Page 58 of A Lady's Heart Deceived
As soon as they arrived at Denford Park late the following day, Piers swept Maggie up into his arms and carried her upstairs to his sister Annabel’s old bedroom. Her protests at being treated like a feeble patient had gone unheard. He was determined that she was going to endure all the fussing he could muster.
He wanted her restored to full health. To see the light dance once more in her eyes. Seeing her so ill had his nerves on edge.
His surprised mother followed him up the stairs, handing out orders left and right to any member of the household staff who happened to be within earshot. Servants went scurrying to-and-fro, making hurried arrangements for the unexpected guests.
Meals were to be prepared. More blankets to be found. And someone had better hurry to the village and fetch the doctor.
That last order had Piers pausing at the top of the first set of risers. He glanced back over his shoulder at his mother. “Hold off on the doctor for the moment, please. Maggie has a bad cold. Nothing else. She needs rest and chicken soup.”
If her fever grew worse, then he would send for a physician.
After leaving his mother and some housemaids to help Maggie change into her nightclothes and get settled into bed, Piers went in search of his father.
Lord Denford was in his usual place—his study. “Piers. Thank heavens. It’s been an eternity since you were home.”
It had only been a matter of three months, but it did feel like forever.
A short while later, Piers and his father were seated comfortably in front of the fireplace. A glass of French brandy sat in Piers’s hand. His teetotaler of a sire was nursing a cup of strong black tea.
“So, Lady Dinah Gibney has found someone else? I am not surprised; she is a good catch. Pity the two of you couldn’t find a way to make it up the aisle, but it is what it is,” observed Lord Denford.
Piers sipped at his drink and considered his response. “I know you are disappointed that she and I agreed to break off our betrothal, but it was for the best. There was no point in us marrying and then spending the rest of our days regretting it.”
“And what about Miss Margaret Radley? You are not seriously expecting your mother and I to believe that she is here purely due to your altruistic nature? You are a kind- hearted man, Piers, but even that doesn’t go all the way to fully explaining what you are doing. Please tell me this is not something you have done on impulse.”
Piers shook his head. “No, it is not. In fact, I have given it a great deal of consideration. I am serious with my intentions toward Maggie. The main reason why I brought her here was so that she could have a place to get her own thoughts settled.”
He didn’t want to discuss the subject of Lady Dinah any further. It was old ground which, as far as Piers was concerned, had been thoroughly raked over.
“And what about this unfinished business with the army? What are you going to do about that?” pressed his father.
The last time he and Lord Denford had discussed the issue, Piers hadn’t had a solid plan. He had been patiently waiting for the letters of support from the Dutch royal family—letters he now accepted he may never see.
“What I am going to do is to stop waiting for the wheels of justice to turn. I’ve already started preparing a list of people who I will visit once I get back to London. The time for writing polite letters is over.”
If he had to shame the hierarchy of the British Army into giving him a fair hearing, or even better, dropping the matter entirely, then that was what he would do.
“I’m going to demand that all reports from the battle of Waterloo be made available to me. There must be other documents which support my version of the events of the day. And if they won’t hand them over, I am going to petition parliament.”
“Thank heavens,” Lord Denford whispered.
The Piers Denford who had departed the offices of the Horse Guards was not the same Piers who would be walking back through the front door.
Let his enemies show themselves. He would rather face them in the open than continue fighting in the shadows.
His plan was not, however, without risk. If he stirred the hornets’ nest, the army may well decide to come after him. But the prospect of facing a court-martial no longer held the same potency it once had.
“I spoke to Jonathan when we were in Coventry. He offered to stage a protest outside the Houses of Parliament. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”
His father set his cup on a side table. “What does Miss Radley know of all this? How much of it have you told her?”
“She knows I have some issues to deal with before I am able to leave the army. I haven’t told her the rest,” replied Piers.
“You have to, Piers. If you are remotely serious about making her your future viscountess, she has to know it all.”
“The report said I was incompetent. Dereliction of duty is a serious crime. I am not sure how she would take to hearing that news. As for the rest of the ugly rumors, I haven’t the foggiest notion as to how I could possibly discuss them with Maggie,” he replied.
Lord Denford fixed him with a hard stare. Piers couldn’t hold his father’s gaze for more than a moment. He stared at his brandy.
