Nick looked like he was making an effort not to laugh out loud. ‘Yes, but he seems to be taking it in good humour. Rupert keeps telling me his lordship is a wonderful man. Do you think he is right?’
Lexie felt her cheeks become suffused with colour and looked away. ‘A very kind one, at any rate,’ she replied. ‘With infinite patience when it comes to little boys, just like you.’
‘Perhaps he’s had a lot of practice as well. I don’t know him at all. Our family never saw Lady Catherine after her remarriage.’
‘Was there some bad blood then?’ Lexie dared to ask, curious to know more.
‘Not with her, I don’t think. By all accounts she was very amiable, but her former husband disliked my father intensely from what I can remember. I believe it was the gambling he was opposed to and my father thought him an old kill-joy.’ He shrugged. ‘Families, eh? They’re impossible.’
‘Yes, don’t I know it.’ Lexie thought of her own brother and his mean ways.
Lexie had plenty of opportunity to study Synley from behind as they rode and she couldn’t help but feel relieved and happy that he had returned. It was as though something had been missing while he was away and a part of her had wondered whether he was even going to come back. It would have been more prudent to stay away for the moment, with a would-be murderer on the loose, but he was obviously no coward.
Nick leaned over and whispered, ‘Are you still set on going to see him tonight or do you want me to distract Rupert so that you can talk to him now?’
‘I think tonight would be better,’ Lexie replied. ‘You never know who might be about and sound carries, even when you’re trying to be careful. There could be someone hidden among the trees, listening.’ A shiver went through her as she remembered the man who had shot at them and she surveyed their surroundings with a searching gaze. Since the forest was dense in places, he could have been close enough to hear her talking to Synley as well. Perhaps he had even heard them discuss their first meeting?
She debated whether to warn Synley of her intended visit, and opened her mouth to do so, but then changed her mind. He might say that it wouldn’t be proper and she was determined to go, come what may. Besides, she would have Nick with her, at least as far as the door. No harm would befall her.
She said goodbye rather absently, then went back to Hawthorne to await the coming night.
Lexie and Nick waited until George and Jasper had left for the inn again before setting out on their mission. Fortunately for them, Margaret had retired early with a headache and there was no one else about. As an extra precaution, Lexie donned the male clothing again.
‘You’re going to talk to his lordship dressed like that?’ Nick goggled at her when she appeared in the stable yard. ‘What will he think?’
‘It doesn’t matter what he thinks, as long as he believes me to be telling the truth. I have to make him listen. He’s in grave danger!’
‘I suppose.’
‘Besides, my reputation would be in shreds in any case were I to be caught visiting Lord Synley on my own, so it won’t make any difference how I’m dressed.’
‘You’re not alone though, I’m with you.’
‘Ahem, aren’t you forgetting something?’ Nick’s expression was blank so she clarified. ‘You’re a man too and I shouldn’t be alone with you either, even if you’re slightly younger than me. George could force you to marry me for this, you know.’
‘Oh, good grief.’ Nick looked thunderstruck. ‘But I ... forgive me. I had come to think of you as a sort of honorary sister. No offence. I mean, not that you’re not beautiful and ...’
Lexie laughed. ‘Stop, stop, there’s no need to explain. I know what you’re trying to say and I feel the same way, but that’s not how others might see it.’
Nick sighed. ‘You’re right. I’m sorry, I should have thought of that. Should we wake one of the grooms and take him with us?’
‘Heavens, no! Let’s just go and get this over with.’
Riding in the dark was eerie and Lexie was glad she wasn’t alone. She was startled several times by the hoot of an owl or the scurrying of foxes and badgers across their path, but she tried to control her nerves and breathed deeply to calm herself.
Synley Priory was in complete darkness when they finally arrived and Lexie bit her lip at this sight. She had hoped that his lordship was the kind of man who stayed up late, but it looked as though everyone had gone to bed.
‘Oh, bother,’ she muttered. ‘Now what do we do?’
‘Let’s walk all the way around,’ Nick suggested. ‘If we see lights anywhere, we can knock on the door or throw stones at the window.’
They left the horses tied to a tree in the park and walked round to the back of the house. Here they were in luck.
‘Look, there’s a light over there at the French windows,’ Lexie whispered. ‘Come on.’
They tiptoed across a large paved terrace and Lexie saw now that there were several windows in a row that were lit up, although the light was faint. She put an eye to the glass and stared in through an opening in the curtains. At first she didn’t see anyone, but then a movement to the right caught her gaze and Synley walked into her line of vision.
‘He’s in there,’ she whispered to Nick. ‘You stand guard over there, please, and I’ll knock. I pray he’s alone, otherwise I’ll have to make a run for it and hope I’m not recognised.’
‘Very well.’ Nick went to lean on the stone balustrade in the shadow of the house and Lexie took a deep breath.
She knocked hard on the French doors and waited. A second later the curtains were flung back and Synley stared out, scowling. His frown turned to one of puzzlement and he opened the doors. ‘What the devil ...? Who are you?’
Lexie moved into the light and lifted up her face. ‘It is I,’ she whispered. ‘Are you alone?’
‘Lexie? By all that’s holy, have you run mad?’ He stepped outside to stand beside her and peered into the darkness. ‘Did you come here by yourself?’
‘No, Nick is over there.’ Lexie nodded in Nick’s direction. ‘Can I please come inside for a moment? I need to speak to you.’
‘Very well, but this had better be worth it.’
He pulled her inside and shut the door, then closed the curtains, making sure they left no gap this time. Then he turned to look at her, taking in her male attire with disbelief written all over his face. His eyes widened even further when she took the beaver hat off and shook out her hair, which was loose since it was easier to tuck it in that way. ‘Lexie, for the love of God, what’s the meaning of this? Are you eloping with young Torrington and in need of funds? I don’t have much, but I’ll give you what there is. Or I can hide you, if that’s what you wish?’
‘Elope with Nick? Don’t be ridiculous, my lord. Why would I want to marry him? He’s not even finished his education yet and we’re just friends. There is nothing else between us.’
‘I don’t understand. Why are you here then?’
‘I’ve come to warn you. Nick and I overheard Jasper talking to George and he plans to murder you.’
‘Oh, well I’ve already gathered that for myself.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘I’m not an imbecile, Lexie. The problem is I can’t prove it although I do have some circumstantial evidence.’
‘I never thought you were, but I wanted to let you know exactly how he’s going to do it so that we may stop him.’
‘We?’
‘Yes, Nick and I want to help. He feels bad about it and wants his brother to be caught. He says it’s time Jasper had his comeuppance and he never thought he’d stoop this low.’
‘Does he now?’ Synley sounded very doubtful, so Lexie felt the need to defend Nick.
‘I know it may be difficult to believe and I doubted it myself at first, but Nick really isn’t like his brother at all. He’s good through and through. If you had seen his expression when we found out, you’d be as certain of that as I am.’
‘Well, be that as it may, I can’t in al
l conscience involve either you or him in this. It would be too dangerous. The best thing would be if I could talk to Jasper in order to explain that he is labouring under a misapprehension – he’s not going to inherit anything from me, no matter what he does.’
‘Really? But then why does he want to murder you?’ Lexie frowned.
‘Probably because he’s seen his late uncle’s will and doesn’t realise it’s not legally binding. There’s a clause in there mentioning “wishes”, but it wouldn’t stand up in a court of law.’
‘I doubt he’d listen to you and even if you could get him on his own and talk to him, he might not believe you. He’s already gone too far.’
‘I know.’ Synley sighed. ‘Very well, tell me what the plan is and I’ll deal with it.’
Lexie shook her head. ‘No, you must let us help you, my lord.’
He sighed and took a step closer. ‘Jake. My name is Jake. Please stop calling me “my lord”.’
‘What? But I couldn’t possibly ...’ Lexie was suddenly very aware of his nearness and swallowed hard.
He smiled and shook his head at her. ‘You can ride out unchaperoned in the middle of the night dressed in men’s clothing and with a young man who is not your brother, but you can’t address me by my name when I want you to? Do you realise how absurd that is?’
‘I ... suppose so.’ She had to smile back, because he was right, it did seem ridiculous.
He took another step forward and was now standing so close she had to look up to talk to him. She breathed in the wonderful, exotic scent of him and it sent a thrill down her spine. ‘Then say it, please. I want to hear you say my name.’
‘Jake?’ She stared into his eyes and couldn’t tear her gaze away. The look in them was burning a trail down through her entire body and she began to tremble. ‘Jake, I want to help you. Please?’
‘Very well, but on one condition.’
‘What’s that?’
‘You let me kiss you again first.’
Lexie put her palms on his chest, feeling the hard ridges of it as it rose and fell with his breathing. ‘You know I’ve never been able to deny you that particular request.’
His smile widened. ‘That’s true. But there is something else I want you to agree to this time as well. Will you marry me? Because if I keep kissing you every time we meet, fairly soon I won’t be able to stop at that.’
Lexie drew in a hasty breath and almost choked. ‘You want to marry me? But you can’t. I’m nobody. I mean, I have nothing to bring you.’
His expression turned grim and he flung away from her. ‘You think I only marry women for gain? You and everyone else.’
‘No, Jake, that’s not what I meant at all. I’d marry you if you were a pauper, but you’re an earl, you have responsibilities. I’m sure it’s different for you.’
He came closer again and took hold of her hands, looking deep into her eyes, still serious. ‘Tell me the truth. You believe me to be a grasping opportunist? After all, I married a woman old enough to be my mother just to save my estate, didn’t I?’
Lexie shook her head. ‘I’ve always felt sure there was more to it than that. If you’d been that desperate, you would have eloped with some young heiress or something. Your reputation was such that another scandal wouldn’t have mattered.’
Synley’s expression relaxed. ‘You really think that?’
‘Yes, I do.’
‘Lexie, my love, then you are unique.’ Without warning, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight. ‘I thank you for your faith in me.’
Lexie looked up. ‘Am I right then?’
‘Yes, you are.’ He buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply, as if he was memorising her scent. ‘It was Catherine’s idea, actually. She had just found out that she had consumption and the doctors gave her a year, two at most. With no relatives to leave her estate to, she said she wanted to help me because I was the son of her dearest friend. And she couldn’t bear for Downes House to fall into the hands of her first husband’s distant relatives, whom he had disliked with a vengeance. I resisted at first, I knew what people would think, but in the end she persuaded me. I desperately wanted to save my own estate, which had been left on the brink of disaster by my father. Since I had a rather, shall we say, unsavoury reputation myself, I knew no respectable man would give me his daughter in marriage. Not unless I used underhand methods, which I didn’t want to do. So I agreed. It seemed preferable to eloping with some young chit who’d regret it the instant she realised she’d be ostracised from society for doing so.’
‘You did the right thing,’ Lexie whispered. ‘You’ve saved your inheritance for future generations and I’ve seen how well you look after your tenants.’
‘I try, but sometimes I think perhaps I shouldn’t have done it. I thought I had ruined my chances of ever having the sort of marriage I really wanted. And then you came back to tempt me.’
‘I’m not sorry I did,’ she said with a smile and he smiled back, then bent to place his mouth firmly on hers.
It was a gentle kiss at first, infinitely tender and loving, and Lexie allowed herself to melt against him. Her whole body sang with joy – he wanted to marry her and kissing him was no longer a sin. They would have their whole lives together, there was no hurry. Synley deepened the kiss and Lexie was lost in a maelstrom of sensation, which was only broken by a rapping on the French windows.
They looked up, somewhat dazed. ‘Damnation,’ Synley swore. ‘I’d forgotten about him. I suppose we’d best let him in.’
‘Yes, poor Nick. He must be wondering what’s happening. I’ve been in here an age and I haven’t even told you yet about Jasper’s plans.’
Synley went over to open the doors and Nick slipped inside, looking from one to the other. ‘I’m sorry, but I was starting to worry.’ Lexie smiled at him, unable to contain her happiness. ‘Ah, I see,’ Nick said. ‘Do beg your pardon, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but we should probably be getting back soon. I’ll, er, wait outside a while longer.’
‘No, stay.’ Synley stopped him by putting a hand on his arm. ‘I’m very grateful to you for bringing Lexie. Please come in while she tells me the whole tale again.’ He winked at Lexie, who caught his meaning.
‘Oh, yes, I was just telling his lordship ...’
‘Jake,’ Synley muttered.
‘Er, Jake,’ Lexie felt herself blush and Nick grinned at her, but stayed silent, ‘how Jasper is planning to waylay him tomorrow night on the way home from Lady Ketteridge’s party. He did say something about a rope, didn’t he, Nick? We could only suppose he means to trip your horse or possibly unseat you somewhere along the way, my l— Jake.’
Nick nodded. ‘Yes, and it would be an easy thing to find the rope and remove it, I suppose. But really we need to catch Jasper red-handed, so if there is any way you could pretend to fall off your horse without actually being injured, he might come to make sure you’re dead and then try and finish you off.’
‘I see you have a high regard for your brother,’ Synley commented with raised eyebrows.
Nick’s jaw tightened. ‘He’s scum, my lord, if you’ll pardon me saying so. I’ve suspected for a long time that he’s involved in criminal activities, but since my father was always on his side, I could never do anything about it. Now my father is dead, I want nothing to do with Jasper and neither do our sisters.’
Synley nodded. ‘Very well, let us set a little trap of our own then. Come, sit down and we’ll work out a plan.’
CHAPTER TEN
‘Are you sure you don’t mind staying behind, my dear? I feel so guilty going off without you, especially since he’s my son.’ Margaret was speaking in a hushed whisper just outside the door to Rupert’s bedroom and she did look concerned, as well she might, Lexie thought.
‘No, don’t worry. You know card parties aren’t my favourites. I’ll be fine here with Rupert and he seems a bit better now, so I can just sit and read in peace. Go and enjoy yourself.’
‘Well
, if you’re absolutely certain? But do send a groom to fetch me if he should take a turn for the worse, won’t you?’
‘Of course.’
Margaret left at last and Lexie drew a sigh of relief. She waited until she had heard the carriage pull away down the drive and watched it until it was out of sight, then she turned to Rupert with a huge smile.
‘Well done, you were splendid! Synley was right when he said he thought you’d pull it off.’
Rupert grinned back and did a somersault on top of the bedcovers, looking the picture of health. ‘Eating chalk was your idea though, and having all those hot bricks in my bed to make me look flushed.’ He laughed. ‘It was fun, wasn’t it?’
Lexie turned a bit more serious. ‘Yes, but you must promise me you’ll never do this on your own. It was for a very special reason today, to help us catch a dangerous man, but we wouldn’t want you to scare your poor Mama like this again. Do you understand?’
‘Of course. I’m not a baby. Synley explained it all to me during our ride this morning. He said I was a vital ... er, something in his plan.’
‘Cog, yes, that’s right. I couldn’t plead a headache again or they might have become suspicious. This was much better. Now if you just wait there a moment, I’m going to go down and let Nick in the back way.’
Nick had pretended to leave that afternoon, saying that he had neglected his sisters for too long. In actual fact, he had first gone to Synley Priory for a while, then come back to wait in the forest until he too heard the sound of the carriage leaving. Lexie found him lurking in the shadows near the back door and together they ascended the servant’s stairs and went back into Rupert’s room.
‘Hello again. I take it you played your part to perfection?’ Nick went over to give Rupert a hug.
‘Indeed he did,’ Lexie confirmed. ‘He should be on the stage, I tell you. He had everyone convinced. Now how long do we have to wait before we leave?’
‘A half hour or so, I should think. Time enough to read Rupert a story. Would you like that?’
‘Capital.’
It was dark in the forest. Just like the previous night, Lexie would have been frightened if she’d been on her own. With Nick at her side, however, she felt safe and the two loaded pistols in her pockets helped a great deal as well.
Regency Romance Collection From Christina Courtenay Page 29