The Duke's Alliance: A Soldier's Bride(58)

When he opened his eyes again his brothers had gone, as had the trays. The fire had been banked up, the shutters and curtains closed – all this done whilst he had slept. He glanced at the overmantel clock and was shocked to see the time. He had been asleep for hours.

For the first time in several days his head was clear and he was thinking like a soldier. He had lost a battle but not the war and he was determined to court his wife and, however long it took, he would somehow persuade her to forgive him and take him back.

He emerged from the study to find the house quiet, Beau had obviously dined with Aubrey and Mary next door. He was persona non grata so would not intrude. Although he had eaten enough for three men before he fell asleep he was hungry again.

He saw a footman lurking at the other end of the passageway and snapped his fingers. 'Bring me something to eat. I shall have it here. Coffee also.'

When he had eaten he was wide awake and had no intention of retiring. There was a hunter's moon which would make it perfectly safe to ride. He was already dressed in suitable garments for such an enterprise, all he needed was his greatcoat, gloves and muffler. There was a heavy frost tonight, but so far this winter there had been no snow.

Zorro, as always, appeared at his side when he reached the stables. The horses were all bedded down for the night, the grooms eating their supper in the servants' hall and he had no intention of calling anyone back to do something he was perfectly capable of doing himself. Billy was as eager as him to get out in the crisp, cold night air.

He was not foolish enough to gallop, or jump hedges and ditches as he would do in daylight, but he had a most enjoyable excursion nevertheless. He heard the village clock strike midnight as he crunched back into the yard. He had walked the last mile so his horse was cool and could be put away immediately.

As he strolled back to the house he was aware there was no light glimmering through the closed shutter. God's teeth! Surely he had not been locked out of his own abode? He tried the side door and indeed it was locked. He marched around the house and was unsurprised to find everywhere firmly bolted for the night. He had not thought to inform a member of staff that he was going out and when Beau had returned from next door and he must have thought him asleep in his apartment.

Perhaps his brother was still awake, he often remained downstairs into the small hours reading whatever geographical journal had arrived that week. He made his way to Aubrey's wing but again it was evident no one was up.

This left him two options. He could either hammer on the door of the main part of the house in the hope that someone would hear him or spend the night in the stables. No – there was the third option. He was an agile man and he thought he might be able to climb up to the first floor and gain entry that way.

At least the moon was bright, the sky cloudless, and even with his limited vision he thought he could achieve his objective without breaking his neck. He spent a while examining the possibilities and decided to attempt to ascend to the unoccupied part of the house – the wing that his brother had intended to convert into accommodation for him and Sofia.

The shutters were not closed on the upper floors and he thought he would be able to prise up the window using the stiletto he always had secreted in his boot. He discarded his greatcoat, gloves, muffler and jacket as it would be much easier to climb in his shirtsleeves.

There were enough protuberances for him to grasp with his fingers, but he found it difficult to lodge his toes on anything secure enough to prevent himself from falling. Slowly he moved upwards clinging like a limpet to whatever he could find. With a sigh of relief, he reached the windowsill and heaved himself up.

He dislodged several pieces of masonry in his struggle to hold his balance and they clattered noisily to the terrace below. There was nobody sleeping in this part of the building, not even servants had their quarters in the attics, so he ignored it and slipped the blade of his knife between the window and the frame.

After several attempts the catch moved back, he got his fingers under the bottom of the window and carefully pushed it up. He swung his leg into the room and his breath hissed through his teeth. He had not realised he had been holding it.

Despite the bright moonlight outside the interior of the room was so dark he doubted he could make his way across it without falling over something. He tried to visualise the layout, but nothing would be the same as the furniture would have been either removed or put in the centre and covered with cloths.

The room was colder than outside, had a damp, unused smell, and he shivered. He had a nasty feeling that having been drenched in icy water earlier, and now exposed to the elements, he was in danger of becoming unwell. The sooner he got out of this place and back into his own apartment where the fire would be lit and he could get warm again, the better.





Chapter Twenty


Sofia politely declined to dine downstairs saying that the upset of the day had given her a megrim. 'Please, do not have a tray sent up at suppertime as I shall be asleep. Thank you for accommodating me. I gave my word to the duke that I would not leave until next week and I intend to keep my promise.'

'Your maid is now here and everything will be ready for you upstairs. Sleep well, I am sure that tomorrow things will look less painful.' Mary pointed to her bandaged hand. 'I think you have broken a bone and you should let us fetch the doctor. If it is not set it will heal incorrectly and give you pain for the rest of your life.'

'I'm sure it is nothing more than bruising, but if it is worse tomorrow then I will see the physician.' She said good night and made her way to the rooms that were to be hers for the next few days.