Regency Rumors (The Sinclair Society Series, #1)

by Swafford, Bethany

  “And then what do you think you’ll do with that kind of information?” I asked myself as I brushed my hair. I met my brown-eyed gaze in the mirror. “Bring the man to justice all by yourself?”

  Shaking my head with a sigh, I began to twist my brown hair into a severe knot at the back of my head. I also needed to speak to Wilder about the knife that had been so considerately left in my pillow. Had he discovered its provenance, or who could have left it? If he hadn’t learned anything, I wanted it back.

  Again, I wished I could remember where I had seen it before. It would lead me closer to whoever felt so threatened by my presence in the household. As I was thinking about it, there was a sharp knock on my door. “I’ll be there in a moment,” I called, jamming pins into my hair. There came a second knock, even more insistent than before. “I said just a moment!”

  For a third, time the person on the other side knocked. Frustrated, I stood up, hoping the pins would keep my hair in place long enough to get rid of my determined visitor. “I’m coming,” I said, stalking over to the door. I jerked it open and gave a start at the sight of the tall young man who stood with his hand upraised to knock yet again. “Mr. Harper! What are you doing here?”

  A door slammed nearby, startling us both. Mr. Harper glanced around, then grabbed my arms. I managed a squeak of protest as he pushed me back from the doorway so he could enter. He closed the door with his foot, then spun me around, pinning me against the door.

  “You and I need to have a little talk, Miss Nelson.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Alarmed, I opened my mouth to protest the rough treatment. Mr. Harper clamped his hand over my mouth, cutting me off before I could even try. “I give you my word that I will not hurt you, but I need answers,” he said. “And I would rather not have any interruptions.”

  How dare he enter my room and attack me like this? For a moment, I was furious, both with him and myself. Why had I not been more cautious in opening my door? Struggling to get free, I tried to kick his ankles, but his leather boots protected his ankles well enough that he just ignored my attack. He held me against the door with seemingly minimal effort.

  Fear gripped me then, replacing my anger. The knife in my pillow had been a warning, after all, and I hadn’t left the house. Was this attack the next step in ensuring I left the house? My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

  “If you give me your word that you will not give me any trouble, I will release you.” The calm way he spoke to me made him sound infuriatingly reasonable. “Please do not make this any more difficult than it has to be.”

  Breathing through my nose, I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. I would be as difficult as I very well pleased! How could he possibly think I would behave otherwise after being manhandled in such a rough manner?

  “Do you really want to be discovered, alone in your room with a man, Miss Nelson?” His eyebrow echoed his question. “I imagine that would not reflect well on your otherwise impeccable record.”

  His face was only a few inches from mine. The only other man I had ever stood so close to was Henry Bladen, during our courtship. That thought made me go still, and he must have taken that for compliance because his grip on my arm loosened slightly. He didn’t completely release me though.

  “Will you keep quiet?”

  What choice did I have? I nodded once, and he lifted his hand from my mouth. He gripped my other arm, clearly showing he didn’t trust me not to struggle again. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. “What do you want? Who do you think you are to come barging into my room like this?”

  “I am the one with the questions,” Harper said sharply. “I want to know who you’re working for.”

  “Who I’m working for?” I repeated with a slight laugh. How had he guessed I had my reasons for being in the Burnham house? “I work for the Burnhams. And Mr. Burnham isn’t going to like hearing how you barged into this room and attacked one of his employees. Now let me go.”

  “You pretend to work for the Burnhams, but I know you’re here for another reason,” Harper snapped. “Who are you passing information to?”

  I gritted my teeth as I glared at him. His face was still close to mine, his breath brushing against my cheek. My gaze dropped to his mouth, and a highly improper idea came to mind. Before I could think better of it, I acted.

  Closing my eyes and leaning forward, I pressed my lips against Oswyn Harper’s.

  Henry had kissed me several times in the months before my family died, and I had always enjoyed the experience. But this was completely different. Mr. Harper’s lips were firm under mine, and he wasn’t holding me in a remotely tender embrace.

  My action seemed to startle him, and he loosened his grip on my arms. Reaching up, I put my hands on his chest and shoved as hard as I could. He stumbled back a few feet, drawing his hand over his mouth. Had it been any other situation, I might have been insulted at that. “What the—” he began to say.

  I pushed away from the door, getting my breath back. “How dare you come in here and make such wild accusations? You’re the one who has been in and out of this house while Mr. Burnham was away.”

  “I work with Mr. Burnham!” Harper said defensively. “I had business—”

  “He knew nothing of you being in this house so often when I made mention of it. In fact, he seemed rather upset by the idea.”

  Mr. Harper blinked, and a frown began to form. “What? No, I had a message from him, asking that I keep my eyes on his household. That is what I was doing.”

  He looked so confident, and I began to feel the first stirrings of doubt. “He didn’t say anything about that to me,” I said uneasily. “So, it seems we have to work out which one of us is lying: you, me, or him.”

  “Burnham is an honorable man. He is not a liar.”

  “Neither am I.” His gaze didn't waver even slightly from mine “But something tells me you’re not lying either. One of us has to be.”

  The fingers of his right hand began to drum on the side of his leg. “I know there is a traitor in this house. It’s possible that the person sent a fraudulent message to me to cause trouble.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or you could be lying about what Burnham said to you.”

  I gave an unladylike snort. “Well, that wouldn’t do me any good, would it? All you’ll have to do is ask him, and how far could I get once you learned I’d lied?”

  After a moment, he nodded to concede the fact. “That’s true. Then again, it would be logical to suppose that Mr. Burnham had reason to tell you something that was not true.”

  He was stubbornly caught up on the idea that someone was prevaricating. “What reason would that be?” I demanded impatiently.

  Harper raised his eyebrow. “Keeping you from the truth.”

  My first instinct was to scoff, but he did have a point. Had I been too eager to believe everything I had been told? “I suppose only time will tell.”

  “All of this doesn’t explain what you’re doing here, Miss Nelson.”

  Whenever he said ‘Miss Nelson’ there was the slightest hint of a sneer, as though he knew it wasn’t my real name. “Helping Miss Burnham, of course.” Before he could ask me any more questions, I asked one of my own, “What do you know about the Sinclair family?”

  His eyes widened for a moment, betraying his surprise. “You’re going to have to be a little more specific, Miss Nelson,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant. “What about them?”

  What was it Mr. Burnham had said? Someone who had been friends with Jonathan was likely the one who had killed him. Looking at Harper, standing right in front of me, I didn’t think he looked like a killer. Then again, how would I know if I saw one?

  I decided I may as well put some of my cards on the table, as it were. Thank you, Jonathan, for having taught me more card games than a lady should know how to play. “Did you kill Jonathan Sinclair?”

  He gave a more obvious start in reaction to that question. “What? No!” He stepped forward and pointed at me. “Jonathan
Sinclair was a good friend of mine, and I would have given my life in exchange for his.”

  Oddly enough, yet again, he sounded sincere. Maybe my instinct for the truth wasn’t as accurate as I thought it was, but for the moment I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. “So, you’re aware he was murdered,” I said, happy to have the advantage.

  “How do you know?” he demanded in surprise. “That news is not public knowledge.”

  “You’re right. Most people are under the impression that Jonathan Sinclair died of a fever he contracted in Bath.” Never mind the fact that I’d been under the same impression not more than twelve hours before.

  “You are remarkably well informed, Miss Nelson,” Harper said with a frown. “How is it that you know so much?”

  I could have told him the truth about who I was, but what reason did I have to trust him? He’d barged into my room and accused me of being a traitor. Until I could confirm exactly what part he played in the mess that had become my life, I needed to keep him at arm’s length.

  “Miss Sinclair,” I said quietly.

  A puzzled expression appeared on his face. “Miss Sinclair?” After a moment, I could see the understanding come in his eyes. “You mean Sinclair’s sister? What about her? She doesn’t have anything to with any of this.”

  “Oh, doesn’t she? You don’t think that she wants her brother’s killer to be brought to justice?” I hissed. “The Sinclair family name has been dragged through the mud these past few months. You think that doesn’t affect her?”

  “You’re remarkably protective,” Harper said. “But then, you must be around the same age as Miss Sinclair and Mrs. Burnham did say you’d worked for the family. Did she send you here?” That was one way of putting it. I looked away. “What does it matter to her now? No doubt she is happily married. She was practically engaged five years ago. Sinclair told me.”

  I clenched my jaw at that and resisted the desire to slap him. “Oh, what do you know about it?” I put my hand on the doorknob. “And I’ll ask you to leave my room now, sir. We can have nothing more to say to each other.”

  “Oh, I think there’s a great deal we have left to discuss.”

  “Such as what, Mr. Harper?” I asked, growing impatient. “I am not the spy you’re looking for. Your time would be better spent elsewhere in that regard.”

  A knock sounded on my door, and I felt a sliver of panic. Harper was right when he said I wouldn’t want to be caught with a man in my room. I’d be dismissed, and I wasn’t quite ready for that just yet.

  “A moment, please,” I called.

  “Miss Nelson, Miss Burnham is asking for you,” Mary’s voice came through the door. “Are you well? Do you need some help?”

  The doorknob began to turn under my hand. “Thank you, Mary. I’m perfectly fine.”

  When I glanced over, Harper had a slightly panicked look on his face. Maybe he’d be in as much trouble as I would if he were caught. “I’m sorry I’ve taken too long. I’ll be down to Miss Burnham’s room in just a moment.”

  After a second, the knob returned to its original position, and I could hear footsteps retreating down the corridor. I breathed a sigh of relief. “I think you should leave now, sir. I have work to do.”

  “Yes, Mr. Burnham will be expecting me. My apologies for disturbing you, Miss Nelson. No doubt our paths will cross again before too long.”

  I opened the door and stepped aside. “Good day, Mr. Harper.”

  He glanced both ways down the hallway before he left, and I closed the door behind him. I breathed out and brought my hand to my lips. While I had started out the morning with a clear frame of mind, now I didn’t know what to think.

  My gaze went to my father’s pocket watch, and I bolted to the table to pick it up. How fortunate that Harper hadn’t seen it! No doubt he would have been inquisitive, and with the Sinclair name engraved on the cover, I might not have been able to redirect his attention away from me.

  Oh, why hadn’t I been intelligent enough to leave it behind before coming to this house? I clung to it for sentimental reasons. It wouldn’t actually help me discover the truth.

  Shaking my head, I slipped the watch’s chain around my neck, concealing the time-piece in its usual hiding place before I set off to Eugenia’s room.

  EUGENIA WAS SITTING in front of the window. She turned in her chair as I entered, having been waiting for me. “Oh there you are,” she exclaimed, gesturing for me to come to her side. “I am so happy, Nelson, and it’s all thanks to you!”

  “Mr. Landon has proposed?” I’d expected Mary to be eager to share that bit of news.

  She shook her head. “Well, not exactly, but he asked if he might speak to my father. If Papa gives his blessing, I think he’s going to ask me. And it’s all because you took the time to help me.”

  This time I was the one shaking her head. “He would have come around to it eventually. We simply encouraged him to act sooner than he might have liked.”

  She laughed softly. “Do you think men are aware we are so manipulative?” Eugenia asked, running her finger over the glass. “That we spend so much time making sure we get their attention so hey will propose to us?”

  My mind went immediately to Mr. Harper and his suspicions. “I imagine they are a little aware. After all, they have their mothers, and some of them have sisters. They would have to be the dimmest creatures alive to not notice.”

  “Well, I have met a few men who aren’t particularly intelligent.” As our eyes met, we both had to bite back our shared amusement. “At times, you remind me of someone I used to know, Nelson. It is the strangest thing.”

  Given that I wasn’t planning on being present for very much longer, I wasn’t immediately wary of that statement. “Oh? And who might that be, Miss Burnham?”

  “Someone I haven’t thought about in a very long time. One of your former employers, Juliet Sinclair. She was older than me, but we used to play together when my family would spend a summer in the country. Her father and my father were business partners, and invested in the same ventures.”

  Honestly, I was amazed that she hadn’t mentioned me—well, Juliet Sinclair—long before this. “I’m flattered.” I moved to the dressing table, straightening a pair of gloves that rested there. I was tempted to ask what inspired the comparison but thought better of it in time.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Eugenia frowned. “I don’t know what it is though,” she finally said, a note of frustration creeping into her voice. “I suppose she always knew just what to do all the time, the way everyone always seems to know better than I do.”

  “I think you give us too much credit,” I said with a slight laugh. “Sometimes, we make the best we can of situations and hope that we made the right choices.”

  The door flew open. “Eugenia! You’ll never guess what just happened,” Calliope exclaimed rushing in, followed closely by Daphne. “Papa has been shut in his office with Mr. Harper, and he is furious!”

  “Mr. Harper? Why would he be furious?”

  “No, Eugenia. Don’t be silly. Papa is the one who is angry,” Daphne said with obvious exasperation. “I didn’t exactly understand what he was saying, because Old Gray Boots caught us listening at the door, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard papa so angry.”

  Eugenia’s expression became puzzled, but I was fighting back a smirk. Was it petty to feel pleased that Mr. Harper was being taken down a peg or two? Probably. However, I wasn’t going to allow any hint of remorse to affect my feelings on the matter. He most certainly had it coming to him after his horrible behavior earlier, and his wild accusations about me were far from the mark.

  “There you two are,” Miss Graham said as she entered the room. “Did I not tell you both to go to the schoolroom?”

  “But we want to be with Eugenia.” Calliope stamped a stubborn foot against the floorboards. “We hardly get to see her anymore.”

  “Girls, you have your studies,” Eugenia told them. Something outside
the window caught her attention, and she didn’t seem to hear the protestations that came from both of her sisters. “He’s here.”

  That simple statement made Daphne and Calliope go silent. “Who is here, my dear?” Miss Graham asked.

  Eugenia turned to us, a shining smile on her face. “It’s Mr. Landon,” she said as though it should have been perfectly obvious. “He told me he wanted to speak to father, but I didn’t think he would come so soon! Visiting time isn’t for hours.”

  “Well, that is encouraging, isn’t it?” Miss Graham commented. “May I offer my felicitations, Eugenia?”

  Blushing, Eugenia prettily protested that it was too soon for such congratulations.

  “Eugenia, what if Papa refuses, and you have no other prospects for the season?” Daphne asked in a horrified whisper. “Will you be an old maid?”

  The governess grabbed Daphne’s arm and spun her around towards the door. “What kind of thought is that, Daphne Burnham?” Miss Graham asked sharply. “Must you always try to shatter your sister’s confidence like that? I am thoroughly out of patience with you both.”

  Surprised, I watched as the woman herded the two younger girls out of the room. Her impatience surprised me. On the surface, Daphne’s question may have been a bit outlandish, however, I had taken it as sisterly teasing. There was no reason to berate the girl for such actions.

  Eugenia’s voice dropped to a concerned whisper. “Nelson? Will father disapprove of Landon?”

  “I can think of no reason he would,” I said. “In fact, I am certain he only wants you to be happy.”

  “Please stay awhile,” she begged, holding out her hand. I let her pull me onto the chair opposite her. “I know Mama is still asleep, so you won’t need to go to her. I always feel more confident when you are with me.”

  Such a declaration warmed my heart, but sentimentality was sure to make me dissolve into tears. I wanted to avoid that. “Now, worrying will do you no good, Miss Burnham,” I told her briskly as I turned to the window. “I have no doubt you will soon be called down to have a few private moments with your Mr. Landon.”