Secret Pleasures (33 page)

“Where is Arianna?” Maddox said
.
“If you think this has saved you from being cast out of your father’s good graces, you are wrong.”

“I think you must have me confused with someone else
.
I’ve never been in my father’s good graces.”

“I told you to leave him be, Maddox
.
This has nothing to do with him.
”
Darien turned to the strange sound of his father’s voice defending him
.
It was the wrong thing to do because the blow to his chin came with unexpected force
.
Darien tried to catch himself, but he stumbled a bit then dropped to his knees
.
A shot rang out and Darien feared he might have mischarged the weapon he still held loosely in his hand.

He instinctively glanced in his father’s direction, who searched the estate to find the source of the fire
.
Another shot whizzed by Darien’s head, forcing him to stay low to the ground
.
Robert grunted, stumbled forward, then fell in a tangle of long, lifeless limbs
.
Maddox’s gaze darted about and he ducked on the other side of Westhaven’s horse
.
Another shot skipped off Maddox’s boot print
.
The shooter appeared to be in the woods surrounding the estate, but he couldn’t be far to hit so accurately
.
Or not so accurately, as the case may be
.

Tense silence filled the yard while everyone waited to see from where the next shot would come
.
Darien crawled to Robert, unable to bear not knowing if his nephew was dead or alive.

“Damn it, Darien
.
Stay down,” yelled his father.

Darien crouched a bit more, though someone could certainly shoot him if they wanted to
.
He rolled Robert over, brushed aside his long coat and found his white shirt stained with blood
.

Everyone had been right
.
Darien should never have come on this hunt
.
Some things were best left alone.

***

Rand Fitzgerald and Darien carried Robert up the narrow servants’ staircase, the closest way to the nearest bedroom
.
His father followed, breathing heavily but still able to shout orders
.
“Hurry!  His mother mustn’t see him like this
.
To the left at the top of the stairs.”

Darien could not help but think someone had carried his own brother up these steps, perhaps unconscious, perhaps bleeding from a wound in his abdomen that was most often fatal
.
Though Darien had grown up in this house, he was happy to take instruction from his father
.
Currently he could think of nothing but handling his wounded nephew as gently as possible.

“Wake up Dr. Shipley,” his father said to the butler who trailed the procession
.
“We shall need his assistance immediately
.

“Lot of bloody good he did for Philip.
”
Darien regretted his choice of words when he saw the grim look on his brother-in-laws’s face
.
Rand had hardly spoken, just tried to carry his son himself until they decided it would rattle Robert less if the two of them did it together
.
“Is there anyone else we can send for
?
Perhaps someone who’s had medical training in this century.”

“It was too late for Philip
.
Shipley will save young Robert.
”
His father rushed past them and opened the door
.
“Here
.
Right here.
”

Darien readjusted his grip under Robert’s knees
.
A trail of blood on a pale Persian rug marked their journey
. 

“Who in the bloody hell did this?” Darien said to no one in particular.

“Who do you think, you bastard?” Maddox appeared in the open doorway
.
“Don’t think we won’t track down the underling you hired to do your dirty work
.
Neither kidnapping the bride nor shooting the preacher will stop this wedding.”

They laid Robert on the bed, not bothering to remove the peach satin bed coverings that matched the striped tester hanging above
.
Darien let Rand arrange his son’s pillows
.
Maddox’s unwelcome presence reminded Darien of his bruised jaw that had just begun to throb and that he needed to do something about it.

“If I wanted someone shot, it would have been you.
”
Darien marched to Maddox and shoved him hard in the chest
.
Maddox flew from the door’s jam, colliding with a marble column holding a flower arrangement in the hall.

“Stop it!  You’ll wake the entire household,” yelled his father in the authoritative voice that was always obeyed
.
His father brushed away the butler who tried to help him into a chair.

“Your heart, my lord
.
I shall bring your medicine.”

Darien cast a questioning gaze
,
but his father shook off the butler as if whatever obviously ailed him was of no consequence
.
“Light a fire in the hearth
.
Where is the doctor?”

Rand tried to remove Robert’s coat, forcing him to cry out sharply
. 
Maddox had survived his tumble with the statuary and returned to his observation post, noticeably outside the doorway to Robert’s
sickroom
.

“We shall finish this later.
”
Darien wanted to slam the door in the other man’s face, but knew servants were bringing bandages
.
Another anguished scream from Robert forced Darien to turn his back on Maddox
.
Rand, as pale as his son, stood over Robert unable to remove his jacket completely.

“Someone find some shears.
”
Darien pushed aside his brother-in-law to stand by Robert’s side
.
“We’ll cut away his shirt and coat.
”
Darien heard scrambling and a
yes, my lord
.

Robert surprised Darien by suddenly struggling to sit up
.
“Let me see. How bad is it?”

Rand held him firmly down
.
“You’re losing a lot of blood, son
.
Please lie still
.
Dr. Shipley is on his way.
”

“Not Shipley,” Robert said firmly, though he followed his father’s instruction and collapsed against the pillows
.
“I sat next to him at tea and his hands shake
.
Darien, bring Arianna.”

“No!
”
A shrill scream sounded from the doorway
.
Lily catapulted herself into the room
.
She shoved her husband and Darien aside to lean over her son
.
Her frantic gaze assessed his wound
. 

“No, my dear.
”
Westhaven stood, his face red and wet from tears
.
“It’s no use. Please, Vivian
.
He’s dead.
”

Darien turned to his father, his face a tight mask of pain
.
“Are you all right, Father
?
That’s Lily not mother.”

“And I’m not dead, by the way
.
Just in a hell of a lot of pain
.
Mother, please.
”
Though Robert’s voice sounded weak and raspy, he remained strong enough to brush his mother’s fingers away from plucking at his bloody shirt.

Lily straightened, turned to Darien
.
“My God, what happened
?
What did you do?
”

Darien glanced at his father, expecting him to answer
.
Westhaven blinked in obvious confusion and sunk back into his chair
.
Guilt settled in Darien’s gut though he never in his wildest dreams expected this to happen
.
He stared into his sister
’s eyes
and found no words to defend himself
.

“We were ambushed,” Rand said huskily
.
“I should have stopped it
.
I should have done something.”

Lily turned to her husband, examined his anguished features, then embraced him tightly
.

“There was nothing he could have done
. 
Nothing any of us could have done
.
They’re searching the grounds now
.
They’ll find who did this.
”
Darien glanced at Robert
.
His eyes fluttered to stay open and he seemed to grow even paler.

“What the bloody hell is taking Doctor Shipley so long?
”
Westhaven suddenly bellowed as if just coming to his senses
.
“Go fetch him, son.”

“I’m here.” The doctor rushed into the room, his coat half buttoned, his long white wig, which hadn’t even been in style a decade ago, askew
.
“I had to gather my supplies
.
Good
.
A fire is heated
.
I’ll need that
.
And leeches
.
We shall need more leeches.”

“Darien,” called Robert
.
“Bring Arianna
.
She knows anatomy.”

Lily plastered herself in front of her son
.
“Oh, no, you don’t
,” she said to Dr. Shipley
.
“
I saw what you did to my mother and you’re not touching my son.”

“I’ll bring Arianna.
”
Darien sprinted out the door.

***

Ivy tried to convince herself that she enjoyed having her cocoa without balancing Melody in the crook of her arm, but longed to snatch her back from Arianna
.
After collecting her just after dawn, Ivy had been unable to lay her down
.
And Melody did love the attention
.
She reached for Arianna’s nose and squealed in delight
. 

“Oh, she has Lord Blackmore’s wicked grin, don’t you darling.
”
Arianna bounced Melody in her arms.

“I believe it’s more like his drunken grin
.
Perhaps I should take her
.
She might need a change.
”
Ivy could not help but smile, though Melody’s growing resemblance to her father proved unsettling
.
If she and Darien actually had a chance at a future together, Ivy must tell him the truth sooner than later
.

“Let me hold her a bit longer
.
I think brown eyes must be a trait of Lord Blackmore’s mother.
”
Arianna sounded stuffy again, a sure sign she was going to become teary
. 

“I hope you are not too scandalized,” Ivy said, hoping a change in subject would distract Arianna
.
“Need I say, your discretion on the matter of my daughter would be very much appreciated.
”
Ivy would never deny her bond to Melody again
.
No one would ever have the means to take Melody from her.

Arianna shifted Melody to the crook of her arm so she could place a hand on her heart, and lift the other in the air
.
Ivy smiled at Arianna’s sincere gaze and almost set down her cup of hot chocolate to reciprocate
.

Pounding hooves on the graveled front
drive
alerted the dread lingering in Ivy’s stomach to snap to attention
.
She should have known Darien would not be able to control himself at the hunt
.
How could she ever think they could have a future together?

Darien swung open the front door and sprinted past the sitting room and into the kitchen
.
Dark blood, almost black, stained his shirt and hunting jacket
.
My God, it wasn’t even dry.

“Arianna must come with me.
”