Page 41 of A Marriage of Necessity

She nodded vigorously. “She had a lad with her. She tripped me and I hit the wall.” The woman turned her head to the side and showed him the bruise forming on her forehead.

Kennedy could hardly credit it. He looked at John. “What the bloody hell was my wife doing here?”

John shook his head. “I can’t imagine.”

Kennedy looked at the man. “Who are you?”

“Angus Dunning. I bring food to Rebecca while she is tending to the young lady.”

“What you mean ‘tending to the young lady’?”

“Her father didn’t want to put her into an insane asylum,” Rebecca said. “So, he paid me to care for her here. He said it was better than the insane asylum,” she quickly added. “He is very kind.”

“Kind?” Kennedy snarled. “We shall see if that defense holds up in court.” He looked at John. “I must return home. Will you keep them here until I return?”

“Here, now,” Angus said. “There’s no call to treat us like criminals. We were paid to take care of the young lady for her father. Rebecca and I can leave anytime we like.”

John flashed white teeth. “You are free to try, lad.”

Kennedy glimpsed the man’s wide eyes an instant before he whirled and strode from the room.

Kennedy reached home half an hour later and leapt off his horse almost before the beast stopped. He bounded up the steps and banged the knocker until the door was yanked open.

“Whoever you are—” Bingham broke off. “I beg your pardon, my lord. I didn’t realize—”

Kennedy pushed past him. “Where is my wife?”

“In the Burgundy guest chamber, sir, with Lady Rose.”

“My sister is here?” he said in a harsh whisper.

Bingham nodded. “Aye,” he replied, but Kennedy was already racing up the stairs.

He burst into the Burgundy guest chambers to find Anne standing with her mother and sister while the doctor sat on the bed, blocking view of his patient.

Kennedy took a step forward. “Rose?”

The doctor stood, and Rose cried, “Kennedy!”

Kennedy drew a sharp breath. His sister sat propped up in bed, her left cheek, yellowed with a bruise. He strode across the room to the bed, fell to his knees and pulled her to him. She threw her arms around his neck and he buried his face in her neck and wept.

* * *

Anne felt Kennedy’s eyes on her for the dozenth time as she and Matthew related their tale, but she kept her gaze on her hands clasped in her lap. Louisa sat between her and her mother on the divan in the drawing room, for Louisa refused to be sent to bed. Kennedy sat in the chair to the left, as Matthew continued his story.

“Her ladyship refused to leave with Lady Rose and I,” Matthew said, and Anne winced.

“What did she do?” her husband asked.

“She stayed to fight the evil woman while Lady Rose and I escaped.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Kennedy stare at her again.

“Was that when you tripped her?” Kennedy asked.

Anne looked sharply at him. “How do you know that?”

“I had a talk with Rebecca.”