“She thinks she is protecting you, My Lord. She wishes to secure her family’s future.” Jasper dropped his gaze. “As you know, it is her cousin Charles who shall inherit if something were to happen to you. She wants to ensure that her mother is well taken care of, as well as herself.”
“Could you not dissuade her?”
“I tried,” Jasper replied fervently. “Goodness, I tried. She is doing what she thinks is best. You know Lady Adelaide—she is stubborn as a mule when she wants to be.”
“Then what is to be the plan?”
Jasper shrugged. “I shall take her and her mother away, as we have agreed. After that… we must consider another course of action, unless she insists on going ahead with the union.”
“Why did you not make her an offer of marriage?” Ephraim asked sharply. “You adore one another, it is plain for all to see. True, it might not be a romantic sort of love, but that can blossom over time. Especially with foundations such as yours.”
Jasper stared at him. “I did not think it my place to ask her.”
“Who else could have such a place but you?”
“Men of better breeding, of greater wealth, of higher position.”
“Nonsense! You would have been a welcome choice.”
He smiled wryly. “She would never have accepted me. It is true that I adore her, and I once thought about a romantic attachment. However, she has made her feelings quite clear. We are friends, and that is all there is to it.”
“Have you asked her?”
“Asked her what?”
Ephraim grimaced. “If she has ever held romantic feelings towards you?”
“Of course not. I value my pride too greatly to receive such a mocking rejection.”
“And you are certain she would have rejected you?”
He paused in thought. “I imagine so.”
“Then you are both fools, for you might have been happiest with one another. Have either of you ever discovered a person who cheered you in the same way? Have either of you ever found someone you wanted to share your secrets with, as you do with one another?”
Jasper gaped. “No.”
“Then, you see, you are both fools. You have been right beside each other, all this time, and you have been too stupid to see it.”
Jasper was about to defend himself when a knock at the door split the silent air. They whirled around to face the sound. A moment later, the door flew open and a figure entered. Dressed in a dark cloak, their face shrouded from sight, Ephraim feared the Bow Street Runners had come to take them away.
“My Lord, Lord Gillet, are you in here?” a voice asked. A stranger’s voice.
They crouched lower, for fear of being seen.
“I do not wish you any harm,” the voice continued. “I have a message from Lord Rowntree that cannot wait. Please, if you are in here, show yourselves. I have followed you from your homes. I know you came into this room.”
The two men looked at one another in the shadows. They had been caught in the trap before they had even begun. They had been followed, and now they would be discovered.
“I must insist that you come out,” the deep voice repeated, resounding with urgency.
How can we escape this? Ephraim asked himself. For now, there was nowhere to hide.
Chapter 25
“Please, will you both come out?” the voice repeated. “I have urgent news from Lord Rowntree.”
Jasper frowned and cast another look at Ephraim. There was no way to escape the room without passing the cloaked figure. Solely from the voice, it being low and husky, one could hardly figure out the identity or the gender of the person talking. A fact that only added to the uncertainty of the moment...Jasper hesitantly assumed the cloaked figure was a man.
If it was one of the Runners, they would have moved to arrest them by now. And, considering the fellow said he had news from Lord Rowntree, Jasper doubted he had anything to do with the authorities.
He swallowed, making a decision. “Who are you?”
“That is of no consequence, Jasper,” the figure replied. “It is you, is it not?”
“It is.”
“Good, then I have not happened upon the wrong individuals.”
“What news do you bring?” Jasper continued. He was determined not to move until he could be certain they were in no danger. Otherwise, they were going to have to fight their way out of this mess.
“I received a message from him a short while ago. I was ordered to watch you, to ensure you completed your task,” the voice explained. “However, I have come to you now as he no longer requires you to perform this task. He has asked that you cease and desist with immediate effect.”
Jasper lowered his voice. “Is he bluffing?”
Ephraim shrugged slowly. “I cannot tell.”
“Can we trust his word?”
“I do not know,” Ephraim replied, before turning his attention back to the figure. “How do we know this is not a ruse to get us to fail in our mission? I understand the consequences of any failure that may occur here. Lord Rowntree made them very clear.”
The figure chuckled softly. “He apologizes for that. The consequences no longer stand, and nor does the task. He has asked that you return to your homes and do not fear any retribution on his part. Your duty to him is done. I have a second note here, addressed to you both, if you would care to look?”
“It sounds as though he is telling the truth,” Jasper whispered.
Ephraim nodded. “That is what concerns me.”
“We should very much like to see the note,” Jasper raised his voice again. “Is it signed?”
“It is,” the figure answered.
“Then…we are coming out.” Jasper stood from his hiding place and made his way back through the cramped storage room. He greeted the cloaked figure with a wary caution, still unable to make out the face beneath the hood. Evidently, this fellow was very good at keeping his identity hidden. Just the sort of man I should expect Lord Rowntree to hire.
“May we see this note?” Ephraim asked.
“Certainly.” The figure turned the letter over to Ephraim and Jasper, who huddled together to read the words. A dim light from the hallway beyond cast an anemic glow into the room, allowing them some illumination to read by.
Your Grace (and assistant),
I hope this letter finds you in time, for I no longer require the task that I requested of you. Circumstances have somewhat altered, and my desire for the object in question has waned. It was cruel of me to toy with your loyalty, when you have proven yourself to be a worthy attendant in such matters. As such, it is my pleasure to inform you that your duties towards me have come to an end. I am satisfied with your work, and the things you have done for me. As such, you shall not hear from me again. Our business relationship will be terminated, upon your receipt of this note.
As for consequences, I know you will have concerns regarding them. Please, do not. I am a fair man, and you have completed the contract that was laid down between us. Your daughter is in no danger. Although, I would ask that you keep her from the claws of that devil, the Duke of Bradford. There will be no retribution if you do not heed my warning, I simply wished to give my thoughts upon the situation. I hear they are engaged, and it would be a travesty to see her fall into his clutches. She is far more worthy than that. I am sure you are already aware of this, but I felt I ought to reiterate the fact of his foul character.
Please, return to your homes and do not continue with this venture that I have set you upon. I thank you for the work you have done, and I shall offer a small reward as compensation for your willingness to undertake this current endeavor. Consider it an apology, and an incentive to prevent the marriage between your daughter and the Duke of Bradford. Although, I would ask that you do not breathe a word of my distaste to the Duke himself. If you were to do so, then I might be forced to intervene in a vengeful manner. If you do not, then consider our bonds broken.
With Regards,
Lord R.
The signature underneath proved its validity, the wax seal with Rowntree’s imprint; another sure sign that this was a legitimate document. Jasper read it over again, wondering what could have caused such a sudden change of heart in the ruthless gentleman. In all his life, Jasper would never have thought Lord Rowntree capable of such an apology.
“At least the man has some scruples,” Ephraim mused.
“With regards to Lady Adelaide?”
Ephraim nodded. “Perhaps, his feelings towards her are less selfishly inclined than I first thought. It almost sounds as though he wishes to defend her, though I imagine he continues to see himself as a suitable replacement.”
“You would not have him in the Duke’s stead?” Jasper gaped at him.
“No, of course not. I would not see Adelaide avoid the snapping jaws of one wolf, only to end up in the jaws of another.”
The cloaked figure snorted. “You realize I am still here, don’t you?”
“Lord Rowntree is already aware of my feelings on the matter,” Ephraim retorted. “If he wishes to see Adelaide happy, for whatever curious reason he has happened upon, then he will not seek to take the place of the Duke of Bradford. You may tell him that. Adelaide must be free to make her own decisions on the subject… no matter what the outcome may be.” Jasper heard the catch in Ephraim’s throat, the gulp of regret. Clearly, he blamed himself for this situation.
“Very well,” the figure replied. “Now, may I suggest you depart before someone else discovers you hiding in here?”
“A fine idea,” Jasper mumbled, skirting past the figure. In the low light, he caught a glimpse of a female face. Shocked by the sight, he did not know what to say. Not that it mattered—she was gone before he could utter another word.
With that, Ephraim and Jasper hurried back out the way they had come, heading for the horses. Nobody paid them any heed as they exited. To everyone else, they looked like two ordinary members of the upper class, leaving parliament after a long day of discussion. No one could know what they had been about to do, and for that Jasper was grateful.
As they rode, his mind turned towards thoughts of Adelaide. The unexpected discussion he had endured with Ephraim had made him wonder. He had admired Adelaide his entire life, and it was quite true that he had never found another young lady with whom he could share his innermost secrets. Nobody made him laugh the way she did, nobody made him feel as at-ease as she did, and nobody could chide him the way she could.
Can Ephraim be right? Has my perfect lady been standing in front of me this whole time? Is Adelaide everything I have been looking for, only I have been too foolish and afraid to see it? Part of him wondered if he ought to ask her about her feelings—if she had ever thought of him in a romantic way, throughout the course of their friendship? If she had thought of me that way, would it change anything? He wasn’t sure.
Half an hour later, they rode up to the familiar square that they called home. It was eerily silent in the gloom of evening, with not a soul lingering in the darkness. A fog rolled across the park in the center, whilst owls hooted their dusk chorus.
And yet, as Jasper dismounted and had the household ostler return the horse to the stables on the edge of Belgravia, he had the unsettling feeling that they were being watched. He could only hope that it was Lord Rowntree, ensuring that they had not gone ahead with the task. However, he could not shake the feeling that there was something altogether more evil at work out there in the fog.
Chapter 26
Lady Adelaide walked through the alleyway between the square where she lived and the road beyond it. She had just parted ways with Lady Francesca, and insisted on being permitted to walk the short distance back to her house by herself. It was a moment of independence that she reveled in, with no chaperone to accompany her every move—no constantly watchful eye upon her. Her mother would have chided her if she had ever discovered this little rebellion she liked to indulge in, but Adelaide did not plan on her ever finding out.
She had gone into Belgravia with Lady Francesca in the hopes of distracting her mind away from thoughts of Jasper. It had worked for a short time, but it seemed she could not shake him from her mind. Ever since starting the letters, where her newfound emotions had poured out onto the page, he was always there. In her dreams and in her waking contemplation, she could not rid herself of these new feelings. Now, they were starting to make her wonder if she had made a grave mistake all these years in not seeking a courtship with him.
Might we have been happy? Might he have made me happier than any other man could? I adore him, I can share my secrets with him, I can jest with him like no other, and nobody has ever made me laugh with such vigor. I care for him, from the bottom of my soul. Is that enough? she pondered. Only, there is more to it than simple caring. I…I believe that I may love him, and that is more than enough. The trouble is, I fear I am too late. His heart belongs to Miss Green, not to me. I had my chance and I did not take it. I did not see it, and now I must accept what I have and be grateful. The Duke of Bradford shall have to be my consolation. Lord have mercy on my soul, for I fear he may take me to places I have no desire to go.
Halfway down the alleyway, she paused abruptly. With her mind racing, she had not been watching where she was going. Now, she began to question her judgment in walking alone. The sun had yet to set, but it would soon fall below the horizon. In its last dying rays, dark shadows were cast across the alley. Although, they were not nearly dark enough to hide the figure who stood in the entrance.
Panic bristled through her veins as she continued on her course. Surely, no man would dare to accost her, not in an area such as this? The gentleman had his back turned to her, but he seemed to be waiting for something. With his collar turned high to the cold, she could not make out his face. And yet, there was something familiar about him.
Steeling herself, she made to move past him. Her skirt rustled, alerting the man to her presence. As he turned, she pressed back against the alley wall, holding her breath as she looked upon the face of Lord Rowntree.
“Lady Adelaide,” he said softly. “I hope I have not startled you?”
“No… well, perhaps a little.”
He dipped his head in a bow. “Might I ask about the whereabouts of your chaperone? A young lady such as yourself should not be walking alone at such an hour, especially not in the shadows of an alley such as this.”
“I left my acquaintance and her chaperone at the top of this path,” she replied sheepishly. “I did not think company would be necessary on such a short journey. I live but a few houses along the street from here.”
He nodded. “I am aware, Lady Adelaide. Indeed, I was awaiting your return.”
She frowned in surprise. “My return, Lord Rowntree?”
“Yes, I noticed your departure earlier. I had hoped to speak with you sooner, but I did not wish to interrupt your excursion. And so, I decided that I would wait until the carriage brought you back, so that I might steal a word with you.”
“I do not understand, Lord Rowntree—why should you wish to speak with me?” she asked nervously. She knew the gentleman had sought advice from her father, regarding certain speculations in the spice trade, but she did not know that he was acquainted with the family and their home. Indeed, all she knew about him was what her father had told her, that night at the Assembly Rooms.
He sighed. “You are in grave danger, Lady Adelaide.”
She gulped. “From you? Do you wish to cause me harm?”
“No, not in the slightest,” he replied, with a note of sadness. “I believe you to be the sweetest, most remarkable young lady I have ever seen in my life. I should never wish harm upon you. That is why I have come here with a warning.”
“I do not even know you, Lord Rowntree. Do you think it appropriate to speak with me in the shadows like this, if you think so highly of me?” Fear made her speak more boldly. She knew of Lord Rowntree’s sinister reputation and she did not like the way his bulky figure seemed
to corner her.
He shook his head. “I do not. I would have preferred to speak with you in the comfort of your home, where you might have felt more secure. However, this appears to be the situation we have found ourselves in, and I must take this opportunity whilst I have it. You see, I believe that…someone may be watching your home. In this instance, this unorthodox privacy is perhaps preferable.”
“I do not understand.”
“You have no need to fear me, Lady Adelaide. I shall never see harm come to you, if I can help it,” he insisted. “That is why I have come. I have heard of your engagement to the Duke of Bradford, and I must urge you to reconsider. I would offer myself as a suitable replacement, though I see now that such an idea would seem abhorrent to you. Still, I cannot deny that I find you utterly enchanting.”
Dangerous Games of a Broken Lady: A Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 21