Saved By A Siren: Spencers in Love Book One (25 page)

Chapter 44

            Two days after he was carried to his bed, Gilles
finally woke up. He wasn't sure if he'd slept because he'd been shot or because
he'd been hung over. He remembered yelling curses loud enough to wake the dead
and having whiskey dumped into the hole in his side and his mouth. Aside from
the violent ache in his side, Gilles felt surprisingly well. He looked to his
left and saw that Elise was sleeping soundly next to him. He shut his eyes and
offered a silent thanks to God for letting him wake up next to her again.
Gilles opened his eyes and drank in the sight of her. His eyes fell to the
bandage on her arm and then the purple and green bruises that bandage didn't
cover. His jaw clenched and he pictured the man sliding down the tree, his
blade sticking out of his throat and blood spilling down his front. He let the
image calm him. Gilles looked to the opposite side of the bed and saw Anna. She
was repairing the nightgown Elise had worn the night before the attack. He
smiled as he remembered the events that led to it's damage.

            "You would make my life a lot easier if
you'd be a little more careful with her clothing." Anna said softly. Her
head was down but a Gilles could see she was smiling.

            "I'm afraid her ladyship's to blame for
that one." He chuckled and carefully pulled himself up. Anna put her work
aside and came around the bed to offer Gilles a glass of water.

            "Can I get you some tea, my lord? Perhaps
some laudanum? Cook has broth on the boil whenever you want it." She
whispered.

            "Tea will be fine. Perhaps something a
little more substantial than broth in a little bit. Every time I've been
injured like this, a few days in bed and some hearty meals and I'm back on my
feet in no time."

            Anna looked dubious.

            "If I'd known you were in the habit of
nearly getting yourself killed, I might have thought twice about letting you
marry her." She nodded towards Elise. She was teasing but her eyes were
full of concern. "Thank you for saving her, my lord. When I look at what
that bastard did to her, I'm glad you sent his miserable soul to Hell."

            Gilles nodded and stared at his sleeping wife.
Seeing her safe and next to him was worth the pain in his side. It was a small
price to pay.

            "Sir Alastair has been checking in and
asked to be notified as soon as you woke up."

            "Send for him, please." Gilles took
the tea she offered and settled against the pillows.

            "I'm not sure I want you worrying about
anything right now, my lord. You're meant to be resting." Anna scolded
softly.

            "I understand, but we have to figure out
what happened here and he needs to keep me updated on any matters pertaining to
the earldom. Please, send for Alastair." Gilles used his best smile.

            Anna rolled her eyes as she left the room. When
she returned Alastair and Lucien was on her heels.

            "I want you to know that I don't like
having you men in here while my lady is sleeping. You'll do your best not to
wake her unless you want me to toss the both of you out." Anna pulled the
covers up to Elise's ears and resumed her sewing.

            Lucien smiled widely.

            "She's delightful!" He whispered as he
stretched out in the chair before the fireplace.

            Alastair nodded.

            "Who was that man, Gilles?" Alastair
asked as he pulled the dressings away from Gilles' wound. Again, he nodded.
Reassured he stood.

            Gilles shook his head.

            "I have no clue. I was hoping the two of
you might have found something."

            "Nothing. No one remembers seeing him
around the estate. No one in the surrounding villages recognized a man of his
description." Lucien spoke softly over steepled fingers.

            "We have nothing, Gilles. We found his
horse but other than being a privately owned animal and well cared for, there's
little to learn. Whoever he was, he had the means to afford quality horseflesh,
a fine saddle, a decent pistol and his clothes were of good quality as well.
That's all." Alastair spoke softly as he paced.

            "What is it you want to do? I can see that
you want to put something motion." Gilles asked as he set his cup down.

            Alastair pulled a chair close to Gilles and sat.

            "I want us all to move to London, as soon
as you're able."

            Anna looked up and Gilles shook his head.

            "I think we're safer here and Elise won't
be comfortable there. She'll be disoriented and overwhelmed."

            "I think I can help her adjust to Spencer
Place. I would have liked more time to prepare before bringing her there but it
can't be helped. And I think you're wrong about it being safer here. I can put
a man every two feet along the wall and have the house under constant
surveillance. No one could get within ten feet of it without me knowing what
they had for breakfast."

            "I know, but we can put guards around the
house here." Gilles rubbed his forehead.

            "You have good men here, Gilles. But
they're just good men. They aren't trained to fight and kill. If an assassin
tries to come at you, what better to stop him than an assassin? I've got a
dozen at my disposal in London."

            "And it's not called Fortress Spencer for
nothing." Lucien added. Gilles had to admit, Spencer Place was easier to
guard. The grounds were surrounded by "the wall". Even at his
considerable height, he couldn't see over it. Spiked metal posts had been built
into the top of the wall to prevent any burglars from attempting to scale it.
All of the windows were barred. The gate at the front was rarely closed but when
it was, Spencer Place was all but obscured from view to any passers by.

            "I can't investigate as well from here. I
need to be able to communicate with my contacts more directly, waiting a day to
get a message answered isn't going to work. And some contacts will require me
to move about the underworld myself. Before you even suggest it, I'm not
leaving you all here and going myself."

            Gilles sighed. Elise must have sensed his
tension, she stretched and yawned. Due to his injury, Giles wasn't able to pull
the bedclothes up as she sat. Clad in only a sheer satin nightgown, a great
deal of Elise was on display. What wasn't was outlined by the clinging fabric.
Gilles turned to find Alastair looking out the window and Lucien studying the
fireplace. When he looked back, Anna had pulled a dressing robe on Elise and
was tying it securely under her neck.

            "Sorry, darling. Alastair, Lucien and I
needed to discuss some things and I'm not quite up to leaving this bed. We
tried not to disturb you."

            "You should have woken me. I'd like to know
what's going on and maybe to dress before I have men gather around my
bed."

            Gilles felt his lips curve. Despite being
abducted and put through hell, Elise still bravely made jokes to lighten the
mood. And she'd called it "my bed". He liked that. Maybe they could
do away with separate bedrooms altogether... Gilles shook his head and focused
on the matter at hand. He took her hand in his.

            "Alastair thinks we'll be safer in London
and that he can investigate more effectively from there."

            Elise was very still but Gilles could feel her
pulse racing against his wrist.

            "What do you think?" She asked softly.

            "I want to think on it." He looked at
Lucien and Alastair, silently telling them to drop the matter for now.

            "Why do you need to think on it? If you
think Alastair is right, then you have to do what's safest. If you don't think
he's right..." Elise was interrupted by a knock at the door.

            Gilles rolled his eyes. The last thing he wanted
was more visitors. His brother and Lucien had already had a generous glimpse of
his wife's body.

            "Enter." He called and was slightly
relieved to see it was Mirabelle and The Mothers. "Ladies."

            "Good. You're all here." Mirabelle
swished in. She was upset.

            "How are you, mon fils?" Maman asked
as she pressed her hands to Gilles' face. He tried to dodge her.

            "Much better, maman."

            "Good!" She moved around the bed
towards Elise and began doting on her.

            Madeline kissed his cheek, rounded the bed and
began refilling tea for Elise and Anna.

            "What is it, Mirabelle?" Gilles asked,
trying to gain some control of the situation in his bedroom.

            "This." She dropped a news sheet on
his lap. It was opened to the gossip page. Lucien and Alastair moved in. Gilles
read the bold letters of the headline and swore. He looked away, he didn't need
to read the rest.

Earl of Cambroke marries his own widow in hasty wedding!

            Alastair's lip curled and he got up to pace the
room. Lucien continued reading, cursing under his breath every few seconds
until he flung the paper away.

            "This is a problem." Alastair stated
flatly.

            "No. It's filth. We expected it and right
now, I've got more important matters to worry about." Gilles argued.

            "What is it? What's happened?" Elise
asked.

            "Your marriage made the gossip pages and
it's pretty awful." Lucien said softly.

            "Lucien." Gilles warned.

            "She has a right to know, Gilles!"
Mirabelle argued.

            "What does it say?" Elise asked
forcefully.

            Gilles closed his eyes and groaned.

            "It says that Gilles married the
opportunistic widow of his predecessor. It implies that you are of low moral
character and most likely seduced Gilles and somehow, probably by orchestrating
to be caught in a compromising position, forced him to marry you. It also
implies that Gilles is disgraced and embarrassed, therefor does not want to
introduce you to society." Mirabelle spat the last part out. She was
practically seething.

            Elise was silent for many moments and had gone
pale. She nodded her head slightly but otherwise was still.

            "It doesn't matter what they think. I told
you, I would protect you." Gilles squeezed her hand.

            "I knew this would happen." Elise
whispered.

            "We all have to go back." Alastair
said gently.

            Gilles glared at Alastair.

            "It's one thing to take her some place
she's never been, away from  the only place she feels safe. But to expose her
to that-" he pointed at the paper, "is too much. She's been through
enough."

            "We have to do something, Gilles! The two
of you can hide here but the rest of us have to go back." Mirabelle was
pacing too. Gilles was starting to get dizzy from trying to keep up with her
and Alastair.

            "Oh, God!" Elise gasped. "You're
all going to be shamed because of me!"

            "As if any of us would give a damn, Elise.
We can handle that." Mirabelle reassured her.

            "She's right but it's not just us. What
about your children?" Lucien added gently.

            Gilles sighed.

            "Lucien, it will blow over by the time our
children are of age. We'll have time to slowly introduce her and everyone will
see that the gossips were wrong."

            "You know that's not how it works,
Gilles!" Madeline returned.

            "What about our children?" Elise
asked.

            "They could be shunned and denied their
place in society. They might not be able to make advantageous matches."
Mirabelle rolled her eyes as she'd said it.

            "You know how much I care about
advantageous marriages." Gillies said sarcastically.

            "But your children might wish to go to good
schools and move within society, mon garçon." Maman added and she held
Elise's other hand.

            "It doesn't change the fact that Lucien,
The Mothers and I will have to go back and hear what they're saying. Mark my
words, I won't stand for it, Gilles." Mirabelle was nearly yelling.

            "I'm sure you're all capable of handling a
little gossip. Aside from that, it shouldn't effect you too much."

            Lucien jumped to his feet, his eyes were wild.

            "Shouldn't effect us much?" He was
definitely yelling. He pointed at Elise. "She's ours too, you know! If you
think I'm going to hear any man say anything disparaging about her and not call
him out, you're quite mistaken."

            "I've had to exercise an amazing amount of
restraint in the past. I've wanted to slap legions of women. I don't think I'll
be able to help myself if someone says something about Elise." Mirabelle
announced.

            "There you have it. We have to do
something. For the sake of Mirabelle's reputation, at least. She's already on
the verge of being unacceptable, her going about slapping people won't help her
standing." Lucien joked.

            "Oh, but I'd truly enjoy it!" She giggled.

            "We have to go, Gilles." Elise whispered.
"We have to save Mirabelle and we can't have Lucien fighting duels over
me."

            "That's my brave girl!" Lucien laughed
and sat down.

            "It seems I'm outnumbered. And how do you
propose that we'll move safely within the ton?" Gilles sounded exhausted.

            "I can arrange security for any situation.
Not that you'll need it with me and Lucien there. Between the three of us, we
should be able to manage just about anything." Alastair answered.