Ladies and Their Secrets: Regency Romance Collection

by Alec, Joyce

  There was a short, stunned silence. Emily felt as though the threads of her world were slowly being pulled apart, tearing at the seams. Sarah, her loyal maid for many years, was now supposedly the one who had brought such fear into her life.

  “But why?” she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “Why would she do such a thing?”

  Lady Millington gave her a small, sad smile. “I would wager that money has a good deal to do with it, my dear. Besides which, we know very little of Sarah’s background, other than the references she brought with her. I recall that your father, in his grief and mourning, simply hired more staff without the least consideration for their backgrounds.”

  Still struggling to believe it, Emily shook her head. “But Sarah has always been so kind,” she said, her voice breaking. “I have shared a good many things with her.”

  “Did you ever tell her where you had hidden the diamonds when you were at home, with your father?” Lord Pallson asked gently. “Did she ever ask you about them?”

  Trying to remember, Emily felt her brows furrow, as she realized that, yes, Sarah had often asked if the diamonds were safe, but Emily had always just taken it as a gentle concern and had always answered that, yes, they were quite safe, but she had declined to state where they were hidden.

  Could it be that Sarah had been told to find them and had become all the more desperate? She could not imagine her gentle maid shooting her father, but then again, until only a few minutes ago, she had not considered her maid anything more than devoted and caring.

  “What should we do?” she asked. “We must know the truth, but if we ask Sarah, there can be no assurance that she would tell us.”

  Lord Pallson nodded slowly. “I think I may have something,” he said slowly. “It will force the assailant to reveal themselves, although it will require all of us – and Lord Brighton.”

  Emily glanced at Lady Millington, who was still drinking her tea. “You do not believe then that Lord Brighton has anything to do with these difficulties?” she asked slowly. “You think him entirely innocent?”

  “Yes,” Lord Pallson replied firmly. “But we will require him. Lady Millington, might you speak to him quietly and ensure that he knows what has occurred? I will then meet with him and discuss the plan for this evening.”

  Feeling as though everything were being organized around her, Emily pressed Lord Pallson’s hand. He turned to look at her, and she tried to smile at him despite the feeling of being entirely adrift filling her. “What is it you intend, Lord Pallson?” she asked softly. “And what must I do?”

  Lord Pallson, evidently aware that she was feeling quite lost, pressed her hand. “I will discuss it all with you this afternoon, Lady Emily,” he promised gently. “But I must go for the moment. Your maid will be back up to see you very soon, and I do not wish to be here when she arrives.”

  Emily felt her gut twist at the thought of having Sarah back beside her, dressing her hair and ensuring she was adequately dressed for dinner.

  “You must behave entirely as normal,” Lord Pallson instructed, lifting his hands from hers. “You must not allow her to see any anxiety on your part, any mistrust. All must be just as it seems.”

  Letting out a slow, shaky breath, Emily nodded. “I understand.”

  “Allow her to dress your hair and to apologize profusely, as I am sure she will do,” Lady Millington continued, clearly understanding Lord Pallson’s request. “You should apologize also, for going outside when she suggested you did not. Tell her the truth, that you were foolish to do so and express alarm over her injury.”

  “Very well,” Emily replied softly. “I will do what I must.”

  Lord Pallson nodded, lifted her hand, and kissed the back of it gently, sending warmth all through her. It chased away the coldness, the fear and the doubt, letting her heart trust Lord Pallson and his plans completely.

  “Oh, and you must say one more thing,” Lord Pallson said quietly, his hand still holding hers. “You must make sure to say that I intend to move the diamonds this evening, during the time the men sit with their port and the ladies retire to the drawing room. You must tell her, reluctantly of course, that I intend to remove them to the secret passageway that leads from the drawing room to the library.”

  “But why?” Emily asked, her heart hammering in her throat. “You cannot truly mean to–?”

  “No, they will be quite safe, I assure you,” he promised gently. “But she must believe that they are to be moved this evening. It will be a trap of sorts, and one that will require all of us. I will explain the rest this afternoon. Perhaps we might meet in the small parlor?”

  Emily nodded, feeling both nervous and a little frightened at his departure.

  “I will remain with you until then,” Lady Millington replied firmly. “Oh, but I must see Lord Brighton also.”

  Swallowing hard, Emily smiled at her friend. “I will have your maid remain with me also at that time, so you need not worry.”

  Lady Millington shook her head firmly. “No, I will insist that Lord Brighton come here, once you have dismissed Sarah. He will be surprised, but I doubt he will mind attending me here.”

  A small flush of pink crept over her face as Emily watched, feeling the urge to laugh grow within her despite the anxiety she felt.

  “Very good, Lady Millington,” she replied, as Lord Pallson bowed to them both. “Then I am sure I will be more than safe until our meeting this afternoon.”

  Lord Pallson’s eyes landed on hers, sending swirls of heat through her. “Until then, my dear lady.”

  His tender expression had her heart filling with affection for him. He had become so much to her, standing by her and refusing to be swayed. The truth of her identity had not had him shun her, but rather had made him promise to never be removed from her side again. She owed him a great deal. “Until then, Lord Pallson. And thank you.”

  10

  “Lord Pallson said you were to be in here for the remainder of the day, my lady.”

  Emily pushed her nervousness to one side, as Sarah entered the room, bobbing a quick curtsy.

  “Yes, indeed,” she replied with a small smile. “I shall not retire here, however, but I will need a few of my things brought. My novel for one.” She forced her smile to spread a little wider. “And mayhap my pearls for this evening. I do intend to join the rest of the guests for dinner.”

  “But of course, my lady,” Sarah replied, her eyes a little wide. “Lord Pallson told me what happened to you. What a terrible thing to occur!”

  Lady Millington cleared her throat delicately. “An accident, of course.”

  Emily nodded, seeing Sarah frown just a little. “I was walking too close to the edge of the lake,” she said, agreeing with Lady Millington. “As you can see, however, I am quite warm and dry now.”

  Sarah’s expression was one of relief. “I am glad to hear it, my lady.”

  “Oh, but what is that?” Emily exclaimed, as Sarah turned away. “Are you injured?”

  Sarah nodded, briefly explaining what had occurred and stating that something had hit her hard, coming out of nowhere. Recalling Lord Pallson’s words, Emily sighed heavily and shook her head.

  “I should have listened to you, Sarah. You urged me not to step outside, and yet I was insistent. And now you are injured and I was almost drowned! Are you sure you are quite all right? If you need to rest, I can easily ask for another maid to assist me.”

  Sarah smiled prettily. “No, my lady. I am glad to be able to help you after such a dreadful morning. What a trauma that must have been for you! To be so threatened and then to fall into the water – goodness me, it is a wonder you are not still shaking.” She bobbed another curtsy. “Let me go and fetch your things, my lady. At once.”

  “Thank you, Sarah,” Emily murmured, seeing Lady Millington’s lifted brow and feeling the same sense of spiraling dread in her belly. Sarah had mentioned the lake and the fact Emily had been threatened, all without Emily saying a word about i
t. She could not doubt it now. Her maid was involved—for whatever reason.

  “My goodness,” Lady Millington murmured, shaking her head sadly. “I would never have imagined that such a devoted maid would be in any way involved.”

  “She has not actually done anything, surely,” Emily replied, trying desperately to think of some sort of excuse, as though she wanted to defend her maid somehow. “I cannot understand why she has done this.”

  Lady Millington’s expression grew grim. “We will find out soon enough, my dear. It does not matter whether she was the one to do this or that, she has been informing the assailant, whoever he is, on the diamonds and your movements. You must remember to share with her the information Lord Pallson requested.”

  “I will not forget,” Emily replied, feeling suddenly morose over the broken trust that now lay in her heart. “I can hardly believe this, Lady Millington. She was always so devoted to both me and my father.”

  Lady Millington shook her head, her eyes sparkling with anger. “Your maid is an excellent actress, nothing more. It is time to show her that she will not get away with this.”

  * * *

  Sometime later and Emily found herself listening to Lord Pallson as he began to explain his intentions to the assembled group. Lord Brighton, whom Lady Millington and Emily had met earlier, was seated next to Lady Millington with an astonished look on his face, as though he had not quite managed to accept what had already been told to him.

  She could not blame him for that. To think that one’s house party was going wonderfully well, only to discover that there was a trail of horrifying acts running straight through it must have been difficult to hear. A small smile crept across her lips as Lord Brighton glanced at her, his eyes rounded as he looked back at Lord Pallson.

  “Emily – Lady Emily, I mean, has managed to explain to her maid, Sarah, that I will be moving the diamonds to the secret passage this evening, just after the ladies have left the dining room to take tea in the drawing room,” he explained, throwing her a quick glance. “This means, I hope, that the maid will tell whomever it is she is working for about my plans. I do not think that the gentleman will come to the secret passage immediately afterward, for he will not want to draw attention to himself. Rather, I think he will wait until the guests begin to retire and will then go in search of the diamonds himself.”

  Emily nodded slowly, her mind beginning to turn over what Lord Pallson had proposed. “I see. So you will be waiting there?”

  “No,” Lady Millington replied, before Lord Pallson could say anything. “You must not wait within the passage itself, surely? That is much too dangerous.”

  Lord Pallson nodded. “Besides which, I must be seen by the other guests. The assailant must not think for a moment that we are laying a trap. Therefore, I will continue on in the drawing room with Lady Millington and Lord Brighton. Lady Emily, you will retire early and return to Lady Millington’s room, where you will lock the door and remain there in safety until I come for you.”

  Fire burst in her heart. “No.”

  Lord Pallson froze in place, his mouth a little ajar as though he had been about to speak but had been cut off.

  “No,” she said again, a good deal more fiercely. “No, I will not be turned away from this, Lord Pallson. This is all because of my father’s diamonds, and I will not hide myself away as it comes to a conclusion. You must let me help.”

  Lord Pallson shook his head. “You must be safe, Lady Emily.”

  “Then find a way for me to remain so whilst in the library – or in the drawing room,” Emily persisted firmly. “I will not hide away, as you have suggested. I must be there. I must see.” Her voice threatened to break with emotion, but she refused to let it so much as quiver. Instead, she kept her gaze steady, her eyes fixed on him as he looked back at her.

  A sigh escaped him.

  “Lady Millington, you will remain with Lady Emily,” he said slowly. “She will retire early, and you will go with her. That will not be thought of as unusual given that you are very good friends and have already displayed such consideration before.”

  “But what about myself?” Lord Brighton asked hurriedly. “I cannot think it wise to leave two ladies alone.”

  Emily lifted her chin. “Might you have the butler call on you for a matter of business before the ladies retire?”

  Lord Brighton flashed her a small smile. “An excellent notion, Lady Emily.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured, seeing the way Lord Pallson was looking at her with a degree of frustration and anxiety. “I am sure we will be quite safe with Lord Brighton there, Lord Pallson.”

  He cleared his throat. “It appears I have no other choice but to agree. You must leave shortly after Lord Brighton. Very well, the three of you will remain in the library and keep a close watch on the secret door. I would ask you to ensure that you remain to the shadows, hiding as best you can. I expect the assailant to slip through the secret door in the drawing room whilst the other guests are busy or beginning to retire themselves, but to be certain of such a thing, I will station myself within the drawing room with a good view of the hidden door. Once the assailant is inside, I will bar it from the drawing room side and hurry to join the rest of you in the library.”

  A little worried about what could happen to Lord Pallson if the assailant worked out what he was doing, Emily cast anxious eyes towards him. “The gentleman in question might work out what you are doing, Lord Pallson, so what then?”

  It was evidently something that Lord Pallson had not considered, for he clasped his hands behind his back and cleared his throat, looking a little lost. “I suppose we must simply hope that he does not. Should all go to plan, we shall have our assailant by the coattails.” His smile took away the last of his concern. “I am quite sure we will be more than able to succeed.”

  “Very well,” Emily replied, still not quite able to remove the knot of worry from her stomach. “What should happen next, once we have him?” In her mind, she had a vision of the gentlemen coming to blows whilst the ladies huddled in a corner, terrified out of their wits.

  Lord Pallson’s expression grew somewhat grim. “I will deal with him personally. There will be a good deal of explaining to do, and Lord Hatherley himself will be required to answer for the trouble he has caused you.

  A little relieved that Lord Pallson did not intend to throttle the assailant in the same way he had been choked, Emily managed a wane smile. “I understand.”

  “It will take a little time for Lord Hatherley to be brought to reckoning, but I guarantee that, very soon, you will be safe to return to your home and to your father,” Lord Pallson said quietly. “It will be just a few days longer, Lady Emily. Do you think you can manage for a short time more?”

  Emily nodded, looking at Lady Millington, who was smiling at Lord Brighton before returning her gaze to Emily. Her reassurance was enough to bring Emily’s spirits up, hope spiraling in her heart that she might, one day soon, be free of all the troubles and trials that had been thrust upon her of late. Free to pursue a life that could, she prayed, involve Lord Pallson.

  “Then, to our stations,” Lord Brighton said, getting to his feet with a hearty smile on his face. “The dinner gong will be sounding within the hour, and we must all look our best.”

  As the other guests left the room, Emily waited behind for Lord Pallson to come to the door. Rising to her feet, she paused for a moment before speaking.

  “Are you quite sure of this, Lord Pallson? I do not wish you to be in danger. Not even for a moment.”

  His smile was warm. “You now know how I feel about you, Lady Emily. I will do all I can to ensure you are safe, for the rest of your days. You will have your life, your father, and your happiness back very soon – a happiness I hope to share with you one day soon.”

  Emily’s heart beat so loudly that she was quite sure that it was easy for him to hear it. She was not quite sure what it was he was offering and not quite certain what sort of future he was ima
gining, but a future that she knew she wanted to share with him.

  “Thank you, Lord Pallson,” she replied, one hand pressed lightly against his chest as his hand encircled her waist. “You mean a very great deal to me.”

  “My heart is yours,” he replied quietly. “And after this evening, you will be free of your fears. I am glad to be a part of it.”

  She lifted her chin and brushed her lips against his for a moment, nothing more. His response was to tighten his arm around her waist and lean down to kiss her again, pulling her heart from her chest with the love that filled it. She did not want to be parted from him. She had to hope that all of his carefully thought out plans would go just as they should.

  11

  Emily’s heart was hammering painfully in her chest as she rose from her seat. The gentlemen had returned from having their port, and now it seemed that some of the guests were beginning to think of dancing. Miss Sophia was sitting by the pianoforte, and some of the other ladies were laughingly choosing what tunes to play. Lord Pallson was standing quietly against the wall, shadows all about him. He did not look at her and did not even move, but she knew that he was well aware of her.

  “Lady Millington, do excuse me,” she began, hearing her voice quiver. “I think I will retire early.”

  Lady Millington looked up at her, a concerned smile on her face. “Indeed, Miss Thorpe. After your fall in the lake, I am not in the least bit surprised that you are tired.”

  “Indeed,” another lady chimed in, her smile sympathetic. “You do look rather pale, Miss Thorpe.”

  Emily tried to smile but felt her stomach tense all the more. “I am tired but well recovered, I thank you. Do excuse me.”

  “Might you wish me to accompany you?”

  Emily turned to see Miss Martin come closer to her, her expression concerned. “You are tired, Miss Thorpe? I must insist that I walk with you to your bedchamber.”