Rose had to laugh over her maid’s words. “I apologize, Mary, if I was going too fast. I have a task ahead of me that I am not at all looking forward to, and I would like it to be over and done with. But that very same task requires some planning and I am worried about it, thus my quietness and perhaps a pinched look that I did not realize I was sporting. Thank you for reminding me that my feelings write themselves upon my face. I really must make a greater effort at being stoic.”
Now Mary laughed. “Oh no, Miss, you certainly do not owe me any apologies, to be sure. What has you so troubled? Is there anything I can help you with? Does it have anything to do with the duke, Miss?”
“Yes and no, Mary. I do not think there is anything you can do to help me with this one. The duke and I agreed that this is a far greater problem than the two of us can handle on our own, and now is the time to apprise my father of the situation. I fear you will be assigned to help me pack my bags when my parents ship me back to the estate in disgrace over my association with Wrentham.”
Rose could not even bring herself to say his name at this point as all her tumultuous feelings came back to the fore and she remembered the brief kiss they shared before she smacked his face. Hoping her face was not once more displaying her confused feelings, she shoved the thoughts to the back of her mind to be mulled over later. Now she had to concentrate on what to tell her father. She was relieved that they were nearly home.
“I cannot say I am sorry that you will be telling his lordship about this mess, Miss. I have not been easy with you traipsing around with the Duke of Wrentham messing with the likes of Sir Jason Broderick. Much better it is for Lord Smythe to be involved.”
“You are quite correct, Mary. Now we had best hurry along. My mother mentioned that Papa is to leave for Paris. I dearly hope I have not missed him.”
“But surely he would not depart without saying farewell to you,” Mary protested.
“My father is far too busy to be concerned about such things, Mary.”
“Yes, of course, Miss. Let’s hurry along then,” Mary agreed simply, lifting her skirts in order to be able to keep up with the long-legged strides of her mistress.
Endeavouring for decorum, Rose refrained from taking the stairs two at a time and took a deep breath before opening the door to their home.
“Has my father left yet, Walter?” she asked as the butler was helping her with her coat.
“No, Miss, he is in his study. He is getting everything ready for an early morning departure for Paris, Miss. He asked that he not be disturbed, as he has so many things that need to be done before he leaves.”
“Thank you, Walter, I will try my best not to take too much of his time, but I really do need to speak with him on a matter of some urgency.” Rose would not be deterred despite the sinking feeling in her nervous stomach.
Feeling as though birds had joined the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Rose tried to ignore her shaking limbs as she made her way to her father’s study. Taking another deep, steadying breath before she knocked, Rose waited to hear her father’s summons.
“Enter,” Lord Smythe called distractedly.
“Good morning, Papa, I hope I am not disturbing you too terribly. Walter mentioned that you asked not to be disturbed, but if you have a couple of minutes, I need to speak to you about an urgent matter.”
Lord Smythe looked at his daughter in surprise. Her tone must have conveyed the pent up anxiety she was feeling, even though she had striven for an air of light inquiry. Putting down his pen, the baron rose from his chair and came around his desk to grab his daughter’s hand.
“I know I am often preoccupied, my dear, but I will never be too busy for you. Please, have a seat here beside me and tell me what concerns you.” He seated her in one of the two chairs situated in front of his desk and he perched himself on the edge of the other one, keeping her cold hand in his as his worry mounted over the look in his daughter’s eyes.
“You are making me nervous, my dear. Will I have need of my brace of pistols?” he asked, hoping to lighten the mood.
“I dearly hope not,” Rose replied with a shaky laugh.
Now that her father was near and willing to take on her burdens she felt an overwhelming urge to throw herself in his arms and cry. Bracing her backbone and reminding herself she was a fully competent woman, Rose lifted her chin proudly, took another deep, fortifying breath, and then launched into speech.
“It is about Broderick, Papa. I fear the scoundrel is up to no good and he has designs on the government.”
The baron looked at his daughter with amazement. “Whatever do you mean, my dear?”
“Remember I told you that I have seen him about a little this Season? A new friend of mine, I am not sure if you know her, Lady Yorkleigh, warned me away from him.”
“She is a good, sensible woman in that case.”
“Yes, she does seem to be. She told me that he wishes to gain control over the Prince Regent. I do not know exactly what he is about, but I thought that you should know since you are leaving Town. I am not sure if he means to attend the Congress in Paris or if he will remain here, but you know so much more about these things than I do. I did not feel that this was a matter that I could look after any longer.”
Lord Smythe was looking at his daughter with puzzlement clearly written upon his features. “I feel as though I have missed something in your explanation, my dear. I pray your forgiveness for being daft, but none of this is anything new. The knight has been a scoundrel for years. It is a wonder he is accepted in polite Society, but there is so rarely proof of his schemes. But proof or not, we have always known of his designs upon poor Prinny and his aspirations to control the government. Why does this have you in such fidgets at this time?”
Rose had so wished she did not have to go into any more details, but she realized now that was a futile dream. She took another deep breath and pushed on with her explanations. “I overheard him one night at a musicale I was attending, scheming with someone.”
Lord Smythe gazed at his daughter, clearly expecting more details. Rose could feel heat rising in her cheeks and made herself plod on with her story. “He was speaking with Lord Austen. As far as I can tell, the man is a dunce and needs to make better choices in his companionship, but he is fairly innocent when it comes to conspiring against the government. He is just another pawn for Broderick to use. But it was very obvious to me that they were up to no good.”
“When was this, my dear,” Lord Smythe prodded. “And why did you decide to do the investigating on your own, without keeping me informed of these developments immediately? I still feel as though you are trying to withhold some pertinent details.”
Rose realized it could be avoided no longer so she blurted out the full facts. “The two of them were plotting to entrap the Duke of Wrentham into a marriage alliance with Lord Austen’s daughter, Lady Anne. I did not want to tell you right away because I feared you would dismiss my concerns about his schemes due to Wrentham’s involvement. I was hoping to discern if there was truly a threat to anyone other than the duke himself before I came to you with this.”
There was a heavy silence for several heartbeats while Lord Smythe regarded his daughter steadily. “I see,” he finally said heavily. “And how did you come to the conclusion that there is a greater threat?” he asked, ignoring the truth that his daughter had skirted—that he did not care a fig for any threat against Wrentham.
“I spoke with Lady Anne and realized that they had targeted Wrentham for reasons other than his wealth and title.”
“Some would probably consider the cur to be handsome,” the baron replied dully.
“True, but that still does not seem to be the situation here, Papa. I truly feel as though this threat is not about Alex,” seeing her father’s reaction to the use of the duke’s name, Rose hastened to cover her verbal tracks. “It would seem that Wrentham is taking his responsibilities seriously and has gotten involved in the House of Lords. Lady Anne says he is
well connected. When I pried a bit deeper into her words I believe that, although she thinks this has to do with how many relatives he has—it was a term her father used. You and I both know that the Wrenthams are not an overly large family, so this must be tied in with the activities he has been engaging in politically. Lord Austen does not care about such things, so it can only be Broderick up to no good.”
“And what do you propose I do about it? You were quite correct when you surmised that I would not give a fig for any threat toward Wrentham,” Lord Smythe reminded his daughter testily.
“But that is just the thing, Papa, I do not believe the threat is really about the duke or even his wealth. I think Broderick merely sees him as a means to an end, a tool as it were, a means of getting to the Prince and influencing the workings of our government.”
The baron eyed his daughter askance. “Are you aware that I need to be leaving at first light for very important negotiations in Paris?”
“Yes, Papa, that is why I felt the urgency to tell you now, before you leave. I did not know what else to do. I do not trust anyone else’s discretion, knowledge, or intelligence, Papa. I needed your advice before you left. Do you think this is a serious threat, or am I full of feathers?”
The baron smiled over his daughter’s choice of words and scrubbed his hand over his face as he thought about all the complications she had just thrown in his lap. Sighing heavily, he finally replied. “You did the right thing, daughter dear. I know this could not have been easy for you. You are right in thinking Broderick is a threat. He pretty much always is. Have you told anyone else about this?”
Rose started slightly at his question and tried to hide her guilty blush. She so did not want to tell her father about her meetings with the duke. She attempted to sidestep the question with half-truths. “I enlisted my friend Lady Elizabeth to help me in making contact with Lady Anne. Elizabeth is an earl’s daughter and made her debut last year, so she is far more socially connected than I am. She was able to perform the introductions and help me tactfully question the other girl.
“I also spoke with Lady Yorkleigh, but I did not tell her why I wanted to know about Sir Broderick. I told her that my mother thought he would be a good match for me and I needed something to tell her to put her off. That wasn’t untrue, but I did not think I ought to confide the true motivation behind my questions. I am accustomed to only telling you things, Papa. It has been troublesome to try to work this out without your help.”
“Now we are getting to the crux of the matter, are we not, Rosamund? Why did you not come to me with this straight away? There is really very little I can do with just one night. Have you thought of the problems that could ensue if Broderick does not come to Paris? How can we set up safeguards so quickly?”
Rose hung her head dejectedly at her father’s series of questions. “I am truly sorry, Papa. I thought for sure there would be proper safeguards in place, even without a specific threat and that once you were apprised of the situation you would know just who to tell and it would all be right and tight. I held onto my silence before now because I worried that you would be glad of a threat upon Wrentham and would not look beyond it to the potential larger danger. I wanted to see if I could find out whether it was just to the duke or if there was something more afoot.”
“So, you did not trust me?” her father asked quietly, searching her face for her true feelings.
“Of course I trust you,” Rose insisted hotly. “There is no one on this earth that I trust more than you. I just was unsure if you could have unclouded judgment when it comes to Wrentham. I truly am sorry, Papa, I should not have questioned your ability to be open minded.”
“No, you shouldn’t have, but I am man enough to admit that there is merit to your fears. If you had not done some digging, I might have been disposed to dismiss the possibility just because I do not care for the duke or the knight. But now something must be done. I shall make a few inquiries and send some messages to the proper quarters. It is good that you were not planning to accompany me to Paris. Now you can stay here and keep your eyes open for Broderick if he stays in Town. I shall have some protocols set up for you to follow before I leave.”
Impulsively, Rose leaned forward and threw her arms around her father’s neck, giving him a squeeze and placing a brief kiss upon his cheek before pulling back sheepishly. “Thank you so much, Papa. I am truly sorry for adding to your burdens, but I am so relieved to be able to share it with you.”
“Anytime, my darling daughter. Please know that you can come to me anytime, but for the moment you really must run along and leave me to sort through a few things. I will be sure to reserve a few moments to discuss whatever is necessary before I leave.”
Rose bounded up from her chair and hurried to leave her father in peace. She ran up to her room, not bothering for decorum, taking the stairs two at a time. She reasoned that inside, where no one but family and the servants could see, it would do nothing to sully her reputation.
With a grin, she tripped into her room and sprawled onto her bed.
“I am uncertain if you look as though things went well or not,” Mary mused from the other side of the room where she had herself immersed in Rose’s wardrobe, where she was searching for anything that needed mending.
“It went marvellously well, Mary. I should never have questioned otherwise. I have the most wonderful papa in the world. I didn’t even have to tell him about speaking with Wrentham,” she declared happily as she lifted her head to smile at the maid.
“I’m not so sure that you should have gotten away with it so freely. I worry this will embolden you to continue with such scandalous behaviour.”
“Oh Mary, you fret too much. I can assure you I will not be meeting with the duke anymore. This problem has been handed over to those more equipped to handle it, and my days of clandestine behaviour are over. For now, anyway,” she added as an afterthought. “Now I shall be free to apply my mind to deciding on a suitable groom for myself.” She smiled cheekily at the maid before asking, “Speaking of that, were you able to give the matter any thought, or have you been as preoccupied as me with other matters?”
“I did, as a matter of fact, Miss,” Mary began but then they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Mary hurried over to see who was there.
A footman was standing there with a message. “A gentleman is here to see you, Miss Rose. He wishes to take you for a ride in the Park.”
“A gentleman?” Rose repeated. “Does this gentleman have a name, Gregory?”
Blushing to his roots, the young servant answered, “Yes Miss, Walter says as it is Lord Wesley Dunbar here to see you, Miss. What should I tell him, Miss? Are you welcoming a ride with Lord Dunbar or should Walter tell him you are not at home to visitors this afternoon?”
The young Gregory needn’t have finished his questions as Rose was already off the bed and next to Mary, pawing through her gowns to find suitable attire for a ride in the park. Running over to the window and looking down, she let out a little squeal when she saw the conveyance that surely belonged to the viscount standing in the street.
“Oh Mary, he brought a high-perch phaeton. I shall be the envy of all the ladies this afternoon,” she declared with glee while glancing at the clock with a frown. “Although, it does seem rather early for a fashionable ride around Hyde Park. Mayhap his lordship plans to go elsewhere and that is why we need to have an earlier start.”
Now Rose thought of another thing, and she turned wide eyes upon her maid. “Do you think it’s acceptable for me to go out for a drive with the viscount right now? What if my father needs to speak with me? Has the footman left? Perhaps we should have him take a message to Lord Smythe and see what he has to say about my going out for a little while.”
The footman was still waiting. In her excitement, Rose had failed to properly answer the poor lad. He was standing waiting for her reply. It did not take long for a reply to come back. “Your father says you are to carry on abo
ut your business and enjoy your afternoon. He will not have much to tell you before this evening, or maybe not even until early in the morning before he leaves.”
It was the answer she had been hoping for. She was already half changed into a pretty gown of sprigged muslin that perfectly matched the darling parasol she had recently purchased to keep the still warm, late autumn sun off her face. “I shall need a spencer, too, Mary. The sun might be warm right now, but in a carriage such as a phaeton I am sure to catch my death from the breeze if I am not careful to cover myself up.”
Before too many moments had passed she was ready to descend to greet the gentleman caller.
∞∞∞
Lord Dunbar was pacing in the Smythes’ front receiving room, hoping earnestly the young lady was not going to keep him waiting for too many moments longer. The suspense was eating at him and he was anxious to be on the way. He heard a commotion in the foyer and turned to look toward the door to see what was going on.
His mouth opened on a quiet gasp of surprise. “Miss Rosamund, you do look ravishing this afternoon. I shall surely be the envy of all the gentlemen we encounter this afternoon,” he complimented.
Rose blushed prettily at his compliments, but maintained her composure sufficiently to ask primly. “And where might we be going, my lord? I thought it a little odd for you to be calling round at this hour.”
“Can a gentleman not just be that anxious to see you?”
Rose’s tinkle of laughter filled the air between them. “Now, that is a bouncer if ever I heard one, my lord.”
Wesley could not resist the twinkle in her eyes as she gazed at him merrily. He fully understood why his friend the duke was so tied up in a knot over this young lady. He sincerely hoped Wrentham would be able to straighten out all the complicated twists and turns their lives had taken of late.
He hastened to answer her reply. “’Tis not a bouncer at all, Miss, I can assure you. I was most anxious to set my horses to their paces today and I thought it would be lovely to see if you would like to join me. I hope I have not inconvenienced you by arriving a trifle earlier than is the fashionable norm, but I thought we would have all the more opportunity for conversation if the Park is not overcrowded.” He concluded his statement with a look of significance, and Rose returned his gaze with her own eyes wide and focused.
The Duke Conspiracy: A Sweet Regency Romance Adventure (Mayfair Mayhem Book 1) Page 22