A Porcelain Viscountess by Hazel Linwood

Chapter 6

“You came,” Lady Ridlington said, gazing up at Francis. In the moonlight, he was astonished by how the light emphasized her pretty features, making them even more noticeable than they had been at the assembly. Her full lips were parted in amazement and her green eyes were almost silver in this light.

“Of course, we did!” Diana said quickly before Francis could gather himself to say any words at all. “Did you have any problems?”

“None,” Lady Ridlington said as Francis jumped down from the carriage.

“Let me take that,” he said, taking the portmanteau out of her hands. As they touched, he felt that same jolt he’d succumbed to earlier that evening. He rather thought she also felt it, from the way she retracted her hand and turned her head away from him.

“We have my maid to thank for the lack of problems,” Lady Ridlington said, taking her maid’s arm as Francis moved round the carriage to hand the portmanteau and the maid’s bag to the footman who duly attached them to the back of the coach. “Louisa helped sneak us out of the kitchen.”

“I’ve said it before, Louisa, you are a prized maid. If only I had found you myself first,” Diana said with a laugh.

“Sorry to interrupt, but we do not have time to chat now,” Francis said, moving back to the carriage and offering Lady Ridlington his hand. “Time to get you away from here, my Lady.”

He did not miss the way her lips quirked into a smile as she took his hand. He tried to ignore the jolt it made in his chest as he helped her up into the carriage. He next went to help up the maid, Louisa, who appeared very startled indeed, her brown eyes going wide.

“Do not many men offer to help you into a carriage?” he asked.

“No Dukes, that’s for certain,” Louisa said but took his hand anyway to climb in. He smiled and followed her in, eagerly sitting down beside Josiah and striking the door to show the driver they were ready.

As the carriage set off, Francis turned his eyes to Lady Ridlington, finding her sat between Diana and Louisa, with each of her hands tightly clasped in one of theirs. The tight grasp showed the deep friendship Lady Ridlington had in both of the women either side of her. It was rather touching to see.

“We have it all planned out, Lady Ridlington,” Diana said, turning excitedly to her. “We shall take you now straight to my brother’s house. He has a rather large townhouse on the edge of London with its estate attached.”

“An estate?” Lady Ridlington repeated, her eyebrows lifting.

“It is not as large as the country seat, but it will do nicely,” Francis said in jest, pulling a smile from her. He rather liked the idea of causing more and more of those smiles.

“The house is quite secluded compared to other houses in London,” Diana went on. “You will be quite safe there.” Francis watched Lady Ridlington closely, seeing the way she took a deep breath, as though daring herself to breathe fully again.

“He will not find me there?” she asked.

“We have thought of a way to cover up the identity of my guest,” Francis said, gesturing toward her. “Diana and I have a cousin, someone who we haven’t seen for many years. She lives up in Northumberland now and shares your hair color.”

“The last time anyone saw her in London, she was just a child,” Diana rushed to explain. “By pretending you are her, none of the staff will quibble a house guest, they will think Francis’s cousin has come to see him. I highly doubt any servants will see fit to gossip about a mere cousin coming to visit either.”

“Gossip?” Francis said, finding it impossible not to try and cause another smile to appear on Lady Ridlington’s face. “Such things are banned on my estate.”

“Banned?” Lady Ridlington said, looking back to him.

“Punishable,” he jested, waiting as not only Lady Ridlington laughed but others too. He only watched her laugh though, no one else. “Your new name will be Lady Isabella Minnett.”

“Pretty name,” Lady Ridlington said as she turned to Louisa. “This is really happening,” she said to her friend who squeezed her hand tighter.

“Soon, my Lady, all will be well,” the maid said kindly. Francis rather wondered what it would be like to hold Lady Ridlington’s hand in such a way and offer the same comfort. The moment he thought it he realized what he was doing and sat straight in his seat, looking away.

Forming any kind of liking to Lady Ridlington is a foolish idea indeed!

“In the meantime, I will procure a lawyer for you,” Josiah spoke up, addressing Lady Ridlington. “I know many in town and some have great reputations of success in such matters. I have no doubt I can secure you one within a week who can start proceedings.”

“A week?” Lady Ridlington looked so excited that she moved forward to the edge of her seat, held on the chair merely by her grasp on her friends.

“Correspondence will have to be done by letters to begin with,” Francis said aloud. “If anyone sees the lawyer attending Lady Ridlington at my estate, that is certain to set tongues wagging.”

“Agreed,” Josiah nodded.

“I…have a problem,” Lady Ridlington said, looking down to her lap momentarily.

“No problem that cannot be surpassed, I am sure,” Francis said smoothly, earning her gaze another time. “What is the problem?”

“I only took a little money from the house,” she said quietly, so low as if she were afraid to admit as much. “My husband holds onto the money he got from my dowry. I…have nothing. How am I to pay for the lawyer?”

“I’ll pay it lieu,” Francis declared quickly. Lady Ridlington was not the only one to look surprised. Diana’s eyes widened to appear as large as the moon itself, and Josiah snapped his head toward him. “Careful, Josiah, you’ll break your neck from moving so quickly.”

“You’ll pay it?” Josiah asked. “I was going to offer the same.”

“You have a wife to pay for now. Fortunately, I do not have that burden,” Francis said with a smile, earning a roll of Dian’s eyes.

“I am hardly that expensive!” she said with dramaticism, but Francis just moved on.

“When you obtain your income from your separation, my Lady,” he turned to Lady Ridlington, “you may pay me back. In the meantime, the expense of a lawyer will not drain on my money.”

“You are very kind indeed,” she said, smiling up at him. This was a different smile now. It wasn’t like the ones where she laughed at his jokes, this was unique, it suggested something deeper that made her happy. He liked this smile even more than the last.

Yet the smile faded a minute later as she turned to Diana who asked more after her escape from the house. Francis was happy to sit back out of the conversation for a while as he used the time to peruse Lady Ridlington. Every now and then, he could just about see the tremble of her hands, betraying her fear, then she would smile and thank them all again for the trouble they were going to.

He could see exactly what Josiah meant about wishing to help the woman. He had known her for a few hours at most and was compelled to go far indeed to help her. He half wondered if he had known Lady Ridlington for a year or more, how far he would go to see her safe and happy.

* * *

When the carriage pulled up on a drive, Phoebe strained to see beyond the windows, but she couldn’t see anything except blackness. Clouds had grown across the moon, limiting what light there was.

“We’re here,” Hayward said, reaching for the door and opening it wide, stepping down quickly.

“After a couple of days, we will come to see you,” Lady Dodge said as Phoebe moved toward the exit. “I give you my word.”

“You have done so much for me, I do not know how to thank you,” Phoebe said, squeezing her friend’s hand one last time.

“If you thank us anymore, my Lady, I am certain you will make your throat sore from the effort,” Hayward said with a smile, looking back into the carriage. “You have thanked us enough.” He offered his hand to her to take. She gladly took it and stepped down, smiling at his jest.

He next helped down Louisa who hurried to help the footman with the portmanteau before they said goodbye to those still in the carriage.

“Josiah, let me know about the lawyer,” Hayward said to Lord Dodge.

“I will,” he nodded. “Now, Lady Ridlington. It’s time to relax. Enjoy yourself for a bit and rest assured the Viscount will not find you here. Hayward may not be the best of company –” he jested and was interrupted by Hayward.

“How rude!” he pretended to be thoroughly offended.

“But you can already see he’s a half decent man,” Lord Dodge said.

“Half decent? Very decent indeed!” Phoebe said quickly. No matter what the outcome of her escape tonight, she knew she would always be indebted to Hayward standing beside her, for he had facilitated her escape. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, my dear, look after yourself now!” Lady Dodge called as the door to the carriage was closed and the horses began to pull it away.

“Time to see your new home for a short time,” Hayward said, pulling up the portmanteau under his arm and beckoning Phoebe and Louisa to follow him toward the house.

“Have you ever seen a duke that carries his own luggage before?” Louisa whispered in Phoebe’s ear, so only she could hear.

“Never,” Phoebe said back, hurrying to follow Hayward up the pebble driveway toward the front of the house. “He is a different gentleman indeed.” The idea rather thrilled her.

She couldn’t see the frontage of the house clearly in the darkness, but as Hayward opened the front door, light from a myriad of candles spilled out of the space.

It made Phoebe yearn to be inside faster and she hurried up the front step and through the porchway into the house. The moment she was inside she stopped and gazed around, her jaw dropping in amazement.

Where Graham’s house was black, dark, full of shadows and was plainly uninviting, this house was the opposite. The walls were painted a bright white and the candles filling the space shone golden light around them. Even the floor was made up of interchanged squares of white and yellow-tinged marble, with not a dark spot in sight.

“Your Grace, back so soon,” a kindly voice came from a nearby doorway. Phoebe turned toward it to see a homely housekeeper, plump and ruddy-cheeked hurrying forward. “Oh, my! We have a guest! Two, in fact, but we are not prepared.”

“Ah, that was my fault, Mrs Goodman,” Hayward said, gesturing back toward Phoebe. “I failed to give notice of my visitors. This is Lady Isabella Minnett, my cousin, and her maid, Louisa.”

“Lady Isabella! Oh, my,” the housekeeper hurried forward and curtsied deeply. “I have not seen you since you were no taller than my apron strings.”

“Mrs Goodman, it’s lovely to see you again,” Phoebe said, affecting the lie perfectly with a smile. She liked the housekeeper already; she was a happy and kindly person.

“I see you are just as sweet as you were as a child,” Mrs Goodman said. “Louisa, you are new to me, but I am so pleased to make your acquittance.”

“As I am yours, Mrs Goodman,” Louisa curtsied to the housekeeper.

“Ooh, isn’t she proper! I can’t remember the last time I was curtsied to, no need that for that,” she said with a giggle.

“Mrs Goodman, could you show our guests to some rooms, please?” Hayward asked, gesturing up the stairs. “I was thinking of the guest room overlooking the pond for my cousin.”

“Pond?” Phoebe asked, sounding excited, to which Hayward widened his eyes at her behind the housekeeper’s back. “Ah, yes, the pond. I had quite forgotten there was one.”

“Well, you were very young when you were here last, my Lady,” Mrs Goodman said, not even noticing the error. “I’ll run upstairs now. Louisa, if you come with me, I’ll show you a few things you will need. Once everything is set, I will come and get you.”

“Thank you, you are very kind,” Phoebe said as Mrs Goodman and Louisa hurried off up the stairs. Once they were gone, Phoebe turned her attention to Hayward who was standing in the entrance hall with a smile on his face and his arms folded. “What has amused you now?” she asked quietly once she’d heard a door upstairs close on Mrs Goodman and Louisa.

“I was just thinking that lies are not your strong suit,” he said softly.

“You sound just like your sister,” Phoebe said, folding her arms and mirroring his stance. To her delight, he laughed warmly, it lit up his features, in particular those blue eyes that crinkled with delight.

“That I have been told many times in my life,” he confessed. “Whereas I can never see it. When it comes to lies, you will get better at them. You just need more practice.”

“In truth, I do not like lies,” she said, feeling her smile fade a little as the jest left her. “I associate them with cruelty in this world, I suppose.” She was saddened to see Hayward’s smile vanished at these words.

He took a step toward her and dropped his folded arms.

“Lady Ridlington, rest assured, while you are in my house no cruelty will befall you here. It is not just that I despise any man who would ever harm a woman,” his expression emphasized his words as he screwed up his nose. “But I have offered you sanctuary, and I intend to keep to my word.”

“In truth, I do not think I have ever met anyone with this kindness, Your Grace,” she said, watching as his eyebrows shot up across his forehead. “You barely know me. What if you come to regret your decision? What if the Viscount were to discover our plot?” she asked, feeling her heartbeat quicken and echo in her ears at the idea.

“I would still never regret it,” he said decisively. “Now, I will take leave of you,” he said, pointing toward the top of the stairs where Mrs Goodman was appearing again. “Goodnight,” he dropped his voice to a whisper, “Lady Ridlington.”

“Goodnight, Your Grace,” she said, curtsying to him as he bowed. As she turned and headed toward the stairs, she glanced back at him more than once, praying that he was right.

I hope neither of us has cause to ever regret this decision.