A Lady for the Taking

by Bethany M. Sefchick

  -Lady A

  “You’ve seen this, I take it?” Harry held up the front page of The Town Tattler for Nick Rosemont, Duke of Candlewood, to inspect. He also gave the paper a firm shake for good measure. Just to make certain that Nick was paying attention. Because in Harry’s opinion, Nick wasn’t.

  Instead, the duke was still studying reports regarding Lady Dory’s activities (or rather “supposed” activities) from the previous night, along with the latest gossip regarding two thieves who were rumored to be pilfering from the grand houses of Mayfair, but, as of yet, hadn’t even so much as set foot in one. At least not as far as Harry and his fellow Runners could tell.

  Neither matter was really any of Nick’s business, making Harry wonder how the duke had managed to get his hands on those reports – and wonder why he wasn’t paying more attention to what Harry felt was the far more pressing matter. Which was, of course, Lady Penny. And what she might or might not be scheming. Quite possibly with the help of her uncle, a man that Nick was passingly familiar with, or so he said.

  Not that Nick was saying much of anything just then, much to Harry’s frustration and annoyance. Rather, he was still staring at those blasted papers!

  Harry had risked venturing to Nick’s house early that morning, well before proper calling hours, to deliver the news about Lady Penelope Marshwood possibly being a threat to one of their own. Until early this morning, Harry hadn’t even been certain that she was in Town for nefarious means and there was still a possibility, however slim, that she might not be. A report detailing Lady Penny’s activities, along with one on Dory’s whereabouts that Harry had promptly ignored and Nick now seemed to find positively engrossing, had been waiting on Harry’s desk by the time he awoke that morning.

  The reports on Lady Penny were vague at best. However, with what Harry had learned from the woman herself last evening and combined with everything he had learned from his sources overnight, that led Harry to believe that Lady Penny might not have the Duke of Fullbridge’s best interests at heart.

  Then there was also the little matter of the story that had run front and center in The Town Tattler. A story that linked Harry and Lady Penny together. That wasn’t good – for anyone. And for so very many reasons. Reasons Harry didn’t want to examine too closely. At least not yet.

  The Bloody Duke shrugged as he squinted at the front page Harry held out to him before reaching for his spectacles, which were on his desk behind the chair where he was currently lounging, drink in hand despite the early hour.

  “By now, who in London hasn’t seen it?” Even though it was only nine o’clock in the morning, Nick took a sip of his scotch and waved a nonchalant hand in the general direction of the paper. “It’s not as if you were accused of giving her a tumble in Jane and Sebastian’s ballroom, for God’s sake! You danced, Harry! What of it?”

  As if the man bloody well didn’t know. Nick knew everything about everyone. He had likely already heard the rumors about Lady Penny and probably had a file on her stashed somewhere in this cluttered, God-awful mess of a study. “Your sister believes there is something afoot with the chit. My sources agree.”

  “Julia is my sister. Of course, she believes something is afoot. She is suspicious of everyone. And your sources have been known to be wrong on more than one occasion. Really, Harry, you can find better and more reliable sources of information, I should think.” Nick made a tisking sound of disapproval.

  “Perhaps my sources are wrong, but Julia never is. You know that. She stroked her chin scar, made Jane request the orchestra play another waltz right at that very moment, and then all but pushed me into the chit’s arms so that I would waltz with her.” Really, could the man not see the issue here? Or was he simply toying with Harry? Harry would not put it past Nick. Not at all.

  “Then, in that case, I would agree with my sister. Miss Marshwood is up to something.” Nick took another drink and grinned wickedly. “And I, as the Bloody Duke and your occasional employer, demand you look into the matter at once! So be off with you and be quick about things! We haven’t got all year!” He waved a hand in the general direction of his cluttered desk. “So many more matters that need our attention and all of that. Not to mention I have other romantic matches to make.”

  Blast the man, but he was enjoying Harry’s discomfort far too much! “How would you like me to go about that? What do you suggest I do? She’s not a man, Nick. I can’t simply corner her and demand answers.”

  At that, the duke rolled his eyes. “How the devil should I know? Just do what you do best and charm her! Pretend to court her. Or whatever it is that you do that makes all those silly chits fall all over you as if they are possessed. If she’s truly up to mischief, I am certain you can find out why. I’m told you’re rather charming, though I’ve yet to see evidence of it myself.” Nick tossed back the rest of his drink before reaching over to the nearby drink cart and pouring himself another.

  “Harry simply has to look at a woman and smile, and he can charm them. Unlike you, dear brother, who makes them fear for their lives and wonder if they are about to be eviscerated if you simply smile at them.”

  Harry hadn’t seen Julia enter her brother’s study, but then he hadn’t expected her to be here at all. She should have been home, tending to her family. That she was here in her brother’s home, invading his private study, indicated she was worried far more about Miss Marshwood and her intentions that she had let on last evening.

  “Careful, Jules, or I’ll have Ben come and fetch you home this instant.” Nick snorted as he rose and selected a book from a nearby shelf, tossed it on his desk and settled himself back in his chair. For as messy as Nick’s desk was, oddly enough his bookshelves were in pristine and proper order. Not a binding out of place. “Infernal busy body that you are.”

  Unsurprisingly, Julia laughed and swatted her brother rather playfully on the shoulder, likely one of the few who could do so. As expected, that elicited a growl from Nick, but it lacked any real heat or anger, and was quickly followed by a soft smile. Other than his wife, Nick’s only other true soft spot was his sister.

  “As if Ben would dare do such a thing. He knows better.” Julia settled herself in an overstuffed chair that overflowed with tasseled pillowed. A chair clearly designed for female comfort. Harry was surprised he hadn’t noticed it before. Perhaps Julia was a more frequent guest here than he thought. “I am your sister, after all, Nick.”

  “That you are,” the duke grumbled before rising again to stretch out his overly large frame, an indication that he was restless and uncomfortable. Like Harry, life in the spy game had aged Nick quite a bit, especially in recent years, and his body didn’t quite move the way it once did. Not that anyone would ever tell him so, however. “So, I suppose we are all agreed that the delightful Miss Marshwood has nefarious intentions, then?”

  “We are.” That came from Julia. She looked a bit wan this morning, so Harry handed her a glass of brandy which she gratefully accepted. “From what I have learned, Lady Penny first appeared in Town about a week ago. Or perhaps a bit before. She first came to notice when she bumped into Miss Emmaline Abbott in Hatchard’s causing the poor thing to spill her books everywhere.”

  “Abbott?” Nick asked with a yawn as he settled himself in his chair again. “Do I know the chit?” Nick might act as if he was bored with this discussion, but Harry and Julia both knew better. With the Bloody Duke, it was all an act. Almost everything was. Almost. But not always.

  Harry cleared his throat. “You know her grandfather, Viscount Rawlings. She and her parents have been in India since the girl was eight. Some sort of secret diplomatic post. The family sent her home back in January and this is her first Season in town. She’s a timid thing, but a sweet girl. I doubt you know her.”

  “And you know this because?” Nick quirked an eyebrow in Harry’s general direction.

  “Because it is my job to know these things,” Harry replied evenly. Though Bow Street and the Home Office would not
have the success rate they did without Nick, there were some things that Harry couldn’t divulge even to this man. “Has to do with her uncle. You know, the American. Oh, and her father as well. Not her or her grandfather, however.”

  The duke shrugged again, seemingly satisfied with the explanation. “And then?”

  “And then Miss Marshwood popped up again,” Julia supplied quickly. “In fact, she showed up so often, in the most unlikely of places and always alone, that people began to remark upon it, at least in private, at which point I made it my business to befriend her. She’s done nothing of real note for the scandal sheets, mind you, but has appeared often enough in various places and always alone that people began to talk. Even more so when she began being invited to some of the Town’s most exclusive events. Then someone informed Lady Jersey’s maid that Miss Marshwood was living in Lord Willfield’s town home with a cousin that no one has ever seen. Or was it an aunt? I can’t remember.”

  “No one can confirm there is a cousin or an aunt, and I suspect there is neither as Miss Marshwood was very interested in securing the services of a Gray Lady when I spoke to her last evening,” Harry replied, remembering the delightful way Lady Penny had blushed as she confessed her secret. When Julia gaped at him, he graced her with a speaking look. “After you set me on Miss Marshwood’s tail, Julia, I put out some requests for information before I returned home last evening. This seemed a rather urgent matter.”

  Julia sighed and rubbed at her temples and Harry had to wonder if she was increasing again, for she didn’t seem quite herself as of late. If that were indeed the case, this sort of stress would not be good for her health.

  “I think it is.” Julia took another sip of her brandy before placing the glass aside. “My maid heard from the Willfield’s cook that there is a plan afoot for Miss Marshwood to trap Phin into marriage. The staff at Willfield House has been reduced to half-time work while the earl is away. They are a bit put out, as they were led to believe they would be full-time staff even in his absence. There is also no love lost between them and their temporary employer from what I gather, so they are more than willing to gossip. Most of the staff adores Lady Penny, mind you. It is her uncle that they cannot abide.”

  “That makes sense.” Harry nodded thoughtfully. “And I had the impression last night that Lady Penny was looking for someone. Someone specific. She also hinted that she might be in the market for a husband.”

  This time it was Julia who nodded, her lips pursed in thought. “I attempted to direct her towards Lord Pike last evening, but she would have none of it. So it does seem there is a single man she is after and it also seems that no other will do. Which is why I sent you in her direction, Harry. Few ladies can resist your allure, you know.”

  At that, Harry snorted. Gads! Julia was making him sound like the worst sort of rake!

  “Is that so? Pursuing Fullbridge, is she? Good for her!” The duke finally looked fully interested in the conversation, much to Harry’s relief. “Might do him some good to finally take another wife.”

  “Not if the wife is the ward of Lord Charles Marshwood, who just happens to be the current Earl of Telford.” Harry had discovered that tidbit of information only that morning. He knew the previous earl had died some time ago. He just hadn’t realized who had been named as his heir.

  “Oh. I see. That Marshwood. I was rather hoping it was a different one.” Now Nick was even more interested in the matter than he was before, though one would not know it by the way he sat there still leisurely sipping his drink. However, his eyes gleamed brightly with interest, a sure sign that he was intrigued. “Where is Telford these days? Crawling back under some rock, I hope. After the way he tried to cheat the tables at Noroc, the bastard is lucky he is still alive!”

  Though few in London knew it, Nick was the primary owner of the gaming hell that Harry held a minor interest in. Most of their friends also owned a small portion of the club as well, but it was primarily Nick’s enterprise. Which was, of course, why he took it so personally when anyone – but especially a peer of the Realm – attempted to cheat the club. Just as Telford had done last summer.

  “Hiding in Cumbria,” Harry supplied as he flopped down into the chair next to Nick’s, finally feeling the effects of his late night combined with rising so very early. “He has lived there with his daughter, Josephine, for the last several years. I’m told she a pretty thing, but only nineteen, soon to be twenty, and perhaps not in the best of health, given the frequency with which physicians are summoned to the estate. Extremely innocent, as well.”

  “So Telford sent his niece here to trap Phin into marriage? And then what? Revenge of some sort, I would assume, but using his ward?” Julia seemed a bit skeptical. That was fine. Harry had been too until early that morning when more of the pieces to this puzzle had come together. “That hardly seems logical.”

  Harry scrubbed his hands over his face. “It is logical if the ward is expendable and I have reason to believe Miss Marshwood is, at least in Telford’s opinion.”

  “Do tell, Harry.” Nick had finally ceased lounging in his chair and sat up, his eyes now sharp and alert.

  “The coachman who brought Miss Marshwood here from Cumbria has been hanging about a tavern in Seven Dials in recent days. He was easy enough to find if you know the right people to bribe.” Harry stood again and wandered over to peruse a part of Nick’s book collection, unable to keep still.

  Many in Society would likely be shocked to know that the man read Gothic novels like Mrs. Kingsley and The Black Pirate, along with works from Plato and Aristotle. Not that Harry would tell anyone, of course. His life was built on secrets and lies. Ones kept as well as ones told. He was growing weary of secrets. There were far too many of them in his life. Perhaps it was time to retire from Bow Street. Twenty years was a good run, after all.

  But not before he saw this matter through to the end. Harry liked Phin and the man didn’t deserve whatever snare Telford had set for him. Especially not when the enchanting Lady Penny was the bait.

  Slowly, Harry turned back to face Nick and Julia. “According to the coachman, there is little affection between Telford and his ward. He holds little affection for his daughter, Josephine as well. He does, however, still mourn the late Elizabeth Marshwood, and the coachman has seen Telford treat both his remaining daughter and his ward horribly on many occasions. Telford often tells them they are worthless and the only thing good they could do was help him exact revenge on Fullbridge.”

  “So not a good choice for a wife then.” Nick’s grimaced. “Is there more?”

  Harry nodded sadly. “From what my sources tell me, I now suspect that Telford has sent Miss Marshwood here to trap Phin into marriage, though to what end I cannot say. Again, last night it was clear to me that she was searching for someone at the ball. Someone very specific and yet someone she could not find. The only person not at Jane and Sebastian’s affair last night that was supposed to have been was Fullbridge. Given what we know, it is logical to assume Miss Marshwood was searching for him.”

  Julia raised her hands in exasperation. “And then what? She strips naked for him and professes her love? It will take more than that to win Phin’s attentions, as we all know.”

  “Something Telford likely knows, too. Or perhaps he doesn’t and he is merely hoping.” Nick shook his head and it was clear to Harry that the duke was beginning to take the matter more seriously than he had earlier. “Either way, the earl has probably coached the girl on exactly what to say and how to approach Fullbridge. Though why would she agree to such horrid plan? I know little of her but she doesn’t seem the sort to do such a thing.”

  “I strongly suspect Telford beats her. Has likely even threatened to beat her cousin, Josephine. Or worse.” When both Nick and Julia gave Harry incredulous looks, he continued. “Last evening when we were waltzing, I saw a scar on Miss Marshwood’s shoulder. I suspect it is from a whip. Thick leather most likely, tightly bound, and delivered with a heavy hand and inte
nt to injure.”

  During his time with Bow Street, Harry had seen all manner of ill-treatment inflicted upon a body. It had never disturbed him before and yet, the thought of Lady Penny Marshwood suffering in that manner all but made his blood boil. And he could not for the life of him explain why.

  Logic dictated that if Lady Penny was a part of this nefarious plot of her uncle’s, then she was guilty, even if she was an unwilling participant. However, after so many years as a Runner, Harry had learned that nothing was ever as clear-cut as it appeared and that far too often, good people did questionable things because they felt as if they had no other choice.

  That might not be the case with Lady Penny, but once more, Harry’s gut told him that there might be at least a grain of truth to that suspicion.

  “Beat her? The poor girl!” Harry noticed Julia’s fingers stray to her scars. “If that is the case, then no wonder she lives in fear!”

  “I don’t know that she does, Jules,” Harry cautioned, “and there could be a perfectly logical explanation for what I saw last evening.” Though he very much doubted it.

  “So the girl is possibly being forced to seduce Phin in some kind of twisted revenge plot concocted by her uncle. Which makes more sense, I suppose, than any other explanation.” Leave it to Nick to get right to the point. “Well, I say we can’t allow that to happen.”

  Harry nodded, relieved that Nick was finally taking this entire business seriously. And not just because Lady Penny might be at risk. There was Phin to consider as well, of course. “Agreed.”

  “I agree as well,” Julia chimed in and neither man thought to question her. In their circle of friends, the wives and sisters had just as much say in most matters as the men did. Yet another way that they were all different from much of the rest of Society, Harry thought.

  “So it’s settled, then.” Nick clapped his hands together and headed for his desk, already reaching for a quill and some fresh parchment, brushing aside a stack of papers so that he had space to write. “I shall dash off a letter to Fullbridge, instructing him to remain at Havenhurst until it is safe for him to return to London. I fear that if he returns to Town now, Miss Marshwood will feel compelled to act on her uncle’s orders before we have the situation with her well in hand.”