The Langley Sisters Trilogy Boxed Set (30 page)

“Freddy said that the Langleys only have one servant and that when he walked through the house, many of the paintings have been removed because he could see the darker patches of paint left behind.

“If they are indeed struggling they have hidden it well, because when Penny and I visited them at Thea’s prompting everything appeared the same as it always had.”

“Something’s wrong, Joe,” Will said, running his fingers through his nephew’s soft locks. “Livvy was happy enough when we reached London. I took them around the warehouses and gave them gifts and hot chocolate and then I left for a few hours to go to an appointment. When I returned, everything had changed. Both she and Phoebe had been crying and told me they had to return home immediately.

“Who had they seen in that time?”

“Their cousin, Lord Langley.”

“Sniveling little weasel. I never liked that man. However, I saw no indication that he was not supporting his cousins as he should, so Penny and I did not interfere. You believe otherwise, don’t you?” Joseph looked at his brother.

“Yes, and Freddy is now digging as deep as he needs to, to find anything that may indicate what I suspect.”

The brothers were silent, both looking at Billy who had pushed his dirty face into Will’s jacket and was now snuffling happily in his sleep.
 

“I never thought much of children before him, you know. But he tugged at my heart from the first glance.”

“It’s because you share blood. Makes things more complicated,” Joseph said. stroking his son’s soft cheek. “When he was born, I cried like an infant and vowed from that day onwards to love and cherish him, even when he hands me worms.”

Will sighed. “Love is a painful, uncomfortable thing, brother, and I’m not sure if I’m up for the challenge.”

“Too late,” the Duke drawled with a smug expression on his face. “I was thinking…” he then added.

“I’m shuddering.”

“Christmas Eve is soon and we should invite the Langleys to join us for the burning of the Yule log and you could then coerce Olivia under the mistletoe after I have coerced Penny.”

“I think that is a very sound notion, brother. Get Thea to invite them. They won’t refuse her.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Are you not wishing to tie us up and take our jewelry, too?”

“No, we just want your coins, thank you, Madam. Now please return to your carriage,” Livvy said.

“But surely you need to search my sister and I to ensure we are not concealing anything of value,” the woman persisted.

The Langley sisters had been surprised when the two elderly ladies had stepped from the carriage they had pulled over. Neither of them had swooned or cried. In fact, they appeared delighted with the turn of events. One had dived back into the carriage, returning with a large velvet pouch carrying a substantial amount of money if the size was any indication of what it held.

“We carry this in our carriage for just such an occasion,” the woman had then said before throwing it at Livvy. “Your need is obviously greater than ours.”

“We have no wish to inconvenience you further, ladies. Our purpose was to gather money to feed our family, nothing more,” Livvy said, feeling the need to explain in the face of such generosity.
 

“Oh, well, in that case, we insist you take some of our jewelry, don’t we Hester?” the woman said, beginning to remove her necklace.
 

“Dear God,” Livvy whispered, her horror turning to laughter as the second lady started doing the same.

“Ladies, please! We have no wish to take your jewels and really must insist you return to your carriage. I would hate for you to get overly cold on such a night.” Livvy could hear the tinge of desperation in her words as she struggled to stop laughing. Beside her, Phoebe was making noises behind her hand.

“Such a lovely thing to say, Hester, don’t you think?” one of the ladies said, looking at Livvy once more.
 

“Lovely,” Hester agreed.

“I have a gun pointed at you, my lady.” Livvy felt she had to point out the obvious.

“Yes, but I’m a good judge of character, young man, and desperation is the only thing making you do this. Therefore, we will not hold it against you,” the woman said, turning towards the carriage.
 

“Are you sure you don’t want a necklace or two? They’re quite valuable, I believe,” Hester said.

“Positive, but thank you again for your generosity and allow me to apologize to you for any inconvenience,” Livvy said, knowing that neither Jenny nor Bella would believe them when they recounted tonight’s events. She hardly believed them herself.
 

It was as the women finally closed the carriage door that Livvy looked at the trees beyond and saw the man watching them from horseback.

“Ride, Phoebe. We are being watched!”
 

Turning Boris, Livvy charged after her sister, who was by now a few feet in front. Crouching low over his neck, she urged her mount on as she followed Phoebe, who was weaving in and out of the trees. The thunder of hooves told her that whoever was pursuing them was gaining fast.

Sending Boris a silent apology, she kicked him in the stomach which sent him leaping forward until she drew level with her sister.
 

“Split up!” Livvy called and then she veered left as Phoebe kept going straight. Seconds later, the sound of hooves told her that whoever was chasing them had elected to follow her.
 

Livvy knew the roads well and was about an hour’s ride from Twoaks, so she would need to try to lose whoever followed her by changing direction frequently before she reached her home.

Urging Boris on, he sailed over a fence and then Livvy pulled hard to the right and headed back along the road. Whoever followed her was an excellent rider as her maneuver did not deter him. They rode at breakneck speed for a time until Livvy felt Boris slowing beneath her. Desperate now to lose their pursuer, she saw the forest ahead and charged recklessly into it. Branches tore at her hat and scarf but Boris kept going as she turned him left and right, until finally she dared to look behind her once more and saw that she was now alone. Pulling Boris to a halt, she ran a trembling hand down his sweaty neck and listened. There was no sound of hoofs or breaking twigs. She would stay here for a while until she was sure her pursuer had finally gone.
 

Livvy waited until her teeth were chattering from the cold before she urged Boris from the trees and back onto the road. She missed Phoebe’s company as the darkness closed in around her and she tried not to look at every shadow and jump at every sound. It would not be fair to ride Boris hard again so soon, yet she longed to crouch over his neck again and race home. Urging him into a gentle trot instead, Livvy sang softly until she saw the welcoming light of her home.
 

“Livvy! Dear God, I thought you had been caught and I did not know what to do,” Phoebe said, hurrying towards her.

“I’m all right, Phoebe.” Livvy climbed wearily down from Boris’s back. Leading him to his stall, she unsaddled and brushed him down and then threw a blanket over his sweaty flanks before filling up his trough with food and water. “You did well tonight,” she said, patting his cheek before shutting the stable door and leaving him to his much needed rest.

I was so scared,” Phoebe said, following her up the path to the kitchen door. “I turned around to look behind me and found you had disappeared with whoever was following us behind you.”

“We will talk inside, Phoebe. We need to warm up. My hands and face are so cold,” Livvy said, hurrying towards the house. She then yelped as her feet started to slide on a patch of ice but she could do nothing to stop falling. Landing on her bottom, she slid several feet and came to a rest against the kitchen door. Turning the air blue with several choice curses, Livvy tried to regain her feet.

“Did you just cuss, Olivia Mary Elizabeth Langley?”

“Oh, and you’ve never heard those words before, Phoebe Jane Emily Langley,” Livvy said, taking the hand her sister held out to her.

“Let go!” Phoebe cried as her feet started to slide, too.

“Ouch,” Livvy grunted as her sister sat on her. “Get off me, you lump.”

“Lump? I’ll have you know I’m considered petite.”

“By whom? Not those blind idiots you call admirers, surely?” Livvy hissed as she tried to push Phoebe to her feet.
 

Phoebe started giggling as she struggled to get off her sister, only to fall back into her lap. The aftermath of fear soon had Livvy joining her and in seconds they were both laughing hysterically. It was their youngest sister who found them minutes later rolling around on the icy ground laughing like two candidates fit for Bedlam.

***

Will was weary when he finally returned to Rossetter after pursuing the highwayman. Stabling his mount, he then made his way through the silent house to his rooms. A fire had been lit and the warmth was welcome as he shrugged out of his jacket. The scarf and hat he had tucked inside fell to the floor. The foolish highwayman had plunged recklessly into the thick forest in hopes of escaping him, and in doing so he had lost his belongings. Lifting them to his face Will sniffed. Frowning, he did so again and felt ice fill his veins.

Knocking on the front door of Willow Hall early the following morning Will’s mood could be termed, at best, dark. He’d spent the night with visions of Olivia being clamped in irons and him visiting her in Newgate prison. Any sleep he’d got had been fleeting and he was feeling mean after a long, restless night. Maybe he was wrong about her being a highwayman, and he was willing to ask questions before he shook her so hard her teeth rattled, yet the gnawing anger inside him told him he was not
 

“Good morning, Mrs. Bell. I have called to see Olivia.”

“She is in the stables, my lord. If you like to come inside, I shall fetch her for you.”

“Don’t trouble yourself, Mrs. Bell, I know the way,” Will said, heading around the side of the house before she could refuse. Lengthening his stride, he walked down the path to the rear and then over the grass towards the stables. There had been no fresh falls of snow for several days now, and although it was still bloody chilly he was relieved to be outside without something icy dripping down the back of his neck. His boots made crunching noises as they walked on dewy grass and he could see the trail of Olivia’s footprints to his right leading towards the stables.

The Langley estate was not huge but it had plenty of rolling hills and enough green pasture so that it was pleasing to the eye. However, all Will could think about was what he would say to the eldest Langley when he got hold of her. Entering the stables, he passed several empty stalls, one he noted held a carriage leaning drunkenly on its side which indicated the wheels were broken, yet more evidence that the Langley sisters were without funds.
 

The sound of humming reached him as he neared the end of the row. He stroked the black head of one of the only two horses in residence as he looked over the half door and studied the animal. There was no doubt to Will’s mind that he had seen this animal twice before. The tightness in his chest intensified as a roaring sound filled his ears. Rage suffused him at the thought of what she had done.

“I’m sorry you had to gallop so hard last night, Boris. However, after the effort you put in I have come to realize you are a big fake for letting Harvey beat you all this time.”

Will stood listening to Livvy as she talked to the horse. He was happy to let her incriminate herself further and then he’d show himself and tell her exactly what he thought of her foolish behavior. Just thinking about the speed she rode and risks she had taken last night plunged his stomach to his feet.

“I shall get you some fresh water, Boris.”

Realizing she would see him as soon as she reached the door, Will stepped up to it and rested his hand on the top.

“Care to explain why you galloped your horse so hard last night, Olivia?”

She literally froze in a half-crouch position. Her knuckles quickly turned white as they clenched around the handle of the bucket.

“L—Lord Ryder!”

Her words came out squeaky and high-pitched and she looked like a cornered rabbit.
 

“Shall I repeat the question, Olivia?” Will couldn’t believe he wasn’t breathing fire and was even more surprised at how polite he sounded, although his hands were gripping the wood, the edges biting into his palms as he fought the urge to reach for her.
 

“I—I ah, took Boris out for a run yesterday and pushed him too hard. I was t—training for the D—Derby.”

Will let her words hang in the air between them as he studied her. She wore an old dress and cloak with her sunset curls pulled back with a simple band at the nape of her neck. She looked like a young country maid and he wanted to grab her and shake her hard. What was she thinking, taking such risks? Even now she could be in a jail cell somewhere awaiting the hangman’s noose.
 

“A training run,” Will said, stretching the last word out for a few seconds. “Is that how you got that scratch on your face?”

Her hand crept up to cover the mark that ran the length of her forehead, an angry red welt that was no doubt received after she flew into the woods to escape him.