Kane, Samantha - Brothers In Arms 3 (11 page)

“You have no rights here, Westridge,” Sir Horatio informed him snidely. “I’ve a writ from Sir Appleton, the presiding Justice of the Peace in the duke’s absence. It gives me custody of the children, and was approved by the Duchess. They are mine now.”

“This is my property,” Valentine ground out. “It is you who have no authority here.

Give me the writ, and after it has been validated, I will consider the situation.”

“Do you think me a fool?” Sir Horatio spat out. “If I allow you to keep the children until the writ has been verified you will spirit them away. As for your authority here, that is why I brought the soldiers. They are here expressly to see that justice is served.”

“Justice, to steal children from their mother?” Kurt’s tone was as virulent as Sir Horatio’s. “This is not justice, this is cruelty.”

“Sir?” Bastian’s voice came unsteadily from the doorway.

“You, boy,” Sir Horatio ordered him. “Come here. You are to go with me.”

“No, Bastian,” Valentine told him quickly as he hesitatingly started down the steps.

The soldier holding Esme passed her off to another and turned to Valentine with a look of contempt. “If you interfere, Westridge, you or your lover,” he spat the word out as if it were an insult, “I have the authority to arrest you, and I will do so with pleasure.

Your kind has no business around children.”

“You cannot take them!” Leah cried out. “Valentine! Valentine, tell them! Tell them they can’t take the children!”

Valentine stepped forward menacingly and the soldier reached for his sword. “Give me a reason, Westridge,” he snarled. “You disgust me, and I’d like nothing better than to end your sorry life right now.”

“Captain,” Sir Horatio said with great satisfaction as he watched Valentine go still,

“fetch the boy and let us leave this place. We are here to protect the children. I do not 79

Samantha Kane

believe, unless he attacks us, we have the authority to kill Mr. Westridge, or Mr. Schillig for that matter.”

Leah stood helpless as Kurt cursed and raged and struggled, and Valentine stood still as stone as the children were led away to Horatio’s carriage.

Before he climbed in Sir Horatio turned to Leah. “You know what you must do, Leah. I’ll expect to hear from you shortly.”

80

Love’s Strategy

“We must wait for Freddy,” Valentine said again in a weary voice. For two days he had held Kurt back and listened to Leah’s sobs. His heart was breaking at what was happening to them, to the children. The future had looked so bright, everything so perfect. He should have known it would all fall apart.

“We cannot wait anymore, Valentine!” Kurt argued. “Marleston is wrong, yes, in the head? If we do not get the children now, there is no telling what he will do to them.

What he may already have done!” Kurt paced restlessly on the carpet, running his hand impatiently through his hair. He hadn’t slept for two days, none of them had, and it was showing. His accent was heavy, his eyes wild.

Valentine sat forward and resting his elbows on his knees, he rubbed his face roughly. “If we attempt to take the children it may be seen as an illegal act that could outlaw us, Kurt. Considering the behavior of the soldiers it could even kill us. Where would Leah and the children be then? For now Marleston is forced to play the rescuer.

He can do nothing to the children or it will weaken his claim. So we wait.”

“How do you know the duke will come?” Leah’s voice was raspy and weak from her tears and exhaustion. “What if he doesn’t come?” She leaned against the door frame of the study, broken. She hugged herself as if she were cold. “I must give in. I must go to Sir Horatio and give him what he wants.”

“No, Leah! You can’t,” Kurt told her in an anguished voice. “You can’t, or you will never be free of him. Can you so easily turn your back on what we could have?”

“How can you ask me that?” Leah tone was just as anguished. “You show me a glimpse of heaven, and now I must return to hell. You ask me to choose between you and my children, Kurt, and I must choose Bastian and Esme.” She covered her face with 81

Samantha Kane

her hands and her shoulders shook with her sobs. Valentine rose to go to her, but Kurt beat him there.

“I’m sorry, my love, I’m sorry,” Kurt whispered as he took her in his arms. Leah grabbed the back of his coat in tight fists as she burrowed into his chest, still crying.

Valentine went to them both, he couldn’t stay away. They were his life, his loves, his tomorrows. He gathered them both close in his embrace and they separated, Leah’s head on his right shoulder, Kurt on his left.

“I will fix this,” he whispered. “I will take care of it.”

“Then do it.” Marjorie Northcott’s voice cracked through the quiet room. “He has stolen our children, and you sit here crying, waiting for some flighty duke. If he’s that powerful, he will help us after we have the children back.”

All three turned to look at her in astonishment. “Mama!” Leah cried. “Surely you don’t blame Valentine!”

Marjorie shook her head sadly and closed her eyes in grief. “No, I blame the one responsible—Horatio.” She opened her eyes. “He is evil, Leah. You know it. You know what he’s done in the past. Even now he could be beating those children. Do you want them to suffer as you did? I did nothing to help you when you needed me most. I won’t make that same mistake with Bastian and Esme. I won’t let you make that mistake.”

Kurt turned to Leah with a growl. “He hit you before the other night? Why did you not tell us this?”

Leah sat down wearily on the settee. “To what avail? What good would it have done to tell you my marriage was a nightmare? That while my husband was busy gambling away every cent we had, his brother stepped in and made my life a living hell? That he beat me? Can you change the past? I think not. It was enough that you offered me a future free of him.”

“Leah—” Valentine began, his face distorted with rage, but Leah cut him off.

“Mother is right. I’m going to Sir Horatio. I will make him give me the children. I can’t let him control my life anymore. I won’t let him.” She looked at Valentine and 82

Love’s Strategy

Kurt. “Take your rage and come with me. If you want to confront him, I won’t stop you.

But I won’t wait with you anymore either.” She stood and moved to the door.

Before she could reach it, both Valentine and Kurt intercepted her. Valentine took her in a fierce hug as Kurt stood beside them, vibrating with intent. “Yes, Leah, we will go. We will go now.”

Valentine turned his head so that he spoke into her hair. “Yes, I have been a fool to wait for Freddy. If we must we will leave with the children. The world is quite large, and surely we will find our place in it. But my place right now is at your side, protecting our children.”

He pulled away and Leah reached for both his and Kurt’s hands. “Let us go and bring our children home then.”

“Thank God,” Marjorie whispered as she sank down on a chair, “thank God.”

* * * * *

Valentine and Kurt reined to a stop in front of Sir Horatio’s house. They were alarmed to see servants carrying boxes and luggage out to waiting carriages.

“Here, is Sir Horatio at home?” Valentine called to one of the coachmen.

“Eh? Sure he’s home, but he’s leaving within the hour. Taking the poor mites to school he is, far away from their mama.” The coachman shook his head as he spoke.

“And who are you?”

“I am the children’s father,” Valentine told him as he dismounted. His voice was low and ragged, shaking with his rage.

“Thought ’e was dead,” the coachman said suspiciously. “Their ma’s getting ready to marry again.”

“She is marrying me.” Valentine’s steps didn’t slow as he answered the astonished coachman. The servants who moments before had been busy scurrying about were now quiet and watchful. More appeared as Kurt followed Valentine to the steps.

83

Samantha Kane

Suddenly the front door flew open and Sir Horatio appeared with the same Captain who had been at Cantley the day they took the children.

“What do you want, Westridge?” Sir Horatio demanded. “You are not welcome here.”

“I want my children.” Valentine had come to a stop at the bottom of the steps, Kurt on his right. His voice rang with malice and authority, and the stance of both men clearly showed they were familiar with violence and not afraid to use it.

Valentine saw that the Captain was armed with gun and sword, and he looked ready to take them down on the spot. Valentine was glad he’d insisted Leah stay home and let him and Kurt handle this. She didn’t need to be involved in a bloody confrontation. If he and Kurt were killed, they would at least take Sir Horatio with them, and Leah would have the children back.

“Mr. Westridge! Mr. Schillig!” Bastian’s voice rang from inside the house. They heard running and then a scuffle, and Bastian cried out. “Bugger it, let me go!”

Valentine could feel his rage radiating out from his body, turning the air thick with tension. Next to him, he felt rather than saw Kurt prepare to move on Sir Horatio and the Captain. After so many years fighting by each other’s side he knew instinctively what Kurt would do. The Captain’s battle experience showed as he too anticipated Kurt’s move.

“Don’t even think about it,” the Captain snarled. “If you put one foot on these steps I have the authority to kill you, and I will do it.”

“You are welcome to try,” Kurt snapped back. “But it will not be I dining with the devil this eve.”

Both men took a step forward, and Valentine’s pulse sped up as he prepared to do whatever was necessary to rescue his children and protect Kurt. But further action was suspended by the rattle of carriage wheels and the pounding of horse’s hooves nearing the house.

84

Love’s Strategy

All four men looked to see a large ornate carriage pulling through the gates.

Valentine felt the tension leave his body and breathed easier as Kurt stepped back to his side. From the corner of his eye he saw Sir Horatio put a hand on the Captain’s arm and pull him back. Good, he knew who it was too.

Kurt stepped forward and opened the door of Freddy’s carriage before the footman could do so.

“Kurt!” The duke’s jovial voice came from within and a second later his red head poked out the door. He shared a delighted smile with all those assembled and descended from the carriage without a care in the world. His clothes as usual were the height of fashion and impeccably tailored to accentuate his tall, leanly muscled frame.

His shoulders are bigger
, Valentine thought,
and his eyes wiser
.
Freddy is growing up.

A handsome man with curly auburn hair and a serious face looked out of the carriage, his stern gaze lighting briefly on each participant in the tableau before him. He went to step out of the carriage and Freddy turned back to him instantly.

“Do be careful, Brett. Watch your leg.” Freddy reached a hand back to help him down the steps.

Brett Haversham frowned at Freddy and shook his head. “You make me feel like an old woman, Freddy. Have I ever fallen out of the carriage before?” In spite of his words he took Freddy’s hand and leaned on it as he jumped to the ground.

“No, but that’s because I always lend you a hand.” Freddy’s reply was unrepentant and accompanied by his charming smile, yet there was a hint of tension in his voice.

Valentine knew Brett could not stay mad for long when Freddy looked at him that way.

He thought back to their conversation with Leah and for the first time wondered why Brett denied Freddy. Clearly he cared for him. Sir Horatio’s voice brought him back to the present.

“Your Grace, how delightful to see you.” The man’s unctuous tones made Valentine’s hackles rise.

85

Samantha Kane

“Yes, yes, of course it is,” Freddy trilled. “Valentine! There you are. We come from London with Stephen at your urgent request, and arrive to find you gone! When we stopped at Cantley we were told we’d find you here.” He walked over to Valentine and the two men shook hands like old friends.

“Freddy, it is good to see you. We missed you in London.” He turned to the carriage. “Hello, Brett.” He extended his hand and Brett limped over to shake it. He knew the other man hated when people made concessions to his injury. Freddy and Brett greeted Kurt while Valentine watched Sir Horatio seethe on the steps.

“Sir Horatio,” Freddy addressed him, “what is this I hear about kidnapped children? Surely I have misunderstood.” Valentine started at the thread of steel in Freddy’s voice. When had he acquired that?

Sir Horatio was made of stern stuff, however, and stood his ground. “My niece and nephew are hardly kidnapped, Your Grace. They are here safe and sound with me, as I’m sure my brother would have wanted.”

Ah so that’s going to be his argument here, Valentine thought with satisfaction. It was weak and easily surmounted.

“Children should be with their mother, Freddy,” Valentine smoothly countered.

“My fiancée Leah, the children’s mother, is most distressed.”

“I quite agree, Valentine, at least in this instance.” Freddy turned once again to Sir Horatio. “Bring the children to me, Marleston. I shall question them.”

For the first time Sir Horatio seemed uneasy. “Your Grace, it would unduly distress them, to be sure. Their mother has chosen a, shall we say, unfortunate future with these two gentlemen, and the children were only too glad to be taken away from such unnatural goings-on. Your mother—”

Freddy interrupted him with a frown. “My mother is no longer in the neighborhood. Upon hearing of my imminent arrival she very wisely took herself off to parts unknown. Produce the children.”

86

Love’s Strategy

For the first time the Captain spoke. “Sir Horatio speaks the truth, Your Grace. You are clearly unaware of the disgusting nature of the relationship between these two or you would not call them friends.”

When Freddy turned to the Captain, Valentine took a step back at the regal fury in his gaze. “Do not presume to inform me of the private lives of my friends, Captain. If I desire your opinion I will address you. Until then you are to keep your mouth shut.”