by Vella, Wendy
His brothers were waiting for him in the study when he returned. Taking the brandy Gabe held out to him, he sank into a chair.
“There are some odd goings-on this season,” Michael said.
“Very,” Gabe agreed.
“Firstly, there are the Russians intent on stirring up trouble.” Zach touched one of his fingers.
“Then there are the papers stolen from Lords Lithgow and Russell,” Gabe said.
Zach ticked off another finger.
“Let us not forget the gathering Nathan attended, which he shouldn’t have, with the Russian men and Hungarian, German, or Russian woman.” Zach opened another finger.
“There is what happened today, which involved Miss Carlow,” Michael added.
“We don’t know that it involved her, just that she was there,” Nathan said.
“But you think it is in some way connected to her, don’t you? I can see it in your eyes,” Gabe added.
Nathan sighed. “When we went to the theater, I overheard her talking to someone. He was threatening her,” Nathan said.
“And we’re just hearing this now?” Gabe demanded.
“I wasn’t completely certain it was her speaking.”
“And now you are?”
“Now I am.”
“And what?” Gabe demanded.
“What what?” Nathan said to annoy him. After all, annoying a brother was usually the first order of Deville business.
“What is going on with Miss Carlow,” Gabe gritted out. “This business today, and then at the theatre. Was there more to her leaving London than simply avoiding marriage to you, whom she clearly can barely tolerate?”
Ignoring that jab, he thought about it.
“I’ve just thought of something,” Zach said from his position lounging in his chair, long legs dangling over the side, bare feet swinging back and forth.
“Good Lord, have you really?” Michael opened an eye. He was lying on the floor, stretched out facedown by the door. “Imagine you being able to draw a rational thought.”
“At the Russell ball, I found her walking down the stairs. And we’ve recently learned an important journal was stolen that night.”
“Surely not?” Michael raised his head.
“Soft and gentle Miss Carlow stealing documents?” Gabe scoffed. “Why would she?”
Christ, could it be true? And furthermore, why did he not find it as farfetched as he should, Nathan wondered.
“Let’s look at the facts,” Michael said. “She left you because apparently she couldn’t stand to look at you another day. Three years later, she suddenly reappears without her father.”
“Who the man in the theatre that night said was sick,” Nathan added.
“She was seen on the same floor Russell has his office the night papers went missing. She was at the theatre, and Nathan heard her speaking to some man whom you believe was threatening her. Did anything that you overheard lead you to believe she was being blackmailed?’
“Christ,” Nathan hissed.
“Not finished yet,” Michael continued. “She was there today, which might or might not be coincidence. I’m going for the latter, and let us not forget her interest in Valentine, who just happens to be our king’s close confidant.”
“You know her better than anyone, Nathan. What do you believe is going on?” Gabe asked.
“I think she and her family are in trouble. She told me to stop asking her questions and to keep my distance from her to keep us safe,” he said slowly.
“Geraint said there is an English spy that he thinks may be working with the Russians to infiltrate society. Someone who is stealing important documents—”
“Surely you don’t believe Beth could be responsible?”
“I don’t honestly know, Nathan,” Gabe said.
“She’s… well, she’s Beth.”
“So therefore incapable of stealing and treasonous behavior?”
“She was sweet, a bit innocent, and often shy. I don’t think she…” His words fell away as he remembered her words in the carriage ride to her house.
“I was a foolish innocent three years ago whose only worry was to make sure I was everything you wanted me to be. I am no longer that woman.”
“Surely it’s not possible,” Nathan whispered, working through what he’d learned about Beth since she’d returned to London.
“Lord Lithgow had his papers stolen while he was in a brothel. As yet, there is no connection to Miss Carlow. I say we go and ask there, see if anyone saw a woman that night other than Nathan’s Hungarian-Russian-German one,” Gabe said. They were interrupted by a knock. “Enter,” Gabe responded.
“Mr. and Mrs. Huntington have called, my lord,” Fairfax said, entering. Stepping forward, he walked over the prone Michael without blinking. “It appears she has something she believes will set Walter to rights. Do you wish for me to take them directly to his rooms?”
“Why am I not surprised Walter now has rooms?” Zach said.
“I’ll come and meet them,” Gabe said.
Fairfax bowed, then walked back over Michael and out the door.
“Maxwell Huntington. Entrepreneur, one of the most wealthy men in the United Kingdom, and connected by marriage to the Sinclair family,” Michael mused. “I’ve only met him once, as he does not attend many society gatherings unless, from what I gather, his powerful brother the Duke of Raven insists upon it.”
“I learned something odd about them.” Zach swung his legs again.
“What?” Nathan asked, still thinking about Beth and how ridiculous it was that he could even contemplate her being a spy.
“Every Sinclair who is wed is married to someone of Raven blood.”
“You’re not serious?” Michael said.
“Totally.”
“Good Lord,” Gabe said, rising. He straightened his clothes and stomped his feet back into his boots and made for the door.
Nathan followed minutes later, as he didn’t seem capable of staying in his seat after what they’d just discussed. Surely Beth was in no way involved in what had been happening. It did not seem to him as if she was capable.
Was she?
“No. Not possible.” It was merely a series of coincidences that had connected her with this. Surely.
Entering the room where Walter now resided, he found Dimity on the bed looking devastated. Ella and Forrest were no longer there.
“How is he?”
“Weak, and barely eating.” Her lips trembled.
He moved to the bed and took the other side. Sitting on the edge he stroked a hand over a soft head. Walter sighed. It sounded tortured.
“It is only a superficial wound. And Captain Sinclair assured us he would survive, Dimity.”
Walter sighed again, but it ended on a pitiful snuffle.
“But he is not eating,” she whispered. “I’m so worried about him.”
Digging into his pockets, Nathan found a peppermint stick.
“It’s no good. I’ve tried to feed him by hand, but he refuses everything. Mrs. Wood brought up a bowl of broth, but he won’t even touch that.”
Nathan held the stick under Walter’s nose. One eye opened as he sniffed. He then snatched it, and in seconds it was gone.
“Not that he isn’t in pain or suffering, but I do think Walter may be an excellent actor, Dimity.” Walter gave him a look, then closed his eyes and sighed. “He is a very smart dog.”
“He is a very smart dog,” she said, stroking a velvety ear. “And he does love peppermint sticks.”
“Hello. How is the patient?”
They turned and found Mrs. Huntington at the door. She had the dark hair and the green eyes of her siblings, and a gentle smile on her face.
“I am Essex Huntington, and when my cousin Captain Sinclair told me what happened earlier today, I thought a jar of salve and a tonic may be needed.” She approached the bed.
“Mrs. Huntington.” Nathan got off the bed and bowed. “This is my future sister-in-law,
Miss Saint-Bonnard.” He held out his hand to assist Dimity off the bed.
“Oh no, don’t move!” Essex Huntington hurried forward and took the place Nathan had just left. “What a lovely big boy you are,” she crooned, stroking Walter, who in turn sighed pitifully.
“Where is he? Where is my boy?”
They all turned to the doorway, and in ran the Duchess of Yardly. Pale-faced, clutching Romulus to her chest, she hurried to the bed.
“He is all right and will live,” Dimity assured her.
“But how do you know?” the duchess demanded.
“How about I have a look at him and ascertain the damage,” Essex said.
Nathan watched as with gentle hands she did just that.
“He will make a full recovery as long as we keep infection at bay,” Essex said when she’d finished rebandaging Walter. “I’ve treated many patients, human and animal, and Walter’s heart is strong. He just needs rest to recover, and my medicines to set him to rights.”
The duchess sagged into the mattress, clearly relieved. She then shot Nathan a look that would have felled a lesser man.
“You will tell no one about this?”
“This?”
“My moment of weakness,” she snapped, now clearly back in control.
“Oh, but where would the fun be in that?”
“I’ll make you read at every opportunity. I will follow you about London and—”
“Your secret is safe with me,” Nathan said quickly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I can see he is in capable hands.” He left the room at a run.
He found Maxwell Huntington in the study with Michael, Gabe, and Zach.
The man was huge, not quite of Ace Dillinger’s stature, but it was a close-run thing. He had tawny hair and the eyes of a lion, and apparently could be as ruthless when required.
“I do not like my wife to visit houses she has never entered before alone. I’m sure you understand, Raine,” Huntington was saying as he entered.
“And our reputation precedes us?”
He laughed but nodded. “He who sups with the Devil should have a long spoon.”
“We haven’t heard that one in a while,” Michael said. He was upright now and seated in a chair.
“Actually, Dev asked me to bring you some papers, Mr. Deville.” He pulled some out of the inside pocket of his jacket and handed them to Nathan.
“Thank you, and my name is Nathan. Gabe, Michael, and the baby of our family, Zach.”
“And I am Max.” He took the brandy Gabe offered him. “I believe you had some trouble this morning?”
“Nothing we can’t handle,” Gabe said stiffly.
“Raine, I live with Sinclairs. Trust me when I tell you I am not easy to insult.”
Nathan exhaled slowly. “Someone shot our dog. My fear is that he was not the intended target. Miss Carlow and Miss Mary Blake were also there.”
“May I enquire if Miss Carlow is Lord Carlow’s daughter?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?” Nathan kept his voice even.
“He and I had many business dealings, and over time became friends. Three years ago, that stopped. I have never been able to find out what happened to him. He seemed to disappear. I heard he’d been back to London a few times, briefly, but I did not see him.”
“His wife and daughter have returned without him,” Zach said. “We believe he is unwell.”
“That would explain it, but it’s odd they have returned without him, considering how close I knew that family to be,” Max said. “Sir John Radcliff told me he had seen Lord Carlow a year ago. Radcliff’s wife was away, so he welcomed the company, even if Carlow’s visit was unexpected. They drank brandy for the evening and talked. In the morning, Carlow was gone without a word.”
Nathan knew that Sir John Radcliff was the current Admiral of the Fleet. The highest-ranking officer in the British Navy. He caught Gabe’s look. It seemed Maxwell Huntingdon did indeed know men in high places.
“Lord Carlow’s father once held the position, I believe, so they clearly knew each other,” Max continued.
“Was anything missing?”
Max gave Zach a steady look, not surprised by the question, which made the hair on the back of Nathan’s neck rise.
“It appeared not. But someone had broken several of his quills that night and used paper. They were scattered around his desk the next morning. Radcliff said it looked as if someone had been writing furiously for quite some time.”
The silence in the room was absolute. Why had Lord Carlow felt the need to use Radcliff’s desk? What was he writing?
“Did Sir John keep important papers there?” Gabe asked.
Huntington nodded. “Locked in a desk drawer, but the drawer was still locked the following morning.”
“Why are you telling us this?” Nathan asked.
“Lord Ryder told me it would be of interest to you. Now, if you will excuse me, I will see how my wife fares.”
Fairfax appeared as if by magic in the doorway and led him away.
“Well, that was odd,” Zach said.
“Lord Ryder is part of Alexius. He gave Huntington that information for us,” Michael said. “There can be no other reason for a man who is basically a stranger to us to come here and speak as he did.”
“So, Beth Carlow was in the vicinity of Lord Russell’s office the night his papers were stolen, and now her father spent time in the Admiral of the Fleet’s office,” Gabe said. “He also wrote or copied something while there.”
“I know her. She’s not capable of this. She is not capable of treason or deceit,” Nathan said. He could not have been that wrong about her surely.
“Unless she’s being coerced into it,” Gabe said.
“By who?”
“Whom, I think you mean,” Zach replied. Nathan thought about venting some of his frustration and anger by simply wrestling his brother to the floor.
“If we could tie her to Lord Lithgow, it would be more conclusive,” Zach said.
“It’s not possible. She is not involved,” Nathan said. And yet… a small voice inside his head said, maybe she is.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“How fortuitous that Mr. Valentine invited you to Harwood to visit the fair. I believe it is on the Duke of Stratton’s land, a mere two-hour carriage ride from London,” Mary said, sounding like a five-year-old as she settled in the Carlow carriage. “And how doubly fortuitous I happened to be calling upon you yesterday when the note arrived. And how triple fortuitous—”
“I think that was one fortuitous too many,” Beth said.
“—that you were perplexed and unsure if you should attend as your mother has a chest inflammation and you had no wish to go alone,” Mary continued, undaunted. “Good friend that I am, I was willing to step into that breach and bring dear Aunt Agatha with me.”
Aunt Agatha was at present snoring in the corner of the carriage. Deaf and cantankerous, she had come as Phillipa and Lady Blake could not.
Beth hadn’t wanted to go. The night of Walter’s shooting, she’d received a note from Logan. It had said he hoped the dog did not suffer overly, and how lucky it was Miss Mary Blake avoided injury. She’d dared to question Logan at the theater, and this was his way of bringing her back in to line. He’d shot Walter, but it could have been Mary.
Beth had sent back word that she would do exactly as he wanted from that moment on. His reply had been swift. Excellent, then your friends and family are now safe. Now get me that book.
Nathan suspected something was wrong, and she confirmed it by telling him to stop questioning her and keep his family safe. She was a fool to have done so, but the thought of Logan hurting him was not something she could bear.
Nathan. She sighed silently. His touch, his kiss, his everything. The man she’d fallen in love with three years ago had been devastating; the man he’d become was that and more.
More contained. More controlled. More handsome.
“I am so grateful for your magnanimous
sacrifice in coming with me today, Mary,” Beth said dryly, forcing herself to stop thinking about Nathan and the danger he and others could be in. Logan had said they were safe as long as she did as he asked. She would do that… for now.
“I cannot believe Mother and Phillipa were unable to come with us, so we have brought Aunt Agatha!”
“Unlike your aunt, I am not deaf, Mary. There is no need to shriek.”
“There is every need. I am stifled by their propriety. Stifled by their lack of adventure and inability to find humor in any situation.” Mary was waving her hands about now. “This is quite wonderful.”
“They are your family,” Beth chastened her.
“Of course, and I love them,” Mary added. “Sometimes I just don’t like them very much. I also sometimes wonder if perhaps I am someone else’s child.”
“Mary!”
“Don’t get all high and mighty with me, Bethany Carlow. You know as well as I how different I am to my mother and sister.”
“And yet, they are your family,” she said again.
“But for today I am free to do as I wish and not look at ribbons and lace and be forced to offer opinions on a man’s elegance or handsome face.”
“I promise not to mention either,” Beth vowed solemnly. “Your aunt is with us, however.”
They turned as one to look at the still snoring Aunt Agatha. Her mouth was open, glasses askew, and her bonnet flattened on one side.
“She will find a seat and rest there while we do as we wish. Which is extremely fort—”
“If you say fortuitous again, I will open the carriage and toss you out.”
“I feel liberated,” Mary said, adjusting.
She didn’t want her friend here and yet loved having her here at the same time. It was not safe for anyone to be close to her now.
“Then I am happy I could liberate you, if only for a day.”
“Thank you. Now stop thinking, which in turn is making you frown and look ugly.”
That forced a laugh from Beth.
“Charming.”
“Beth, about the other day when Walter was shot. Do you really believe there can be no future for you and Nathan?”
“There cannot, and I have no wish to discuss the matter anymore, so please respect my wishes,” Beth said stiffly.