Grayson and Lucy were in each other's arms, when Grayson heard his mother's voice. She was yelling at someone, he didn't want to let Lucy go. He had to, so he grabbed her hand and pulled her with him to go see what was going on. He had never heard his mother talking like that to anyone before. He knew that he had gotten that voice on more than one occasion as a boy. Heaven help the man who has put his mother in a mood.
As they approached the entrance to the main house where his mother stood arguing with a man. He immediately felt his own anger simmer below the rim. No man talked to his mother that way, not even the king of England himself. He held Lucy close to his side, he wanted to find out exactly what this man wanted. " Sir, I think you need to calm yourself down! That is my mother you are talking so tempered to, I demand that you contain your temper!" The man turned his hot temper towards him.
The man noticed the girl at his side, he saw that Grayson had his arms around her. All that did was succeed in making his temper grow hotter! " How dare you! First you lead my daughter on and then you toss her aside for this wench!" He was turning red, he looked like a tomato in the mirror. " Then you send my daughter home mangled to the point of damaging her beauty! You sir are a coward!"
Grayson felt his temper boil over," You sir do not know what you are talking about! Let's take this outside, this shouldn't be discussed in front of the ladies! Only a gentleman would know this, and to think you were arguing with someone above your station! That sir is treasonous actions, if my father were well he would have you flogged!" Grayson nodded to the butler to have the man removed outdoors.
He didn't want to leave Lucy, but this had to be dealt with. He signaled to Dalton and one of the other gentlemen. He wasn't about to step into the lion's den without back up. He kissed Lucy on the forehead," I don't want to leave your side, but I have to take care of this. I hope you will wait for me?" He looked into her green eyes and saw the worry there. " Hey, don't worry things will be fine. You will see, I won't be gone to long." He kissed her lips and let her go, he now had to clean up the mess he created.
Lucy watched as Grayson walked out the door to face Sarah's father. It seemed that Sarah had gone home and told some stories. She was worried for Grayson, she knew that this could go the wrong direction. Hopefully Grayson knows what he is doing, she just got him to herself, she wanted to keep it that way. Lucy walked over to her grandmother, " I am worried about this whole mess grandmother."
Joyce nodded," I am to child, let's just hope and pray for the best outcome." Joyce knew that this could have come at the worst time. " Let's just give them the room that Grayson will need to straighten this whole matter out." She had high hopes of this ending quickly and in the two can go back to whatever they were doing. She liked to see her granddaughter happy, and Lucy was that for once. Till this happened, now they were all worried that this may turn out wrong in the end.
Marybeth was still hot from her encounter with Sarah's father," the nerve of that man! Coming here and accusing my son of that! He never really liked Sarah, especially after he met you dear. He was having mixed feelings at first, but that is why he brought everyone out here." She smiled at Lucy," my son loves you, has since he laid eyes on you. He was just to afraid to admit it to himself, that is the one of the reasons Sarah was still in the picture." She knew that this was something her son was going to have to deal with on his own.
Lucy nodded," I have been told that he can make some unwise decisions, but don't most men?" She frowned at the thought of her grandfather's advise. She missed him dearly, she remembered his exact words before he died. " Lucy my sweet child, I won't be here to help you through your seasons. Just remember this one thing some gentlemen just make unwise decisions. They won't admit their true feelings to themselves and others. Don't you worry if it's meant to be, you will win in the end." She remembered more on the conversations they had. That just was the one point that she remembered at this time.
They were all in the drawing room, pacing back and forth. Lucy was walking around the room in circles. She was nervous about what was going on outside, she didn't expect this to happen. She guessed Sarah wasn't wanting to let Grayson go without a fight. It wasn't because she loved him, it was because she wanted the title of Duchess. Lucy couldn't careless about the title of Duchess, she loved Grayson. She just wanted Grayson, not just the title.
After what seemed like hours, the gentlemen came in the front entrance. All the ladies stood or sat down as they waited for them to enter the drawing room. Lucy stopped as she watched them walk down the hall to the study. They must be discussing what to do? Or they needed a stiff drink and cigars. For their celebratory defeat of Sarah's attempt at getting Grayson?
Marybeth didn't seem to be to happy at them just going straight to the study. She wanted answers as to what happened to that pompous fool. She paced the floor at such a vigorous pace, she stopped when she heard the booming laughter. She didn't look to happy, " so they have time for laughter do they? Well I am going to find out what has happened to that pompous fool." She stormed off in the direction of the study and the laughter.
Ashley gave that knowing look of " yep, Grayson is about to get into trouble." Kind of look on his face. Lucy didn't know what to do, so she just started to laugh. Everyone in the room stared at her, then Ashley started to laugh. Next thing that happened, everyone in the room was laughing. They were all laughing until Sarah came into the room. That was the day laughter died in that house.
Sarah had a smug look on her face as she turned to glare at Lucy. " So you thought that you had won Grayson did you? Well that my pet was the wrong thing to think, Grayson is mine and will always be mine. You see now that I am with child, he has to marry me." Sarah cackled as she saw Lucy's face drain from all color. " So I think it's best that you leave my house immediately!" Sarah cocked an eyebrow and dared anyone to challenge her.
Lucy looked at her grandmother, then she looked to the doorway and saw the Duchess with a sad look on her face. She felt the tears form in her eyes, she ran from the room. She didn't look back to see if anyone followed her. After all that had transpired between Grayson and her. This was how it was to end? She wanted to leave this place immediately and never lay eyes on it again. She pushed the door to her room open, and found Daisy laying out her dress for the evening.
Daisy took one look at Lucy," Miss Lucy are you feeling alright?" She saw how pale she was, and thought she had caught a sickness or something worse. She rushed over to her, and felt her forehead to see if she had a fever.
Lucy pushed her hands away from her," I am heart broken and we have to pack immediately. We are leaving this place for good, she has won." She went about the room gathering her most precious possessions. Daisy had pulled out the trunks to be packed, Lucy started to toss what she could grab into the trunks.
Ashley had come in the room, " I am so sorry Lucy, I don't know what to say." She watched as Lucy tried so hard to keep herself from crying. She was failing miserably, Ashley walked over to her and grabbed her friend into a hug. She felt Lucy fight her at first, but then she felt the sobs rack through her small frame. Ashley couldn't help but cry with her, she was so happy when she thought this was going to work out for the two. She was definitely wrong on that note, she never thought that Sarah would do something so devious.
Daisy had finished the packing and went to help with Lady Joyce's packing. Ashley knew that Lucy was so heart broken that she may never recover from this. Why would her brother believe something like what Sarah was telling everyone? Unless he compromised Sarah and it was true. This was a mess of her brother's making, only he could clean this up. She was still going to be mad at him for the rest of her life. He didn't know but Sarah had kicked most of their guests out. She was trying to kick them out of their own home.
Sarah was trying to kick the Duchess and Duke out of their own home and sending Ashley to a convent. Ashley was also packing, she was to go and stay with Lucy. Her mother was going to help her brother clean up his mess. They just hoped that this pregnancy was not true, that it wasn't Grayson's child. The doctor was to arrive in a couple of days, so they had to bide their time till then. The damage has been done, Lucy may never talk to Grayson ever again.
Lucy watched as the footmen came in and carried her trunks out to be loaded. The sun had already gone down and now they would be traveling at night. She wished that Grayson would have told her, not Sarah. She wished that he would turn Sarah out on her head. No she was being turned out into the night. She would never marry, she would live to be a spinster. Grayson was her reason for living, and now that was not to be so.
As she walked downstairs she saw a smug Sarah and a sad Duchess. Grayson wouldn't even look at her, that was best for the both of them. She stopped before Marybeth," I want to thank you for your hospitality. I hope one day I can return the favor, I do hope that things will work out for the happy couple." She stared at Grayson when she said the last few words. She curtsied and walked out the front door, she didn't look back. She felt Grayson's eyes boring into her back, she wanted to run into his arms. She wanted to feel his lips on hers again, she wanted to feel his arms holding her tight against him.
What she didn't expect was when she was about to climb into the carriage, he was there behind her. She turned around to look up at him, he had tears in his eyes. " I am so sorry Lucy, you have to believe me when I say this. I love you and only you, she is lying about this whole thing. I will come for you when this mess is done with. I won't take no for an answer, you will be my wife. I will fight you if I have to. This I promise you, here read this." He handed her a sealed letter, she wanted to believe him. Something told her that he was telling the truth, he would come after her when this was all said and done.
He then pulled her in his arms and kissed her goodbye, " I will be coming for you. That you can count on I haven't come this far to loose you now. The letter will explain everything, my love. I hope you know that it will be so hard not having you here with me. I shall count the days till we are together again." He kissed her once more before handing her up into the carriage.
Lucy was stunned, she wasn't expecting this. Grayson did love her! She would wait for him, she knew that it could take a long time for him to come to her. She would wait none the less for the man of her heart. She sat next to Ashley, who squeezed her hand in reassurance. She was going home to her beloved estate. She would wait for her knight and shining armor to come and save her. She knew that Grayson would be coming for her, just how long would she have to wait?