The Complicated Earl (27 page)

             
“It must have been horrific to have him explain who he was,” Isabelle sympathised.

             
“The night had already been horrific since I had upset you, it just ended in such a way I was unlikely to forget in a hurry,” he replied with a rueful smile.

             
“I am surprised at his making himself known to you again.” Isabelle was growing more uncomfortable about Mr Ollerton’s actions, they were not the actions of a reasonable man.

             
“Well he did and now he has mentioned it to you. I cannot allow him to be near Sophie. If he mentions anything to her I will kill him as I should have done when I was fifteen,” he responded through gritted teeth.

             
Isabelle sat quietly, the explanation had made so much fall into place about Tom’s behaviour and his aversion to marriage. It gave her hope that in time he could come to love her, she knew he wanted her, but over time as he saw that she was not like his mother he may lower his barriers and come to care for her as she did for him. She reached out and gently cupped his cheek.

             
“I am far from perfect Tom, but I can promise you this, I am not your mother. I shall never take anyone else. I am marrying you and that is enough for me.”

             
Tom pulled away slightly, “Don’t make promises like that. We neither of us know what the future will bring, I’m sure she thought she would be faithful before she married.”

             
Isabelle could hardly believe what she was hearing, there were doubts and there were damned insults and her future husband had just delivered the latter.

             
“I am glad to see you have so much faith in me Tom. I can see our marriage is starting on as firm a footing as if it was built on quicksand!”

             
“My feelings are not unreasonable!” Tom snapped in response to Isabelle’s sarcastic comment.

             
“They would be justified if you were marrying a character like your mother, but thankfully you are not!” Isabelle snapped. “I thought only Frank had a low opinion of me, but I see I have been mistaken, you seem to share the same tendency to condemn me before I have had the opportunity to do anything, let alone anything wrong!”

             
“You are over-reacting! I am just being naturally cautious!”

             
“No, you are not trusting my word, which is far more hurtful than you can possibly realise. How can we have a secure marriage without trust?”

             
“I do trust you, but you are being naive about marriage. You have not seen the things that I have, you cannot understand.”

             
“And that will be your answer every time won’t it?” Isabelle sighed. “I cannot compete with the statement that I have not as much experience as you, but that does not mean that you will always be correct because of that. Do you know, when you first told me of Mr Ollerton and your mother I was filled with hope. At last I could see why you were so distant, why you didn’t want to marry and I truly believed it would get better, but your words have just proved that you don’t want to try, you are too wrapped up in your own world of self-pity.”

             
“I am distant?” Tom asked in disbelief. “Was the greeting I gave you distant?”

             
“That was physical Tom, it wasn’t from here,” Isabelle placed her hand over his frock coat, near his heart. “Without taking a risk with this, we are always going to fail.”

             
Tom shook her hand off his coat. “You have gone too far Madam. I do not know if it is the struggle with leaving your home that has made you say such things today, but I suggest you spend some time reflecting the reality of our marriage. I shall leave you in peace until I hear from you.”

*

              Tom walked out of the room and out onto Great Pulteney Street. He turned left and headed into Sydney Gardens instead of going to Laura Place. He needed some air before anyone saw him. The argument with Isabelle had come from nowhere, or so he initially thought, but as he walked he knew the moment that the interchange deteriorated, it was when once again he had rejected Isabelle. He cursed himself over and over again, she did nothing but offer up herself to him and he consistently mistrusted everything she said or did.

             
He wondered if she would call off the engagement and the familiar panic set in when he thought she might disappear from his life. Not usually one to disrespect the dead, he cursed his mother to hell as he walked. As he calmed down, he realised he would need to give Isabelle time. If he returned at the moment, she would likely throw him out of the house and deservedly so. If he gave her some peace, she would understand that he did not mean what he had said. After all she had forgiven worse.

             
Tom had judged Isabelle correctly in that she needed to calm down. She had felt like screaming like a fish-wife when he had left the room and stormed out of her house. He was insufferable! Every time she felt that he was opening up a little and she was beginning to understand the troubled man, he did something like this and it was worse than before. If only he could believe what she said and trusted her even a little, it would make life so much easier.

             
One of her first reactions had been to call off the wedding, but it had only taken seconds for her to dismiss that thought. She was going to marry him and get through to the inner man that she knew existed if it killed her. The problem was at that moment, she thought that killing him was the more preferable option.

             
Isabelle did come to one conclusion though and that was to let him calm down and give him time to think for a few days. She could not force him to trust her, it had to come from within himself and she knew he would dwell on what had happened. Hopefully he would come to realise that trusting her was not such an unreasonable request. James and Mary were arriving the day after, so she would have plenty to occupy her in the week up to the wedding. Perhaps if she was not fussing around Tom, he would come to miss her and want to be with her, so she determined that she would not contact him, until he contacted her.

Chapter 19

              Mary and James arrived as planned, Isabelle was relieved to have her family around her again. Once she had gone into Kent, they would meet far less than they had done before. As mistress to a large house her time would be spent running the household and all that came with it. She was looking forward to the prospect, but she would miss her family.

The newly married couple glowed with happiness and spent the first few hours after their arrival telling Isabelle of their trip and all the gossip they had discovered.

              “Quite a few people commented on your engagement announcement to the dreaded Earl of Standish,” James teased.

             
“I’ll bet a few husbands have breathed a sigh of relief, if half his reputation is to be believed,” Isabelle responded in jest, but there was a little touch of asperity in her words.

             
“Isabelle! That is your future husband you are referring to!” Mary exclaimed, shocked.

             
Isabelle smiled ruefully at her sister-in-law, “Sorry Mary, but you can’t expect me to pretend he is an angel, I shall need all my wits about me in my marriage.”

             
“Second thoughts Izzy?” James asked lightly enough, but it made Isabelle smile to see the panic flitting across his face.

             
“Not at all James, not at all. I am always up for a challenge!”

             
Isabelle had no problem avoiding Tom over the following two days. Mary was keen to go over everything for the wedding and visit her friends while she was in Bath. They attended the Pump Room both days and although Mary commented on the Tom’s absence, Isabelle was able to offer a plausible excuse. Sophie and Sydney had moved into Laura Place before James’s arrival and it was natural that the parties should not seek each other out. They would face each other at the wedding, but neither was keen to bring the meeting early.

             
Four days before Isabelle was to commit her life to the Earl of Standish, she decided that she needed to visit the milliners one last time. Mary was busy with Mrs Sugden, so Isabelle took her maid and faced the crowds in Milsom Street. She spent a worthwhile hour with the differing patrons of the Milsom Street businesses and finally emerged from a haberdashery intent on returning home.

             
She was surprised and dismayed to see Mr Ollerton waiting outside the shop and moving towards her when she emerged. As well as avoiding Tom, she had managed to avoid Mr Ollerton. It was unusual to see him, or most gentlemen in fact, around such establishments, but she smiled in welcome as he approached.

             
“Ah, Miss Crawford,” he said hurriedly.

             
“Mr Ollerton, how do you do?” Isabelle replied pleasantly.

             
“I am very well, but I am afraid I am here on an urgent errand.” He took hold of Isabelle’s arm as he spoke.

             
“What is it?” Isabelle asked, withdrawing slightly from his touch. Even in a public place she did not feel comfortable in his company.

             
A flicker of annoyance registered on his face before he schooled his features into a more pleasant expression, albeit one filled with concern. “It is your brother, he needs you back at the house immediately. I happened to be about to call on you at the moment a servant was setting out to hasten your return, so I naturally offered my assistance.”

             
“Is James well?” Isabelle asked, immediately concerned.

             
“He is fine, I believe it is his wife. Miss Crawford, we are wasting time,” Mr Ollerton said with urgency.

             
Isabelle’s mind was racing, Mary had been fine less than two hours ago. She struggled to understand what accident could have possibly happened, but she immediately turned to go home. “Thank you Mr Ollerton, I am very grateful for your assistance, I shall return home immediately.”

             
“Miss Crawford, my carriage is here, it will take only a moment to convey you home. You won’t reach home within ten minutes if you walk and I cannot express the urgency any less.”

             
Isabelle was seriously concerned now, she was obviously not being told the full story and did not really need to hear bad news in the middle of a busy shopping street. She moved towards the carriage without further delay, but paused when Mr Ollerton ordered her maid to make her way home on foot. “Mr Ollerton, it is not appropriate that we should be alone in the carriage,” Isabelle said, stopping before the open door.

             
“I have news I do not want to impart to you in front of your maid, we shall only be alone for a moment; we need to return.”

             
Oh poor Mary! Isabelle thought, distraught at what could only be bad news. She did not know how she would deal with something happening to Mary and what state would she find James in if something had happened to his beloved wife?

             
The carriage took off at speed, but Isabelle was distracted, waiting to be told the news. She looked at Mr Ollerton expectantly, but he did not say anything at first. This increased Isabelle’s fear and eventually she burst out, “Please Mr Ollerton, you must tell me! Is Mary going to be well?”

             
“She will be well in a few days’ time, but I am afraid her pain will be great over the coming hours and days. You my dear Miss Crawford can help her greatly,” Mr Ollerton said gravely leaning towards Isabelle.

             
“What on earth has she done? Does she require nursing?” Isabelle asked as she barely kept her seat because of the carriage lurching around corners.

             
“She does not require nursing, although she may feel a little faint later today.”

             
“Mr Ollerton, I don’t understand! Your words make no sense,” Isabelle said in exasperation.

             
“Oh they will my dear, they will,” Mr Ollerton said with a leer.

             
“I would be grateful if for once, you did not speak in riddles!” Isabelle snapped. She was desperate to find out what had happened.

             
Mr Ollerton smiled, “That is what I like about you Miss Crawford, so feisty even when the odds are against you. It fair makes my older body pulse with pleasure. We will make a fine pairing.”

             
Isabelle moved away in revulsion from the man sitting opposite. She was beginning to realise that the situation was very wrong. “What are you doing?” she asked, at the same time as looking out of the window. Instead of the wide open expanse of Great Pulteney Street, that should be her view, there was the approach of the Old Bath Bridge. “Where are we going?” she asked, trying to sound calm.

             
“We are taking a little excursion to my friend’s home on the outskirts of Bristol. I suggest you relax my dear and take all thoughts of crying out when we approach the toll, I have a knife in my pocket and I shall use it if you so much as utter a sound.”

             
Isabelle’s mind raced, but she tried to keep calm. “What use is this Mr Ollerton, what do you hope to achieve?”

             
“I am not hoping anything my dear, I am going to achieve my goal in obtaining your hand in marriage,” came the confident response.

             
Isabelle’s heart sank and she fought against the rising panic as she realised her situation was precarious at best. “This is ridiculous Mr Ollerton, you cannot seriously expect that I would willingly marry you? Stop the carriage and allow me to leave and we shall forget about this lapse in gentlemanly behaviour.” Her voice was firm, but inside she was struggling to remain calm.

             
“Whether you are willing or not is irrelevant at this point. We shall be alone in an unoccupied house until our discovery by your brother no doubt. Your precious Earl will not want to be anywhere near you when he thinks you have been sullied by me of all people and your brother will be desperate to marry his sister off to anyone. I shall oblige of course and everything will be as it should have been before the Earl of Standish interrupted yet again where he was not wanted.”

             
Isabelle could not speak. The feeling of horror at his words nearly overwhelmed her and for the first time in her life she felt as if she would faint. Mr Ollerton had struck home when he had said that Tom would not wish to have anything to do with Isabelle once he knew that she had been alone, had been compromised as far as polite society would be concerned. As yet, she did not know how far Mr Ollerton would go in order to compromise her, but even if he did not touch her, she would be ruined and Tom would want nothing to do with her. He might even consider it as some sort of retribution for the words they had exchanged the last time they met.

             
There was no longer any danger that Isabelle would try and attract attention to the carriage, she was too shocked to do anything other than dully look out of the window. The thought of never seeing Tom again crowded any other thought and for the remainder of the journey she remained silent.

             
Eventually the carriage turned into a tree lined driveway and slowed to a steady pace. The change in speed roused Isabelle and she resolved that at whatever cost she would never marry Mr Ollerton. At the moment she did not know how she would avoid it, but she was determined and her spirit returned. If he was the cause of ruining the happiness of being married to Tom, even though she knew Tom did not love her, she loved him and that was enough for now. But she was not going to let a man like the one sitting before her use her to gain her fortune. Her fate may as well be decided now, instead of when he needed another rich wife in the years to come.

             
Isabelle stepped out of the carriage, refusing the help of Mr Ollerton. The house was a small manor house, made of Bath stone, in the classic style. Two floors of windows fanned either side of the portico. The door remained closed until the coachman left his seat and opened the door.

             
Although the realisation that there was no staff around meant that Isabelle’s chance of anyone helping her were reduced, she refused to let the situation daunt her. She turned to the coachman with distaste. “I hope you are being paid well,” she said in her haughtiest voice. “My advice would be to spend your money soon, as my family will not rest until we see you hang for your help in this kidnap.”

             
The coachman flinched but did not respond. He returned to his seat and drove the horses to the rear of the houses, where the stables would be located.

             
“Come my dear, do not berate the staff, let us make ourselves more comfortable,” Mr Ollerton said as if their situation was the most natural in the world. The only unnatural thing was the fact that he held a knife as he spoke.

             
Isabelle realised she would have to comply for the present time, but she had already decided that if the slightest opportunity arose she would try and get away. She led the way into the hallway of the quiet house and opened the door that was indicated to her by Mr Ollerton. It opened into a small drawing room that was well tended and aired, suggesting that the building had not been empty for long, particularly as the furniture was not under Holland covers.

             
“It is a pleasant room is it not?” Mr Ollerton asked conversationally.

             
Isabelle refused to be polite and responded stiffly, “If the rumours are correct I am surprised anyone would let you into their homes unchaperoned, they may return to find half of their property missing, your situation is so desperate.”

             
A flicker of anger crossed Mr Ollerton’s face, but any jubilation Isabelle may have felt with the response was soon dispersed when she saw him lift out two duelling pistols from a bureau and start to load them.

             
“What on earth are you doing?” Isabelle choked.

             
“Oh do not worry, my dear. You are safe as long as you don’t try anything foolish. This is as a precaution in case any of your friends or family should mount a rescue. You see the rumours are correct in their speculation and as a result nothing can stop this course of action taking place. You will be my wife whatever the consequences.”

             
Isabelle knew she had to try and keep him talking, he had obviously not thought through what could happen if he acted rashly. She doubted that he was in his right mind and had to hope that somehow she could find a way through to him. If she could not reach him, James or Tom could be in danger.  “If you shoot someone, surely you would hang? How would that achieve anything?” She asked in desperation.

             
“I am sure it won’t come to that. I explained before. The Earl of Standish will cast you off and your brother will be grateful to me, it shall all work out you will see.” He sat comfortably as there was a gentle knock on the door.