Indifference was getting harder. The ring glinted against the light, its purple depths lending a richness to the gold and the wine she’d had was making her relax.
Her husband’s voice was soft as her father spoke with Julia McBeth on the other side of the table. ‘You would like to try your hand with the horses, then? Be warned, though, for the work can be hard.’
He gestured for a servant to refill her glass.
‘I have a few mounts of my own in London which I will have brought up. Nowhere near as many as I used to have, but still...’
‘Enough to start.’
He smiled and looked at her and the feeling that was hidden in her heart swelled to bursting, though loud footsteps just outside the chamber took their attention.
When a young girl hurried in Daniel stood and the newcomer threw herself into his arms, her long dark hair loose and her eyes overflowing with tears.
‘Andrew Howard...is hurt and...I have...lost Caroline completely.’ Her breath was ragged and fast as though she had been running for a long while.
Daniel looked more than taken aback. ‘What are you doing here, Gwen? Where is Mama?’
Gwen. His sister? His arms were still about her, though she grabbed his hand now and began to pull him from the room.
‘Andrew is outside...I think your man is helping him from the carriage, but Caroline...is at an inn about five miles back.’
‘A shabby sort of two-storey building with a large fireplace outside?’ When she nodded he asked a further question. ‘Why were you there?’
‘We were coming to see you as we were worried about you,’ the girl wailed. ‘Mama forbade us to make the journey to Montcliffe, but Andrew managed to procure a carriage and we came anyway. Caroline needed to stop for...’ She left the rest unsaid as she carried on. ‘Andrew said he would be our guard...and now he is hurt. Badly I think, because there is a lot of blood and it is all our fault.’
Daniel was already striding outside and everyone followed him. Lucien’s younger brother lay on the ground with a blanket over his shoulders, the butler kneeling across him.
‘He is in need of a doctor, my lord.’ The servant looked worried. His sister simply tipped her head back and wailed, a loud and awful noise that filled all the space around her.
‘Stop it.’ Daniel gave her no quarter and surprise made her cease. Already he was lifting the boy in his arms and bringing him inside, shouting orders for one of his staff to ride to find the doctor and to another to make ready a bed. Blood dripped across his dress jacket and soaked the bright white fabric of his shirt.
Once the boy was lying on a sofa, Daniel took a blanket from the chair and ripped it into long bandages, fastening them tightly above the injury. The rate of bleeding slowed as he ordered his butler to exert pressure on the offending thigh.
Mrs Orchard had brought through hot water and towels and another pile of quilts, one of which she proceeded to wrap Daniel’s crying sister in. Gwendolyn’s continued sobbing was obviously getting on everyone’s nerves, so Amethyst led the girl to a chair and sat her down.
‘When did you last see your sister?’
She could tell Daniel was listening though his attention was still on the injured boy.
‘An...hour back. But there...were people there and they were drunk and I could not find her. Andrew was in a fight. The man hit him with a metal pole, I think, and there was so much blood. I knew Montcliffe was close so I helped him into the carriage and brought him here.’
She had begun to shake quite badly, the shock of it all settling in.
‘You did well and he already looks better.’
The paleness of Andrew’s face was alarming, but he had begun to shiver less violently and accept small sips of sweet hot tea. Daniel moved away.
‘Keep them both warm, Mrs Orchard, and give them each some brandy. I am going to find Caroline.’
Amethyst stood. ‘I would like to come, too. I am a good rider and you might need a woman to help with your sister.’
Uncertainty flickered across his face, but the situation was too dire to lose any more time in trying to persuade her to stay back.
‘Very well. Meet me in the stables in ten minutes. I won’t wait longer.’
* * *
They rode through the growing dusk at speed, the sound of his horse’s hooves matching the beat of hers. He was astonished at her prowess.
If his sister was hurt in any way... He shook away the thought and drew in his reins, waiting as Amethyst Cameron came in beside him. Nay, Amethyst Montcliffe now.
‘That is the roof of the inn there.’ He tipped his head to listen, music coming from the same direction.
‘It’s a good sign, I think. If they were hurting your sister, they wouldn’t sing.’
He almost smiled, but didn’t. Rape followed few rules. My God, he had seen that time and time again in Spain when the whole campaign had fallen to pieces, and the baser nature of men had come to the fore.
‘Stay here and mind the horses. If anyone comes, scream as loud as you can and I will hear you.’
‘No.’ A knife was in her hand, wicked, sharp and ready. ‘I can help you.’
‘You know how to use it?’
‘With proficiency.’
The look in her eyes didn’t brook argument. Taking the reins of both horses, he fastened them to a branch. ‘Stay behind me, then, and if I say run, you run. Understand?’
Gesturing her assent, she stepped back, the darkness of the riding clothes she had changed into blending with the shadow and reminding him of some of the women in Spain who had marched to the call of the drum and followed their men into battle. Brave and surprising. He liked having her there, a point of reference in the darkness and another pair of watchful eyes.
If anyone had hurt his sister, he would deal with them without a backward glance, he swore that he would. The anger in him shivered over disbelief.
The singing men were outside, gathered around a table and drinking. One was old enough to be his grandfather and the other two looked to be so drunk they would be no threat to anyone save themselves. Motioning to Amethyst, he skirted around a line of trees which brought them up to the front door of the inn. A few patrons were drinking at the bar, but there was no sign of any problem. When a faint noise from above caught his attention, he surged up the stairs and into a room at one end of the passageway.
Caroline was in a corner, crouched down with a broken bottle held out in front of her and her dress ripped down one arm. Three young men were trying to coax her out, their method of doing so bringing a shout from Daniel’s throat and filling the room with fury.
A poker sat in one of their hands, the ashes from a fire scattered about their feet. When he looked at his
