The Fleeing Heiress: A funny flight into love. (9 page)

“Quite all right, Miss Stafford. Very understandable
under the circumstances.”

“Your hands are free,” said Thea, noticing for the first
time. She supposed she should be more embarrassed than
she was at the fact that she had cast herself into his arms, but
it didn’t seem to matter very much. Her whole life was
blighted. At such a time it seemed rather silly to place im
portance on breaking a social restriction.

“Yes; your brothers allowed me my freedom in order to
take a pint of hot cider and swallow a sandwich,” said
Cardiff. He was beginning to be amused by the stilted conversation. “In the ensuing excitement of your escape, and
discovering that a stagecoach had quitted the inn, I suspect it slipped their minds to redo my bonds.”

“I see.” Thea turned her gaze listlessly towards the win
dow. The sun was beginning to sink lower and the gathering
dusk exactly suited her frame of mind.

A small silence fell. Neither of the Stafford brothers felt able to address their sister, fearing that another emotional
storm might break over their heads. It had shaken them to see Thea, who had always been levelheaded and cheerful,
fall into near hysteria. As for Lord Cardiff, he was pensively
staring into a middle distance. His expression was unread
able.

Thea sighed and took vague note of the time of day. “It is
growing dark,” she said inconsequently.

“Yes,” agreed Cardiff, turning his head to regard her. He
wondered what was going through her mind. He had not
long before his curiosity was satisfied.

“I suppose I shall become a governess,” said Thea in a
detached voice. “Or perhaps a milliner. I trim hats very well,
you know.”

“No, I didn’t know,” said Cardiff gently.

“Thea, don’t be silly. You are going to wed Lord Cardiff,” said Thomas.

Cardiff sent a swift warning glance towards him. His
lordship’s frown was underscored by the jab that Thomas re
ceived from his brother.

“Ow! What was that for?” asked Thomas indignantly.

“Shut up, Thomas,” said Philip savagely, looking across
at his sister’s face.

Upon hearing Thomas’s words, Thea transferred her gaze
from the window to her brothers. Thoughtfully, as though
they were specimens of an unknown species, she stared at
them until they grew uncomfortable and shifted under her
gaze. Finally she said, “You are both such lobcocks. Do you
actually believe you shall be able to force me to wed Lord Cardiff? Or coerce Lord Cardiff into wedding me? I should
be interested to hear how you intend to do it.”

“Why—!” The brothers looked at their sister, then at each
other. Consternation gathered in their faces.

“You don’t know. You haven’t a clue. How like Papa and
the pair of you to go off half-cocked, without a single real
thought amongst the three of you,” said Thea bitterly.

Philip and Thomas reddened under the lash of her scorn.
“Now see here, Thea—!”

“Oh, do be quiet! You cannot force me or Lord Cardiff
into marriage. You know that you can’t. This entire affair
has been a piece of nonsense from start to finish,” said Thea
roundly.

“But Papa told us—”

“Yes! Papa told you, and he was wrong! I have tried and
tried to make you see, but still you persist. So pray do not
say another word,” exclaimed Thea, throwing up one hand. “I haven’t the patience to listen to any more of your idiotic declarations. I must now think what is best to be done. The
two of you and Papa have bungled things beyond repair, and it will be wonderful indeed if I can find some way out of this
coil!”

“What do you mean, Thea?” asked Thomas humbly.

“Thomas, I can never bring myself to go home again. My
reputation is blasted. Oh, why can’t you understand? I shall be the butt of insult and—and horrid conjecture because I
have been gone a day and a night now, and everyone knows
that I left in Mr. Quarles’s company,” said Thea, making a
helpless gesture.

“I shall flatten anyone who says anything bad about you,
Thea,” said Thomas, swift color surging into his face. His
fist bunched purposefully on his knee.

“Oh, Thomas! It will not answer, you know it won’t.” Be
tween laughter and tears, Thea shook her head. Resolutely, she said, “I must face it. I shall never receive a respectable offer. And I cannot return home, to become forever the ob
ject of scorn and scandal. My only choice is to become a
governess or to go into service of some sort.”

Heavy silence greeted her pronouncement. While Thea
wiped her eyes again, because a trickle of tears persisted in
clouding her gaze, her brothers sat abashed. They were utterly unable to think of anything that would either comfort
her or to make things right. She had painted a dismal picture
for them, and for perhaps the first time they understood what
had been done to her.

Several minutes passed with the uncomfortable atmos
phere left behind by Miss Stafford’s words. Cardiff sat frowning, his lithe body swaying easily to the movement of
the carriage. His reflections were not particularly pleasant.
Like Miss Stafford, he had been made a victim of her fam
ily’s obtuseness and lack of forethought. However, unlike Miss Stafford, once in possession of his freedom again, he
had the option of resuming his life very nearly where he had left off. He would continue on his journey to London, make
his report, and finish up his business in England before set
ting sail again for Spain.

He would have to make the decision, of course, whether
or not to bring charges against the Staffords. Quite apart
from the fact that he had already given his word of honor, he
rather thought that he would not have done so in any event.
It would go against the grain with him to have it bruited
about amongst his cronies and society how he had been kidnapped. Indeed, his pride would be rubbed raw by the lively
interest such an extraordinary tale would naturally produce.

In addition, it would certainly not help Miss Stafford’s
ignoble position to have her father and her brothers go to
trial. She would be left bereft then not only of reputation but a family and home, as well, for naturally, with the demise of
her immediate male relations on the gallows, the property
would be entailed away. The elder sister, Miss Tabitha
Stafford, would also suffer public humiliation and loss of
reputation simply because of the notoriety of the case.

In all of the damnable business, Miss Stafford had al
ready actually suffered the greatest loss. She was entirely correct in her assessment of her situation, thought Cardiff grimly. Unless there was somewhere a relation who could offer her a suitable alibi to explain away her absence, Miss Stafford’s situation was indeed bleak. There had probably
been witnesses to her acceptance of Mr. Quarles’s offer to
drive her home and no doubt the subsequent drama of the maid’s story had spread like wildfire throughout the surrounding neighborhood. He doubted there would be many who would soil their own social standing by holding out a hand lo help her.

Cardiff’s frown deepened. He felt reasonably certain,
from what he had already gathered about the Staffords, that
there was no one that Miss Stafford could call upon with confidence. Her great-aunt did not sound to be a promising
prospect. Her parent and her brothers had already amply
demonstrated a gross ineptitude to protect her interests. In
deed, it was they who had plunged Miss Stafford irresistibly down the road to social ruin. It was absolutely damnable, of
course, but there was little that could be done.

His lordship’s reflections led him to an inescapable con
clusion. There was no one but himself who could rescue
Miss Stafford. Not one to shirk a question of honor, Cardiff
straightened his shoulders. He broke the heavy silence.
“Miss Stafford, you have another option, one which I trust
you will decide is preferable to going into service or becoming a governess.”

Thea turned her troubled face towards Lord Cardiff, at once struck by the somber timbre of his voice. “Yes, my
lord?” She was surprised when he reached over and took
hold of her chilled hand. She allowed it to lie acquiescent in his warm clasp, finding a small spark of comfort in the con
tact.

“Miss Stafford, you can choose to wed me,” said Cardiff
quietly.

His lordship’s words fell like a bombshell. Thea’s lips parted and she stared at him, immobilized by shock. Her
heart pounded and all sorts of disjointed thoughts crowded
through her mind. Uppermost of them was the conviction that either she was dreaming or Lord Cardiff had lost his
mind.

Thomas whooped, jarring Thea from her paralysis of
mind.

“Handsomely said, my lord!” said Philip enthusiastically.

Her brothers’ outburst served to snap Thea completely
out of her dazed state. Flushing to the roots of her hair, she snatched her hand away. “No!” she exclaimed, a betraying
tremble in her voice.

At once Thomas and Philip began to remonstrate with
their sister. She only shook her head and covered her ears
with her hands. “Pray be quiet! Pray!”

“Enough!” Cardiff’s voice rang with such authority that
the Stafford brothers suspended their noisy argument to
stare across at him. “You have badgered your sister
enough.”

He paused, thoughtfully regarding Miss Stafford’s
averted face, before saying, “I believe that Miss Stafford and I shall do better to discuss this matter between us in privacy.
Miss Stafford, I apologize to you for stating my cause so
baldly. I am not usually so inept. If you will grant me an in
terview when we stop for the night, I will count it a cour
tesy.”

Thea cast a quick glance at Lord Cardiff’s expressionless
face. She hesitantly nodded. She was at one and the same
time grateful to Lord Cardiff for putting an end to her broth
ers’ harangue, but also reluctant to agree to meet privately with him for such a purpose.

Her entire history with Lord Cardiff had been one of
mortification and humiliation. She had little wish to prolong
the agony. Her greatest desire was to run away somewhere
and indulge in a hearty bout of noisy self-pity. But she could
not have that. So she accepted Lord Cardiff’s suggestion, at
least for the moment, if for no other reason than to achieve
the cessation of Philip and Thomas’s clamoring.

“Thank you, Miss Stafford,” said Cardiff somberly.

Thea did not reply but again turned towards the window.
There was nothing to be seen since it was dark enough to ob
scure the sights. However, it did not matter overmuch be
cause she wouldn’t have been aware of seeing anything even
if it had been a brilliant midday. The cold that frosted her breath on the air could scarcely be colder than that which seeped into her heart.

Thomas began to whistle cheerfully, and he did not keep
the pistol as ready as he had before. Cardiff saw it and
smiled in self-derision. The opportunity that he had waited
for had appeared, but he would not take advantage of it now.
He had pledged himself to a different course.

An inn was soon come upon, and the wearied party disembarked from the carriage. Philip and Thomas had apparently come to place a measure of trust in Lord Cardiff. With a sidelong sheepish grin, Thomas slipped the pistol into his
pocket.

With scarcely a backward glance for his lordship, Philip solicitously took his sister’s arm. “Come, Thea. Let us go inside and see about getting a private parlor and rooms for the
night. You must be tired.”

Allowing her brother to offer his escort to her, Thea gave
a small discordant laugh. “Tired, Philip? I feel as though I
have been thrown by a horse and stomped.”

“Never mind, Thea,” said Philip, uncomfortably aware
that he could offer her little to ease her obvious distress. The
two silently walked across the yard towards the inn door.

Thomas, who should have been keeping a watchful eye
on Lord Cardiff, instead had his interest captured by a sport
ing curricle that had just come into the yard in a swirl of
dust. “Oh, I say!” He walked forward for a better view in the
uncertain light of dusk.

At once Cardiff stepped backward to seize the chance to
share a word with his servants. The coachman and groom had been lingering, hoping for just such an opportunity.

“M’lord, be you all right?” asked the groom anxiously.

“We’ve wanted this age to do something, but with that pis
tol on you—”

“I am fine, Mathers, and in a fair way to becoming free
of our inopportune friends,” said Cardiff in a quiet voice. He
threw a glance after Thomas Stafford and was satisfied that the young man’s attention was still engaged by the sporting vehicle.

“I am that glad to hear it, m’lord,” said the coachman em
phatically. “Shall I hold the carriage ready, m’lord?”

Cardiff shook his head, frowning in thought. “We’re set
here for the night, so rest yourselves. But have a good team
put to before first light.”

“I take your meaning, m’lord,” said the coachman with
supreme satisfaction.

“Aye, we’ll be shut of the buggers as soon as may be,”
said the groom. “And me and John Coachman are aching to deliver a bit of the home-brewed whenever you should wish
it, m’lord.”

“I trust that will not be necessary. However, hold yourselves ready. If I fail, I may yet need you,” said Cardiff. He
threw a thoughtful glance at Thomas, who was beginning to
turn back towards him. “Now I believe I shall rejoin Mr.
Stafford. I don’t wish to arouse suspicion by being seen talk
ing with you.”

His servants assured Lord Cardiff in fierce whispers that his lordship could count on them. Cardiff nodded and saun
tered over to Thomas, reaching him just as the young man swung completely around. “Shall we go inside, Stafford?
Though the weather has cleared somewhat, it is still too cold
to be standing about outdoors.”

“Just what I was thinking myself, my lord,” said Thomas
cheerfully. He cast another appreciative glance at the curri
cle he had been admiring. “A bang-up outfit, that.”

Cardiff agreed suavely, companionably keeping pace
with Thomas as they walked towards the door of the inn. Philip emerged just as Cardiff reached the step. There was
suspicion on the man’s face, which Cardiff correctly interpreted. He allowed a mocking grin to cross his face. “The
horses are blown. I could not possibly escape without a fresh
team, you know. And Thomas still has the pistol. He could
shoot me down if I chose to run for it.”

A flush mounted to Philip’s face. He said politely, “Exactly so, my lord. Will you come in? We engaged dinner in a private parlor and bedchambers for the night.”

Thomas ignored the exchange and picked up on the most
important point. He began to rub his large hands together in anticipation and said happily, “I am looking forward to din
ner! I am positively famished.” He brushed past his brother
in the doorway.

“I hesitate to speculate what the innkeeper thinks of such
a motley party as ours,” remarked Cardiff, following
Thomas into the inn with Philip turning to accompany him.

“As to that, my lord, the man is respectful enough,” said
Philip, a shade defensively.

Cardiff shot an amused glance at him. “You had to show
him something in advance, I suppose?”

Despite his pride, a reluctant grin was drawn from Philip.
“The man is a rascal, to be sure,” he acknowledged. “How
ever, I trust his suspicions were adequately laid to rest. We’ll
not suffer for lack of service, I do assure you.”

Cardiff laughed. “I suspect you will allow your optimism
to carry you too far, Stafford. We have not a portmanteau
among us, and Miss Stafford and I, in particular, are in des
perate need of a change of fresh clothing and a bath. We will
be fortunate that the innkeeper does not post a guard outside our doors for fear of our running out on him without paying
the shot.”

Philip would have liked to refute Lord Cardiff’s assess
ment, but his disconcerting experience with the innkeeper
had already shown him that what his lordship had said was
very nearly the truth. Therefore he merely folded his lips
and accompanied Lord Cardiff upstairs.

Miss Stafford was apparently thinking much along the
same lines, for when Cardiff and Philip entered the private
parlor, it was to hear her say, “What an absolutely odious
man! It would serve him right if we simply ran out on him.
But I tell you, Thomas, not another step will I take without
bathing and at least giving a good shaking out to my clothes.
I want a hairbrush and tooth powder, too.”

“But, Thea, where are we to get them?” asked Thomas.

Thea heaved an impatient sigh. “That’s easily enough answered. When we came through the village, I saw several shops.”