William. “My stepsister will learn to obey me, whether she likes it or not. I am to be respected.”
“By forcing yourself on her?” William replied, trying his best to stop the panic he felt in his chest from affecting his actions. “By ensuring that she is allowed no freedom, no say in what happens to her? What if she is happy here, does that not matter to you?”
“Not in the least,” Lord Perrin shouted, his eyes glittering as he forced Juliette to open the front door. “Whatever makes you think that I care what my stupid stepsister thinks? I am to receive a large monetary sum in exchange for her marriage, so what makes you think I will simply leave her here with you, just because she prefers it?” A mocking laugh escaped from his lips as he hauled Juliette outside. William hurried to the door, still careful to put enough distance between himself and Lord Perrin.
His mind scrambled to think of a plan, a way out. There had to be a way he could get Juliette to safety without endangering her. If he did not, then Lord Perrin would have her in his carriage, wherever it was, and leave him behind for good. He would never see her again. All that they shared would be torn away, leaving him with half a heart. She would be destined for a life of pain and suffering.
“No,” he whispered, as Lord Perrin began to march down the gravel path, evidently having left his carriage somewhere nearby. “I will not let him win.”
“Stay away, Morton,” Lord Perrin called in a singsong voice. “You know I have no concerns about harming her if I must.”
William made his way down the steps, his body tense. He had to do something. Carefully, he began to walk after them, unwilling to allow them out of his sight. There had to be a way he could get Juliette safely away from her stepbrother.
The moon hid behind a cloud just as William stepped on the grass that lay alongside the gravel road that led to his home. His feet made no noise as he moved after them, thinking that the only thing he had available was the element of surprise.
Under the circumstances, there was only one thing he could do.
Glancing up at the moon, he saw that the clouds remained firmly in front of it, hiding its light. Pulling his dressing gown tighter, he began to move a little faster, hurrying after them. Then, just as Lord Perrin turned to look behind him, William broke into a sprint and, with a shout, launched himself into the air and fell directly on top of Lord Perrin.
Lord Perrin, being rather short in stature, toppled at once under the weight of William’s body, the knife clattering away across the gravel.
“Run, Juliette!” William tried to shout, his voice nothing more than a harsh whisper given that the breath had been knocked from his body. “The house. Go. Now.”
He could not tell if she had gone, the darkness enveloping him on every side. Lord Perrin was already beginning to struggle, hitting out at him as best he could and managing to wind him even further with a fist to his gut. William lashed out in the darkness, his arm screaming with pain as his hand connected with something hard.
Lord Perrin suddenly flopped backward, his arms and legs going completely still.
William, breathing hard, stared down at the dark form in front of him, trying to work out what had happened. Was Lord Perrin simply pretending so that William might remove himself from where he had landed so that he could run for his carriage?
“My lord!”
The sound of shouts and running feet made him jump in surprise, and, just as the clouds moved out of the way of the moon, William saw none other than his butler and a couple of footmen standing over them, all looking rather horrified.
“Lord Perrin,” William gasped, still trying to get a good look at the man’s face. “He broke in.”
“It was the housekeeper who freed us,” the butler replied, helping William to stand. “Whatever happened, my lord? What shall we do with Lord Perrin?”
William shook his head, with only Juliette on his mind. “Lord Perrin you must take to the constable, telling him that the man broke into my home in order to abduct my wife.”
The butler stared at him for a moment. “Your wife, my lord?”
“Yes, my wife,” William said firmly. “Miss Juliette Hawkridge, now Viscountess Morton. I will not be able to explain such a thing to the constable myself, for I have only just left on honeymoon with my wife.”
The butler nodded slowly, clearly at a loss as to what was going on.
“And you will need to find a new housekeeper,” William continued, slapping his butler on the back. “From tomorrow, I think. Can I trust you with all this? I must go in search of Juliette.”
The butler cleared his throat and nodded. “But of course, my lord. When will you be returning?”
“A few weeks, I think,” William replied with a quick smile. “I know it is a ridiculous hour, but once the man is safely secure, I will need the carriage ready and a bag prepared for me.”
“At once,” the butler replied, taking command of the situation.
William nodded, grateful for his loyal staff. “You are all to be rewarded for this, and I shall explain all once I return. Thank you.”
Hurrying inside, he did not get further than the staircase for there Juliette sat, her eyes wide and hands clasped in front of her.
The moment she saw him, she got to her feet and practically ran towards him, throwing herself into his arms.
“Oh, William!” she cried, holding him tightly. “You are all right? You are not hurt?”
“No, no, not in the least,” he assured her, wrapping his arms around her. “My dear Juliette, I was so terribly worried.”
She let go of him and moved back just a little so as to look into his features. “You came after me,” she said softly, a single tear trickling down her cheek. “You came to save me.”
He smiled and gently brushed the tear away. “Did you ever doubt that I would?” he asked quietly. “I would not lose you for the world, Juliette. When I saw you in such distress, my heart screamed for you. I knew I had to get you back from him. I would have followed him to the ends of the earth to have you back here safely by my side.”
She closed her eyes and tears fell onto her cheeks. “I wasn’t going to accept your proposal, my lord,” she whispered, making his heart sink into his boots. “I thought I was being selfish, that you were proposing simply because you had no choice.”
“That is not the case at all, my dear,” he replied, capturing her face with his hands. “What I feel for you has grown from a mere acquaintance to a friendship, to love.”
“Love?” she breathed, her lips trembling as she looked up at him. “You love me?”
William’s smile was tender, his head lowering just a little. “How could I not, Juliette? You are more to me than anyone has ever been. I am in awe of you. Your courage, your strength, your loveliness take my breath away.”
“Then I think I will accept your proposal,” she whispered, just as his lips touched hers for the briefest of kisses. “I love you, Lord Morton. I consent to be your wife.”
He chuckled, his heart lifting with happiness. “Then I am glad to tell you that the carriage is already being prepared. We leave within the hour.”
“Leave?”
Nodding, he took her hand and began to lead her back below stairs, ignoring all the hullabaloo that came from them. “To be married over the anvil is our only choice, my dear,” he said, seeing her delighted smile. “Your stepbrother will no longer be a threat.”
She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with joyful tears. “You truly are a wonderful man, William. I cannot wait to be your wife.”
THE END
Preview of:
The Viscount’s Conquest
Lords of London
By: Emma Stone
Chapter One
“And so it is that I fully intend to propose!”
Viscount William Morton stretched his arms wide and gave a broad smile. His green eyes practically blazed with delight as he waited for his friend, Viscount Stephen Radcliffe, to offer his congratulations.
However, Stephen did not do as expected. In fact, he did not even smile. As far as he was concerned, this was yet another example of his friend going a little too far. “Come now, Morton,” he said calmly, pouring two small measures of brandy and handing one to him. “How long have you known this chit? A week? A sennight?”
“A month,” Morton replied, a little haughtily, as though aware of what Stephen was about to say. “And the most wonderful of months at that!”
Stephen tried not to roll his eyes, mentally counting just how many eligible ladies Viscount Morton had declared his love for over the last few months.
“I know what you are going to say, Radcliffe,” Morton continued with a sniff.
“Then I shall not even bother to open my mouth,” Stephen interrupted before Morton could continue. “My lecture shall remain unspoken, my concern and apprehension kept to myself.”
Morton turned away, walking towards the large window in the drawing room that overlooked the London streets. “Good,” came the eventual response, as the man shrugged his shoulders. “I do not want to hear it anyway.”
