“I’m all right, Keith. A little banged about and sore, but nothing serious.”
“What happened?” Keith cupped her face, her calm mien easing his fear for her life but heating his temper as he thought about who perpetrated her abduction.
“Oliver insisted we go for a walk. He brought me to the beach while one of his men restrained Ellie. I fought and tried to get away, but there were too many men on the beach. He told the captain he would meet us later today. He still insists we’ll marry.”
“He won’t be insisting anything from the grave.” Keith turned toward his first mate and called out orders. He would remain upon The Scuttler’s ship and captain it. With one hand on the wheel and the other holding Lydia at his side, they returned to Forde Abbey. Keith’s entire crew escorted them to Abbington House. No one knew what to expect, but it was a relief to Keith and Lydia to learn Oliver departed the day before but had been captured. He’d claimed he was going to rescue Lydia from Keith. However, neither of her parents believed their neighbor was to blame, so Will sent men to follow Oliver. Keith’s cousin awaited him in the monks’ dormitory, his makeshift dungeon.
“Why did you ever consider marrying me to him, Father?” Lydia held each of her parents’ hands as they stood together in the drawing room.
“He knows everything. He’s been spying on the Pedricks for months, and what he didn’t learn from his own informants, Windsor-Clive told him before he died. He’s practically in hock from what he invested in the Company. He threatened to expose all of us. He said he would be a benevolent husband if I didn’t contest his suit, but he would kill you if I stood in his way.”
Will drew his daughter back into his embrace before wrapping his arms around Lydia and Sarla. Both women melted against him as he kissed each forehead.
“Lyddie, you never would have married him. I just needed time. I didn’t expect His Grace getting involved. It certainly complicated things. I have men gathering information about Sackville. Apparently, there’s a rumor he and Windsor-Clive assaulted a woman several years ago, and she disappeared. No one knows who. Windsor-Clive is already dead, but I intend to make an example of Sackville.”
Lydia pulled away, wrapping her arms around her waist as tears poured forth. “It was Kelsey.” She choked out each word. Will reached for her, but she turned toward Keith, who could only shoot her father a stunned expression. Keith embraced Lydia as she sobbed. She released years of grief.
“Lyddie?” Keith stroked her back until she unfurled her arms that were tucked between them. She wrapped them around his waist and shook her head. She wasn’t ready. She cried for another five minutes, then finally exhaled a shuddering breath. Keith led her to a settee, but rather than guiding her to sit beside him, he pulled her onto his lap. He cared not whether Sarla and Will approved. He was determined Lydia would be his wife by that night if she consented.
“That was my secret, Keith. The one I didn’t want to tell. I knew what Zachary did to her. I found her that night. It was at the Countess of Hartford’s ball. I was dancing and lost sight of Kels. By the time I disengaged myself from my partner, she was nowhere in the ballroom. I searched the retiring room, the card room, the dining room, and back into the ballroom. I finally stepped onto the terrace and saw Zachary returning as he tucked his shirt in. A moment later, Kelsey emerged from the shadows. It took no guessing to understand what happened. What I didn’t know until I read her diary was that Oliver was involved, too. I never saw him.”
Lydia looked up at Keith, her heart breaking as she spoke. But she was about to hammer the last nail into the proverbial coffin.
“Mother, Father, you may recall I claimed a headache and said Kelsey would see me home since we stayed with them. It was the other way around. I took her home and got her into bed. We told everyone she was the one to come down with the ague. What we needed was time for her bruises to fade. Her father never visited. You might remember he stayed in London when we returned here. I was at Forde Abbey the day the old duke came home. He grabbed Kelsey by the hair while we sat in the garden. He ranted about her being a whore and that he wouldn’t tolerate her disgracing the family.”
Lydia wiped away more tears as she tried to compose herself to continue. She never imagined how much it would hurt to recount what she’d learned and witnessed.
“That’s when he started tying her to the bed at night. I didn’t know this until I read the diary, but, Keith, your father—he let his friends—do things when they visited. We went for a walk after church one Sunday, and that was the last time I saw her alive. The Duke claimed it was consumption, but she was never sick. He said her weak constitution meant she succumbed quickly. Keith, your father beat your sister to death. There is no explanation for the bruising I saw. I sneaked in to say my private goodbyes. I witnessed the aftermath of what he did. What you heard me say that day was my pledge to mete justice to your father and Zachary. I didn’t know about Oliver until six weeks ago.”
“Bloody hell, Lydia!” Will roared. “You put yourself in harm’s way day after day. You should have told me. I would have killed him before letting him touch you twice. How could you keep that from us? How could you endanger yourself like that?”
“I didn’t know why, but I knew there had to be a reason for you to consider him. I feared what he’d do at first if I blatantly refused him. Once Keith returned, my fear lessened. While Oliver is a viscount, and you’re a baronet, Keith is a duke. I never imagined Oliver would abduct me.”
“I didn’t either, but I should have. I’ve known him my entire life. He never shared and often tried to hurt Kelsey when we were little. I left her to fend for herself. I left her vulnerable, and now she’s dead, but not at peace.” Keith hung his head as an invisible fist wrapped around his chest and threatened to squeeze so hard his heart would surely stop.
Lydia twisted and wrapped her arms around Keith’s shoulders, drawing his head to her chest. It was her turn to offer comfort. She rested her cheek against his crown. His arms tightened around her as though she were all that kept him from falling apart.
“It wasn’t your fault, Keith. I think they would have hurt her regardless of whether you even attended that ball. They weren’t afraid of being caught. They believed they were untouchable. Oliver clearly still thinks that if he believes he could take me from you. I was there. I should have done more. I should have told my parents. I should have gotten a Bow Street Runner to investigate and track them. Once Kelsey died, I didn’t want to dishonor her memory or betray the secrets she swore me to keep. I had good intentions, but then the path to hell is paved with them.”
Keith leaned to look around Lydia, meeting Sarla’s gaze, then Will’s. “If Lydia agrees, I want us to marry today. I don’t want to spend another day without knowing she’s my wife, to have and to hold. I will deal with my cousin tomorrow, but today I want to make Lydia my bride.”
“I want that, too.” Lydia looked at her parents, who were already nodding.
“I’ll call for a bath, and we can pick out something for you to wear.”
“Mama, I don’t need anything special. I’d rather we just go to the vicar now.”
Sarla walked over to Lydia and Keith, her hand cupping Lydia’s bruised cheek but putting no pressure against it. “You’ll want to look back at today with fond memories. Start your marriage fresh, not with remnants of your ordeal. You’ll feel better for it.”
Lydia glanced at Keith and knew her mother spoke the truth. It wasn’t about her clothes or her appearance. She wanted to wash away the feel of Oliver and the pirates. She wanted to feel presentable to those who would be present. She wanted to put Oliver and all he represented in the past.
“Thank you, Mama.” Lydia rose, and Keith followed her. “Should we meet you at the church?”
Keith gazed down at Lydia and knew that wasn’t where either of them wanted to wed. While so many horrid memories lingered at the abbey, it was to be their home. They both wanted to bring joy back to it, and they both wanted Kelsey to be part of it.
“Come home, sweetling.”
CHAPTER8
