But what a lovely trap she would make for him. She’d be the best wife ever. He’d never regret it. They’d laugh and talk all day and at night…
She touched her throat again.
Belle sat next to her. Her head came up to Vita’s chin. She was a very short woman, but that didn’t mean she didn’t take command of every room she stepped into. She was confident, gorgeous, and said what she pleased.
“A true gentleman would have asked a servant to see you to bed. He’d not have stayed the night with you.”
She could trap him, it seemed. Belle would help her; at least, that’s what it sounded like.
But Vita wouldn’t do that to him. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
“Never.” Belle squeezed her arm. “Unless you wish me to.” There was that gleam, She was almost begging Vita to say Dunn had done something wrong.
Yet their time together had been mostly innocent.
Mostly. “Don’t tell anyone,” Vita said.
“Imagine if it had not been me who discovered you here. Anyone else and you’d have been ruined.”
“Do you know Lord Dunn? Is he a friend?” He’d made it seem as though they were very close friends yesterday evening.
Belle shrugged. “He is part of one of my many circles. Why?”
Vita felt as though she were being analyzed.
She said nothing.
Belle sighed. “I’m amazed.”
It took Vita a moment to ask, “By what?”
“By Dunn’s manner last evening.” Belle fell silent.
Vita fisted her hands and tried to not sound as desperate for information as she felt. “Oh?”
Belle smiled. “Clearly, he was taken with you. I’ve never seen him that way with anyone else.” She laughed. “I’d never seen him smile or laugh so loud. It was a good night for him. I could tell he liked you.”
And she liked him.
“Maybe I should trap him into marriage.” Vita gasped and covered her mouth, realizing she’d spoken aloud.
“Excellent idea.” Belle stood. “Leave it all to me. I’ll arrange everything.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t do that to him. Besides, he’s leaving today.”
“I could get a message to him if you wish.”
Vita pressed her lips together. Her stomach turned and she shook her head. “No, I…”
“Do you like him?” Belle asked. “Because I was watching you last evening as well and I have to say the wallflower died the moment he walked into the room. You flourished. You both flourished together.” Belle moved a hand through Vita’s hair and tried to straighten it.
Vita’s heart raced at Belle’s words, but she couldn’t help but think that if Dunn had wanted to see her again he’d have made arrangements for that.
Glancing around, she found no note by the bed. He’d left her nothing but memories.
They would have to be enough.
“Do you know when he’s set to return to England?” Vita asked.
Belle rolled her eyes. “Maybe.”
Vita looked away. “He’s older.”
“So? I’ve enjoyed my fair share of older gentlemen in my day,” Belle said.
Vita knew the woman was in her late twenties, though she looked as though she could have been Vita’s age.
Lady Belle had never married. Her father had left her all his wealth upon his death, which was unusual. considering the man had an heir. Still, the wealth had allowed Belle to live her life the way she pleased.
She was discreet about her affairs. Her charity work was well known. She was adored and envied.
Vita envied her. She envied the woman’s certainty in herself. She wanted to be more like Belle and Milly and all the other women they’d introduced her to.
But years of being told that she was best as a wallflower were hard to break.
When she’d mentioned Dunn’s age, she hadn’t meant she minded the difference. She worried that he would. Wouldn’t it be childish to go after a man who’d seemed to have no intentions toward her?
She smiled at Belle. “I should return to Lady Van Dero’s home.”
“All right.” Belle stood. “But if you ever wish to talk about anything or anyone, I hope you do come to me.”
Vita gave no commitment and left by hackney.
The driver had barely moved before Vita said, “To the docks.”
She just wanted to see if the ship was there. And if he were… she promised she’d say nothing if she saw Dunn.
Perhaps if he saw her, she could pretend she was just walking by.
A walk on the docks? Who did such a thing?
She’d gone fishing then? Or perhaps she was set to travel as well.
They could travel together.
She closed her eyes and imagined him asking her to go to a faraway place with him.
He’d never believe she’d simply been there.
She’d have come up with another lie, though she wasn’t very good at them.
Her stomach dropped at the sound of a ship’s whistle. She was getting close. She needed a good story and soon.
But then she calmed. There was no guarantee that The Rosie was still there.
When the hackney stopped, she paid the driver and asked him to stay near.
Then she went in search of The Rosie.
She got strange looks as she walked through the throngs of workers. There were some ladies and gentlemen, along with some well-dressed middle-class passengers.
One man stopped her and asked if he could be of assistance. He had kind gray eyes.
“I’m looking for The Rosie,” she said.
“The Rosie?” The man’s eyes widened. “That’s my ship. I’m Mr. Carson.”
“Is it gone?”
“Yes. It left an hour ago.”
∫ ∫ ∫
1 2
* * *
“I’m sorry,” Mr. Carson said at Vita’s look of disappointment.
She felt ill, like her heart was breaking. Dizziness came over her.
She’d missed him. He was gone from her forever.
She realized her thoughts were a little dramatic, but she couldn’t help it. The despair she felt was real.
Mr. Carson turned to another man who stood by him. “Were you supposed to be a passenger?” He took what she suspected was the ship’s manifest from the other man’s hand.
“No.” She was surprised by the extreme sense of loss that came over her. Her eyes burned. What if she never saw him again?
“What’s the matter?” Mr. Carson asked softly.
She looked at him. “I... was looking for someone else.”
“What’s his name?”
“The Earl of Dunn.”
He looked over the papers and shook his head. “I do not have a Dunn on my list. Were you looking for Lord Dunst, perhaps?”
Dunst? Had she been hearing it wrong this entire time?
No, she was certain it was Dunn.
The man next to Mr. Carson, who was also well-dressed, said, “I know the names of most of the houses, can’t say I recall an Earl of Dunn ever existing.”
Really? “That can’t be possible.” She couldn’t have made it up.
Mr. Carson turned to her. “This is my friend, Mr. Rogers. He makes it his business to know almost everyone of any importance. Are you certain you’re looking for the Earl of Dunn?”
“Yes.” Vita took a step back. “I’m sorry I’m wasting your time.”
The other man stepped forward. His blue eyes were penetrating. “Has a man been introducing himself as a lord falsely? It’s against the law. What does this Dunn fellow look like?”
Vita wrapped her arms around herself. “Uh… he has dark eyes and a scar.” She pointed to her cheek.
“That’s Dunst,” Mr. Rogers said. “I’m sure of it, and he was supposed to be on this ship today but canceled the journey.”
Vita’s eyes widened. “Really?” It had to be him. Dunn had to be Dunst. There was no
way the two could be so similar and not be the same man. “He hasn’t left?”
“Not with us,” Mr. Rogers assured her.
Vita covered her cheeks and then let out a laugh. The feeling of death that had begun to consume her dissipated.
Mr. Carson smiled. “There, you look much better. I believe we’ve been of some assistance to you?”
Vita nodded. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” She turned and went back to the hackney.
Once inside, she straightened her skirts and tried to calm her belly.
Dunn… Dunst had canceled his trip. What did that mean? Had he done it for her? Was he planning to call?
Oh, she hoped she hadn’t missed him.
Oh, but what if he discovered she lived with Van Dero now? He’d never come to see her then. They were enemies.
Which meant there was a chance she’d never see him again.
She’d have to go to him.
It wasn’t proper, but she had to.
She leaned back in her chair and thought of all the other possibilities that Lord Dunst would have to have not taken his journey. Maybe some other matter had drawn his attention.
But she didn’t think so.
As she recalled their night together, she hoped she was the reason he’d stayed.
She decided she would have to find him. She’d work on that the moment she was at Van Dero’s home.
Entering Regent’s Park, a calm settled over her. Away from the usual London noise, Lord Van Dero’s mansion was hidden in a group of lush trees.
The driver left her at the front door.
A staff member greeted Vita in the foyer.
“Her Grace wishes to see you once you’re settled,” the maid said.
Vita thanked her and then ran to her room.
The room she’d been given was mostly white with pale pink and yellow pillows, calm sea paintings, and fresh flowers.
Vita moved to her bed with a sense of tiredness but stopped before she could touch the sheets.
There was a note against the pillows.
She picked up and smiled. Was it possible that Lord Dunst had found a way to write her and sneak a letter into her room?
Her stomach fell.
The first thing she noticed was the smeared blood around the edges.
Her eyes watered, and her body trembled at the words.
I’ve been watching you.
You have been putting your nose where it doesn’t belong.
You don’t want to know what happens to the man or woman who displeases the duke.
You’ve been warned.
It was signed,
A friend.
What kind of friend would write such a thing? Who was watching her?
She looked around in fear that someone was in her room. She dropped the note and thought to ring for a maid but stopped.
She could show this note to no one.
Someone was watching her.
A servant?
The warning made her heart race and her chest ache from the effort.
She fell to the floor and cowered in a corner and pressed her face to her knees.
Her gown became damp with her tears.
She kept her weeping quiet.
She’d been a fool to think she could best the duke.
What if he was already aware of what she’d been doing?
Was that why Milly had asked to meet her?
She stiffened at the sound of footsteps outside her door, but they faded away a moment later.
Maybe the duke and duchess didn’t know. If Van Dero knew, and the writer of the note hadn’t been lying, then Vita would already be dead, wouldn’t she?
She shook her head. She should have gone about this another way.
The right way.
But her father’s parting warning came back to her.
“Ask the duke for nothing.”
It had been Lord Bush’s only instruction.
A request came with a price when it came to the duke. Therefore, Vita had tried to find the answers on her own. She’d heard that Van Dero knew everything.
Perhaps, he knew where she could find her mother.
It was believed Lady Holly Castella ran away with her lover, taking her heir with her.
Vita’s older brother John had died during the journey, though she’d never been told what had happened to him.
Her father had been distraught about losing both his wife and son.
But only Vita had been there to see her mother go.
Only she’d seen the glimpse of fear in Holly’s eyes. Even at the tender age of five, Vita remembered watching her mother leave.
Vermont Hill was the only location she could recall her mother’s lover speaking about.
Vermont Hill.
She’d told her father years later when she’d been able to communicate her thoughts. Lord Bush had put it as his treacherous wife’s fear she’d be caught.
Vita didn’t agree, because Holly had loved Vita and would have never left her.
Would she?
She’d looked for Vermont and had been told it was in America. She would go if she had to, Vita had decided, but she needed more information before she spent the money to do so. Exactly where in Vermont was her mother? What hill?
She buried her face in her skirts. “Mama, please come home,” she whispered.
She’d prayed that one prayer for fifteen years. She’d asked God for very few things. She’d asked her father for very little, even though he insisted on buying her everything she even looked at twice.
All she wanted was her mother, the one person who’d smiled while she rambled on and on.
“My rambling girl,” Holly would whisper right before she’d cup Vita’s chin.
Vita didn’t ramble anymore.
She lived in a cage of doubts and worries.
There was a knock. “Vita?” It was Milly.
Vita stiffened. “Don’t come in. Please.” Her voice shook.
“Are you all right?” Milly sounded worried. “What’s the matter, dear?”
Vita closed her eyes. “Nothing. I’m just… tired.”
There was a long silence.
Milly’s voice quieted. “Vita, won’t you let me in? We can talk about why you’re crying.”
Vita wiped at her face and sighed. Why she ever thought Milly would leave the matter alone, she didn’t know. She’d learned that Lady Van Dero enjoyed helping people, almost as if it were her sole purpose in life. “I’m all right,” Vita said brightly. “Just so very tired and I… drank too much last night.”
“Are you feeling all right?”
“A little ill.”
“I’ll have a maid bring you tea and a meal.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.” The sound of Milly’s heavy breath came through the door. “Let me know if you require anything else, all right?”
“All right.”
Once Milly left, Vita stood and went to the fireplace. Once she managed to produce a flame, she picked up the letter and burned it.
She did not need a second warning.
She’d leave the duke alone.
Besides, what was the point?
It had been fifteen years since her mother left. Holly wasn’t coming back and Vita doubted she wished to be found.
∫ ∫ ∫
1 3
* * *
“Belle has written to me and recalls a very different night. Are you sure you managed to frighten her?” Van Dero asked for the second time.
Remy tightened his fist. A cloth rested in the palm he’d cut open. His stomach tightened at what he’d done. When Vita arrived at her room, she’d see the note. “It’s been handled.”
Van Dero nodded from behind his desk. “That will be all. You may go but remember to use the back door.”
“I know.”
“We don’t want her to see you.”
They’d arrived at the same time. He’d had to hustle a footman upstairs with the note to place o
n her bed. From a different hall, he’d watched her race up the stairs.
The smile on her face had made it hard for Remy to breathe. When she’d vanished from sight, he’d almost gone after her.
He wanted her.
Vita was… magnificent.
And magnificently young.
Also, he was a liar.
Those facts, along with the gift that he’d left her on her bed, made him keep his distance.
He hoped his letter hadn’t been too much. A few times, he’d almost crumbled it and thrown it away. He hadn’t wanted to scare her, but he also knew that if anyone were to do it, it had to be him. He could not allow Van Dero to assign another man to the job.
Cass hired common criminals for much of his work. Remy didn’t know how far the individual would go to impress the duke and frighten Vita. Remy didn’t want to have to kill the offender for hurting her.
It was the only reason he’d left the note. He hated himself for it, but it was a hatred he could live with.
Cutting himself had been partly about adding urgency to his demand but mostly about causing himself some pain. He ached just to think of how the letter affected her.
They should both be in misery if one of them was.
“I’m leaving London,” Remy decided. “I want to see my sister and nephew.”
Cass nodded. “How is your nephew?”
“Noel is well. My sister says he got a new apprenticeship and is making a decent living now.”
“Well, should he find himself in need of another position, let him know there is always a place for him here.”
“Thank you,” Remy said, knowing the duke truly meant it. Noel had met the duke the night he’d been saved years ago. From a distance, Noel admired Van Dero and Remy could think of many reasons he should.
Cass had helped many and would continue to do so.
“We’ve lost a few good men this past year,” Cass said. “Milly said I should not use the word ‘replace’ when speaking of the men who died or left our service. She said it is insensitive, but that is what I intend to do. Replace them.”
Remy nodded his understanding. Only a handful of Cass’ soldiers had died, and a handful had left. A few had been vital, dependable, but they’d owed no debt so were free to leave as they pleased. “We’ll find more men, though a few will be hard to replace.” Men like Raven and Husher. Both had been soldiers. Deadly. They’d left to work for themselves.
A Knight to Dare: (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 6