A Matter of Choice (19 page)

Joshua pushed himself away from the wall and made his way down the stairs. He knew very well that he couldn’t tolerate a wife who was shallow and dull-witted. But Allie was so intuitive it was difficult to keep anything from her. Yet in this, he had to. He had to protect her from his father’s vile temper and vindictive wrath.

He threw open his study door and entered.

The Marquess of Chardwell sat in one of the two matching wing chairs angled before the desk with a glass half filled with brandy in his hand. “Well, Montfort,” he said, the open grin on his face a welcome sight. “I must say it looks like married life agrees with you.”

“It does. I find I have married a remarkable woman. When this is all over between my father and me, I have decided to devote as much time as it requires searching for the perfect match for you, too.”

Chardwell sputtered on the brandy in his mouth. “Spare me, Montfort. I have no desire to sacrifice my freedom for the sake of keeping you company in the marriage doldrums. Just because you have gone the way of all foolish men does not mean I intend to follow the same path. I enjoy my life far too much to see it change.” He lifted his glass in a symbol of a toast. “By the way. Angelina sends her greetings.”

Joshua managed a laugh. “I am glad the two of you are getting along.”

Chardwell smiled. “We are.”

Joshua shook his head, then took a drink of his brandy. When he finished, he set his glass down on the desk. “What do you hear of my father?”

Chardwell hesitated before he spoke. “It’s not good. He arrived two days ago and has made a number of uninvited appearances at several balls in search of you. He is never sober and, if rumors are to be believed, has made an embarrassing spectacle of himself.”

Joshua raked his fingers through his hair. “He’s bound to be furious.”

“Furious is not the word Society uses to describe him. The opinion spreading through the
ton
questions his sanity. If I were you, I’d stay clear of him.”

“Perhaps if I talk to him he will—“

Chardwell bolted to his feet and slashed his hand through the air. “He wants you dead, man. As dead as Philip is. He blames you for your brother’s death and won’t be satisfied until they bury you, too. Now he’s ranting that you have stolen everything from him.”

Joshua pushed his chair back and turned to look out the window behind him. A gentle breeze blew the leaves on the trees, the calm serenity outside so opposite the turmoil raging inside. “I have.” He braced one hand against the window frame. “I bought up all his debts with my wife’s dowry, and now I own everything, except of course the properties that are entailed. Those cannot be touched, nor can he borrow any more against them.”

“Bloody hell, Montfort.”

There was a long silence before Joshua could speak. “I realized what he was doing before I married. He was intentionally losing everything so there would be nothing left for me to inherit.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Nothing my father’s ever done where I was concerned has made sense.”

“He’s not rational, my friend.”

“I’m sure he isn’t. His credit has been cut off all over town and he’s left with few options. I’ve set him up a substantial allowance, but I doubt if his pride will allow him to accept it.”

Chardwell took a drink of the liquid in his glass, then leveled his gaze. “He’s dangerous, Montfort. He’s always been volatile, but even those who claim to know him say his mind has snapped.”

“I’m not worried. There’s little he can do.”

“Just be on your guard. And don’t let your wife take any chances either.”

“What does Allison have to do with this?”

“Rumor has it he blames her for his troubles. Her dowry, after all,
gave you control over him.”

So help him, he would never let anything happen to her. She’d done nothing, nothing except give herself to him.

He clenched his fists at his sides and breathed a deep sigh. He knew what he had to do. He had to go see his father, had to convince him Allison had nothing to do with his troubles. He couldn’t let Allison get caught in this web of bitterness and hatred. He couldn’t let his father think she was responsible for any of this.

“Do you know where he is?”

“Stay away from him,” Chardwell offered, his voice almost a command.

He shook his head. “I can’t. This war between my father and me has gone on since I was born. Waiting another day or two will not make it go away.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

“No. But if you do not have another engagement, I would not mind if you stayed here until I return. I don’t want Allison left alone.”

Chardwell nodded.

Joshua threw the remaining liquid down the back of his throat and walked to the door. Without a glance back, he left the room.

Allison would be safe until he returned.

Allison poked her needle
through the front side of her embroidery and brought it to the back, knotting the medium brown thread at the bottom of the tree trunk she was creating. It was the same piece she’d worked on every day for the past two weeks since they’d arrived from Graystone Manor. She was fortunate the wall hanging didn’t take a great deal of concentration. She doubted she could keep her mind focused long enough to handle anything more intricate. By now her scene would probably have purple trees and a green sun.

She lifted her gaze to where Joshua sat opposite her, pretending interest in a book. She noted he hadn’t turned the page once in the last thirty minutes.

“How is the book?” She threaded her needle with yellow thread.

“Very interesting. It is—“ He had to look down to read the title. “…um…
The Count of Monte Cristo
by Dumas. Have you read it?”

“Yes. David gave me a copy at Christmas.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes.” She pretended concentration on her embroidery again. “I found it fascinating.”

She started a yellow daisy in a ring of flowers beneath her tree. “A footman delivered an invitation this morning to a ball hosted by the Countess of Evernon.” She kept her voice even, as if her request was unimportant. “I thought perhaps—“

“Not yet, Allison.”

“But invitations have arrived by the score. By refusing them all, you’ve made us a novelty.”

“We were a novelty long before now. With our unexpected betrothal, Archbite’s challenge and duel, our rushed wedding, then fleeing from anyone’s watchful gaze immediately after our vows, we’ve made ourselves objects of speculation and intrigue. Everything that’s happened to us since we met has added to our ‘novelty’.”

Allison lowered her gaze. “Phoebe wrote that we have become the most sought after married couple in London. Everyone is vying for our attendance at their gatherings. The fact that we haven’t surfaced since our arrival in London has only fueled speculation.” She stabbed the needle through her cloth. “Everyone is placing bets on whose gala will be enticing enough to force us out of the house to spend at least one evening in public. I don’t even want to imagine what they think we’re doing when we stay cloistered here.”

Her husband smiled. “Personally, I find that rather flattering.”

She couldn’t help but look embarrassed. And it was not far off the mark. Their time together had been remarkable, hours filled with talking and laughing and loving and...simply enjoying each other’s company.

She’d loved every minute of it and was loathe to give up being with him. But she also knew the reason he kept her cloistered was not because he wanted to give Society something over which to speculate. It was almost as if he kept her hidden to protect her. Her theory was corroborated by the fact that every time Joshua left the house, the Marquess of Chardwell magically appeared. As if Joshua’s absence had been pre-arranged so she would never be alone.

It wasn’t that she did not enjoy the marquess’s company. She enjoyed him immensely. He was charming and witty, and filled with the latest gossip from every drawing room. But he joined her as part of a pre-conceived plan between him and Joshua.

“Would you like to go for a walk in the gardens?” Joshua asked, pulling her from her musings.

“Is that my only choice?”

There was a twinkle in his eyes. “We could always go upstairs to rest. I feel quite fatigued right now.” He closed his book and moved to rise.

“I doubt you are in the least fatigued.” She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “I’m not naïve enough to fall for that excuse, husband. I know good and well neither of us would get a wink of sleep if we went upstairs.”

He sighed as if he were disappointed. “Then we might as well go for that walk.”

He held out his hand to her. She came to her feet and made a move to step into his arms, then stopped when a loud noise erupted from the foyer. His hands grasped her upper arms and turned her.

“Stay out of sight,” he ordered, then pushed her to the far corner of the room. “Go!” He lunged toward the desk and pulled open a drawer.

She couldn’t move but clasped her hands over her mouth to stifle a scream. He reached inside the drawer and brought out a pistol.

“Joshua?”

“Go!”

He stuck the pistol in the pocket of his breeches and moved toward her.

Loud shouts and violent curses echoed in the hallway, followed by the shattering crash of a piece of furniture. She tried to get to the far side of the room but the study door burst open and the Duke of Ashbury staggered in, dragging Converse and another footman with him. Joshua rushed to her side and pushed her behind him.

“Damn you to hell!” Ashbury flailed his fist in the air. He shook the two men from him as if they weighed nothing and took another step into the room.

Allison stepped out enough to look at the man who was her father-in-law.

His hair was tangled and uncombed, his disheveled clothing wrinkled and far from clean. His dark blue coat was torn at the sleeve and the buttons of his waistcoat were mismatched, giving him an off balance appearance.

His shirt had been white at one time, but was no longer, and his cravat hung untied around his neck. He looked like a man in need of a hot bath and fresh clothing, but she knew that would only change his outside appearance. No amount of soap and water would change the demented look in his eyes.

She’d never seen such malevolence, such undisguised contempt as she saw when father looked at son. Her heart ached with a pain that nearly took her to her knees.

No son should ever have to see such blatant hatred in his father’s eyes.

+++

Joshua stared at his father, at his wild appearance, at the haunted look in his eyes, at the demented bitterness etched in the contorted scowl on his face, and at the snarl on his lips.

Chardwell had told him his father had stepped beyond the edge of sanity, but he’d refused to believe it. He didn’t want to think that the hatred the duke had always felt for him had eaten away at his mind.

Chardwell had also warned him that his father had threatened to do Joshua harm. He didn’t want to believe that either. But he could see it was true.

“I’ve been searching for you, Father.”

The duke stumbled further into the room, his nearness a greater threat. Joshua stepped in front of Allison and put out his hand, wanting her to stay behind him.

“For what reason,
son
?” he slurred, spitting out the word ‘son’ as if it were bile in his mouth. “Have you thought of another way to humiliate me? Another method to destroy me?”

“My intent was not to destroy you, but to save you from losing everything. Your very dukedom is at stake.”

Ashbury laughed, the sound a demented bark. “You mean
your
dukedom is at stake. You took such steps because of greed. You want what you have no right to own!”

His father’s words were a blow, but nothing he hadn’t heard before. He stood in silence, meeting his father’s glaring hatred, pretending his words did not matter.

His father stepped closer, staggering noticeably. “You figured out what I was doing,” he slurred. The corners of his mouth lifted in a malevolent snarl. He raked his fingers through his twisted, wind-blown hair, then swung his hand through the air. A vase he hit on a nearby table teetered precariously, then fell to the floor and shattered.

“Damn! I nearly succeeded. I nearly managed to lose it all so there wouldn’t be anything left. But then
she
came along.”

Joshua inched to the side to keep himself positioned between Allison and his father.

“If it weren’t for her,” his father said, jabbing an accusing finger in Allison’s direction, “it would all be gone by now. Only a little while longer, and everything would have been lost to you!”

Joshua’s breathing came in harsh jagged gasps. Certainly his father loved Philip and barely tolerated him, but he never thought he’d go to these lengths. Not to the point of losing Ashland Park and the other Ashbury estates in order to keep him from inheriting them.

“Why?” he said through clenched teeth. “Why would you want to lose everything?”

“Why!” He staggered backwards and threw out his arm, his hand in a fist railing at heaven. “So you could not have it. It was Philip’s. Not yours! Everything was to go to him. Not you!”