‘Why?’ She sent him a challenging look. ‘Do you imagine that Salford came here solely for the purpose of irritating you? Well, even if he is that foolish, his pursuit of me would hardly serve in that regard, and I cannot imagine why he would presume otherwise.’
He sent her a searching look. ‘Can you not?’
She looked away from him, confused. ‘What shall we do now?’
‘What a delightful question,’ he replied with a chuckle.
‘Behave yourself! I care about keeping you alive even if you seem to think of your survival as yet another game.’
‘Quite the reverse, I do assure you.’ Ezra paused, rubbing his chin as he stared off into the distance, probably not noticing the chaffinch that was sitting on a low bough, singing its heart out. ‘I think it a very real possibility that Salford has been commissioned to bump me off, given our difference of opinion over his ungentlemanly conduct as an officer. Particulars of the argument will have reached our assassin’s ears, if he has been keeping track of me. As you yourself have just discovered, Salford has a high opinion of himself and does not take kindly to having his conduct called into question. Add to that the fact that he is likely short of funds and I think our assassin has shown himself to be an astute judge of character.’
‘He has offered Salford the opportunity to achieve two objectives,’ Clio said. ‘If he is successful then he will enjoy a decent payday and exact the ultimate form of revenge upon you.’ She glanced up at Ezra. ‘Do you think he is really that arrogant, or that reckless?’
‘I do,’ Ezra replied, firming his jaw.
They strolled on in momentary silence. Clio became increasingly aware of the duke’s proximity as her skirts brushed against his legs. Surely he shouldn’t be walking so close that she could feel the heat from his body percolating through layers of petticoats and muslin? There again, perhaps that heat was the result of a burning need that seemed to well up inside of her, quite without her permission, whenever he was anywhere near.
Dear God, she needed to keep a firmer grip on reality!
‘Are you quite yourself?’ Ezra asked with a whimsical smile that implied he knew precisely what he was doing to her. Clio wasn’t about to fall for his unconventional methods and took a deliberate sidestep away from him. If he required adulation, he had only to return to his bevy of admirers on the croquet lawn. Clio was not so easily impressed by his admittedly glorious male splendour and would not pander to his vanity.
‘Perfectly so, I thank you, your grace.’
‘It’s still Ezra,’ he replied in a softly persuasive drawl. ‘Now, what are we to do about Salford?’
‘Find out what it is that he really wants from me, one supposes,’ she replied with a casual shrug. ‘It is not difficult to assume that my fortune is the attraction. But if that is the case and he was reasonably sure that he would meet with success—which he was since he is too arrogant to assume that any female could resist his questionable charms—it begs the question, why agree to murder you, a duke no less?’ She glanced up at Ezra, frowning.
‘Because I have offended him by calling his honour into question. He will know that rumours abound in that respect and that the majority will take my side.’
Clio waved the suggestion aside. ‘He might bear you a grudge, but I have never supposed him to be stupid. He knows there would be the most thorough of investigations if something happens to you here, and that the public nature of your dispute will point the finger of suspicion firmly in his direction. Nor would the authorities require much proof of his guilt,’ she added, warming to her theme. ‘They will be under pressure to bring your murderer to justice, and Salford will do as well as anyone.’
‘I am so very glad that you can remain so analytical in the face of my impending demise.’
‘Oh, do be serious!’ She swatted playfully at his arm. ‘I am trying to keep you alive, you wretched ingrate.’
‘For my part, I am trying very hard to take the matter seriously, I do assure you. If it appears otherwise then you are entirely to blame for my whimsy.’
‘Me?’ She pointed her index finger at her own chest for emphasis. ‘What have I done?’
‘You distract me in the nicest possible way,’ he replied. ‘There is something about you, something rare in one so young that makes you stand out.’ His brow creased, implying that he was as bemused by his admission as Clio was to hear it.
‘Don’t be ridiculous! There is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about me. Now stop being so disobliging. You are here to select a wife from the candidates who have presented themselves, not amuse yourself at my expense.’
Ezra smiled that slow, seductive smile of his that Clio reacted to despite her best efforts to ignore it.
‘I think,’ she said, feeling compelled to fill the charged silence between them, ‘that we should find a way to draw Salford out and make him admit to his true purpose, if only so that we can eliminate him as a possible assassin.’
‘Well, that’s obvious—his purpose, that is.’ Ezra scowled into the distance. ‘He is here to win your hand in marriage. You have made it clear to him that he will not succeed, but that will not prevent him from continuing to pursue you.’
‘That is his official reason. Lady Fletcher is a romantic, so she agreed immediately, just as he must have known that she would.’
Ezra raised a brow. ‘He is acquainted with her ladyship?’
‘In passing, but I suspect that whoever sent him here, if indeed anyone did, would have known that she would acquiesce, and that the romantic intentions he has made no effort to disguise would remove suspicion from him.’
‘I agree, my fierce little sleuth, but how we prove he has an alternative reason for being here eludes me.’
‘Nothing could be easier,’ Clio replied with asperity. ‘Must I do all the thinking?’ she added when Ezra sent her a mild look of enquiry. ‘You will need to set yourself up as a target, obviously.’
‘Ah.’ He chuckled. ‘I am not sure that idea appeals.’
‘You will be well-protected,’ she said impatiently. ‘Think about it logically. If Salford has been sent here to do away with you then he will not want to become a suspect, so he cannot risk committing the crime on this estate. That will reduce the field far too drastically. But there is nothing to prevent you from being set upon in the village when you go to—’
‘To join the other gentlemen in the local tavern.’ Clio could sense that he had taken her suggestion seriously and felt pleased to have thought of a possible remedy. ‘Your plan has merit, my lovely. It is not as though he could discharge a pistol,’ Ezra added in a considering tone. ‘The sound of the shot would bring people running and he would have a hard time proving that he didn’t fire it. Especially if he did. The smell of the cordite would give him away, even if he found time to throw the weapon aside before help arrived.’
‘Precisely, so he will have to resort to a dagger or…well, something less immediately lethal.’
Ezra offered her a droll smile. ‘How reassuring.’
‘Surely you can defend yourself against the captain,’ Clio said, enjoying challenging him. ‘I will confess that he looks fit, strong and capable, but I suppose…’ She canted her head and sucked her lower lip between her teeth as she exacted revenge for unspecified grievances by pretending to contemplate his musculature. ‘However, I’m sure that you could hold your own. Besides, your man will be nearby to step in if needs be.’
‘Minx!’ He bent to throw a stick for Merlin, who barked and then scampered after it. ‘There isn’t enough time between now and tonight—’
‘Which could be just what Salford is depending upon.’
‘Well then, it will be interesting to see if he follows me, should I wander away from the main party.’
‘With help close at hand, naturally.’
‘Naturally.’ But Clio could sense that he had decided to take matters into his own hands.
‘What are you not telling me?’ she asked imp
atiently.
‘I am more interested in who’s pulling the killer’s strings, and why,’ he replied in a pensive tone. ‘That is the person we need to draw out.’
Clio conceded the point with a dip of her head. ‘In your situation, I would feel the exact same way. You assume that Salford doesn’t know?’
‘If he has been engaged, then I am absolutely sure of it. Whoever killed my father and brother went to extreme lengths to cover their tracks. He wouldn’t risk the person he’s hired knowing his identity, since if he is caught then he would give him up in a heartbeat in order to save his own skin. The mastermind would be aware of that.’
‘Very likely.’
‘Your grace, coo-ee! Are you there? You’re needed.’
‘That’s my aunt,’ Clio said anxiously. ‘Best that she does not find us here alone together.’
‘Ashamed of me?’ he asked in a mocking tone.
Clio shook her head at him and disappeared behind the nearest tree seconds before her aunt came into view.
‘Ah, your grace, exercising your dog, I see.’
‘I was enjoying a respite from your delightful entertainments, Lady Fletcher,’ he replied, turning on enough charm to make even Lady Fletcher blush, Clio noticed with amusement as she peeped round the side of her tree.
‘This is a lovely spot, I have to agree with you there, but if you are ready, we have need of you on the lawns. A new guest has just arrived who is most anxious to renew her acquaintanceship with you.’
‘Then by all means let us attend her.’ Ezra proffered his arm and Clio’s aunt placed her hand on it.
Clio watched them go, curious as to the identity of the new arrival. She gave them a few minutes’ head start and then returned to the lawns by a different route. She noticed Salford immediately, standing on the edge of the gathering and watching everything, as though ready to pounce whenever the time was right. He inclined his head and smiled when he noticed her, but she ignored the gesture and joined Adele, who was seated at a table pouring tea.
‘Who is that?’ Clio asked, nodding towards an attractive lady she had never seen before who was greeting Ezra with a familiar kiss on each cheek. Clio tamped down the jealousy she felt, noticing that Ezra didn’t seem especially pleased to see her. There was certainly none of the informal playfulness or wicked little smiles that he’d just shared with Clio, and he didn’t attempt to stand too close to the newcomer either.
‘Lady Isobel Walder.’
‘Never heard of her. Who is she? She seems to be acquainted with the duke.’
‘Mama knows her only slightly. She is recently widowed—’
‘Not so recently. She isn’t wearing widow’s weeds and doesn’t look especially heartbroken by the alteration to her circumstances.’
‘One assumes she is out of official mourning.’ Adele replaced the teapot on the table and handed a cup and saucer to Clio, who thanked her and took a sip of the scalding liquid. Adele poured another and handed it to a footman to pass on. ‘Anyway, Mama received a letter from her yesterday saying that she planned to be in the district for a few weeks and stating her intention to call.’
‘And let me guess, my aunt felt duty bound to invite her to the party.’
‘Yes, but she didn’t think she would accept, which is why she didn’t mention anything before now. She was never more surprised than when Lady Walder arrived a few moments ago.’
‘She is creating quite a stir,’ Clio remarked, watching Salford bowing over her hand and a small posse of other gentlemen awaiting an introduction.
‘I believe her husband was an officer in the same regiment as your father, the duke and Captain Salford, which would explain how she became acquainted with them.’
‘She followed the drum?’
Adele lifted one shoulder. ‘Presumably so.’
‘She is very striking, and appears fully aware of the fact.’ Clio wrinkled her nose when the lady gave a tinkling little laugh that sounded entirely false and bestowed her full attention upon Lord Fryer, causing Adele’s hand to tremble. ‘I have not even spoken to her, but already have my suspicions about her intentions.’
‘What sort of suspicions?’
‘I wish I knew.’ Clio fell to momentary contemplation. ‘However, methinks the widow is here to lead the duke astray and to cause as much mayhem as possible. She certainly enjoys being the centre of attention.’
‘As do most beautiful women, in my view.’
‘True.’ Clio grinned at Adele, wondering why she was feeling so out of charity with the new arrival when she had done Clio no harm. ‘Anyway, I dare say the duke is perfectly capable of taking care of himself and doesn’t need us to fight his battles for him.’
Well, not this particular battle.
‘Beth will be even more dejected now.’
‘She doesn’t look exactly heartbroken,’ Clio replied, glancing across the lawns to where Beth was giggling with two of the younger gentlemen at the archery butts when she failed to fire an arrow anywhere near the target. ‘Perhaps she prefers the attentions of gentlemen closer to her own age.’
‘And was setting her cap at the duke because Mama expected it of her?’
Clio lifted a shoulder, trying not to keep glancing at Ezra, who had wandered away from Lady Walder and was himself now strolling around the periphery of the gathering. ‘Perhaps,’ Clio said. ‘Anyway, never mind Beth. What about you? Did you enjoy your game with Lord Fryer?’
‘Yes,’ Adele replied, eyes downcast, ‘but he appears to be enjoying the game he is playing at this moment a great deal more.’
Clio glanced at Lord Fryer as he smiled at Lady Walder and laughed at something she had just said to him.
‘Well my love, cruel as it sounds, if he is really that inconstant then it is better that you discover the fact now. Personally, I think he is simply being polite. We have already speculated about his naturally companionable nature and the fact that he is affable and easy going with everyone he meets. Look, you see, he has already walked away from the lady and left her to others, as has the duke.’
Adele smiled. ‘Don’t mind me. I am really not that smitten with him.’
‘Yes you are,’ Clio replied, grinning.
The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully, and Clio didn’t exchange another private word with the duke or with Captain Salford. Lady Walder appeared to be at the centre of all the activity, flirting openly with every man who crossed her path and disregarding the ladies, none of whom she appeared to look upon as serious competition. Clio was disgusted by her behaviour and said as much to her aunt in a quiet aside.
‘It is just her way, my dear. She means nothing by it,’ Aunt Fletcher said, sounding as though she wished rather than believed that to be the case. ‘She is not my favourite person, but I do know that she truly loved her husband and that he was taken from her at far too young an age. We must make allowances. Not everyone wears their grief openly and we all have different methods of overcoming it. Take it from one who knows,’ she added, clearly thinking of her own husband. Aunt Fletcher had been courted by several eligible men since his demise but she wouldn’t take any of them. No one, she had frequently assured Clio, could replace her beloved James.
‘You make me ashamed of my uncharitable thoughts about the lady, Aunt.’
‘You do not have an uncharitable bone in your body, my love, but you do observe too much and think too deeply. No good comes of a lady who is a deep thinker.’
With these words of wisdom ringing in her ears, Clio strolled away, smiling at her aunt’s simple view of life. Clio herself would undoubtedly find her own life far less complicated if she could bring herself to adopt the same approach.
‘We are in the manner that God made us,’ she muttered, smiling at the gentlemen who were still patiently attempting to teach Beth how to draw a bow and actually hit the target.
The afternoon’s entertainments eventually came to an end and the gentlemen gravitated towards the stables, clearly intent upon quen
ching their thirsts at the local tavern. Ezra had not given Clio his assurance that he would be on his guard, and when she noticed his man Godfrey still on the estate after the gentlemen had quit it, she knew she had to do something to help him.
‘He deserves to be murdered if he takes so little care of himself,’ she muttered mutinously as she scurried back to her chamber. Without ringing for Daisy she changed into the lad’s clothing that she sometimes wore in order to ride astride.
The male guests had gone into the village and the ladies were resting before changing for dinner, so Clio was able to slip from the house again unobserved. With a cap pulled low over her eyes, the head groom didn’t bat an eyelid when he observed her garb.
‘Off for a quick ride before dinner, I take it,’ he said. ‘I’ll have Raven saddled in two seconds.’
Clio thanked him, slipped into the saddle the moment Raven was brought out and headed towards the village at a brisk trot. She had no particular plan in mind and could only hope that her disguise would hold up. She hadn’t tested it out in the village before but was fairly sure that no one would take much notice of another lad wandering about the place at the end of his working day. Her only difficulty was Raven. No young lad would be seen riding a horse like him, and she couldn’t risk leaving him at the mews behind the Royal Oak. He was known there and her disguise would be seen through in an instant.
‘You will just have to remain here,’ Clio told him, slipping from the saddle and tying his reins to a branch on the edge of the common land that adjoined the village. ‘Kick anyone who tries to steal you. Hopefully, I shall not be long.’
Raven dropped his head and cropped at the grass, totally unperturbed. Clio, in contrast was suddenly full of nerves and uncertainty, aware that if she was caught then she would have some awkward explaining to do. Her aunt would be disappointed in her, and after everything that lady had done to make her feel welcome in her home, she would much prefer not to repay her by letting her down.
Even so, a pressing desire that she preferred not to examine too closely, an urgent need to protect the duke, made it impossible for her to remain passively at home attending to her embroidery. He was in danger, and he was too negligent of his own safety to realise it. In these modern times it was ridiculous to imagine that a lady was any less capable of providing that protection than a strapping man. In fact sometimes—quite often in fact—being underestimated for reasons of gender worked to her advantage.
Fit for a Duke: Dangerous Dukes Page 12