by Maya Banks
“Get out,” he roared. “Get out of my house before I have you thrown out.”
Gray stood firm, returning the earl’s icy stare. “I am not leaving until I know Jenna is going to recover.”
“You dare to defy me?”
“I won’t leave her.”
The two men stared at each other across the space of a few feet, neither looking away. The countess stepped between them. “Now isn’t the time,” she said sharply. “Jenna is under the surgeon’s knife, and we stand here arguing like petulant children. If Mr. Grayson chooses to stay then we should accommodate him. We do owe him for helping Jenna.”
The earl spun around and strode back into the house. Sebastian and Quinn followed behind him. Lady Penbury sighed and turned to face Gray. “Don’t mistake my words for acceptance, Mr. Grayson. My first concern is for the safety of my daughter. Once that has been established you may be certain I will not stop my husband should he choose to beat you senseless.”
Gray nodded his acceptance. “I can well see where Jenna gets her temper.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t push your luck, Mr. Grayson. I’ve no need to hear how well acquainted you are with my daughter.” She turned to go back into the house. “Come, Mr. Douglas, you are welcome to stay until we hear of Jenna’s condition.”
He followed her into the house, and they were immediately met by Lord Penbury. “Go to my study, Catherine. You needn’t see the scene in the drawing room.” Though his voice was firm, his eyes softened when he spoke to his wife. “There are men here seeing to the body. I’ll join you just as soon as I’ve determined what the hell went on here.”
He gestured for Sebastian and Quinn to escort their mother away from the drawing room and into the study.
The countess stared pointedly at all of them as they filed into the earl’s office. “I expect everyone to act with decorum.”
Silence descended on the room. Gray turned his back on the others, choosing instead to stare out the window overlooking the garden. Anxiety ate at him. He didn’t care that he was in the same room with men who wanted to do him bodily harm. What concerned him most was the fact that a few rooms away Jenna was fighting for her life.
He closed his eyes against the tears that threatened to seep out of his eyes. She had to live. She was a ray of sunshine and not just in his life. Her family obviously doted on her. He would not be blamed for taking yet another woman from her loved ones.
He opened his eyes again, sucking in his breath to keep grief from overwhelming him. His shoulders shook slightly, and he cursed his inability to steel his emotions. It wouldn’t do to let her family know how affected he was. He wouldn’t give them the power to hurt him.
The earl returned after a while and whispered in hushed tones. The countess gasped, and Gray could hear the excited buzz of Sebastian’s and Quinn’s voices. But he refused to turn around.
The earl paced back and forth behind him, and Sebastian and Quinn murmured in low voices across the room. As he glanced over his shoulder, he saw Lady Penbury hold a drink in front of her husband, and he waved it off. Shrugging her shoulders, she downed it herself and set the glass on the sideboard.
An hour passed, each minute lasting an eternity. Gray leaned his head on the warm glass, closing his eyes against the reality that she could die.
He could feel their eyes boring into his back, hating him for what he’d done. By refusing to elope with her, he at least hadn’t given them reason to despise Jenna. These people obviously loved her and were a close-knit family. He couldn’t take that from her, no matter how much they desired to be together.
The door to the study opened and Gray jerked around. The others turned their attention to the physician as well. “I’ve removed the ball with minimal blood loss. She should be fine provided she doesn’t succumb to fever.”
Heavy sighs of relief filtered through the room.
“She is resting comfortably. She regained consciousness briefly, but I gave her a dose of laudanum.”
“Can we see her?” the countess asked.
“Of course. Just don’t overly tax her. She needs rest and absolutely no activity for the next several days.”
The earl’s voice sounded close to Gray. “You’ve heard of her condition, now get out.”
Gray stared at Jenna’s father for a long moment. “I am not leaving here until I see for myself that she is well.”
“You are in no position to refuse.”
Sebastian and Quinn stood menacingly by their father, looking all too eager to assist in throwing him out. Again the countess stepped in. “Enough, all of you!” Irritation marked her voice, and she glared at all of them. “Get you in there and see her, Mr. Douglas. Then kindly take your leave so that I may see to my daughter. I won’t have all of you fighting over her bedside like a pack of wolves.”
“You can’t mean to let him in her bedchamber,” Sebastian said in horror.
“Judging by his comments, I’d say the two of them have seen quite a bit of a bedroom,” she said dryly. “He won’t be staying long, will you, Mr. Douglas?”
The implication was clear and he nodded. “I just want to see for myself that she is all right,” he said quietly.
The countess gestured toward the hall. “I’ll go up with you.”
The two ascended the stairs and the countess led the way down the hall to Jenna’s room. Her lady’s maid was coming out as they approached the door. The countess nodded at the maid and swept past her into the room.
Gray was unprepared for the sight of Jenna’s pale face and heavily bandaged shoulder. She looked so quiet and peaceful. Too peaceful. Ignoring her mother, he neared her bed, kneeling down beside her head.
He could hear her soft breathing and relief filled him. In an automatic movement, he smoothed the hair from her cheek then leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. He closed his eyes as he kissed her one last time.
Fighting the sting of tears, he abruptly stood and strode to the door. He stopped as he passed the countess who looked at him with a peculiar expression. With an elegant bow, he offered his apology. “I regret that we met under such circumstances, my lady. Give Jenna my regards when she is feeling herself again.”
He hurried past her and down the stairs. The men waited at the bottom, their expressions steely. He ignored them, brushing past them and out the door. He climbed into his carriage and leaned back as it rolled toward home. Around him the world went on as usual, but his had come to a crashing halt, splintering around him in a million jagged pieces.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jenna struggled to filter through the haze of pain and confusion. Her eyes opened but she immediately closed them again as piercing pain assaulted her. She hurt. Her shoulder hurt. Bits and pieces of the day’s events swarmed through her mind like angry bees.
“Jenna?” Her mother’s soft voice soothed some of the ache.
Her mother? Her eyes flew open and she squinted against the throb in her temples. “Mamma?”
Her mother’s beautiful face came into view. “Yes, darling. I am here.”
A cool hand slipped comfortingly over her forehead, and she closed her eyes again.
“Jenna, my dear, it’s your father. Can you hear me?”
She opened her eyes again searching for his face. “Papa, is it really you? I thought I’d dreamed it all.”
The earl bent over and kissed her forehead. “You gave us quite a fright, young lady.”
Her unfocused gaze flitted between the two concerned faces in front of her. She licked her dry lips. “Gray. Was he hurt? And Stuart?” Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “He shot the viscount.”
“We know,” her mother said quietly. “Mr. Douglas told us everything.”
Jenna searched their faces, knowing they had to have found out about her and Gray. Disappointment lurked in her father’s eyes, and sadness was reflected in her mother’s.
A tear slid down her cheek. “M
amma, Papa, I’m...”
“Shhh, my dear,” her mother said gently. “There will be plenty of time to talk later. You must rest now.”
She nodded weakly and closed her eyes once more, exhaustion crowding her consciousness.
The countess rose and gestured for her husband to follow her out of Jenna’s room. The two closed the door behind them and the earl enfolded her in his arms.
“Oh, Pen. She looks so tired and vulnerable.”
“We are lucky to still have her.” He slipped an arm around her and escorted her down the stairs to the study. Though all traces of the shooting had been removed from the drawing room, she still could not bring herself to go in.
“We shouldn’t have left her. I had hoped her stay in London would be a good experience for her.”
“Catherine, you can’t blame yourself.” He handed her a drink he’d poured from the decanter. “Drink this. We could both use one, I think.”
She accepted the glass, watching as the earl drained his.
“We had no way of knowing she would do something so drastic,” he continued. “And I don’t regret taking you to the continent.”
She smiled up at him, remembering all too well the delights of their trip. She set the still-full glass down beside the decanter and sighed heavily. “Pen, what if she loves him?”
He blinked in surprise. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with it and you know it. I saw something that bothered me earlier. I think Mr. Douglas is in love with our daughter. Indeed, I would wager her entire dowry on it.”
“Blast it, Catherine. You know as well as I that such a match is impossible.”
“I never said anything about a match,” she pointed out. “Just that he is obviously in love with her, and I can’t imagine our Jenna becoming...becoming intimate with a man she didn’t have strong feelings for.”
The earl fell silent. “What are we going to do? This whole thing has turned into a huge debacle. I don’t even know what all has transpired. We come home to see our daughter in the arms of a strange man, a gaping wound in her shoulder and learn our daughter’s future husband has shot his father who is believed to have murdered his wife and betrayed his country.” He took a deep breath. “Does that cover it all?”
“I think it time we had a lengthy conversation with our sons, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” the earl agreed. “I’ll summon them at once.”
Minutes later Quinn and Sebastian entered the study, their faces still drawn in concern. “Has she awakened yet?” Quinn asked.
“Yes, briefly,” Catherine replied. “She is resting now.”
“I want to know what all has transpired in our absence,” the earl said, not mincing words. He looked expectantly at Sebastian.
Sebastian ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know anything about what happened today. This whole mess about Stuart and his father, well, I cannot even fathom it.”
Quinn stepped forward. “I must know, Father. Why did you betroth Jenna to Stuart?”
The earl’s eyes narrowed. “I fail to see what that has to do with the matter at hand.”
“It has everything to do with it,” Quinn burst out. His lips were firm, and even if he had qualms about questioning his father, his expression didn’t betray him. “She’s been bloody miserable over the whole thing.”
“Watch your tongue,” Catherine said sharply.
He flushed. “Sorry, Mamma.” He looked back at his father. “She’s been miserable ever since you announced her marriage to Stuart. It’s been deuced wretched to watch.”
“I had no idea she was so unhappy,” the earl murmured.
“Really, Pen, did you expect she would be happy?” Catherine muttered.
He arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Am I the only one who had no idea how Jenna feels?”
“Why did you do it?” Quinn asked again.
“I do not intend to explain myself to you,” the earl said through gritted teeth.
“No, Pen, I too want to know your reasoning,” Catherine said quietly.
The earl swung around his jaw dropping surprise. “Catherine, this isn’t the time.”
“And when is? Our daughter came within an inch of death and now she lies in her bed, desperately unhappy. I think you owe us, her, an explanation.”
The earl stared incredulously at his wife then back at his sons who looked expectantly at him. He sat down in the armchair behind him, his face a mixture of anger and regret. “The viscount came to me to call in a favor. You see, he saved my family from ruin years before I met you, Catherine. My father, as you know, was an incompetent lackwit who spent all his time gaming and drinking. When he lost everything in a drunken stupor, Lord Dudley bought back his vowel and presented it to me without fault.
“He never mentioned it, nor did he ever ask for repayment. His only statement was that one day he might need a favor from me.” He stood and began pacing in front of Catherine. “A week after Jenna’s sixteenth birthday he came to see me. He brought a marriage contract he’d drawn up between Stuart and Jenna. I was taken aback, but didn’t see anything wrong with the match. Stuart was a fine young man and seemed to get along well with her. It was only after this that Stuart started acting so strangely.
“I told him I would speak to Jenna about it, and he was most insistent that we seal the contract immediately. He then hinted that he was no longer as financially secure as he’d been in the past. I got the impression that Jenna’s dowry would go a long way in replenishing his wealth.
“He didn’t bring up the favor he’d done me all those years ago, but it hung between us. I couldn’t refuse him, particularly when I thought Stuart would make Jenna a fine husband.
“I told Jenna that their marriage had always been arranged because I thought it would be easier for her to accept. I couldn’t think of any other way to explain Dudley’s sudden interest in marrying her to Stuart. I certainly didn’t want her to think he was only after her dowry. Better that she thought it had always been planned.”
“So you did think she wouldn’t be very happy about it,” Catherine pointed out.
He sighed and stopped pacing long enough to look at her. “Yes, I suppose I did. Why else do you think I insisted on such a ridiculously long engagement? I hoped she would grow accustomed to the idea, and frankly I hoped Stuart would get over whatever phase he was going through with the exaggerated airs and ridiculous clothing. I never dreamed it was all an act.”
“It was a ruse,” Sebastian muttered. “The whole thing was nothing more than an attempt to wrest information from Jenna that the viscountess passed along to her.”
“Yes, I see that now. At least I suppose that was it. I would very much like to speak to Stuart about this whole matter. So far I’ve only Mr. Douglas’s account of what happened.”
“I am sure he will come to see about Jenna,” Catherine spoke up. “We can speak to him then.”
“If he doesn’t, I’ll haul him over here myself,” Quinn said in a steely voice.
“I won’t have any more bloodshed,” Catherine warned.
The earl pinned his sons with a stare. “If we are finished scrutinizing my decision to wed Jenna to Stuart, perhaps one of you could explain exactly how Jenna came to take a lover while your mother and I were in Italy.”
###
When Gray arrived home, it was to find his drawing room full of agents to the crown. He wasn’t in the mood to answer their questions and snarled at one who immediately set upon him. Demanding that they leave his house at once, he retreated to his library and nursed a glass of brandy.
A knock sounded at his door, and his lip curled in disgust. “Masterson, if that is you, get the bloody hell away from my door.”
The door opened and Stuart Eglin—correction, the new Viscount Dudley entered.
“Oh, it’s you,” Gray muttered, taking another swallow of the brandy.
“I a
m sorry to burden you with my presence,” Stuart began. “But it is imperative that you speak to me. I have questions. The crown has questions that must be answered.”
“Sit down, Eglin, or should I call you Dudley now?” He regretted the remark when pain flashed across Stuart’s face.
He settled into the chair in front of Gray’s desk. “Please, call me Stuart.”
“Very well, Stuart. What kind of questions brought you to my house?” He couldn’t help but notice the marked difference in Stuart’s clothing. He wasn’t the same fop who had flounced around London these past weeks. Every movement, every look, expressed his utter seriousness. He was someone a woman might indeed find attractive, someone like Jenna. Gray’s head pounded a bit harder at that thought.
“Jenna told me of your relationship,” Stuart said quietly. “So what I need to know is if she confided in you any of the details of my mother’s information.”
“You mean the letters.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“No, she didn’t. I wish she had. Maybe if I hadn’t...” He trailed off, unwilling to admit that he’d turned her away even if it was the best choice. He cleared his throat and went on. “I found out because her maid came to me this morning concerned that your father was threatening Jenna if she didn’t go through with the engagement. When I arrived he had a gun trained on her.”
“Dear God. He would have killed her.” He shook his head, sadness mirrored in his eyes. “What must she think of me? I never dreamed things would go this far. If only I had confided in Jenna.”
Gray remained silent, not at all sure what to say to this enigma of a man. Nor was he entirely sure he could be trusted yet.
“How was she when you left her?”
“The physician removed the ball and felt that she would make a full recovery. She was resting when I took my leave.”
Stuart rose from his seat. “Thank you for your help, Mr. Douglas. I am only sorry you were involved in my family’s disgrace. I’ll see myself out.”
He turned to go but Gray called out to him. “Do you still plan to marry Jenna?”
He stopped and slowly turned back around, fixing him with a pointed stare. “I don’t think it’s me she wants.”