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Chapter 55. Kirkbride’s visit.

AN* Please vote for me at the SunnyD awards. Please, Please, Please. If you do I will bring Angelus home.




By fifteen minutes before one, the Craven household was in a state of flux waiting on its master.

Lord Angus Kirkbride had arrived just fifteen minutes earlier and had joined William in the library. Xander had sent word that morning informing William he would be home by one and would bring his father with him. William was surprised at how well the whelp was turning out.

The drawing room door opened to admit Clem and William smiled warmly at his friend. Moving forward he shook his hand warmly and welcomed him.

“Thank you for coming today, Clem. I do not think this will be pleasant and I need friends around me today.”

Clem smiled at William in reply. “You can always count on me, Will, you know this.”

William looked at his friend and wondered how the man had put up with him for as many years as he had. He had always been there for him no matter how much of a fuck up he had been. In the space of a heartbeat, William resolved to tell his friend that he had found a way to let Clem and Faith be together as man and wife. When he had talked over his idea with Annandale before he left the house, his father had urged him to put the idea to Clem as soon as possible. Both Annandale and William knew Clem loved Faith very much, but with her reputation as damaged as it was their prospects were not good.

“Where is your father, Will? I expected him to be here to revel in Craven’s downfall.”

“My father has other business today, Clem. He will return later this afternoon and will talk to us all then. Can you wait till then and hear what he has to say?” William turned slightly red in the face before he continued. “I know you have not seen Faith much in the last few weeks, Clem, and it worries me that you have put my affairs over your own.”

Clem stared at William in shock. Will had taken little interest in his dealings with Faith. In fact, Clem could remember William calling him all types of fool for paying so much for a well used whore. It had been the first time that they had fought in earnest. From that moment, Faith had been discussed rarely between the men.

“We must talk later, Will. There are things you need to know.” The mention of Faith had brought her confessions to mind and Clem needed to tell William of her fears. With Drusilla now in Bedlam, Clem feared Angelus’ revenge.

William smiled at his friend. “I promise we will talk later, Clem. I have much I need to discuss with you.”

Clem just had time to nod his reply when Xander entered the room accompanied by his father.

Craven still looked as angry as he had the previous eve when he had been banished from him own house by the Prince.

Kirkbride, sipping at the brandy he held in his hand, rose from his place by the fire and greeted the Duke.

“Your Grace, thank you for keeping this appointment.” A sneer stole over Kirkbride’s face. “I am sorry that you had to miss church this holy day.”

Angry at Kirkbride for his sarcastic remark, Craven spat at him. “Stop trying to be facetious, Kirkbride, I have brought the dowry. Let’s finish this transaction so that you leave this house and I can follow. I do not wish to be in the presence of anyone in it for longer than I need.”

William was angry at the obvious insult to both Buffy and Joyce. Even Xander was shocked at his father’s words. Maybe it was better the whelp hear from his father’s lips how much he despised his wife and children. William had never been so glad that Joyce had at last found some happiness with his father. He must remember to bring Xander up to date on that situation later. If crouched in the right terms, he was sure he could count on Xander’s support for his father’s attentions to his mother.

Thinking of his father reminded William of his father’s absence. It was not until the little breakfast group had removed the diamonds from the safe, that they remembered it was a Sunday and no jewellery shops would be open. Deciding that the gems would be safer out of the house, Annandale was currently in the process of transferring them to his safe at home.

Joyce’s trust in him had made Annandale’s heart swell.

Craven handed over the packet containing fifty thousand pounds. William wondered where he had managed to find such an amount in less than twelve hours, then realised he did not care as long as Buffy’s money was safe in Kirkbride’s hands.

Kirkbride drew out Craven’s agony by slowly counting the notes. When he had finished, he drew a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to the Duke.

“Your receipt, your grace. The Prince expects it to be returned to me on the day of the wedding. I will call on you for its retrieval.”

Kirkbride smiled at the Duke with no humour. “I take it I will find you in Chelsea, your grace. I will call at six of the clock.”

The duke did not care how Kirkbride knew his direction. The Prince had many friends willing to do his bidding. Finding his love nest in Chelsea would not have taken much resource.

“I will bid you good day till then, Kirkbride.”

Craven desperately wanted to rein a peal over William’s head for bringing him to this, but knew he could not. Revenge was sweet but he would leave the work to Angelus on his return.







Once Kirkbride and Craven had left the house, William poured both Clem and Xander a brandy. While they sipped, he brought them up to date with events in the last twelve hours. He was happy that Xander had willingly taken up the challenge of removing the money to Annandale. Giles had been instructed in his new duties of the next few weeks and had pleased William with his willingness to help the duchess.

Like senior retainers in every household, Giles knew all the business of the house. He had been reliably informed that the Duke of Annandale had accompanied her grace to her rooms early in the morning. The passionate kiss they had shared outside her door had been reported to him in all its detail. Pleased that his beloved duchess was at last finding happiness, he had instructed his informant that this revelation must not be gossiped about below stairs. Knowing she would lose her place should there be any hint of gossip, the young maid had quickly agreed.

Xander and Giles removed themselves to the morning room to make plans. William was pleased they had left as he needed to talk to Clem.

“I have an apology to make to you, Clem”

Clem’s eyes widened, he wondered what William was apologising for.

“You have listened to me talk for years about Drusilla. You let me cry on your shoulder when she hurt me and you pulled me back from too many moods of despair to count. You have been a wonderful friend to me, Clem, and it is time now to pay back all the favours you have ever bestowed on me.”

Clem’s eyes widened even further. He could think of nothing to say. This was a different William than the one he had known most of his life.

William smiled as he continued with his apology. He hoped his friend would agree to the suggestion he was about to make.

“You are a younger son, Clem, and as such have no need to marry for heirs.”

When Clem started to bristle slightly at William’s words, he quickly went on.

“I would like to sell you the dower estate next to Annandale, Clem, for the sum of two hundred pounds. There is a condition on the sale, however. I would like you to take Faith there as your bride. No one there or in the surrounding area knows of her downfall, Clem, and she could live out the rest of her life as Lady Telford.”

William smiled at the look of shock on his friend’s face.

“She was born a Lady, Clem, she should live as one. You and I know that she would never be accepted by the ton, but at Annandale she could have the household she was born to. I only want two hundred pounds as it will take a good few thousand to bring it back to shape. Use your money for that purpose and make your woman as happy as she deserves to be.”

Tears filled Clem’s eyes. His best friend had found a way for him to be with Faith forever without the taint of her past. He had three brothers before him to take the title of Earl on their father’s demise. He would never have to move to the ancestral pile his family called home.

Rich in his own right thanks to careful investments in the East India Company, he had no need of family money. If they disowned him for marrying an ex-whore, he did not care. He would be living on the next estate to his best friend, family was not such in important factor to him at this moment.

Clem drew William into a hug. He cried into William’s neck like a child seeking comfort from its mother. He had been trying to find a way that he and Faith could be together without the ton’s approval. William had handed him the perfect solution.

He was desperate to leave and give the news to Faith. He would bang on the doors of Doctor’s Commons tomorrow to pay the six pounds it cost for the special licence. He would have Faith as his wife by the end of the morrow.

In his excitement to return to Faith and tell her of William’s proposal, Clem forgot to pass on her warnings about Angelus.

It was an oversight he would regret for the rest of his life.





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