Chapter 19
Hobart sat behind his desk across from Percy. They both sipped their whiskies while waiting for Frederick.
Hobart punctured the silence. “So, you’re waiting for Louisa to ask you to marry her?”
“No. Where would you get an idea like that?”
“Frederick says you would marry her right now except you don’t know where you stand with her. So, why don’t you find out? Why don’t you ask her?”
Percy blew out a noisy breath. “Well, if you must know—”
“I must.”
“If you must know, if I ask her, and she says no, I’ve ruined the best relationship I’ve ever had. It would end up awkward, and we would eventually drift apart. I’d rather have her with me this way than to not have her at all.”
“Do you mean to tell me you don’t know how she feels?”
“No.”
Silence filled the room. The men looked everywhere except in each other’s eyes.
Hating the silence, Percy finally said, “What’s in the crates this time?”
“More crates of whisky. I think we could load an entire hold with crates of whisky one of these days.
“Bolts of fabric, grain.”
Percy took a sip, “All that could be sold in America. The bolts of fabric alone would be in high demand. Any reason you’re not sending a ship there?”
“Yes. Frederick. Too long a turnaround for him, and it is a chance the return trip would have an empty hold.”
“Hobart, are you still grousing about America?” Frederick said.
Hobart looked up. “It’s about time you got here. We had to talk about something. I was telling Percy how scared you are about venturing to America.”
“A topic for another time, please.”
“Are you as tired as you look?”
Frederick laughed. “I didn’t get any sleep last night. I feel like I wake every morning to the screw having been turned once again.”
“That’s not good. Would you like to start or should I?”
“I don’t know, Hobart. Is your news bad?”
“Yes.”
“How bad.”
Hobart scrunched up his face. He tilted his head, “Medium bad.”
Frederick shut his eyes and took a long breath in and out. “I’ll go first.”
After Frederick was finished with his news, there was silence in the room. Then Hobart and Percy started to speak at the same time. Hobart looked at Percy, eyebrow raised. Percy motioned for Hobart to proceed.
“I put one man each on Barton and Stafford. I also hired someone to dig up information on Stafford.
The man who calls himself Stafford Daniels, the Earl of Wessex, is not Stafford Daniels. His name is Xavier Abernathy. Daniels hired him to handle his affairs in London while he was in mourning.
“He travels between Wessex and the Earl’s London townhouse. He is sometimes called to Wessex or sent to London to handle the Earl’s affairs.
“He got mixed up with Barton somehow. I don’t know how. Barton hired him to help kidnap Louisa. It’s not at all clear why this man would take on this job, but he did.
“Barton wanted him to get close to Louisa. He figured if they got close, Xavier could ask her for a breath of fresh air on the patio during a ball, and Barton could be out there waiting to compromise her or kidnap her.”
Percy shot out of his seat and went to the window. He stared into the night. “Go on.”
“At the last ball, Barton changed the plan and wanted Xavier to allow him to cut in. Xavier thought it would hurt, not help his case. Apparently, Xavier wanted the job done. He didn’t like what he was doing, and he didn’t like Barton.
“The day Xavier took Louisa out in the barouche, her maid was supposed to chaperone. At the last minute, Amelia decided to go. Xavier drove all over the side streets to avoid the men who were going to take Louisa.
“He and Barton agreed they could grab the maid as well as Louisa. Xavier thought it best not to rendezvous with the kidnappers when Amelia was in the barouche,” Hobart said.
Percy was now pacing the small office.
“Percy, pour us all some whisky and sit. You’re giving me a headache,” Hobart said.
Percy nodded and did what he was told.
“Barton stopped paying Xavier. It gave him a great reason to extricate himself from Barton’s scheme. He wrote to Louisa and has since continued to work for Stafford Daniels, albeit with a low profile.”
“I don’t understand how someone can pose as Stafford Daniels. Doesn’t anybody in this town know him?” Frederick asked.
Frederick looked hard at Hobart. “Excuse me, brother. Did you say your news was medium bad?”
“I may have been wrong about that.”
Frederick shut his eyes and counted to ten aloud.
Before he even got to ten, Percy stood up again and started to pace.
Hobart barked, “Percy,” and pointed to his chair.
Percy sat, “Get the special licence. We'll marry tomorrow. If you don’t agree, I’ll kidnap her myself and go to Gretna Green. Enough is enough. Look at the lengths Barton is going through. If he keeps trying, he may succeed.”
Hobart broke the silence, “I’m with Percy. He and Louisa will have a long, happy marriage and be free of attempts to cause her misery.”
Percy looked at Frederick. Frederick said, “I told her she could choose. She must choose you for me to agree. I’ll not force her into a wedding she doesn’t want. And so help me God Percy, if you force her to Gretna Green, I’ll find my pistol and shoot you.
“Amelia and I plan to take her to Haddington Hall. I’ll put two guards on her at all times. She’ll be safe.”
Percy shook his head. “But what of her life? She’s in a prison in Haddington Hall. Surely, you don’t think that’s an answer.”
Frederick shrugged. “It’s the best one we have.”
“Frederick, I beg you, let me ask her to marry me. I’ll take my chances.”
Frederick shook his head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. She’d think you are asking her because you have to help her or you feel sorry for her. If that’s how she feels, she’ll turn you down.”
Barton was the only one in all of London that knew exactly what Stafford Daniels looked like. Or so it seemed. Xavier didn’t run into anyone else that knew.
To keep his freedom, a large townhouse, and a bank account that the Earl himself gave Xavier so he could handle the Earl’s personal business, Xavier had to appease Barton.
As the weeks went on, appeasing Barton became problematic. His requests got increasingly more difficult for Xavier to agree to. Barton wanted him to get to know Louisa. Not a hardship at all. Barton wanted him to kidnap Louisa. That was a problem.
Xavier pushed back. He told Barton he would spread rumours that he hired thugs to kidnap Louisa. Xavier wasn’t worried about being found out anymore. He wouldn’t allow Barton to hold anything over his head. If need be, he’d keep his head down and come in and out of London quietly.
Besides, he had something on Barton as well. If Barton opened his mouth, he would too. He’d tell anyone Barton knew that the man was trying to kidnap Louisa.
*****
Louisa finally came out of her room. She would spend most of the day in the parlour if she weren’t in her bedchamber. She did not go out of the townhouse.
“Has Stafford left town?” Louisa asked.
“Yes, I believe he has,” Amelia said. “He will be in and out of London on family business. But I have heard he won’t be staying long in the city.”
Percy looked at Louisa. “Would you like to go out for a carriage ride? Or a walk? We should take advantage of the perfect weather.”
Amelia lifted her head from her needlework. “Oh, let’s. It will be good to clear my head. Louisa, when was the last time you had any fresh air?”
“Mother, I don’t feel like going out. Why don’t you and Percy go ahead without me?”
Amelia gave her a sharp look. “No, we’ll wait until you can go with us, won’t we Percy?”
“Yes. We will wait.”
There was silence in the room for longer than usual. Percy turned to Louisa.
“Why don’t you want to go out, Louisa?”
She shrugged. “I just don’t want to.”
“Does it have to do with the letter you received from Stafford?”
“I don’t know. I have had two failed courtships this season. I’m not quite ready to throw myself out there again.”
Louisa had tears in her eyes that she held back. She was already embarrassed, enough. Her mother and Percy didn’t need another reason to feel sorry for her.
What had happened? Both Jack and Stafford were nice, marriageable men she could picture herself with. Two men in one season sounded good, didn’t it? Except it wasn’t good. She was beginning to doubt the word of any man. The sincerity of any man.
Louisa looked up to see Percy standing over her. She hadn’t noticed him move from his chair.
He took her hands in his and gently pulled her out of her chair into a standing position. She looked up at him, her eyes searching his face. Louisa thought she could read him well, but she was having trouble reading him now.
Percy looked down at Louisa. Her eyes were frantically bouncing between his eyes and his smile. He was sure she had no idea what he planned to do.
“Louisa, you and I have known each other for years, years I will treasure until my dying days. You are the most important person in my life, and I love you. Would you do me the honour of marrying me?”
Amelia put her elbow on the armrest then put her head in her hand.
Louisa stood frozen. She looked into his eyes, hands still in his, not moving. The room was silent except for the hoof beats of horses pulling a carriage on the street. Then, a plate dropped onto the kitchen floor and shattered.
Louisa was startled into consciousness and pulled her hands from Percy’s in a firm tug. “Percy, how can you ask that? Why would you ask that?”
His shoulders slumped. “Because I love you, and I want to be with you every day for the rest of my life.”
“You are with me every day now,” Louisa said, her voice going an octave higher and much louder.
“Louisa, I must say I’m surprised at your reaction to my proposal. I thought you’d be happy. I thought you loved me too.”
Louisa swatted her hand in the air. “You know I love you. I’m wondering about the timing. You could have asked me before, but you waited until I’ve been spurned twice; Barton’s a threat to me, and we are all thinking of leaving town.
“It feels like a marriage of convenience or even a marriage of a friend who feels sorry for me. I can’t possibly go into a marriage where your hand was forced. No, Percy, I won’t marry you.”
Louisa turned and ran from the parlour and up the stairs. Percy heard her bedchamber door slam shut. He turned to Amelia.
Amelia sighed. “She’s right, you know. If I didn’t know better – I do – but if I didn’t know better, I would think you asked her to marry you because you took pity on her. It’s hard to be jilted. It’s hard to know someone wants to kidnap you. But those aren’t reasons to get married.”
Percy felt defeated. Louisa had turned him down. She didn’t want to marry him.
“If you don’t mind, Duchess, I will take my leave now.” Percy bowed, said goodbye to Mendon, and left.
He walked back to his townhouse slowly. Percy couldn’t believe she turned him down. Now what was he to do? Should he keep visiting her for tea? What if she went to Haddington Hall?
Percy went back to his townhouse, went straight to his library and poured himself a drink. He had a few hours before he met Cecil and Kent at the club for dinner. He decided to occupy his mind and go over his ledgers.
Financially speaking, Percy’s life was in order. Gordon Castle and the surrounding property ran well with a steward that Percy couldn’t fault. The men liked to do things his way, and Percy was accommodating. Between the steward’s skills and Percy’s hands-off approach, Gordon was fine.
Percy laughed at his household accounts. In London, a butler, cook, three servants, two footmen, and two in the stables made up his entire staff. He ate dinner every evening at White’s and ate whatever cook made him for breakfast and lunch. He didn’t live to eat; he ate to live. He’d eat just about everything she made.
So, he had few servants, bought minimal food, and could go months without needing anything new for his wardrobe. He had plenty of money in the bank. He closed his ledger and stood to put it on its shelf.
“Well, you did it,” he heard from the doorway. Percy turned around to see Hobart.
“Come in and have a seat,” Percy said, grabbing the decanter and two glasses. He sat next to Hobart and poured.
“Yes, I did it. A lot of good it did me,” Percy snorted.
“Didn’t we tell you to wait?” Hobart gave Percy a crooked smile.
Percy nodded. “You did.”
“So how are we going to fix this?”
Percy laughed, “You’re asking me?”
“No idea, huh?”
“None,” Percy said, shrugging.
Hobart took a long drink. “It might work in your favour.”
“How so?”
“She’s going to miss the hell out of you.”
“So what? She’ll be in Rutland, and I’ll be in London.”
“She’ll come to her senses. It will take some time, but she will. Don’t give up.”
“Is that why you came, Hobart?” Percy asked.
“No. I have what I consider good news. I saw Frederick; he told me what you did, so I told him I’d walk here. Barton and Xavier are not working together anymore.
“Barton knew Xavier wasn’t Stafford and convinced him to do his bidding. Xavier got tired of Barton’s increasingly distasteful requests for help and walked away. Xavier is going to expose Barton if he contacts him again.”
“We finally got a break. That is good news,” Percy said.
“So, except for Victor, Barton’s on his own again. Frederick is sitting Amelia and Louisa down tonight and telling them to pack for Haddington Hall. He’s not giving either of them a choice.
“My suggestion, Percy? It’s going to be hard, but leave her alone. Don’t visit before they leave. Give her a lot to think about.”
Percy blew out a breath, “I’m not sure I’m capable of doing that.”
“Try. It’s important.”
Percy nodded.