Compromising the Marquess

by Wendy Soliman

  “This is because of me, isn’t it?” Beth said, tears in her eyes. “My medical expenses have brought us to this sorry pass.”

  “No, darling, you mustn’t ever think that.” Leah sank to her knees in front of her sister and took her hand. “It’s my fault for not dancing to our aunt’s tune. She’s taken me in dislike and is determined to be rid of us because I’ve damaged her standing amongst the people she wishes to impress.” Leah dredged up a smile. “I almost feel sorry for her, you know.”

  “How could you?” Beth asked, eyes wide with shock. “She hasn’t treated us well.”

  “She’s disappointed with her lot, that’s all. She regrets marrying Uncle Percy and yearns for a more glamorous life. Her attitude towards us improved when she gained admittance to the Hall, thanks to our friendship with Flick, but now—”

  “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

  “I don’t suppose our uncle is happy about her telling us to leave, because he feels responsible for us, but he can’t seem to stand up to her.”

  “But our friends at the Hall—”

  “Lead lives that will never encroach upon ours,” Leah said, kindly yet firmly. “I have written to Mr. Davidson—”

  “Your old music master?”

  “Yes, I’ve acquainted him with my plans and he’s invited me to stay with him and his wife whilst I audition for the King’s Theatre Company.” Leah forced herself to flash a radiant smile. “Only imagine that.”

  “You are to go to London already?” Meg asked.

  “I must.” Leah, feeling ridiculously close to tears, couldn’t maintain her smile. “It will be for the best.”

  “But how will you get there?”

  “Easily enough. I shall take the cart that leaves from the Boar tomorrow morning. That will convey me to Dover and I shall catch the post from there.”

  “You can’t go alone,” Meg said firmly.

  “Indeed she cannot,” said a masculine voice from the doorway. “But it will be my pleasure to escort her.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “Ha...Lord Denby.” Leah jumped to her feet, tingling exhilaration rippling down her spine. “I didn’t hear you knock.”

  “Jonny showed me in, but he seems to have disappeared.” Hal watched her with unnerving stillness, compelling her to break the silence that settled between them.

  “I wasn’t aware that you had returned to Denby,” she said, wishing she could recall the words as soon as they passed her lips. They made it sound as though she cared.

  “I have just now got back.” His body, swathed in a caped driving coat, his boots dusty from travel, supported his words. Leah wondered what had compelled him to break his journey at the gatehouse rather than return directly to the Hall.

  Before she had the opportunity to ask him, Meg lumbered to her feet.

  “I have work to do,” she said, beaming at Leah as she left the room.

  Beth stood as well and curtsied to Hal. “Lord Denby,” she said. “Pray do excuse me. I have a letter to write.”

  Leah suppressed a smile. They weren’t exactly being subtle. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” Leah asked in a prim tone when the door closed softly behind Beth.

  “How are you?” he asked at the same time, placing his hat and gloves on a side table and crossing the room to lean against the mantelpiece. He was still watching her closely, an indolent smile playing about his lips. The walls of the small room appeared to shrink inwards as he stood there, unlike her, the epitome of calm composure.

  “I’m perfectly well, thank you,” she said, resuming her seat. “Did you complete your business in town?”

  He sighed and moved towards the seat facing hers. “May I?”

  “Please.”

  He shrugged out of his greatcoat and threw it across another chair before sitting down. “It took far longer than expected but, yes, things were finally resolved, after a fashion.”

  “I’m glad that evil young man is safely under lock and key.”

  “Why are you going to London?”

  Leah hesitated, wondering whether she ought to tell him the truth. What business was it of his? “I have decided to make a career in the opera,” she said, tilting her chin, defying him to suggest that she didn’t possess the requisite skill. “My tutor has arranged an audition at the King’s Theatre.”

  “Financial necessity compels you to go against your mother’s wishes?” he asked, his voice a soft, lilting caress that affected her all the way to her toes. It was almost as if he actually cared.

  “Yes, that and the fact that my aunt does not wish us to remain living here.”

  He made a disgruntled sound at the back of his throat, breaking the brief intimacy between them. “Then she’s a shortsighted fool.”

  Leah quirked a brow. “What do you mean by that?”

  “No matter. My opinion of your aunt is not germane.”

  “Nevertheless...”

  “You asked me once why I so disliked my stepmother. She and Lady Wantage are cut from the same cloth, so their friendship never surprised me. They are both social-climbing, insensitive females who think only of their own welfare.”

  “I know my aunt can be self-centred but I didn’t realise your step-mama was like that as well.”

  “You’re fortunate enough not to have met her. If you had, you wouldn’t have remained in ignorance for long.” Hal’s features settled into an expression of extreme distaste. “Even before my beloved mother was cold in her grave, the fortune hunters closed in on my father, Cynthia Barlow at their forefront. I was too consumed with my own grief to give it much thought. Then I went back to school. When I came home at the end of the next term Miss Barlow already had her claws into my father and he was besotted by her.” Hal expelled a frustrated breath. “She was very beautiful, not much older than me and charming to all of us. That changed within days of her having my father’s ring on her finger. It got a great deal worse when she bore him a son.”

  “Why?” Leah frowned. “Surely there was a place for all of you in your father’s affections. She did not need to feel insecure.”

  “I am my uncle’s heir,” he said.

  She blinked. “Yes, so I’ve been told but I’ve never understood why.”

  “The Duke of Dawlish, my father’s brother. He never married, you see, and because of that my stepmother saw no reason why her son should not become my father’s heir.”

  “But surely—”

  “That was nonsense, of course. As his eldest son his title would always be mine, but Lady Denby, accustomed to getting her heart’s desire, was blind to logic.”

  “Presumably your father made provision for his second family. Why was that not enough for your stepmother?”

  Hal sighed. “That I’ve never been able to fathom. What I do know is that Flick was the one who bore the brunt of her ill-temper and, believe me, your aunt’s fits of pique are nothing compared to Lady Denby’s. Us boys were at school most of the time but poor Flick was stuck with her. She talks little about that period in her life, which makes me imagine it was a lot worse than she pretends. Perhaps one day she will tell me.”

  “You are not to blame.”

  He smiled intimately at her. “And yet somehow I feel responsible.”

  “Your father obviously didn’t accede to his wife’s request.”

  “No indeed. Although he never said as much, I believe he knew he’d made a mistake almost at once.”

  “Now I understand why she isn’t welcome at the Hall and I don’t in the least blame you for that.”

  “She was well provided for but still exceeds her income. I pay Giles’s school fees and I actually have some hope of him turning out to be worthwhile, now that he’s no longer under his mother’s direct influence.” Hal scowled. “But my stepsister is as grasping as her mother. Quite a lost cause, I’m afraid.”

  “There is much gossip in the village about the split in the family.” Leah touched his hand. “You are the injured party but can’t set the
record straight without damaging your family’s reputation.”

  “You know me better than to imagine that a little gossip causes me lost sleep.”

  “Even so.”

  “Enough about me,” he said, shaking his head as though dispelling further unwelcome thoughts about the past. “What matters is that you do not need to sing for your supper.”

  “I beg to differ. I am—”

  “Morris has given up the blunt he obtained for your father’s books.”

  Leah’s entire body jolted as she sprang to her feet, suspicion and joy competing for dominance inside her addled brain. “What? Are you sure? How can that possibly be?”

  “Perfectly sure.” He flashed that compelling smile of his that made her regret the loss of their brief intimacy. Then he named the amount he had obtained from Morris. It was so much that she fell back into her chair before her legs gave out on her, her head swimming with confusion.

  “But that’s far more than he obtained for them,” she said dazedly.

  Hal shrugged. “He was moved to generosity.”

  Or threatened, bullied, cajoled—Leah didn’t much care what tactics he’d employed to regain her funds. All she felt was an overwhelming gratitude towards him for involving himself in her affairs.

  “Thank you,” she said with heartfelt sincerity. “It would be far better for Beth’s health if we settled somewhere far away from the noise and dirt of London. Thanks to you we shall be able to do so.” She paused, her mind already alive with possibilities. “Perhaps we shall take ourselves to Bath. There will be ample opportunities there for Beth to be admired.”

  Hal looked as though he was about to comment on her plans, but in the end he merely stretched his legs in front of him, crossed his feet at the ankles and waited. It was obvious that he expected her to say something more, to express her thanks more profusely, which surprised her. She hadn’t thought him that high in the instep. After all, she had saved his life. Didn’t that make them even? Then it occurred to her what she was missing and gasped aloud.

  “By paying out these monies,” Leah said slowly, “Mr. Morris has all but admitted that he stole the books. So it must follow...follow that he—” She fell silent, too overwhelmed to continue.

  “Arranged for your father to be killed? Yes, very likely.” Hal reached across the space that separated them and took her hand. “He won’t admit it, of course.”

  “But he must be forced to!” Leah cried, greatly agitated.

  “Indeed he must, and that’s why you might wish to accompany me to London tomorrow anyway, even though you no longer need to join an opera company.”

  “Why London? Mr. Morris is in Brighton.”

  “For now, but during our conversation I suggested...er, rather forcibly, that he leave these shores permanently. I intimated that I was close to finding the man whom he paid to set the fire and that it was only a matter of time before I did.”

  Leah clapped her hands. “And that man would be in London. You think he will go there to bribe him into remaining silent.”

  “That’s my expectation, yes. He has no wish to leave England. I’ve already greatly depleted his funds by forcing him to pay you what you are entitled to. If he has to give up his lucrative moneylending business, he will find himself in dun territory.”

  “Then we must go to London at once.” Leah leapt to her feet again, her heart pounding, her emotions in hopeless disarray. “We can’t afford to let him out of our sight.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “What if, instead of trying to bribe the man to keep quiet, he actually kills him? I wouldn’t put it past him.”

  Hal stood also, took her arm and gently guided her back to her seat. “Have a little faith, Peisinoe,” he said softly. “First, Morris was still in Brighton when I left him a while ago. His only means of travelling to London is by post, and the earliest he can leave is in the morning. Besides, I have someone watching his every move and we will know the precise nature of his activities every step of the way.”

  “Why would you go to so much trouble for my sake?” she asked, genuinely perplexed.

  “You saved my life.”

  “And you have made recompense by forcing Morris to pay me what he owes.”

  “To answer the other part of your questions, I don’t believe Morris has it in him to kill anyone. He is a small man, and he’s a coward. He acquires information about others and then uses it to force them into doing his dirty work. I suspect that whoever the arsonist is, he’ll be a burly fellow, well able to take care of himself.” Hal shook his head. “Even so, I shall return to London on the morrow. I am convinced that Morris will soon be in the capital himself, he can’t afford not to be, and then we shall have the satisfaction of proving his guilt.” He paused, smiling at her. “I assume you wish to be there.”

  “Absolutely!”

  “Then I shall collect you at nine tomorrow morning. Even if Morris catches the early stage, we shall still be there before him.”

  “I can’t believe that I worked for that man all these years, grateful for any scraps he threw my way, when all the time he was responsible for my straightened circumstances.” Leah felt fit to explode. “Yes, my lord, I most definitely wish to be there.”

  “That’s what I thought you would say.” Hal stood. “I think it best not to mention your change in circumstances to anyone, not even your sister, until the business with Morris is resolved.”

  Leah frowned. “Why is that? I should like to ease Beth’s mind about our finances.”

  “Then you would have no reason to go to London.” He pinioned her with a significant glance. “Especially not alone with me.”

  “Ah yes, I see,” she said, walking with him to the door and offering him her hand. “Thank you,” she said with a wealth of feeling. “My mind is already greatly relieved.”

  He ignored her proffered hand and pulled her into his arms instead, captured her mouth with hungry urgency and as quickly released her again.

  “Until tomorrow then.”

  And he was gone.

  * * *

  When Hal pulled up at the gatehouse in his travelling chaise the following morning, Leah was dressed in a russet-green travelling ensemble, a fetching straw bonnet perched on top of her curls. The rest of her household stood on the threshold and waved her off, making no comment about the impropriety of the travelling arrangements. Hal hadn’t supposed that they would. As far as they were aware, Leah would be staying with her music tutor and his wife when they reached the capitol, but Hal had very different ideas about her accommodation.

  He raised the subject when they stopped at a posting inn to change horses and take refreshment. She was so fixated on proving Morris had arranged her father’s murder that it was apparent she hadn’t spared a thought for her accommodation whilst in the capital.

  “As we expected,” he said, “Morris left Brighton on the London stagecoach early this morning. I received word just before I left the Hall.”

  “Good.” Leah nodded so firmly that she set the ribbons on her bonnet dancing beneath her chin. “The wait will not be a long one, then. Patience, you see, is not my strong suit.”

  “I’m aware of that and if you won’t mind the unorthodox arrangement, it might be more expedient for you to stay at my town house.”

  She looked up from her dish of hot chocolate and raised a brow. “Why is that?”

  “The men watching Morris will report to me there. If he makes contact with anyone suspicious, speed will be of the essence.”

  “Then yes, I’ll do that.”

  “You need not fear for your reputation. I only have a skeleton staff at the house at this time of the year and they know better than to talk out of turn.”

  Leah offered him a wan smile. “My aunt would have it that I have no reputation left to be concerned about.”

  “Your aunt should look to her own behaviour before she assumes to criticize others.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Nothing. If you�
��ve finished, then let’s resume our journey.”

  They reached Grosvenor Street early in the evening. Hal alighted from the carriage, stretched and then walked round to help Leah down before the groom who had come running could do so. He watched her taking in the façade of his home. He was so used to it that it barely registered with him but he imagined that to Leah it must seem rather grand and imposing. Even so, she didn’t allow it to show, and when he offered her his arm she placed her hand on it without hesitation. They ascended the steps to the front door, which was opened by the senior footman in charge of the house in Potter’s absence.

  “My lord,” he said, bowing.

  “Green, this is Miss Elliott. Has a chamber been prepared for her in accordance with my instructions?”

  “Naturally, my lord.”

  A young maid came forward and curtsied.

  “Mary, show Miss Elliott to her room and help her with anything she needs. Come down when you’ve refreshed yourself,” he added to Leah, “and we will take supper together.”

  * * *

  Leah followed the maid up a wide staircase to the first floor, along a wide gallery with portraits of past generations lining the wall. They appeared to follow her progress with disdain, as though wanting to know what she thought she was doing there. Leah tilted her chin and didn’t supply them with an answer, mostly because she was asking herself the same question. They continued on past a row of closed doors, until the girl finally stopped in front of one of them.

  “This is for you, miss.”

  She opened the door and stood back so that Leah could enter the room first. She tried not to show just how impressed-—and intimidated—she felt. The entire gatehouse would have fit into this one chamber with ease.

  “I’ll just bring up some hot water, miss,” Mary said. “I expect you need a good wash after your journey.”

  A short time later, washed and changed into a serviceable gown that definitely didn’t do justice to her surroundings, Leah went downstairs again. She found Hal waiting for her, flipping through some papers as he sat beside the fire in the small sitting room.