The Langley Sisters Trilogy Boxed Set (13 page)

“Goodbye, Olivia, and I will state once more that if you ever need anything, I hope you will come to me,” he said after helping her from the carriage.

Livvy opened her mouth to refuse, but before she could utter a word he had the door shut. Taking a step back, she watched as the carriage rolled away.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Phoebe,” Livvy said as she followed her sisters through the front door.
 

“Yes?”
 

“I… I think we must ride out tonight.” Livvy felt her stomach sink at the thought of robbing another carriage. “My shoulder is healed and we must do it before the snow sets in.” Pulling off her gloves, she began to rub her tingling palm. She could still feel the heat from Will’s mouth.

“If you’re sure that your shoulder is up to it.”

“My shoulder is fine.”
 

Phoebe snorted but said nothing further.
 

“Settle yourself in the parlor and I shall bring something to warm you,” Jenny called from down the hall.

“The guilt is the hardest part, don’t you think, Phoebe? Knowing we are taking from others and causing them distress?”

“I know, I feel the same. But it must be done, and perhaps after tonight we may have enough for Bella’s treatment.”
 

“I cannot think beyond what we must do now or the panic engulfs me,” Livvy whispered. “What of next year or the year after? Will we have to do this again…?”

“Enough,” Phoebe said, taking Livvy’s hand. “You’re the strong one, remember? I’m the one who gets scared.”
 

Squeezing the hand, Livvy nodded. “Yes, you’re right, and there is no going back now as we have already broken the law once.

They followed Isabella through the cold house and climbed the staircase where they entered the second door on the right into the small parlor that was for their use alone. They had furnished the room with things that were both comfortable and comforting. The four chairs were old but well-loved and the table before the fire had scratches and chips but the sisters knew who had made each mark.
             

“Pull the curtains, Phoebe, and the room will soon be warm.”

Livvy willed herself to relax. Being trapped in the carriage with Will had made her feel fluttery inside.
 

“I wish I could go to the Assembly with you and Phoebe tomorrow night, Livvy.” Bella perched on the arm of the chair Phoebe had fallen into. “I want to wear one of your creations, Phoebe.”

“You do every time we leave the house and when you go to visit Thea,” Phoebe reminded her sister.

Bella made a small noise, indicating this was not what she meant, which her elder sisters ignored.
 

“Just because I cannot dance does not mean I do not want to go and watch and have scintillating conversations with people.”

Livvy laughed. “I’ve had more scintillating conversations with Boris than I get at an Assembly. And the answer is no,” she added, unmoved by the look on her younger sisters face.

“I second that, Bella, so don’t think I’ll support you,” Phoebe added.

Livvy held her hands out to the fire hoping that the heat would remove the sensation of Will’s lips.
 

“Here’s the tea,” Jenny said, bustling into the room.
       

Jenny Bell was more than a housekeeper. She was a friend and a sympathetic ear when any of the Langley sisters needed one. Livvy watched as she placed the tea tray on the small table before the fire.

“Sit, Jenny,” Livvy instructed and the housekeeper folded herself into one of the worn chairs. Bright-eyed with boundless energy, Jenny had been with the Langleys for as long as Livvy could remember, but it was after the deaths of Lord and Lady Langley that their relationship had progressed into friendship.

The room was quiet for several minutes as they tucked into thick slices of bread and jam and tea.
 

“I think one of you should marry Lord Ryder and then we would no longer have any worries.”

Livvy, who had just taken a mouthful of tea, proceeded to spit it all over the skirts of her dress. “Bella!” she spluttered.
 

“Surely the idea is not that repugnant,” Jenny said, getting out of her chair to mop it up with her apron. “He’s a handsome man, after all, and once you cared for him a great deal.”

“I… I…” Livvy couldn’t find the words to refute that claim as she swatted at her damp skirts.
 

“I suppose I could marry him as he would be as accommodating as the next man and far more handsome,” Phoebe mused as she chewed delicately on a corner of toast. “Although I feel no attraction for him, nor he for me.”

Breathe, Livvy.
Her lungs had seized at the thought of Phoebe and Will together, which was foolish because she had no claim upon him nor did she wish to… not at all.
 

Bella flopped onto the rug beside her. Livvy knew that innocent look. It usually meant she was going to say something that would be better left unsaid.

“It will have to be Livvy then.”

Absolutely not!

Taking an even bigger gulp of tea, Livvy winced as it burned its way down her throat. Fighting the need to cough again, she made several loud, throat-clearing noises instead.

“I rather think Lord Ryder will take exception to you picking his bride for him, Bella. Furthermore, like Phoebe has already stated, if there is no attraction it would make for an unhappy match.” Livvy felt quite proud of the fact that she managed to keep her voice even and her words calm.
 

“Actually, Livvy, what I said was that he and I weren’t attracted to each other. You, however, are another matter entirely.”

Livvy’s foolish heart raced at Phoebe’s words, which was ridiculous. Will was not attracted to her; he was a flirt and a cad and she would never again fall for such a man.

“Lord Ryder is not attracted to me, Phoebe. He is a man used to female adoration and is constantly seeking it from the nearest available source.”

There was silence in the small room after these words. Bella was slurping her tea and Livvy was too tense to reprimand her. Jenny and Phoebe were looking at Livvy.

“What?”

“You’re blushing,” Phoebe said.

“I am not!”

“No, you are, Livvy,” Bella said, pressing one hand to her sister’s hot cheek.
 

“I will change our diet to gruel if you don’t stop tormenting me,” Livvy said, pushing the hand aside and fighting the urge to cover her face.

“Jenny doesn’t know how to make gruel.” Bella looked smug.

“I’m sure she can manage boiled cabbage,” Livvy said darkly.
 

“Well, if Lord Ryder comes around here courting, I hope that Mr. Blake keeps his distance,” Jenny said, sensing that a change of subject was required.
 

“Mr. Blake is a lovely man, Jenny!” Phoebe declared, dragging her eyes from Livvy’s flushed face.
 

The housekeeper had regained her feet and was bustling about, gathering up the tea tray which the Langley sisters had not yet finished with.
 

“Far too forward, he was, and far too charming. Told me my eyes sparkled like a new penny and my smile would light up the darkest of days.”

“Surely those are lovely compliments, Jenny, and nothing for you to scowl over,” Bella said, noting the housekeeper’s fierce expression.

“I don’t have time for such foolishness, and a man of his age should know better than to behave in such a manner.” With these words Jenny left the room, much to surprise of the three women she had left behind.

“I hadn’t finished my toast,” Phoebe said, frowning at the now closed door

“Nor I my tea,” Bella added.

“I am sure neither of you will expire from lack of nourishment,” Livvy said, making for the door as well. “We shall leave after our evening meal, Phoebe. Please be ready.”

Bella and Livvy looked at each other and then at the door.

“Me thinks they protest too much, Phoebe,” Bella giggled.

“Do you know, little sister, I believe you could be right.”

***

Livvy lifted the collar of her father’s old black overcoat so the blast of cold air did not traverse her spine.

“It’s freezing!” Phoebe hissed, rubbing her gloved hands together. “Hopefully, Jenny will have some tea ready for us when we get home.”

They had been waiting silently for a carriage to appear on the road for at least an hour now, and the temperature had dropped, making it much colder than the night they had robbed Will.      

Tea!” Livvy rasped. “I’m a bloody highwayman, woman! Give me gut-rotting gin distilled in some bawdy house in a seedy part of London.”

Phoebe look startled as her sister spoke.
 

“What?” Livvy questioned.
 

“Firstly, how do you know about gut-rotting gin and bawdy houses? And secondly, I forget sometimes you have a wicked sense of humor. It has been lost of late under the weight of responsibility you shoulder, and I’m sorry for it.”

“I’ve overheard men talking about seedy things like gin and bawdy houses,” Livvy said, her words muffled behind the scarf.
 

“And you never told me? Shame on you, sister.”

Livvy snuffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve in a very unladylike gesture. “I’m also sorry that I seem to have lost my sense of humor, Phoebe, and promise to show more levity in the future.”

“See that you do.” Phoebe gathered up her horse’s reins as the sound of carriage wheels carried to them on the stiff breeze.

“Let’s do what we came here for,” Livvy said, taking a deep, bracing breath as she tried to settle her nerves.

“Pistol at the ready.”

Livvy did as Phoebe ordered and then, touching her heels to Boris’s flanks, she urged him out from under the cover of the trees at a gallop. Pulling alongside the slow-moving carriage, Livvy pointed her pistol at the driver.

“Halt at once!”

He hauled on the reins and the carriage shuddered to a stop.

Phoebe then trained her pistol on the driver while Livvy pointed hers at the carriage door.

“Those inside the carriage, step outside at once!” she said, using the coarse voice she had perfected after weeks of training with Phoebe.

Livvy heard a squeal of terror and felt the heavy weight of guilt that she was causing someone torment. Then a deep voice issued a terse command and seconds later the door opened and a man and a woman stepped down.

“I will have you shot for this. How dare you rob me?”

As if she had thrown off her cloak, Livvy felt the burden of guilt lift as she looked at the couple before her. She may not like doing this, but she would make an exception for these two people.

“I am Major Bruntly and am a man of great influence and power in this area!”

“I don’t care if you’re the King of bleedin’ England, hand over all your money, which there should be plenty of if you’re as important as you say,” Livvy drawled. Beside her, Phoebe snorted in amusement.
 

“I will not!”

Pompous twit, Livvy thought. She had always loathed the man as had her mother and father.
 

“I’ll give you a five-count, Podgy, and if you ain’t done as I asked, I’ll blow a hole in your carriage,” Livvy said.      

“Podgy!”

Livvy coughed to dislodge the bubble of laughter as Major Bruntly raged at her. She was a very bad person for getting so much enjoyment out of this, even if the Major was the most disliked man in the village of Twoaks. If only it was daylight and she could see his furious features clearly.

“A rotund middle suggests too much fine living.”

“Rotund!”

Livvy winced as he roared. Major Bruntly prided himself on his appearance and took great pains to keep himself in excellent shape. Mrs. Cally, who was once a servant for the Major, said he wore a corset to ensure his trim physique.
 

“How dare you speak to my husband that way!”

Lady Bruntly was not Livvy’s favorite person, either. Like her husband, she believed herself superior to everyone else and was often the deliverer of a caustic, spiteful comment. She had once told Bella that she was the lame ugly duckling of the Langley family and no one upset the littlest Langley and got away with it.

“Don’t speak or I’ll take your jewels as well!”
 

Livvy heard the snap of Lady Bruntly’s teeth as she shut her mouth quickly.
 

“I’ll have you swinging from a rope by the end of the week!”
 

“As amusing as this conversation is, Podgy, hand over your money now or I’ll shoot you,” Livvy stated calmly.
 

“We are the two most important people in this area!” The Major roared.

“I know a bit about this area meself,” Livvy said. “Making it my business to fleece only the wealthy, you understand. And, unless you’re a Duke or an Earl, I don’t reckon you’re all that important.”