Lady Star (4 page)

Sir Edward watched as a look of abject misery
flashed over the lad’s face before the boy controlled himself, put
his chin up and said, “I must get home before anyone realizes I am
gone.”

Ah
, thought Sir Edward
, just as I
surmised, out on a lark. Perhaps I should teach the boy a lesson
and keep him out such places for a bit?

“It is late, no one will know that you are
gone,” Sir Edward offered. “Stay a bit. Enjoy a bumper of ale with
me and my friend.”

“Please sir, I have no wish to be rude, but I
must be going.”

At that moment, the boy turned and went
visibly rigid as Jules approached. The boy lowered his head and Sir
Edward had no doubt that this lad recognized Jules as someone he
knew.

Right, he had no wish to get the lad into
trouble, but he did want him to remember that all such larks had a
price. He reached out just as the boy started to turn and his hand
skimmed across the lad’s midriff and caught him firmly.

The lad used some force as he yanked free and
tried to run. Dark eyes looked up and pleaded as the boy whispered,
“Please sir, do let me go.”

Sir Edward released him, but in his rush the
lad tripped, reeled and Sir Edward reached once more to catch him
as he fell. What he felt in his arms, he thought, couldn’t be a
lad. No, what was he thinking? It must be a lad, perhaps younger
and therefore softer…and what he thought were full
breasts…no…couldn’t be?

The child murmured a thank you and rushed
off, leaving Sir Edward with two things, a button, and a serious
doubt.

Sir Edward examined the button and recognized
the insignia of Berkley. Well well, young gentry sowing some
wildness? Not a lad, but perhaps a Berkley female, looking for her
lover? Or was he wrong and it was a young boy and he was off about
what he felt? He was, after all, quite in his cups. He stuffed the
button in his pocket.

Jules finally released himself from an
acquaintance who had pulled him aside. However, this acquaintance
seemed to be determined to keep him there, so Edward took pity on
his friend who sent him a look that called for help. “I say,
Jules…ready?”

Jules was able to disengage himself and
hurried toward Sir Edward, took a long drag of air and said, “Lord
save me from such as he! When I settle down and enter politics, it
won’t be to do what m’father did and his father before him. Change
is coming and it should. We aren’t living in the dark ages.” He put
a hand on his friend’s shoulder and asked, “Who was that boy?
Someone you know?”

“No…just a lad,” he answered with a half
smile. “Now, we shall have to fetch my old cob and make our way to
your home my friend, for I do intend to drink you under the table
and hope to be unconscious for a week.”

Jules laughed and said with surprise,
“
Your old cob
? What mean you
? A cob
? How is it you
are riding a cob?”

Chapter
Three

STAR CLOSED THE front door at her back, and
released a long breath of air as she exclaimed out loud, “Whew!
Well done, Miss Berkley, well done.” She meant to watch her brother
carefully from here on in. He may be older, but if he thought he
could deal with such odious men and come out clean, he hadn’t a
lick of sense. Indeed, it might have brought him a few sou to stave
off the creditors, but at what price?

She whipped off her woolen cap, and rushed up
the main staircase, down the wide corridor and stopped at the door
of her brother’s room. Carefully, she opened the door and found him
sitting up with a lit candle beside his bed. She walked right in
and plopped on the edge of his large bed to murmur his name and
shake her head. “Vern. That was the most horrible experience I have
ever had. I should lecture you from now till morning, but I won’t.
Ask me ever again to do something like that and I shall snub you
silly!”

“Aye and it is all my fault,” he said
hoarsely and looked miserable.

She eyed him and realized his face was
flushed. His cheeks were red and there was a bead of sweat on his
forehead.

Clucking her tongue, Star rose and hurried to
his side to put a hand to his forehead and exclaimed fretfully, “Oh
no! You are still quite feverish.”

“Am I? I do feel better,” he answered and
waved off the problem with a lazy swish of his hand. “Now tell me,
what happened. What did Farley say?”

“Hush, I will tell you all, but do not excite
yourself,” she arched a look at him and then released a long sigh.
“I found Farley—horrid beast of a man. I delivered your message and
all is as it should be. I did not pretend to be you as you wished.
It never would have worked. I said I was a cousin.”

He sank back against his pillows, “You are
the most wonderful sister.”

She realized that he was humiliated by what
he had been forced to tell her and ask her to do in his stead. She
saw now that it had been soul draining for him.

He looked pitiful in his misery as he
exclaimed, “That I sent you amongst cutthroats, smugglers and
thieves.
Ye gods
, but I am the worst of brothers!”

“
Nonsense
. I was in disguise and am
very good at play acting,” she smiled encouragingly at him. “I will
not try and bamboozle you Vern. You know as I do, that you were
wrong, however, what has passed, is over and you will never engage
in such conduct again—right? You promise me?”

“I cannot promise you that,” he murmured.

“What the deuce do you mean?” she demanded in
unladylike terms. “You
must
promise me that…Vern.”

“I am tired, sis,” he answered with a weak
smile. “We’ll talk later.”

She frowned, but she could see his illness
had indeed taken its toll. She patted his hand and left him to
sleep.

As she made her way to her own room, she
wrung her hands.
What could he mean?
He could not continue
doing what he had been doing. It was so much more than wrong. It
was a serious crime and this evening could never be repeated. She
had been so fortunate that Jules had not seen her, really seen her
for he would have known at once that it was she. Jules, sweet
Jules—such a good man, a handsome man and he had become
increasingly…friendly as of late.

* * *

“Ye gods! Draw back the flaming drapes at
once!” Sir Edward bellowed at his loudest as a ray of sunlight hit
him fully in the face and caused him exquisite pain. “What in
thunder are you doing?”

The young serving boy made haste to correct
his error, mumbled an apology and set things in order for his
employer’s guest. He bowed himself out of the room and hurried
off.

Sir Edward pulled himself into a sitting
position in the darkened room and ran his hands through his ginger
colored locks. He made a valiant effort to remember who he was. As
dawning came to him, he sighed and now armed with
who
he
was, he set himself the task of discovering
where
he
was.

His location was totally foreign and after
this proved impossible to recall, he gave it up and sank back
against his pillows and groaned.

He was not allowed more than a short
respite.

A man’s heavy thumping strides on the oak
flooring outside his door reverberated in his head. This no sooner
stopped and gave him relief when the loud damning thud of knocking
began, accompanied by the gleeful sound of a man much pleased with
himself. “Edward! Ed…I say, Ed! Are you awake ‘ole boy?”

The door opened and a stream of daylight
poured through as the corridor outside his room opened onto a large
balcony overlooking the central hall and central staircase where
floor to ceiling windows allowed in the light.

Jules walked in and said, “
What?
Still
in bed? It is nearly noon.” He strode across the Oriental rug and
drew back the drapes with gusto.

“
Bloody hell.
If I don’t die in the
next few moments, I shall rise up and murder you!” Sir Edward
advised his friend.

Jules laughed and Edward winced.

“Got a headache, eh? Well, no wonder. You
would drink that brandy after all that ale you guzzled down. I
warned you. Look at me, fit and ready.”

“
Fiend
! Devil’s minion. If I look at
you, it will be to get my hands around your throat. Now, have pity
on a dying man and allow him to do that one thing in peace.” Edward
returned hoarsely.

For an answer to this, Jules flung back the
quilt with merry abandon and commanded,
“Up I say!
Want you
to bear me company to the Grange.” Then because Edward attempted to
escape once more with whatever cover he could find, he grappled
with him and yelled dramatically, “Edward…if ever I needed you,
it is now!
”

Sir Edward heard this and collapsed on his
back and groaned, “Zounds! He
needs
me.”

Jules chuckled, “Come on, some toast and
coffee is what will set you to rights. The ride, the fresh air, all
of it will do you good.”

“Ride? Fresh air? You aren’t worried about
anything doing me any good. You said you need me and before I
budge, you will explain.” Sir Edward said holding his head. He did
sit up a bit and made a valiant attempt to focus on his friends’
face.

A knock sounded at the open door and Jules
said, “Ah…here it is. Come in lad.”

The same servant Edward had just banished
appeared and haltingly entered the room.

“Come on, no one shall bite you,” Jules said
on a chuckle.

A tray was presented to Jules. He reached for
it and took a glass and nodded for his servant to leave. Turning
toward Edward who regarded him warily he shoved the glass at him
and said, “Here, drink this.”

Edward eyed the glass of red liquid with
great misgiving. “What in thunder is that?”

“Tomato juice and soda water. Do you
good.”

“You seem determined to do me good this
morning,” Sir Edward returned dryly. He did indeed take the glass
from him and drank it down. It wasn’t the first time he had had a
similar concoction. This done, he made an inaudible sound and
sighed.

“Edward ‘ole boy. Last night you talked about
Lethe’s Stream. Said you needed a bumper of it to make you forget
the Lady Babs. Said you couldn’t bear to think how easily you had
fooled yourself into thinking she might care for you.” Jules paused
a moment and his eyebrow went up. “Well,
Lethe’s Stream
is
only a fable and brandy didn’t really do the trick, did it?”

Sir Edward eyed his friend ruefully. “Point?
Get to the point.”

“Well, couldn’t help but notice ‘ole boy, it
wasn’t the girl you talked about so much, but the losing her to
someone else. Hurt your monumental pride.” Jules grinned, but took
a step back as Sir Edward glared at him. “Sorry my friend, but it
just seems to me you weren’t as taken with her as you say you
were.”

“Really?”

Jules laughed, “Don’t glint those hazel eyes
at me! You look like a tiger about to pounce.”

“Do I? Perhaps I shall,” Edward returned on a
low note.

“Now, don’t get your back up Edward,” Jules’s
hands went up. “The thing is, put it behind you,
as I
have
done.” Jules’ tone took on a slightly superior note.

Sir Edward eyed him. He wasn’t about to
quarrel with his friend, but he felt his rising temper heat his
blood. He calmed himself and managed to say sardonically, “As
you
have done, Jules?”

“Aye, that’s it.” Jules answered brightly and
looked encouraged. “That’s why I want us to ride over to the Grange
this morning.”

“You seem more than a little animated about a
ride to some grange?” Sir Edward stared hard at his friend’s
face.

“Am I? Animated you say?” Jules returned
vaguely.

“It would appear the brandy has clouded my
understanding,” Edward returned as he swung his legs over the side
of the bed. “What has riding to this place to do with anything you
have said to me this morning?”

“Nearly afternoon,” Jules returned. “I’ll
explain on the way there. I have had a bath drawn for you down the
hall. Wash up and perhaps I will even feed you before we
leave.”

Sir Edward groaned and held his head.

Jules grinned, “Write out some instructions
for your people and I will have someone take them over to Brighton
and collect your things.”

On this note, Jules left his friend to do the
tasks he had been assigned. Edward stared at the closed door. Had
he somehow fallen deeper into hell?

Chapter
Four

HE WAS A Dapple Gray. He stood sixteen hands
and his black mane and tail were thick and luxurious. At that
moment his head and his tail were held high with stallion pride. He
snorted and pranced. Star laughed out loud as she watched him in
the stud paddock. His name was Berkley’s Choice. He had won seven
out of eight starts at Ascot.

He danced toward her and she cooed to him.
She fed him the last carrot she had brought with her and he nuzzled
her for more. She lost her balance on the post fence and nearly
fell off the rail she had been perched upon. “Oh Choice,
fie!
” she laughed an objection.

He nuzzled her some more and she wagged a
finger before petting his fine face. “Now stop that, sir.”

He was their prize and had already brought in
quite a stud fee for his services that season. It was enough to
cover the expenses of keeping their prime bloods at Berkley
Grange.

A sound in the distance caught his attention
and his ears went forward alertly as he scanned the long drive. She
turned to have a look.

“Now, just what do you see?” What
she
saw
at that moment was discouraging. Ill kept lawns, trees and
evergreens in need of shaping and pruning, weeds in the flower beds
and their long drive to the house was badly rutted. How could she
help but sigh and remember another time when Berkley looked so
different, so very fine.