by Lydia Dare
She forced her own reaction to Mr. Hadley to the back of her mind and considered her best friend. So Sophie had made a cake of herself? “She made it obvious, did she?” Of course, her friend would not be subtle the first time she made the acquaintance of the man who’d stolen her father’s money and, consequently, his will to live.
“Her distaste for him?” Mr. Hadley asked with a large grin. Her heart skipped a beat. His face was really quite remarkable when he smiled like that. She could barely make out his scar in the dark. He should smile more often, as he didn’t seem nearly as frightening as usual. In fact, he was extraordinarily handsome. “It was rather apparent.”
“I am sorry.” Sorry she hadn’t gotten the chance to speak with Lady Eynsford before now. She reached for the man’s cup to return it to the sideboard. Could her plan still be salvaged? Or was it a lost cause at this point? “Do you think he noticed?” she asked over her shoulder.
Mr. Hadley wore a curious expression, one Maddie couldn’t quite interpret. Was it glee? He took a step closer to her, then another. “Archer was barely introduced to the lady before he bolted in the opposite direction. I don’t believe he overheard any of her plans to dismember him, however.”
Dismember? Maddie gulped. Where would Sophie get such a gruesomely medieval idea? A small part of her wanted to use the same tactic on some of her most ardent suitors. “His lordship ran off, you say?”
The gentleman nodded. “With his tail tucked between his legs.”
“You should seek your brother out then, Mr. Hadley. I’m not one to tell tales. And I’m certain Lord Radbourne will tell you what transpired between himself and the lady’s family if he wants you to know.”
Something mischievous twinkled in the gentleman’s dark eyes, and her belly did that queer little flutter again. “Now you must tell me, my lady. For if Archer has no desire for me to know what sort of injustice he has done to the lady’s family, that is all the more reason for me to know. Don’t you agree?”
Maddie blinked at him. She didn’t agree at all. And she certainly was not about to divulge the details of Sophie’s unfortunate situation to the man. “I am not one to tell tales, Mr. Hadley.”
“I’m certain,” Mr. Hadley reached for her hand as his voice dropped to a whisper, “if one of your brothers was engaged in some questionable activity, you would want to know the details.”
Perhaps that tactic worked with many of the women of his acquaintance. He could probably disarm a lady with his lowered voice and the way his eyes sparkled in the dark. But Maddie forced herself to extricate her hand from the gentleman’s grasp, no matter that she didn’t want to for some reason, and she spun away from him with a laugh. “On that you are mistaken, sir. You see, I am quite certain that both my brothers are engaged in objectionable activities on a regular basis. However, I find I am much happier not knowing what sorts of depravity they are involved in.”
“On second thought, that might be wise.”
He knew her brothers better than she thought, if he so readily agreed. That couldn’t speak well of him, his acquaintance with those scoundrels. Could it?
“Wes, is that you?” Robert’s voice boomed from the threshold. A pang of regret resounded within her. She was enjoying the conversation with Mr. Hadley, enjoying the way he looked at her. “Absconding with my baby sister, are you?”
Mr. Hadley turned to face the door. “Ah, evening, Rob.”
Robert stepped into the library. “Or are you regaling the lady with tales of your new high-perch phaeton? Maddie couldn’t care less about such things, you know.”
Maddie rolled her eyes heavenward. “Mr. Hadley was stepping in for you, Robert. Shooing away unwanted suitors and such. Perhaps you could take a lesson from him.”
Robert chuckled as he dropped an arm around her shoulders. “And who deemed them unwanted, Maddie? You or Father?”
On second thought, perhaps Sophie was on to something with her whole dismemberment idea. “What do you want, Robert? I’m certain it isn’t my safety or virtue that has sent you in search of me.”
Her blasted brother laughed again. “God help whichever of these saps lands you. He’ll have my everlasting sympathy.”
“Rob!” Mr. Hadley growled.
Maddie glanced up at the gentleman and found him scowling at her brother. The ferocity of his glare made his scar seem even more pronounced. She took a step away from him and closer to her disreputable brother. What she really wanted was to take a step toward Mr. Hadley instead. What a queer notion.
Of course, Robert only laughed harder. “Easy, Wes. She’s just my sister.” Then he squeezed Maddie’s shoulder. “We’ll all be going into dinner soon, and Father wants you on Gelligaer’s arm.”
The Earl of Gelligaer? Maddie somehow managed not to cringe. Of course the Welshman would be at the top of her father’s list as he would be a duke himself one day, assuming he lived that long. But, something about the fellow made Maddie wonder if he would survive another year. Whether because of his always red-rimmed eyes, continual cough, or sudden shifts in mood, Gelligaer wasn’t normal. As far as heirs to dukedoms went, he made Nathaniel look like a prized prince.
She smiled tightly at Mr. Hadley. “Do enjoy your evening, sir.”
***
How exactly was Wes supposed to enjoy his evening when that opium eater Gelligaer would have Lady Madeline on his arm? However, Wes didn’t have a say in that matter. Not at all. So he nodded in farewell as Rob escorted his sister from the library, leaving him by his lonesome.
As the slight scent of rosewater drifted away, Wes watched the pair disappear down the corridor. A grin tugged at his lips. He’d just had his first real conversation with Lady Madeline. He would have loved for the interaction to have lasted longer, to have not had their conversation interrupted by Robert, but she hadn’t run screaming when her eyes landed on him. He’d actually held her hand, no matter how briefly. She’d even laughed and smiled. And what a radiant smile it was.
After a moment, Wes started back toward the drawing room himself. He should be present when dinner was called, or he’d face Cait’s wrath later. However, he hadn’t even gotten as far as the drawing room when he saw Lady Sophia slip inside a nearby parlor door. The door didn’t close behind her, although she did make an attempt at privacy. Wes stepped closer to the threshold.
“You know who I am.” Her clear, proud voice caught Wes’ immediate attention.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he leaned even closer to the door Lady Sophia had entered.
“Of course, I do,” Archer grumbled from inside the room. “Lavendon introduced us this evening. Or have you forgotten?”
What the devil was Archer doing in there? Thankfully, with his Lycan ears, Wes didn’t need to lean against the door to hear his brother’s conversation. He’d never live it down if he was caught with his ear at a keyhole.
“You knew my name,” Lady Sophia accused. “I saw it in your eyes. Did guilt cause you to slink away? Or were you simply too cowardly to face me?”
“I have nothing to feel guilty about, sweetheart,” Archer drawled, arrogance dripping from his words. “Nor am I a coward. And I will forgive your insults because of your most recent loss, for which I offer my condolences. However, you really should turn back around and rejoin the throng of men clamoring for your attention. I’m not one of them and I have nothing for you.”
“Those men are clamoring for Madeline, not me, as you are well aware. And we have unfinished business, you and I.”
Archer snorted.
“And I’m not leaving until I have my say.”
“Very well,” Archer growled. “I’m listening.”
There was a long pause, and Wes thought perhaps his brother’s tone had scared the chit into silence. But then she said, “Bindweed Cottage. It’s mine and I want it back.”
“I’m certain if you ask Lavendon nicely enough, he’ll buy you one even nicer. You appear to have quite a few assets with which you may still be able to
bargain.”
The unmistakable sound of a slap reverberated off the walls. Wes was about to burst into the room when the crowd from the drawing room filtered into the corridor and started in his direction. The worst thing for both Archer and Lady Sophia would be to get caught in each other’s company, especially as their tempers ran high at the moment. So Wes casually leaned against the door until he spotted Gray in the crowd.
An instant later, his twin was at his side. “Cait has been asking for you and Archer,” Gray hissed. “What have you been up to?”
“I believe Archer went back to Eynsford Park,” Wes called loudly enough for their older brother to hear them inside the parlor. Hopefully, the dolt would get the hint that he should return to The Park while the others were dining, to keep anyone from suspecting he’d escaped the party with Lady Sophia. Having both of them reappear at the same time wouldn’t do, not if their absence had already been noticed.
“Why are you yelling?” Gray asked.
“I’m not yelling.”
“I’m standing right here and you are yelling.”
Wes glared at his twin. “I wanted to make sure you could hear me over the crowd,” he ground out.
“Uh-huh.” Gray furrowed his brow. “With my poor hearing and all, I can see why that would be a concern. Did you addle your brain in the fall today?”
“Let’s just head into dinner, shall we?”
Gray shrugged. “As long as you stop yelling, I’ll go wherever you want.”
How about straight to the devil? Wes pushed his twin back into the crowd and followed the group into the large dining hall, another room in the castle Wes had never entered before.
One could almost imagine a time long ago when feudal lords reigned over their kingdoms from this hall. Lavish dinners, knights, ladies, and lively music. Two long tables sat parallel to each other, and the Duchess of Hythe gestured both Hadley twins to the less grand of the two. Less grand in that the Duke of Hythe sat at the other, along with his daughter, the unhinged Gelligaer, and the higher-ranking peers present. Dash and Cait also sat at the grand table, which was a relief. At least he and Gray wouldn’t have their sister-in-law’s eyes on them the entire evening.
Just as they were about to take their seats, along with the lesser-titled peers, the duchess approached their table with Lady Sophia in tow. “I hope you gentlemen don’t mind if we join you.”
“Of course not.” Viscount Dewsbury nodded his head. “We’ll be honored to have such lovely guests.”
The duchess cast a reproachful look in the man’s direction. No one thought Her Grace lovely, as she was well aware.
So Lady Sophia belonged at the lesser table as well, did she? Interesting. But why was Her Grace joining their ranks? To keep Lady Sophia from being the only female at the table, most likely. Wes gulped. Having Cait’s eyes on them would have been better than the duchess’.
“Mr. Hadley,” Her Grace said imperially.
“Yes?” Wes and Gray answered in unison.
The duchess narrowed her eyes on the two of them. “Let’s put Lady Sophia between you. Perhaps she can manage to keep the pair of you out of trouble.”
Normally, Wes would have had no complaints about sitting beside a lovely young lady, but now he wouldn’t be able to tell Gray about the conversation he’d overheard. And with a table full of other guests, he couldn’t even question the lady about her connection to Archer or what was so important about this Bindweed Cottage she’d mentioned. To make matters worse, he had a perfect view of Lady Madeline and that blasted Welsh earl at the opposite table.
Five
The rattle of her bedroom door handle startled Maddie awake. She pulled the counterpane tightly beneath her chin. “Who’s there?” she hissed.
Immediately, the rattling stopped and she took a steadying breath. Thank heavens she’d been of sound mind enough to turn the key in her lock after she sent Jane away. Did one of her father’s guests think to compromise her?
Weston Hadley immediately came to mind, with his dark scowl and even darker scar. She almost wished she could ask him to sleep outside her door to waylay any unwanted late-night guests. He’d been quite effective in the corridor, by his own admission. Maddie smiled to herself at the thought of Mr. Hadley frightening her suitors away with nothing more than his scowl and his scar.
What a wonderful talent to possess! Perhaps the gentleman could be persuaded to spend more time at the castle. At least until her father and all of his guests returned to London for the trial. Fortunately, she didn’t have to worry about him trying to compromise her.
Until tonight, she’d always been frightened of Weston Hadley, but after their short conversation in the library, she found she did like him, strange as that was to realize. He was quite handsome in a dark and dangerous sort of way, too. Funny she’d never noticed that before. Of course, he’d never smiled before, as though he preferred the world to see him as a sinister gentleman on the fringe of society. Why did he do that?
There was something quite charming in the way he seemed concerned about his brother but at the same time fished for information to needle Radbourne. The brothers Hadley possessed a camaraderie Maddie hadn’t even realized she envied until now. Too bad her own brothers were such scoundrels. How wonderful it would feel to be part of a family who cared deeply for each other!
A shower of tiny pings hit Maddie’s window.
Good heavens! What now? She slid from under her counterpane and crossed the cold, stone floor to her window. A grinning Lord Dewsbury stood beneath her in the courtyard, holding a handful of pebbles. Maddie glared at the man, wishing once again that her scowl was as effective as Mr. Hadley’s.
One thing was certain. If she was going to get any sleep, it wouldn’t be in her room, which seemed to attract reprobates as honey did bears. Maddie retrieved her wrapper from the edge of her bed. She slid her arms through it and tied the sash around her waist. Then she turned the key in her lock and peeked out into the corridor. Everything was dark. Still, she couldn’t make out any male-shaped shadows, which was a relief. So she stepped over her threshold and darted down the hallway and didn’t stop until she reached Sophie’s room.
Maddie knocked lightly on her friend’s door and was relieved when Sophie whispered, “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Soph. Open up.”
A moment later, Maddie was safely ensconced in her friend’s room, having dropped onto the edge of Sophie’s bed. “Let me stay with you tonight,” she begged.
Sophie rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Bad dream?”
Maddie shook her head. “Bad houseguests. If one isn’t trying to break into my room, another is assaulting my window with pebbles. I think we’ll be safer together.”
“I have had every sort of proposal known to man within the space of a fortnight,” Sophie said. “Who would have thought my value would change so drastically in so short of a time?” She patted Maddie’s arm absently.
“How many proposals did you receive tonight? And I’m assuming none of them are of the respectable variety.”
“Not a single one,” Sophie sighed. “How about you?”
Maddie held up three fingers. “Three offers of marriage.” Why did that make her feel so unwanted?
Sophie shot her a look of commiseration. “Honestly, what was His Grace thinking by inviting that lot here all at once like this?”
Maddie sighed. “He was thinking he could finally be free of me.”
“Your father adores you. He just didn’t think the situation through clearly.” Sophie pulled back the counterpane and Maddie climbed into the bed.
Maddie turned on her side so she and Sophie could see each other. “What am I to do, Soph? I’d hop a ship bound for India and find employment training elephants before I’d marry any of those lechers.”
“Lord Gelligaer didn’t meet your expectations?”
Though it was dark, Maddie could tell her friend wore an impish grin. “When he bothered to talk at all, it was to discus
s the color green ad nauseam. You would think there was only so much one could say about a color, but you’d be wrong.”
Sophie giggled. “Did it start with him discussing your eyes, by chance?”
It had started that very way. Maddie’s response was an unintelligible grumble.
“It couldn’t be worse than my dinner companions. Your grandmother barked at everything everyone said the entire night. I almost felt sorry for the fellows assigned to my table. By the end of the evening, Mr. Hadley, the smooth-faced one, just stared into his plate like a scolded puppy.”
“Speaking of Mr. Hadley, Soph, I know you said something to Lord Radbourne. What did you say?”
Sophie closed her eyes. “In public or in private?”
In private? Maddie nearly swallowed her tongue. She sat up in bed and stared down at her friend. “You met with him privately?”
“Certain things needed to be said without an audience.”
Maddie massaged her temple. “Please tell me nothing untoward happened.”
“All right. Nothing untoward happened.”
Maddie didn’t believe that for a second. “Heavens, Soph. I told you I would speak to Lady Eynsford. That she’d find a way to straighten all this out.”
Sophie shrugged against her pillow. “Well, I’ll get a chance to talk to Lady Eynsford myself tomorrow. She wants me to call on her… alone.” She let that last word linger on the air. “Very mysterious. I don’t know why you think she’s capable of sorting out my situation. She seems quite odd to me. Bursting out of parlors in the middle of tea for no reason. Pulling me to the side last night and telling me I must visit Eynsford Park in the morning and to come alone. She is more than a conundrum.”
“Lady Eynsford wants you to call on her in the morning?”
Sophie nodded. “Indeed. Though she didn’t even give me a hint as to why.”
“Hmm.” Maddie dropped back on the bed and stared up at the canopy above them. “Perhaps Grandmamma already spoke to the lady and she has a plan to help you.”
Sophie yawned and turned on her side. “I’m sure it’s something like that.” Sarcasm dripped from her words. “Now go to sleep, Maddie. I’ve apparently got a long day ahead of me tomorrow.”