Jane Feather: Vice

"Do you know where they went?" Quentin asked gently.

She shook her head. "No, sir. But they went on orseback. The three of 'em on two. So they can't 'ave gone far."

"What road do we take to Forsett Towers?" Tarquin's voice still betrayed none of his agitation. He knew now that he was within a hand's grasp of Juliana, and his rage was cold and deadly. George and Lucien would have had to hurt her to compel her thus far. And they would pay. He drowned the images of what they might have done to her in the icy certainty of their punishment.

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Lucien fell just as they turned onto the gravel driveway leading to the gray stone mansion of Forsett Towers. He had been barely conscious throughout the ride, slumped over the horse's neck, the reins loose in his fingers. Every few minutes his body would be convulsed with violent spasms as he shivered and coughed into the now scarlet handkerchief. When his horse stumbled into a pothole on the drive, Lucien slipped sideways. The horse, startled, broke into a sudden trot, and his rider tumbled off the saddle.

Juliana watched in horror as the confused horse quickened his pace and Lucien, still with one foot in the stirrup, was bumped along the gravel. He was making no attempt to free his foot, just dangled inert until George managed to seize the animal's bridle and pull him to a halt.

George dismounted, hauling Juliana down with him. Still maintaining a tight grip on her wrist, he released Lucien's foot and then stared down at the still figure on the ground. Lucien had struck his head on something sharp, and blood pulsed from a gash on his forehead. His eyes were closed and he was barely breathing.

"Damn him to hell!" George declared, the calm, controlled facade cracking for the first time since he'd caught Juliana on the lane. He dragged Juliana back to his horse and pushed her up into the saddle, mounting behind her again.

"You can't just leave him." Juliana at last found her voice again. She wished Lucien to the devd, but the thought of abandoning him unconscious and bleeding was appalling.

"He's no good to me in that condition." George picked up the reins of Lucien's horse, roughly kicked his own mount's flanks, and started off again to the house, leading the riderless animal.

Juliana twisted round to look at the figure still lying on the drive. "We should carry him into the house."

"Someone else can do it. Now, hold your tongue!" He pulled on her hair in vicious emphasis, and she fell silent again. She'd always known George was a brute and an oaf, but she hadn't understood quite how brutal he was.

At the house George sprang down, dragging Juliana with him. He held her by the hair and the nape of the neck, shoving her up the steps to the front door, where he banged the knocker as if to sound the last trump. A footman opened it, looking both outraged and alarmed at such an uncivilized summons. He stared at Juliana as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "Why, Miss Juliana…"

George pushed past him, thrusting Juliana ahead of him. "Where's your master?"

"In the library… but…"

George ignored him, pushing Juliana toward the library door. Before he reached it. however, it opened. Sir Brian looked at them with an expression of acute distaste.

"I see you found her." His voice expressed only annoyance.

"Yes… and I'll see her burn outside Winchester jail." George stated, shoving Juliana into the library. He held her by the neck and glared in triumph at Sir Brian. "And you, sir, and your lady wife will identify her before a magistrate this very day."

"Goodness me, whatever's going on?" Amelia's irritated tones came from the door. "Juliana, whatever are you doing here?"

"Nothing of my own volition, ma'am," Juliana said, recovering some of her spirit in these drearily familiar surroundings. "There's a badly injured man on the driveway. Would vou send some men to carry him in?"

Amelia looked between the sweaty, glowering, triumphant George and his pale prisoner. "You were never anything but trouble," she declared. "First you bring this clod into my house… and now you want me to take in some accident victim. Who is he?"

"My husband, ma'am. Viscount Edgecombe." Juliana began to feel a bubble of hysterical laughter welling in her chest. It was extraordinary that they should continue to behave toward her with the same exasperation of her childhood. She was about to be arraigned on murder charges. She was half-naked, battered and bruised, in the clutches of a vicious brute, her husband was lying near death in a puddle on their driveway, and they were both blaming her for disturbing their peace, as if she'd brought mud into the house, or broken a precious dish.

Amelia sighed and turned back to the hovering footman. "Dawkins, take some men and see about it, will you?"

"Yes, my lady."

"And send someone to the nearest magistrate," George demanded belligerently. "Tell him it's a matter of murder and he should come here immediately."

Dawkins looked askance at his master. Sir Brian said shortly, "You may ignore that instruction, Dawkins. If Sir George wishes to find a magistrate, he may go in search of one himself… and take his prisoner with him," he added coldly.

"You would obstruct justice, sir?" George's sweaty face flushed crimson. "I tell you straight, sir, I'll lay charges against you of impeding the process-"

"Oh, hold your tongue, man," Amelia interrupted acidly. "Do you think we wish to listen to your puffing and blowing? If you have a grudge against Juliana, then you may do what you wish, but don't expect us to assist you."

Juliana was somewhat surprised. True, they weren't taking her part, but neither were they taking George's.

"A grudge!" George exclaimed. "Is that how you would describe the willful murder of my father… her husband. Petty treason is what it is, and I tell you-"

"You will tell us nothing," Sir Brian snapped. He turned to his erstwhile ward and asked calmly, "Juliana, did you by any chance murder your husband?"

"No."

"That's rather what we assumed. It was just another unfortunate piece of clumsiness, I daresay."

"It was certainly very clumsy of you to run away," Amelia scolded. "I can't think what could have possessed-"

"Put him down on that settle… careful now. Send someone for the physician."

The crisp tones of the Duke of Redmayne came from the open doorway to the hall. Amelia stopped in mid-sentence. George inhaled sharply. Juliana wrenched her head around, ignoring the savage tug on her captured hair. Her heart thudded so loudly, it was impossible that only she could hear it. She stared at the door.

“I give you good morning, ma'am. Sir Brian." The duke stepped into the library. "Accept my apologies for this disturbance. I wouldn't have had it happen for the world."

"And who might you be, sir?"

"Redmayne," Tarquin said with a courteous bow. "Lady Edgecombe is in my charge during her husband's indisposition. May I introduce my brother. Lord Quentin Courtney?" He gestured to Quentin, who stood behind him. Quentin bowed in his turn and murmured a pleasant greeting.

Juliana wondered whether anyone was going to notice her as she stood silent, still held captive by her hair. The scene resembled a stage farce with this exchange of polite greetings in the stuffy formality of the library.

Then Tarquin came over to her. "Take your hands off her," he said quietly.

George recovered himself. "Don't you give me orders, Redmayne. She's my prisoner, and I'm accusing her before a magistrate of petty treason."

Tarquin shook his head. "No," he said consideringly. "No, you are not going to do any such thing. Take your hands off her!”

George's hands fell to his sides. He could no more have withstood the soft-voiced ferocity of the order than he could have changed the direction of the wind.