A Gentleman's Promise (3 page)

Chapter Five

London

The crack across Charlotte’s jaw knocked her over and left her splayed upon the
Aubusson
rug. For a moment
,
blackness was all she could see
,
before
the
reality of what
her husband,
James
,
had
done brought her back to consciousness.

She sat up and took a calming breath. Would not
,
no matter how many times he assaulted her
,
let him see her cry.

“Are you happy? See what you made me do,” he said coming over and pulling her to
her feet.
He sat her on the
end of the
bed and clasped her jaw in a punishing grip.

Charlotte swallowed her fear and helplessness. She’d married a monster
,
camouflaged behind a suit and top hat
. She remained quiet as he inspected w
hat his actions had done to her face.

“You’re not fit to be seen in public now. You’ll stay home and miss Lord and Lady Furrow
’
s ball. I’ll make your excuses.” James stood and went to stand before her dressing table mirror. Charlotte watched him fix his cravat and run a hand through his hair. To anyone else
,
he looked handsome, regal and in control of his life. But he was not. He was the ugliest man she had ever know
n. A man who
could not control the disease in
side of him that made him cruel and rotten to the core.

“Amelia will ask questions if I’m not there. Perhaps you should have thought of that before you struck me.”

He cast
a
dis
missing glance and walked to the
door. “She will not or I’ll smack that bitch across the face as well. Or threaten to tell her husband of our affair.”

Charlotte gasped. “You lie. Amelia would never betray Lord Furrow.”

James grinned. “
Of course she would
n’t
, but he’s a jealous and doting husband. Weak when it comes to his beautiful wife. It would not take much for me to plant the seed of disloyalty and f
or it to fester under his skin. No matter if
it were
true or false.”

Charlotte watched him go
,
then walked over to her toilette and dampened a cloth to hold against her face. A dull ache ran through her jaw
and a headache began to thump at her temples.

She caught her reflection in the mirror across the room and what she saw left her ashamed. How could her life have turned out so wrong? From the first night
of her marriage
to James
,
she’d noticed his personality change.

No longer was he
attentive
and loving,
but indifferent
and dismissive
. He’d cancelled their
wedding
trip to the continent
,
stating he’d no
t felt up to such a lengthy journey
. Instead they’d travelled to London where Charlotte was dropped off at the
ir Grosvenor Square
townhouse
,
while her husband took himself off elsewhere.

After that, endless nights of his
drunkenness
had occurred. And when she’d chastised him over his
behavior
and conduct he’d hit her for the
very
first time.

Her life had continued down that same vein. Of course
,
Charlotte had learnt not to say
anything
anymore, for fear that one day he’d strike her so hard she wouldn’t wake up.

Som
e
times she wished she
would not
.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she swiped them away, anger replacing helplessness and
shame.

“
My lady, do you wish me to help you undress for bed?”

Charlotte looked up and nodded
for
her maid
to enter
. The servants had long ago learnt to live with their
quick-tempered
master.
Like Charlotte
,
they stayed away from his lordship and went about their jobs, making sure they were thorough with their
duties
les
t
his lordship was
dis
pleased.

“
Can you have a tisane
made up for me
?
And
bring up
a cup of tea
before you retire for the night.”

“Yes m’lady.”

Stripping down to her chemise, Charlotte crawled into bed and wondered what she could do to change her circumstances. Divorce wasn’t an option
,
but she supposed she could always just leave. But then James would win. Would in fact have everything she had brought to the marriage.
All her money.

Charlotte thumped the quilt, frustration boiling in her blood. If only he would die. Then all her problems would be solved. But no matter what type of debauchery he lived
in the bowels of London,
he hadn’t yet angered the wrong type of people. Probably because, she mused, he
was
the wrong type of people.

Charlotte thanked her maid as she placed the
tisane
and tea
on the side table. There was nothing she could do besides try and make the best of a terrible situation and hope one day James would change. She drank down the tisane then picked up her tea, taking a sip to remove the unpleasant taste.

She sighed as the sweet
brew
soothed her a little. Tomorrow was a new day and in three days time she was to attend Lord and Lady Venning’s soiree
,
an event she’d been looking forward to for quite some time.

Not because she was overly close with her ladyship but because Charlotte had found out
about one particular guest
who was to attend.

It was n
one other
than her childhood friend Lord
Helsing. Just the thought of seeing him after such a long time
sent excitement through her veins.
Would he speak to her or dismiss her
?
Not since their
meeting at her
family lake had she seen him. She
c
ould have written
and kept in contact she supposed,
yet
whenever she tried, the fear
that he
would think of her as forward
made her throw the letters
away instead.

Charlotte finished her tea and sighed. If only she’d stood firm with h
er
father and demanded to be released of the understanding with James
,
her life could
have been
be so different now.
Not even the blessing of children to take the edge from the life she lived.

Blowing out the candle Charlotte lay down and tried to not feel sorry for herself. She had made her choice, and it had been wrong. It was as simple and unfortunate as that.

*

Lady Venning had outdone herself with her decorations for the soiree.
Everywhere Charlotte looked
,
roses
were
gathered in bunches around the corners of the room and before the magnificent
unlit
fireplaces
. The evening was warm and the scent was divine, much nicer than the smell of cigars and sweat from having too many people in a room
all
at
once
.

Charlotte looked down at her
evening
gown
of dark blue crepe and
adjusted her bodice a little. Her fingers shook and she mentally chastised herself for being nervous.
Lord
Helsing may not even make an appearance.
And even if he did
,
there was
no
reason for him to seek her out.

After
Lord Helsing
had
left their home that long ago
summer’s
day,
he’d changed too
. S
ome would say for the better
,
if that were at all possible.
He had
returned to London that following season a
nd thr
own
himself into
the
tonnish life with abandon, before taking himself off to Bath to enjoy the
small society there.

No longer was he
a
man who watched
life go
by
before him
.
N
ow Lord
Helsing enjoyed the ton and all its entertainments. Women spoke of him with
wistfulness and
affection and Charlotte wasn’t
naive
enough
to believe that he ever spent his nights lonely.

Married women spoke of his bedroom exploits and accomplishments
as if
they were discussing the latest dress patterns in
La Belle Assemblée
. Heat
travelled
up her neck
at the thought and she took a cooling sip of her wine.

Charlotte
frowned
,
pondering on how she’d
missed him these past two years. Lord Helsing
,
it seemed
,
was determined not to meet her in society
,
no matter what his words had been the last day they met. But he was in town and no one who was anyone
turned down Lord and Lady Venning
’s invitation
. Lord Helsing would be no different.

Charlotte smiled and watched as Ame
lia strode
toward her.

“Charlotte darling, I’m so glad you’re here. How are you, dearest?” she asked, giving her a pointed stare.

“I’m fine, trul
y. I’m sorry I missed your ball.
”
S
he
clasped
her best friend
’
s hand.

“You were missed. Your husband made his excuses for you
,
but I knew as soon as I reali
z
ed you were not with him what he’d done.
I wanted to come and check on y
ou, but Charles wouldn’t let me. N
ot,” she said, meeting Charlotte’s gaze, “that he wasn’t concerned also
, but because we were
, after all,
the
hosts.”

Charlotte swallowed the lump wedged in her throat over her friend
’
s concern. “Thank you. But I’m better now.
In fact,
I haven’t seen James
since he left for your ball
. I hope he doesn’t arrive her
e
tonight
and make
trouble.”

“He wouldn’t dare.
” Amelia
f
rown
ed
. “Charlotte
you know
Charles and I would be more than willing to have you
stay
with us. You need to leave you
r
husband and soon. Before he kills you with his outbursts. This is no way to live your life.”

Charlotte bit back her tears. She knew the truth of her situation and Amelia was right. One day James would hit her so hard that she’d never recover. It was only a matter of time. But should she leave, her family
would be disgraced, her sisters
’
prospects shattered like a pane of glass. No, she couldn
’
t leave her husband, even for her own sake.

“You’re
so kind
.
And
I know how much you care. But I cannot. Please, let’s not discuss this now. I’m
simply enjoying the freedom of being
at a soiree without James hovering over me like a cloak; please let me
forget my cares for a little while.
”

Amelia kissed her cheek. “Of course, darling. Whatever you wish, I’m just concerned
for your wellbeing,
that’s all.”

Charlotte smiled. “I know you are. Now, tell me,” she said, changing the subject. “How are you feeling? Are the mornings still the worst for you?”

“Yes,” Amelia said,
placing her hand discreetly on her belly, as if to guard the little
life that
grew inside. “The mornings are terrible. Thank goodness I’m well enough in the evenings to attend the season’s entertainments. I don’t know how I’d survive otherwise.”

Charlotte
smiled
while a pang of envy shot through her. Not once in the two years she’
d been married had she bore a living child
.
It was another reason why James abhorred her. In his eyes
,
she was
a
ba
r
r
e
n, useless piece of common
baggage
that he should never have marr
ied.

When Charlotte had reminded him her
common class
had saved his estate and him against his debtors
,
she’d paid for it by being bedridden for a week. The belting he’d
inflicted
had been
one of the worst she’d ever had. And she’d learnt to curb her tongue from that point onwards. As much as doing so irked her greatly.

“Charlotte are you well?”

She started out of her musings and smiled. “Of course, just lost in thought, that’s all. What were you
saying?
”

“Only that Lord
Helsing has arrived. And that he’s looking directly at you.”

Char
lotte looked up and locked eyes with Mason
immediately. It was almost as if a
n
invisible line connected them across the sea of heads. She smiled and watched as he nodded in greeting before moving off to join another party his side of the room.

“He’s as handsome as ever. Why did you
never
tell me you were
neighbors
as
children?
I
had to find out
about it
by Lady Sisily.”

Charlotte started at the question having never thought to
tell Amelia of their childhood friendship
. It was bad
enough just to think about Mason
and
the
silly
passion
she’d once held
for him
.

“I’m sorry, Amelia. I suppose it slipped my mind. It’s been, after all, two years since I saw him last.”

Amelia cast her a speculative look
,
then turned
her attention
back to the th
r
ong. “Well, I suppose you’ll be able to cat
ch up tonight. And without Lord
Remmick
here
,
I’m sure you’ll be able to relax a little and enjoy your reunion.”

Charlotte swallowed. It was silly real
ly to be nervous
about
talking to Lord Helsing
again. Granted, they
hadn’t been close
for many years, but after that one day near the lake, everythin
g had changed for Charlotte. He’d been kind and attentive like the old days
,
something that she longed for her husband to be now. Not that he ever would be.

S
he caught sight of his lordship
strolling through the throng before he asked a young debutante with doe eyes to dance.
A pang of jealousy shot through her and Charlotte chastised herself. She was married and he was not. Of course, he could dance with whom
so
ever he wished.

She watched as he waltzed about the room with the beautiful, young woman, his grace and ease o
bvious to
any who observed.
Lord Helsing
seemed much broader across the shoulders and his hair was
a little
less tidy, and yet, to Charlotte, he was the handsomest man
present.

“Perhaps it is best that yo
u stop your inspection of Lord
Helsing, dearest as your husband just stumbled through the door.”

Charlotte watched in horror as James
staggered
into the room, needing the wall
and a few guests
for support. His cravat hung about his neck and his shirt
gaped
open at his throat. He looked sweaty and not at all well. People gasped and moved out of his way as James looked about the room.

For her.

Charlotte stepped away from Amelia and started to walk toward him, thankful the
minstrels
continued to play and people danced. He stood upright as she came to his side.

“
I’m so pleased to see you, dear
James.” She smiled to hide her distaste.
“
Amelia and I are over the other side of the room. Come
and
sit with us
there
.”

He gave her a dismissing look and pulled his arm from her hand. Charlotte let him go and followed as he swayed toward her friend. Embarrassment threatened
to choke her. It felt as if everyone watched the spectacle that was their marriage. A prick
l
ing of heat suffused her cheeks and Charlotte lifted her chin
, n
ot willing to cower under t
he
collective
mocking and
curious gazes.

James flopped into a chair and sprawled like a man who was about to
go to
sleep. Charlotte sat beside him
,
summon
ing
a footman for some
water
.

“James, you need to sit up. You’re at Lord Venning’s home and you know
how
he detests
drunkenness and rowdy
behavior
.”

“Bite your tongue, woman. Who are you
,
a commoner
,
to tell a Viscount how to behave
?
”

Amelia sat beside James and smiled.
“She
has every right
,
as
your Viscountess.
Furthermore, your sickly pallor and untidy attire is hardly appropriate for polite society.
You ought to be ashamed of yourself
embarrassing your wife in such a way
, Lord
Remmick
.”
Amelia stood. “I will seek you out later, my dear.”

Charlotte nodded and waited for James’s temper to take hold. Amelia had every right to hate him, why she hated him too now. There was no affection left in the
ir
marriage. James had extinguished that the first time he hit her.

“How dare that bitch speak to me
so?
I ought to
–
”

“
Remember where you are, James.
” Charlotte hand
ed
him
a drink.
“
S
it up and drink this and try and look the gentleman. You do know your cravat is untied
?
”
Charlotte smiled at two passin
g matrons and tried not to imagine
what they must be thinking.

James looked down at his shirt and laughed. “Well, I’ll be.
Seems I didn’t tie it up after. Well, let me just say she had the longest legs, wrapped them
nicely about
my hips while I gave it to her up against a deserted lane’s wall.” He smirked and met Charlotte’s
gaze. “You don’t mind do you, my lady. Since you no longer spread your legs for me, I have to find my enjoyment elsewhere.”