The Belligerent Miss Boynton AND The Lurid Lady Lockport (Two Companion Full-Length Regency Novels) (36 page)

"Good Lord, Kevin, put that rag back! Can't abide hysterical females," Bo pleaded, his hands clapped over his ears. Kevin laughed and did as he was told, but then took pity on the lady over the bluish tinge to her bound hands and loosened her bonds a trifle.

When Freddie decided to mount another attack on Jared's family loyalties, Blanche—her sweat-slick hands slipping from their bonds with almost laughable ease—saw her chance and took it. She was at the door before anyone noticed her movements, and through it and running for all she was worth into the black night.

She ran as she had never run before, her skirts hiked up around her knees as she plunged headlong into a concealing stand of trees. Just for a moment, to catch her breath and search out the most direct path for her flight, she leaned against a snow-damp trunk.

And then she saw it. A horse. A great, hulking stallion. Saddled and bridled and ready to ride!

Blanche had ever been an indifferent rider, but never before had she encountered the particular trouble this horse began to deal out the moment she was settled in the saddle. Mindless of her rough sawing on his reins or her heels digging into its flanks, the big red stallion refused to budge an inch. And then something most extraordinary happened. The horse knelt down on all fours and rolled to one side, dumping the incensed Blanche into a slushy, cold puddle.

"Stupid beast!" She screeched, and dealt the horse a vicious kick in his rump, a move that caused the steed merely to utter a horsy laugh.

Thoroughly incensed, and dripping with muddy water, Blanche wished fervently for the luxury of enough time to find a big stick and beat the ignorant brute senseless. But as every moment was of the essence, she settled for another kick and then, raising her sodden skirts, staggered off toward the main road on foot.

By the time Jared and the others reached Tempest, the stallion had regained his feet and was shaking himself free of the twigs and bits of bramble that still clung to his coat.

"It would seem Lady Wade passed this way," Jared observed, tongue in cheek.

"Ah, well," Kevin said, slightly out of breath, "either the lady will freeze her over-stuffed arse off or she'll bamboozle some poor sot on his way to market into giving her a wagon ride to the nearest village. Either way, I grow fatigued by it all, old chums, and suggest we adjourn to the mill for refreshments."

"Toddy, most like," Bo said, shivering.

So that was that. Jared reluctantly turned and walked toward the cottage. Jennings led Tempest to the shed beside the mill, where he would rub him down and feed him some oats if there were any to be had. In any event, Harrow and Nanny should be arriving soon, now that Jared had fired the two agreed-upon warning shots signaling that it was safe to approach the cottage.

Jared felt oddly numb, as if he couldn't believe that, after all these months of waiting, the nightmare was finally over. He didn't feel any elation or sense of victory, just relief that the danger had at long last passed.

When he got back to the cottage he met Peter on the stairs. "Where are you going, lad? I thought you were to stay with the ladies."

"They tossed me out, my lord. I'm to heat some water over the fire. Is the doctor on his way?"

"Peter, it's very late and I am exceedingly tired," Jared replied testily. "What the devil are you talking about?"

Peter grinned and said, "Why, sir, Lady Storm is giving birth. She—"

Jared was gone, up the stairs three at a time, to dash into Amanda's room and shout, "Plague take you, woman, why didn't you tell me you were going to have the child?"

Amanda struggled to a half-sitting position and asked, "Where have you been? It's been an age since we've heard anything. Is everything all right?"

"Yes, everything's all right," he hastily assured her. "Thanks to you and my somewhat mercurial friends, I have decided to deal lightly with dear Freddie. He's off for America on the next possible ship. He, er, feels an urge to travel. Blanche escaped us for the moment and, since she has neither the connections nor the resources to launch another attack on us I think I may safely say we've heard the last of her. But never mind all that, blast it. That boy says you're going to have the baby. Is he correct?"

"Jared, I have been going to have this baby for some months now. You must have become used to the idea by this time. Don't fly so to the alts if it just happens to be tonight. Though I would appreciate it if you could find a doctor, for Aunt Agatha is a bit overcome."

The old lady sniffed. "Overcome? That's certainly a mild way of putting it. Jared, for the love of heaven get us a doctor or a midwife or anyone else who comes to mind. Having instructed Peter to boil water, I have completely depleted my store of knowledge on the subject. I won't even know what to do with the dratted water when he brings it," she ended, plopping down into a chair and wildly fanning herself with her handkerchief.

Amanda took that moment to have another contraction, a strong one, and she reached out her hand for Jared, who raced to her side. The spasm passed after a bit, less than a minute, but to Jared it seemed like an hour. He let go of Amanda's hand and sped to the top of the stairs. "Kevin! Kevin for God's sake, where are you, man?"

"No need to shout, friend. I'm coming up to pay my respects to the ladies. The men the Squire so thoughtfully sent along have taken away the nasty felons, by the way. Bo is escorting Freddie to London in your coach with Jennings at the reins, and Peter is heating some water on the fire. Good man, he. Freddie trained him well. However do you suppose he knew I wished a refreshing wash?"

Jared raced down the steps and grabbed his friend by the shoulders. "Curse your primping, posturing soul, Kevin Rawlings! Amanda is having the baby. Take Devil and ride for Sir Stanley. Fetch him here at once."

Kevin's smile abruptly drooped and he set off to find Sir Stanley, an exceedingly fine physician who just happened to have his winter residence in the district. Little did Jared know, thank goodness, that Sir Stanley was away from home, spending the Christmas holidays celebrating his son Rupert's engagement to a pale little child with a yearly income of over twenty thousand pounds.

Rather than return empty-handed, Kevin pelted to Storm Haven and rounded up the elderly local doctor Amanda had summoned to treat Jared. All this took time, time during which the arrival of Harrow with Nanny in his wake was looked upon by both Jared and Lady Chezwick as being on a par with manna appearing straight from Heaven.

"Where is my baby?" Nanny bellowed as she headed unerringly to her mistress' side. "Harrow, brew me some tea, and plenty of it."

Jared was confused. "What does tea have to do with delivering a baby'?"

"Absolutely nothing I can think of, my lord, but I'm frozen to the bone after spending a small lifetime in that drafty carriage, and I want some tea," Nanny answered calmly.

"But Amanda's in pain. There's no time for sipping tea!"

"Harrow," she called, ignoring Jared. "Send Tom upstairs with the baskets from the carriage. I had a feeling they'd be needed. Oh, and, my lord, I have not yet seen Miss Mandy but I'm sure there's time and enough for tea. First babies are not in as much of a rush as their parents are."

Jared yelled after the woman as she neared the top of the stairs. "Well this one is. It shouldn't even be here for another month, you daft woman! I'm coming with you."

Nanny would have blocked the door, but Jared picked her up bodily and set her to one side before taking up his position next to his wife's bed. "I've sent Kevin for Sir Stanley, love. Do you think you can hold on until he arrives?"

"I'll do my utmost," Amanda replied, trying to hide her distress, "but I'm not sure your son wishes to wait upon the gentleman."

Nanny was more direct. "Bring a man in to take care of my baby? I never heard of such a muddle. What can a man know about these things? You men get us all into this state, and not one of you is a pennysworth of good at getting us out of it. I dare any man to try to come in this room once Miss Mandy and I get down to serious business."

Lady Chezwick had recovered a bit at the sight of Nanny so masterfully taking charge. For once she found herself in complete charity with the feisty old nurse. "Here, here!" she cheered, gaining herself a rare look of approval from Beulah.

Jared would have taken umbrage with the women but for Amanda's detaining hand on his sleeve. "I trust Nanny implicitly, dearest."

Jared wanted to continue the debate but Nanny insisted he leave the room. "We don't need any swooning fathers in here."

Jared's jaw set stubbornly. "I'm staying!"

"If you insist, my lord, but you may be called upon to help. Can you do that?" Nanny jibed, irrespective of both his exalted rank and thundercloud expression.

Could he do this? He could. He would! His father had stayed and helped comfort his wife, hadn't he? He was no less a man than his father. Amanda's hand tightened on his again as she gave herself up to another pain. Jared wiped her brow with the cool cloth Nanny handed him and the fight was on—Jared praying his father had been wrong and Amanda out to prove that she was right.

Lady Chezwick roused herself from her pacing and hand-wringing long enough to gulp down two cups of tea and only four or five small cakes brought from Storm Haven before announcing she was too overset to eat a bite. Meanwhile, Nanny busied herself arranging blankets under Amanda and setting out the small layette she had brought along in anticipation of the night's event.

Finally all the preparations were done and they settled back to wait for the birth. After an hour of this, Amanda finally got angry. "You're all staring at me as if I were going to burst at any moment, and when the pains come you act more as if they're wrapping around your bellies and not mine. Jared," she said with as much composure as her tired body could command, "I would appreciate it very much if you would take yourself and your hangdog look downstairs for an hour or so. We will call you when we need you."

Jared protested loud and long, but finally gave in when Amanda appeared to be on the verge of tears.

"Good," she commented as the door closed behind him and Nanny firmly locked it. "Perhaps now we can get on with it. I never knew a man could be so useless, much as I adore him."

Before long a subtly different sort of pain began wrapping itself around her middle, giving her a nearly uncontrollable urge to bear down. This time Nanny came to her side and stripped off her covers, placing one pudgy hand on Amanda's swollen stomach. "All right now, Miss Mandy, when I say so I want you to push. Come on. Yes, we'll do it now.
Push
." She hauled herself heavily onto the bed and spread Amanda's bent legs. "We'll soon be done, love. Rest a moment now. When the pain comes again I want you to push for all you're worth. Do you hear me?"

Amanda heard her. She called Lady Chezwick to her side and grabbed onto her with both hands. When the next pain came she pulled on her aunt's arms until the slighter woman almost fell into the bed with her. "Good heavens, Amanda, I had no idea you were that strong. Perhaps I should call Jared back in here."

"You do," her niece gasped out, "and I shall...do you an injury. Can you really believe...I want my husband to see me like this...with Nanny popping up from be-between my legs like a—a jack-in-the-box? I would never forgive you."

The two older women smiled, then went back to their work as another pain gripped Amanda and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. There was a banging on the door and Jared called out, "Kevin found a doctor, Aunt."

Amanda, unable to speak, vigorously shook her head in the negative, her confidence in Nanny complete. "Go away, you stupid men," Nanny screeched. "This here is women's work!"

"The devil it is! Amanda! You want the doctor, don't you?"

Lady Chezwick went over to the door and raised her voice in a most unladylike way. "Now you listen to me, Nephew. You're fast becoming a bore. Your wife does not need you or the doctor. We're progressing quite famously with Nanny. Go downstairs and find the poor doctor a drink now that you've brought him here. He can examine the baby when we are ready."

Amanda relaxed as the pain eased, sure another one would grip at her in only moments. It wouldn't do to have Jared hear her cry out, for then he surely would break down the door and see her in this ignominious position. How strange—he was afraid she might die, and yet all she could think of was how
silly
she looked! Clearly having a baby did strange things to a woman's mind.

"Jared, listen to your aunt. Please, Jared," she begged as another contraction began to steal her breath from her, "as you love me—go away!"

He went.

#

Kevin was waiting with some homemade mead he had searched out when the banished men returned downstairs. He soon had a glass pressed into the doctor's hand and returned to a vantage point beside the fireplace to watch his friend—and to stay out of his way.

The doctor was complaining loud and long about being dragged all over the countryside on a fool's errand, but Kevin soon sent him to check on the still-slumbering miller and his family. When he returned to yet another mug of warm mead, the now mellowed doctor decided to make the best of the situation, at least for as long as the mead held out.

Harrow and Tom looked in for a minute, then wisely took themselves off to the small back room to tuck into the food Peter had unearthed from one of Nanny's well-packed baskets. Freddie's former valet had obviously found a home at Storm Haven. All three sat and discussed the oddities of the gentry while listening for sounds from the kitchen.

"For God's sake, Jared, I would appreciate it if you would stop this incessant pacing," Kevin drawled. "I'm getting a crick in my neck watching you. Go sit down and get a grip on yourself. You're falling apart. It's good Bo's not here to see this. Fair unman the fellow to see a friend go all to pieces like this. Ah," he purred as Jared made for a chair, "there's a good fellow."

Jared stared at the rough-hewn chair for a moment before sitting down, his bright blue eyes gazing blankly into the middle distance. Kevin's lip curled. "Stap me if that ain't worse. You look like a damn unpretty statue—God of War, most likely. I'd as lief you paced."