A Matter of Duty (22 page)

In spite of her own problems, Louisa smiled to herself. Lady Lawrence and Geoffrey had got what they deserved, and now Emma would be happy again, enjoying the love of her father just as she had done before the advent of his malicious wife.

The sea gulls were still squabbling by the fishing boat, fighting over the scraps thrown out from the morning catch. Beyond their clamor she heard another carriage approaching along the quay, and as the crowd parted to let it through, she saw that it was the Rowe landau. Its hoods were down and Thea and Rowe could be plainly seen. Thea was exquisitely lovely in lime green, the soft plumes of her little hat fluttering prettily in the breeze.

Louisa’s glance was drawn unwillingly toward Kit. He was gazing at his bewitchingly beautiful mistress.

T
he Rowe landau drew up behind the Highclare carriage. The horses were sweating and stamping, as if they’d been driven at speed all the way from the villa on the hillside, and they were nervous, capering a little at the crush of people. The coachman endeavored to keep them steady, but the nearside leader was particularly uneasy, tossing its head, its eyes rolling. It reared up a little as the sea gulls farther along the quay set up a renewed clamor when more fish were discarded from the catch. There were gasps from the ladies in the crowd as the horse lurched momentarily toward the very edge of the quay, its hooves striking sparks from the cobbles.

In the open carriage, the two occupants could be clearly seen by one and all. Thea had seldom looked lovelier than she did today, for lime green suited her particularly well. There was a hint of rouge on her lips and cheeks, and her violet eyes seemed a little uneasy, but that was the only sign she gave that all was not well in her life.

Beside her, Rowe looked even more drawn than the day before, and it was obvious to everyone that he was in greater pain from his wounded arm. A fawn coat was resting gingerly around his shoulders, and he held his arm awkwardly, as if the slightest movement caused him utter agony. His hat was tilted uncharacteristically back on his head, allowing the sunlight to fall fully on his strained face, revealing its ghastly pallor.

The horses were still very restive as he alighted, stepping down on the side away from the edge of the quay. He moved carefully, protecting his arm at all times, and the crowd began to murmur, for it was obvious to everyone that he wasn’t in any condition at all to take part in the race.

Kit thought so too and went quickly over to him to offer to postpone the race.

Rowe turned immediately, a cruel twist to his pale lips. ‘Well, Highclare, I trust you’re ready to be humiliated, for that’s what’s about to befall you today.’

‘I’ll never be ready for humiliation, Rowe, but I am ready to put the race off until you’re fully recovered.’ Kit glanced at Thea, whose lovely eyes hadn’t left him.

Rowe’s laugh was cold. ‘Postpone it? Never.’ He spoke in a loud enough tone for everyone to hear.

‘Be sensible, man,’ said Kit, ‘everyone can see you’re not up to it.’

‘Can they, indeed? Well, I’m up to it, all right, make no mistake. Be a coward if you wish, Highclare, but don’t expect me to aid and abet you. The race goes on.’

Kit’s eyes had flashed with anger at being publicly called a coward, and now he gave a stiff inclination of his head. ‘Very well, if you wish the race to proceed, proceed it will.’

Seeing that he was about to turn away, Thea suddenly stretched out her hand to him, needing to touch him again, even though Rowe was watching. ‘May – may the best man win, Lord Highclare,’ she said.

Kit hesitated, but then took the hand and drew it to his lips.

Louisa felt a deep pain as she watched. Next to her, the earl watched as well. ‘My dear, he’s your husband, not hers. You told me you’d resolved to fight for him, so do it. Don’t allow her even an inch. Just follow your heart, do what it tells you and you won’t go wrong.’

Kit had left Thea now and was coming back toward her. Louisa stared at him. Do what her heart told her? It was telling her to run to him, to hold him close and tell him how much she loved and needed him.

The earl urged her again. ‘Claim him, Louisa. He’s yours.’

Suddenly the shackles seemed to fall from her and everything was crystal-clear. Of course she had to go to him and confess her love, she’d been blind not to do it before. Gathering her skirt, she hurried across the few yards separating them, startling both him and the onlookers by flinging her arms around him and kissing him passionately on the lips. There were gasps at such an uninhibited display from Lady Highclare, and she caught Kit completely unaware, but she was oblivious to everything except the need to at last show him how she really felt.

Thea stood motionless by the landau, her violet eyes flashing as she recognized Louisa’s actions for what they were. The creature loved him and actually had the presumption to try to win him.

Rowe was paying little attention to what was going on on the quay, for one of his crew had called him over to the water side of the landau to examine one of the hasty repairs carried out to the cutter before she’d left London. He stood on the very edge of the quay, the inky, shining strip of water between the harbor and the yacht lying directly below; it was an ever-changing strip of water because the
Cyclops
was moving at her moorings.

Kit didn’t want to respond to Louisa, but he couldn’t help it. He needed to hold and kiss her. His hands moved slowly to her waist, pulling her close, and there were cheers from the watching crowd as he returned her ardor. Dear God, how he loved her.…

Her face was flushed as she drew back to look into his eyes. ‘I love you, Kit, I love you so much that I can’t go on any longer without telling you. I haven’t meant any of the dreadful things I’ve said, I only said them because you hurt me so much. I’m innocent of doing anything wrong, please believe me.

A gladness sang through him. He didn’t care about anything except that she loved him. He cupped her face in his hands. ‘Louisa, I—’ He broke off because suddenly the sea gulls’ noise rose to a deafening crescendo. Pandemonium broke out by the fishing boat as one bird managed to fly off with the last fish and was pursued by the others up the quay. They swooped low, their wings startling and very white, and their furious cries resounded from every corner of the harbor.

It all happened in a moment. The landau’s nervous team shifted uneasily, the nearside leader once again tossing its head and rearing a little. The coachman shouted a warning to Rowe, who still stood with his back toward the horses. He whirled about, realizing too late the danger he was in. The rearing animal struck him full force on his wounded arm and he gave an agonized scream as a searing pain engulfed him. He lost consciousness, his knees sagging, and Louisa’s breath caught on a horrified gasp as he slowly fell over the edge of the quay into the dangerously deep and narrow water below.

For a moment everyone was stunned. The sea gulls continued their noise and the unhappy coachman strove to control the horses, afraid that at any moment they’d panic completely and drag the landau after Rowe into the water.

Kit, who’d been as thunderstruck as anyone, recovered from the initial shock and reacted quickly, dashing to the edge of the quay and tearing off his coat and boots before climbing over the lip of the wharf and dropping down into the constantly changing water below. The
Cyclops
was closing in a little, the breeze edging her toward the quay, and a woman screamed as it seemed that the yacht would crush anyone caught between her and the quay, but then the breeze dropped and the yacht became still.

Thea remained where she was as everyone else pressed forward to see what was happening. Her thoughts were suddenly far from Louisa’s fight for Kit. Let Rowe be dead, let him be dead! She wanted to be free of him.

Lord Grantham had hurried down some stone steps leading to the water, and he called to Kit. ‘Get him over here if you can. Is he still alive?’

Rowe’s body was floating in the narrow water, the
Cyclops
looming menacingly over him, but he was face-up and so at least couldn’t drown. A deep gash marked his white forehead, and blood was oozing swiftly from it as Kit managed to reach him. ‘He’s alive, but he’s losing a lot of blood!’

A murmur spread through the crowd, and Thea breathed in sharply, her eyes bitter. Alive. She wasn’t to be free of him! The joyous prospect was being snatched away as swiftly as it had been set before her. She collected herself then, for if Rowe had survived, she must ape the distraught wife. With a belated but admirably convincing sob, she hurried to the top of the steps just as Lord Grantham, assisted now by several other gentlemen, pulled Rowe out of the water.

Lady Grantham and the Misses Carpenter hurried dutifully to comfort her, endeavoring to pull her away from such a distressing scene, but she gave a remarkably consummate performance, refusing to budge until she’d seen that her husband was all right. She bent tearfully over his unconscious body as he was carried to the top of the steps, and had to be restrained from flinging herself on him as they set him down for a moment.

No one watching could have guessed that her anguish was all an act – except Louisa and the earl, of course, who both looked on in disgust as she wept her crocodile tears.

Kit hauled himself from the water, accepting his coat and boots from a small boy who’d brought them down to him in the hope of a penny or two. Kit obliged him and then pulled on the boots, glancing up to the top of the steps to where Lady Grantham and the other ladies were still trying to calm Thea’s hysteria.

Through her effusive sobs, Thea was watching him all the time. Her glance lingered on the way his fair hair curled tightly with the wet, and how his shirt and breeches clung revealingly to his body. She wasn’t going to surrender him to a mere governess – he was hers, and he’d always be hers! As she saw him begin to come up the steps, her sobs increased, and the moment he reached the top, she ran to him, flinging her arms about his neck just as Louisa had done only minutes before. She cried out her gratitude to him for saving her husband’s life, and she pressed against him, seeming for all the world like a distraught woman thanking her husband’s savior, but all the time she was exulting in embracing him in front of his wife.

As the men carried Rowe away to the nearby Mermaid Inn and a boy was sent to bring the surgeon, who resided in a street not far away, Louisa watched stricken as Kit put his arms around his sobbing mistress to comfort her. What a fool she’d made of herself, confessing her love and baring her innermost soul, only to see him reaffirming his love for another woman in front of the whole world. He was still Thea’s, and he always would be.

K
it was aware that Thea was in danger of drawing too much attention, and so he quickly moved away from her, appealing to Lady Grantham, who still stood nearby with the Misses Carpenter. ‘Would you look after her while I go and see what’s happening with Rowe?’

‘Yes, of course.’ Lady Grantham hurried willingly forward.

Thea had no intention of being separated from Kit. ‘No,’ she cried tearfully. ‘No, I must see my husband as well, I won’t stay out here.’

Lady Grantham was appalled. ‘But, my dear, it will not be a place for a lady.’

‘I must be with my husband.’ Thea looked imploringly at Kit. ‘Take me with you. Please, I beg of you.’

Such a heartbroken appeal was impossible to refuse, and although he still felt uncomfortable, he offered her his arm and they proceeded through the crowds toward the inn. Thea couldn’t resist tossing a victorious glance back at Louisa, who remained with the earl.

The earl was much concerned. ‘Louisa, you must go too, don’t allow her any chances at all.’

‘He doesn’t want me, he’s made that perfectly clear.’ Her voice shook a little.

‘Nevertheless.…’

‘Please, my mind is made up, I’ll stay out here.’

He fell silent, seeing that for the moment she was too upset to be reasoned with. But in a while he had every intention of putting pressure on her again. She’d agreed to put her marriage in his hands, and he wasn’t going to allow Thea such an easy victory.

The surgeon had arrived only a moment before Kit and Thea entered, and was leaning over Rowe’s still-unconscious body, applying a dressing to the bloody wound on his forehead.

The low, beamed room was crowded with gentlemen, including Lord Grantham and Charles Pelham, who stood at the foot of the narrow bed. The windows had been closed to shut out the noise from the quay below.

Thea waited with convincing anxiety, twisting a handkerchief in trembling, anguished hands. The surgeon straightened, drawing a heavy breath. Lord Grantham looked anxiously at him. ‘Well? How is he?’

‘Not good, not good at all, sir. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do for him, he’s lost far too much blood already and is still losing it. Perhaps it’s as well, because from what I’ve seen of his arm …’ The man shook his head. ‘It should have been amputated days ago. For his sake I think what happened today was a kindness, for now he’ll go quickly.’

Thea was staring at him. Rowe was going to die, after all? Ever mindful of her very public anguish, she gave a heartrending cry and began to rush to the bedside, but Lord Grantham restrained her.

‘My lady, my lady, he’s in no condition!’

‘But I must see him! He’s my husband and I love him dearly!’

Kit shifted his position uncomfortably, averting his eyes.

Lord Grantham saw nothing amiss in her conduct, but still held her back from the bedside. ‘Please don’t stay here, my dear, it will only cause you pain. Allow me to take you down to my wife, let her look after you.…’

‘No!’ Thea was still determined not to be separated from Kit, but now saw he was siding with Lord Grantham.

‘He’s right,’ he said, ‘you shouldn’t be here.’

Her mind was racing. ‘Very well,’ she said at last, her glance falling on the landlord, who was hovering anxiously in the doorway. ‘Landlord, do you have a room where I can be private? I wish to be on my own for a while.’

The man nodded quickly. ‘Oh, yes, my lady, there’s a parlor off the taproom where you can be quite alone.’

She looked at Kit. ‘You’ll come and tell me the moment…?’ She broke off wretchedly, believable tears shining in lovely eyes.

He had to consent. ‘Yes, of course.’

‘You promise?’

‘I promise.’

Satisfied that he would do as she asked, she went out of the room with the landlord, and as the door closed behind her, the surgeon spoke again. ‘I didn’t like to say anything in front of her ladyship, but Lord Rowe will not see many more minutes out, he’s slipping away quite quickly.’

As if to prove him wrong, Rowe stirred slightly, his dull eyes flickering and opening. Their fading glance moved straight toward Kit, as if he sensed he was there. ‘Highclare.’ The single word was said so feebly that it was barely audible.

Kit moved unwillingly to the bedside.

Dislike poured out of the dying man’s eyes. ‘You escape me, after all,’ he whispered. ‘I’d have put an end to you, on the same rocks as the
Mercury
. I’d have sent you to the bottom as surely as I sent the
Eleanor
. I had it all planned, it could not fail.’

Lord Grantham and Charles Pelham exchanged shocked glances, and a stir passed through the other gentlemen.

Rowe’s bloodless lips were curved in a parody of a smile. ‘Tom Cherington has had to wait, but he’s got me, after all. Your governess will … will dance on … my grave.…’ His eyes were closing and he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Out on the quay, Louisa was seated in the Highclare carriage with the earl. He’d been holding his tongue, but now he decided it was time to press her again.

‘My dear, I must remind you that you’re leaving that woman precious minutes with Kit. Do you want him or not?’

‘It doesn’t matter what I want anymore, he’s made it clear what he wants.’

‘Has he? Are you telling me that he didn’t respond to you when you kissed him in front of everyone? Was it my imagination that
he
held you close and returned your kiss?’

She raised her sad eyes to his face.

He took her hands. ‘He’s your husband, Louisa,
your
husband, the man you vowed to love and cherish and who made those same vows to you. I don’t think he uttered them any more lightly than you did, so you must go to him now, you
must
.’

‘I can’t,’ she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

‘You’re twice the woman she’ll ever be, and I don’t think she really stands a chance against you. Go to him now, my dear, it’s your duty.’

Her duty? Did everything always come down to duty?

‘It’s
your
place to be with him, Louisa, not hers. Go in there now and deny her what she seeks to steal from you.’

She hesitated then, wanting to find strength in what he said.

He smiled, releasing her hands. ‘Go to him, my dear, for if you don’t, you’ll never forgive yourself.’

She was suddenly swayed. He was right, she had to go. Gathering her skirt, she alighted from the carriage and hurried toward the inn.

The earl sat back, smiling. There was more than a mere kitten in the new Lady Highclare, there was a little of the tiger as well.

Lady Grantham and the Misses Carpenter were by the inn door as Louisa approached, and they seemed to be trying to see into a window immediately next to it. A maid was just drawing the curtains, and before she did so, Louisa caught a glimpse of Thea languishing tearfully inside on her own, a handkerchief held pathetically to her eyes. Louisa hesitated and then made up her mind; it was time to face this other woman.

She managed to slip unseen past the ladies, who were too busy discussing the awful events of the morning to notice her. The taproom was crowded as gentlemen jostled for service with the sailors and fishermen who always frequented the inn. The landlord saw her immediately and came hurrying over, recognizing her from having watched her arrive earlier.

‘Lady Highclare, I’m afraid his lordship is upstairs with—’

‘It’s Lady Rowe I wish to see.’

He looked a little uncomfortable. ‘Her ladyship wishes to be alone, she’s very distressed.’

‘I’m sure she’ll see me,’ she replied, looking toward the door of the room where she’d seen Thea.

He was in a quandary, but then decided that he’d do as Louisa wished. ‘Very well, my lady, if you’ll come this way.’

He conducted her through the taproom toward the door, and immediately he knocked, Thea began to sob loudly within, her voice catching as she answered. ‘Yes? Who is it?’

‘Lady Highclare wishes to see you, my lady.’

There was sudden silence, the sobs stopping as quickly as they’d begun. ‘Very well, show her in.’

He opened the door and Louisa went inside. The door closed behind her, shutting off the noise of the taproom, and she was alone with Thea.

The darkened room was small and sparsely furnished, with two high-backed settles on either side of an inglenook fireplace. The walls had been recently white-washed, the floor was red-raddled, and a table stood in the center of it. Thea still occupied the only other chair, and because the curtains were drawn, it was at first difficult to see her face, but then she rose to her feet, her lime-green skirt rustling as she came closer.

‘So, governess, we meet at last. Have you come to concede defeat?’

‘No. Why should I? I have his ring, you don’t.’ Louisa held up her left hand. The band of gold gleamed softly in the subdued light.

‘You may wear it for the moment, my dear, but you won’t for very much longer. Kit made a great many decisions that first night he was back on the island. He told me that when I was free he intended to set you aside. He regards you as a millstone of monumental embarrassment, did you know?’

‘I don’t believe you, you’d say anything to try to destroy me.’

‘Don’t flatter yourself, governess, for I really don’t need to try, you were destroyed the moment your name was linked to Geoffrey Lawrence’s. Kit will never forgive you.’

Louisa held her ground. ‘Maybe you were looking the other way when he kissed me on the quay just before the accident.’

Thea turned sharply away. ‘You begin to bore me, governess. Kit is a red-blooded man, he was bound to respond to such a wanton display as yours. You threw yourself on him, and really, it was very embarrassing. I could tell he found it discomforting, and so could everyone else I heard passing comments. You made a fool of yourself, my dear. Why don’t you just remove yourself from his vicinity, for you’re not going to win.’ She turned spitefully back. ‘I’m waiting here for him now, he’s coming to me the moment Rowe’s breathed his last.’

Louisa stared at her. ‘Lord Rowe is dying?’

‘Yes. What price your precious wedding ring then, mm?’ Thea smiled unpleasantly.

Louisa was shaken, for somehow it hadn’t occurred to her that Rowe’s injuries were fatal, after all. How could she possibly compete if this woman was free? What hope did she have?

The door suddenly opened and to her dismay Kit came in. ‘Thea, Rowe died a few moments ago, and—’ He broke off, seeing Louisa.

Thea smiled triumphantly, going to him. ‘I’ve been waiting for you, darling,’ she murmured.

He spoke to Louisa. ‘Please wait outside.’

‘But, Kit—’

‘Do as I say. I’ll be out directly.’

She stared miserably at him. Everything Thea had said was true. With a choked sob, she hurried past, pausing just outside to glance unhappily back. The door was swinging to, and she caught a glimpse of Thea slipping her arms around him, her lips upturned yearningly to meet his.

It was too much to bear. Louisa pushed tearfully through the taproom, causing no small comment in her haste. She dashed out into the sunlight past Lady Grantham and the Misses Carpenter, and she heard their amazed gasps as she ran along the quay toward the carriage.

The earl saw her coming and opened the carriage door in great concern. ‘My dear, whatever is it?’

He helped her inside and closed the door again, drawing the blinds down so that no one could see, for everyone had noticed her distress. He took her trembling hands. ‘Please tell me, Louisa. What’s happened?’

She bit her lip, trying to blink back the tears. ‘It’s her he wants, I know it beyond any shadow of a doubt. He’s going to set me aside so that he can marry her.’

‘But Rowe.…’

‘Lord Rowe is dead. She’s free now, and that’s all Kit has ever wanted. He thinks of me as a millstone and I embarrass him.’

The earl was taken aback. ‘Kit said
that
to you?’

‘No. He told her and she told me.’

His eyes cleared. ‘Then I think we can regard it as a fairy tale. You’ve fallen into her trap, my dear; there isn’t a shred of truth in what she says.’

‘Isn’t there? When I left they were in each other’s arms.’

‘Oh, surely not.…’

‘I saw them. There was no mistake.’ She swallowed, her voice breaking. ‘I’ve played and lost, and now it’s time for me to leave while I still have any pride.’

‘Leave? No, I won’t hear of it!’

‘Please. Let me go, I can’t bear it anymore. I want to leave as quickly as possible – on the afternoon packet if possible.’

‘But what will become of you, my dear?’

‘I’ll manage.’ She gave a wry smile, her lips trembling. ‘I’m sure I’ll find a position, for what a talking point it will be to be able to say that you’ve employed the notorious Lady Highclare as governess?’

‘Please don’t talk like that.…’

‘I’m sorry, I can’t help it. Too much has happened to me and this is the end. Can I return to Highclare now?’

‘Please reconsider.’

‘I can’t. It’s all over, and I know it.’

He nodded sadly. ‘Very well, my dear. I’ll come with you.’

‘No, there’s no need. Besides, I think I’ll be better on my own.’

‘If you wish. Send the carriage back.’

‘Yes.’

He climbed out, slamming the door behind him and telling the coachman to drive to Highclare. As it drew away, he turned to look darkly at the Mermaid Inn, then tugging his hat on firmly, he walked toward it.

He arrived just as the harassed landlord emerged from the doorway to beg Lady Grantham to come and help as Lady Rowe was having hysterics. Lady Grantham didn’t wish to be seen entering a low establishment, but felt that circumstances were somewhat extenuating and so she followed the man inside. The earl moved in their wake, for where Lady Rowe was, there was Kit to be found as well.

The taproom was hushed because of the noise coming from the little parlor. Thea’s loud sobs echoed through the building and became louder as the landlord opened the door and ushered Lady Grantham inside. Kit was standing before the fireplace, his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes downcast. Thea was in the chair, her face hidden in her hands as she wept, and at first she was so distraught that Lady Grantham couldn’t do anything with her.