“Your home is in the same direction that Leo is heading,” Cass said. “You could ride together if you wished.”
“Leo is in town?” Lord Leonard Childs worked for Cassius. What he did was a mystery, even to his own brothers, Oliver and Nicholas. Leo seemed to shadow people and gain information in clever ways.
He was sometimes like a Forager, the part of Cass’ organization that went to parties just to listen to secrets and report back. However, Leo could easily be Dispatch as well. They were assassins. Then there were a million other jobs in between all that. Leo did a little of everything.
A man of many scary talents.
“He came at Nicholas’ request to watch after his sister-in-law while he was on an assignment,” Cassius said. “Nicholas has returned so Leo is leaving.”
“I’ll go by Nick’s home before I leave town.”
“I know you didn’t like this assignment,” the duke said. “Take all the time you need.”
Remy grunted. All the time he needed. The duke would expect him back in at least a fortnight. He’d be lucky if a messenger didn’t come for him before that.
The door opened before Remy could make his escape.
He stilled in both fear and hope it was Vita.
It wasn’t. It was Milly instead.
The duchess closed the door behind her. That she didn’t knock meant something. That her face was hardened said another. Her gray eyes turned dark as steel. “I helped you with your little deception because you said Vita wouldn’t get hurt.” She looked at both men.
Ven Dero frowned. “According to Belle, she had a pleasant night. What do you mean?”
Milly’s brows wrinkled. “She’s crying.”
“Vita is crying?” Remy asked. After that, he struggled to breathe.
Had his letter caused that reaction?
Van Dero turned to Remy. “Forgive me for doubting you. You’re better than I thought.”
Milly pointed a finger at him. “What did you do?”
“I can go talk to her.”
“Absolutely not,” Cass said.
“Cassius!” Milly said.
Remy shook his head and sighed. “No, Cassius is right.” He was the last person who should talk to her. She was already upset. He’d lied to her. Revealing the truth at the moment would not make anything better.
Cass asked him, “Did you hurt her physically?”
“No.”
Cass narrowed his eyes and then looked at Milly. “What did she say to you?”
Milly crossed her arms. “That she was tired and feeling ill, but she’s lying.”
“She could be feeling ill,” Remy said. “She had quite a bit to drink last night. She vomited in Belle’s drawing-room.”
Milly’s eyes widened. “She did? Oh! I’ll make certain the maid is quiet when she leaves the tea.” She ran from the room then.
Cassius asked Remy, “Would your letter have caused this?”
Remy didn’t think so. “I don’t know…” It had been quite dark but lacked explicit details, yet he couldn’t think of anything else that would have caused the tears.
He did recall something from the other night. “She asked me not to hurt you last night.”
“Did she?” Cass’ brows rose. He was rarely caught off guard. “Why?”
“She said she needed you.”
Cass’ expression settled. “Everyone needs the Duke of Van Dero. Let’s just hope the snooping stops.”
Remy hoped it would.
“Is there anything else you recall about last night? Anything you wish to share?”
He recalled the way she’d looked on the red divan, clenching his jacket. He remembered the way her eyes had stayed on him during their dance. He could still hear her laugh. Joy broke over his chest just recalling it.
Cassius watched and waited for a response.
“No,” Remy said. “There is nothing I wish to share. Goodbye.”
“Remember to use the back door—”
Remy closed the door and then moved through the house quickly. He was disappointed when he didn’t run into Vita, but he’d been a soldier. Getting him and his men in and out of tough situations had been his expertise.
His life was dangerous. More so than even Cassius’. Vita didn’t need a man like him around. Was she needed was a gentleman around her own age who enjoyed parties and would show her about London, someone just as charming and unique as her.
He could never be that man.
∫ ∫ ∫
1 4
* * *
It took days for Vita to make it to Lord Dunst’s residence.
First, she’d had to lie to Lord and Lady Van Dero about needing to go home to get a few things. Then she’d sent one of her own footmen from her father’s townhouse to inquire.
He’d returned to her hours later with what she’d needed. After that, it had been a matter of getting to Dunst without Van Dero’s staff following her about.
That had been harder.
His men were everywhere. Sneaking out at night would have been an option anywhere else, but not at Van Dero’s residence. He had watchmen stationed everywhere on the grounds.
She could trust no staff member. She still wasn’t certain who’d written her the warning, but she was beginning to suspect Van Dero’s valet.
Vita finally got an idea the third night. She would have to attend a party and go from there.
But what party? It had to be one close to Dunst’s residence. Otherwise, if she were gone for too long someone would worry.
The perfect party presented itself at the end of the week. When Milly extended the invitation, Vita readily accepted. Then upon arrival, she’d told Milly that her stomach was aching her and that she’d need a chamber pot.
She made it clear she’d be a while and was not to be disturbed. Milly had grimaced at the detailed information. Belle had laughed, but Vita was excused, nonetheless.
She went to the appropriate room but slipped out the window.
Lord Dunst’s home was only a block away.
Vita ran toward it. Her heart was beating wildly by the time she arrived, both from exhaustion and fear.
What if he rejected her?
She almost hoped he wasn’t home. If he weren’t, she’d written a note. It simply said that if he wished to, he could write to her at her father’s address and that her footman would bring it to her.
It also said that she hoped he would write.
The butler opened the door for her.
“I’d... like to see Lord Dunst.”
“And what is this about?” he asked.
Vita frowned. “Well, we met at a party—”
“Lord Dunst doesn’t attend parties.”
“He went to this one,” Vita rushed on when the butler began to close the door. “And we spent time together. I… just… I think he wishes to see me again.” The last statement was bold, but she hoped it would get the butler to let her in.
The butler stared at her. Then he nodded and ushered her in without asking for her name.
The moment she was still, he walked around her, his eyes taking every part of her in.
Vita pulled in a breath and wondered what he was about, but she was too tongue-tied to ask aloud.
The butler returned to her front. “He’s been waiting for you. This way.”
He’d been waiting for her.
For the first time, Vita smiled.
Perhaps, the butler had been given a description of her. How odd that he would expect her to come and not the other way around.
But what choice did they have if they wished to be together? He was an enemy of Van Dero, something she hoped she could change.
She noticed something strange about Dunst’s home. The lack of light. The only lamp she’d seen was the one the butler held. It had been hanging by the door in the foyer when she arrived and now he carried it.
There were no others.
Did he like it dark at night?
When the butle
r led her through a door, Vita’s nervousness spiked. There was no light in the room save for the one the butler held. Surely, there could be no one waiting for her in the dark.
“Your friend has arrived, my lord,” the butler said.
“Finally,” a voice she didn’t recognize said. It was clearer than the man she remembered. The rasp was entirely gone. “Brighten the lamp. Let me see her.”
The butler obeyed and Vita took in the man who sat in a chair just a few feet away.
Her mouth fell open at the sight of his scar.
Then she took in the rest of him.
This wasn’t Lord Dunst.
His visible eye was dark blue. His hair was a pale brown. He was younger than the man she recalled and thinner.
He stood. He was taller than Vita and that frightened her.
This man’s scar ran through his eye just like the man she’d met, but while the man who’d stolen her heart at the party still had his eyes, this man’s eye was sewn shut.
“Not pretty, is it?” Dunst asked.
“The lady said you two had met at a party,” the butler said. “I assume she meant the brothel.”
Brothel?
“Did she?” Dunst looked her over and shook his head. “No, I’d have recalled such a beauty at the party.”
“I’m sorry.” Vita swallowed. “There’s been some sort of mistake.” She backed away. “I’m looking for a different Lord Dunst.”
“There is only one Dunst and he is me.” The man grabbed her arm. “My, you are beautiful. And a lady at that? Most would faint at the sight of me. Stay. Have a glass of wine with me.”
Vita’s heart raced. She shouldn’t have come. “No, my chaperone—”
“You’re already here. Come. Have wine and then you can leave. I wish to know about this other man who called himself the Earl of Dunst.”
With his grip on her and the butler standing by the door, Vita had no choice.
“Please,” she whispered.
“One glass. Surely, you can see that I don’t get many visitors. I’ll wear a patch if it makes you feel better.”
Vita allowed him to lead her to the couch. The butler followed and placed the lamp on a stand nearby.
Dunst turned away.
Vita looked around, trying to find a way to flee.
Her eyes caught sight of a chess game that seemed to be spread out on Dunst’s tea table, but the pieces were different. Extraordinary, actually. There were knights, horses, and lions all in various shades and shapes. Stars, hearts, and roses were scattered across the board. A few even had gems. She wondered if they were real of simple paste jewelry.
She’d never seen anything like it. She wanted one.
She picked up one of the wooden pieces. It was a bird with onyx eyes. A falcon perhaps? “Extraordinary,” she whispered.
In the center of the board were the largest of the pieces. A lion rested on its side while a bear stood as if king.
It looked like an interesting game.
Dunst shifted and she remembered she was not alone.
She put the bird back where she’d found it. “What’s this?” she asked nervously.
“A game I play for fun.”
She was about ready to ask him to teach her, but he spoke again.
“Is this better?”
Vita turned to Dunst and took in his new appearance. The patch was on, yet the ominous feeling she had about him had nothing to do with his missing eye and everything to do with him. She still didn’t wish to be near him. Her body quaked slightly, and she prayed he didn’t notice.
“It still disturbs you,” he said.
“No, I don’t care about it at all. I just want to go home.” The eye had simply looked closed. The wound that had caused it seemed old.
“Hm.” Her host sounded as though he didn’t quite believe her. Then he turned to the butler. “Wine, Marshall.”
The butler was staring at her, but then nodded and disappeared in the dark.
The way was open, yet even if Vita ran, she doubted she’d find her way to the door. She’d been so excited about seeing Dunst that she hadn’t been paying attention to where the butler had been guiding her.
“Wine makes me ill,” she said.
“It’s a single glass. No harm in that.” He leaned away, and she calmed a little. “Tell me about the Lord Dunst you were looking for.”
“Perhaps, I was wrong. Perhaps, it was Dunn.”
“There is no Earl of Dunn, not even a Lord Dunn if I recall.” He narrowed that one eye. “Where did you meet this man?”
“At a party.” Vita looked down at her hands and tried to think of a way out of her situation.
“What did he look like?”
Maybe if she gave him enough information, he’d let her go. “He was tall with dark hair.”
“Like me?”
She swallowed and looked up. She nodded. “He also had a…”
“Scar? Well, clearly he didn’t frighten you as I do.” He looked over when Marshall brought in the wine and handed Vita a class. “How old are you, girl?”
“Twenty.” She looked at the chessboard again.
“I’m twenty-three. Not much older than you.” He smiled. “Would you like to know how I lost my eye? It got infected. The doctor had to take it out. I was young at the time. I fought. It is how I got the scar on my face.”
Vita’s heart broke at the story. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. She couldn’t help but notice how easily he’d offered his story when she’d had to fight to get one from the other man.
“Finish that glass and you may go,” her host said.
Vita put the glass to her mouth and began to try and inhale it. The moment it touched her lips, she recognized the flavor, or at least she thought she did. It was one Dunn had given her that evening.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“It’s old,” she said.
He smiled. “Tell me more about your Lord Dunst.” He seemed starved for company.
Vita understood that. If they’d met in Vauxhall Garden, she would have spoken to him without care. She truly wasn’t bothered by his eye, especially with the patch in place.
Though he’d forced her to sit, he didn’t seem as cruel as she’d first thought. He continued to keep his distance as she drank her glass.
Vita took another sip. Had Dunn lied to her about his name? It seemed impossible since Jeremy had introduced them. “I should really go. Lady Van Dero will be looking for me.”
She thought she saw him stiffen but then he took another sip.
“Lady Van Dero?” he asked. “You know her?”
She nodded. “And the duke. I live with them.”
“And they know your Lord Dunst?”
She shook her head. “No. Apparently, Lord Dunst is… not a friend.”
Dunst widened his eyes. “Not a friend. Like someone the duke would call an enemy?”
Vita rushed on, “I heard a great many terrible things about the other Lord Dunst, but clearly, you two are not the same man.”
“Are you important to the duke?” he asked. “A lover perhaps?” He glanced at the game on the tea table and then in a blink covered it with a sheet he seemed to pull from nowhere.
“Oh, no, my lord! I am not Van Dero’s lover at all. He’s my guardian for the time being. My father asked him to watch over me.”
“I’m sure it’s part of some deal.” Dunst’s grin held malice. “I know how Van Dero works.”
Vita did not need reminding of that. There was always a price with the duke. She wondered what her father was giving in order to keep her safe.
She tried for a smile and then finished her wine and stood. “I should go.”
Dunst moved to his feet and Vita froze, fearing he would stop her. “Yes, we can’t let anything unfortunate befall you. We must keep the duke happy. Marshall will call a hackney for you. We mustn’t let Lady Van Dero worry.”
Vita smiled and wondered why she’d not said Van Dero’s name before
. People naturally feared him. She was certain she would have been out of the room before she’d ever sat if she’d said the right words.
Dunst escorted her to the door. “If you see this Dunst fellow again, tell him to get a new name.”
Vita was so disappointed in the night, and herself, that she could do nothing but nod.
She was stopped on the front steps by Dunst’s voice again. “My lady, I never got your name.”
Vita saw no reason not to give it. “I’m Lady Vita Castella, daughter to Lord Bush.”
He bowed. “I hope you enjoyed the wine, Lady Vita. Have a good evening.”
Once in the hackney, she begged it to rush back to the party.
She needed to speak to Belle. There seemed no other choice.
Why would Dunn have lied about his name?
Was it a nickname? Something he went by every now and again?
It would be odd if that were the case.
And why the similarities with Dunst? The dark eyes and hair. The scar.
Had she drunk so much last week that she’d imagined an entirely different man?
She vowed she was through with spirits, especially wine. From then on, she would only drink tea.
Once at the party, she went back through the window just as someone gave a knock and entered the room through the door.
Being a bad liar, Vita leaned against a wall, fell to the floor, and closed her eyes.
“Vita?” Milly asked. “You fell asleep in here?”
“Hm?” Vita looked up. “Oh, sorry. How long have I been out?”
Belle came in and immediately began to laugh. “Oh, Vita! How I absolutely adore you. This world would be so very tedious without you, dear.”
Vita smiled, but inside, she was confused. Who had she met at the party?
∫ ∫ ∫
1 5
* * *
“You kill my horse, I’ll bury your corpse next to him.”
Leo grinned over at Remy. The blue-eyed charmer sat in the driver’s seat with Remy at his side. Leo held the reins and was currently pushing Remy’s horses at an astonishing pace. The wind whipped through their hair. Remy had removed his hat in order not to lose it.
Leo’s chestnut locks flowed through the wind. “It’s faster if I drive. This way, you get to your family sooner. I’ve already kept you away from them long enough.”
A Knight to Dare: (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 7