by Fanny Finch
Lavinia purposefully turned away from him so she would not have to see the look on his face. If he was angry with her, she did not want to see it. She hurried back to the parlor door, feeling guilty as she went through into the room.
Her face was flushed hot. She knew her cheeks had to be flaming red. She wished she could control that reaction.
Lavinia could not help wondering if she had somehow led Sir Henry to believe she had feelings for him that were more than just friendship or brotherly love. She went quickly back through her memory, picturing things the three of them had done together and could not remember a single time when she could have given him that impression.
Preparing himself to kiss her was the last thing she expected from Sir Henry. But as she thought more about it, she realized something that made her stomach flutter with a sweet anxiety.
If it had been the Marquess who had attempted to kiss her, she would not have run away.
Chapter 10
His meeting with Lavinia had left him in a rather unusual pleasant mood. So much so that when his friend, Jasper Federline, Earl of Cantor, invited him to join a hunting trip at his estate, Myles did not refuse.
Myles was not a fan of hunting but he had missed seeing his friend these last months. He also felt he needed a distraction from constantly thinking about stirring Lavinia in the right direction concerning her suitors and protecting her from the unsuitable ones.
He had not heard from her lately, his only updates coming from Mr. Gentry, who made regular visits to inform the Marquess what she was currently doing.
To be at the Earl of Cantor’s estate at the designated hour, Myles had to wake up at the crack of dawn. It was earlier than the Marquess was used to but not enough for him to feel exhausted when he rose.
He was pleased when they reached the estate in a shorter amount of time than he thought it would take. He did not like long rides in the carriage, as the seats were sometimes uncomfortable and rocking back and forth made his back hurt for a short time after the ride.
When he arrived, the Earl of Cantor and the other guests were already there, waiting for him. The carriage stopped in front of the marble steps. The driver climbed down and hurried to open the door for him. The Marquess descended and quickly approached the three men.
“Federline,” Myles greeted his friend warmly.
“Arlington,” Jasper responded in equal friendliness, nodding once in return. “It has been a long time.”
Myles had not seen Jasper for some time but he felt like there was worry behind his friend’s blue eyes. He and the Earl favored each other in such a way that they were sometimes mistaken for brothers. Myles had only sisters, so he did not know the feeling of having a brother until he met Jasper Federline.
They enjoyed many of the same things and oftentimes, Jasper found himself in awkward situations in which he did not know the right words to express his feelings. His friend stumbled in speech, especially with the Ladies of the ton more often than Myles did, which never ceased to amaze the Marquess.
“I appreciate the invitation to this hunt. You know I am not a hunter by nature but I did want to see you. I also needed to get out of London for a few days. I have been feeling very closed in there.”
“You are welcome, Arlington. I am glad you decided to come along.”
Myles addressed the other two gentlemen waiting beside Jasper. “Sir Jonathan. Lord Blacksburg. It is good to see you both.”
“As it is to see you, Lord Kent,” the men responded.
“I do hope you have better aim than I,” Myles said with a chuckle. He turned his eyes back to Jasper, who seemed to be distracted by something far away. “Though I do not know if I will even carry a gun. It might be dangerous for all of you.”
Sir Jonathan and Lord Blacksburg chuckled. “I am sure we will be safe,” Sir Jonathan said, his deep voice coming out in a natural growl. The Marquess was aware of a disease Sir Jonathan was afflicted with that had caused growth on the inside of this throat, restricting his voice box so that it was much deeper than it should be. It sounded like he was talking with a throat full of gravel.
“I do not know about that, sir,” the Marquess replied. “Better to err on the side of caution, I always say.”
Not too long after, Myles was seated on a horse, riding through the wooded area around the Earl of Cantor’s estate, peering through the trees for animals he was not going to shoot. He had been given a rifle but it was unlikely he would use it so it was still tied to the back of the horse, while the other men had theirs under their arms.
Jasper had been uncommonly quiet on the ride through his estate. Although he was not typically the most outgoing of men, he was rarely as quiet and somber as he was then. Myles watched as his friend pulled ahead of him, making a straight line down a path, obviously knowing where he was going.
Sir Jonathan pulled his horse up alongside the Marquess and gave him a warm smile. “It is nice to have you here, my lord.”
“Thank you, sir. How is it that I have never seen you here before?”
Sir Jonathan shrugged nonchalantly. “I have never seen you here either. Therefore, we must have missed each other every time we visited.”
“I am sure you have probably visited more often than I have, considering your affinity for hunting.”
“How did you know I am an avid hunter?” Sir Jonathan raised his eyebrows inquiringly.
The Marquess grinned, gesturing toward Sir Jonathan’s rifle with his head. “I believe that gun has seen its days of shooting.”
Sir Jonathan looked down at the worn, aged gun he clutched to his side. His eyes moved up to the Marquess with an admiring look. “You have a good eye. Yes, I have been using this gun since I was a child. It has put many meals on the table for some of the people in the village near my estate.”
“That is kind of you.”
“I feel it is important to take care of the less fortunate.”
“If only more people felt that way.”
They rode in silence for a moment. The Marquess watched Jasper as he stopped his horse, appeared to listen by lifting his head in the air and moving it around, and then continued on.
“My friend appears very preoccupied today. I have not seen him this quiet in some time.”
“He does seem distracted, my lord,” Sir Jonathan said, concern showing through his growly voice.
“Do you have any inclination as to why? I do not wish to pry but Federline is my good friend. I would want to help him if I could.”
Sir Jonathan raised his eyebrows. “I could not say, my lord. As you know, Lord Cantor is quite a private man.”
The Marquess nodded. He guided his horse away from the gentleman, giving him a nod. He urged his horse to move faster, making a straight line for his friend.
“See anything, Federline?” The Marquess called out. Jasper spun around to look at him and then relaxed. His jumpiness took the Marquess by surprise. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen his friend so skittish.
The Marquess felt a sharp sense of curiosity slide through him. He used an encouraging tone when he spoke. “If there is something that is bothering you and you need to speak with someone, Federline, you are more than welcome to share your troubles with me. You know I can be trusted.”
Jasper turned his eyes to him. He glanced behind the Marquess on both sides for his other companions, who were not nearby.
He sighed, casting his eyes back over the landscape in front of him. “I have been dealing with a threatening situation. It has been difficult for me these last few months.”
The Marquess frowned. His chest tightened with worry. “A threatening situation? Who is threatening you, Federline?”
Jasper sighed. “Sir Franklin Ashdown,” he confessed. “Have you heard of him?”The Marquess gritted his teeth. “Yes, I have heard of him. Although I would rather his name had never reached my ears. Why has he been threatening you?”
Jasper huffed. “He is a brash and uncontrollable lout. I
see no way to console his fears when his fears are not reality. The situation is escalating to a point where I feel it will surely end in a duel. Mind you, I do not mean to kill that man. My dueling days are in the past. Or so I had hoped.”
“Has he threatened you in person?”
“He has sent letters and been threatening in person when he does not believe he will be caught.”
The Marquess felt like he should have been more aware of what was happening to his friend. Guilt passed through him. He had been so distracted by his own worries, he had neglected to keep in touch with Jasper. He was ashamed.
“I am shocked that Sir Franklin would take things to this extreme, Federline. What is the cause behind such preposterous behavior? ”
Lord Federline didn’t look like he wanted to talk about it.
“A duel would not be a good thing, that is certain Myles mumbled. He was concerned that Jasper would allow himself to be threatened at all. He was a strong man and a good shot. He would easily win. “I am ashamed, my friend, that I did not know of your troubles. Know that you can come to me when you need help.”
Jasper shook his head. “You must not worry about that, Arlington. I am a private man by nature and I deal with problems the way I see fit. I do not like to ask for help but when I do, you will be the first one I come to.” He smiled at him.
Myles nodded Jasper’s words comforted him but only slightly.
“You still haven’t confessed what the threats are about, however.”
Lord Federline blinked rapidly, peering through the trees in front of him. He was quiet for a moment. “What else is most often the cause of such a dispute between men, Arlington? A woman, of course.” In this particular case, Miss Lavinia Bronson.”
The Marquess almost slipped from his saddle in his surprise. His eyes snapped to Jasper’s face, his eyebrows raised. “Miss Bronson?”
Jasper nodded. “Yes. She and I were friends in our youth and have never lost touch. We see each other on occasion, holidays and the like. My parents and I often dined with the Bronsons until the Baronet died. Since then I have not spent time with them other than correspondence, which has been to my great shame.”The Marquess was once again shocked. He did not know his good friend even knew Lavinia. To find out they had been friends for so long was unsettling for the Marquess. He felt he should have known of that connection, considering his relationship with both parties.
“Sir Franklin, however, seems to believe I pose some sort of threat to him,” Jasper continued. “He has made his aspirations toward the lady known. He is a possessive man, as you may know. I am sure he is uneasy with my friendship with her, even if it is nothing more than that.”
He looked at Myles thoughtfully. “I would take a wager that he is unhappy about your dealings with the lady as well. I noticed he did look rather displeased when he saw the two of you dancing at the Windingham ball.”
Myles cleared his throat. “It was only a dance.”
From his friend’s expression, it was clear that Jasper did not quite believe that. “Even if it is so,” Jasper allowed, “in Sir Franklin’s mind things are presenting themselves in a very different manner. He wishes to court and marry this lady, and there are two much finer men standing in his way. There is no telling to what lengths he could do to secure the future he considers his.”
The Marquess felt slightly sick to his stomach. His anger rose inside him in a furious tide. He made a mental note to have Mr. Gentry investigate his friend’s situation. And then, a strange idea occurred to him.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to give Sir Franklin a new target and pursue Miss Bronson himself. It would make it easier for him to protect her from these vultures surrounding her. Moreover, Jasper would be spared of his threats and attention.
He dismissed the thought immediately, shocked that such an idea would pass through his mind. He didn’t want to court Lavinia himself. He didn’t want to marry her. He could only imagine how hurt Lavinia would be if she found out his true reason for asking for her hand. He did not wish to hurt her feelings.
And yet there was a part of him that couldn’t quite discard the thought. A part that whispered that courting her himself would not be an appalling prospect.
The group had finally come upon the quarry. Jasper had dismounted and thrown the reins to his horse over a low hanging branch. He was walking quietly toward a row of trees, and disappeared among them shortly after.
The Marquess rode his horse to the same tree and dismounted next to Jasper’s horse. Not very willing to participate in the hunt, he had decided to wait there until Jasper and the other men had caught their prey.
At that moment, a shot rang out somewhere nearby. A bullet whizzed past the Marquess, who jumped to the side, landing hard on his right arm on the ground. Rocks underneath him pierced his shirt and he rolled over on his back, holding his arm with his other hand, groaning.
Sir Jonathan and Jasper were by his side in moments. Both looked concerned.
“Good Lord, man!” Jasper said, kneeling beside him. “That was a close call!”
“Are you all right, my lord?” Sir Jonathan asked, holding his hand out to the Marquess. His face was almost like stone.
The Marquess took Sir Jonathan’s hand and pulled himself to his feet, brushing off his clothes. His breathing was shaky and he bent at the waist, resting his hands on his knees to steady his breath. His side was in pain. He would surely be bruised on that side come morning.
He shook his head, looking up, peering out into the woods.
“Where did that come from?” he asked, his voice strained. “Why would someone shoot at me?”
Sir Jonathan and Jasper took a few steps toward the woods, also searching for where the shot might have come from.
“Where is Lord Blacksburg?” the Marquess asked, narrowing his eyes but still seeing no one through the dense trees. His heart was beating rapidly, his mind whirling with confusion.
“I am here, my lord.” The man stepped out of a line of trees to the right, his eyes wide as he took in the disheveled appearance of the Marquess. “I was walking the line of the quarry, looking down for something to shoot. What happened?”
“I was nearly murdered, that is what happened.” The Marquess could not help the frown etched into his face and the fury in his voice. Strangely enough, Jasper didn’t seem as infuriated, which troubled Myles.
It was his estate, the estate of the Earl of Cantor. If someone shot at him, Jasper would know who it would be. Surely he knew who was on his land and who was not. As his friend, how could he react in such a casual manner? It was so unlike the man Myles knew Jasper to be.
Jasper looked at his friend, his eyes dark and brooding. “Sometimes there are trespassers in my land, men from the nearby village seeking for a better meal. I have never caught one of them but I have heard they do that. Nevertheless, I am sure it was just a stray bullet. I do not think it was intentional.”
Jasper slapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder. The Marquess could tell he was not being as honest as he normally would be. The Navy had trained him to determine when someone was lying or withholding something. “I am sure it was nothing, my friend. Let us continue or hunting.”
Myles no longer felt like hunting. He thought his friend’s behavior was strange. He had never seen Jasper appear so awkward and distraught.
He gazed once more into the woods and their shadows, where nothing stirred.
If someone had tried to murder him, he had a good suspicion of who that might be and why. He knew too much. He could destroy certain people’s aspirations. And for that, he had to be removed.
Sir Edward had warned him this might happen. Myles was not a man who would cower in fear. He would find the guilty party or parties and God had mercy on their souls if he did.
But first, he had to be certain that Lavinia was safe.
Chapter 11
Lavinia didn’t dare hope that the Marquess would ask to meet with her a second time, but he did. In his let
ter, he gave her specific instructions on where to meet him. This time, there would be no carriage ride. His plans never ceased to impress her with their ingenuity.
The carriage left her and Helene outside the churchyard. Saint Raphael was a small, old church in a quiet corner of the city. It looked abandoned in the dull morning light, but Lavinia knew it wasn’t so.
Together with Helene they entered the church. Lavinia had told her mother that she wished to pray and it would be a lovely opportunity to visit this particular church, which Anna had told her was very beautiful.
The church was empty. Lavinia and Helene sat, heads bowed in praying, for quite some time. Then, when certain no other visitor or the minister stepped inside, they moved to the side door that led to the overgrown garden that surrounded the church.