If the Earl Only Knew (The Daring Marriages) (7 page)

“Yes, this is all very interesting, but I know you already read that article this afternoon,” accused Kate.

Robert gave her a slight shrug as he handed the paper to Wynbrook, who was now more interested in the Peninsular Campaign than in her concerns with society.

“And another thing. Did you tell Tristan that I would have a dowry? An ‘ample’ dowry? I’m certain you would not have done such a thing without talking to me first.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” said Robert without a hint of apology, “but Tristan reminded me of the obligation, and I fear I must provide a dowry for you.”

“Why would you do such a thing?”

Dare shrugged. “I thought you would be pleased.”

“No, do you not see? By hinting at a large dowry, you have put me at risk for fortune hunters.”

“I have no fear you will succumb.”

“Of course not! But they will be a bother.”

“Yes, there may be some truth to that.” Robert did not sound at all remorseful. “But if I must face the unpleasantness of finding a marriage partner, it is probably time for you as well.” Kate could only shake her head. There were reasons she could not wed. Reasons Robert should know all too well, but she could not say them before Wynbrook. Some secrets could never be told.

“Never have I heard the marital state referred to with such affection.” Wynbrook chuckled. “It is marriage, not the gallows.”

“I do not see you rushing to the altar,” retorted Kate.

“Touché! Too true! I will divest myself from the conversation and make no further commentary. I was only here to play undertaker.”

“I have a better role,” said Kate. “Please take my brother back to the ball and introduce him to eligible young ladies.”

“Wouldn’t you rather kill me?” groaned Robert.

Wynbrook laughed again. “Come then, old man, back into the fray it is, and for you too, I fear.” He held out his arm for Kate.

“No, no, you both go ahead. I need to pay a visit to the ladies’ retiring room.” It was the one place she could be safe.

Wynbrook began to walk with Robert out the door and looked back, giving her a scandalous wink. “Well played.”

Kate left the room a few minutes after the gentlemen and was surprised to see the back of Sir Richard slipping into a room at the darkened far end of the hall. As Kate walked in the opposite direction down the hall, she passed a woman dressed in a sumptuous velvet gown of deep burgundy. The cut was low, her bosoms were high, and she floated past Kate as if fairies carried her hither and yon. Kate bit her lip as the woman swept by her. It was the same perfume she had smelled on Richard.

Kate walked through the doorway leading to the card room but stopped and peeked through the slight crack between the wall and the door. The woman entered the same room where Sir Richard had vanished.

More secrets. Now what was she going to tell Lady Jane?

Kate weighed her options carefully. Each one was fraught with unpleasantness. Trouble was, there was no clear choice. Even doing nothing, which seemed the easiest path, was not without peril. She could not imagine Jane would wish to marry someone so overtly unfaithful. Evidently the relationship, which had touched Jane’s heart, was far from touching Sir Richard’s. Apparently, Sir Richard had decided a connection to Lady Jane would be of benefit to him but did not feel the engagement should impede his pursuing other interests.

If she did nothing, Jane would marry him and would then be stuck living with such a husband for the rest of her life. Kate could think of no worse fate, and she rather thought Jane would not like it either. What could be worse than to fall in love with somebody who did not return your affection?

Kate knew what she must do. A few minutes later, Jane was following Kate down the hall.

“Why is it that you needed to speak with me so urgently?” asked Jane, innocent to the last.

“I do hate to do this,” Kate started, wondering how to break the unpleasant news. “But I fear that Sir Richard is not worthy of you and, worse, has feigned interest only to obtain your dowry and the societal benefit of association with your family.”

Jane’s nose scrunched, as if smelling something distasteful. “That is a cruel thing to say, Katherine. Even for you.”

Kate felt the sting of the barb but refused to comment. Jane was hurt, and hurt people said hurtful things.

“I am sorry, Lady Jane. I hope this is the right choice and you will forgive me one day.” Kate swung the door open.

There was a woman’s shriek, curses from Sir Richard, and the hasty grabbing of clothing. Kate gave the scrambling couple nothing but a fleeting glance. Her eyes were on Jane, for it was only Jane who mattered.

Jane’s eyes were wide and her mouth had dropped open in a perfect oval. How would she respond to such unwanted insight? Would she ever speak to Kate again?

“How could you?” Jane’s voice shook, though from fury or grief, it was hard to tell. Kate wasn’t sure if Jane was about to dissolve into tears or strangle the life from Sir Richard. She hoped for strangulation.

“It’s not what it looks like,” said Richard, adjusting his pantaloons. He correctly surmised who had alerted Jane and cast Kate a murderous glare.

The woman finished adjusting herself and smoothed a hand over her hair, which had not one strand out of place—Kate could only guess she had years of practice at the art of maintaining deceptive appearances. Indeed, had they not walked in on the activity, she would not have looked as if she had been doing anything untoward.

“Now don’t get in a pet, my dear,” said the woman to Jane. “You are very young yet, but even an innocent such as yourself should know how the world works. You really oughtn’t go where you don’t belong, for you will only see things you do not wish to see.”

“I think it is past time for you to remove yourself,” growled Kate.

The woman gave them a serene yet superior smile. “I shall see you next week, Sir Richard,” she said over her shoulder.

Despite Jane being right there, Richard gave her a quick nod. The woman glided out of the room, her beautiful face a picture of poise and confidence. Jane, on the other hand, had gone red and her neck was turning rather blotchy. She took a deep gulp of air as if she were a fish tossed out of the water onto the cold stones of death.

Kate feared she might have to cause Richard bodily harm for this. While she could not count herself one of Jane’s close confidantes, she was still a friend, and Kate had so few of them, she felt a fierce loyalty to protect her.

“She’s right, you know,” said Richard, straightening his cravat. “You really ought not go opening doors and sticking your pretty little nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“The only place I don’t belong is anywhere near you,” cried Jane.

Kate fought the urge to applaud Jane for standing up to him.

“Now, don’t get it into that head of yours to do anything rash,” said Richard with an air of contemptuous disdain. “I don’t know what you expected, but this is how it is, my dear. I regret that you saw something you didn’t wish to see, but I think it best that we just forget it happened. In the future, take better care to keep yourself away from places you ought not to go, and I will never mention this again after we’re married.”

“I do not think you quite understand, Sir Richard. There will be no marriage. There is no way that I would ever consider marrying you now.” Jane ground out the words through gritted teeth.

“Don’t be such a little goose. Of course we will be married. Honestly, my dear, you have no other choice. I don’t wish to be ugly about it, but you force my hand. If you do not go through with the wedding, I shall sue you for breach of contract.”

Jane gasped, tears springing to her eyes.

“That is most unfortunate,” said Kate. “For it means that the only way for us be rid of you is to make you disappear.”

Richard gave her another look of poisonous contempt. “What are you prattling on about?”

“My dear man, my brother has spent the past many years as a rather successful privateer. If need be, you would not be the first man he has had to kill.”

“You cannot threaten me,” demanded Richard, but Kate noted with some satisfaction that he’d gone a shade or two paler. Of course Robert would no doubt balk at killing the man outright, but Sir Richard didn’t know that. If Robert thought Jane’s honor had been besmirched, he could threaten the man to a duel, if Wynbrook didn’t get there first. Or she could take care of the situation in her own way. Kate had no shortage of ideas for how to kill the man.

“In no way did I intend to threaten you, Sir Richard. But if you so much as whisper any scandal about Lady Jane, I swear to you that you will not be able to propagate your seed ever again. Be assured that you cannot endeavor to succeed against Lady Jane without suffering a most intimate loss. My brother and I are great friends of the Wynbrook family, and we take their care and protection very seriously. You have nothing to gain here and everything to lose. Do not ever inconvenience Jane again.”

Richard’s eyes bugged out from his face and a vein in his temple pulsed with anger. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but apparently thought better of it and shut it again with a snap, adjusting his cravat once more. “What lovely friends you have, my dear,” he said, addressing Jane.

“Yes,” said Jane, linking her arm with Kate’s. “I do have the very best of friends.” She turned to Kate. “Though perhaps I am not as good a judge of character as I thought, and perhaps I have not recognized who my friends truly are.”

Kate was not accustomed to being appreciated and had not expected Jane to thank her for her interference. She was relieved and happily surprised Jane would still consider her a friend.

“Thank you,” she said simply to Jane. They turned and walked toward the door. At the threshold, Kate looked over her shoulder to where Richard remained planted in the middle of the room, his fists balled at his sides. If ever a man was plotting revenge, it was he.

Jane’s lower lip began to tremble and Kate feared she was beginning to lose the admirable pluck she had shown before Sir Richard. She needed to get Jane out of the house without anyone noticing her distress.

They found Tristan, and it only took one glance at Jane for him to spring into action. He might not have been the best choice for raiding a French frigate, but the man did know how to navigate the shoals of society safely. Within minutes, Tristan had made up a plausible excuse to their hostess, called for their coach, and collected their respective brothers.

Kate thought it best not to tell the men what had occurred until they were all safely on the way back home in the coach and out of the danger of the ballroom, to avoid such scenes as they may later come to regret. It was good she had, for at the telling of the story, Jane burst into tears and Wynbrook had to be physically restrained by Robert and Tristan to prevent him from jumping out of the carriage and running back to murder Sir Richard.

By the time they returned home, Wynbrook was still seething and poor Jane had dissolved into silent sobs. Kate immediately took Jane upstairs and deposited her with Ellen, hopeful that her sister could soothe her better than Kate’s ineffectual attempts.

Kate returned downstairs to find the men in full war-room negotiations. Robert had changed into his captain’s coat with a brace of pistols slung across one shoulder and his sword strapped to his side. Wynbrook and Tristan shared looks of grave concern, expressions she had rarely seen on their faces. It reminded her forcibly of the last time she and Robert had come to visit and everything had ended in tragedy. She truly was bad luck.

“There is no way around it. He must be bought off,” said Wynbrook, not yet noting her presence.

“Worthless bloody bastard,” said Tristan and then coughed at seeing her enter the room. “Sorry there. Didn’t realize you were in the room.”

“No musket?” she asked her brother, boldly walking forward.

“You’re right, we need one,” said Tristan with a grim smile.

“Thank you, Lady Kate, for bringing this to our attention, but we must handle it from here,” said Wynbrook darkly.

“Yes, of course,” said Kate, biting back a challenge to Wynbrook’s belief that she was of no use in a crisis. “But you must make Sir Richard sign a contract agreeing not to sue before any payment is made.” She also had come to the conclusion that risking a lawsuit was too costly, particularly for Jane’s reputation, and murder was slightly too illegal, though no less than he deserved.

“You are right,” agreed Wynbrook. “What we need is your cousin to draw up a document for us. You said yesterday Mr. Ashton was not available?”

Kate’s pulsed increased. Mr. Ashton was not a safe topic to discuss. She exchanged a glance with her brother. “Unfortunately, he had to go out of Town to convalesce,” she said at the same time her brother said, “Holiday.”

At their confused looks, Kate attempted to concoct a plausible explanation, “He is going on holiday to recuperate from a lingering illness.”

Fortunately, the Arlington brothers were too focused on their sister to question the story. “Too bad. Could use a solicitor about now,” said Tristan pointedly. Robert also pinned her with a singular look.

Kate knew what they wanted, but to do so might reveal herself. She hoped, nay expected, to live out her life without Wynbrook ever knowing several things, and this was one of them.

“We will need to find another solicitor. And fast,” commented Wynbrook.

Use another solicitor? Kate waffled between her desire for anonymity and her need to prepare the document correctly, which meant she must do it herself.

“I do believe Ash drew up a contract for one of our officers who found himself in a similar difficulty. I have a copy of the contract and can make one for you.” Kate dashed out of the room before anyone could give her words too much thought.

It took her only a brief time to compose the document. The truth that she had created the person of her cousin and had been acting as not only her brother’s, but also Wynbrook’s financial adviser for years under the name of Mr. Ashton, was not a discussion she wished to have, now or ever.

More secrets. She was accustomed to it.

Kate returned to the men, wondering if Wynbrook would question how the document had been created so quickly, but he seemed in no mood for debate and was only pleased to have it in hand. Kate was taken aback by the appearance of the men. Wynbrook had armed himself as well, a sword at his side, the telltale bulge of a pistol in his breast pocket. Tristan, the elite of fashion, was positively unrecognizable with a cutlass in hand.

“Are you going to speak with Sir Richard or storm the Bastille?” she asked.

“Whatever comes to mind,” said Tristan cheerfully.

“The situation will be handled,” said Robert.

“Don’t wait up,” said Wynbrook in a tone that was almost a challenge.

As if there were any chance of her going to sleep now.