How to Wed an Earl (22 page)

She cautiously stepped deeper into the large, dark library, following the strange, scuffling sounds. Soon, she heard voices. A man and a woman were talking in hushed tones. Penelope knew she blushed as she thought of what she might have interrupted, but the voices sounded angry, not amorous.

“I told you to leave the dog,” she heard the man hiss.

“The boy wouldn’t leave without it.”

“Well, we have tied the boy up, so there is no need for the dog.”

“But it knows what we are doing now!” The woman’s voice was frantic.

“Shut up! Everyone is busy with the ball. No one will pay heed to a yappy dog. Now get the boy; we have wasted too much time as it is.”

She jumped into action as soon as she heard them struggling to get the window open. She searched for “the boy” and found him in a narrow aisle slumped against one of the bookshelves with his mouth gagged and his hands bound behind him. This was an abomination! He could not have been older than nine. His eyes widened when he saw her and she put a finger to her lips, warning him to be silent.

This was clearly a kidnapping. She didn’t know who the child was, but at that moment, all that mattered was he needed her help. She wished she’d worn something less cumbersome, for her gown made it very difficult to move quickly. She knelt in front of him and started fumbling with the ropes at his back when she heard the man’s incredulous voice behind her.

“Who the hell are you?”

She whirled and faced the barrel of a pistol pointed straight at her. She grabbed the boy and backed deeper into the aisle. She could see only the man’s silhouette as he confronted her.

She swallowed a lump of what tasted like panic. Though she knew she would excel at panicking if she indulged in the emotion, at that moment she thought it best to try to remain calm.

“What are you doing to this boy?” she asked, backing deeper into the row of shelves.

The man blocked the only exit, but she knew pistols became less accurate the farther away the target was, so she tried to place as much distance as possible between her and the weapon.

“Stay right where you are, lady. We are taking him away, and if you stay out of our business, we will let you live.”

The kidnapper’s female accomplice appeared behind him. “Ned? What is going on here?”

“Some Society chit wandered into the wrong room. But she is going to stay put and let us leave, ain’t that right, m’lady?”

“Ned, I don’t feel good about this — ”

Penelope wasted no more time. The boy stumbled and she grabbed a fistful of books, hurling it straight at the kidnappers. A deafening shot rang out just as she ducked to tug the boy up on his feet while a searing pain numbed her right shoulder.

“You’re not going anywhere, lady!” the man hissed.

At that moment, she knew she was going to die. It seemed an apt end to her life as well, she thought deprecatingly. Even to her last breath, she would prove to be useful, for there was no way she was going to let these villains take the little boy.

“You’re not going anywhere either,” she vowed with only a slight tremor in her voice.

Penelope lifted a heavy book threateningly.

Lucas’s voice filled the room. “Penelope? Are you in here?”

She clutched the boy in her arms. “Lucas! Help!”

The kidnapper swore and whirled to face Lucas, who greeted him with a large, bunched fist. The accomplice wailed as Lucas hauled the man up by his collar and shook him.

“Teddy!” Lady Uffington shrieked from the doorway. The accomplice used the commotion to make her escape through the open window. “Stop!” Penelope screamed, but she was too late. The woman had already escaped.

Several people poured into the library, probably drawn by the pistol going off, only to see Lucas holding a barely conscious man in the air by his collar while she clutched a small, bound and gagged boy.

A few men ran to help Lucas apprehend the kidnapper, binding his hands and feet while the constable was summoned. She never let go of the child.

Lady Uffington seemed to finally shake out of her stupor. “Teddy!” she screamed again.

Penelope let go of the boy, who ran straight into Lady Uffington’s arms. “Oh, Teddy, thank God you are safe,” she cried as she freed her son’s hands and held him close.

Penelope watched it all happening as if in a dream — her right shoulder ached, and her feet remained rooted to the floor until Lucas stepped into the aisle and pried the heavy book she’d forgotten she was holding from her hand.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, madam.”

Penelope registered the worry in his gaze and she forced herself to speak. “I — ” she cleared her throat and tried again. “I hit him with the book — ”

“I know.”

“He was going to take the boy — ”

“I know.”

She glared at him. “Then why are you asking me for explanations?”

“Are you all right, Penelope? He didn’t hurt you?”

“No,” she said, and then she remembered something. “Lucas, the pistol — ”

“Has been taken out of his hands,” he reassured her. “He was the boy’s nurse’s lover. They were going to take the Uffington child away and demand a ransom for him.”

She suddenly felt light-headed. “Then it’s fortunate I went into the wrong room.”

She cried out when Lucas grabbed her shoulder.

“Good God, you’ve been shot!”

“What?” She saw the blood on Lucas’s hand at the same time she felt warm liquid trickle down her arm. “Oh. You’re right.”

After that she had a vague awareness of Lucas sweeping her up into his arms as the world spun, coinciding with the severe pain in her shoulder. Everything seemed to slow down, and she realized she was going to faint mere seconds before darkness claimed her.

The news of Penelope’s attempt to save the Uffington heir had spread all over Town, and people who would not normally step into Lucas’s townhouse poured in to visit and express their concern. Penelope’s brave rescue of the little boy had made her an instant heroine among the females of the
ton
.

It was a damned nuisance.

But as the days of Penelope’s recuperation went by, Lucas realized she was not the only one who was being treated differently. People who had made it a point to avoid him, such as the Duke of Granderly, came to visit with his daughter, Lady Beatrice, in tow, not only to check up on Penelope but also to commend Lucas for the way he had saved his wife from the kidnapper.

He rarely left Penelope’s bedside. She hadn’t sustained a fatal injury, but the sight of her bleeding was something he would never forget. What had struck him most as he sat there by her bed was how small and vulnerable she appeared, engulfed in bed sheets with her shoulder swathed in bandages. He alternated between berating himself for failing to protect her at the Uffingtons’ and restraining the urge to shake her still form for once again plunging headfirst into a situation without thinking about the repercussions.

Trust Penelope to think of defending herself with a handful of books. The villain had probably been too far away to hit with her reticule. Once she was well enough, he would have a long talk with her about her impetuous nature. He did not want to go through the scare she’d given him ever again.

She could have died
. Did she not consider what losing her would do to him? He couldn’t understand why the thought troubled him so, but there was one thing he could no longer deny: he cared about Penelope. In a way that surpassed duty.

He had never met anyone like her. She always put everyone else’s concerns above her own. Only Penelope would have dared to try to rescue a strange child from danger without thinking of her own safety. Most people would have run for help. Her utter disregard for herself made him feel quite selfish. And guilty. Because he, too, had taken advantage of Penelope’s selflessness.

“Butter the crumpets,” he muttered.

He was not going to be like his father. He would not allow his wife to matter so much to him that he forgot his duty and everyone else. Lucas was so engrossed in his internal turmoil, he didn’t realize Olivia had walked into the room until she spoke.

“How is she?” his sister asked.

He stretched his long legs out in front of him. The small chair he sat on was damned uncomfortable. It was a miracle the thing was able to hold his weight. “She’s still sleeping. The doctor said she will be fine in a few days.”

Olivia nodded. “Does this mean we will not be attending any more balls?”

He heard the disappointment in his sister’s voice. “I don’t see a reason for you to stop going to a few soirees while Penelope recuperates. At any rate, it shouldn’t take long for her to get back on her feet again.”

“Lucas, do you like being married?”

The question gave him pause. He hadn’t really given much thought to whether or not he
liked
being married. It was his duty, and as far as he was concerned, his feelings had nothing to do with it. But it was damned difficult trying to stay aloof from someone like Penelope. It was also, he was learning, quite pointless.

“It is not so bad,” he allowed.

Olivia sighed. “I am glad to know you will not be alone after I get married.”

“Have you set your cap on a particular gentleman?”

She blushed. “Why would you think that? I only meant I would marry someday, and I have been worried about leaving you alone.”

It had never occurred to him Olivia might be concerned about him. “Bloody hell. I am not an invalid, sister.”

Olivia made a helpless gesture. “I know, but you have devoted many years of your life to raising me, Lucas. Now that I’m grown, I was concerned you might get lonely after I marry. But now you have Penelope.”

He gazed at his sleeping wife and smiled. “Now I have Penelope.”

And he was going to make certain he never lost her.

• • •

A week later, Penelope looked down at the raucous crowd from the Ravenstone box at the Theatre Royal, watching the fascinating antics of the theatre patrons.

The dandies gathered below were putting on quite a show before the performance even began. Everyone who was anyone turned out to see Edmund Kean perform
Othello
. Moreover, she knew that Lucas suggested they attend tonight so the entire
ton
would see she was healthy and well.

“Everyone is expecting Kean to be at his best tonight,” Olivia remarked. “But I’d wager the actor is foxed again, as per usual.”

Penelope laughed. “I wonder which of his inner demons will come out to take a bow at the end of the performance.” She was in good spirits tonight, and her jovial mood had nothing to do with the anticipation of tonight’s play.

No, her happiness was due to the fact that she and Lucas had been getting along very well the past few days. He’d rarely left her side during her recovery; he’d read to her and made sure she ate enough and slept well. He took Nelson out on walks and even allowed the dog to sleep in the library.

He was proving to be a most devoted husband, and she suspected he was beginning to care for her. A part of her knew she shouldn’t be hoping too much, but she couldn’t help it. If people saw this tender side of Lucas, they would never believe him capable of the ruthless things they said he’d done. If he was merely doing his duty, then he was certainly enjoying it.

She heard a commotion behind her and knew it was another Society member who had entered their box to convey their relief that she’d recovered from her ordeal. It had been going on all night, and she was starting to feel like a restored historical artifact on display before the entire
ton
.

So her eyes widened in shock when she heard Lord Blakewood’s voice as he approached them.

“Good evening, ladies,” Blakewood said, though his eyes were on Olivia’s face. “I trust you have recovered from your recent ordeal, Lady Ravenstone?”

She looked pointedly first at Blakewood, and then at a blushing Olivia, then back at Blakewood. “How very kind of you, my lord. I am doing very well.”

“And you, Lady Olivia? Did you enjoy the book I recommended?”

Olivia batted her eyelashes. “I found it to be quite entertaining, my lord.”

Blakewood grinned in a boyish manner. “I knew you would be entertained.”

“It was very entertaining, my lord.”

Penelope unfurled her fan and waved it about quite vigorously while Blakewood and Olivia stretched a conversation about being entertained to the point of awkwardness. Olivia clearly had developed a
tendre
for the young man, and Blakewood seemed to return her affections.

In truth, she didn’t think Blakewood had any evil intentions toward Olivia. The young man seemed to be genuinely enamored of her sister-in-law.

Lucas would not be pleased.

She was proven correct when her husband entered the Ravenstone box. He ignored her warning glance and went straight for the young lord.

“Blakewood,” Lucas said in a challenging voice. “I am certain you will understand if I requested you not to linger. It is getting damned crowded in this box.”

Lord Blakewood reddened. “Not at all, my lord,” he muttered before bowing to the ladies and taking his leave.

Olivia glared at Lucas. “You didn’t have to be mean to him. He was behaving like a gentleman.”

“I told you to stay away from Blakewood.”

“But why? He has been nothing but kind to me since I met him.”

“I have my reasons,” Lucas muttered as he sat beside Penelope. “Now quit harping on about this subject. The performance is about to begin.”

The curtains went up, and silence went over the crowd. Penelope hardly noticed. She knew Lucas meant well, but as someone who had teenage siblings herself, she knew he was going about this all wrong.

“She likes him,” she whispered.

“Bloody hell, don’t you think I know that?” Lucas hissed back.

She waited another moment before continuing. “I think he is being genuine.”

Lucas snorted. “Ah. Apparently, you have become an expert on human psychology, and would now proceed to share your perceptive insights to your poor, beleaguered husband. What makes you think he is being genuine?”