A Regency Tale Two
Nov. 5th, 2006 03:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ismeninHello, friends! I am taking this opportunity of posting this story before LJ crashes again.
It has been going up down and around for days - so, who knows?
There is a glossary at the end, as usual, if you don't understand any of the terms. If there are still things you don't understand, please ask. I assume everybody knows what I know, and as I surely realise that I do not know everything that everybody else knows, that is stupid of me.
So here goes -
Thanks as always to dear Lady Sunrope for beta and suggestions
Part Two - The Insufferable Lord Monaghan
His Grace the Duke of Stanford seethed all the way back to his ancestral home. The sun was setting over the park as he entered the gates, but none of the beauties of nature, lit as they were in red glory, succeeded in turning his mind from what had happened that day.
Monaghan was a rude, unprincipled man who had dared to sit in his presence, and who smiled at him with his eyes. He had insisted that the Duke visit him every month, like a common tradesman, to deliver the sum agreed upon. His eyes had sparkled as he said it, but it could not be said that there was any humour in them. In fact, his Grace recalled, Lord Monaghan looked positively fiendish as he made the demand.
Elijah went straight into the library on his return, knowing that there, at least, he would be safe from his mother's constant harping, and, as his sister Hannah, worn to a thread by her mother's tantrums, was visiting with her aunt at this time, he knew he would be alone at least until dinner.
He sat by the fire, an opened book in his hand, but he was not reading it. He was thinking of the insufferable Lord Monaghan and his sparkling eyes.
Damn the man to Hell! he thought, biting his lower lip fretfully.
He was missing Barney, and the few intimate friends he possessed, many of whom had written to him over the past weeks urging him to come to London as a break from the stultifying formalities attending the bereavement. But Elijah was a dutiful son, even if his mother stirred unfilial feelings in his breast that he had rather not express - therefore he stayed where he was. It was possible for a man in deep mourning to conduct his daily business and to go about things as usual, but it was not so for women, particularly a widow. She had to stay indoors and receive visits of condolence from friends and neighbours, and dress in deepest black for at least a year and a day
It came as a surprise therefore, a few weeks later, when, over dinner his mother evinced the desire to visit Bath for a season.
"For you see, Elijah, all my dearest friends will be there, and no exception can be taken if a widow, sadly pulled by the death of her husband, visits the Pump Rooms to partake of the waters, or wanders about the Abbey quietly contemplating her loss. Of course, you will wish to accompany me."
Elijah wished no such thing, but he did realise that whilst his mother's friends in Bath were lending an ear to her protestations of grief, he at least would be free of her company.
"Very well, ma'am, it shall be as you say. I shall desire Kittle to find a suitable house to rent, and you may remove there as soon as the arrangements have been made."
It was only when Elijah was climbing the stairs to his bed that he realised this move would put him at a further distance from Lord Monaghan, and the repayment of his debt. He frowned, and determined that in the morning he would write to his Lordship explaining the position and requesting a change in the arrangements.
A week later he had received a reply from his Lordship, which letter necessitated his Grace calling for his horse and riding for an hour about the countryside as if the devil himself were after him, for his Lordship had written:
My Lord Duke.
Your Grace,
It came as an unwelcome surprise to me to discover that your Grace wishes to renege so quickly on the agreement you made with me concerning our financial dealings.
It will cause me the greatest inconvenience to alter these arrangements at the present time, and I must remind your Grace that these arrangements were made at the time of the transaction and agreed upon by you.
If you wish to alter these to suit your own convenience, I would be grateful for an immediate repayment of the whole sum in question.
If you do not wish for this conclusion, and wish to continue with the transaction as it was agreed upon, I will await your Grace’s visit, as promised, with the money pledged, on the day specified.
Rest assured, I will remain Your Grace’s most humble servant,
Monaghan.
Nothing did Elijah know of the pleasure Dominic had had composing this missive. He was determined to bring the little Duke down a peg or two, and this, Dom thought, was the way to do it.
He had let no-one, not even his man of business, into the details of this transaction with his Grace, thinking that the Duke would not wish his affairs to be noised abroad. He had explained away the forty thousand pounds as the purchase price of a property he had bought from his Grace in Scotland. As his Lordship owned several properties in that country which were overseen by his Scottish agent, there was no danger that the two men would meet and discover the deficit.
There would have been no inconvenience to him if Elijah decided to settle once a year - or if he never paid him back at all - but he wished to see the chagrin on that handsome face, and the sparkling anger in his eyes more often than on a mere yearly basis. He was looking forward greatly to their meeting the next week, for the month was already up. Dom rubbed his hands. He would make his Grace squirm, or his name was not Dominic, Lord Monaghan.
Rest assured? What need did he have of assurance from someone like Monaghan?
Elijah, still seething from the rage that he had felt when he had read Lord Monaghan's missive, sat down at his desk, and composed a letter to Sir Barnabas in Wales.
Dear Barney,
I trust that your grand-mama is now feeling much better. Please convey my regards to her, and tell her that I well remember the summer I spent there a few years ago. Her patience and fortitude when she discovered that we had cut up the west lawn playing cricket was an exercise in forbearance that I have never forgotten.
I hope you are well, and are not too bored with country life. I know you are a town beau, old friend, and am looking forward to seeing you in the not too distant future.
The reason I am writing to you at this time is because I must speak with someone, and there is no one knows of my situation regarding Lord M. except you.
He has demanded that I visit him every month, and take to him personally that which he would have me bring. He is determined to insult me in every possible way. I do not know how I can bear it, except I do understand that it is only a quarter of an hour in his presence out of every month.
At the last visit it was obvious to me that he had company, and that he had arranged it knowing I would be visiting him at that time. It seemed to be a formal gathering, for there were ladies present. I distinctly heard the voice of Lady A - coming from the drawing-room. You know what a piercing voice she has! Lady J - , too, was there, for I saw that little page she goes nowhere without sitting in the hallway.
Of course I was not dressed for such an assembly, and in any case, Lord M made it plain I was not invited, for he took me into the library. I was at great pains to avoid being seen by any of the guests, as they would surely wonder what I was doing there dressed in such an informal way should they have glimpsed me.
It was obvious he was making a May game of me, for his eyes held that irrepressibly impertinent twinkle that he has when he looks at me. He does not like me any more than I like him, but he has to be endured. I do not know how I have refrained from slapping his face with my glove and challenging him to a duel. But that would be far below my dignity - far below the behaviour expected of a Duke. Besides, I am a very good shot, as you know, and would very likely kill him - although this would discharge me from my obligation to him.
Take no notice of me, Barney, I am running on like a fool. You know I do not mean half of what I say - he just puts me in such a pelter. I know of course that I can confide in you and it will go no further. It is a great solace to me to have you as a friend.
I look forward to your return, for I am missing you sorely.
Ever your friend, E.
Elijah scrawled his name across the sealed letter, which would save Barney several sixpences in postage, as nobility were allowed to send their mail free of charge. He then scrubbed it out again. He did not wish anyone to know the letter was from him. There were eyes everywhere, and who was to say there were not any in Wales? He wanted his business kept private. He was sure Barney would understand.
*****
Elijah accompanied his mother to Bath, and once he had settled her in the house he had rented for a season, went out to see if any of his acquaintance could be found frequenting the watering hole at this time of the year.
None of his closest friends were there, to his dismay, but he did find one cousin sitting in the taproom of the George, and who greeted him with genuine pleasure.
"Hello, Duke, dear boy! What are you doing in this dead hole of a place? With your mother, eh? Same here," Mr Warbois said heartily, with a firm handshake and a smile for his relation.
Mr Henry Warbois was a man in his early thirties. A tall, elegant man much addicted to sport. His hair was cut in the Brutus style, and he was wearing a dark blue coat of Bath suiting, with grey Inexpressibles, which conformed to the conventions of mourning for an uncle that he'd not met since he was sixteen.
"Can't stand the prosy old bugger," he had told his friends at the time of his uncle's death. "Can't see he would be any more pleased to see me than I would be to see him."
One of the men remarked that his uncle would not be seeing him if he attended the funeral, but this did not make Harry any more keen to "do the pretty", as he put it. "Lot of sobbin' women at funerals, old chap. Kept away from m'cousin's for the same reason. Not for me."
Elijah looked at his cousin with affection. Harry was not bad company if you could keep him off the subject of sport, and a pleasant afternoon and evening were spent with a small group of Harry's friends at the inn where he was staying.
"Am racking up here, Lij, for I can't bear my mother prosing on at me like a Jesuit all hours of the day. You know what m'mother's side of the family is, old boy. Bunch of damned Methodies."
Elijah grinned, but did not point out the differences in the two religions Harry had used for comparison. His cousin amused him, so he was not going to put him right. He let Lord Crayford, a mutual friend, do that. Harry shrugged. He had no turn for religion, he said, unnecessarily.
However, Elijah had to decline a meeting on the following day, for he had an appointment he could not break, he told Harry. This was indeed true - Lord Monaghan loomed large in his immediate future.
It had started to rain about the time Elijah left Bath the following day, and Elijah was glad that he had ordered the carriage rather than decide to ride to Lord Monaghan's house, which was a full twenty miles from Bath. He got there a quarter before four, and ordered his carriage to stop outside the gates until it should be nearer the hour. He had no desire to spend any more time in Lord Monaghan's company than was absolutely necessary, nor did he wish to hang about awaiting Lord Monaghan's pleasure. He was, after all a duke, and used to a degree of extraordinary civility from his fellow men, which behaviour was totally lacking in Lord Monaghan.
Elijah arrived at the front door at two minutes to four and was ushered immediately into the library. Obviously he was expected
"His Grace, the Duke of Stanford, my Lord," the butler intoned sonorously as he ushered Elijah into the room. Elijah lifted his chin, and moved forward
Dom was sitting behind his desk, and he immediately rose as Elijah entered.
"Good afternoon, your Grace. I hope you had a pleasant journey?" Dom said, in a light voice, moving forward and bowing gracefully.
Elijah's bow was a little stiff, but he put that down to the long drive he had suffered to get there.
"Good afternoon. The drive was a little... tedious, but I remembered how uninteresting the countryside is in this region, nothing but trees - so I providently remembered to bring a book. I was tolerably amused by it, I thank you."
Dom inclined his head. "Will not your Grace be seated? Perhaps a glass of wine would make the journey back more comfortable?"
Elijah took the seat Dom had indicated, but refused the wine. He did not know what to say, as the insufferable Lord Monaghan was leaning up against the fireplace swinging a wine glass between his fingers, and looking down at him with a speculative stare.
Elijah took the packet of banknotes from his pocket, and offered them to Dom. "Here is this month's instalment, my Lord. I pray you, count it."
Dom shook his head as his long fingers close around the packet. "There's no need to do so. I trust your Grace to have checked it. That will do."
"Well, it will not do for me. I insist your Lordship count the notes. For all I know you may send the envelope to your man of business, who will tell you that there are several notes short of five hundred pounds. How do I know what kind of men you keep about you?"
Elijah had said this solely out of a desire to hurt, and Dom's eyes flashed fire at the insult. "Do you intend, my Lord Duke, to infer that those in my employ are not to be trusted? I take that remark very unkindly, very unkindly indeed, as you no doubt wish."
Dom turned his back as he walked swiftly towards the desk, emptied the money onto it, and counted it quickly.
He opened a drawer and threw the money in as if it was of little consequence, then he sat and wrote swiftly upon a piece of paper.
He brought it to Elijah and held it out between the first two fingers of his right hand.
"Here is your Grace's receipt, as I am sure that you would desire one. Please note the balance of our transaction is written at the bottom, in case you forget the amount."
Dom looked extremely angry as he said this, but it was nothing to the fury that Elijah felt.
He stood up and took the piece of paper, putting it in the inner pocket of his coat. "Your Lordship may be assured that my memory is generally accounted to be very fine. I shall not forget, I promise you. Now if you will excuse me, I will leave. Her Grace expects me in time for dinner."
Elijah bowed and was just about to leave, when Dom's voice stopped him.
"I am sorry to detain your Grace further, but I feel I should inform you that next month I will be at one of my other estates, some thirty miles distant from here. There is some business there that must be overseen at that time. I am sorry to cause further inconvenience to your Grace," said Dom, sounding anything but sorry," but the place is not to be reached by coach. One can only do so on horseback, as the tracks are too narrow to admit a carriage."
Elijah bowed, hiding his feelings very well from the other man. "There is no inconvenience to me, m'lord. The obligation, as you have already informed me, is all on my part. If you will but furnish me with your direction, I will engage to be there."
Dom allowed a lazy smile to rest on his expressive mouth. "Your Grace is very enterprising."
He went back to the desk and wrote the directions. "It is not a large house - a small hunting box merely - and there are not any other dwellings around it where you may ask the way, but I trust that this will bring you to it. Good day, your Grace. I hope you have a pleasant drive back."
Elijah bowed and said something - he knew not what - and strode out of the front door in something that would have, in a lesser personage than a duke, be termed a fit of pique.
Insufferable man!
*****
Dinner that night could not be said to be a success. His Grace seemed pre-occupied, the Dowager, his mother tiresomely complaining. As there were several of her Grace's friends present, Elijah reverted to his company manners, but as soon as tea had been drunk, and the guests had departed, he summoned up a headache that was not wholly a lie, and retired to his room. He spent a full hour after climbing into bed going over in his mind the sins and iniquities of the Insufferable Lord Monaghan.
It was obvious to Elijah that Dominic Monaghan was trying to provoke him into unseemly behaviour. But Dominic Monaghan did not know Elijah Wood, that was for sure. The Insufferable Man had been right, damn him! The obligation was all on Elijah's side, and Elijah was resolved that if Monaghan said he was going to be, the month after next, halfway up the face of the Matterhorn, Elijah's pride would not allow him to refrain from being there at the appointed time.
What was fifty miles compared with his family's good name? The debt had been paid, and it would not have been if it had not been for Monaghan. Elijah was very sensible of it, and of the debt of gratitude he owed his Lordship. However Insufferable the man's demands might be - his wishes must be accommodated.
The next day Harry found time to visit, and together they went riding in the countryside, well away from Lord Monaghan's estate.
*****
The month passed more swiftly than Elijah had anticipated. A couple more of his friends came to town, and between them the four men made up a very sociable little gathering.
The brothers Faversham told the Duke without any shame that they were as near to swallowing a spider as may be, and had come to hide in Bath until next quarter day which would tow them out of the River Tick. "For you cannot deny, Duke, that London is a damned expensive place to live."
The Duke pointed out, in a spirit of helpfulness, that they each had a very good estate in Berkshire where they could easily retire until their finances were in better trim.
Ferdinand, the younger brother, shook his head. "No use at all, Duke - they would all know that we were there, y' know - the creditors. First place they'd look for us, eh, Gil?"
Gilbert nodded his head miserably. "Expect they've been there already, Ferdy. Better off here. No fellow in his right mind would come to Bath at this season... er... unless of course, accompanying a parent ...or...or something."
Elijah laughed. His heart felt lighter for being with his friends, and the spectre of the Insufferable Lord Monaghan retreated from him in the daylight hours. But it returned, very often, to plague the Duke's dreams.
*****
Although Elijah was slightly daunted by the prospect of having to travel fifty miles to his meeting that day, at least it was not raining. Armed with Lord Monaghan's directions securely resting inside his pocket he set off after an early lunch, assured by an ostler at an inn where he had stopped for refreshment at the halfway mark, that he was headed in the direction of the town nearest the Irishman's abode.
Lord Monaghan had been right - the roads had narrowed considerably after he had left the town, and could now only be called country lanes. There might have been room for a small wagon to pass, but certainly not a carriage or even a curricle, the lanes being deeply pitted and there were many stones that had to be navigated.
It was at this point that things started to go wrong for the Duke. It began to rain heavily so Elijah could not consult the map which was in his pocket, as the ink would soon be washed off. The rain started to seep through his riding cloak and through his coat, causing him to become chilled.
He plodded along, the horse, unused to country lanes, stumbling and tripping on the stones. Then the worst happened. The horse's leg went into a hole, and Elijah heard the snap of the bone as the creature fell.
The horse just lay there, unable to get up, and Elijah looked at it and wished he had not forgotten the pistol that was even now resting on a hall table at his house.
He retired to some trees by the side of the road which afforded a little shelter, and decided to wait until the rain eased off.
Suddenly he heard a horse approaching, and got up, hoping that there was someone who would know of shelter nearby, and who had a gun so that he could....
He recognised the figure riding towards him. It was the Insufferable Lord Monaghan.
His Lordship reined in, and dismounted quickly. He looked at the horse, and then at its owner.
"As soon as the rain started I thought I had better come and find you, your Grace. I'm sorry about the horse. When we get to the house I will send somebody here with a gun - there is nothing we can do now."
Elijah knew this was true. "I 'm obliged that you thought of me. How far is it to the house?"
Dom nodded east. "About fifteen miles in that direction. But the lanes to it are even narrower than this one - it is only accessible by road from the opposite direction. I am sorry."
Elijah seethed inwardly. He knew now that Lord Monaghan had deliberately sent him this way in order to cause him as much inconvenience as possible. That inconvenience had cost him his horse. He could barely look at the man.
"If your Grace would condescend to get up behind me, it were better that we got moving."
Elijah, without a word, mounted the horse.
Although it was a large horse, bred for the country, it could not be said that it was happy with the weight of two men on its back, so progress was slow.
The rain was driving into their faces, and Elijah thought it was a good thing that Monaghan knew where he was going, when suddenly a voice punctured the gloom.
Across the lane there was a dark figure on a horse with a large pistol pointed at them.
"Stand and deliver, if you values your lives!" a hoarse voice snarled. "Get off that horse and empty your pockets before I shoots you dead!"
Elijah obliged, and Dom, holding the horse still, followed swiftly. Both stood in the lane, rain dripping into their eyes.
"And what is it you expect two men to be carrying in the way of wealth in a country lane?" Lord Monaghan's voice sounded faintly amused.
A pair of green eyes stared at them over the black scarf wound around the man's face.
" I can see you are two gentry-coves, though why you is riding one horse beats me hollow. Still I expect you have a watch or a few fobs about you, and a few guineas, too, I'll wager. So hand them over, or I'll loosen this pop at you."
He waved the serviceable pistol at them. "Come on! I hasn't got all day. Hand over the stuff - quickly now, and I'll leave you both right and tight to walk home and no harm done."
Elijah drew a deep breath. He did not wish to lose his money to this highway robber. It was almost half of his month's allowance, and he was damned if he was going to surrender it without a fight.
He quickly took off the ring he had on his right hand, and two fobs and a watch, and together with the coins he had in his breeches pocket, handed them over.
"And the pin out of your cravat, fellow, and your money. Is it a real sparkler? It looks like one. Maybe worth a few bob, if it ain't paste."
Dom had also handed over what he had on his person, but the speculative look he had given Elijah caught the robber’s eye. The man glared at Elijah.
"You is hiding something from me, cove, and I wants it. Hand it over, or I shoots your friend there! Don't play games with me!"
The pistol was cocked with an audible click. "Hand it over, I say, or it'll be the worse for him."
The robber then made his mistake. He dismounted, and came towards Elijah, determined to search him for hidden loot.
Elijah, desperate to keep his money hidden, gave no thought at all to Dom, and tried to grapple the gun from the masked man's grasp as soon as he came near, and it went off with a deadly and terrifying bang.
Dom fell to the ground without a sound. Elijah stood, shocked out of all reason, for it was he who had caused this disaster by attempting to resist. He was petrified for a moment, but the thought brushed across his mind that if Dom died here, on the road, he, Elijah, would be freed of his obligation towards him.
But Elijah was an honourable man - he shook this unworthy thought out of his mind, and ran over to Dom, who was lying in a puddle in the mud, his life's blood staining the white shirt underneath his riding coat.
Without any hesitation Elijah ripped off his cravat and Dom's and folding it quickly pressed it against the wound.
"Hand me your scarf, man!" Elijah shouted into the rain. "Do you want to add murder to your list of crimes? We have to staunch the bleeding. Don't stand there like a booby - help me get him under these trees so I can see what's come to him. Move!"
The man moved, and quickly tore off his scarf, and handed it to Elijah.
"Are you wearing a cravat?" Elijah said, not looking at the man. Moments later a rather grubby looking piece of linen was handed to him by a shaking hand.
"Will he live?" A scared voice said from above him.
Elijah took note of the fear in the man's voice, and said, in a quieter tone, "I don't know - I know nothing of wounds such as this. But he won't survive unless we can get him to some shelter quickly, and have this wound tended."
The man took in a shuddering breath. "There's somewhere nearby we can take him. It's off the road. But how we're to get him there beats me," he said worriedly.
Elijah, correctly interpreting this remark to mean the man would help, tied the last knot in the scarf that was pressed closely into Dom's bleeding shoulder and stood.
"If we can get him on to the horse, and you can hold him whilst I mount, we should do."
This being accomplished, the man mounted and led the way back down the path. Soon they came to the injured horse. Elijah stopped. "I would be very grateful if you would put this poor creature out of its misery," he said quietly.
The man dismounted without a word, and though Elijah winced when he heard the shot, he was thinking of the man he was holding close to his chest and wondering if they would get to shelter before he died, and the unworthy, and unchristian thoughts that he had had earlier, concerning him. The man did not deserve this - he had done nothing wrong.
They had turned off the road, into a thickly wooded area, and after riding for about fifteen or twenty minutes Elijah saw a house hidden in the trees. It was not a small house, but no one would have seen it from the road.
As soon as they rode up, a older man came out and stood on the wooden porch, surveying the sodden group with a jaundiced eye.
"What now, Bill?" he said wearily, but when he saw the injured Dom he called for help from someone called Jack within the house, and these two men carried the unconscious Dom upstairs into a large bedroom, Elijah and the robber following.
As the men put Dom on the bed Elijah threw off his wet cloak and coat and hurried to Dom's side.
"Do you know anything of gunshot wounds?" he said to the man whom, he thought, must be the landlord of the tavern they had just entered. He had noticed out of the corner of his eye dozens of barrels lining the passages to the room and there was an overpowering smell of brandy.
The man shook his head. "No,sir. I can't help you with that, I'm afraid. But I'll get water and cloths brought to you. Is the ball still in him?"
Elijah nodded, busily pulling off Dom's boots. The highwayman, Bill, undid the man's riding breeches, which were sodden and covered in mud, as were his underdrawers, and pulled them off the still figure.
Elijah stared in desperation at the man lying in the bed. He needed immediate attention, but Elijah thought he had been moved too much already. "Do you have a scissors? We must cut the jacket from him."
The man said he had one, and sent Jack to fetch it. The highwayman muttered something about ruining as good a toge as he had ever seen. Elijah rounded on him in a fury, his own fear exacerbating his temper.
"Would you rather see him die to save his clothing? If so, you can take them off him and let the movement drive the bullet deeper. But you should know, better than anyone, that the coat is ruined already. It has a bullet hole the size of a crown piece in it."
The man had the grace to look abashed, and mumbled an apology.
When Jack returned with the scissors, Elijah, assisted by the robber, Bill, cut the clothing from Dom's body. Soon, he was lying naked on the bed, and Elijah could see the wound was still bleeding. He covered all he could with blankets as Dom was cold as ice.
"We have to get the ball out before he bleeds to death. He has lost an inordinate amount of blood already, judging by the state of these clothes, and there is no point trying to bandage the wound with the ball still inside him. I may not know what I'm doing, but I do know that. It must be got out."
The landlord looked askance at Elijah. "Well, it's you that has to do it, sir - there isn't a doctor I knows of for forty mile or more. I'm sure I haven't got an idea of how to go on."
Elijah squared his shoulders, and regarded the man gravely.
"Bring some brandy, and a very sharp knife, if you please," he said.
GLOSSARY
Swallow a spider - bankrupt. In deep debt.
River Tick - the Fleet, a debtor's prison. Debt
Gentry-coves - slang for gentlemen. Ladies were Gentry-morts.
Sparkler - you should all know this one. Diamond
Booby - an idiot. A real booby is a particularly stupid bird - of the feathered variety.
A May Game - to make a fool of
Toge - slang for coat or suit of clothers. derived from the toga.
A few bob - a few shillings. Five pence in present currency.
A crown piece - large coin worth five shillings (25 pence today) but a week's wages for some in those days - if they were lucky. Otherwise known as a coachwheel because of its large size, measured about 2 inches across.
It has been going up down and around for days - so, who knows?
There is a glossary at the end, as usual, if you don't understand any of the terms. If there are still things you don't understand, please ask. I assume everybody knows what I know, and as I surely realise that I do not know everything that everybody else knows, that is stupid of me.
So here goes -
Thanks as always to dear Lady Sunrope for beta and suggestions
Part Two - The Insufferable Lord Monaghan
His Grace the Duke of Stanford seethed all the way back to his ancestral home. The sun was setting over the park as he entered the gates, but none of the beauties of nature, lit as they were in red glory, succeeded in turning his mind from what had happened that day.
Monaghan was a rude, unprincipled man who had dared to sit in his presence, and who smiled at him with his eyes. He had insisted that the Duke visit him every month, like a common tradesman, to deliver the sum agreed upon. His eyes had sparkled as he said it, but it could not be said that there was any humour in them. In fact, his Grace recalled, Lord Monaghan looked positively fiendish as he made the demand.
Elijah went straight into the library on his return, knowing that there, at least, he would be safe from his mother's constant harping, and, as his sister Hannah, worn to a thread by her mother's tantrums, was visiting with her aunt at this time, he knew he would be alone at least until dinner.
He sat by the fire, an opened book in his hand, but he was not reading it. He was thinking of the insufferable Lord Monaghan and his sparkling eyes.
Damn the man to Hell! he thought, biting his lower lip fretfully.
He was missing Barney, and the few intimate friends he possessed, many of whom had written to him over the past weeks urging him to come to London as a break from the stultifying formalities attending the bereavement. But Elijah was a dutiful son, even if his mother stirred unfilial feelings in his breast that he had rather not express - therefore he stayed where he was. It was possible for a man in deep mourning to conduct his daily business and to go about things as usual, but it was not so for women, particularly a widow. She had to stay indoors and receive visits of condolence from friends and neighbours, and dress in deepest black for at least a year and a day
It came as a surprise therefore, a few weeks later, when, over dinner his mother evinced the desire to visit Bath for a season.
"For you see, Elijah, all my dearest friends will be there, and no exception can be taken if a widow, sadly pulled by the death of her husband, visits the Pump Rooms to partake of the waters, or wanders about the Abbey quietly contemplating her loss. Of course, you will wish to accompany me."
Elijah wished no such thing, but he did realise that whilst his mother's friends in Bath were lending an ear to her protestations of grief, he at least would be free of her company.
"Very well, ma'am, it shall be as you say. I shall desire Kittle to find a suitable house to rent, and you may remove there as soon as the arrangements have been made."
It was only when Elijah was climbing the stairs to his bed that he realised this move would put him at a further distance from Lord Monaghan, and the repayment of his debt. He frowned, and determined that in the morning he would write to his Lordship explaining the position and requesting a change in the arrangements.
A week later he had received a reply from his Lordship, which letter necessitated his Grace calling for his horse and riding for an hour about the countryside as if the devil himself were after him, for his Lordship had written:
My Lord Duke.
Your Grace,
It came as an unwelcome surprise to me to discover that your Grace wishes to renege so quickly on the agreement you made with me concerning our financial dealings.
It will cause me the greatest inconvenience to alter these arrangements at the present time, and I must remind your Grace that these arrangements were made at the time of the transaction and agreed upon by you.
If you wish to alter these to suit your own convenience, I would be grateful for an immediate repayment of the whole sum in question.
If you do not wish for this conclusion, and wish to continue with the transaction as it was agreed upon, I will await your Grace’s visit, as promised, with the money pledged, on the day specified.
Rest assured, I will remain Your Grace’s most humble servant,
Monaghan.
Nothing did Elijah know of the pleasure Dominic had had composing this missive. He was determined to bring the little Duke down a peg or two, and this, Dom thought, was the way to do it.
He had let no-one, not even his man of business, into the details of this transaction with his Grace, thinking that the Duke would not wish his affairs to be noised abroad. He had explained away the forty thousand pounds as the purchase price of a property he had bought from his Grace in Scotland. As his Lordship owned several properties in that country which were overseen by his Scottish agent, there was no danger that the two men would meet and discover the deficit.
There would have been no inconvenience to him if Elijah decided to settle once a year - or if he never paid him back at all - but he wished to see the chagrin on that handsome face, and the sparkling anger in his eyes more often than on a mere yearly basis. He was looking forward greatly to their meeting the next week, for the month was already up. Dom rubbed his hands. He would make his Grace squirm, or his name was not Dominic, Lord Monaghan.
Rest assured? What need did he have of assurance from someone like Monaghan?
Elijah, still seething from the rage that he had felt when he had read Lord Monaghan's missive, sat down at his desk, and composed a letter to Sir Barnabas in Wales.
Dear Barney,
I trust that your grand-mama is now feeling much better. Please convey my regards to her, and tell her that I well remember the summer I spent there a few years ago. Her patience and fortitude when she discovered that we had cut up the west lawn playing cricket was an exercise in forbearance that I have never forgotten.
I hope you are well, and are not too bored with country life. I know you are a town beau, old friend, and am looking forward to seeing you in the not too distant future.
The reason I am writing to you at this time is because I must speak with someone, and there is no one knows of my situation regarding Lord M. except you.
He has demanded that I visit him every month, and take to him personally that which he would have me bring. He is determined to insult me in every possible way. I do not know how I can bear it, except I do understand that it is only a quarter of an hour in his presence out of every month.
At the last visit it was obvious to me that he had company, and that he had arranged it knowing I would be visiting him at that time. It seemed to be a formal gathering, for there were ladies present. I distinctly heard the voice of Lady A - coming from the drawing-room. You know what a piercing voice she has! Lady J - , too, was there, for I saw that little page she goes nowhere without sitting in the hallway.
Of course I was not dressed for such an assembly, and in any case, Lord M made it plain I was not invited, for he took me into the library. I was at great pains to avoid being seen by any of the guests, as they would surely wonder what I was doing there dressed in such an informal way should they have glimpsed me.
It was obvious he was making a May game of me, for his eyes held that irrepressibly impertinent twinkle that he has when he looks at me. He does not like me any more than I like him, but he has to be endured. I do not know how I have refrained from slapping his face with my glove and challenging him to a duel. But that would be far below my dignity - far below the behaviour expected of a Duke. Besides, I am a very good shot, as you know, and would very likely kill him - although this would discharge me from my obligation to him.
Take no notice of me, Barney, I am running on like a fool. You know I do not mean half of what I say - he just puts me in such a pelter. I know of course that I can confide in you and it will go no further. It is a great solace to me to have you as a friend.
I look forward to your return, for I am missing you sorely.
Ever your friend, E.
Elijah scrawled his name across the sealed letter, which would save Barney several sixpences in postage, as nobility were allowed to send their mail free of charge. He then scrubbed it out again. He did not wish anyone to know the letter was from him. There were eyes everywhere, and who was to say there were not any in Wales? He wanted his business kept private. He was sure Barney would understand.
*****
Elijah accompanied his mother to Bath, and once he had settled her in the house he had rented for a season, went out to see if any of his acquaintance could be found frequenting the watering hole at this time of the year.
None of his closest friends were there, to his dismay, but he did find one cousin sitting in the taproom of the George, and who greeted him with genuine pleasure.
"Hello, Duke, dear boy! What are you doing in this dead hole of a place? With your mother, eh? Same here," Mr Warbois said heartily, with a firm handshake and a smile for his relation.
Mr Henry Warbois was a man in his early thirties. A tall, elegant man much addicted to sport. His hair was cut in the Brutus style, and he was wearing a dark blue coat of Bath suiting, with grey Inexpressibles, which conformed to the conventions of mourning for an uncle that he'd not met since he was sixteen.
"Can't stand the prosy old bugger," he had told his friends at the time of his uncle's death. "Can't see he would be any more pleased to see me than I would be to see him."
One of the men remarked that his uncle would not be seeing him if he attended the funeral, but this did not make Harry any more keen to "do the pretty", as he put it. "Lot of sobbin' women at funerals, old chap. Kept away from m'cousin's for the same reason. Not for me."
Elijah looked at his cousin with affection. Harry was not bad company if you could keep him off the subject of sport, and a pleasant afternoon and evening were spent with a small group of Harry's friends at the inn where he was staying.
"Am racking up here, Lij, for I can't bear my mother prosing on at me like a Jesuit all hours of the day. You know what m'mother's side of the family is, old boy. Bunch of damned Methodies."
Elijah grinned, but did not point out the differences in the two religions Harry had used for comparison. His cousin amused him, so he was not going to put him right. He let Lord Crayford, a mutual friend, do that. Harry shrugged. He had no turn for religion, he said, unnecessarily.
However, Elijah had to decline a meeting on the following day, for he had an appointment he could not break, he told Harry. This was indeed true - Lord Monaghan loomed large in his immediate future.
It had started to rain about the time Elijah left Bath the following day, and Elijah was glad that he had ordered the carriage rather than decide to ride to Lord Monaghan's house, which was a full twenty miles from Bath. He got there a quarter before four, and ordered his carriage to stop outside the gates until it should be nearer the hour. He had no desire to spend any more time in Lord Monaghan's company than was absolutely necessary, nor did he wish to hang about awaiting Lord Monaghan's pleasure. He was, after all a duke, and used to a degree of extraordinary civility from his fellow men, which behaviour was totally lacking in Lord Monaghan.
Elijah arrived at the front door at two minutes to four and was ushered immediately into the library. Obviously he was expected
"His Grace, the Duke of Stanford, my Lord," the butler intoned sonorously as he ushered Elijah into the room. Elijah lifted his chin, and moved forward
Dom was sitting behind his desk, and he immediately rose as Elijah entered.
"Good afternoon, your Grace. I hope you had a pleasant journey?" Dom said, in a light voice, moving forward and bowing gracefully.
Elijah's bow was a little stiff, but he put that down to the long drive he had suffered to get there.
"Good afternoon. The drive was a little... tedious, but I remembered how uninteresting the countryside is in this region, nothing but trees - so I providently remembered to bring a book. I was tolerably amused by it, I thank you."
Dom inclined his head. "Will not your Grace be seated? Perhaps a glass of wine would make the journey back more comfortable?"
Elijah took the seat Dom had indicated, but refused the wine. He did not know what to say, as the insufferable Lord Monaghan was leaning up against the fireplace swinging a wine glass between his fingers, and looking down at him with a speculative stare.
Elijah took the packet of banknotes from his pocket, and offered them to Dom. "Here is this month's instalment, my Lord. I pray you, count it."
Dom shook his head as his long fingers close around the packet. "There's no need to do so. I trust your Grace to have checked it. That will do."
"Well, it will not do for me. I insist your Lordship count the notes. For all I know you may send the envelope to your man of business, who will tell you that there are several notes short of five hundred pounds. How do I know what kind of men you keep about you?"
Elijah had said this solely out of a desire to hurt, and Dom's eyes flashed fire at the insult. "Do you intend, my Lord Duke, to infer that those in my employ are not to be trusted? I take that remark very unkindly, very unkindly indeed, as you no doubt wish."
Dom turned his back as he walked swiftly towards the desk, emptied the money onto it, and counted it quickly.
He opened a drawer and threw the money in as if it was of little consequence, then he sat and wrote swiftly upon a piece of paper.
He brought it to Elijah and held it out between the first two fingers of his right hand.
"Here is your Grace's receipt, as I am sure that you would desire one. Please note the balance of our transaction is written at the bottom, in case you forget the amount."
Dom looked extremely angry as he said this, but it was nothing to the fury that Elijah felt.
He stood up and took the piece of paper, putting it in the inner pocket of his coat. "Your Lordship may be assured that my memory is generally accounted to be very fine. I shall not forget, I promise you. Now if you will excuse me, I will leave. Her Grace expects me in time for dinner."
Elijah bowed and was just about to leave, when Dom's voice stopped him.
"I am sorry to detain your Grace further, but I feel I should inform you that next month I will be at one of my other estates, some thirty miles distant from here. There is some business there that must be overseen at that time. I am sorry to cause further inconvenience to your Grace," said Dom, sounding anything but sorry," but the place is not to be reached by coach. One can only do so on horseback, as the tracks are too narrow to admit a carriage."
Elijah bowed, hiding his feelings very well from the other man. "There is no inconvenience to me, m'lord. The obligation, as you have already informed me, is all on my part. If you will but furnish me with your direction, I will engage to be there."
Dom allowed a lazy smile to rest on his expressive mouth. "Your Grace is very enterprising."
He went back to the desk and wrote the directions. "It is not a large house - a small hunting box merely - and there are not any other dwellings around it where you may ask the way, but I trust that this will bring you to it. Good day, your Grace. I hope you have a pleasant drive back."
Elijah bowed and said something - he knew not what - and strode out of the front door in something that would have, in a lesser personage than a duke, be termed a fit of pique.
Insufferable man!
*****
Dinner that night could not be said to be a success. His Grace seemed pre-occupied, the Dowager, his mother tiresomely complaining. As there were several of her Grace's friends present, Elijah reverted to his company manners, but as soon as tea had been drunk, and the guests had departed, he summoned up a headache that was not wholly a lie, and retired to his room. He spent a full hour after climbing into bed going over in his mind the sins and iniquities of the Insufferable Lord Monaghan.
It was obvious to Elijah that Dominic Monaghan was trying to provoke him into unseemly behaviour. But Dominic Monaghan did not know Elijah Wood, that was for sure. The Insufferable Man had been right, damn him! The obligation was all on Elijah's side, and Elijah was resolved that if Monaghan said he was going to be, the month after next, halfway up the face of the Matterhorn, Elijah's pride would not allow him to refrain from being there at the appointed time.
What was fifty miles compared with his family's good name? The debt had been paid, and it would not have been if it had not been for Monaghan. Elijah was very sensible of it, and of the debt of gratitude he owed his Lordship. However Insufferable the man's demands might be - his wishes must be accommodated.
The next day Harry found time to visit, and together they went riding in the countryside, well away from Lord Monaghan's estate.
*****
The month passed more swiftly than Elijah had anticipated. A couple more of his friends came to town, and between them the four men made up a very sociable little gathering.
The brothers Faversham told the Duke without any shame that they were as near to swallowing a spider as may be, and had come to hide in Bath until next quarter day which would tow them out of the River Tick. "For you cannot deny, Duke, that London is a damned expensive place to live."
The Duke pointed out, in a spirit of helpfulness, that they each had a very good estate in Berkshire where they could easily retire until their finances were in better trim.
Ferdinand, the younger brother, shook his head. "No use at all, Duke - they would all know that we were there, y' know - the creditors. First place they'd look for us, eh, Gil?"
Gilbert nodded his head miserably. "Expect they've been there already, Ferdy. Better off here. No fellow in his right mind would come to Bath at this season... er... unless of course, accompanying a parent ...or...or something."
Elijah laughed. His heart felt lighter for being with his friends, and the spectre of the Insufferable Lord Monaghan retreated from him in the daylight hours. But it returned, very often, to plague the Duke's dreams.
*****
Although Elijah was slightly daunted by the prospect of having to travel fifty miles to his meeting that day, at least it was not raining. Armed with Lord Monaghan's directions securely resting inside his pocket he set off after an early lunch, assured by an ostler at an inn where he had stopped for refreshment at the halfway mark, that he was headed in the direction of the town nearest the Irishman's abode.
Lord Monaghan had been right - the roads had narrowed considerably after he had left the town, and could now only be called country lanes. There might have been room for a small wagon to pass, but certainly not a carriage or even a curricle, the lanes being deeply pitted and there were many stones that had to be navigated.
It was at this point that things started to go wrong for the Duke. It began to rain heavily so Elijah could not consult the map which was in his pocket, as the ink would soon be washed off. The rain started to seep through his riding cloak and through his coat, causing him to become chilled.
He plodded along, the horse, unused to country lanes, stumbling and tripping on the stones. Then the worst happened. The horse's leg went into a hole, and Elijah heard the snap of the bone as the creature fell.
The horse just lay there, unable to get up, and Elijah looked at it and wished he had not forgotten the pistol that was even now resting on a hall table at his house.
He retired to some trees by the side of the road which afforded a little shelter, and decided to wait until the rain eased off.
Suddenly he heard a horse approaching, and got up, hoping that there was someone who would know of shelter nearby, and who had a gun so that he could....
He recognised the figure riding towards him. It was the Insufferable Lord Monaghan.
His Lordship reined in, and dismounted quickly. He looked at the horse, and then at its owner.
"As soon as the rain started I thought I had better come and find you, your Grace. I'm sorry about the horse. When we get to the house I will send somebody here with a gun - there is nothing we can do now."
Elijah knew this was true. "I 'm obliged that you thought of me. How far is it to the house?"
Dom nodded east. "About fifteen miles in that direction. But the lanes to it are even narrower than this one - it is only accessible by road from the opposite direction. I am sorry."
Elijah seethed inwardly. He knew now that Lord Monaghan had deliberately sent him this way in order to cause him as much inconvenience as possible. That inconvenience had cost him his horse. He could barely look at the man.
"If your Grace would condescend to get up behind me, it were better that we got moving."
Elijah, without a word, mounted the horse.
Although it was a large horse, bred for the country, it could not be said that it was happy with the weight of two men on its back, so progress was slow.
The rain was driving into their faces, and Elijah thought it was a good thing that Monaghan knew where he was going, when suddenly a voice punctured the gloom.
Across the lane there was a dark figure on a horse with a large pistol pointed at them.
"Stand and deliver, if you values your lives!" a hoarse voice snarled. "Get off that horse and empty your pockets before I shoots you dead!"
Elijah obliged, and Dom, holding the horse still, followed swiftly. Both stood in the lane, rain dripping into their eyes.
"And what is it you expect two men to be carrying in the way of wealth in a country lane?" Lord Monaghan's voice sounded faintly amused.
A pair of green eyes stared at them over the black scarf wound around the man's face.
" I can see you are two gentry-coves, though why you is riding one horse beats me hollow. Still I expect you have a watch or a few fobs about you, and a few guineas, too, I'll wager. So hand them over, or I'll loosen this pop at you."
He waved the serviceable pistol at them. "Come on! I hasn't got all day. Hand over the stuff - quickly now, and I'll leave you both right and tight to walk home and no harm done."
Elijah drew a deep breath. He did not wish to lose his money to this highway robber. It was almost half of his month's allowance, and he was damned if he was going to surrender it without a fight.
He quickly took off the ring he had on his right hand, and two fobs and a watch, and together with the coins he had in his breeches pocket, handed them over.
"And the pin out of your cravat, fellow, and your money. Is it a real sparkler? It looks like one. Maybe worth a few bob, if it ain't paste."
Dom had also handed over what he had on his person, but the speculative look he had given Elijah caught the robber’s eye. The man glared at Elijah.
"You is hiding something from me, cove, and I wants it. Hand it over, or I shoots your friend there! Don't play games with me!"
The pistol was cocked with an audible click. "Hand it over, I say, or it'll be the worse for him."
The robber then made his mistake. He dismounted, and came towards Elijah, determined to search him for hidden loot.
Elijah, desperate to keep his money hidden, gave no thought at all to Dom, and tried to grapple the gun from the masked man's grasp as soon as he came near, and it went off with a deadly and terrifying bang.
Dom fell to the ground without a sound. Elijah stood, shocked out of all reason, for it was he who had caused this disaster by attempting to resist. He was petrified for a moment, but the thought brushed across his mind that if Dom died here, on the road, he, Elijah, would be freed of his obligation towards him.
But Elijah was an honourable man - he shook this unworthy thought out of his mind, and ran over to Dom, who was lying in a puddle in the mud, his life's blood staining the white shirt underneath his riding coat.
Without any hesitation Elijah ripped off his cravat and Dom's and folding it quickly pressed it against the wound.
"Hand me your scarf, man!" Elijah shouted into the rain. "Do you want to add murder to your list of crimes? We have to staunch the bleeding. Don't stand there like a booby - help me get him under these trees so I can see what's come to him. Move!"
The man moved, and quickly tore off his scarf, and handed it to Elijah.
"Are you wearing a cravat?" Elijah said, not looking at the man. Moments later a rather grubby looking piece of linen was handed to him by a shaking hand.
"Will he live?" A scared voice said from above him.
Elijah took note of the fear in the man's voice, and said, in a quieter tone, "I don't know - I know nothing of wounds such as this. But he won't survive unless we can get him to some shelter quickly, and have this wound tended."
The man took in a shuddering breath. "There's somewhere nearby we can take him. It's off the road. But how we're to get him there beats me," he said worriedly.
Elijah, correctly interpreting this remark to mean the man would help, tied the last knot in the scarf that was pressed closely into Dom's bleeding shoulder and stood.
"If we can get him on to the horse, and you can hold him whilst I mount, we should do."
This being accomplished, the man mounted and led the way back down the path. Soon they came to the injured horse. Elijah stopped. "I would be very grateful if you would put this poor creature out of its misery," he said quietly.
The man dismounted without a word, and though Elijah winced when he heard the shot, he was thinking of the man he was holding close to his chest and wondering if they would get to shelter before he died, and the unworthy, and unchristian thoughts that he had had earlier, concerning him. The man did not deserve this - he had done nothing wrong.
They had turned off the road, into a thickly wooded area, and after riding for about fifteen or twenty minutes Elijah saw a house hidden in the trees. It was not a small house, but no one would have seen it from the road.
As soon as they rode up, a older man came out and stood on the wooden porch, surveying the sodden group with a jaundiced eye.
"What now, Bill?" he said wearily, but when he saw the injured Dom he called for help from someone called Jack within the house, and these two men carried the unconscious Dom upstairs into a large bedroom, Elijah and the robber following.
As the men put Dom on the bed Elijah threw off his wet cloak and coat and hurried to Dom's side.
"Do you know anything of gunshot wounds?" he said to the man whom, he thought, must be the landlord of the tavern they had just entered. He had noticed out of the corner of his eye dozens of barrels lining the passages to the room and there was an overpowering smell of brandy.
The man shook his head. "No,sir. I can't help you with that, I'm afraid. But I'll get water and cloths brought to you. Is the ball still in him?"
Elijah nodded, busily pulling off Dom's boots. The highwayman, Bill, undid the man's riding breeches, which were sodden and covered in mud, as were his underdrawers, and pulled them off the still figure.
Elijah stared in desperation at the man lying in the bed. He needed immediate attention, but Elijah thought he had been moved too much already. "Do you have a scissors? We must cut the jacket from him."
The man said he had one, and sent Jack to fetch it. The highwayman muttered something about ruining as good a toge as he had ever seen. Elijah rounded on him in a fury, his own fear exacerbating his temper.
"Would you rather see him die to save his clothing? If so, you can take them off him and let the movement drive the bullet deeper. But you should know, better than anyone, that the coat is ruined already. It has a bullet hole the size of a crown piece in it."
The man had the grace to look abashed, and mumbled an apology.
When Jack returned with the scissors, Elijah, assisted by the robber, Bill, cut the clothing from Dom's body. Soon, he was lying naked on the bed, and Elijah could see the wound was still bleeding. He covered all he could with blankets as Dom was cold as ice.
"We have to get the ball out before he bleeds to death. He has lost an inordinate amount of blood already, judging by the state of these clothes, and there is no point trying to bandage the wound with the ball still inside him. I may not know what I'm doing, but I do know that. It must be got out."
The landlord looked askance at Elijah. "Well, it's you that has to do it, sir - there isn't a doctor I knows of for forty mile or more. I'm sure I haven't got an idea of how to go on."
Elijah squared his shoulders, and regarded the man gravely.
"Bring some brandy, and a very sharp knife, if you please," he said.
GLOSSARY
Swallow a spider - bankrupt. In deep debt.
River Tick - the Fleet, a debtor's prison. Debt
Gentry-coves - slang for gentlemen. Ladies were Gentry-morts.
Sparkler - you should all know this one. Diamond
Booby - an idiot. A real booby is a particularly stupid bird - of the feathered variety.
A May Game - to make a fool of
Toge - slang for coat or suit of clothers. derived from the toga.
A few bob - a few shillings. Five pence in present currency.
A crown piece - large coin worth five shillings (25 pence today) but a week's wages for some in those days - if they were lucky. Otherwise known as a coachwheel because of its large size, measured about 2 inches across.
