The Love Child (20 page)

I attempted to wrest myself free but his grip tightened and I knew I was in danger.

“You will take your hands from me,” I commanded.

He brought his face close to mine. He smelt of a delicate perfume -musk or sandalwood.

There were several rings on his fingers and jewels in his cravat. “Is that an order?”

he asked.

“It is,” I replied.

“How charming!” he murmured. “But it is time for me to give the orders.”

“You speak in riddles, sir. And I have no wish to learn the answers.”

“You have a sharp tongue, dear lady. I like my ladies to have spirit. First I demand beauty; then they must love me dearly; but I am not averse to a little acidity on the tongue. It makes a diversion.”

“You are talking nonsense.”

He had bent me backwards and put his lips, hard, against mine.

I fought him off. “How dare you?” I stammered indignantly.

“I am a very daring gentleman. Listen, I have a delightful place. You will like it.

I shall take you to it now.”

“You must be mad.”

“Mad for you. You are so young and youth is so appealing. I do so much enjoy the company of young ladies.”

I turned but he held me firmly. He had great strength and agility. He had doubtless had a great deal of experience in this kind of adventure. I was unable to withstand his attack, and in a short time he

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had dragged me from the veranda and down the steps to the very edge of the canal.

I called out: “Leigh! Leigh! Come quickly …”

A gondola was bobbing about below me. I was lifted up suddenly and caught by a man who was waiting in the boat.

It had all happened so quickly that I could not believe that I was actually being abducted. I screamed, but my screams were futile and were drowned in the noise of the music which came from the palazzo. One or two gondolas went past, but no one seemed interested in the struggling girl who was clearly being taken away against her will.

My captor leaped down into the gondola beside me.

“Ready, Bastiani,” he cried and we started to move.

I cried out but his hand was over my mouth.

“Too late, little bird,” he said. “You are trapped now. Oh, so haughty you were.

Not one smile for me! Well, now I am going to make you smile. I have ways, you know.

I like a little reluctance at first… but only at first.”

My intended fate was obvious. I felt sick with fear, and anger against myself. What a fool I had been! Leigh was right. I was a child … unable to look after myself.

I had meant to teach Leigh a lesson. And what a bitter one I was learning myself.

I would fight, though. I would never give way to this man. He had to get me out of this gondola and carry me to his horrible, sinister place. He would not do that easily.

I should fight him with all my strength.

We had left the wide canal. It was darker now. We shot under a bridge and I heard the gondolier say something.

“Go on. Go on,” commanded my captor.

We went on.

I called out but a hand was immediately placed over my mouth.

The gondola stopped.

My captor had leaped out and was waiting to receive me. I refused to get out. Just then a gondola shot past us. I did not see it stop because I was by then struggling in the arms of the gondolier who was trying to hand me up to my captor who was prepared to drag me up to him. I was very frightened, for I knew that I could not hold out indefinitely.

Suddenly I saw a dark figure spring upon the man. He spun round and I heard him give a cry of pain and anger. I could see the two figures struggling and then there was a cry as one of them fell into the canal.

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The gondolier had released me. He was attempting to move away when a voice cried: “Wait.” I felt joy sweep over me, for it was Leigh’s voice.

The gondolier seemed to be struck with terror. The man who had tried to abduct me was clawing at the gondola; but Leigh was reaching for me and I sprang up into his arms.

He did not say anything. In a few seconds we were getting into the gondola in which Leigh had followed me, and were swiftly moving away down the canal.

I looked back fearfully and saw that my would-be abductor was being pulled into the gondola by his accomplice.

“Oh, Leigh!” I cried.

He put his arm about me and directed the gondolier to take us to the Palazzo Carpori.

We did not speak until we were in the palazzo.

Then he said: “Thank God I saw you.”

“You saw me dragged away?”

“Yes. I came to look for you. Thank God I was in time.”

“I was so frightened, Leigh.”

“I’m not surprised. I told Harriet that you should not have gone to the ball. You’re too young for affairs like that. These people … well, you don’t understand. They are capable of all kinds of villainy.”

“Who was that man?”

“I know his reputation. I regret to tell you he is one of our own countrymen. He has been involved in scandals at home. He’s a friend of the Earl of Rochester-and you know what that means. Abductions of young ladies is one of their favourite games.

I’d like to break his neck. I would have given him something to remember tonight but I was thinking of getting you back.”

“Oh, Leigh, you are a comfort to me.” I put my arms about his neck. “If you hadn’t been there…”

“But I was there. You’ve nothing to fear while I’m around. How did you come to miss me?”

“It was my fault.”

“Idiot!” He spoke tenderly. “I’m going to talk to Harriet. There are to be no more masked balls for you. I don’t want you attending such dens of iniquity when I am not there to protect you.”

He kissed me tenderly and I longed to tell him of my love for Joceyln and why I was here, but it was not only my secret now. It was Harriet’s as well and she had distinctly said that Leigh was not to be told.

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I was upset and nervous. I must be very careful.

Leigh told me that the man’s name was Beaumont Granville and that he was a gambler, a profligate and rake. “He has gone through a fortune and is now on the Continent in disgrace. He abducted an heiress … only fourteen years old. He hoped to marry her. He needed her fortune. By good luck, her father caught him in time. He had to get out of the country quickly.”

“Oh, Leigh, how lucky I’ve been that you were there.”

“It makes me mad with fury to contemplate the plans he had for you.”

“I’m no heiress.”

“He likes to amuse himself with young girls. It’s only the heiresses he wants for marriage. You have no idea what wicked people there are in the world, Priscilla.

You have learned a lesson tonight. Where was Christabel? Surely she was supposed to be looking after you?”

“You were doing that. She must have discreetly vanished when you took over. They will miss us at the unmasking.”

“Not they! There is too much of a crush.”

“Harriet …”

“She’ll presume I brought you here. I told her I would if it became too rowdy.”

I smiled gratefully. This was one of the occasions when I enjoyed being looked after.

“You’re very shaken,” he said. “That was more of an ordeal than you realize.”

I flushed slightly. If he knew of my condition would he be so concerned with my innocence?

But that sweet and tender love with Jocelyn had been so different from what might have happened tonight.

I said: “You yourself couldn’t have emerged without a scratch.”

“That’s just about all I did get. I had him from behind and he was in the water almost immediately. That’ll cool him down a little I imagine. I’m sorry he got off so lightly.”

“We shouldn’t want trouble. He was all right. I saw him getting back into the boat.”

“Now listen to me, Priscilla. You must be very careful in this place. It’s not Eversleigh, you know. I shall speak to Harriet and Christabel. I don’t want you ever to go out without one of them.”

“I don’t.”

“You have seen tonight that it is necessary to take especial care. It’s unfortunate that I have to leave the day after tomorrow.”

“I shall remember, Leigh.”

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“You must look on this as a lesson,” he went on. “If it helps you to be more careful it will have been worthwhile.”

“I was careful. From the moment I saw him I tried to escape. He frightened me so much.”

“The devil! There are many like him at Court nowadays, I’m afraid. The King is too lenient with such men. They are witty. They amuse him and he shrugs aside their rakish adventures. Anyway, Beau Granville is not going to forget easily his attempts on my little sister.”

“Leigh, I am not your sister.”

He laughed lightly and kissed me on the brow.

Again I put up my arms and placed them round his neck. He held my hands there for a moment. Then he said: “Look. There are bruises on your arm. I could kill him for these.”

“They will go.”

“I think,” he said, “that you should go to bed now. It’s late.”

“Time for little girls to be asleep?” I said mockingly.

“Exactly. It’s been a shock. You don’t realize it now. I’ll get them to send something up to you. Good night, Priscilla.”

“Good night, Leigh, and thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure to look after you now and always,” he said.

I went. My emotions were in such a turmoil that I did not trust myself to remain.

One of the servants came up with some warm wine. I drank it and was soon asleep.

I awoke late next morning and so did everyone else. I did not see Harriet until the afternoon.

Leigh was making his preparations to leave and everyone seemed heavy-eyed and rather listless. I said nothing to anyone about what had happened the previous night. I could not bear to talk about it. It was a subdued household and when Harriet did appear, she told me that Leigh had been at the palazzo when she and Christabel with Gregory had come back at three o’clock in the morning.

“He had already told me that he would bring you away just after midnight.” She grimaced.

“He didn’t think it suitable for little girls to be out after that hour.”

Leigh left early the next morning. He was subdued and very sorry to go. I knew he was anxious about our remaining in Venice and Harriet told me that he had tried to persuade her to go back to England.

“He thinks it unnatural to have the child here. He believes-good Englishman that he is-that none but the English are capable of

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delivering babies. How he imagines the rest of the world became so well populated I can’t imagine. I must confess, though, that in ordinary circumstances I should have wanted to have the child at home. But it will be rather amusing, I think, to give birth in Venice.”

She was, as she would say, working herself into the role and talked as though she would indeed bear the baby. Even when we were alone she kept this up. I had found it a little disconcerting at first but I was getting used to it.

It was after Leigh had left that we called on the Duchessa to thank her in person for the evening at the ball.

As we left the gondola and went up the steps to the veranda and into the great hall of the palazzo, my memories were such that they set me shivering. I wondered whether Harriet, Gregory or Christabel would notice the change in me.

They said nothing.

The Duchessa was full of the latest gossip. Had we heard? she wanted to know. It was most exciting. Did we know that wicked, wicked Beau Granville was in Venice?

A fascinating creature … really quite irresistible, but oh, so wicked. No one was safe within a mile of him. He had a habit of scenting out the prettiest girls and he was insatiable for virgins. “They send him wild. Well, my dears, it will be interesting to discover who did it. Some husband, it is thought. Or perhaps a lover.

However, our Beau is not looking quite as pretty as usual. Are you sure you haven’t heard?”

“No,” said Harriet, “we haven’t heard.”

“He has been thrashed within inches of his life! A pretty mess, they tell me. Attacked … in his own house. They have had to get doctors to him. He will not be chasing women for some time, I imagine. It is rather amusing. Of course, they are saying he has brought it on himself. And of course it is true. It was certain to happen to him sometime. I wonder what effect it will have on him. I’ll swear he will rise from his convalescence every bit the rake he was. It’ll be fun to see.”

“It will be the greatest fun,” agreed Harriet. “And, Duchessa, we are so grateful to you for giving us such an entertainment. There hasn’t been anything like it for years, they tell me, even in Venice.”

“If it was a success it was you dear people who made it so.”

“Alas,” said Harriet, “I shall be living a quieter life from now on. Necessity, my dear Duchessa. But we are not unhappy about it, are we, Gregory?”

Gregory said it was the greatest joy to them and he was going to be very stern and forbid his wife to exert herself.

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“What a fierce husband you have, my dear,” said the Duchessa somewhat maliciously.

“I live in terror lest I displease him,” replied Harriet, smiling affectionately at Gregory.

Christabel was silent, but then she usually was. She murmured her thanks to the Duchessa, who showed little interest in her.

When we returned to the palazzo, Harriet came to my room.

“You know it was Leigh, don’t you?” she said.

“I… I guessed.”

“He told me what happened. He was so furious he couldn’t contain himself. He said he only gave Beau Granville a taste of what was to come at the time because his one idea was to get you to safety. He went back last night to settle the score.”

“Yes,” I said faintly.

“I’m glad he’s left. Beau Granville could be vindictive, I’m sure. Leigh says I have to take special care of you. He wanted us to leave here. I couldn’t tell him, of course, why we couldn’t. But he has given me and Gregory very special instructions.

I daresay Granville will leave Venice when he’s able to. He’ll feel humiliated and he won’t like that. Leigh will be able to take care of himself, I know. But I’m glad he’s gone.”

“It’s all so horrible.”

“There’s something else. Gregory knows what happened and he’s afraid it may have done some harm to you.”