Jane Feather - Charade by Unknown (howl and other poems .TXT) 📕

deserves it.You will retrieve the monies, if you please." Her voice shook suddenly."Do you see what they have done to the child, in no more than fourhours? Give me my cloak." She pulled it out of his hands and made towrap it around the shivering figure.

"You will wear this yourself, ma'am." Justin whisked it away. "If youcould only see yourself." He threw the cloak around her, pulling thehood over her head. "The child will do well enough with a blanket.Fetch me one." He turned to the governor, who shrank from the blazingblack eyes.

"I'd ... d ... do not know where to find one, my lord," he stuttered.

"Then give me your coat, it will do as well."

Having the firm conviction that if he did not the jacket would be tornfrom his back, the governor pulled

it off hastily.

"The money," Danielle said fiercely. "I will not leave here without it.It is in the room of this

bete

.He shall have not one penny and if hedoes not bring it I shall . . ."

"Be silent!" Linton clipped. "You will do only as you are told!"

Little Brigitte began to weep helplessly. "Now look what you havedone," Danielle accused. "Come,

petite

.Put on the coat and I will takeyou to your

maman

. She iswaiting for you outside with

ton pere

andgrandpere. You shall all come to my house where you may wash that filthfrom your hair and I will find you a gown to replace the one you havelost." She turned to her husband. "You will retrieve the money, please,and then we shall be done with this unpleasantness."

"It is a long way from being done with, Danielle," he said with softmenace. "You may give what orders you please as to the care of thechild and her family and I will deal with this . . . person . . ." Hegestured disdainfully toward the cowering governor. "And then I shalldeal with you." This last was said for her ears only and Danielle bither lip as the walls of her determination began to crumble under thesure knowledge of her escape from one horror and the equal certaintythat she was facing an icy rage, controlled now but barely so. Her eyesmet Justin's in frightened appeal but there was no softening in thestony blue black gaze. She turned back to Brigitte.

"Come, let us leave this place." Taking the girl's hand again, shewalked stiff-backed down the corridor and out into the March sunlight.

Justin watched the rigid stance, thought of what she had been through,of the reckless impulse that had put herself and their child in acutedanger, and for a moment his rage turned on himself. He had allowed hertoo much freedom, yielded too often to the self-determination that wasnot the right of any woman, any wife. He was her husband and husbandsmust be obeyed. He had been gullible for long enough, tolerant andeasygoing for long enough. She had betrayed his trust and takenadvantage of his understanding. He swung round to vent his pent-up furyon the governor and within minutes had the hundred guineas in hispocket and was striding across the courtyard, leaving hell upon earthat his back.

Had he been capable of the softer emotions at this point, he would havefound the scene outside the jail affecting. The child was sobbing inthe arms of her weeping family while Danielle, swathed in the cloak,stood to one side. The horses under the care of Malcolm, Tomas, and theurchin stood quietly in spite of the emotions of the spectators whoyelled encouragement or wept tears of vicarious sympathy for the happyreunion.

But Justin, Earl of Linton, was filled only with a black glacier ofrage and it would be much later before he recalled the scene and sawtruly what his wife had achieved. He broke up the group like anavenging angel, sweeping his wife, in mid-sentence into the curricle,ordering Malcolm to follow them with the Robertses to Grosvenor Square.The urchin was told that if hewished for a job in the Linton stables he should go along with Malcolm,and the wiry figure scrambled onto the box of the chaise, a delighted

beam on the grubby face.

"Let go their heads, Tomas." The tiger obeyed instantly, glad that hewas not in Lady Danny's shoes at the moment. The anger radiating frommy lord's powerful frame was an almost palpable force, although hespoke not a word throughout the entire journey.

Danielle sat beside him, shrouded in the cloak, the hood pulled welldown over her scratched face. She began to shiver with aftermath andtrepidation. Never had she seen her husband look as he did now, andnever had she been so devoid of ideas as to how to placate him.

The curricle drew up outside Linton House and the chaise followedalmost immediately. Justin alighted and lifted his wife from the seat.Ignoring her protestations he carried her into the house. "Send for Dr.Stuart, Bedford, and ask the housekeeper to see to the needs of thefamily. She will know what to do."

"Yes, my lord." Bedford bowed, discreetly ignoring the small figure inHis Lordship's arms. What a to-do in a nobleman's household! But thebutler was supreme at his job and with very few members of the staffany the wiser, had the Robertses ensconced in a back bedchamber, afootman dispatched to Harley Street, and everyone continuing abouttheir business as if nothing untoward had occurred.

"Justin, I do not wish to see Stuart," Danielle declared unwisely as heset her on her feet in her bedchamber.

"I have no interest whatsoever in your wishes, madam," he informed hercoldly. "Molly, you will fetch boiling water, towels, salve, andantiseptic immediately." Molly, completely at sea as to whatcatastrophe had transpired, bobbed a curtsy and fled the room, glad tobe away from this suddenly awful presence of her master.

Justin unfastened the thick cloak and tossed it over a chair, stillholding Danielle by a supporting arm. He examined her appearance withvisible distaste. "You are a