Page 59 of A Duke But No Gentleman
Tristan met her gaze unflinchingly.“You do not approve?I’ll admit it seems rather bloodthirsty, but revenge tends to be dark and messy.Besides, someone has to send him to hell.”
The countess made a fretful noise in her throat.“My dear boy, you are not thinking clearly.What good are you to Lady Imogene if you are languishing in prison?She would not approve of you throwing your life away.Allow me to send for the watch.”
“No watchmen.Nor will I be sent to prison.”Not if I am careful.“I spoke rashly.There are ways of dealing with depravity that do not require bloodshed,” he lied with practiced ease.He kissed her sweetly on the forehead.
His aunt remained unconvinced.“Tristan,” she said, a warning in her voice.
“I have to leave,” he said, refusing to be swayed.“Offer Imogene my apologies, though I doubt she will accept them.The physician will be here soon.Tell him to send the bill to me.”
“Stay.Your lady needs you,” she entreated.
Tristan did not bother to deny that Imogene belonged to him.She had rushed into his life and knocked him off his feet, altering his world forever.“Not now.Imogene needs compassion and I am too full of vitriol to be of much help.I will return when I am able.”
He brushed by his aunt and headed for the stairs.“Send word to the Duke and Duchess of Trevett.Imogene will not thank us for it, but her family should know that she has been hurt.Tell them.”He braced his hand on the ornate post at the top of the stairs and thought.The last thing he desired was for Imogene’s father to challenge the Marquess of Norgrave.“Just send word that there has been an accident.Explanations can be made when they arrive.”
“And what shall I tell Lady Imogene?”
Tristan regretted that he was leaving her without kissing her farewell.He had chosen his path and he would not allow anyone to dissuade him from confronting his friend.“Tell her that I will return.”
Satisfied that Imogene was in good hands, he hurried down the stairs where the butler was waiting to open the front door for him.Retrieving his hat from the male servant, Tristan stepped out into the night.
***
Imogene heard the muffled sound of a door closing.Still wearing the cloak Tristan had wrapped around her, she scrambled to her feet just as the door opened and Lady Ludsthorpe hurried into the drawing room.
“I have been dreadfully rude abandoning you to take your tea alone,” the countess said, her right hand moving from her waist to her throat in a nervous gesture.“Pray, remain seated.How are you feeling?Shall I pour more tea?”
“No, thank you,” Imogene said, her eyes shifting to the empty doorway.“Where is your nephew?”
“Oh, dear me, I do not know where that boy has wandered off to,” the older woman said with false cheer.“Perhaps Tristan wanted a word with Lord Ludsthorpe before he departed to one of his clubs.Or he might be downstairs raiding the stock of brandy in the library.I do not know about you but I would not mind a sip or two.”
Lady Ludsthorpe sat down abruptly next to Imogene on the sofa.
“I dislike brandy.”
Her stomach churned as her thoughts drifted back to Lord Norgrave pouring brandy down her throat—of the glass shattering and Imogene sitting beside Tristan’s aunt with dried blood on her hands.The elegantly attired countess was a reminder that her dress was in tatters.All she wanted to do was pull the hood over her head and hide, but she did not wish to insult her hostess.The lady probably thought her behavior quite odd as it was.She brought her hand to her face and smoothed the hair from her cheek.
“I hope you do not mind that I took the liberty of having the servants heat some water for a bath.You will feel better once you have washed and put on fresh clothing.”
It was going to take more than hot water and soap to make her feel clean.Her arms and wrists ached from the marquess’s fingers as he had held her down.Imogene did not realize she had whimpered until she noted the compassionate tears in Lady Ludsthorpe’s eyes.
“It was wrong of Tristan to bring me here.”
The lady gently clasped Imogene’s hand.“I do not always approve of the decisions my nephew makes, but he was correct to bring you to me.If you are done with your tea, I will show you the bedchamber I had prepared for you.Many of our guests have proclaimed it the best room in the house.”
Imogene found herself gently maneuvered from the drawing room to the bedchamber upstairs while the countess prattled on about her adult children, Lord Ludsthorpe, and the new cabinet she had recently ordered for the library.She had always marveled at Tristan’s talent for coaxing the people around him to do what he wanted, but he clearly had been taught by the best.
“You must be overly warm in that old cloak.Why don’t you remove it, and we will find something more comfortable.”
Her hand tightened around the fabric she was clutching, preventing the countess from peeling back the flaps.The condition of the dress was more revealing than the bruises on her face.“Lady Ludsthorpe—”
“Ruth.You may call me by my given name, or simply Aunt Ruth.Over the years, I have collected a fair share of nieces and nephews who are not related to me by blood.It would also please me if we were friends.”
Somehow she had undone the clasp and pried the woolen fabric from Imogene’s fingers.The cloak fell away and dropped to the floor.The countess bit her lower lip as concern filled her brown eyes.“Oh, dear, I do believe the dress is beyond repair.With your permission, I will have it torn into rags and burned.We will find you another dress.Among my three daughters, I am positive we have a dress that will fit you.”
Imogene would like nothing more than to see the dress she was wearing burned until it was ash.“You are too generous, my lady.”At the older woman’s chastening glance, she amended, “Aunt Ruth.”
A soft knock at the door had Imogene taking a step backward.
