Читать книгу Once Dishonored - Mary Jo Putney - Страница 13

CHAPTER 7

Kendra’s words produced shocked silence until Suzanne exclaimed, “Dear God, how ghastly! Your clothing caught on fire?”

“I screamed and rolled onto the carpet and used my shawl to smother the flames. Luckily my hands weren’t badly burned.” The iron bars of the grate had branded a pattern on her lower leg and the pain had been excruciating. “I vaguely remember Denshire babbling that he hadn’t meant to hurt me before he bolted back to London.”

“He didn’t even wait to see how seriously you were injured?” Lucas said incredulously.

“He doesn’t like unpleasantness, even when he’s the one who created it,” Kendra said dryly. She bent and raised her hem to her knees. The viciously red parallel scars on her left calf were visible even through her silk stockings. She supposed they’d lighten with time, but they’d always be with her.

Her companions stared at the scars, shocked. Kendra dropped the hem of her skirt and straightened up. “This isn’t necessarily proof that my husband assaulted me. I could have just been clumsy and stumbled into the fireplace all on my own.”

“What about the servants?” Lucas asked. “Was a doctor called?”

“My maid heard the commotion and found me collapsed on the floor, but she didn’t actually see what happened. A doctor was called and he bandaged the burns and gave me strong doses of laudanum for the pain. When I recovered my wits several days later, I found that Denshire had taken Christopher with him.”

There was another frozen silence before Suzanne whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

The pain of losing Christopher had been even worse than the physical agony Kendra had suffered. Doing her best to keep her voice steady, she said, “I decided to seek a legal separation. Denshire and I hadn’t been husband and wife for years, and since Christopher was young, it was reasonable to leave him in my care until he was old enough to go to school. So I traveled to London to speak to Denshire.

“He looked surly when I explained my intentions, but he didn’t object. I thought that was because I said I would settle a sizable sum of money on him and he wanted money more than he wanted to see his son.” She forced herself to tamp down her rising anger. “Instead, three days later he arranged his fraudulent scene for divorce.”

Voice steely, Simon said, “I’m rethinking whether we should arrange to have Denshire shot.”

“Very, very appealing,” Lucas agreed, his compassionate gaze on Kendra. “But again, that could rebound on Kendra.”

Simon lifted the decanter and poured more brandy for each of them. “I’ve always found a moderate amount of brandy aids in developing strategy. If necessary, Lucas can introduce a private bill, but what else might be done before that?”

“Find a good lawyer who understands the ins and outs of divorce law,” Lucas said. “Civil and church courts are involved, but I don’t know more than that.”

Simon and Suzanne exchanged a glance. “Kirkland!” they said almost simultaneously.

“Is he a lawyer?” Kendra asked.

“Kirkland is an earl who knows many people and is very good at getting things done behind the scenes,” Simon explained. “I might not have mentioned it at the time, Lucas, but Kirkland is the owner of the house in Brussels where we stayed before and after Waterloo.”

“Oh?” Lucas said with interest. “The house with a staff who had so many interesting and varied talents. If he knows people like that here in England, he might be able to locate the witnesses that Kendra needs to build her case.”

“Exactly,” Suzanne said, her gaze going to Kendra. “Think of Kirkland as a handsome, charming spider in the center of a vast web of useful people. Now that Napoleon has been exiled to that island in the South Atlantic, Kirkland should have time on his hands, and I think he’d be willing to support justice for a wronged woman.”

“He’s some sort of spymaster?” Kendra guessed.

“One could say that,” Simon said blandly. “Or one could merely say that he counts among his friends many influential men whom he can call upon if needful.”

“And many of those men have wives who are kind and open-minded,” Suzanne added. “I can invite some of the ones I know to tea so you can enlist them in your cause. That will lead to invitations to their entertainments and a chance to sway public opinion.

“But clearing your name publicly will not be easy. You will have to prove the truth of your situation by standing in front of others and showing your pain, knowing that some will spit on it. You will have to endure a great deal, and the result is uncertain. Are you willing to face all that?”

It was a serious question that deserved a serious answer, so Kendra thought hard about what she would be facing. Walking into the ball the night before had taken all her anger and resolution. She’d almost turned away from the front door, and she would never forget the searing humiliation of standing in the middle of the dance floor being treated as a monster, with loathing stares and whispered insults.

But daring to attend that ball had brought her an amazing ally, and Lucas had brought her here, where she had found kindness and understanding and hope. She raised her chin. “For the last months, I’ve been hiding like a fox gone to ground. It is time for me to come out and fight for justice. I know it will not be easy, but I am prepared for what will come.”

“You’ll need an escort,” Lucas said thoughtfully. “I’d be happy to take on that role. I’m not welcome everywhere either, but at least we can face cuts direct together.”

Suzanne smiled, but said, “People will assume you’re lovers. I don’t think that will help rebuild Kendra’s reputation.”

“But we’re not lovers.” Kendra looked at Lucas and their gazes caught with a force that startled her. She had no interest in remarrying, even if she were legally free to do so, but she was suddenly, sharply aware of Lucas’s physicality. He had the lean masculine strength of a warrior and the compassion of a healer, and for the first time ever the idea of taking a lover was appealing.

Startled and uneasy at her reaction, she jerked her gaze away from him. “Perhaps we can be cousins. Not first cousins, but close enough that it would be believable for Lucas to wish to support me. Second cousins, perhaps. Once removed.”

“We’ll have to work out how we’re related,” Lucas said. “Who knows? We might actually be cousins of some degree. I have some Scottish ancestors who might be connected to your Scottish family, and that would be harder to disprove.”

Kendra felt some of her tension unwinding. The challenges ahead would be easier to face if she had Lucas at her side. How did that come to seem so natural?

Suzanne stood. “I shall leave you three to your strategizing. It’s time I fed Madeline.”

Many women of rank preferred to use wet nurses, but Kendra had chosen to nurse her child, and obviously Suzanne was doing the same. She asked, “May I meet her?”

“I should be pleased to introduce you,” Suzanne said with a smile. “Though I warn you, she hasn’t much conversation!”

Kendra laughed and got to her feet. “I’ll be down shortly, but in the meantime, here is the list of potential witnesses and all the details of that night that I can remember.” She’d spent a long time developing that list and making fair copies. She handed two of the copies to Lucas and Simon, then followed Suzanne up the stairs.

The nursery was two stories above, softly lit with a single lamp. A maid was quietly knitting in a wooden rocking chair, but she rose at the entrance of the two women. “Mistress Madeline is ready for her supper, and I’m ready for my cup of tea!”

Suzanne chuckled and waved the girl out, then bent over the beautifully carved crib and lifted her tiny daughter out. Madeline smiled sleepily and gave a yawn. She had dark hair like both her parents, a pale pearlescent complexion, and she might develop green eyes like her mother. “She’s beautiful,” Kendra said softly.

“We like to think so,” Suzanne said with a smile. “I love knowing that this crib has been in Simon’s mother’s family for many years. Simon, his mother and aunt, and generations before were cradled here.”

Kendra brushed her fingertips over the dark polished wood, imagining all the sweet babies who had slept in its shelter. “How lovely to have such a family history for your child.”

“Yes, particularly since there is nothing left of my own family heirlooms.” Suzanne settled into the low rocking chair and unfastened the bodice of her gown. Her garments were cleverly designed to open so she could nurse her baby. “She’s only a month old. She was born a little early, but healthy, as you see.”

“What a miracle a baby is!” Kendra said as she sat in the other chair. “I can scarcely remember when Christopher was so small.”

“We’ll find him,” Suzanne said calmly as she drew her daughter to her breast. “His father will have a care for his heir if not for him as an individual.”

“I tell myself that.” Kendra drew a deep, calming breath. “Suzanne, why did you accept my story so quickly? I myself might have trouble believing such an outrageous tale from a strange woman.”

Suzanne leaned back in the chair and patted her daughter’s back. “Lucas brought you here and he is seldom wrong about people. Also . . .” She hesitated before continuing. “I was on a ship captured by Barbary pirates and was then enslaved in the harem of an extremely unpleasant Turkish official. I know a great deal about how men can abuse women. Women in dire straits need other women.”

Kendra guessed that Suzanne’s bare description of her captivity concealed an ocean of pain that her new friend had no desire to discuss. “I’m glad your experiences have made you kind, not angry, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You and your husband both.”

“Simon was a soldier. He has seen much of the dark side of life, and he also trusts Lucas’s judgment.” Suzanne smiled. “I was an only child, and I’m so glad that I acquired a brother when I married Simon.”

“I’m so glad I braved the Clantons’ ball, because doing that brought me here.” Kendra rose from her chair. “I’ll leave you to your daughter. This time in a baby’s life is so sweet, and they grow so quickly.”

Suzanne grinned. “I know, but with luck, there will be another baby or two in our futures.”

Kendra hoped that for Suzanne and wished she could see such a future for herself.

* * *

Lucas looked up when he heard Kendra’s footsteps coming down the stairs. When she joined the men in the drawing room, he was struck by how different she appeared from the first time he’d seen her. She still wore black and she had the same queenly bearing, but she no longer looked angry and desperate. Now she looked . . . determined.

She gestured for them to stay in their seats as they started to rise at her entrance. “No need to get up. Has the strategy session been productive?”

Simon nodded. “I have some acquaintance with one of the three men who testified against you. Hollowell seems like a reasonable fellow. If presented with sufficient evidence, he might change his mind about what happened that night. Perhaps the other men are also reasonable.”

Kendra cocked her head thoughtfully. “If the woman who masqueraded as me can be found and persuaded to tell the truth, she might be able to provide intimate details that could convince him that she was the woman he bedded, not me.”

“That’s a very good idea,” Lucas agreed. “I hope your Kirkland can find the woman.”

“His ability to learn things is legendary.” Simon looked at a different list. “On the social side, I’ve been looking at upcoming entertainments to find ones given by friends who might be supportive. Also, as Suzanne said, she can arrange for you to meet influential women who might be sympathetic to your cause.”

“I’ve been thinking of how to present myself,” Kendra said. “I’ve been wearing black, in mourning for the death of truth. Would red be better since I’m considered an outrageous woman?”

Lucas had a brief, dazzling vision of Kendra in scarlet, blazing like a passionate flame. He swallowed hard. “I think black is better because it’s serious and suits your situation. Also, you look good in black.”

“That makes sense. Very well, I shall not wear colors. I had a mourning wardrobe made up when my grandfather died so I’m well prepared.” She covered a yawn. “It’s time for me to return to Thorsay House.”

“I’ll come with you,” Lucas said as he stood.

She gave him a sweet, tired smile. “Having been attacked on the way here, I welcome your escort.”

Simon also rose. “I’ll come as well in case the villains who attacked earlier are still out there and annoyed.”

As Lucas helped her into her cloak, Kendra said hesitantly, “We discussed my going to public places. Are you familiar with Angelo’s Fencing Academy?”

“We both learned to fence there,” Lucas replied. “The Angelos’ teaching methods were far superior to any instruction we have had in the navy or army.”

“What I learned there saved my life more than once.” Simon considered. “Many times more than once.”

“Are you interested in visiting there because they give fencing lessons to women?” Lucas asked.

“Yes! When I was a girl and visited Thorsay, my cousin Ramsay gave several of us girls fencing lessons when none of the adults were around to say we couldn’t. I enjoyed it, and fencing is splendid exercise.”

“Shall we go tomorrow?”

Kendra glowed at him. “Yes, please!”

Lucas felt that glow right to his marrow. The effect was—interesting.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Simon asked. “It’s been a good many years since you and I crossed swords, Lucas.”

“So it has, and I’m sure you’re much more in practice than I. But I’d enjoy it,” Lucas said. “Would you mind having both of us, Kendra?”

“Not at all.” Her voice dropped to a near whisper. “I feel blessed to have found such friends and allies.”

Lucas had felt much the same when Simon and Suzanne had opened their homes and hearts to him. He was glad that he could offer that kind of support to Kendra.

The return to Thorsay House was uneventful. Kendra walked between Lucas and Simon, but Lucas’s arm was the one she held. She thanked both men graciously when they reached her destination and they set a time for the next day.

The moon had set and the streets were dark, but peaceful. They were about halfway home when Simon remarked, “You’re whistling.”

Lucas blinked. “I am?”

“Kendra Douglas is lovely and interesting,” Simon said, amusement in his voice. “Is the friar part of you fading away?”

“If you’re asking if I find her attractive, the answer is yes,” Lucas admitted. “It’s a pleasure to rediscover masculine appreciation of the fair sex. But if you’re asking if I feel more than that, the answer is of course not. Her life is in turmoil and she’s made it clear that she has no interest in men as more than friends and possible allies. If she can find her Christopher, she’ll probably disappear with him, never to be seen in England again.”

“True,” Simon said thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t blame her if she leaves the country with her son, but I hope it doesn’t come to that. She’s a strong woman, and if she can prove her case, it will surely benefit more women in the future.”

No doubt Simon was right, but Lucas wasn’t particularly concerned about women in the future.

He was concerned about Kendra now.