The job sounded simple enough. He didn’t even have to speak to Goldstone’s sister. If he took some men with him, he would barely have to see her at all.
“I’ll do it.”
“Excellent,” Cass said.
Goldstone said, “He’ll need to hide her somewhere until the Season begins.”
“Wait.” Nick lifted his hands. “No one said anything about hiding the woman.”
Goldstone frowned. “I said she could not marry until the Season began. It is only December. That is months away.”
“You take her,” Nick said. “She’s your sister.”
The marquess shook his head. “You don’t think anyone connected to me will be the first place they’ll look?”
Nick turned to Cass. “You keep her.”
Cass tapped his fingers on the desk. “No, I’m quite done with people shooting at my wife.”
“I’m not a governess,” Nick said. “I don’t have time to coddle some young chit—”
“Watch your mouth,” Goldstone shouted.
Cass stood just as Nick took a step toward him. “Gentlemen.”
“Never mind,” Goldstone said. “The deal is off. I’ll figure this out on my own. Good day, Your Grace.” He didn’t bother addressing Nick at all as he left.
The door closed behind him.
Cass turned to Nick. “I know you to be more diplomatic than this. What is it between you two?”
Nick shrugged. “The deal is off. Now, let’s discuss expenditures for the coming Season. I think…”
Cass reached into his desk and pulled out something that clinked when he set it on the desk.
Nick saw light flicker off of it when Cass extracted his hand. Nick knew better than to draw close, yet he found himself doing just that, drawn to the shiny object.
He suspected he knew what it was, and he was right.
A gold coin with the shield of the house of Van Dero sat on the desk, a dragon breathing fire etched into the metal. Nick flipped it over and saw VD written on the back.
He’d only ever seen one of these coins once in his life. Gregory had given one to Nick’s mother.
Nick rubbed the gold between his fingers. “Are you truly giving this to me?”
“Get me that deal and it’s yours. One coin. One favor. No questions asked. However, your favor cannot be greatly ridiculous or the one I plan on getting from Goldstone.”
Nick looked at Cassius. “You already know what you wish to ask the marquess?” The moment the question was out, Nick knew the answer. Of course, he did. Cass planned five steps ahead of others.
“I know you can do this,” Cass said. “I know you can see it done properly. I want you to do this.”
“And I will be able to cash in on this coin whenever I want?” Nick held the favor up. It was tempting. It was everything. It was dangerous in his hands. Nick was already wealthy. He had everything he ever needed. What more could he ask for?
“Perhaps, you’d like someone’s name erased from the Book of Affairs,” Cass said. “I don’t know what it is you want, but every man wants something.”
It was true. There were things Nick wanted, but those things could only be given by God. Still, the coin was too lovely to let go of. Nick put it in his pocket. “Honestly, I might just give it away.”
“That would be your right,” Cass said.
Nick sighed in resignation. “All right. I’ll do it.”
Cassius grinned.
∫ ∫ ∫
CHAPTER 02
Lady Elisa Seyes disrobed and stepped into the tub. She sucked in a breath at the stinging heat, but soon a pleasant sensation spread over her. She sank shoulders deep into the water. It was scented like roses and made her skin feel soft to the touch.
“Do you need assistance with your bath, my lady?” her maid asked. Kate had just arrived a few days ago. Before that, Elisa had never had a maid in all the years she lived at St Mary Bethlehem Hospital.
In fact, she’d never had a bath large enough to accommodate her body or rose-scented soap. Usually, her baths smelled of lavender and were never this fragrant.
Things had changed since her uncle’s death. Her meals held more flavor. Even her dresses of fine cloths held more detail, accentuating her body’s greatest attributes. She’d received a new wardrobe, which was customary, her father being the Duke of Reddington, but this was different.
Everything was more.
A part of her believed it was the work of her father. He was clearly trying to comfort her, recalling how close she was to her uncle, Dr. Beau Seyes. Uncle Beau had been like a second father to her. She missed him. She missed their talks and their walks in the small garden behind the house he kept on the property.
She resided away from the other residents, in a small apartment where her uncle had lived. The new head of the hospital, Dr. Hobbs, had taken over his rooms and was allowing Elisa to stay in her room so long as her father paid a heavy rent for it.
Since he’d had no children, Uncle Beau’s sister had come and taken what had been willed to her, but she’d informed Elisa that Beau had willed a few items to her. The golden pocket watch was her favorite and the only thing she’d kept. Everything else, she’d given to Kate.
“I won’t need assistance with my bath, but I do want to know if you delivered my missive.” Though it pained her, Elisa was using what items her uncle had given her to pay the maid to work on her behalf.
She was in Bedlam because she claimed to have witnessed the murder of Lady Sarah Saxon at the hand of Lord James Scott, a man who was now the Marquess of Alguire. Uncle Beau had convinced her it didn’t happen and though it had taken years, Elisa had been convinced he was telling her the truth.
But then Beau had died suspiciously, and her doubts had returned.
Because Elisa spent so much time with her uncle, it made it difficult for him to keep the information of other patients away from her. She’d seen papers here and there, names written in her uncle’s hand that very few could understand.
There was a man here who knew the gentleman she’d witnessed commit the murder, who could likely tell her if she were mad or not.
“I am to receive his reply tonight, my lady,” Kate said. “Unless you wish for one of the guards to bring it? You usually send them with your missives anyway.”
Elisa shook her head. “This is different than a note of encouragement, Kate. This is personal. Only you can handle this.”
While Elisa had no friends in Bedlam, with her uncle’s permission, she’d been allowed to write the patients and even the guards who lived and worked within the hospital’s walls.
She’d been told her tiny messages had brightened even the coldest of days and managed to put smiles of the faces of those who could read them.
Those who couldn’t read, she’d tried to teach from afar. She’d written English letters with small little illustrations to help the men and women along.
It had been her way of keeping spirits high, including her own. The power of words was something she’d learned from her mother.
“I shall return when I have it.” Kate closed the door behind her.
Elia glanced around the room at the other gifts she’d received recently. Flowers and confectioneries. Jewelry. She prayed over and over again that the gifts were from her father or even her brother Avery, but something told her they weren’t.
Something told her the gifts were from the very man she wished to avoid.
She washed her body and her short red hair. The wet curls stopped just beneath her chin but would climb higher when dry.
Taking a breath, Elisa submerged her body under the water and looked up. The surface rippled with waves and bubbles. The hour was late and only the fireplace added a glow to the room.
When she could hold her breath no longer, she rose from the water.
Kate was there, holding out a towel. She looked slightly disheveled. The guards were known to be unkind of the women in Bedlam, but Elisa had thought Kate would be safe
.
“Were you hurt?” Elisa asked.
Kate shook her head. “No. They only teased, but I will not go back there, my lady.”
Elisa nodded in understanding. No gift was worth the risk to her person. She was ready to give up on her task when Kate said, “I got your missive.”
Elisa was out of the water at once and wrapping herself in the towel. The moment her hands were dry, she opened it.
“Are you in love with this soldier?” Kate asked.
Bedlam had begun taking great amounts of soldiers after the war against the French ten years ago, an agreement that was struck when Parliament gave Bethlehem the funds to renovate the existing building.
Currently, the British fought on the Gold Coast and Major John Collins had been injured and was suffering from visions. At least, Elisa had read that on the papers in her uncle’s office.
There was a chance that the major wouldn’t understand what Elisa was asking, a chance he’d lost his mind forever, but Elisa clung to hope.
The major had been at the party the night Lady Sarah Saxon died. He’d been standing close to James Scott, but Elisa believed that at the time the major stayed quiet because of James’ status as a lord. James Scott was to become the Marquess of Alguire.
“I’m not in love with him,” Elisa said. “Why do you ask?”
Kate blinked. “He kept mentioning something about a sweet shop.”
Elisa sat down in a chair and stared at her and then opened the missive.
Gloria.
She stiffened. “This is it,” she whispered. Gloria was a place in London.
Kate began to brush the knots from her hair and did so rather roughly. “Does this mean you won’t be needing me to deliver messages anymore?”
Elisa put the paper down and thought. “I’ll need to get out of here.”
The maid scoffed. “I can do many things, but I can’t do that.”
“I’ll give you the pocket watch.” She would hate doing it, but she would. For this, for justice for her uncle, she would. “Please, just get me out of here.”
“I’m not sure you’ll need my help,” Kate said. “I overheard Dr. Hobbs mention that you’ll be released in a few days. He’s upset he won’t be receiving your father’s money anymore.”
Elisa pulled away and looked up at Kate. “What? Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I just found out. The guards were talking about it. I’m surprised you didn’t know.” She returned to her task. “Your intended, Lord Alguire, is on his way, just finishing the holiday with his parents. The ceremony will take place at the local church. He’s been preparing you, what with all these flowers, gifts, and me. I’m to go with you as your lady’s maid. You won’t take back the things you gave me, will you?”
Elisa’s blood ran cold. She had her answer. The gifts were not from her father. She wanted to tell Kate that she had no intention of going anywhere with the Marquess of Alguire, but the girl had just revealed that she worked for her intended.
Without a thought, Elisa grabbed the brush from Kate’s hand, stood, and began to smash it against the wall. Over and over again, she hit until the wallpaper broke. Then she began to scream.
“My lady!” Kate cried. “What’s the matter?”
Elisa pretended she didn’t hear or understand. She made her wails manic and eventually Kate left, shouting for the doctor.
Once she was gone, Elisa took a breath. This was a tactic she’d used in the past, though it had been some time. Everyone already thought her crazy. No need to disappoint. If madness had kept her here this long, perhaps it could keep her longer, for she refused to marry Alguire.
∫ ∫ ∫
CHAPTER 03
Nick watched as Dr. Hobbs cleaned his spectacles with a cloth right before placing them back on the bridge of his nose. His apartments in Bedlam were like a yellow dandelion that managed to grow through a cobblestone road—bright, lively, and nothing like the rest of the facility.
When Dr. Hobbs had heard that the Marquess of Venmont’s brother was present, he’d had the head guard escort him into his private quarters.
The front room was decorated in an old fashion. Elbow chairs with green velvet cushions matched the leaf work in the yellow wallpaper. Rich oak furniture lined the walls. Two red fabric panels hung on either side of the mantelpiece.
From the panel window behind Dr. Hobbs, Nick spotted a garden, which seemed well maintained for winter. Reds and evergreens added some life outside. A woman in a dark, fur-lined cape moved across a frozen pathway with another who walked a short distance behind her.
From what he’d learned thus far, he suspected the front woman to be Lady Elisa, but he’d yet to see her face. Her brother had given him a vague description. Red hair, brown eyes, and of average build and height.
The good doctor smiled. “It’s wonderful to meet you, my lord. When the guards told me that you’d come to visit, I cleared my schedule for the occasion. I’m sure you're sensitive to the needs of such a facility. We house many soldiers. Your father and brother, the current Lord Venmont, both fought in the army, did they not?”
Nick might have gotten to the doctor under false pretenses. “They were, and I’d be willing to make a substantial donation to the hospital, but I need your help.”
Dr. Hobbs opened his hands. “However I can assist you, please do not hesitate to ask.”
“I need Lady Elisa Seyes.”
Dr. Hobbs choked and then fought to clear his throat. “I’m sorry, my lord, but Lady Elisa is not up for visitors.”
Nick stood and moved to the window, all but ignoring the protest. “Is that her?”
Dr. Hobbs got to his feet as well and moved to stand by the window. His gray hair was white in the sunlight. “Yes, that’s her. She seems only to calm when outdoors. Can’t say I care for the cold myself, though.” There was regretful look in his eyes, and Nick wondered at the doctor’s attachment to Lady Elisa.
According to Elisa’s brother, she lived with Dr. Hobbs.
“What do you mean calm?” Nick asked.
Dr. Hobbs shook his head and blushed. “You’ll have to forgive me, I’m not to speak in detail about the patients, especially one connected to the Duke of Reddington.”
Elisa turned around, but her face was in shadows. She spoke rapidly to the other girl, who Nick recognized to be a servant by her simple clothing.
Then Elisa looked right at him.
In spite of her insanity, her features were quite gentle. Pretty even. His stared into her eyes and watched as she squinted hers. The expression made her face more interesting.
Could she see him? He doubted he could be seen clearly. The window was frosted, and the light played on the reflection.
Nick thought it a good time to get to business. While Dr. Hobbs could play the good doctor with someone else, Nick knew that most people had a price. He’d come to do a job and planned to do it as quickly as possible. “I’ll be right back.” When Dr. Hobbs began to stutter over his words, he said, “Stay here.” Nick walked out the door.
The cold hit him instantly, and he remembered he wasn’t wearing his coat. He easily withstood the winds, having had borne worse in his life.
He walked right up to Lady Elisa. She quickly excused her maid before lifting her gaze.
Her expression of wonder rendered him speechless. Her curiosity was plain, but so was something else.
Attraction. On her part, not his.
He’d seen that particular glow a hundred times over. Women were usually attracted to him, even when he made little effort to make it so.
Her dark cloak was red, just a few shades deeper than her wind-roughened cheeks. As she tilted her head back, he saw a glimpse of her hair, a shade closer to orange than red. It was shorter than most women’s. Interesting. He wished to see the whole of it.
“Are you visiting someone in the building?” she asked.
Technically, she wasn’t in the building, so he said, “No.”
“You�
�re not a patient, are you?”
“No.” However, Nick thought he should be, seeing that he was here, doing a job he shouldn’t have taken.
“Are you certain?” She lifted a brow. Her eyes, which were a warm brown like amber or a strong brandy moved over him. He stiffened at how consumed her eyes made him feel, as though he’d left the cold and entered somewhere soft and hidden. There was an undeniable sensuality to her that he didn’t believe was practiced. He sensed naivety, as though she didn’t know how captivating she could be with a simple wrinkled brow and turned up lip. “If you’re not a patient then why are you here?”
Feeling himself being drawn into the moment and telling himself he was only hiding his identity in order to get more information from her, he said, “I came to see you.”
Her eyes widened. “Me?” Her cheeks colored further, and she bit her lower lip. “But I don’t even know who you are.” But it was there, the interest. She wanted to know.
He wanted to know her as well but for other reasons.
“How are you?” he asked, wishing to delve into her mind.
She sighed. “That depends.”
“On?”
“Who you are.”
She was a clever one. He liked that more than he wished to admit it. “What if I were another patient?”
She stepped closer and whispered, “Then I’d tell you that it’s dreadful here, and I’d suggest we run away. Together.”
He was rendered speechless by the woman once again. He wasn’t surprised that she’d asked him to get her out, but it was the suggestion that they run away ‘together’ that took his mind some time to straighten.
She could have simply suggested they run, go their separate ways, but she didn’t wish to separate. She likely would if she knew what he’d done in his life, but then again, she was mad. If in her right mind, she wouldn’t have suggested it in the first place.
“And what if I were a doctor?” he asked. “What would you say then?”
“That day is night and people walk on their noses and I feel as though I’m falling…” She smiled. “Falling up into the stars to swim in the sea.” She had dimples at the corner of her lips, enhancing her face from interesting to intriguing.
A Knight to Dare: (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 32