Two Notorious Dukes (5 page)

Robert ran down the stairs and flew into the
drawing room, slamming the door behind him. ‘What
the hell is going on!?’ he demanded of Lady Verity. ‘I
stand in a room and listen to barely veiled threats of
violence against the smallest woman I have ever seen
and then I’ve just heard her scream as if she was on the
rack!’

Lady Verity turned from the table and handed
him a very large brandy. ‘I knew you would need that. Is
she awake yet?’ He shook his head as he gulped the
spirit down.

‘I now know who screamed the other night!’
Argyll said softly from the fire place, where he was
standing poking at the fire with an iron.

‘What she needs is protection.’ Lady Verity said
harshly. ‘I was hoping one of you would offer.’
‘And just how would we do that?’ Argyll asked in
astonishment.
‘Darling, you are both influential men. You sit in
the House. I’m sure you can deal with one small
woman.’ Lady Verity sighed. ‘She needs somewhere
quiet, away from London, where she can recover.’
‘Recover from what?’ Robert demanded in
exasperation.
‘From the despicable treatment she has received
at the hands of the Craanford’s!’ Lady Verity said in such
a way that both men looked up at her in surprise. ‘That
poor girl has been beaten and abused. She lost three
babies and that blackguard Alexander wouldn’t be any
different.’ She sighed and went to the fire. ‘She needs
somewhere quiet, where she’s protected.’
‘I have a nice little estate at Hertfordshire that
would probably suit.’ Robert said quietly as he slumped
into a chair, ‘I rarely use it.’
‘Did he leave her anything?’ Argyll asked.
‘No.’ Lady Verity said harshly. ‘Edward left her
practically nothing. The title of course would go to
Alexander, but Edward left him everything.’
‘Didn’t he make one proviso for his wife’s
future?’ Argyll asked in shock.
‘Would a man who would beat his wife for
getting pregnant care what would happen to her if he
died?’ Lady Verity asked them scathingly.
‘How do you know all this?’ Robert asked softly.
‘I’ve never even heard of the Craanford’s.’
Lady Verity sighed and stood up. She walked to
the decanter and offered Robert more brandy as she
ordered her thoughts. She poured a good measure for
him and Argyll held out his glass too.
‘Just a hair of the dog.’ He murmured. Lady
Verity stoppered the decanter and went to the window.
‘The Craanford estate is in Ireland and it is an
ancient seat of power in that blighted country.’ She
started. ‘I’m sure you’re aware how difficult it is to
govern there. But the Craanford’s hold a lot of sway
with the people. The previous Earl was a gentleman. I
remember seeing him at court more than once when I
was first married to your father. The gossip was that he
was the most eligible bachelor in London and he
married an acquaintance of mine. She was deliriously
happy with him and she had four sons from him, but
only the first one survived infancy. When Edward grew
up he was headstrong and spoilt. There was some form
of scandal and he was packed off to England and has
been in London ever since. He was always careful after
that, although rumours abound that he was less than
popular with the ladies.’ She sighed and went to sit
down. ‘Elizabeth comes from a very old family,’ she
looked at Argyll, ‘she is actually a distant cousin of
yours. Three times removed on your mother’s side.’ She
sighed again. ‘It was a very eligible match, Audley was
wealthy and had many properties and he seemed
genuinely captivated with Elizabeth.’
‘Who wouldn’t be?’ Robert muttered and made
Lady Verity smirk again.
‘Precisely!’ She responded. ‘They were married,
but of course, for Elizabeth it was an arranged marriage
and she had no say at all. She was suddenly at the
mercy of the most brutal man I have ever had the
misfortune to meet.’ She shivered. ‘It was there in his
eyes and I’m surprised nobody noticed it, including me!’
‘What happened to him?’ Argyll asked calmly.
‘He offended the wrong man. There was an
accusation he’d been tupping a well known duchess and
the duke called him out. I don’t know where the duel
took place; I only know Edward died a week later from a
putrefied wound in his stomach.’ She sighed again. ‘It
was perhaps fortunate that the day Alexander turned
up to claim his dead cousin’s wife as property, was the
day that I went to visit her to offer her a home. She was
in rooms at Almack’s club, but what little money she
had was running out fast and soon she would have been
on the streets.’
‘How did you find out?’ Argyll asked.
‘I went to the family town house to see if she
was well, now that the mourning period was past and I
was so shocked when the footman told me she no
longer lived there, but was ensconced at Almack’s Club.
I hurried around to fetch her here, only to find
Craanford in a tussle with her one solitary remaining
male servant, and poor Elizabeth on the floor with her
clothes in dishabille and a black eye darkening her face.’
She looked down and frowned. ‘I’m sorry to tell you
this, but I actually hit him.’
Both Robert and Argyll looked at her in shock!
‘You hit him?’ Argyll asked in amazement.
‘With what?’ Robert asked as his eyes lit up, he
would never tell anybody, but he admired strong
women who were not afraid to use violence in the
defence of a weaker person.
‘Do you remember the cane your father gave
me, when I had that riding accident and hurt my foot?’
she asked Argyll, who nodded. ‘Well, I always have it
with me, usually it remains in the coach, but some days
my foot aches so much that I need the cane and that’s
what I hit him with.’ She frowned again. ‘I brought it
down across his back with every ounce of my strength.’
She laughed suddenly. ‘He was so shocked, that he
offered to call me out and I damned well accepted. I
took off my glove and flicked it across his face and
threw it on the floor.’
‘The devil you did!?’ Argyll said astonished.
‘I did, but the blackguard is a coward and
withdrew from it on the grounds that I was a woman
and wouldn’t be able to hold the gun!’
‘Didn’t Monmouth offer to stand in for you?’
Robert asked, knowing full well the answer would be
no.
‘No, I wouldn’t let him anyway. It wasn’t his
duel. Just like I wouldn’t have asked either of you.’ she
was quiet for a few moments. ‘Anyway, I had Elizabeth
transferred here and she has been with me ever since.
Last night was the first time I’ve managed to persuade
her to go out in the evening, so thank you for making it
a pleasant and easy evening for her.’
All three of them were quiet, Argyll was thinking
about why Monmouth wouldn’t offer to stand in for
Verity, Verity was remembering the look on Craanford’s
face as she hit him and Robert was thinking about his
small estate in Hertfordshire and just how perfect it
would be.
‘When would you like her to leave?’ Robert
asked softly.
Lady Verity looked at his face, to see him
contemplating the fire and she didn’t like the look in his
eyes.
‘I do hope neither of you will do something
precipitate?’ she asked firmly. ‘I wouldn’t like to end up
on the streets.’
‘No, Mother,’ Argyll said just as firmly. ‘We
won’t be calling him out, will we Robert?’
Robert just looked at the pair of them in turn.
‘That will all depend on what he does next. In my
experience, bullies like him will keep pestering until he
gets what he wants.’ Robert stroked his chin. ‘She’ll
need good protection, just in case the dandy finds out
where she’s staying.’ Robert got up and helped himself
to more brandy. As he resumed his seat and sipped the
spirit he smiled. ‘Would she be able to stay here
another week?’ he asked.
‘Yes. She could probably stay longer now he’s
put in his appearance for this month.’
‘Good!’ Robert said brightly. ‘The house breaks
for the summer next week, so I’ll escort her to
Hertfordshire and introduce her to the staff, lay on
some protection and then leave her to it.’
‘And I’ll be going with you.’ Verity said coldly.
‘Don’t you trust me?’ Robert asked offended.
‘Of course I do, but she won’t. So I will travel
with you for her comfort.’ He nodded and looked
chastened.
‘I’m sorry, I hadn’t thought about how she might
feel.’
Verity smirked again and flicked her eyes at
Argyll, who was looking at his friend askance. He cleared
his throat.
‘I think you and I should get on, Robbie. I have to
be at the Palace before eleven o’clock.’
‘What the hell have you got to go to the Palace
for?’ he asked shocked.
‘I owe Prinny five hundred guineas.’ Argyll said
calmly.
‘How much?’ erupted unbidden from Robert’s
throat. ‘How the hell do you owe Prinny five hundred?
Were you gambling with him last night?’
‘Not really. He has a new ward, Lady Sarah
Trevanon. Prinny, the despicable whelp, was offering
her first kiss to the highest bidder.’
‘So you paid out five hundred guineas for this
first kiss?’ Lady Verity asked full of incredulity.
‘I did. God help me! I did. She was so pretty and
affronted I offered five hundred and nobody wanted to
bid higher.’
‘So what was this expensive virgin kiss like then?’
Robert asked acerbically.
‘Stunning!’ Argyll said and they watched a huge
smile appear on his face. ‘Absolutely stunning.’
‘Have they set a bond yet?’
‘Prinny said not yet, but it would probably be
better to talk to the Chancellor. Her father owes the
Crown, so they’ve already confiscated his lands and
possessions and now they will sell his daughter for an
exorbitant price.’
‘I do hope you’re not thinking of buying.’ Lady
Verity said coldly. ‘I refuse to partake in the purchase of
somebody’s daughter. It’s too much!’
‘Would you rather she ends up like Elizabeth!’ he
spat with sudden vehemence. ‘At least with me she will
be cared for and chaperoned!’
Lady Verity was not only chastened by her steps
son’s intensity but she was intrigued as well. As Argyll
span back to the fire to recover his composure, Lady
Verity looked at Robert and he smiled knowingly back.
He stood up and finished his brandy with a jerk.
‘Well, we had better get a move on, then. Prinny
is not known for his patience when he’s waiting for the
settlement of a wager.’
‘You’re quite right.’ Argyll murmured, threw his
brandy down his throat and kissed Lady Verity on the
cheek. ‘See you later, Mater.’ He said brightly.
As they got outside and climbed onto their
horses, Robert asked. ‘So what was she like?’
‘She was the most beautiful woman I have ever
seen.’ Argyll muttered. ‘Blond haired, blue-eyed and
skin like a peach.’
‘What the hell made you pay out five hundred
guineas to kiss her?’
‘Beside the fact that she was affronted and was
going to stamp her foot at Prinny’s audacity, she almost
took my breath away.’
‘I’ll bet she gave you a hard on!’ Robert said
scathingly.
‘She did too!’ Argyll said with a lascivious smile.
‘I’ve never had one quite so big or so painful. And
keeping it out of the Prince’s sight was truly difficult;
you know he has eyes like a hawk!’
‘I know he’s a gossipy old woman sometimes!’
Robert said as he kicked his horse into a canter.
An hour later they were shown into the receiving
room at Kew Palace, more locally known as the Dutch
House, because of its architecture.
‘Argyll and Bosworth!’ the Prince Regent said in
glee as he clapped his hands. ‘Come to pay your debt?’
‘I have Your Highness.’ Argyll said and stepped
forward with a leather bag full of gold in his hand.
Right at that moment a door flew open and Lady
Sarah Trevanon burst into the room and shouted.
‘Prinny you’ve gone too far. I objected to being rented
for a kiss. But this!’ she indicated the royal robes she
was wearing. ‘Why must I suddenly purport to be your
wife’s lady in waiting?’
‘Do you not want to be a lady in waiting?’ he
asked innocently.
‘I don’t want to be your mistress!’ she spat
vehemently and suddenly she was aware of the other
men in the room. ‘Oh! I’m sorry I didn’t realise you had
company.’
Robert was captivated and he could certainly see
why Argyll had paid such an exorbitant sum for a single
kiss. Argyll was already groaning as his erection filled
the front of his britches.
‘Lady Sarah Trevanon, I think you’ll remember
the Duke of Goring?’ Prinny said sinfully. ‘But I don’t
think you met his partner in sin, Robert Bosworth, Duke
of Roding.’
‘Your Graces.’ She curtsied for them, but barely
gave Robert a glance. The fire in her eyes was to behold
as she turned her attention back to the Prince with her
hair flashing the in sunlight. ‘I won’t do it.’ She stated
unequivocally.
‘Such as shame.’ The Prince sighed. ‘And I could
have returned all of your fathers lands for it, too.’
‘That’s blackmail and you know it!’ she spat
vitriolically and Argyll could see the sparkle of tears on
her eye lashes. ‘You made my position very clear last
night. My family owes the crown, not you personally.’
‘What’s the bond?’ Argyll asked quietly.
The Prince Regent looked at him speculatively.
‘It’s only five thousand pounds, Argyll. That’s why I was
offering to return the lands.’ He smiled lasciviously. ‘A
quick tumble for a few weeks and then she could return
to her father’s estate.’
‘And live out the rest of her life in ignominy!’
Robert said harshly and drew the prince’s attention.
‘Growing a heart old boy?’ the Prince said to his
old friend. ‘I thought you had ice water in your veins.
Women are to be enjoyed and disposed of.
“Permanency is for fools!” I think you said once?’
‘I do not mess around with virgins or widows,
Your Highness. Only married women who are willing
and looking for a diversion.’ Robert replied carefully, not
allowing the Prince to make him any more angry than
he already was.
‘Very well. The choice is yours, my dear. But
think carefully, for if you refuse my gallant offer, you
will end up with the highest bidder!’ The Prince said
coldly and looked at Argyll. He held out his pudgy hand
for the bag of gold.
Argyll hadn’t been able to take his eyes off Lady
Sarah and as she harrumphed in disgust, tossed her
golden tresses in the air and stomped away to the door,
he followed her with his eyes, his free hand holding his
groin as she slammed the door.
The Prince Regent started to laugh. ‘Is that a log
in your britches?’ he said and pointed at Argyll’s groin.
‘No, Your Highness, but that’s what she’ll get if I
can woo her.’
‘Pay up, Argyll.’ He said firmly and Argyll handed
over the bag of gold.
‘I expect you to name a room in your pavilion
after her.’ Argyll said softly and looked again at the
door.
‘Sentimental fool!’ the Prince said.
‘That I am, Your Highness, its the way my mother
brought me up.’