Awakened By The Lord’s Kiss by Meghan Sloan

Chapter 19

 

 

When Henry had heard the screams, he thought that someone was being attacked. Still dressed in his shirt and breeches, he had shoved his feet into his shoes and ran towards Sarah and Caroline’s rooms. Had someone come into their bedchambers while they slept?

 

 

 

He was at Caroline’s door when he heard more screaming. It wasn’t coming from their rooms. It was downstairs. What was going on?

 

 

 

His heart had missed a beat when he saw Caroline try to grab onto the banister as she slid, only to fall hard onto the tiles. She was still shaking in his arms as she sobbed.

 

 

 

Someone was in the house, come in without permission, and had terrified his woman. Henry eased Caroline off him.

 

 

 

“You wait here. I’ll go and see what’s happening.”

 

 

 

“What? No!” Caroline clutched at his arm. “You can’t go!”

 

 

 

“Why not? I have to see what’s happening. This is my house, after all.”

 

 

 

“But …”

 

 

 

Caroline was cut off by the arrival of two of the footmen, both in their shirtsleeves. They looked like they had been down in the coal cellar with smudges of dark coal on their clothes and faces. They both looked out of breath.

 

 

 

Henry frowned.

 

 

 

“Klaus, Creek? What’s going on?”

 

 

 

“It’s ... it’s your brother, My Lord,” Klaus wheezed, trying to bow but ended up propping himself up on his knees. “He’s in the library.”

 

 

 

James was here? Henry felt Caroline stiffen beside him.

 

 

 

“I thought he was going to be in town tonight.”

 

 

 

“So did I.” His brother had to be mad to be travelling in this weather. “What’s he doing now?”

 

 

 

“He …” Creek gulped in air, his cheeks red. “He was stamping out a candle when we went in. The rug was a little scorched. Then he demanded that we get him a drink and collapsed onto the settee. We ... we didn’t know what to do.”

 

 

 

It sounded like his brother was drunk. What was he doing back here at this time of night? Henry turned to Sarah.

 

 

 

“Sarah, take Caroline upstairs and go to your rooms. I’ll deal with James.”

 

 

 

“You’re going to deal with him alone?” Sarah stared. “Wouldn’t it be best to leave him?”

 

 

 

“Just take Caroline with you, Sarah, and stop arguing.” Henry cupped Caroline’s jaw in his hand. “It’ll be fine. I’ve just got to deal with my brother.”

 

 

 

Caroline bit her lip.

 

 

 

“I’m not sure if you should. He could be volatile.”

 

 

 

“And he’s soaking wet and possibly blackout drunk. He needs to be dealt with before he catches a chill.”

 

 

 

Caroline frowned.

 

 

 

“I don’t know why you’re so generous towards him after what he’s done.”

 

 

 

“That’s because I’m not heartless.” Henry kissed her forehead. “Off you go. Creek, you come with me, and Klaus, make sure Lord Beaufort’s room is ready.”

 

 

 

“Yes, My Lord.”

 

 

 

Klaus hurried off, and Henry followed Creek towards the library. He could hear the loud, out-of-tune singing, which had him groaning. James was going to be in an argumentative state. When he was singing, he was often looking for someone to fight with.

 

 

 

Not exactly how he wanted to finish the evening.

 

 

 

Creek went into the library first, moving off to the side as Henry came in. He saw James sitting on the settee, singing as he turned the pages in a large book. He looked like he had been dragged through a river. His clothes were soaking wet and dripping onto the fabric of the settee.

 

 

 

A puddle was forming around his feet on the rug. His hair was plastered to his head, his face stark white. There was a slight greenish hue to his skin, though. Henry was not surprised that Caroline and Sarah had been scared when they saw him looking through the window; he was enough to frighten anyone.

 

 

 

He was supposed to be in town, gambling away his wages. Henry had even made sure that James would have somewhere to spend the night, just in case he chose to come back and bother them while he was at dinner with Caroline. The last thing he wanted was his brother to come in and ruin the evening. Caroline might not care for him, but his presence would be bad and cut everything short.

 

 

 

James still saw getting Caroline’s attention as a competition. Even though Henry knew his brother could never win, he was still determined to take Caroline away.

 

 

 

He’s not going anywhere near Caroline tonight. Not if I can help it.

 

 

 

“Boring,” James grunted, shutting the book with a snap. “Boring, boring, boring. I don’t know why Father bothers with these things.”

 

 

 

He tossed it away, the book bouncing on the hearth and stopping dangerously close to the fire. Henry hurried over and snatched it up, flinching as he caught his knuckles on the red-hot grate.

 

 

 

“You can’t treat books like that, James!” He carried the book to a table and put it down, checking it for fire marks. “Father will go mad if he discovers part of his collection has ended up going into the fire.”

 

 

 

James grunted.

 

 

 

“It’s not like he’s going to blame me. It’s always you.”

 

 

 

Henry knew that. And he didn’t want to go through that again. He sucked his fingers. The pain was excruciating, and it was making him feel like he had been stung.

 

 

 

“What are you doing here, James? This is a dangerous night to come here. You could have come to harm out there.”

 

 

 

“I almost did. I fell into a river that wasn’t meant to be there, cutting across the fields. Nearly drowned when I got wedged between a couple of rocks.” James shivered and shook his hair, water going everywhere. “I was thinking of having a bath, but I’m not sure about that after being immersed in water.”

 

 

 

“Why were you coming back in the first place? You had a chance to spend the night playing cards and getting drunk. I would have thought that was a perfect opportunity for you.”

 

 

 

“I got bored with all that. Everyone was cheating.” James scowled. “I hate cheating.”

 

 

 

“You mean people caught you cheating and threw you out when you wouldn’t stop.”

 

 

 

“I don’t cheat!”

 

 

 

Henry snorted.

 

 

 

“You’ve been cheating all your life, James. Why stop now?”

 

 

 

James pouted.

 

 

 

“You shouldn’t be so mean to me. I’m the one who got stuck in the rain. I had to turn the carriage back and come on my own when I wasn’t able to get along the road.”

 

 

 

“That was your own fault. You saw how bad it was, and you should have stayed in town, not come here.”

 

 

 

“So you could try and seduce a couple of ladies without me getting involved?”

 

 

 

Henry folded his arms.

 

 

 

“I was having dinner with Lady Sarah and Lady Caroline. When the storm came in, they weren’t able to leave, so I offered them the guest rooms.”

 

 

 

“I see.” James sneered. “And it wasn’t for anything else? Like thinking of ways to get Lady Caroline into your bed?”

 

 

 

“Don’t be ridiculous, James. I’m not going to do that to a respectable lady.”

 

 

 

James snorted.

 

 

 

“I wouldn’t put it past you. I mean, you got me out of the house to make sure you had a clear path to her, didn’t you? The majority of the people I was playing cards with were your friends. More loyal to you than me. And I’m pretty sure you’re the one who got me set up at that small hotel.”

 

 

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

 

 

“You were scared that I would be able to come in and get the woman you want. You wanted to cheat me.”

 

 

 

Henry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

 

 

“I never tried to cheat you out of anything. I never agreed to compete for Caroline’s hand.”

 

 

 

“Only because you knew she would never look at you.” James got to his feet and looked Henry up and down with distaste. “Looks like she’s looking at you now. You think you’re going to have her as your wife? I don’t think she’ll be able to cope being a sailor’s wife, especially when you’re not at home and there are more temptations closer to home.”

 

 

 

“You think she could cope being the wife of a soldier who deserts at the first sign of danger?” Henry shot back.

 

 

 

James flinched.

 

 

 

“I did what I thought was best at the time.”

 

 

 

“You’re being searched for by the Cavalry Staff Corps! They’re planning on taking you back to be tried for desertion. You could be hanged for that, you know!”

 

 

 

“They’re not going to do that. Not the son of a duke.” James sniffed. “Father wouldn’t let them.”

 

 

 

“It’s not a question about letting them. You’ve done it twice, and they’re not going to give you a pardon because of who you are. You know that well, James. If you’re incredibly lucky, you’ll be kicked out of the army and told to leave the country to serve in exile, but I doubt that’s going to happen.”

 

 

 

Henry had met some members of the Cavalry Staff Corps, tasked with the crime and punishment in the British Army. He did not care for them at all, seeing them as cruel people who took minor charges and twisted them until there was no choice but to execute the accused. His fellow sailors hadn’t had much to say about them that was pleasant, either.

 

 

 

While James did need punishment for his actions, sentencing to death wasn’t the way to go about it. Henry didn’t want that for his brother, no matter his own feelings on the matter.

 

 

 

#

 

 

 

“I still don’t see it happening.” James wobbled towards the fire, staring into the flames as he leaned on the mantelpiece. “It’ll just be cleared up, just like everything else.”

 

 

 

“You mean Mother and Father will mop up your messes,” Henry snapped. “What do you think they’re going to say when they find out you’ve deserted instead of coming home on leave? You can’t hide that once the Cavalry Staff Corps officers come to take you away.”

 

 

 

“I’ll think of something. I always do.”

 

 

 

“Not this time, James.”

 

 

 

James glanced at him. He was still clearly drunk, but the hatred in his eyes was clear to see. Henry could only hope he could get his brother upstairs and locked in his room. The mess in the library was going to take a while to clear up.

 

 

 

“You are always the high and mighty one, aren’t you, Henry?” James sneered. “It doesn’t matter what I do to take the blame off me; you still manage to be better than me.”

 

 

 

“I don’t …”

 

 

 

“You were always the clever one, you were better at shooting and riding, and you were the better-looking brother. Even when you were sent away to be put on a ship far away from us, you still managed to turn it around and make it work for you.” His brother pushed off the mantelpiece and advanced on Henry. “It’s all but sorted with making me the new Lord Bannock, and you don’t seem to care. It doesn’t matter what I do to make myself better than you; you’re always able to come out on top.”

 

 

 

Henry frowned.

 

 

 

“How am I supposed to come out on top when I’m always the one put down and scolded? I never did anything, and our parents have never recognised my achievements, so how am I coming out on top?”

 

 

 

“Because you always do.” James’ words slurred as he stood before his brother, looking him over with a scowl. “I’ve always been jealous of you, did you know that? I heard of your escapades at sea, and I really wished that you would fall overboard and never be found again, or you would be killed during a battle. But that never happened. You were given medals and praised to the heavens. Fellow soldiers who met you in ports had nothing but good things to say about you, and soldiers don’t often get along with sailors. How was I supposed to get the respect I deserved from the people I fought alongside when you got there first?”

 

 

 

“You can still get that. All you had to do was stay there and fight.”

 

 

 

“Fight? That’s a laugh! I don’t want to be anywhere near a battle, but I can’t leave now, can I? Not without a good reason.”

 

 

 

“Then why didn’t you say before you joined the army that you didn’t want to go?” Henry demanded. “Why enlist if you’re going to run away?”

 

 

 

James scoffed.

 

 

 

“You have no idea, do you? Our parents were proud of me. They wanted me to do something good for the family name, and they had someone lined up to marry me. But I didn’t want to marry her. She was ugly and uninteresting. Who cares if she was rich and could be advantageous?” He staggered away, bumping into a chair. “I joined the army to get out of it. That worked, and my parents got over their annoyance that I ran away, but then I was stuck. Even as an officer, I wasn’t going to be at the back and pointing where to go. They expected me to be there taking the hits like everyone else. Not for me!”

 

 

 

Henry had no idea if it was the alcohol or the truth coming through, but James’ words were chilling. He had known that his brother was selfish and wanted things his own way, but to admit that he had done it all because he was jealous of Henry? That didn’t make any sense.

 

 

 

“You were the one who got Mother and Father’s attention,” he pointed out. “You got everything you wanted, while I was put to one side and had everyone, even the servants, believe I was the bad one of the two. I had very few champions, and you had everyone hanging onto your every word. What part of that was there for you to be jealous of? I don’t understand.”

 

 

 

“Because you were the first son.” James swung around on him. “You didn’t need to do anything to ensure that you got the grander prize once Father passed away. You were always going to be first, even if Father hated you. I would have to play catch up all the time.”

 

 

 

Henry stared.

 

 

 

“Well?” James snapped. “What do you have to say for yourself? Are you going to apologise?”

 

 

 

“For what? What do I have to apologise for?”

 

 

 

“For everything! For being the first born!” James fumbled for something in his pocket. “For being the one Caroline Folton prefers! I thought I could capture her attention, especially when I realised she was the girl you desired, steal her away from you. And I find her here, late at night, with you. It doesn’t take a smart person to know what was going on here.”

 

 

 

“Nothing was happening, James. I’m just being a gentleman to a couple of ladies.”

 

 

 

“A gentleman? Huh!”

 

 

 

“You really think I’m going to send them out in this weather? I’m not that mad.” Henry turned to Creek, who was hovering by the door. “Creek, go and fetch Lipscomb and Thomas. Lord Beaufort is going to need help getting up the stairs.”

 

 

 

“You stay where you are, Creek!” James gave up fumbling in his pockets and stormed over to the fireplace. “You’re going to be carrying someone out of here, but it won’t be me.”

 

 

 

Henry stiffened as James withdrew one of the long daggers on display above the fireplace, weighing it in his hand as he turned to Henry. Oh, God. He had not planned on this.

 

 

 

“James, what are you doing?”

 

 

 

“I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do for years.” James took a staggering step towards him, the dagger out, and pointed towards Henry. “It should have been you I shot at years ago, not Caroline Folton. I should have got rid of you when we were children. Then I would be the only son of the Duke of Cornwall, and I wouldn’t have to compete with anyone.”

 

 

 

Henry moved back as James moved closer, eyeing up the dagger. James was strong, but he could tackle him. The dagger was making him nervous, though. With James wobbling as he was, he was unpredictable. He couldn’t seriously be thinking that he could have a fight and kill Henry without repercussions.

 

 

 

James let out a cry and charged towards him. Henry darted to the side and pushed hard, sending James toppling onto the floor. As his brother lay dazed, Henry grabbed the bewildered footman and pushed him out of the room, snagging the key from the lock and slotting it home on the other side. He shut the door with a bang.

 

 

 

“I don’t think we should risk taking him upstairs in his current state,” he said grimly as he locked the door. “He can sleep it off in there.”

 

 

 

“Will he be all right in there, My Lord?” Creek asked nervously.

 

 

 

“He’s going to have to be.” Henry glanced at the footman. “Have you got any better ideas on how to deal with a drunk man waving a knife around?”

 

 

 

“No, My Lord.”

 

 

 

“Then he’s staying in there.” Henry leaned on the door and closed his eyes. “Make the staff aware that we have a guest in the library. If the maids want to clean up in the morning, they’ll have to get the key from me.”

 

 

 

“What are we going to say to the duke and duchess when they return tomorrow?”

 

 

 

Henry grunted.

 

 

 

“They’ll probably blame me, anyway. They’ll more than likely say that I got my brother drunk and shoved the dagger in his hand. It’s not the first time they’ve believed something so outlandish.”

 

 

 

Creek brightened.

 

 

 

“I could tell them the truth. Wouldn’t they believe me?”

 

 

 

“That’s generous, Creek, but let me deal with them. It’s best that I do that instead of the servants.”

 

 

 

Henry could feel his head beginning to hurt. This was turning into a bad night now. So much for having a quiet evening with pleasant company. He could imagine what his parents were going to say when they returned. James was more than likely going to make a mess of the library, throwing things around and being sick. And Henry would be the one blamed for locking him in there instead of taking him upstairs and pandering to him.

 

 

 

He pushed off the door and rubbed his temples.

 

 

 

“I’m going to the drawing room for a while. Is there any of that brandy left?”

 

 

 

“I don’t know, My Lord, but I can find out.”

 

 

 

“Please. I think I’m going to need one.”

 

 

 

“Yes, My Lord.” Creek looked down at himself. “I’ll get myself cleaned up, and then I’ll get the brandy.”

 

 

 

“Don’t worry about what you look like, Creek. At this moment in time, I don’t care. Just get me the brandy.”

 

 

 

Creek bowed and hurried off. He could have been walking around with no clothes on, and Henry wouldn’t have batted an eyelid. Not after what James had just told him.

 

 

 

He was jealous of Henry? That was something he couldn’t get his head around. How could James be jealous of him when James was the one who got practically everything? He didn’t need even to ask; if he simply said he wanted something, it was there the next day. Henry never got that.

 

 

 

How could he be jealous when everything was laid at his feet, and Henry had to fight for what he wanted and then never got? That didn’t make sense.

 

 

 

It had to be the drink talking. James got more and more erratic when he drank, and he could say practically anything. But Henry had seen the look in his brother’s eyes. That wasn’t something that could be disguised by the drink. He really hated him.

 

 

 

Even though it shouldn’t have been a surprise, it was chilling.

 

 

 

Henry headed down the hall, coming into the foyer as Klaus came down the stairs. He waved to catch the footman’s attention.

 

 

 

“Don’t bother about the room, Klaus. Lord Beaufort prefers to sleep it off in the library.”

 

 

 

“Yes, My Lord. Shall I make sure everyone is aware?”

 

 

 

“If they haven’t heard already. I’m surprised if nobody heard the shouting coming from that part of the house.”

 

 

 

“Oh, trust me, we heard.”

 

 

 

Henry looked up and frowned when he saw Sarah coming down the stairs, watching him with a grumpy scowl.

 

 

 

“What are you doing here? I thought I told you and Caroline to go to your rooms.”

 

 

 

Sarah snorted.

 

 

 

“You think we’re going to listen to you when something like that is going on? Caroline said she would wait in the drawing room for you, and I said I’d help Klaus prepare your brother’s room.” She gave the footman a rueful glance. “When I found him, he was making a pig’s ear of the bed. Do male servants not know how to make a bed or turn it down?”

 

 

 

Klaus’ face went red. Henry sighed and rubbed his eyes.

 

 

 

“Well, it’s not going to be needed now. Not with James being so volatile.”

 

 

 

“Volatile?”

 

 

 

“Let’s just say you wouldn’t want to approach him if you don’t want to be gutted.”

 

 

 

Sarah’s eyes widened.

 

 

 

“He’s armed?”

 

 

 

“I wouldn’t say he was dangerous, but I’m not dealing with that tonight.” Henry’s head was really beginning to hurt. “I’ll have a brandy, and then I’m retiring for the night.”

 

 

 

“A brandy sounds like a good idea,” Sarah declared, jumping off the stairs. “Might get us into a state where we can pass out.”

 

 

 

“Brandy isn’t quite supposed to do that, Sarah.”

 

 

 

“It will with me. I go all funny when I have a brandy.” Sarah paused. “Did you hear that?”

 

 

 

Henry listened. He had heard a thumping a moment ago, but he had thought that was the tree on the west side of the house. It did tend to bang against the windows when the wind really got up. His father constantly complained about the tree, but he never cut it down.

 

 

 

Then he heard it again. It was thumping again, but it was a little more rhythmic. And it sounded close. It couldn’t be the tree …

 

 

 

That was when they heard a scream. And Henry’s heart stopped.

 

 

 

Caroline.

 

 

 

With Sarah close behind him, Henry ran to the drawing room and burst in. Caroline was backing away from the door that led out into the gardens. The door was warped, someone hitting the door on the other side. The whole frame rattled.

 

 

 

Whoever it was seemed to be throwing their whole weight into it.

 

 

 

“Caroline!”

 

 

 

Caroline let out a sob when she saw him and ran into his arms, hugging him tightly as she whimpered.

 

 

 

“I was just sitting by the fire, and then I heard a noise outside.” She looked up. “Then someone started trying to break the door down. And something came through the door.”

 

 

 

“What?”

 

 

 

Henry squinted. He couldn’t see much across the room, but there was a hole in the actual wood. It looked like someone had tried to stab it.

 

 

 

“Stay with Sarah.” He passed Caroline to his friend. “Klaus, where are you?”

 

 

 

“Right here, My Lord.” The footman appeared at his side. “What are you going to do?”

 

 

 

“We’re going to see who’s outside the door.”

 

 

 

Although Henry had a good idea who it was. He had just remembered that the outside library door was still open. Even though the inner door was locked, James was still able to get out. And it looked like he was trying to find another way in.

 

 

 

“Henry!” Sarah hissed. “You can’t be serious! We need to get out of this room!”

 

 

 

“You take Caroline out. Klaus and I have this.”

 

 

 

Caroline shook her head.

 

 

 

“No, I’m not going anywhere.”

 

 

 

Henry turned to her.

 

 

 

“James grabbed a knife, and he was planning to use it on me. You think he’s going to stop because he sees you.” Caroline’s face went white. “Now, just get out of here and let me deal with this.”

 

 

 

Signalling for Klaus to follow him, Henry headed towards the door. He had a pretty good inkling that it was his brother there, back out in the rain. And he was going to be both drunk and really angry. At this rate, the only thing they could do was find a way to knock him out and throw him into the coal cellar until he sobered up. Henry didn’t want to risk taking him upstairs.

 

 

 

“James? Are you there?” Henry put a hand to the door and listened, but all he could hear was the rain. “Are you going to calm down so I can let you in?”

 

 

 

For a moment, there was nothing. Then the door burst inwards, the door edge hitting Henry in the face. As pain exploded in his nose, Henry heard a scream, a male yell that seemed to be in his head. Then he was tackled onto the floor, his head bouncing off the floor. It felt like his head had split open.

 

 

 

But that was nothing to the ripping sensation in his stomach. It was like time had stopped as Henry stared up at James, who had fallen onto him, his eyes wide with horror. Then Henry looked down and saw the hilt of the dagger sticking out of his belly.

 

 

 

He was beginning to feel woozy. The room was spinning, and it felt like he was floating. Had James really just stabbed him?

 

 

 

“Get off him!”

 

 

 

Henry could hear a familiar voice somewhere above him, but he couldn’t place it. A moment later, there was a loud bang, and James cried out, falling off him and sprawling on the rug. Then he was aware of someone leaning over him, blurred as he began to float away.

 

 

 

“Henry? Oh, God, Henry!” Something touched his face, but it felt strange. “Someone help me, please! He’s injured!”

 

 

 

Injured? Oh, right. He had just been stabbed. Henry opened his mouth, but his throat felt dry. He couldn’t get his tongue to move. Whoever was leaning over him started stroking his face.

 

 

 

“Don’t try and talk, Henry. Just lie there. We’re going to get you help.”

 

 

 

Was that Caroline? It had to be. Henry’s hand floundered before he clasped what felt like a hand.

 

 

 

“James?” he croaked. “Where’s James?”

 

 

 

“Don’t worry about James. Just focus on staying alive.” Caroline rested her head against his as someone else pressed on the wound in his stomach, although Henry was barely aware of it. “Don’t go anywhere, Henry. Please, don’t go. Stay with me.”

 

 

 

Henry wanted to stay, but staying meant a lot of pain. And it was dragging him under. He tried to focus on the woman above him, but then the world spun and went black.