Journey's End (Marlbrook) (31 page)

The beast’s hooves thudded against the soft earth
,
frightening Laura with their approach.  Left with nowhere to run, she realised that her options had been withdrawn.  She had been betrayed by the stone wall that she had once claimed as her support.

Calm
-
strange and powerful
-
descended upon Laura, donated from some unseen source, as she turned to confront her opponent.

Thomas had a caring wife and children who loved him, but his family had nothing to do with the conclusion he sought.  This was a matter between a man and a woman who had fallen in love.

Loneliness is an evil creature that threatens people, often developing into something bitter and twisted, and if not discouraged
,
it would eventually destroy him.

Tired of being driven by his unnatural compulsions, Thomas had made his decision.  The spectre of Laura would be removed.  She had invaded his privacy and his marriage bed for too long.

Thomas stared down at Laura from his commanding position.  His thoughts, unclouded by sentiment for the first time, acknowledged a base craving that demanded satisfaction
.
 
He
dismounted, determined that his perso
nal demons would be dispelled.

Laura gazed into the dark eyes of the man she loved, and acceptance came about.  She did not cower.  The days of girlish innocence were gone.

Motionless, like animals stalking their prey
,
they waited, each unsure what the next step would bring.

Thomas made the first move, capturing Laura’s slight wrist.  He drew Laura to him, holding her firm against his hard, muscular body.

Laura’s bodice fell open at his bidding.  His hands were rough upon her breasts, the infringement completed by his mouth.  Thomas was impatient.  He fought to free himself of the memories that had beset his dreams and made his nights lonely.

Using his knee to his advantage
,
he placed the object between Laura’s legs, his fingers kneading the tender flesh of her thighs before plunging into her depths.

Laura braced herself, biting down hard on her bottom lip to stop herself from crying out for more.  She wanted Thomas, the strength of her ardour equal to his, and the act took on another dimension.

Thomas positioned himself for the familiar, the option of lingering remote.  He entered Laura with the intent of a lover, but his body, driven by months of deprivation, urged him on
,
taking them to new heights.

Laura joined Thomas where the outside world and harm did not exist.  She had come to know her body, and the timing that would produce a brother or sister for Hope.  She quelled her disquiet.  She loved Thomas.

Lord Thomas Ashley, Laura’s lover in her heart and her writings, had become her lover in real life.  Guilt of any description absented itself, as he took her again and again, the pitch fevered, the
act
no less gentle than the first.

When the time came for Thomas to remove himself from Laura’s side
,
he stood tall, pulling his belt to a comfortable notch.  He savoured the sight of Laura
lying half-naked on the grass.

Free of the cords that bound him, Thomas’ grief had dispersed
,
stealing back to its bleak cavern.  He smiled, as the latest stage in their saga came about.  Their lives would be complicated
,
but enriche
d.

#

Lady Maureen understood a man like her husband.  Strong and capable
,
he could withstand many trials before it showed in his bearing, but the heartbreak he had borne seemed forever evident and had showed no signs of abating.  She was a dutiful wife.  Her insights into her Thomas’ troubled world had always been concealed and her sorrow unacknowledged.  Time, Maureen had reasoned, would release her husband from his secret bonds.  She could wait
, b
ut the moment of his liberation seemed a long time coming.

CHAPTER
THIRTY-
SEVEN
– The Return

In the year of our Lord
seventeen
hundred and
thirty-
three, Marlbrook welcomed Lady Emily home.  She had returned triumphant from her months of travel and her husband was well pleased with her account of his possessions.

Ceremonious in their welcome, the social elite delighted in news of the
New World
.  Lady Emily’s stories provided a rare glimpse of a realm outside the narrow boundaries of
London
.  Lady Emily’s
flair
for fashion and gossip were renowned and she thrived on the attention.

The hour had grown late when Lord Henry made his way to his bedchamber.  The strain of listening to his wife’s constant prattle had exhausted and annoyed him
;
therefore
,
his surprise was genuine when he found Lady Emily half
-
naked and in his apartment.

“Husband.
You make no move to hide your surprise. Surely
,
a wife is entitled to some affection? We have not had to endure each other
’
s company for a substantial period, and maybe tonight love will favour us.”

The lewd remarks did little to bolster Lord Henry’s self-control.

Lady Emily loosened her robe.  The article parted like a curtain rising at the opera, the crowd expected to pant in awe.

Lady Emily had anticipated an appreciative audience, but her nakedness had no such effect on her husband.  Disgust
rapidly
turned to loathing, as Lord Henry witnessed his wife caress her own places of worship.

“Have you not missed this,
Henry
? Come. Let us put aside our quarrels
,
for you and I have a great deal in common.”

Physically repulsed by his wife’s debauched behaviour, Lord Henry made no effort to conceal his contempt.  His reproach was harsh.

“Madam. I suggest you leave my bedchamber immediately. You
have the appearance of
a worn
-
out
harlot.”

#

Lady Emily’s illness caught everyone by surprise.  Her ailment had descended upon her with such rapidity that the doctors had been led to believe that a foreign affliction may be at work.  Home less than a month
,
Lady Emily’s condition had deteriorated
.  H
er rate of decline prompt
ed
her physician to fear the worst.  The final diagnosis however, revealed a common cause of sickness in a married woman.

“My Lord,
” crowed the
physician
, “
I consider myself privileged to attend the delivery of an heir to the great house of Marlbrook. The task is one that warrants the utmost care and diligence.”

Lord Henry had been seated in comfort in his study when the news arrived.  His solitary confinement was thankful
,
given the circumstances.  Good breeding showed and Lord Henry conducted himself with suitable correctness throughout the entire audience
, a
lthough the glint in the physician
’
s eye
,
at the prospect of money
,
had
Lord
Henry struggl
ing
to keep his temper at bay.

Disgrace was never an option for Lord Henry.  He would not allow gossip a free reign.  Accordingly, he flattered himself for his credible performance as an expectant father.

Lady Emily was livid.  She directed blame squarely at her doctor’s stupidity.  He was an idiot of the highest quality.  She had thought to buy his silence but had miscalculated his greed.  The fool was insufferable.  Her husband, for all his righteousness, was a man and he would have eventually bedded her,
after which
she would have conveniently produced a premature baby.  His pathetic family were desperate for heirs and she was going to give them one
,
whether he liked it or not - that is
,
if the child
was
white.

Lady Emily’s predicament failed to curb her temper, the staff suffering the full brunt of her wretched nature.  Her husband was rarely seen in her company.

Over
time,
Lord Henry
came
to a decision as to what to do with his
errant
wife.  The solution had been uncommonly easy.  Arrangements
were
made and he would not be swayed from his disposal of her.  He had wasted enough effort on the woman.  All that remained was for him to inform Emily of her fate and that disclosure he took upon himself to personally announce.

“I know you to be a whore, madam,” he stated factually, his speech uncontaminated by bitterness or hatred.  “Let us
be quite clear in this matter.
If the mother is a harlot, then the child is an illegitimate bastard that shall never be given shelter in my home.
O
n this, madam, you have my solemn oath that things shall be as I say.”

Emily was not impressed by Henry’s boorish stance.  From him she had expected no less.  A syrupy grin dribbled about her lips as she retaliated, the smile in direct contrast to the foul phras
es that seeped from her mouth.

“My dear husband, you act as though you are an innocent. Can it be that you are forgetting your
own
sins? What say you to the bastard that I must put up with, a child, may I remind you, that you are not just content to raise in duty but one that you insist on parading for everyone to see
?
And while we are about naming
strumpets
, surely your
s
must be hauled into the fray. Trollops, it seems
,
husband
,
are a breed that you prefer. Is that not so
,
my poor, beloved Henry?”

Emily’s laughter had an insane ring about it, but the fact that his wife might be
bordering
on madness did not distract Henry from his course.

Emily had taken on an unhealthy appearance.  Her looks reminded Henry of the creatures who, in their pursuit of pleasure, ravage their bodies, leaving behind the marks of debauchery that are not easily erased.  Large dashes of rouge, applied by an overzealous hand, highlighted the pallor of her yellow tinged skin.  If loathing had not claimed him, he might have felt sorry for her.  Youth and beauty, which were once acclaimed, had gone, and Emily had yet to attain twenty-four years of age.

Lord Henry chose words as his weapon, hurting and belittling his wife to sat
isfy his appetite for revenge.

“Your threats are useless, Emily, as those around me accept my failings. You, on the other hand, are a woman. And need I remind y
ou, one that is entirely depende
nt upon her husband’s goodwill.
Y
ou would do well to remember that
,
as does any wife who fails to please her husband. If I should so order it, I can have you disgraced publicly. I can divorce you and deny you any form of defence.”  Lord Henry
began
to enjoy himself.  “But tell me, I am unsure if you understand your predicament or remain under some grave misconception that you will continue to be welcomed in this house?”

Emily hated Henry with a
vengeance
.  Her husband would pay dearly for his mistreatment of her and for flaunting his mistress and his bastard in her home.  But she had to exercise patience
;
there was still work to be done.

“What is it
,
then
,
that you command of me
,
husband?”  The word “husband” she spoke with utter
disdain
.

“This topic has taken more of my attention than I care to donate. The preparations are complete. You shall leave here in the morning to attend a retreat. Your health is in a fragile state, one that demands attention
;
after all
,
the doctor is the authority on the subject.  And of course
,
being
a
loving husband
,
I am duty bound to ensure that all care is taken, especially when a Marlbrook heir is at stake.  It would be expected.”