by Wolf, Bree
Why? was the one thought that popped into Rebecca’s mind, but she managed to keep it from crossing into the outside world.
Inhaling a deep breath, she tried to ignore the dog crushing her leg and returned Lord Tedious’ smile with a halfhearted one of her own. “I love the theater,” she told him – at least that wasn’t a lie! “I must speak to my uncle before I can accept your invitation.”
Lord Tedious nodded. “I commend you on your proper conduct. It bestows great respect upon your family.”
Biting back a nasty comment, Rebecca merely nodded. Anything she could have said in that moment would have proved to Lord Tedious that he was severely mistaken!
Fortunately, her companion had nothing more to say to her and so they continued on in silence, passing people on foot and others on horseback. It was a beautiful day, and it seemed half of London had decided on an outing to Hyde Park, their chattering voices an increasing hum drifting to Rebecca’s ears.
Relieved no demand for conversation was made on her, Rebecca turned longing eyes to those who had found joy and distraction here today, their faces glowing with smiles and laughter. Her gaze swept over blushing ladies and charming gentlemen and, once more, Rebecca recalled the moment she’d met Lord Pembroke at the ball two nights ago.
If only he would materialize out of thin air as he had then and save her yet again from Lord Tedious’ mind-numbingly tedious company. If only –
And then her eyes found him, saw him sitting atop a tall, dapple gray mount, another gentleman by his side as they rode in the opposite direction, drawing closer to their phaeton with each step.
For a second, Rebecca thought her eyes had deceived her and she blinked furiously, trying to chase away the phantom before her. However, it would not leave. Lord Pembroke remained, and a smile – the first real one that day – slowly stole onto her face.
And then he looked up and his blue eyes found hers.
For a moment, time seemed to still as recognition found him, and then he smiled back at her and Rebecca felt her heart warm at the thought that he knew who she was, that he remembered her. Indeed, his lips curled up into something secretly wicked, and the moment before he and his companion rode past, he winked at her in the most scandalous way.
A highly unusual flutter came to Rebecca’s heart at the sight and her breath all but shuddered past her lips. Never before had a man shown her with such effect that she mattered, even if only in the smallest sense of the word. No flowers or compliments or other niceties could stand against a simple, yet heartfelt greeting.
And Rebecca knew that no matter what her uncle would say or what devious plan she’d have to devise, she would see Lord Pembroke again.
Her heart demanded it, and she would not deny it this small request.
Chapter Six
A New Ally
“I must say I was surprised when your invitation arrived, Markham,” Zach said honestly as he directed his dapple gray around a group of women promenading along the Serpentine. “And I cannot help but wonder what your motivation might have been.”
The Black Baron laughed, his equally midnight-black steed prancing with the need to move. “Are you suggesting I have an ulterior motive for seeking your company? That I would not offer my assistance merely to be of service?”
Passing the group, the two men pulled alongside one another again, and Zach glanced at the man he’d met only two days past. His smile came easily, and his manners were quite disarming. He had a way about him that made those in his presence feel at ease, and yet, Zach thought he could just as easily be a rabbit caught in a snare without realizing it. “I have not yet made up my mind about your character,” Zach spoke freely, certain that despite Markham’s veiled words, the man would value honesty. “Quite frankly, I would appreciate your assistance in this matter. However, I must state that I will not be trading favors unseen. If you wish for something in return, you will need to voice its conditions here and now or I will not agree to them.”
Markham nodded. “You’re a sensible man, Pembroke.” Something flitted behind his dark brown eyes as he watched Zach. Then he nodded yet again, and Zach knew the man had reached a decision. “Very well, this is what I propose. I will assist you in every way I can, but in return I demand to know the full extent of how your heirloom ended up in Mortimer’s possession. You will answer all my questions and leave nothing out. Agreed?”
Zach frowned. “Why would that be of interest to you?”
“My motivations are my own,” Markham replied, his jaw set while the look in his eyes spoke of something deeper as though he truly desired to know, and not merely for entertainment’s sake. “This is the deal. Take it or leave it.”
Zach swallowed, uncertain whether or not it would be wise to share intimate information about his family with a stranger, a stranger who no doubt had some use for it. Why else would he have asked? But in the end, Zach knew that he had little choice. On his own, it would take too long to maneuver himself into the good graces of the ton, to gain their respect and prove himself trustworthy in their eyes. Such an endeavor would require time and patience as well as the ability to lie through his teeth – an image of Miss Hawkins flashed into his mind and Zach smiled unwittingly.
“What is your answer?” Markham pressed. Nevertheless, a relaxed smile rested on his face as though he did not care one way or the other.
Zach sighed, remembering his brother’s pain. He needed to return home and be by his brother’s side. Nate needed him now more than ever. Still, he could not return to Boston without their father’s ring. The sooner he discovered it the sooner he could be back in America and strive to lift his brother’s spirits. “Very well,” he said, inclining his head in agreement. “What do you wish to know?”
Markham grinned. “Everything. What did he steal from you and how?”
Knowing he could not back out now, Zach told the other man how Mortimer had arrived in Boston and charmed his brother’s fiancée into relinquishing their father’s ring to him. He said as little as he could, giving only the necessary details for the story to be plausible. Still, a part of him could not help but feel that he was betraying his brother’s confidence. He prayed Nate would never find out.
“So, you did not come to England to retrieve the ring,” the baron concluded. “You arrived before that even happened in order to accept your inheritance.”
Zach nodded.
“I’ve heard of the late earl’s passing,” Markham continued, his brown eyes watchful as they glanced at Zach. “So shortly after his only son.”
Again, Zach nodded, wondering what it was Markham wanted to know.
“Did he not have a daughter as well?”
“He did.”
“What of her?”
Turning to look at the other man, Zach pulled his mount to a halt. “Why do you care?”
Markham grinned, and his brows rose in challenge.
Was this merely a test? Zach wondered. “Fine, as far as I know she married a Lord Wentford before I even came to England.”
“You have never met her?”
“No.”
“Why not?” Markham pressed. “She’s family, is she not? And after everything you’re willing to do for your brother, I would have expected more.” A note of disapproval swung in the baron’s voice.
Looking at the other man, Zach wondered if all these questions merely served to make out his character, to allow Markham to determine the kind of man Zach was. “Fine, if you must know, I have not sought her out because I…worry that she might not wish to see me. That she thinks as her father did. That she would deem me unworthy.” He scoffed. “As so many do.”
Markham nodded, not a hint of surprise in his gaze as though he had known the answer all along. “Fears are not facts,” he counseled. “You cannot know how you will be received until you seek her out.”
Zach nodded. “I’ll think about it. However, quite frankly, at present, I have other things on my mind.”
A note of disapproval
came to the baron’s gaze, however, he refrained from voicing it. “You seem to dislike London.”
Surprised by that statement, Zach laughed. “I should think that obvious.”
“Do you dislike its people or rather its pastimes?”
“Both,” Zach answered without hesitation.
“Then why did you come here? You could have refused to accept your inheritance, especially since your family has achieved financial success in America and the estate here was steep in debt. Why come at all?”
Zach shrugged. “I did not know then what I know now. I thought of it as another adventure, a new place to discover.” He sighed, remembering how he’d never passed up an opportunity to see the world. “I’ve trekked across country to California with only a horse, a bedroll and whatever fit into my saddle bags. I’ve sailed down to South America upon a large vessel, not as a passenger, but as one of the crew. I—”
The baron laughed. “Indeed, London pales in comparison to these adventures.”
Zach nodded, a wistful sigh passing his lips. When his gaze rose, his eyes fell on familiar auburn curls, swaying gently in the mild breeze and, for a second, his heart seemed to pause.
His throat worked, trying to dislodge the lump that had settled there, as he stared at the phaeton coming their way, the dog-loving gentleman at the reins, Miss Hawkins beside him. The expression in her eyes was one of sheer boredom, and their green that had sparkled like an emerald not two days past seemed dim and without strength.
And then she looked up, and Zach once more felt that odd sense of recognition as though he knew her thoughts and emotions as well as he knew his own. A smile tugged on his lips, and as though they were one, the corners of her mouth curled up as well. Light came to her eyes, making them come alive, and Zach found himself winking at her as though they were confidantes, sharing something the rest of the world would never understand.
“It seems London has something to offer after all,” Markham laughed, shaking Zach from his thoughts as the phaeton rolled by.
Blinking, Zach swallowed, recalling the baron’s presence before he craned his neck, catching one last glimpse of Miss Hawkins before she was lost from sight.
“Is she not the one you saw from the company of an awfully dull gentleman by rather unusual means?” Markham teased, a sparkle in his brown eyes that betrayed his enjoyment of the moment. “Perhaps you should call on her.”
Zach shook his head. “After what happened to my brother, I do not think it wise to entangle myself in a similar way.” Still, the idea of seeing Miss Hawkins again was a most pleasant one, indeed.
Markham scoffed. “Do not be a fool and allow one woman to taint them all. Choose wisely, and you will not have regrets.”
Surprised, Zach looked at the Black Baron. “And have you done so? Is there a Lady Markham?”
The man laughed. “Touché.” Then he reached inside his jacket and pulled out an envelope. For a moment, he seemed to pause, his brown eyes lingering on Zach’s face, before he extended his arm and held out the item in question. “Here.”
Taking the envelope, Zach frowned. “What is this?”
“Open it.”
Pulling a single sheet of parchment from the envelope, Zach unfolded it, his eyes eagerly seeking what Markham had provided him with. Could this be the answer he’d been seeking for weeks? Had Markham procured it in a single day?
Zach’s lips moved as he silently read the six names listed there:
Arthur Callaway
John Newman
Ernest Smythe
Franklin Worthington
Florian Brooks
Thomas Caldwell
Confused, he looked up and across at the black-haired man watching him intently. “Who are these men?”
Markham urged his steed closer, his brown eyes watchful before he spoke. “Mortimer used to hold an annual card game, which I suppose his heir will continue considering the man’s character is as lacking as his late cousin’s.”
“A card game?” Zach mumbled, trying to put the individual pieces offered to him together into a whole. “Are you saying Mortimer lost the ring in a card game?” He frowned. “Why would he first go to such length to bring it into his possession only to lose it in a card game? That doesn’t make any sense!”
Markham chuckled, but there was no mirth in the sound. “Because men like him have one – and only one – great enemy in their lives.”
Zach stared at him expectantly.
“Boredom.”
“You cannot be serious.”
“I’m afraid I am,” Markham confirmed, his eyes rolling sideways in a deeply disapproving and utterly judgmental way. “They seek thrills wherever they can find them. Hence, Mortimer’s card game is no mere card game, but rather a night of debauchery where fortunes are won and lost in unsavory ways. Jewels are often wagered as some gentlemen – and I use the term loosely, mind you – find it thrilling to gift their wives a jewel procured on such a night. It is daring and a risk, however, for men who often find themselves bored out of their minds, it is all they’ve got.”
Still staring, Zach shook his head as his stomach churned in disgust. “Have they ever tried their hands at honest work? That would certainly take a lot of useless time off their hands.”
The baron laughed. “I agree. However, that thought would not enter their minds in a million years. After all, reputations must be upheld at all cost. It doesn’t matter what people do so long as they do it in secret, away from prying eyes.”
Folding the parchment, Zach slipped it into his pocket. “Yet another reason why I wish I could leave London today rather than tomorrow.” He heaved a deep sigh and met the other man’s eyes. “How did you come by these names?”
The hint of a wicked curl came to the baron’s lips. “I find myself well-acquainted with those below stairs.” A dark chuckle passed his lips. “Gentlemen often forget that those who serve them are people with eyes and ears and, in most instances, a more attentive mind than they could ever hope to possess themselves.”
“I take it you do not count yourself among these gentlemen,” Zach teased.
The baron grinned. “I may be many things, but I’m not a fool.”
“But a rather unusual man.”
Markham’s grin deepened. “You don’t know the half of it.”
Chapter Seven
Another Ball…
Holding on to Caroline’s arm, Rebecca glanced around the packed ballroom. It was a wonder that people managed to dance considering the lack of space. Not that the Cavendishes’ townhouse was on the small side, but rather because tonight was the first ball since the late lord’s passing.
After an appropriate period of mourning, the Cavendishes were finally rejoining society and once again hosted their annual ball. Carriages lined up outside, and inside people all but stepped on each other’s toes to make it from one end of the large ballroom to the other.
“I feel like I can’t breathe,” Caroline mumbled, her slender fingers tugging on the tight collar of yet another gown that buttoned-up all the way to her neck. “Isn’t it hot in here?” She craned her neck as though looking for a way out.
Rebecca grinned. “Didn’t I suggest a lighter fabric?” she teased with a grin. “Or less fabric, to be precise?”
Caroline rolled her pale blue eyes at her behind those huge, wide-rimmed glasses and then turned away, pretending her cousin hadn’t said a thing. “Where is the refreshment table? I fear I need something to drink.”
Once they’d all but forced their way through the crowd, Rebecca watched her cousin gulp down a glass of lemonade. Her gaze had a faraway look about it, and when she finally lowered the glass from her lips, a deep sigh escaped her. Her brows were drawn, and Rebecca wondered if there was something bothering her dear cousin. “Are you all right?” she asked, gently placing a hand on Caroline’s arm. “You seem distracted, not quite like yourself.”
“I’m all right,” came the lighting-quick answer. “It’s nothing.” Aga
in, Caroline’s gaze drifted to something far away as though she no longer saw the crush of people laughing and dancing around her.
Watching her cousin, Rebecca wondered what kind of problem – for clearly something was bothering her! – Caroline could possibly have.
As well-behaved and obedient as her cousin had always been, Rebecca could not imagine what on earth Caroline could have done that would justify that look of concern on her face. After all, she spent every waking hour with her parents or her needlepoint. As far as Rebecca knew, Caroline met with her embroidery circle at least three times a week and on the other two weekdays attended some kind of lectures her father had signed off on. In truth, Caroline had very little time to get in trouble of any kind. Certainly, it would take considerable effort on her part to manage it at all.
“That gentleman over there keeps looking at you.”
Rebecca blinked as her cousin’s words slowly found their way to her attention. “What?” Turning in the direction Caroline was indicating with a subtle nod of her head, Rebecca found herself looking at Lord Pembroke. He stood halfway across the room with the same dark-haired gentleman who had accompanied him that day in Hyde Park.
Rebecca inhaled a slow breath as her heart paused for the barest of moments. A slight shiver danced across her skin, and she smiled at the feeling of utter excitement that rushed through her. Indeed, more than a minute in Lord Tedious’ company had her falling asleep while a single look at Lord Pembroke made her feel alive as nothing ever had before!
What an odd world!
A slight smile teased Lord Pembroke’s lips whenever he would move his eyes from his companion and allow them to venture across the room to her. However, when his attention was placed elsewhere, a hint of annoyance rested on his features and he moved his hands in rather rapid and slightly jerky gestures as though trying to make a point the other refused to see.
The black-haired man, though, merely chuckled whenever Lord Pembroke appeared most agitated.