Good Dukes Wear Black (28 page)

“Just tell us where they are, Carrington,” Trent snarled, “and we'll let you go without any sort of retribution.”

“I fear you've got it backward, your grace,” Carrington said silkily, picking up and pocketing Freddy's pistol and then taking Trent's in his free hand and training it at Freddy. “I have all the weapons here.”

“Just go,” Freddy bit out. “You can't possibly think you can get away with kidnapping a duke and a duchess.”

“Why shouldn't I get away with it?” Carrington said scornfully, moving from behind the desk so that he could more easily train the pistol on them both. “I've made four women disappear without a trace And I was able to shoot George Grayson right beneath the nose of your cronies in the Lords of Anarchy. Once I'm finished with you lot, Maggie and I are leaving for France. So, there won't be any question of there being consequences for anything I've done.”

“You're madder than anyone your brother has deemed insane, Carrington,” Trent said through clenched teeth. “If you do not let me go find my wife right now, then I guarantee you'll face the consequences of all your crimes. It's now or never.”

Just then, a loud crash sounded from above them. And in the split second it took for Carrington to react, Trent twisted out of his grasp, kicked the pistol out of his hand, and twisted the other man's wrist until he dropped the knife.

Quickly, Freddy scrabbled to pick up the knife and the pistol.

“Where are they, you bastard?” Trent demanded as he shoved Carrington's elbow behind his back.

“You think you're so smart, Trent.” The editor sneered. “Let's see if you and your noble friend can figure it out.”

More than anything in the world, Trent wanted to wipe that smirk off the kidnapper's face, but now was not the time to give in to his brute desires. He needed to go find out what that crash upstairs had been. Ophelia might be in trouble.

Pressing the editor's face down onto the desk, he turned to Freddy and let his friend grab Carrington by the elbows. “Tie him up. I'm going to find Ophelia.”

Trusting Freddy to take care of Carrington, Trent scanned the dark room until finally he saw the outline of a door in the rear wall. He pushed through it and was relieved to see a set of stairs leading upward.

Taking them two at a time, he raced toward where the loud crashes continued to sound. Until he stopped before a closed door on the second landing. For a moment the noise stopped. And not waiting to see if it would begin again, Trent threw himself against the door. It was three times before it gave, but when he fell into the room it was to see Ophelia hoisting an enormous andiron over her head.

On seeing him, however, she gave a shout of joy, and dropped the heavy fireplace ornament to the floor, which shook with the impact.

“I've never been happier to see anyone in all my life,” she shouted as she threw her arms around his neck.

“What happened?” he demanded. “I suppose it was Carrington who brought you here?”

“Him and his two henchmen,” she said against his shoulder. “Only look, Trent, Maggie is here, and she's not well.”

Pulling away from him, she led him over to where Maggie lay still on a dirty mattress. But as Ophelia went to her knees beside her friend, Maggie's eyelids fluttered open.

“Maggie, dear,” Ophelia said, smoothing a hand over the other woman's cheek. “It's Ophelia, I'm here.”

“I know,” Maggie said without opening her eyes. “You were making an awful enough racket to wake the dead.”

“She was quite possibly saving your life, my dear Mrs. Grayson,” said Freddy from the doorway where he dragged Edwin—his hands tied behind him with what looked like his own cravat—forward. Just for good measure, Freddy also held a dueling pistol on the other man. “Now, I don't know if the three of you are overly attached to this awful place. But I for one should very much like to get rid of this miscreant and go home.”

Looking up at Trent, who had still not let her go, Ophelia smiled at Freddy. “I think that is an excellent idea.”

“Freddy,” Trent said to his friend, “will you please take Carrington to the nearest magistrate while Ophelia and I see that Mrs. Grayson is transported to our home so we can get her some proper treatment?”

“Perfectly fine by me,” Freddy said grimly. “Come along, Carrington, I find myself quite hungry and wishing for my supper.”

Before his friend could get far, however, Trent called after him. “By the way, old fellow. Thanks for your help. I could have done it alone, but not without a couple of nasty knife wounds, I fear.”

Over his shoulder, his friend grinned. “What are friends for?”

With his captive protesting all the way, Freddy led Carrington away.

Pulling her away from where her friend lay on the floor, Trent held Ophelia against him, unable to let her go as all the things that might have happened if he hadn't returned to find her went through his mind.

“My God, he might have killed you, Ophelia,” he breathed against her hair. “Or worse. He's kept her here for days, likely without food or water. How much worse would he have treated you when this is what he did to the woman he loved!”

“But you came back,” she assured him, stroking a comforting hand over his back. “You came back and you are here now and we are both fine. And so is Maggie.”

Quickly she explained to him how as soon as he'd left she'd begun searching Maggie's desk and then had been interrupted by Carrington. “He was raving like a madman, Trent. You should have heard him. None of it made sense.”

“I should be horsewhipped for leaving you here,” Trent said, his mouth tight. If things had gone a different way he might now be cradling her broken body instead of her very live one. “I should have known there was some trick. I might have lost you.”

“But you didn't,” she assured him. “And when I saw that Maggie was here and alive, I was as relieved as I could be because I knew you would come back. Then I saw your curricle out the window and decided to attract your attention since you had to be downstairs. Though I wasn't sure Edwin was still there. But I used the andirons to make as much noise as I possibly could. And they did the trick.”

Laughing, Trent pulled her against him again. “I love you, you stubborn, intrepid girl. I love you to distraction.”

“You do?” she asked in a soft voice. “You don't know how relieved I am to hear you say it. For I very much fear I've been falling in love with you for weeks now.”

“Then it's a good thing we're married,” Trent growled in her ear. “Because there are some very naughty ways I'd like to show you my love just as soon as we get back home.”

“An excellent idea,” Ophelia said, kissing him quite thoroughly. “Now, you'd best go get help so that we can set that plan in motion.”

“Your wish is my command, your grace,” Trent said, bowing low over her hand before he disappeared down the stairs.

“He's a lovely man, your husband,” Maggie said weakly, surprising Ophelia from her besotted staring after Trent.

“Maggie!” she gasped, rushing over to her friend's side. “I hope you didn't hear all of that!”

“Enough,” Maggie said with a grin. “But your secret is safe with me. After all, you're married so there's no shame in it.”

“I was so afraid I'd never see you again,” Ophelia told her friend. “Thank goodness we found you before Edwin could do his worst.”

“I'm not really sure what he intended,” Maggie said, frowning as she struggled to sit up. “All I know is that he wanted to keep me away from George. Because he saw him as a rival of some sort.”

“Do you love him?” Ophelia asked softly. “George, I mean?”

“Of course I do, my dear,” Maggie said with a smile. “Just because we fight does not mean that we don't love each other.”

“I suppose that's true,” Ophelia said thoughtfully.

“Marriage is not about always agreeing,” Maggie said wearily. “It's about knowing that even as you fight there's no one you'd rather be with.”

Maggie needed to know that George was recuperating too, Ophelia thought. But that would come later. For now, she needed to rest herself.

Just then Trent returned, the two hulking brutes who'd attacked them on either side of him.

Ophelia's eyes grew wide, “No! Those are the men who—”

“It's all right, my dear,” her husband said as he put an arm around her. “I know who they are. But for now, they work for me. When they've finished removing Mrs. Grayson to the carriage, I've got the watch downstairs to take them away.”

“If you're sure,” Ophelia said, watching the two men like a hawk as they gently lifted Maggie onto a litter.

Slowly they walked behind the two men and their burden as they went down the stairs, and out the door to the waiting carriage.

“You care very much for those you love, don't you?” Trent asked as they watched the two men who normally wielded manacles get manacled themselves.

“Of course I do,” Ophelia said, kissing him lightly on the lips. “And you wouldn't have me any other way.”

Which was the honest truth.

 

Epilogue

“How much longer?” Trent asked Ophelia, who was seated, along with Mainwaring and Hermione, in the drawing room of Craven House.

“Five minutes more than the last time you asked,” his wife responded with a smile. “Babies are notoriously bad at punctuality, my dear,” she assured him with a rub on his back.

The four had descended upon Freddy and Leonora's residence after Leonora had been overcome with labor pains at the belated celebration of the Duke and Duchess of Trent's marriage. Beside himself with nerves, Freddy had carried her from the ducal mansion himself and deposited her carefully in their carriage with orders for a footman to summon the physician.

Unable to leave immediately thanks to the hundreds of guests in their ballroom, Trent and Ophelia had finally been able to get away two hours later. They'd come into Craven House expecting to find that the baby had arrived, but Hermione and Mainwaring had greeted them with the news that there was no news.

“Bad form,” Trent grumbled. “Though I should expect nothing less from any child of Freddy's. He's always enjoyed making a grand entrance.”

“Too right,” said Mainwaring from where he sat with Hermione perched most scandalously on his knee. “Been that way since our school days. Though it would serve him right if the child turned out to be as stiff rumped as Freddy's eldest brother. In fact, I think that would be splendid. Imagine the fireworks!”

“It's quite rude of the two of you to speak ill of Freddy when he was so devoted to Leonora as to breach the sanctity of the birthing room,” Ophelia said with a sniff. “How many husbands do you know who care so much about their wives that they would demand to be there for the birth of their child?”

But that didn't seem to make a difference to the men.

Trent made a rude noise, and Mainwaring openly scoffed.

“There is no great valor in going where he has no business going,” Mainwaring said with a scowl. “All he's doing is making things more difficult for the rest of us. Now wives all over London will be demanding that their husbands be there to hold their hands while they are … well, you know.”

“The husbands did have a role in creating the child,” Ophelia argued. “It's the least they can do to be there for the pain of birthing them.”

“Fee,” Hermione said apologetically, “I'm afraid I'm with the gentlemen on this one. There is no way I will allow Jasper anywhere near me during the birth of our child. I would sooner invite all the members of Brooks's and their wives. It is a private business, and as much as I love you, Jasper, I do not wish for you to see me like that.”

“You needn't fear on that score, darling,” said Jasper, kissing her hand. “I promise to stay far away smoking and drinking while you're bringing our babe into the world.”

Ophelia narrowed her eyes at the other couple. Exchanging a glance with Trent, who had also heard something in their words, she spoke up. “Is there something you two would like to tell us?”

Smiling at each other, like two lovebirds caught kissing, the Mainwarings turned to face their accuser.

“I was waiting until the celebrations for your wedding and the arrival of Baby Lisle died down,” Hermione said with a grin. “But if you'll keep it to yourselves, then yes, we are expecting a happy event.”

With a squeal, Ophelia launched herself across the room and pulled her friend up in a hug.

At a more decorous pace, Trent followed and clapped Mainwaring on the back and kissed Hermione on the cheek.

“Wonderful news,” Trent pronounced, pulling Ophelia against his side. “And not too far after this one to keep them from being friends.”

“Just what I said.” Mainwaring grinned. “I'd like to see them all at Eton together. Like we were, only more popular.”

“And better looking,” Trent said with a wink.

“Hard to be better looking than this,” Mainwaring said, gesturing from his head to his toes. “Though I daresay there is godlike. I've never quite achieved that.”

“Only in your mind, dearest,” Hermione said with an elbow to his ribs.

“Better get busy, the two of you,” Mainwaring said with a pointed look in the direction of the Duke and Duchess of Trent.

“It's not for want of trying,” Trent said just before Ophelia jabbed
him
in the ribs with an elbow. “That is to say, we are quite looking forward to the time when we can announce our own blessed event.”

“Better,” Ophelia said with a scowl.

He was saved from replying by the sound of the door being thrown open.

They all looked up and saw Freddy, in his shirtsleeves, looking disheveled but brimming with happiness in the doorway.