Frank smiled. “I will if she tells me to.” And the look on his friend’s face made William’s blood boil. Frank had been no more than his equal as children and yet, by appearance alone, everyone had loved him. Even Natalia. His features touched on all the finer points of good breeding, while William looked just as wild as he felt.
But he’d never wanted to be Frank. William was proud of the man he was, the man he’d created himself into. He’d not trade it for all the titles or ‘noble’ noses in the world.
Though if they continued this conversation, Frank was likely to find his nose broken.
He stepped into his friend’s space and said, “Don’t go there with me. Not where she is concerned.”
Frank looked surprised. “You’re already serious about her? William, she’s legally tied to another man. There’s nothing you can do about that.”
“We’ll see about that,” William promised, though he had no idea where this conversation was coming from. He didn’t want Mrs. Wells as a wife. She’d likely kill him in his sleep.
Why did the thought of her attempting to do just that thrill him so?
“What’s going on?” Francis came through the front door with Genie at his side and a child’s white carriage between them. The sight of the family altogether pulled at something deep within William, a part of his soul he’d not allowed himself to explore in the past.
And yet more recently, he found himself doing just that, wishing and hoping for something that had once been forbidden, but now…
“William is likely to be engaged by Season’s end,” Frank announced. “He’s fallen for—”
William swung without thinking, but Frank seemed prepared. The block was quick and precise.
Frank grinned. “I’ve been training again.” The smile and the information settled a part of William.
But he grunted when Genie squeezed her small arms around him. She was a short woman but very strong.
“Oh, William, I’m so happy for you.” She looked up and there were tears sliding out of her green eyes. “I thought there was no hope for you.”
No hope?
“Why did you believe such a thing?” He settled an arm around the woman he’d known most of his life. Summers at Francis’ had led to him meet not only Francis’ sister Lorena, but her best friend in the world, Genevieve, as well. He hadn’t even seen the small woman move, yet there she was giving him her warmth, trying to make him feel better as she did with all the other Men of Nashwood. He touched her hair. “Don’t you think a woman capable of loving me?”
“Of course, I do!” She glared. “We all love you,” she said, speaking on behalf of the Spinsters. “But we worried. You’re so closed, more closed than the others.”
No, that wasn’t true. He was as equally closed as the other men, the difference was that William wore his secrecy like a uniform. He didn’t hide it. What he allowed a person to see was all they ever got from him.
Except when it came to those he trusted.
He smiled down at Genie and turned to Francis. “Come get your wife before I steal her away.”
Genie laughed even as her husband did exactly as William instructed. Though, of course, William would never steal his friend’s wife.
The only wife he wanted was Mrs. Wells.
“Who’s the woman?” Francis asked with a grin and a possessive arm around Genie.
“Mrs. Wells,” Frank supplied for the couple.
William shifted as though he would attack again, but Frank shifted as well. Every ready. He was proud but planned to try and take Frank when he was unaware later.
“Mrs. Wells?” Genie asked, turning from the nursemaid who’d taken their sleeping child away. “But she’s already married.”
“Women have been known to become widows,” William said, holding nothing back.
Francis glared, visibly angered that William would make such a threat in front of his wife.
But Genie surprised them all when she said, “Good. Any man who harms a woman enough to make her flee for her life doesn’t deserve her.” Then she took a deep breath before starting in the direction that the nursemaid had gone. “If you men would excuse me.”
They waited until she was gone before speaking.
“She’s stronger than we thought,” Frank said.
“Yes,” Francis agreed. “Perhaps she’ll not turn against me when our secret comes to light.” There was a shadow in his eyes.
“She won’t,” William said. And he was sure of it. “We did what we had to do, and we kept Julius’ secret because it was not ours to tell.”
“Yes,” Francis said absentmindedly. Then he turned to William. “This Mrs. Wells, is she the one we’re to meet soon?”
William hesitated then nodded. There was no point in acting as though he wouldn’t go after her. He would. He simply didn’t know what he would do once he caught her.
She’d proved herself to be a cunning opponent. He’d have to stay alert during their next meeting.
He couldn’t wait.
A footman approached William then and handed him a note.
William quickly opened it and grinned. His naval ally had come through.
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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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Leah started toward the dining room, only to have Zed cut her off. Taking her arm, he led her in another direction.
“William requested you meet him in the breakfast room.” The space was much smaller than the dining room and Leah was nearly never in there once evening had set in.
“What for?” She could hear the voices of the other women in the opposite direction fading away with her every step. It didn’t make sense.
Zed stopped her just outside the breakfast room and lowered his voice. “You don’t have to speak to him.” Her brother’s eyes were shadowed by the places the lamps in the hall couldn’t touch. “You tell me, and I’ll make sure he never bothers you again.”
How? She wanted to ask, but then she decided she didn’t want the answer.
She pressed her hands to her quivering stomach and whispered, “I’ll be all right.”
Zed frowned. “I don’t believe you. William was the one you spoke of most when we left for France eighteen years ago. Even more so than Julius.”
Her eyes widened but then narrowed as she strained to remember things she couldn’t. The night they’d escaped, there had been so much happening, so much darkness. Her mother’s weeping blocked out all other sounds.
Romina’s husband had been having an affair with his dead brother’s wife. Leah wasn’t sure when she’d discovered the truth. All she’d known was that one day she’d come of age and realized what she’d not been able to figure out before, what her brother, Julius, and William had always tried to protect her from.
“I spoke of William?” Leah asked. “I don’t remember.”
Her brother placed a hand on her shoulder. “You have no idea how soothing it is to know you don’t remember those days. And just as well. Nothing you said of him was pleasant.” Zed’s face was grim.
That surprised her even more. “What did I say?”
Zed lowered his voice. “You kept saying he broke some promise and then you went on and on again about him being a vagabond.”
A promise? She didn’t recall what he spoke of. That night had been full of weeping and running.
Her brother shook his head. “You seemed more upset by him than at the thought of losing our father.”
Leah looked away. “We lost our father long before that night.”
Zed nodded and wrapped her in an embrace before letting her go. He’d have held on longer if they’d been alone, but that was not the case in such a full home. “I’ll speak to him and say—”
“No, I’ll go to him.” She wanted to see him even if it meant allowing him the opportunity to dig deep
er into her secrets. Though now her brother had her curious. What promise? She felt betrayed by herself that she couldn’t remember. She started toward the breakfast room, but Zed’s hand on her arm stopped her.
“You were right,” he began. “When you said we shouldn’t tell them, you were right.” He narrowed his dark blue eyes that in some cases could be just as violet as Julius’. “Leah, I love Julius as much as you do, and though I wish him the best… If you ever told him the truth, they’d kill you.”
Leah’s heart climbed into her throat as she realized a small part of her wanted to share everything with William. “Why would you say they can’t be trusted?”
He let her go. “Because I never told you what Julius said to me the day before our lives changed. You loved him so much. I didn’t want to turn your heart against him.”
This time, it was she who grabbed his arm. “What did Julius say?”
Zed touched her cheek. “I’m not ready to tell you. Not yet.”
“Then why bring it up at all?” Her stomach burned.
He let his hand fall. His look was gentle. “Because you’ve changed recently, and I believe William to be the cause of that. But what’s more important is that Julius is watching you, and not with friendly eyes.”
She’d known that. “He won’t hurt me.” William had promised his protection.
Zed stepped back. “Protect yourself.”
She nodded. “Have you found anything on Sarah?”
“I may have. The man I’ve been paying to follow Lord Reinburg saw Sarah the other day.”
Hope rose within her. This would all be over soon. “Did he follow her?”
Zed nodded.
“Where is she?” Leah asked.
“Don’t worry about it. For now, focus on getting through this dinner.” Then he turned toward the breakfast room and announced her presence.
Leah was furious when she entered the room. She hadn’t liked her brother’s reply and hoped he was not planning to keep her from getting involved further. Her eyes quickly swept the yellow and blue flower-patterned room and froze. She’d been prepared to see William, but her stomach lurched as her eyes caught the other gentleman in the room.
Julius. And though he smiled pleasantly and stood when William did, she could tell there was no kindness behind his expression.
Zed was right. She’d have to be more careful.
Zed closed the door behind them and Leah moved to the only other chair in the room. She sighed when she realized that Zed was staying. He pulled out her chair then went through another door in the house that led to the kitchen, promising to return with their meals.
She didn’t meet either William or Julius’ eyes and instead looked around the room.
The breakfast room, for the most part, looked the same as it did during the day, but without the sunlight that usually gleamed through the windows and showed a view of the gardens that Emma, their oldest resident in the House, had brought to life with the help of some of the other women in the house.
Instead, only the moon was in view, and she found the position of the lamps nearly blinding. She could hardly make out William and Julius. They were in shadows, likely watching her and waiting for her to make a mistake.
“What is your husband’s first name?” William asked.
She looked over at him. “John.” It was a common enough name that William would never find all that existed.
“Whom you met and married in Bergerac?” William asked.
“Yes.” Leah lifted her hand to block the light. “Could we please turn down one of these lamps? I can hardly see you.”
Immediately, one of the lamps dimmed. “Better?” Julius was the one to ask, his face now in perfect view, his eyes empty.
She gained control of her breathing before she answered. “Yes.”
Her cousin nodded before reaching for his wine. “Leah is not a common French name. How did you come into possession of it? Perhaps it is short for something else?”
Leah’s heart rocked in her chest. “No, it’s just Leah. How do you two know one another?” Asking them questions seemed the best way to keep them from cornering her. She’d not expected Julius. Did William tell him the lie she’d spouted days ago? Were they currently planning her death?
Zed returned with their meals and set them about.
William answered, “We met as children at Eton.”
Leah lifted her fork. “How wonderful that you have managed to stay friends all these years.” She pushed her food around, but her nervousness led to a lack of hunger. “Where did you gain the title Men of Nashwood?” It was a question she already knew the answer to, yet still, she asked.
“There was a public room called Nashwood in Oxford,” William told her. “While in school, Darvess, me, and the others spent many of our days in a corner of that room and eventually that corner became known as our corner.”
“And anyone who dared encroach on it paid the consequences.” Julius’ gaze was directly on her. He was not even bothering to pretend to eat.
Leah glanced from him to William. In a fight against these larger than usual men, she didn’t stand a chance. She looked over at Zed to find her brother watching her and knew Zed wouldn’t stand a chance either.
Then the evening grew worse.
“You may leave,” William said with his eyes on Leah, but it was clear who he was speaking to. “We’ll ring if we need you.”
Zed looked as though he would speak, but then decided against it and left, the door closing behind him, but she knew her brother hadn’t gone far.
Leah reached for her wine and purposefully knocked it over. “Oh! I’m sorry.” She stood. “I should get Mr. Sudworth to—”
“No, we can handle this.” William stood. Julius went for his serviette.
And while both William and Julius were distracted, Leah slipped her knife off the table and onto her lap as she sat down.
Just in case, she kept telling herself, all the while her heart hoped that William hadn’t broken his pledge to her.
She watched his bent head as he tried to clean up the mess she’d made. The frustration on his face reminded her of him as a child. She’d usually made him scowl. After Starlight’s death, he’d worked very hard to regain her friendship, and she’d never made it easy. She’d liked upsetting him because no matter how often she did so, he remained at her side. But if she could go back, knowing all she knew now, she’d be different, she promised herself. She’d have treated her friend better. She’d have been kind, just as he’d been.
Looking at him now, it seemed like the past had only been yesterday. His green eyes had gleamed in the sunlight. His skin was dark and rich like warm sand. Heavy brows over eyes with long sweeping lashes.
His mouth had always been strong and just as often as she’d made him angry, she’d also made him laugh, needing to see his smile like she’d needed her next breath.
And he’d held her when breathing became difficult during her tears.
The promise.
She remembered now.
He'd promised to take her away.
She hadn’t known why her mother and brother had forced her to run that night, but she remembered wanting to wait.
For William. William would come and protect her.
She hadn’t wanted to go to France. She hadn’t wanted to leave him.
William settled back down in his seat. Their gazes met and immediately his face cleared.
Leah blinked and realized she had tears in her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She ducked her head and wiped her eyes quickly. It was another moment before she felt calm enough to lift her head again.
Julius was also watching her and no longer was his face anything close to hostile. “It’s only wine. Easily replaced.” He gave her his first genuine smile. “You didn’t even break the cup. There’s nothing to fear.”
She sighed and realized they both thought her sadness was linked to the wine. But why? Who cried over spilled wine?
“Did h
e—” Julius cut himself off, but then went on. “Did Mr. Wells grow violent over accidents?”
Oh, yes. Her mind clicked on and she remembered that she was not Natalia Hext, but Leah Wells.
She looked at her plate. “I’d rather not speak about him.” It was what she always said to anyone when her husband was brought up. Even when she spoke to the women in private, when they came to her for counseling, she could never bring herself to lie to them, not even if the lie would set them at ease and make them believe her to be just like them, a battered and bruised woman on the run from her husband. That was the story for every woman in the house, but while Leah had wept to Maura to gain entrance that first day, she’d never gone into detail. Such a lie in the face of those who were actually in pain was too much.
Julius stood. “I’ll pour you another glass.”
She smiled up at him. “Thank you.” She recalled times when her cousin had been kind to her as well, even when she’d not deserved it. He’d called her Tally Cat. Would he ever do so again?
Pansy-colored eyes watched her for a moment and then turned away. “I… won’t be but a moment.”
When Julius stepped away, William spoke very low. “I’ve told him nothing about the conversation we had.”
Leah stared at him. “You didn’t?”
He shook his head; his eyes had a firm hold on hers. “I keep my promises.”
She didn’t have time to reply, because Julius returned. Yet even if she’d had a million years, she’d never have known what to say to William. Under the circumstances, William should have told Julius the truth. Julius had been his friend since they were eight. He’d only known her for days. Yet he was willing to protect her? A self-proclaimed criminal?
Something broke near her heart, but not the heart itself. Instead, it felt like a shield had crumbled and her heart expanded without it, free to seek out the man who, for the first time in her life, made her feel utterly safe.
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Natalia’s Secret Spinster’s Society (The Spinster’s Society) (A Regency Romance Book) Page 12