Colonel Fitzwilliam's Challenge

by Jennifer Joy

  “I thought he rather deserved the reaction you gave him.” She took another bite, then a swallow of wine. Glass still in hand, she continued, “Though, I wonder if you would have had him keep the truth from you? I would think that you would prefer his honesty rather than any ability to keep such a secret from you.”

  Adélaïde had been so justified in her anger toward Richard, she had not considered that the very quality she most admired about him was the very quality which had put him in her contempt.

  “It is true, but he should never have agreed to the scheme in the first place.”

  “You would rather someone else rummage through your life, looking for a reason to accuse you of treason? No, Adélaïde, I think the more important question here is: Who has accused you of espionage? Do you not realize the consequences?” The worry in Maman’s eyes shook Adélaïde. Would she suffer the same fate as her parents?

  Pushing her plate away, she stared into her untouched wine glass.

  “You must eat, dear. Fitzwilliam did not give cause for concern, but I have a feeling that your problems have only begun. You will need your strength for whatever is to come.”

  Adélaïde looked at Maman in disbelief. How could she possibly eat when the bile in her stomach threatened to choke her?

  They heard the door knocker, and they looked at each other in panic. Had the authorities already come to take Adélaïde?

  Adélaïde would not go down without a fight. Lifting her head, she squared her shoulders and placed her hands firmly on the table, like a queen ruling in her court.

  “Steady, girl,” said Maman, who sat in a similar posture to her own.

  With a stiff nod, both ladies focused on the door.

  Chapter 25

  Though the day had been long, it was not over. After a bath, and a fresh change of clothes, Richard found a way to make the best use of the three days he had left. If he had to go, at least his conscience would be at peace knowing he had done everything he could to stay. He would solve this puzzle.

  Richard had hurried back to Aunt Beatrice’s house as quickly as he could. Time was of the essence.

  He cared not what observers thought as he arrived alone, after calling hours, at Aunt Beatrice’s house, and Adélaïde.

  The smell of roast beef wafted over him as the butler led him into the drawing room, reminding him that it was dinner time. So intent was he, he had forgotten.

  After a few moments, he was led into the dining room where an extra place was set out for him.

  “I do apologize for my untimely arrival,” he said, bowing.

  Aunt Beatrice waved him off. “Nonsense. Our girl is in serious difficulties, and we need your help.”

  Richard’s heart stuck in his throat when he looked at Adélaïde. She looked vulnerable, and he wished he could hold her in his arms, stroke her silky hair, and whisper that everything would be all right. In a flash, the look was gone, and in its place, a bold determination that, in turn, made him think that, in the end, the situation they found themselves in really would turn out for the best.

  Aunt Beatrice motioned for him to sit. “First, let us eat. No good thinking was ever done on an empty stomach.”

  Richard obliged her, his appetite awakened with the aromas coming out of the kitchen.

  After some silence, where the only noise heard was the clinking of the silver against the china plates, Aunt Beatrice said, “Well, just because we must eat does not forbid conversation. Perhaps we might share what we each know so that we can get to the bottom of this mess. Is our girl in danger?”

  Richard needed no further encouragement. He had already told Adélaïde that he was investigating her, now it was time to come clean. “No. There is no danger to you immediately. My assignment was to prove your innocence or your guilt. After some poking around into your finances and a discussion with Mr. Braggan, it was easy enough to clear your name,” he said to Adélaïde.

  He could not read her expression.

  “I do not know what to say. I feel betrayed that you would snoop behind my back and look into my private matters. At the same time, I am in your debt. You defended me when I did not know I needed defending.”

  That, Richard could understand. Too many times, he too had suffered conflicting emotions.

  “I am ill-suited to this type of work. I have had to act deceitfully when I would be honest, and though it was for a good cause, I hate myself for it.”

  Aunt Beatrice clucked her tongue. “Do not be so hard on yourself, nephew. What is your plan? I am guessing that your presence here tonight means that you have one…”

  “Yes. The Lieutenant General who assigned me to this task now wants to send me to Spain.”

  A whispered “No” escaped Adélaïde’s lips.

  “I want to— I need to— stay here. My hope is that if I find out who really sent the messages, he will not make me go. It is likely that it will make no difference, but I have to do something in the three days’ time I have remaining.”

  “Three days?” Adélaïde exhaled, locking eyes with Richard.

  Her sadness strengthened his resolve to stay. She did not want him to go.

  “Tell me how I might help,” she said.

  “Let me begin by telling you the truth. I broke into your dress shop. I did not break the glass in the front, but I did enter through the workroom door on the side of the building.”

  “If you did not break the glass, then, who did?” asked Adélaïde, her brow furrowed.

  “Please, let me start at the beginning. I will share every detail as I remember it.” He told them about his meeting with his long-time neighbor and superior officer. He told about how he broke into the shop and of his surprise at being followed. He explained how he attained information on her accounts. He expounded on his discussions with the smugglers she did business with and his dealings with Mr. Braggan. Then, he told them about his latest meeting with Dovedale.

  “It is odd that he would send you away without finding the true culprit. What good will sending you to Spain do?” asked Adélaïde.

  Aunt Beatrice huffed. “He sounds like a charming individual. I should like to knock him in the shin with my cane. By accident, of course.”

  Richard smiled at the feisty woman. She may hold a severe disregard for his Aunt Catherine de Bourgh, but they were strikingly similar in their manners. Moreover, he knew he would be the object of her cane’s wrath were he to voice his opinion aloud.

  “Let us prevent such an occasion from occurring. He is only doing his job, which he must take seriously.”

  “I wonder at Lieutenant General Dovedale’s involving you. Should he not better have sent someone with more training in these things?” asked Aunt Beatrice.

  “I have wished many times during these weeks that he would have chosen someone else, but I understand his reasoning. My sole purpose was to learn as much as I could about Adélaïde’s activities, and Luc and Anne’s recent marriage facilitated that. He knew he could trust me.”

  Adélaïde shook her head, her focus fixed in front of her. “I think I might be able to help.” Looking between Aunt Beatrice and Richard, she continued, “I thought nothing of it at the time, but now, things have changed. I was introduced to Miss Maven, whose shop is across the street from mine, for her assistance in securing a property on Bond Street. She was extremely kind and proved to be helpful toward my goal. When we first met, she suggested I create an ensemble for a prominent woman in society, the recently married, Mrs. Bartlow.”

  Richard had been massaging his neck, but when he heard the name, the information clicked into place. He knew where Adélaïde was going with her narrative. “Mr. Bartlow? The American diplomat? Her husband is to travel to France within the week.”

  “Yes, and Miss Maven is making some new gowns for her journey. She wanted to include my gown with hers, so that she might recommend me, but I thought it best to present my gown myself. As kind as Miss Maven was, I could not bring myself to trust her fully. Now, I am glad of it b
ecause I will need to sell the ensemble.”

  “You said she is making other gowns? I wonder how one could hide a code of some sort, or a message on a gown.”

  “Oh, that is the simplest thing. Anything could be fitted between a lining, or a certain significant pattern could be stitched into a collar or a hem; even a pocket could have a secret compartment…” Adélaïde stopped herself short. “One does not have to be a spy to think of how to hide a message effectively.”

  Richard knew her worry. “I myself have thought of those very things. I am curious as to who introduced you to this Miss Maven.”

  “Yvette introduced us. Her acquaintance began in the usual way, while seeking out adornments for our gowns.”

  “You trust Yvette implicitly?” asked Richard.

  “I do. She has been with me the longest, and only stands to profit from my success.”

  “What about any of your other girls? Would any of them be capable of setting you up like this?”

  “I cannot think that of them. They are a loyal bunch. Besides, all of them, excepting Yvette, whose hands are burned up for her trouble, were with me this afternoon when the fire started. And I do not think Yvette, who makes her living with the work of her hands, would be so duplicitous as to set the fire, then attempt to put it out just to prove her own innocence.”

  “You believe the fire and the spy are one and the same?”

  “It does seem rather coincidental otherwise. I do not have so many enemies to make me think otherwise.”

  Richard stroked his chin, deep in thought. They needed more information.

  Aunt Beatrice piped up, “I always say, ‘Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.’ I bet that the culprit is right under our noses, and it is someone who has gone out of their way to cultivate your friendship.”

  “My only new acquaintance of late is Miss Maven,” said Adélaïde.

  “Then, I suggest that is where you start. Now, let us finish our meal, and then we should try to get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow is looking to be an eventful day.”

  Chapter 26

  Adélaïde left early the next morning, bringing Mary so that she could join the others. She wanted to check on the welfare of her seamstresses before she approached the lion’s den at Miss Maven’s Dress Shop.

  How sad the new shop looked. The furniture and decorations invited customers to enter only to be disappointed. Without fabric, no dresses could be made.

  As much as Adélaïde wanted to get her own business underway, she dreaded for Luc to come home to a half burned house. Who knew how long it would take to make the needed repairs? She would help do what she could to save costs and purchase the furnishings that were lost, but it would take more than the price she could fetch for the dress and pelisse to put the house to rights.

  And then, there were her girls. She could not keep them on for much longer. She had failed them, unless a miracle would swoop in and heal the damage done as quickly as it had been made.

  ‘Come on, Adélaïde, you can do this. You have been through much worse before and came out on top. Just keep pushing forward,’ she told herself as she walked upstairs to the apartment.

  The girls were up and dressed, ready to work. It both saddened and rejoiced Adélaïde to see their plucky spirit.

  They joined her in the middle of the barren shop floor, surrounding her in front like chicks with their mother hen.

  “I want to thank you for your help and support. You are like sisters to me, and I only hope that I can repay your kindness enough. As you know, right now, we have no fabric with which to work, and no money with which to buy it. I promise to devote my energy and strength to getting us back on our feet, but it will take time. This being the case, I will happily help those of you who wish it to find employment with other dressmakers who will treat you fairly and be able to pay you.” Shame made her look down, though she knew she should hold her head high.

  A little voice from her right said, “I cannot speak for the other girls, miss, but I would rather stay. This is just temporary, and everything will be all right in the end.”

  “Thank you for your faith, Mary, but do you not realize that I will not be able to pay you? Nor feed you?”

  Mary jutted out her chin and crossed her arms. “I will take my chances.”

  Speaking to the group assembled, Adélaïde said, “You are under no obligation on my part to stay. I wish things were different, but I will feel much better knowing that each of you has a position in a respectable place. Now, I have to visit Miss Maven. It is a matter of grave importance, so I must arrive as she opens.”

  Mary’s face went ash white. “Do not send any of us there, miss!”

  Confused by Mary’s reaction, Adélaïde assured her, “What I have to speak to her about has nothing to do with you. It is of a more personal nature. You have no reason to fear.”

  Mary looked unconvinced.

  Yvette stood forward, her bandaged hands protectively nestled against her stomach. “You do not object to me seeking employment with Miss Maven, do you, miss?” Looking down at her hands, she added, “That is, when I am able to pick up a needle.”

  Adélaïde’s pulse slowed, but she could not say anything about Miss Maven until she was certain. “You would be a real asset to her, Yvette. I wish you the best, though you know you are welcome to stay here until your hands heal.”

  Yvette smiled and Mary glared at her. “What are you asking permission for, all nice-like, when you have been working for Miss Maven on the side for these past two months now? And stop holding your hands like a cripple. I heard the doctor, and he said that your burns are nothing but superficial. You should be just as you were before in a matter of a couple weeks.”

  “Mary!” Adélaïde had dealt with differences between her girls before, but the bitterness in the young girl’s words struck Adélaïde more than the accusations she made against Yvette.

  Yvette held a hand up. “Miss, it is no matter. What the girl says is true. I have been doing special little projects on the side for Miss Maven. It is how I was able to befriend her enough to seek her help for you, as I told you before. If I am to be criticized for that, then so be it.”

  Mary fumed, unbendable in her attitude.

  Adélaïde was unsure what to do, but she could not leave Mary alone with the others in such an ill-humor.

  “Mary, you will accompany me.” To the rest of the girls, she said, “I will be back shortly.”

  Mary dragged behind Adélaïde, groaning with each step.

  Getting outside, and away from listening ears, Adélaïde turned to face the girl. “What is the matter?”

  “You would not believe me if I told you right now, I think. Just let me warn you that Miss Maven is not the sweet, nice lady she portrays herself to be.” Tightening her arms in front of her chest, she sealed her mouth.

  Adélaïde knew she would get no more information out of Mary, so she did her best to be patient with her. Never before had she acted in such an accusatory, rebellious manner.

  “Perhaps I would believe you, but we will not know unless you talk. For now, I beg of you to behave yourself. What I have to speak to Miss Maven about is something of the utmost delicacy, and to be absolutely honest with you, I would rather not bring you with me.”

  Mary relaxed her stance. “If I am right about my suspicions, miss, you might not want me there, but you will need me. I know how to make Miss Maven talk.”

  Adélaïde looked into Mary’s eyes, searching for sincerity, and finding it. “Very well. I will trust you, but you must let me do the talking.”

  “I will be as quiet as a mouse… unless, of course, I need to roar like a lion. I do what I must to keep my friends safe.”

  Adélaïde wondered how much the girl knew. Her manner of speaking was so vague, she did not know what to think, and her mind was so occupied in the conversation she was to have with Miss Maven that she could not bear to ask. All in good time.

  Adélaïde, filled with dread and
anxiety, faced Miss Maven’s front door. “Come on. Let us get this done before my courage fails me.”

  “Not possible, miss. Fear does not control you.”

  Linking her arm through Mary’s, she pushed the door open. The bell clamored their entry.

  Miss Matilda, looking as stern as always, with her hair slicked back so tightly against her head she must suffer headaches all day, said, “I apologize for the inconvenience, but Miss Maven is not to be disturbed at this moment. Perhaps you could call at another time.” She closed the ledger in front of her so briskly the pages made a snapping noise as it slammed shut.

  Adélaïde, not put off by her unwelcoming demeanor in the least, smiled, and said, “Then we shall wait for her to become undisturbed.” Fluffing out her skirts, she sat in a chair by the mirrors, with Mary standing beside her.

  The consternation on Miss Matilda’s face was priceless. With a huff, she went to the back of the building to seek out her employer.

  In a couple of minutes, she emerged with Miss Maven. Miss Maven smiled sweetly, but her eyes were anything but pleased to see them.

  “Excuse me for causing you to wait, but I can attend to you now, if you will follow me. You may leave the girl out here with Miss Matilda.” She turned, leading them into her office.

  Adélaïde looked at Mary. She shook her head, her eyes wide. Adélaïde motioned for Mary to come with them. If her young friend did not want left behind, she would not make her stay.

  Miss Maven entered her study and turned to face them with a dissatisfied expression, which worsened when she saw Mary. “Perhaps your servant would rather wait outside?” Miss Maven motioned for Miss Matilda to accompany Mary out of the room.

  The way she so easily dismissed Mary from the room, and her referral to her as a servant, chafed Adélaïde. “No, she stays with me. I have no secrets from my seamstresses.”

  Miss Maven shrugged her shoulders, and Miss Matilda closed the door.

  “To what may I credit your visit? I take it that this is not a social call.”