Virginia Henley (40 page)

On the very first day of the Easter Sessions, the court found the marriage of Mark Hardwick, Earl of Bath, and Lady Diana Davenport null and void on the grounds of consent. When the legal notice was brought to Hardwick Hall, Mark and Diana were ready to depart for Bristol aboard one of the earl’s vessels.

As she stood at the rail watching the swirling waters of the River Avon, Mark turned her to face him. He cupped the curve of her cheek with his long fingers. “My sweetheart, I’m sorry the marriage is dissolved, but we knew it would happen.”

She pressed her cheek into his palm. “They’re just pieces of paper … marriage certificates, annulments … they cannot declare our love null and void.”

Diana was putting the best face on it and he wanted to divert her. “After we’ve bought out all the ladies’ shops in Bristol, I think we should go to London. We can be there on your birthday, in time for you to enjoy a little revenge.”

“Oh Mark, that’s perfect! I shall go to Grosvenor Square and take back my house. Will you come with me?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Between now and your birthday, they will be scouring the country looking for you. They have only four days left to play fast and loose with your money. I intend to stay closer than your shadow. I may no longer be your husband, but be assured I am still your protector.”

That night, long after Diana had drifted off to sleep in his arms, Mark lay awake trying to decide how he would get Richard Davenport to give written consent for Diana to marry him. Her uncle would be in financial difficulties, so he would jump at a bribe. But Mark could not bring himself
to reward a man who had subjected Diana to an insane asylum.

He could force Richard at gunpoint, of course, but that would leave them open to another challenge in court, and Diana had been through enough. Mark would simply have to coerce the vultures into capitulation.

He glanced down and saw her lashes lying against her cheek. He had already bought her wedding finery and addressed the invitations. He couldn’t wait to see her amethyst eyes deepen to violet when he proposed remarriage.

On her eighteenth birthday, Diana awoke in the big bed at the Savoy Hotel in London. Had the management known their marriage had been annulled, they would never have given them a suite, earl or no earl. She decided to wear red for her confrontation with her aunt and uncle, since Prudence believed no woman in red could be respectable.

Diana fastened the braided frogs on her spring walking dress, adjusted the ostrich feather to curl beneath her chin, and chose a frilly red parasol, just in case she needed a weapon.

Their first stop was the chambers of Chesterton and Barlow, where Diana affixed her signature to half-a-dozen legal documents, then a short carriage ride took them to Grosvenor Square.

The Davenports had spent the last week in Bath. Four days ago, when the court annulled Diana’s marriage, they descended upon Hardwick Hall to resume the guardianship. When Mr. Burke informed them Lady Diana was not there, they wasted a whole day obtaining a search warrant, which failed to flush the quarry.

When Mr. Burke let it slip that the bird had flown to Bristol, they followed on what proved to be a wild-goose chase. The odious Burke was obviously laughing up his sleeve at them. Now, when it was too late, Diana had the boldness to walk in and have the butler announce her!

“Good afternoon, Richard. Good afternoon, Prudence; how’s the old hip?”

The Earl of Bath’s black eyes glittered with appreciation at the way Prudence’s mouth fell open, then compressed into a lipless line.

“How you have the audacity to flaunt yourself when you are the scandal of both London and Bath is beyond me.”

“I always had audacity to spare, Prudence.” Diana smiled. “You did your best to suppress me, but as you can see, none of your pathetic little schemes worked.”

Prudence lifted a haughty chin and looked down her long nose. “At least I had the satisfaction of having your marriage annulled!”

Damn you to hellfire, Prudence, you still have the ability to hurt me.

“A word in private, Davenport?” the earl said quietly.

Alone with Prudence, Diana was determined to hide her vulnerability. “Marriage is just a piece of paper, Prudence, not really very significant to me.”

Prudence smiled cruelly. “Not when it’s declared null and void by a more significant piece of paper called an annulment!”

“Since you have such a fascination with pieces of paper, I have one for you.” Diana reached into her reticule and presented her with a document.

“An eviction notice?” Prudence screamed.

“There’s no hurry, just so long as you vacate the premises by midnight.”

“You little bitch,” cried Prudence, taking a threatening step in her direction.

“Watch it, Prudence, or I’ll give you a Bognor injection.”

“What?”

“That’s where I stick this parasol up your arse and pull it down open!”

The earl was also enjoying himself at Richard Davenport’s expense. He held a handful of legal documents that were as lethal as any pistol.

Richard eyed him warily.

“Let me satisfy your curiosity. This deposition authorizes a full investigation into the handling of Lady Diana’s finances.”

Richard blanched.

“This one charges you with unlawful abduction; this one with unlawful incarceration and interment.”

“We were within our legal rights of guardianship.” “Not without just cause.”

“The girl was insane, believing she had gone back in time.”

“Only you and I and Dr. Wentworth heard her say anything about Aquae Sulis, and the doctor and I will deny it.”

“Dr. Bognor is a witness,” Richard asserted.

“Dr. Bognor is in even more trouble than you, Davenport. I’m afraid his days as a doctor are numbered, as are yours as a solicitor. Oh, I forgot to mention this deposition charging you with embezzlement. Being a man of the law, you will know the penalty that carries.”

Richard’s face turned ashen and he began to perspire. The earl allowed him to sweat for a few minutes.

“I might be able to persuade Lady Diana to forget about pressing some of these charges, if she were my wife.”

Richard’s hands were trembling. “Prudence will never give written consent to the marriage.”

“Fortunately, you are Diana’s legal guardian, not Prudence.”

When the gentlemen rejoined the ladies, Diana said sweetly. “We mustn’t keep you any longer, you will have a deal of packing to do.”

Prudence, vindictive to the end, said triumphantly, “You still need our consent to marry until you are twenty-one years old. Do you think you can sustain your position as mistress for three more years?”

Diana’s heart constricted with pain; Richard’s sank with dismay; Mark’s soared with triumph.

On the carriage ride back to the Savoy, Diana’s smile never dimmed, but Mark noticed that it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Would you like to go out for a birthday supper tonight?”

“I’d much rather have a private supper, if it wouldn’t disappoint you, Mark.”

“I’ve already ordered it, so staying in won’t disappoint me.”

Diana took her bath and chose a white negligee trimmed with gold ribbon to set off her deep blue lapis torque. When she emerged from the bedroom, the dinner cart had already arrived. She lifted the heavy silver cover from the first dish and gasped with delight. Mark had ordered her pale blue orchids. She turned into his arms. “You think of everything.”

His lips brushed her brow. “Let’s go home tomorrow.”

She sighed wistfully. “It isn’t my home,” she said softly.

He pressed a paper into her hand. “It soon will be.”

She opened the crackling parchment and read that Richard Davenport consented to a marriage between Lady Diana and Mark Hardwick, Earl of Bath. Suddenly she was laughing and crying at the same time. “Are you truly asking me to marry you?”

“You had better say yes; I mailed the invitations this afternoon.”

The corners of her mouth drooped. “Oh Mark, I’ve caused such scandal, no one will accept. I’ll be ostracized by polite society and you along with me.”

“Rubbish! Society is anything but polite. I’m an earl, for God’s sake. People will be fighting for a chance to come to Hardwick Hall, and dying for the opportunity to observe my outrageous bride.”

“You really did know what I wanted for my birthday.”

“You are transparent as Venetian glass, and just as delicately lovely. Why don’t we forget the food and go straight to bed?” he murmured.

“Are you mad? I’m starving to death! First I want dinner, then I want you for dessert.”

“Deferred pleasure is twice as passionate.” He dipped a piece of lobster tail in the drawn butter and lifted it to her lips. “I shall gratify all your senses before the night is through.”

She licked her lips. “You are so damned cocksure.”

Mark smiled his secret smile.

Hardwick Hall, ablaze with spring flowers, had never looked lovelier. Even the weather cooperated for the wedding. The food was being catered so that Nora was free to attend the bride.

The night before, Mark and Diana exchanged wedding gifts. She bought him a magnificently preserved Roman gladius sword and he gave her a diamond necklace with a flower of amethysts at its center to match her eyes.

“Oh, I forgot this,” he said, bringing out a huge box from beneath the bed.

When Diana opened the box, her eyes became liquid with tears. There lay a creamy
tunica recta,
woven in one piece, and a pair of cream leather slippers encrusted with pearls. The wedding veil was flame-colored Chinese silk.

“Mark, you must listen to my stories most attentively.”

“Why would I not? I love you for much more than your beauty. Your intelligence and your humor delight me.”

Diana wondered how many centuries it had taken him to learn to appreciate a woman for all of her attributes.

“Have you enough courage to wear a red veil?”

“I have courage enough for anything!”

Now, however, as she stood in front of the cheval glass while Nora fastened it to her hair with a wreath of verbena, Diana wasn’t sure. Last night she had been convinced they would have no guests. Today, carriages had been arriving for the last two hours.

“It’s too late for me to act the respectable countess at the eleventh hour, Nora. The ton has come to scrutinize me, so far be it from me to disappoint them.”

A light tap on the chamber door told them Mr. Burke had arrived to escort her to Hardwick’s own chapel. Every pew had been decorated with lily of the valley. The small chapel overflowed with guests, whose faces were just a blur to Diana. The only one she was acutely aware of was the dark face of her beloved awaiting her at the altar.

She listened attentively as the minister joined them in holy wedlock. She was startled when the groom took her hand and said, “I, Marcus, take thee, Diana, to my wedded wife”

When it was her turn, she used his full name, “I, Diana, take thee Marcus to my wedded husband…” When she’d finished the traditional vow, she added softly, “Will you be my
pater familias?”

Mark squeezed her hands, telling her he would be anything and everything she wanted him to be. As they left the chapel and were showered with rice, Diana hugged her secret to her for the last time. Tonight she would share it with her husband.

The afternoon sun shone so brightly, the doors were thrown open so that the guests could explore the gardens of the lovely old Elizabethan hall.

Diana was surprised that she knew so many of the guests. Dr. Wentworth and his attractive wife were there, and Diana was amazed to see Dame Lightfoot, who had arrived with the Melbournes.

“Allegra couldn’t come?” Diana asked wickedly.

“She’ll be here later when things liven up and the dancing begins,” replied Dame Lightfoot with a straight face.

Lady Emily Castlereagh and her husband, the Marquis of Londonderry, who had been such close friends of her father, had joined the Granvilles for the drive to Bath. William Lamb, one of her disappointed suitors, arrived with Caro Ponsonby, and Diana was almost sorry to hear that the couple were engaged.
She’ll lead him a dog’s life. Poor William!

The eccentric Countess of Cork was holding court in the drawing room when Diana and Mark strolled in to mingle. The old girl pinned her to the wall with her piercing gaze. “So, where was it you disappeared to all those months, Lady Diana?”

The room fell silent as Diana gathered her wits. “You know how men always have a grand tour before they settle down to married life? Well, I decided that was completely unfair to the female sex, and took a trip to Rome.”

“Bully for you, my girl,” cheered the countess, and
the rest of the ladies in the room seemed all in favor of equality.

Mark opened his cigar case and offered it to the man beside him. “Do you ladies mind if we smoke?”

“Not if we join you,” said Diana outrageously, reaching for a cheroot. Dead silence followed, then the Countess of Cork reached for one, held it to her nose, and said, “Turkish blend. Actually I prefer American.”

When Mark and Diana moved on to the next room, she gave him back the cigar.

“You love to shock people,” he accused.

“Not all all. Save it for me and I’ll smoke it later.”

As the evening shadows started to gather, Diana found Mark. “I’m going upstairs to take off my veil before we go up to the ballroom for the dancing.”

“Good, your hair is far too beautiful to hide.”

“It has been an absolutely perfect day. You have all of my heart.” Diana couldn’t wait until they danced together in the magnificent Elizabethan ballroom, while the music drifted down from the minstrels’ gallery.

He took hold of her hands and lifted them to his lips. He longed to kiss more than her fingers, but knew if his mouth began to explore hers, he would not be able to stop.

Diana went into Mark’s bedchamber, which had once been used by a queen, and was now theirs. When she turned from closing the door, she looked straight into the eyes of Peter Hardwick. How in the world had he gotten in here? Then she knew. He had used the secret passage so none would know he was there.

“Peter, what do you want?”

“You were too fine to spread yourself for me. You and Mark conspire to rob me of my father’s land and wealth. Until you came along, I was his legal heir, now he thinks to breed heirs on your body. But I shall get it all, and you, my beautiful bitch, will get your just deserts.”

“Petrius!” she cried out in horror.

“I shall take you up to the roof, where of your own accord you will jump off! None know I am here, and none shall ever know.”

When he lunged for her, Diana did not waste time screaming. She reached for the door and had it open when his cruel hands took possession of her. She wrenched away from him with all her strength. Her red veil came away in his hands, but her feet were already running along the hallway to the staircase. Peter was behind her; she could hear him breathing.

Then she saw Mark at the foot of the stairs with Charles Wentworth. Before she could cry out his name, she felt a brutal shove from behind, then she was tumbling helplessly down the long curved staircase.

A look of horror came across Mark’s face as he watched Peter push Diana down the stairs. Mark bent and picked her up in his arms, his heart thundering inside his ears. He was a stranger to fear, but he felt its hammer blow now as he searched his beloved’s face.

“I’m all right, Mark … it was Petrius!” she gasped.

Charles Wentworth took her from Mark’s arms. “I’ll look after her—get him!”

With murder in his black eyes, Mark took the stairs three at a time. He did not hesitate, but went straight to the master bedchamber and the secret passage that led to the roof. Peter had fled on this course before when they were boys and he had done something brutal to one of Mark’s horses. He hadn’t caught him then, but he intended to trap him now.

Peter pressed himself against the tall chimney in the deep shadows. He had planned to fling Diana from the roof, but this was even better. Mark was the real impediment to his future. Hatred and bloodlust rose up within him; it was the most ecstatic feeling he had ever known.

Mark stood absolutely still until his eyes became accustomed to the darkness. His gaze slowly moved across
the pitch and gabled roof and along the parapet walk. When he saw nothing, he knew Peter must be behind him on the other side of the chimney stack. Very deliberately, he walked out onto the open parapet, where he knew that he would be visible.

“Come out.” It was a command.

For the space of
perhaps
two minutes, there was no sound, no movement, nothing. Then suddenly Peter was hurtling himself toward Mark at full speed.

Ancient memories flooded Mark’s consciousness. Petrius had poisoned their father and had made Nero turn Diana into a living torch!

Mark’s powerful fists felled him. As Peter went to his knees, he suddenly lost his balance and went hurtling backward over the crenellated stones. The impact was fatal.

Mark stared down at his brother’s body sprawled lifelessly below. It had happened too quickly for Mark to reach out for him.
Would I have saved him if I could?
Mark could not truthfully answer, but he knew that Peter was evil incarnate and carried within him the seeds of his own destruction. The Roman wedding had been celebrated with a sacrifice after all.

Mark found Diana in their chamber, where Dr. Wentworth had carried her upstairs to examine her. His black eyes sought those of his friend, Charles, and held.

“Diana will be all right if she stays off her feet for a few days. She was very lucky she didn’t lose your child.”

Mark was startled, yet not. “Thank you, Charles. You’ll be needed downstairs, I’m afraid.”

Mark sank down on the edge of the bed. “Are you really all right?” His insides felt like jelly.

“It was Petrius—”

“I know, my love. He can never hurt you again.” “It’s very wicked of me, but I’m glad he’s dead.” “He deserved to die. It’s over.” Diana lifted his hand to her cheek, then pressed a kiss into his palm.