The Duke and the Dressmaker (The St. James Series) (17 page)

“Oh no, she left. Your
footman came in the door, and she left. Then Lady Downey opened your package and stared at it for a long time. I think she forgot I was there. She had tears in her eyes. That woman cut up a lot of her gowns. It was a mean thing to do. After she finished writing a note for your man, she remembered I was still there and gave me my note. I ran home as fast as I could to tell the Ardleighs what happened.”

Phoebe nodded at her footman
. “Thank you, Frederick. You did well today. You may go.”

After she closed the door behind Frederick, Phoebe crossed the room and handed a note to Philip. “This is the note I received,
Brentwood.”

He read it with a stunned look on his face:

I am sorry, but I am unable to accept your gift. While I understand that we have affections for each other, accepting this would mean that I am willing to live with you as your mistress. I just cannot do that.

I do not regret our friendship. You have taught me much that I may have never learned, but I am afraid I must put an end to our relationship.

The necklace is beautiful, but it is not for me. Perhaps it belongs with Lady Montrose.

Regretfully,

Sara

Philip picked hi
s head up and accepted Phoebe’s derision.

Groaning, he rubbed his forehead at his utter stupidity.
What had he done? Thank goodness Sara never knew his thoughts.

“Which letter do you think was meant for me, Your Grace?” Phoebe raised her eyebrows.

He sank into a nearby chair. “I beg your forgiveness, Lady Ardleigh.”

“Sara is the one you need to beg
, not me. How could you think someone as innocent and sweet as Lady Downey could ask you for a larger necklace? I know you have known two women who are bad examples of my gender, but Sara?” She shook her head as she turned away from him.

“Lady
Ardleigh, I will beg Sara’s forgiveness.”

“As you should,
Your Grace. As to the other issue in that note, I am not quite bold enough to discuss it with you. I will leave that to Ardleigh.” Phoebe gave her husband a stern look.

The
duke glanced from husband to wife. “I assume the authorities are aware of Miranda’s part in this atrocity?”

Ardleigh
spoke up. “Yes, I have apprised them of the situation. The magistrate is arranging for a warrant for her arrest.”

“
But I still do not know who hurt Sara.”

Phoebe turned to glare at Philip. “Oh, I know who hurt her
, but I do not know who beat her.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sara attempted to open her eyes, but the lids were still heavy. She pried one open, but the other only opened partially. Where was she? She tried to sit up, but the pain in her arm stopped her.

Memories flooded back through her mind. Glimpses of Miranda Montrose, Stinky
, and Phoebe darted in and out.
Oh, yes, that’s right. Miranda tore up much of my merchandise, and Stinky broke my finger. And Philip sent me a necklace to try to convince me to whore for him.

Sara groaned and allowed her head to fall back on the pillow. She was at Phoebe’s. It must be just past dawn. A maid tittered in front of her.

“My lady, are you all right? Can I get something for you? Shall I get Lady Ardleigh? Are you hungry? Shall I fetch something for you to eat?”

Sara could see the woman had the best of intentions,
but her head pounded. “Perhaps some tea, if you don’t mind.”

“Yes,
Lady Downey. I will return straightaway.” She nodded and ran from the room.

A few minutes later, Phoebe strode into the room.

“Sara, how are you? You must be in pain? What can I do for you? The doctor left some medicine I can give you.”

“I am all right, Phoebe. I sent your maid for some tea. Then I should get my things together and head back to my shop. I have much to do.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You are not going anywhere. The doctor said you are to stay in bed for a few days at least. Your arm must be terribly sore as well as your face. You have so many bruises, you need to rest. You may eat and bathe today, but no more. I must insist. I know you are stubborn, Sara, but you are not leaving this house.”

Sara sighed and decided Phoebe was probably right. She had a multitude of aches and pains right now and the thought of getting out of bed was not the least bit enticing.

“Besides, if I allow you out, the duke will have my head.”

Sara’s head shot up. “Philip? What does he have to do with any of this?”

“He was here yesterday after he found your broken door and the mess inside. He was quite adamant that you not be allowed to leave.”

Sara rubbed her head. “Oh, he knows then.”

“Yes, he knows about you and about Miranda. He sat with you while the doctor set your finger. You don’t remember?”

“No, I am afraid I do not recall much after Stinky left
. Except your face, Phoebe. How can I ever thank you for caring enough to come to my shop?” Sara turned her head to hide her tear-stained lashes.

“Sara, you do not need to thank me. We are friends, and you would do the same for me.” Phoebe’s voice softened. “But as friends, don’t you think it
’s time to tell me everything that is going on in your life?”

Sara grabbed a hanky to wipe her tears. She nodded her head and told Phoebe about Stinky.

“Oh my, you poor thing.” Phoebe held her friend’s hand when she was finished. “Does anyone else know about this?”

Sara stared at he
r lap. “Just Philip. There is no one else in my life that I can turn to, you remember?”

“I know, but
Ardleigh and I are here for you now. What does the duke suggest?”

“
He wants to pay whoever is involved, but I don’t know who that is. I have never seen Stinky anywhere else and he has never given me his name or the name of his boss. I don’t know what to do. I can’t live like this anymore. I am tired of looking over my shoulder everywhere and not being able to sleep.” Sara’s voice grew agitated as she sat up straight.

The maid returned with tea and toast.
After dismissing the maid, Phoebe poured Sara’s tea and patted her hand. “Relax, my dear. You are staying here. You need to focus on resting today. My husband and Brentwood will decide what to do about your problem.”

Sara sip
ped her tea, wincing as the movement hit her cheekbones. “I do not wish for the duke to be involved. Our relationship is over.” Setting her cup down, she turned away from Phoebe.

Phoebe cleared her throat and whispered, “I received the wrong note, Sara. I am
very aware of your relationship with the duke.”

Her
head snapped toward at Phoebe. “What note?”

“I received the note you intended for
Brentwood about the ruby necklace. Apparently, in the chaos of your shop, you switched the two notes you penned. Brentwood received the note about my beads.”

She
groaned as her eyes reflected the return of her memory. “Please forgive me for the mix-up. I must thank you for the beads. They are beautiful, but not quite the right size.” Sara’s eyes closed. “I am embarrassed that you read the other note.”

“You do not need to apologize, the Duke of
Brentwood does. You made the right move. Do not give in to him. He is a good man, but he is confused right now.”

Phoebe
sat on the bed next to her friend and held her hand. “If you had met his wife, you would understand. Caroline was a selfish, demanding, conniving woman. I am afraid with Miranda Montrose as his current paramour, selfish women are all that he knows. I believe if you are patient with him, you will not regret it. He is a dear friend of Ardleigh’s and you know how I feel about my husband. They have known each other for years.”

Sara’s hand shook as she brought her tea up for a sip.

Phoebe leaned in and placed a kiss on Sara’s forehead. “I think maybe you should sleep. You have been through so much. Relax and rest. Allow me to give you a bit of the medicine Dr. Newberry gave you.” Phoebe put a few drops of the laudanum in her tea and helped Sara drink it.

As Sara’s eyes fought to stay open, she murmured, “I like this medicine. It helps me forget everything.”

The last thing she felt was Phoebe’s hand tucking the coverlet around her.

***

Philip sighed as he grabbed some coddled eggs from the sideboard.

“Goodness, my dear, that sigh has some strong feelings behind it.”

He turned to watch as his mother pulled out a chair and sat primly with her hands folded on her lap. Why could she always tell just the right time to barge in?

“Why, Philip, you look as if you never slept
a wink last night. Is that true?”

He
sat down with his food and shook his napkin out. “Truly, Mother, I did not sleep well last night. I have much on my mind lately.”

“Forgive me for prying, but does this thing weighing on your mind happen to weigh about as much as a certain
dressmaker we know?” She offered him an innocent smile.

He
decided to give up. She was good, he had to admit. Why try to evade her? She would find out eventually.

“You are right. Lady Downey is on my mind.”
He gave his mother a brief description of the problems of the previous day, skipping the part about Lady Montrose, of course.

“If I understand you correctly, then Lady Downey’s note was not about your necklace, was it?”

“No, you were correct. She was indicating the beads on her beloved mother’s reticule, not on the necklace. It is one of the few possessions she has that belonged to her mother.”

“Who is her mother? Have you determined that yet?”

“She has never said. They lived outside of London. She came to London to marry. I believe her mother passed when Sara was quite young. She does not mention her much.”

“Hmmm.
You have me thinking.”

He
rolled his eyes. He hoped she didn’t think too hard about it, but it removed him from her scrutiny.

“Why
do you not just give in and court the girl, Philip? It is clear there is something between the two of you. Why must you try and fight it?”

He
choked on the tea he was drinking.

“If it would please you, could you be a bit
more blunt, Mother? What are you saying?” He wiped his chin with his starched napkin.

“I am saying invite the lady to the opera or the theater. She is a widow. It would certainly be proper.”
She bestowed her best smile on her son as she picked at the food the servant had set in front of her.

“Clearly you recall I said I would never marry again. If perchance I changed my mind, Lady Downey is not of noble blood. You know my sons must be of noble bloodlines. The
ton
will hold it against both of us and you know it.”

“Fiddle-de-de, since when do you listen to the
ton?
You have no idea what her bloodlines are. Why are you so concerned? I would think you would be more concerned with whether the mother of your sons could give them strength, honor, and character. I believe Lady Downey, with all her recent problems, has shown more strength of character than any woman I know. Certainly she has shown more than a certain duchess I once knew.”

He
set his fork down. “You are serious, aren’t you?”

“Of course, I am. I cannot believe all
the poor girl has had to endure by herself. She certainly doesn’t carry on the way your ex-wife did. If a fly touched Caroline, she was crying on your shoulder, or if the color of her napkin didn’t suit her. Why, I didn’t hear Lady Downey make a sound when her finger was probed by Dr. Newberry. Was she screaming in pain when he set her finger at the Ardleighs?”

He
gaped at his mother. He had never seen her in such a tirade before.

Her
eyebrows rose when her son refused to answer. “I did not think so. Thank goodness Caroline was never carrying. She would never have survived the pain of childbirth. She was too weak, and she would have been a terrible mother. I bit my tongue with your first wife, but I refuse to keep my silence anymore. Lady Downey is an amazing person to be working as hard as she has building her business. To think she has done it all without the help of a man. How well do you think your sister would do on her own? The Lord has given you a gift, and you refuse to accept it. I cannot believe my own son is so ignorant to ignore what has been given to him by the heavens above. That statement you continue to make about never marrying again disappoints me, Philip. I did not raise you to be afraid of life. Get over your first mistake and move on.” She stood up and threw her napkin down before storming out of the breakfast room.

Adam snuck in the other doorway with
Benjamin right behind him.

“Dem, what did you do to her to set her off?” Adam asked.

Benjamin shook his head. “We were not about to step into the middle of that, Philip.”

Philip
continued to stare after his mother.

Was she right?

He stood up and strode out of the room. At the doorway, he turned to his brothers, “Please be here at dinner tonight. I have something important we need to discuss.”