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Chapter 35 – When the bell tolls


AN* Lots of updates for reviews – I promised therefore I have to deliver





A sombre air hung over the drawing room when Buffy and William returned. William had managed to catch up with Buffy and warned her that as they had left together they should return together. For a few seconds she had hesitated, then common sense had prevailed. Taking his arm outside the door they had entered together.

In the time they had been absent, Craven had wasted no time in instructing his son and Clem on exactly what was expected of them. He had also spoken to Giles and was sure the old retainer would follow his orders to the letter. Craven may not love his wife, but she was due the respect of any duchess, especially a very rich one. Lady Joyce had brought a substantial dowry to the Craven finances, and she deserved the best her money could buy.

Craven looked up from the papers on his desk as Buffy and William entered the room.

“Ah, child” he smiled at the couple. “You are returned I see.”

Buffy dropped a small curtsey to her father. “Indeed, papa. I thought to return William to your side before Dawn and I went to sit with mother for a while.” She turned on her smile and swept this countenance to all in the room. Clem and Xander had risen from their chairs as she had entered and once she had smiled at them quickly sat down. Dawn rose from her place on the sofa and moved to her side. As she passed William, he smiled at her and gently stroked her hair.

“Everything will be fine, bit, just wait and see”

Comforted by his attention, Dawn gave him a watery smile as she raised her hand for Buffy to hold. It had been a long time since her sister had held her hand, but Dawn needed that comfort now. Gripping tightly to one another, the sisters left the room.

As they made their way to the mother’s bedroom, Dawn’s curiosity began to rise. There were so many questions she wished to ask her sister regarding her fiancé and she was bursting to ask them. To Dawn, Lord William Whitmore was the most handsome man she had ever met and she was so jealous that her sister had caught the attention of such a gentleman.

Buffy looked down at Dawn’s hand held tightly within her own. She loved her little sister very much and wished she could protect her from the sight of their sick mother, but she knew this to be impossible. Their mother had always been the constant in their lives thanks to the fact that their father appeared to prefer to stay away from them. With the revelations of William’s life outside the home Buffy had come to realise that maybe, like William, his affection lay in some other woman’s bed.

She hurt deeply for her mother who had to know where her father spent his evenings and most of his days and she was determined never to let William’s behaviour make her unhappy. Once they had travelled to Annandale, she would be far too busy bringing the estate to order and planning her divorce to care what he did. He could have his whore at the dower estate for all she cared, as long as they did not have to meet.

Deciding that she would speak to William in the next few days to find out if her father, indeed, kept a second household would be a good plan. If she knew all the facts, she could set things in motion accordingly. She not only wanted revenge on William for his money grabbing ways, she also wanted revenge on a father who did not love his wife or children and preferred a whore’s bed. Before she was finished with either of them, she would break them.

When they finally reached their mother’s rooms, Buffy and Dawn entered silently. Lady Joyce’s maid, Kitty, was sitting by her bed reading to her from Miss Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Buffy and Dawn knew the book to be one of their mother’s favourites and both were pleased to see their mother sitting up against her pillows looking pale but in better health.

Hold out her hands to her two girls, her Grace bounced on the bed as the two jumped on the bed beside her. Each girl lay cuddled next to her, one on either side, and she held them close. Her husband may not love her, but her children adored her. It was this that had kept her going throughout her married life. Sighing with contentment, Lady Joyce let herself move further down the bed to cuddle her babies.

Buffy and Dawn had both started to weep. The relief of seeing their mother sitting up in bed had been too much for both of them. Buffy lifted her face to her mother’s and feeling her daughter shift against her, Lady Joyce looked down and smiled.

“I am feeling so much better now, my dear,” her mother reassured her. “I think I will try to come down to dinner this evening.”

“No mother,” both girls replied in unison. Lady Joyce looked startled at their vehement response.

Buffy spoke for both sisters. “There is no need mother. Father has William, Xander and Clem to join him for dinner this evening.” Pulling a wry look, she continued. “Father has taken over the plans for the wedding and the bride trip to Annandale. He has been closeted with the men most of the afternoon making plans.” Taking the bull by the horns, Buffy decided it was time to tell her mother that she and Dawn would accompany Buffy to Annandale.

“Mother,” she said in a small voice. “Father thinks that you would do better in the country air, away from the fumes of London.”

Her mother looked startled and started to protest, but Buffy carried on.

“I agree with father on this, mother, and William agrees that you and Dawn must accompany us to Annandale. Father and William are making all the arrangements as we speak and it is only up to Dawn and I to make sure that you are comfortable on the journey.” Buffy continued with a grin. “He has even managed to get Lord Telford to help, mother, and I trust Clem to make sure that our journey is safe.”

Lady Joyce fell back against her pillows. She frowned down at her daughter and asked in a small voice. “Are you sure you wish us to join you on your honeymoon, Buffy?”

“Without a doubt, mother” she smiled back at her. “It is not as though William and I will be sharing the same house. He has agreed to live on the dower estate which is ten miles distant from Annandale. We three will be as snug as a bug in a rug and, I believe, quite content in each others company.”

Again Lady Joyce frowned at Buffy, but wisely said nothing. She was glad she was removing from London, but she was not content with her daughter’s marriage. On a few occasions in William’s presence he had seen her look at her daughter with love in his eyes and was sure that Buffy did not notice. Knowing that her daughter was using the man for her own independence did not sit well with her, yet she could not fault her thinking. If she, herself, had known what a loveless marriage meant to the soul she would never had married Henry.

She had loved him with all her young heart, but within a month of the marriage she had been pregnant with Alexander and her loving husband would come to her bed reeking of another woman’s perfume. They shared a bed on very few occasions after that. It was not that Lady Joyce barred her husband from the bed chamber; he just did not visit very much. In fact he visited so little that Lady Joyce was surprised that she had borne him more than one offspring.

Buffy sat up on the bed and looked at her mother and sister lying so close together. “Let’s all have dinner on a tray in here, mother. We could have a picnic on the bed; just you, Dawn and I.” Smiling to herself at her own suggestion and the happy smile that brightened her sister’s face, Buffy stood up from the bed and straightened her clothes.

“I will go down and inform father that we will have dinner here.” Buffy said brightly as she made for the door. “I will speak to cook about some sandwiches, cake and lemonade.” Turning to her sister who seemed to cling to their mother even more, she added. “Will that suit you Dawnie? Will you be happy to have a picnic dinner today?”

Dawn look so fragile lying next to her mother on the bed. She smiled her thanks to Buffy while nodding her head. Buffy smiled back at her sister, before leaving the bed chamber to make her way down to the drawing room.

Glancing at the clock as she entered, Buffy could not believe that is was almost nine in the evening. This had, indeed, been a long day. Turning to her father she neatly informed him that both Dawn and she would take dinner in their mother’s room and would not be returning to their company that evening. She curtseyed sweetly to William and Clem and bid them good evening. She was almost through the door when William replied.

“We hope to see you at breakfast tomorrow, my love.”

William watched her back slightly stiffen and smiled to himself. Disconcerting her had become a new game to him. She may leave him aching in want, but he would make sure he had the last word.

“Your father wishes Clem and I to stay here tonight, sweetheart” he informed her as she slowly turned back to face the room. Her look of astonishment at his words pleased him immensely. “We have much to get through before the wedding, pet, and it would be best if all was done from this house.” He was enjoying using the pet names she had barred him from uttering. Knowing she could not put him down for their use in front of the male members of her family was like teasing her into submission.

Buffy crossed her hands in front of her to stop herself from slapping him silly. “Indeed,” she replied. Looking haughtily at her father, she asked in an over-sweet voice, “Has Giles been informed, father, that we have guests? I am about to speak to cook about dinner for mother and would be pleased to tell him for you.”

Craven did not detect the sarcasm in her voice as he was too pre-occupied with sorting out the wedding arrangements and the transport of his wife from London.

“I have spoken to Giles, Buffy, and the guestrooms are being made ready. We will be dining soon and then we have much to discuss.”

Buffy smiled at her father, and William could tell by her face that she was doing everything to keep her temper in check.

“Then I will see you all at breakfast, father.” And with that she turned and left the room. A small part of her was glad that tonight William would not be in the arms of his whore, and she shook her head from side to side to dispel the thought. William could lie where he liked, he would not be between her thighs again. Removing all thoughts of William from her mind, she made her way down to cook to ask for the picnic.



All the men gathered in the dining room ready for dinner. Talk was strained and forced. Even Craven looked uncomfortable and William had the feeling that the old roué was desperate to leave for Chelsea. A deep feeling of resentment rose in his breast. How could the man go from his wife’s sick bed to his whore so easily?

William answered his own question. You can do it when you do not care for the person you are leaving. Did he not think only a few days ago that he could easily go from Buffy to Drusilla without a qualm? Not now, he told himself, he would never leave Buffy now. He must try to inveigle an invitation from the duke to stay at Craven House as often as he could before the wedding. Out of sight was out of mind and he needed to be with Buffy, even if all she offered him was friendship.

Finally the meal was over and the gentlemen returned to the drawing room to continue their port. As there were no women present, Craven poured brandy for all and handed round the glasses.

“A toast, I think, is in order gentlemen?” Craven raised his glass to the room. “May this wedding be as successful as my own has been, and let us toast the health of my dear wife who I am sure is well on the mend.”

The three men stared at Craven in almost disbelief. They all knew that he was more of a rake than either William or Clem had ever been. Lifting his glass, William replied. “May we be blessed with many offspring, your grace, to carry on the Annandale dynasty.”

The toast over, Craven made his excuse to leave the house. All knew where he was going and all had the same feeling of disgust. William and Clem chose not to comment to Xander on his father’s actions as they knew he would feel bad enough. Rising quickly after his father’s departure, Xander excused himself from the gentlemen’s presence and left the room.

Clem and William stared at one another across the Craven drawing room. Deciding it was the right time to talk to William about the latest developments in his bizarre courtship, he rounded on him.

“Christ, William, I know we are friends but this whole wedding thing of yours is becoming totally out of hand.”

William smiled at his friend and took another sip of brandy before he replied. “I know, Clem; and this is quite hard to say as I am quite fond of Lady Joyce, but I am glad to be staying in this house so close to Buffy.”

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Clem leaned forward in his chair and asked his friend sweetly.

“And why would that be Will?”

William laughed softly as he took yet another sip. “Not for the reasons you think old friend. I happen to love her very much and I just want to be here if she needs me.” He looked down dejectedly at the brandy balloon warming in his hands. “I just wished she needed me more.”

Clem looked across the room at the top of his friend’s head and almost threw his glass at him. He was like a child picking petals from a daisy with his ‘I love her, I love Drusilla’ attitude. As a man he wanted to support him, as a friend he wanted to hit him. He almost screamed ‘come to your senses and tell that slut to fuck off’, but he knew he would not do it. William appeared to want Buffy more than Drusilla just now and he would support this course of action with all his being.

William looked up at the clock over the mantle as it struck eleven. In the back of his mind he thought he should have been somewhere this evening yet he could not quite recall where.

Then it came back to him in a rush. He was supposed to have met Drusilla at ten this evening.

Sod her, he thought, Buffy needed him to comfort her, while Dru just wanted him to fuck her. She could find another fuck tonight.



One mile from Craven House, Lady Drusilla Angelus was sitting naked in her bed chamber. She had been waiting for over an hour for her toy to appear and he had not arrived. If he was going to be late he always sent a note or message to her. That little ploy had been very useful on occasion as she had been able to remove whomever was sharing her bed before he arrived. He had not sent a note or message this time. Was he toying with her affections? Had sunshine been successful in taking him away? No, she thought, her hold on William was too deep for any hussy to break.

She would send him a note on the morrow to join her the next night. He would come to see her when he got her note. She rarely corresponded with him and he was like a puppy when she did. All excited that its master had shown it attention.

Yes, that is what she would do. She would play with her puppy tomorrow.





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