Lady In Distress (The Langley Sisters Book 3) (26 page)

“Thank God Ace found you before they killed you.”

Luke heard the pain in his friend’s words. “Every time I sobered up, I saw you and Bella. That thought hurt so much I kept drinking, and I am a gutless coward for having done so,” he finished on a whisper.
 

“I know about what has been going on, Luke, and I wish you had come to me sooner. Between us, we could have unearthed the bastard.”

“You know why I didn’t”

“Yes, and I cannot say if the roles were reversed I would have reacted differently.”

“How is Bella?”

“Not sleeping or eating. Worried about you and spending every minute when I am home in my company, trying to drag information she is sure I’m concealing from her out of me. I fear she will take to the streets to find you herself shortly, if I do not produce you soon.”

Luke wanted to see her so badly he began to shake.

“I’d thought her the easiest of the Langley sisters. I see now I was wrong,” Will added.

“She has a will that is stronger than either of us realized,” Luke added.

“Amen.”

“There is still a threat, Will, so we need to take care that whoever is doing this believes I am still laying low.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Ace said, joining the conversation. He had sat silently as the two friends talked. “I think you should stay here, and I’ll have one of my men go to your house and pack your things. Hopefully there will be someone watching it and they’ll think you’ve left London

“I hate to put you out but am grateful all the same, Ace,” Luke said.

“We are closing in on him, Luke, I’m sure of it. My men have been making enquiries as have Will and Finn. We should have the bastard soon.”

“I want to tell Bella myself, Will. Talk to her and explain what has been going on and why I have behaved as I have.”

Will thought about that for a minute and it was then they heard the loud voices in the hallway outside the door.

“I think Finn is about to arrive and by the sounds of it, he has his wife with him.” Will looked at Ace. “You’ve not met the middle Langley sister, have you, Dillinger? You’re in for quite a treat.”

“What the hell is she doing here in her condition?” Luke said before the door opened. Will responded with a shrug.

The tap on the door was followed by Ace’s butler.

“Lord and Lady Levermarch are requesting to see you, sir.”

“Bring them in,” Ace said, rising.

They arrived seconds later, with Phoebe’s stomach entering before her. She looked around the room until she located Luke and then her eyes narrowed as she made her way slowly towards him.

“Where the hell have you been?”

Luke struggled out of his seat trying not to wince as every abused muscle in his body protested.

“My sister is broken-hearted and I blame you, Fletcher. How dare you leave her without a word!”

“Calm down, Phoebe.” Luke reached for the hands she waved about before him.
 

“Don’t tell me to calm down! Bella is distraught!”

“Wife, you will take a breath or I fear my infant will be deprived of air,” Finn said from beside her.

“You need to tell her you are all right at once. The only reason I know is because I caught Finn sneaking out the door, and as he would not tell me where he was going I demanded he take me with him.”

“She would have simply got into a hackney and followed had I not,” Finn said in a reasonable voice.

Wrapping his fingers around her wrists gently as she started waving them in his face again, Luke walked her slowly backwards to a chair; behind him, he heard Finn snort with laughter.

“You will sit and listen to what I have to say, Phoebe, and not open your mouth until I finish,” Luke said.

“It had better be a good explanation.”

Easing himself upright once more, he could do nothing to hide the moan of pain as his ribs gave a vicious tug.
 

“Did someone hurt you?”

“Yes.” He let Finn push him into a chair this time. “And if you shut up long enough to listen, I’ll explain.”

Phoebe pressed her lips together firmly and glared at Luke as he began talking. He told them everything, finishing with his time in St. Giles.

“Who is doing this to you?”

“As to that, I do not yet know, but we have hopes of having his name soon.”

“We’re closing in, love.” Finn moved behind Phoebe and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“How dare someone do this to us!” Phoebe’s outrage turned to the as yet unnamed person responsible for the mess Luke found himself in. He felt the warmth grow bigger in his chest at her use of the word us.
 

“And you.” She pointed her finger back at Luke. “To not have told us, your family—it was foolish, Luke Fletcher, extremely so.”

“I wanted to protect you, Phoebe.”

“Well, don’t do it again, and make sure you tell Bella soon.”

“Tomorrow,” Will said. “I will take her driving in the park. Dillinger can bring Luke in his carriage and we will swap places. I’ll send round a note with details.”

“I’m grateful to you all,” Luke said, staggering back to his feet as Finn helped Phoebe from her chair again. Now he had them back around him again, the rest of his strength seemed to have seeped from his body

“See he goes to bed now. You can hold your strategy talk later.” Phoebe gathered Luke in her arms and hugged him, and even with her stomach between them, Luke savored the contact.

“How do you know we are holding a strategy talk, wife?”

Phoebe simply snorted at that and sailed out of the room with Finn at her heels.

Will walked with Luke behind them, stopping in the entrance to shake his hand.

“No more secrets, Luke. We are brothers, you and I, in every way that counts and brothers are there for each other.”

Luke felt the bite of tears but fought them back. “I promise there will be no more secrets between us.”

Will nodded, then he shook Ace’s hand and left. Luke stood with Ace at his back, watching the door, wondering what he had ever done in his life to deserve those people.

“To have the respect and love of people such as those, Fletcher, is a wonderful thing. However, it’s my belief that were you not of the same mold they would not think so highly of you.”

“They have never been a normal family,” Luke said, still looking at the door. “The past has played an unkind hand with each of them, and yet they have never faltered, only moved forward, and it’s the strength they gain from the others that has allowed them to do so.”

“Come, you are weaving on your feet. Sleep now, Fletcher, and when you wake I will feed you and you will see your love.”

Luke was asleep within seconds of his aching head touching the pillow. It was a peaceful sleep now. The threat still existed, but he would face it with the strength of the people he loved at his back.
 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Bella, you need some fresh air. You have been inside for days waiting for news of Luke.”

“No, I want to stay here in case he arrives.” Bella looked out the window while she sipped her tea, tea forced on her by Livvy. She had not slept well and her eyes felt heavy.
 

Where are you?

She’d had so many visions of what could have happened to Luke, her head was struggling to decipher fact from imagination. Was he on a boat to France and or a horse to Scotland? Did he lay injured somewhere? No one knew where he was, only that he was in danger, and someone was after him. The not knowing was destroying her.
 

“Up now, you will put on your bonnet and we are leaving. You are pale and your sisters are worried. Therefore, we are going for a ride in the carriage. You need not speak with me if you do not wish it, but you are coming.”

Bella glared at Will, who was devouring a large piece of cake. Squinting, she examined his face and noticed he did not look as worried as he had yesterday. In fact, he looked almost happy.

“What do you know that you are not telling me?”

“I will say nothing further until you get in the carriage.”
 

They battled wills silently for a few seconds, and then she heaved a tired sigh. “I have no strength with which to argue with you. Therefore, I shall meet you outside shortly, and if I find out you have withheld news of Luke from me, I will make you very sorry.”

“Bella.” She turned at the door as Will spoke.
 

“What?”

“Everything is going to be all right, I promise you.”

She managed a jerky nod and then hurried to her room to retrieve her things.

The day was sunny, although Bella took no pleasure in it as they left the house. Will was seated across from her, elegant as always. He didn’t speak and Bella was not inclined to, either.
 

They passed other carriages and she saw people on foot, and she wondered how it was that the world had not changed when inside she was slowly dying with worry for the man she loved.

She would know if he was hurt, surely? She’d feel it if he was…
no, Bella. You must think only of him alive and walking back through Will’s front door one day soon.

The carriage rolled on and they left the busy London streets. She cared little for where they went, her thoughts, as always, on Luke.

She wanted him to hold her again, wanted to feel what they had shared in his house that night, the warmth of his body against hers.
 

“Here.”
 

She took the handkerchief Will handed her as the first tear fell. Bella had not realized just how many tears she was capable of shedding.
 

“Why have we stopped?” She felt the carriage slow and eventually come to a halt. Looking out the window, Bella saw only paddocks.
 

“I will find out. You stay in here. Will kissed her forehead then climbed from the carriage and Bella gave in to the tears now she was alone. Resting her head on the seat, she closed her eyes. The carriage dipped as Will returned, but Bella did not open her eyes; he did not need to see her despair. He knew how she felt. She heard the curtains draw and was grateful for his kindness. She had no wish for anyone to see her like this.

“Bella.”

She knew that voice. Opening her eyes, she found Luke seated opposite her.
 

“Wh-where have you been?” Her eyes swept over him, taking in the bruises on his face and weariness in his form.
 

“To hell and back without you.” His smile was tired.

“Th-then we have shared the ride.”

He lifted a hand towards her and Bella clutched it. “Will you let me tell you my story, love, so you understand why I did what I did?”

“Who did this to you?” Her voice was raw from crying.

“That is part of the story, and while I want desperately to hold you and erase the pain I can see in your face, telling the story will be easier if I simply have your hand.”

She nodded but remained silent. Opening his fingers, he laced hers tight inside his palm and closed them again.

“I knew it was time to become the man you’d always believed I could be, Bella. Knew that I owed that to myself, but more to those who had always believed in me, you and Will.”

“I would have been happy with you as you were, Luke. Surely you know that.”

“I do, love, and I have no doubts that we would have been happy, but I have come to realize since I took over Freddy’s job that there is so much more that I want to do.”

She listened as he told her about his plans and saw the disappointment and frustration over what had happened. Bella felt anger at the unknown person intent at blackening his name.
 
She heard how doors had been shut to him and about the attempts on his life; lastly he spoke of the letter. His eyes stayed on hers the entire time and she saw the emotion in every word. He had been scared for her, worried someone would hurt her, and that was why he had left.

“I understand why you did what you did, Luke, but you still should have come to me.” Cocooned in the carriage from the outside world, she felt the fear inside her begin to be replaced by anger. He was here and unharmed, and that was all Bella had ever wanted. But someone was trying to destroy him; she wanted him found and made to pay.

“I have loved you my entire life, Isabella Langley. I loved you when you were a little girl who used to follow me around, demanding answers to an unending list of questions. I loved you when you tagged along behind me when I went fishing. But as you grew up, I realized that my love for you was changing. I went to India with Will because my thoughts were too often consumed with you and it was wrong for me to feel that way about such a young girl, and not only that, a gentleman’s daughter, who I believed was beyond my reach. I thought that by going I would stop wanting you, stop weaving dreams about what could never be.”

“I had dreams about you, too, Luke.”

His smile was gentle. “When I came back you were hurting. You’d lost your parents, and had injured your leg. I saw you the day after I returned to Twoaks, walking down the street, and any hope I had that my feelings for you had gone was lost. There you were, my beautiful Bella, older, and, if possible, more lovely, but hurting. I watched you fight the pain, watched as you struggled not to show how much you suffered, but I saw it, Bella, and it nearly killed me.”