The Lady and the Earl
Read The Lady and the Earl Online
Authors: Diedre Clark
The Lady
and
the Earl
By Diedre Clark
Table of Contents
“
Please,
Lord
, grant him strength
,”
William Meredith
prayed
.
He
looked over at his brother
not but a few feet away
.
Joseph, ah Joseph.
I a
m sorry.
Joseph Meredith slumped heavily over
the sadd
le
horn on his horse, breathing unsteadily.
There was a bullet wound in his stomach, slowly etching his life away
.
William had hold of Joseph’s reigns, guiding the other man’s mount while he struggled to stay on it.
“Hold on,
Joe
,” William
said. Desperation overwhelmed him. They still had
far too many
miles to
travel
before they would be in the shelter of William’s camp.
Please,
Lord
. Please
,
spare his life
. It should not be him to die this night. It should be
me
. Please! He is innocent!
Joseph had a family, a wife and two children
.
They were
in London
awaiting his retu
rn. Joseph was an honest, hard-
working man, but
he’d
risked it all for William.
William had been headed for the gallows on charges of piracy. He would have hung
had
Joseph
not
come for him. William’s younger
brother had successfully freed him only to be shot as they were inches from safety.
Now both men were on the run, and the innocent one might die.
William
pushed the horses fast
er. It was a bad night for travel. They were in the midst of a terrible thunderstorm, lightning flashing dangerously close far too often. But William had no choice. They
needed
to keep moving. Joseph was dying
,
and there was only one person
William
trusted to save his brother.
A light in the distance brought hope as he realized he must be approaching Tananguard Manor. The forest where his camp lay was just beyond the border of
Tananguard’s
land, but would Joseph make it that far?
“We’
re almost there, Brother,” William whispered.
The other man made no reply. His body slipped from his horse and fell to the ground.
“Joseph!”
William
exclaimed,
jumping from his own mount to the ground. He ran to his brother and rolled him over onto his back. Joseph coughed raggedly, spewing blood
from
his
mouth. “No!”
William’s
heart sank.
Joseph
wasn’t
going to make it to his
camp
. He needed help right then.
William
forced Joseph up onto his horse and followed up behind him. He kicked
the
horse to a dead spri
nt
and headed toward the
manor, Joseph’s horse following right behind
.
Lord
Marcus Tananguard was a childhood friend. William’s father had worked for
Marcus’s
father, and both William and Joseph
had grown up with Marcus. Both men
could have stayed on at Tananguard had they w
ished
.
Farming was in their blood.
However, the two brothers had chosen different paths and left Tananguard as young men.
William would beg help from Marcus
. Marcus would understand.
William pushed the mounts
hard
toward the small light coming from the huge manor
and
proceeded toward the servants’ entrance.
He stopped
right
outside the entrance and
pulled his brother from his horse
,
dragging
his limp body toward the door.
William
raised
his fist to pound when the door slid open and a young boy slipped out and ran right into him.
“Whoa, young one,” William said as he steadied the youth with one hand. The boy looked up quite startled, and William found himself looking into the face of a young girl with big green eyes. She opene
d her mouth and released an ear-
piercing scream. Had he both arms available to him, William would have covered that mouth before the scream could erupt. Instead he was forced to try to quiet the girl with words.
“Please, I’ll not harm you. You are safe. I need help. My brother is
dying!” h
e finally
shouted
over the noise.
The girl’s mouth shut suddenly, and she studied William curiously then his brother. She opened the back door and ushered him inside.
“I’
ll go retrieve my father,” she said to him.
She darted away, but returned a short bit later with an armed Marcus Tananguard.
Marcus was a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark hair and gray eyes. He could look quite intimidating if he wished, and right then he
wore
one of his fiercest scowls. William prayed he recognized him.
Marcus
tried
to push the young girl behind him, but she kept slipping in front as if trying to explain something. “Allana, go back to Lilly. These men are…,” he trailed off as he truly l
ooked at William. “Meredith?”
Marcus asked as he lowered his pistol.
William sighed in relief.
“Aye
.
A
nd Joseph, my friend
.
”
Marcus took in the sight of the two men. “Oh no,” he said. In three strides
,
he was by William’s side, helping him suppo
rt Joseph’s weight. “Lilly!” h
e called. “We have an injured man who needs help. Where do you want him?”
A woman with flaming red hair appeared.
She too had a pistol in hand as she came into view. She assessed the situation. “
Are you certain, Marcus?” s
he asked first.
“Yes. I know these men. They are good men,” he answered.
“Then q
uickly into the kitchen.” She turned and pushed open a door on her right.
William and Marcus carried Joseph to the kitchen and placed him on a bare, wooden table.
“My wife is a skilled healer. I was trying to get him to her. She would be a great asset. Is there
someone who might fetch her?”
William asked.
He needed his wife. She could fix Joseph.
She’d
saved
his own
life once. Surely, she could save Joseph’s.
Tananguard grunted. He stared at the young girl
who had followed them into the kitchen. Then he nodded to himself.
“Allana, take his horses to the stable. Then I need you to bridle mine and
ride to William’s camp
.” He turned to William. “Which direction should she go?”
William gaped.
“A young girl, Marcus?
Surely
Dalon
would be preferred.”
Dalon
had been the Tananguard gamekeeper since William was fifteen.
“No, Allana can move more swiftly through the woods. She knows them better than anyone and can go bareback.”
“But she’
s just a child, Marcus,” the woman
said
. “She’
s just ten.”
“Yes, but she’
s my child, and Connor and I have taught her well
,” Tananguard argued. “
My girl could shame most men. Now t
ell her where to go
, William
.”
Wil
liam shook his head
. He should have guessed. This was
Tananguard’s
wayward daughter, a child with a reputation even he had heard about. She was a wild one with experience in horses that, as Marcus put it, would shame most men. The girl would do. H
e gave
her
specific instructions on how to get to his wife
,
and
then
he
told her
what to say to get her here.
The girl
nodded and dashed out the back door.
William’s wife arrived with incredible speed. Yet e
ven with he
r help
, Joseph Meredith did not make it through the night. William knew he would never be able to repay the kindness and help the
Tananguard’s
had given him
, harboring and helping two fugitives
. He did what small things he could and hoped that someday he would be able to repay them in full.
The
Davenhue
Christmas Ball
was
the most coveted, anticipated party of the year. The
district was
full of gossip. Ladies emptied shops of the finer fabrics for new dresses. And maidens whispered names of single, well-to-do noblemen who might be in attendance. One name in particular spread like wildfire through their ranks: Lucas Hoffman, son of
Lord
Archibald Hoffman, returned home at last.
Lucas Hoffman entered the
Davenhue’s
Manor looking as dashing as ever.
He was blessed with height and broad shoulders
, and he kept his physique well-
worked and trim.
The blonde hair and blue eyes
were
uniquely his. And his dimples swooned many a lady.
He was almost too handsome for his own good, and he knew it.
It had been eight years since
he’d
been
home,
and he was
uncertain
he was ready to be home again. Unfortunately, he
hadn’t had
a choice in the matter. If he had, he would still be in London enjoying the high life there. But circumstances as they were
—namely th
e failing health of his father
—forced
his hand, and
he
had
returned
home
.