The Last Kiss

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

After dinner, Lindsey went back upstairs to finish what she had started. Going over and putting away all the things she had bought today, but instead she swept everything to the side. The meal had filled her belly and now she was even more sleep than before, she could hardly keep her eyes open. So, she slipped into her old nightgown, and snuggled herself under the covers and was fast asleep in no time.

Unfortunately, her sleep would soon be interrupted by her maid pounding on the door. Not even waiting for a reply, Josie rushed in, shutting and locking the door behind her. Frightened by the way her maid was acting, Lindsey quickly got out of bed, and wrapped herself in one of the thinner blankets.

“What the devil is the matter, Josie,” she demanded, but then she heard what the problem was, even before her maid could tell her, she knew.

“My lady, it is your husband, he is coming up the stairs, and he is furious. He almost knocked Sam down in the hallway, have you not heard him?” Josie looked as if she had seen the devil himself and in a way, she had.

“You can’t be serious!” She was shocked.

The maid just nodded her head.

Why had he come to bother her now? After nearly a year of nothing, he would just suddenly want to see her?

Just then a loud pounding started at the door, shaking both the women. Lindsey looked at her maid, she could tell the poor girl was almost in tears with fear. She had no where to go, nor would she be able to hide. Lindsey knew Robert well, he would not leave until he got what he wanted, no matter if she had it or not.

In a whisper, “go hide in the back of my closet, and don’t make a sound or he will find you.”

Moving toward the door, she heard Robert’s voice, he was indeed anger about something. Knowing him well, she could almost guess that he had been drinking too.
Opening the door, she had been correct, she could smell the booze reeking from his clothing and it oozed from his breath. This scared Lindsey, her hands even started to tremble in fear. Robert’s temper was worse when he had been drinking, the last time, Lindsey wasn’t able to leave her bed for over a week.

Hoping that the fear would not show in her voice, she softly said, “my lord, to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit?”

Pushing her aside, he started to look through the room, “what the hell would I want to see you about, I want to know where is he?” he yelled.

“I am afraid, I do not know what you mean, Robert,” hoping that she wouldn’t be caught in a lie.

“Where is that cheating bastard, Lord Manning? I want my money that sorry bastard stole from me” he asked again, still yelling.

“He is not here, why would he be?” she said trying to be coy, knowing full well that Ashton hadn’t stole his money.

“You know damn well what is going on, you stupid filthy whore, he now owns this house, now where the hell is he?” He yelled louder with his patience growing thin.

“I dare say that I don’t,” Lindsey snapped back.
This wasn’t like Lindsey, she had never stood up to Robert, where had she gained such courage?

Not wanting to deal with another stupid woman, he slapped her, hard enough that it caused her to fall down. Robert was not the type of man that would put up with a woman talking back to him, especially not the bitch on the floor. His rage grew even more, with each scan of the room, opening doors and slamming them shut again. Luckily, he was too drunk to give a good search, or he might have found Josie hiding in the closet. It was almost funny to Lindsey to watch him, since he was looking in drawers and boxes. Did he really thing that Ashton could hide in something that small, she laughed in her head, thinking who the stupid one really was.

“You stupid bitch, I will kill you for talking back to me. Now where is he hiding, I want my money back,” he yelled while looking under the bed.

“I told you already he is not here, there is no man here other than the butler and you already knew about him, you hired him, remember?” she said, sounding almost desperate.

Not excepting her answer, he walked over to her, picked her up off the floor, grabbing her arms tightly. Shaking her as he spoke, “I am going to ask once more, where is he and if you lie to me, you will not live to regret it! Oh, I see you are now his filthy slut aren’t you?”

In fear of her life, the tears she had held back started rolling down her cheeks, “no I am not and I do not know where he is.”

“That is not the answer I wanted to hear from you bitch,” he hissed.

Letting go of her arms for a moment, only to slap her once more knocking her back to the floor. Then giving her a few kicks in the side.

“How does that feel, I should kill you now, you dirty whore,” he stormed out of the room.

Clutching at the site of the pain, she listened as Robert made his way through the house. She could hear the doors slamming shut and since he hadn’t stopped yelling, she could almost tell exactly where he was. The pain in her side, had eased enough that she slowly stood once more and walked out into the hall. Fear stopped her there, she didn’t want to go in search of Robert, he was angry enough without her following him.

“Goddamn, where is he, I know he’s here, come out you bastard,” he yelled walking down the hall.

Seeing Lindsey just standing there, he walked back to her, pulled her up to him. She could feel his foul breath on her skin, it made her sick to her stomach.

“I swear whore, if I find out about that stupid bastard Manning staying here, I will kill you and him, I give you my word,” he hissed.

Shoving her down to the floor again, causing her to hit her head on the doorway, he turned and left. Snatching his hat and cloak away from Sam, he slammed the door behind him, causing the glass to tremble. Seeing that the coast was clear, Sam quickly ran up the stairs only to find Lindsey laying on the floor, unconscious. Looking about, he saw no sign of Josie, and he knew he had sent her to warn Lindsey, he called for her. Hearing Sam’s voice Coming out of the closet, she knew that Robert had left and all was safe again. Josie immediately saw Lindsey laying on the floor and rushed to her side.

“Go get Lilly, quickly,” the maid ordered, knowing full well that Sam wasn’t strong enough to lift Lindsey much less carry her to bed.

Nodding, he stood and was down the stairs in no time, returning with Lilly, in what seemed only seconds. Seeing what the emergency was, Lilly knew what needed to be done. So with some great effort, the three of them managed to lift and carry Lindsey to her bed.

“You go get some cloths, and you go send a message to Lord Manning, and I’ll go get some water, now hurry,” Lilly instructed.

Each of them, took off, to finish their task they had been told to do. Josie found the cloths fast enough, she was the first to return, sitting on the bed hoping to see her employers eyes open. Knowing she already had water heating for tea, Lilly would just bring in a pitcher instead of making the tea. Sam’s task was a bit more difficult, he had to track down a message boy, but the good thing was even that didn’t take long. Having returned to the house, the message to Lord Manning was fast on its way, Sam even gave the lad extra money for running the entire way. The only thing left to do was hope Lord Manning was even at his home and not out like some men.

***

A knock sounded at the door, the butler wondered who would be calling at this time of night, answered rudely.

“Might I help you,” he said in a stern voice.

“Aye, here,”handing the paper to the butler, the boy almost completely out of breath. Taking a deep breath he finished, “this for Lord Manning, got paid extra to run, I’m guessin it be important.”

“I see, thank you,” the man said, handing the boy another small tip, then shutting the door.

Turning on his heel, he didn’t have to go far to find Lord Manning, he was almost standing right behind him.

“Who was that?” he asked.

“A young lad with a message, my lord,” handing the paper over.

“Thank you, Wilson,” Ashton said as he turned away.

Opening the note he read:

‘Lindsey’s been injured, do hurry, Sam.’

He read the note twice to make sure he wasn’t seeing things, then turned back to his butler, “have the carriage brought around immediately.”

“Yes, my lord,” the butler said to a ghost.

Not even hearing the butler, Ashton was already up the stairs and too his room. He opened a drawer on his writing desk and pulled out a gun. Checking to make sure it was loaded, he put it his waistband, then ran out of the room. Wilson already had his cloak and hat ready and waiting as he descended the stairs.

“The carriage is waiting, my lord,” he said.

“Very good,” Ashton said, as he quickly wrapped himself in the cloak, and placed the hat on his head.

Not even waiting for his butler to say anything else, Ashton headed out the door, taking only seconds to inform the driver where to go. Adding the words ‘to hurry’ as he shut the door on the carriage. The driver cracked the whip at the team of horses, just after the carriage door shut, sensing the importance that he hurried.

Only a few short moments later, Ashton arrived in front of Lindsey’s house. Not even waiting for the footman to open the door, he exited the carriage as if it were on fire. Walking up the stone steps, he yelled back for his carriage to stay put. Bursting through the doors, Ashton didn’t even take the time to knock, and hardly the time to shut the door behind him. In no time, he took the flight of stairs, and was walking into Lindsey’s room. Causing the head of everyone in the room to turn, Ashton rushed to Lindsey’s side.

“What the hell happened?” Ashton demanded, trying to hide the fear in his heart.

“My lord, if you would please step outside with me,” Sam asked nicely.

“You had better explain what happened,” taking the lead out the door.

Pulling the door shut some, Sam made a good effort to explain what had happened to Lindsey. About Robert bursting through the front door, almost knocking him over. The way he had demanded answers from Lindsey, all down to the smallest detail. Guessing on parts, he explained, that he could only hear what was going on, but didn’t see it first hand. The words sank deep into Ashton’s heart, making him even more angry that Robert had hurt Lindsey. Not even letting the butler finish, he walked back into the room, glancing briefly at the maid and the cook.

“Josie, I want you to pack-up the things she will need, clothing and such, don’t be picky. We can come back for more later when she has recovered.” Looking over at the cook, he asked, “how many people work here?”

“Only the three of us, the other were let go some time ago, my lord,” she answered.

“Good, I don’t want you staying here for awhile, you all shall stay at my home, you can help my staff for the time being,” hoping they wouldn’t argue.

“Yes, my lord,” giving a quick nod, she left the room.

“Sam, go get my driver, I shall meet him in the hallway,” Ashton said, not even turning to see if the butler was in the room, which he knew he was.

“Right away, my lord,” Sam said.

Turning his complete attentions to Lindsey, he softly stroked the few wild strains of hair away from her face. She was pale, except for her cheek, it still glowed red from Roberts slaps. How could he do this to her? Becoming angry again, Ashton leaned down placing a soft kiss on Lindsey’s forehead. Hoping she would wake up with his kiss, he looked at her sweet face for a moment, then stood and walked out into the hallway.

It was perfect timing, his driver had just reached the top of the landing. Seeing Ashton exit a room, he walked over, wondering what was going on. Turning back into the room, Ashton glanced back at Lindsey, then shut the door. He wanted to making sure that if she was to wake, she wouldn’t be able to hear him speak.

“It was her husband, we will be taking them back to my house. I want you to make that no one can see into the carriage and later we need to talk about this problem,” he said in a very soft voice, almost a whisper.

Not even speaking a word, the driver only nodded in agreement.

Going back into the room, he sat back down by her side, he almost hated himself for not being there. He could have protected her from Robert, but then again, Sam had said the fool had been looking for him. What would Robert had done to Lindsey had he found him there with her? No, he wouldn’t let Robert get that close to even find out. The anger welled up inside Ashton’s body, causing him to tease-up, he clinched his fist so tight they turned white. But all the anger disappeared when Lindsey gave a faint moan, Ashton leaned over her kissing her cheek, and then whispered in her ear. It was clear she didn’t hear him, or else she might have slapped him, he wished she would have, at least then, she would be awake again.

Right then, Lilly and Josie entered the room, with a small trunk. Opening the trunk, Josie hurriedly filled it with clothing, not even taking the time to fold them neatly to avoid wrinkles. Leaving the trunk opened and only half full, they both left the room again. Alone again with his sweet Lindsey, Ashton just stared at her angelic face. Only able to worship her features for a moment, the two women re-entered the room. This time, they were followed with the carriage driver, this almost made Ashton laugh. The women had taken it upon themselves to get the carriage driver to haul the trunk downstairs, of course, he knew that Sam wasn’t capable of doing it.

“My lord, as soon as your man loads this trunk, we are ready to leave,” Lilly stated.

“Then let us be off,” Ashton said.

Turning his attentions back to Lindsey, he slipped his arm underneath her body, hoping he wouldn’t hurt her when he lifted her. Wrapping her in a warm blanket, he slide her over toward the edge of the bed, to were he could get a better hold on her. Cradling her in his arms, she started to mumble something, but the words were unclear. Her eyes started to flutter softly, but her words became more clear, ‘mother’s box’, was all he could make of it.

Asking softly, “where is your mother’s box?”

Lindsey still having half dead to the world, managed to point to the closet. Witnessing this, Josie went into the closet, and looked around for a moment, only to come out empty handed.

“My love, where in the closet is the box?” he asked again.

Mumbling ever so softly, “behind everything on top.”
Nodding that she heard, Josie went back into the closet, this time barely seeing the item that was wanted.

“It’s behind everything else, I’ll need a chair,” Josie said. Grabbing a chair as she spoke, she climbed on top of the chair and was able to get the box, “here it is, my lord.”

“There you go my love, its been found,” Ashton said, smiling down at the woman in his arms. “Put it just beneath the blanket and lets make our way out of here,” he instructed.

Relieved that Lindsey had at least spoke, Ashton made his way down the steps. Taking great care to not trip on the stairs or jar Lindsey in any way. The maid hurried in front of Ashton, making sure that his way was clear and free of anything type of obstacle. Glancing up and seeing that Sam had the door already opened, that was one less thing Ashton would have to worry about. Stepping out the front door, he looked in all directions, making sure that no one was watching what was taking place. Not seeing anything or anyone that would raise concern, the quickly moved to the carriage.

Setting Lindsey up on the cushion of the seats, he settled himself in, then brought her back over into his arms. Making it possible for Lindsey to stay in a laying position and hopefully still be comfortable. The driver helped Lilly and Josie into the cab, then shut the door. Poor Sam was almost pushed atop the carriage, since there wasn’t room inside. Noticing that the curtains had been let loose, neither of the women dared to look out the window. Not knowing why, but both women trusted the stranger to protect them as well Lindsey.

This wasn’t exactly apart of Ashton’s plans, Robert had made sure to make a mess of that. Of course, Ashton knew sooner or later, Robert was bound to snoop and bother Lindsey. He should have seen that coming, it was part of his nature. This was something Ashton should have thought about, why had he not been there to protect her from this evil. Not that holding Lindsey bothered Ashton, he had just not wanted it to be like this. Ashton would never have wished to hold her while she was in pain, he hated himself for not keeping her safe. Hoping that Lindsey would now be safe at his home, made him feel better. But the anger still burned inside, the thoughts of what could have possibly had happen. No, he would protect her, he had to, if not him then who?

Indeed this problem would need to be taken care of soon, before Lindsey was hurt even more. Maybe even killed, the thought entered Ashton’s mind. Robert had been capable of murder before, why would he stop now? Ashton knew how much Robert hated Lindsey, why he didn’t exactly know. But knowing Robert, whatever it was, gave him more than plenty of a reason to kill again. Ashton knew he would have to stop Robert before he claimed his next victim.

“He must be stopped,” Ashton said aloud, causing Josie and Lilly to look at him. But he knew, they agreed. He must be stopped, now.