Page 24 of Memories Made At Midnight (Chronicles of the Westbrook Brides #9)
A COUPLE OF HUMILIATING HEARTBEATS LATER
T he duchess’s sympathetic smile caused dual streaks of heat to skate up Beatrice’s cheeks.
Was she so obvious?
Pining for a man who didn’t want her?
“Oh, I merely wanted to th-thank Mr. Westbrook for caring for m-my injury,” she fibbed. “And the others t-too, of course.”
Blast her stutter.
It gave her away as plainly as if she’d declared, “ Yes, I want to see Cassius. I adore him .”
A compassionate smile framing her mouth, Siobhan came around the bed and cautiously sat on the edge opposite the duchess.
“I’m afraid that will have to wait,” her grace said, kindly. “The men have all gone to search for my eldest son, Layton.”
Beatrice snapped her head up. “What has happened? Cassius vowed something awful must have occurred to keep Captain Westbrook from returning with help for us.”
The women exchanged cautious glances.
“Cassius told us how Layton came to your aid.” A tightness entered the duchess’s features.
“Y-yes.” Guilt speared Beatrice, and she could barely form a coherent sentence. “Cassius and I encountered h-him at an inn on a back road from B-Brighton.”
Curses. Stop stuttering .
Concentrating on each word, Beatrice spoke slowly but clearly. “He joined us on our journey to Hefferwickshire House, but I became too ill to travel. After spending the night in a hunting lodge, Cassius and Captain Westbrook decided Captain Westbrook should go for help.”
The Duchess, her daughters-in-law, and the dowager traded another round of knowing glances.
Because staying with two men unchaperoned, utterly compromised Beatrice?
Or because they blamed her for Captain Westbrook’s disappearance?
She plucked at the coverlet.
“He never returned,” Beatrice said in a small voice. “Cassius was frantic with worry.”
“Layton was abducted.” The epitome of regal self-control, the duchess swallowed. She couldn’t hide the fear shining in her green eyes, though. “We received a ransom note.”
Sitting up, Beatrice gasped as much from shock as from the sudden movement.
“That’s horrible.” They all must be terrified for him. “I’m so sorry.”
Surely her uncle’s hoodlums weren’t involved in the abduction.
It must be a coincidence, though it was unusual to abscond with a noble’s adult child. Most aristocratic kidnappings involved children. She couldn’t imagine Layton was giving his abductors an easy time of it, either, which might prove more dangerous for him.
Her empty stomach took that inopportune moment to growl with the ferocity of a starving African lion, and mortification swept over her as she laid a hand over her rebellious belly.
“Get the girl something to eat.” The dowager duchess banged her cane on the undeserving floor. “She sounds hollow to her spine. How can she heal if she’s starving?”
The marchioness stood, and Siobhan rose as well.
“I’ll go to the kitchen and prepare a tray,” the future duchess said.
“And I’ll ask for warm water so that you may wash. Fletcher said you cannot get the wound wet, but you may sponge off the rest of your body.” Siobhan crinkled her nose as she recited her husband’s orders. “I shall help you wash your hair in a couple of days if you’d like, provided you’re feeling up to it.”
“I’ve had Mrs. Tastespotting prepare soup, custard, and fresh bread.” The duchess patted Beatrice’s shoulder. “I’m glad you are here, Miss Fairfax.”
“Please, call me Beatrice.” She fashioned a brave, if somewhat wobbly smile, and glanced at each woman. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I’m accustomed to seeing to my own needs. I’m certain you have other, more important matters to attend to.”
The dowager duchess chuckled. “We were given explicit orders by your Cassius to take excellent care of you.”
Another blush stole up Beatrice’s face.
She must look like a cooked lobster.
“Oh, he’s not my Cassius.” Where did the old dear get that peculiar notion?
Beatrice twisted the lace adorning the top sheet. “He’s been very kind and helpful, and if not for him, I don’t know what would have happened to me. But I assure you, we’re merely friends. Nothing more.”
The skeptical glances between the four women showed they didn’t believe a word of Beatrice’s declaration.
“If you say so dear.” The merry glint in the dowager’s cloudy blue eyes belied her acquiescence. “I shall come back this afternoon and we can have a pleasant chat about your grandmother and mother.” She raised her nose an inch. “I doubt Cedric had anything kind to say about Seraphina.”
She truly knew Uncle Cedric’s character.
The Westbrook women made their way toward the doorway.
Beatrice vacillated between her desire to accept the kindness of these lovely people and convalesce in such beautiful surroundings and worrying about being a burden to the Westbrook family.
Cassius wasn’t even here to act as a buffer. The fear that he and his father and brothers would return without Captain Westbrook weighed heavily upon her mind. Her stomach tightened into a knot at the prospect.
What if she had inadvertently caused his brother’s demise?
She would never forgive herself if Captain Westbrook died, and she doubted his family would forgive her, either.
Wouldn’t it be better to leave then?
Before they asked her to?
Yes. Yes, it would.
Beatrice bit her lip in indecision then blurted, “Your Grace?”
“Yes?” The duchess half-turned, one regal auburn eyebrow raised.
“I don’t wish to be an imposition. If I might have paper and ink, I can write to the solicitor in London about my inheritance.” Beatrice offered what she hoped was a confident smile, even though with every word, her heart cracked a little more. “I’m sure he can provide other arrangements for me.”
A lump formed in her throat, and she swallowed twice.
She felt like a tremendous inconvenience, though the thought of leaving without saying goodbye to Cassius and thanking him for everything he’d done for her, brought stinging tears rushing to her eyes. What was more, she would never claim that glorious kiss she’d promised herself.
Lowering her gaze so the women wouldn’t jump to an accurate conclusion about why she was weepy, she wrestled her emotions into submission.
“Nonsense. I shan’t hear of you leaving.” Though the duchess’s tone was gentle, an underlying steeliness weighted her denial. “Besides, it will be at least a fortnight before you are up and walking without assistance.”
A fortnight?
Well, that would give Beatrice plenty of time to contemplate her future and make appropriate plans.
Surely Cassius would have returned by then.
“I think a letter to your solicitor can wait a few days too.” The Duchess of Latham gave Beatrice a motherly smile.
Beatrice liked her.
She wasn’t the least pretentious or snooty.
“You should concentrate on recovering, my dear.” Again, it wasn’t so much as a suggestion as a dictate from her grace. “Everything else can wait.”
Not when you had a mad-as-the-devil uncle.
If all the Westbrook men were away, just who, precisely, guarded the house?
Surely, Cassius elucidated how persistent and determined Uncle Cedric was.
Wouldn’t this be a perfect opportunity for her uncle’s men to return and potentially cause more harm? Perhaps even snatch her?
“Your Grace? Did Cassius explain about my uncle?” Beatrice plucked at the sheets with her fingertips. “I don’t want to put anyone at Hefferwickshire House in danger.”
Her very presence did precisely that.
The dowager poked her head around her daughter-in-law. “If that blackguard tries anything nefarious, we are prepared. Never fear. Highbury’s always been a coward though. That’s why he has others do his dirty work.”
“We have things well in hand, Beatrice.” The Duchess of Latham slipped her mother-in-law’s hand into the crook of her elbow. “My husband saw to our security before he left. I assure you, we are well protected.”
Beatrice ought to be relieved, but she couldn’t relax until she had her inheritance in hand.
“I’ll see what is keeping your luncheon.” Leaving the bedchamber door open, the duchess escorted her mother down the corridor.
After they’d gone, Beatrice relaxed against the fluffy pillows and let her mind wander to yesterday, after being shot. In the moments before oblivion had completely claimed her, she swore she’d heard Cassius say he loved her.
If he cared for her, why had he left without saying goodbye or, at the very least, leaving a note?
Because the truth was, it changed nothing.
He meant to foist her off on his parents, and what better way to do it than to leave straightaway, even if the circumstances were dire?
Her heart shattering at the undeniable truth, Beatrice closed her eyes as a lone tear leaked from the corner of one eye and trailed down her cheek. She would insist on writing to Hargreaves & Drummond and request a meeting at Hefferwickshire House with all haste.
“If I don’t hear from Cassius, then as soon as I can walk, I shall leave.”
Teddy whined and laid his head on his paws while Nala planted her large muzzle on the bed and gazed at Beatrice with woeful eyes.
“Not a bit of it. You shan’t make me feel guilty. I’m not the one who hied away faster than a beggar with a stolen loaf of bread.” She shook her head. “He didn’t even leave a note.”
Which could only mean one thing.
He didn’t care.
She must have imagined his declaration of love.