The Groom's Gamble

by Jade Lee

  “Monkeys?”

  “Yes. I spoke once with the owner of a traveling menagerie. He had a dozen monkeys living in a single large wagon. When I asked him if that was difficult, he said the secret was to allow them to be monkeys—fighting, mating, killing, even though that did not happen much. As long as he did not interfere with their being monkeys, they did not mind that they were carted about in a wagon.”

  He nodded slowly, mulling over her words as he tried to tease out the hidden meaning. “You believe I should allow my sister to do as she wishes.” He shook his head, not allowing her to answer. “But you cannot think this association with her bizarre friends is healthy.”

  She bit her lip, and he was suddenly mesmerized by the sight of even white teeth pressing into plump flesh. “I believe that she is happier and healthier than she was when she first arrived here two years ago.” She leaned forward. “All because you allowed her to behave as she chose. To study what she wished, to grieve as she wished, to do as her nature called her to do.”

  Did she not understand? “Better or not, her current associations are dangerous.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he rolled right over her. He could not allow her to think that any gypsy could be a good choice. “No, I have made a mistake in leaving her alone. It has allowed the wrong ideas to flourish in her mind. What we must do now is separate her from these bizarre friends without sending her into another decline.”

  “Decline? Maybe two years ago. But now, your sister is more likely to claw your eyes out.”

  His lips curved at that. “Yes, I suppose you are right. Therefore, how do I change her friends without losing my vision?”

  She leaned forward slightly in her seat. “You will not consider the possibility that Mr. Pike could be an honorable man? I have not seen any indication of evil intent. In my experience, one’s heart is often revealed in tiny ways. If one simply pays attention, one can learn a great deal.”

  Clearly, that was true for her. The more he studied her, the more subtleties he uncovered. But that was not the case with most people. “The man is a gypsy. He cannot be a healthy association for Lady Anne.”

  She winced. “Very well,” she said, looking for all the world like a disapproving governess. “What is your plan, my lord? You would not have brought me here if you didn’t already have an answer.”

  He leaned back in his chair, doing his best to look at her dispassionately. He failed completely, but at least he managed to fake neutrality with his words.

  “You are a lovely woman, Mrs. Lyncott. Always poised, well-educated as far as I can tell, and with excellent features. Plus your family is well connected. A distant relation to a duke?”

  Her mouth opened on a gasp. “It’s… it’s a very distant connection, my lord.”

  “Not really. Your grandfather, I believe, was third son of His Grace, the Duke of Bucklynde. Others have made a great deal of much less, and yet here you are working as my housekeeper. You are the great-granddaughter of a duke.”

  Now she did look away—not just down but to the side as if she was deeply ashamed—but he could not understand why. When she spoke, it was more to her shoulder than to him.

  “My grandfather was out of favor, my lord. His line has not been openly acknowledged for decades.”

  “Nevertheless, it is true.” Again, unable to resist touching her, he reached for her chin and tugged her face back to his. “You are a puzzle, Mrs. Lyncott, and I am a man who solves puzzles.”

  She jerked backward, and her eyes blazed. “I am your housekeeper, my lord. And you’ve no call to be digging into my past.”

  He leaned back, feeling calmer now that there was something to occupy his mind beyond worrying about his sister and her associates. “But it is your past that I find useful,” he said, “especially as it makes you perfectly suited for a new position in this household.”

  “What?” She gasped. Clearly, she thought he meant something scandalous, and who would blame her? After all, he’d just touched her inappropriately and spoken much too directly. And hadn’t his thoughts ventured in very inappropriate directions? Fortunately, he had the words ready.

  “As companion to Lady Anne,” he said firmly. “I intend to force my sister into polite company. For that, she will need a companion.”

  “There are others better suited to that position,” she said, her voice tight.

  “But none whom I trust to handle Lady Anne as well as you. Didn’t you tell me that you are the one who convinced her to bring the gypsies here?”

  Her fingers tightened together—her only show of annoyance. “You are a man of science, someone who has dedicated his life to the rule of physics and mathematics. As my father was a tutor, I understand this type of thinking.” Her expression softened. “I even admire it.”

  He nodded. “Go on.”

  “But it is not the only possible course of study. Your sister wishes to explore the occult. By forbidding her to do so, you only encourage her interests and push her to more dramatic measures to answer the questions in her mind.” She lifted her hands. “You are preventing her from acting according to her nature.”

  He pursed his lips. “I do not object to the course of study—”

  She snorted. It was the most indelicate sound he had ever heard from her, and he rather liked it.

  “Very well. I think it stupid, immature, and fodder for weak minds.”

  “So no objection. Just disdain.”

  He acknowledged her hit with a nod. “But if my sister wishes to study it, then I will not stop her.” He leaned forward. “It is merely her choice of companions that I forbid.”

  Her gaze sobered. “I share your concern, my lord, but in my experience, people do as they wish. If Lady Anne wishes to associate with Mr. Pike, then she will find a way to do so. The assumption that you can stop her is foolish and arrogant.”

  He folded his arms, mulling over her words. There was a story there, perhaps one tied to her disfiguring scars. But he hadn’t the time to pursue it. Instead, he shrugged. “I have been accused of far worse things.”

  “You cannot lock her in irons, my lord. Anything less will not suffice.”

  “And yet, I feel I must do something.”

  “I cannot understand how a companion—”

  “Pray, just consider my thoughts. I need someone I trust to be with Lady Anne. Someone who understands that she is to associate with appropriate, proper women and not… not those who indulge her fascination with the ridiculous.”

  “Many women—”

  He bowled right over her words. “This person has to be someone Lady Anne already likes. Someone who demonstrated her ability to moderate between two opposite poles and bring about the desired, harmonious conclusion.”

  She released a heavy breath, and her expression shifted to a glare. “I have managed the staff, my lord. That is not the same as steering a woman away from her friends or her interests. And it is nothing like doing such a thing in polite society.”

  He waved a hand at her. “As to polite society, I will be with you. Trust me, I have been wandering through that nest of vipers for years. But Anne and I are at odds on her inappropriate investigations. We have argued about it for too long, so anything I say now falls on deaf ears.” He flashed her a sly smile. “That might change, if you supported my views—”

  “Lady Anne is a smart woman. She will see through this ruse.”

  He arched a brow. “It is nevertheless what I require.” Then his expression softened. “Many women would jump at this chance. Have you never longed to wear pretty dresses and attend parties? We will be making all the fashionable rounds: musicales, theater, and balls. Surely that holds some interest. In truth, if things had gone differently three generations ago, it would be your birthright.”

  “But things did not go differently,” she snapped as she pushed to her feet. “And if you think pretty dres
ses and balls will separate your sister from her friends, then you know nothing of her either.”

  He stepped forward. “Wait!”

  She froze then, her shoulders tight and her hands clenched.

  “I am at my wit’s end with my sister. I fear for her safety, not to mention everyone else’s in this house. She is consorting with charlatans and calling them her friends.”

  “Throwing her into polite society will not change that.”

  “Perhaps not.” He sighed, feeling the weight of his family responsibilities as never before. “Can you not see that she needs a husband? And babies. Lots of babies to occupy her thoughts and her time.”

  “She is afraid of babies, my lord. It was pregnancy that killed her sister.”

  “Yes, I know that,” he said as he rubbed a hand over his jaw, “but can’t you see? If she does not find a man soon, a husband whom she desperately loves, then she will be forever trapped as she is: a spinster running to gypsies to speak with the dead. That is not a life, Mrs. Lyncott. That is a perpetual death, frozen in time. I don’t want that for my sister. I cannot imagine that you do either.”

  “Of course not,” she said. Then she looked at him, and he saw emotions underneath the brilliant green of her eyes. Those emotions were stormy and frightened her, he realized, but he couldn’t read anything more. “My lord, after years of struggle, I am finally content with my life. Why would you push me into something else?”

  So, she was afraid for herself, but why? “Why ever would you be content with less? Why remain a housekeeper when you could be a paid companion?”

  She threw up her hands, the gesture as loud as a scream. “Because after it is done, what becomes of me? Your sister marries and lives a life of wedded bliss. What do I do?”

  He shrugged. “Whatever you wish. You could return to being a housekeeper, or perhaps, find another position as a companion. I will naturally give you the highest recommendation.”

  She swallowed. He could see she was tempted, but something held her back. “What is it, Caroline? What worries you so?”

  She didn’t answer. Merely shook her head and turned. But she paused with her hand on the doorknob, her body tense. “I will think about it, my lord. I can promise you no more.” Then she rushed away.

  ***

  Caroline stabbed her needle into the fabric and cursed as she caught her own finger. She was too angry to embroider right now, but no other task calmed her. Sadly, tonight she was busy fuming at the nerve of his high and mighty lordship, thinking he could poke into her past and then blithely order her to change jobs.

  She could not do it. Good God, if her past truly became known, it would destroy Lady Anne’s reputation. She absently rubbed at the scars on her chest. They didn’t pain her, of course, but they were there. Hard ridges that proclaimed to all who knew the story that she was a tart.

  That was bad enough, but Lord Hartfell had committed a far worse offense in offering her this position. He had held out her most secret wish as a child: the possibility of stepping into the fashionable world—of dancing with handsome gentlemen, of flirting with, and perhaps marrying, one of the elite. It had been her mother’s fondest wish, and they had spent countless nights speaking of the great lord she would one day marry.

  Until the night she got her scars. That ended any such hopes. Indeed, thanks to that one bad choice, no man would touch Caroline again. She would never marry anyone, much less a member of the peerage. So to stand as companion to Lady Anne would be like taking a starving man to a banquet and refusing him food. She would watch countless women find husbands and lovers while she remained forever apart. The one monkey locked in a separate cage.

  She could not do it. It would kill her.

  A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. “Come in,” she called as she set aside her stitching.

  Lady Anne stepped in, her eyes rimmed in red even as she smiled warmly at Caroline. Caroline started to rise, but her mistress rushed forward and gently pushed her down in her seat.

  “No, no, pray don’t get up.” Lady Anne settled quickly in the chair opposite her. “My, that’s pretty. Is it for one of your dresses?”

  Caroline looked down at the fabric in her lap, a wistful smile crossing her features as she stroked the pale pink fabric. “No, of course not, my lady. It’s for a girl, don’t you see? Well, a young lady for her first come-out.” She lifted her work, showing off the flowers she’d embroidered. “This is the bodice. I’ll add more buds on the rest of the gown later.”

  “But that’s stunning! Such fine work. I had no idea you were so talented at stitching.”

  Caroline flushed and looked at her work. “I learned it from my mother. It’s how we survived. That, plus her teaching.”

  “Your mother taught school?”

  “Both my parents, actually. My father tutored young gentlemen, and my mother taught a select group of girls in our home. We learned our letters, practiced ciphering, and gained a general idea of how to go on in the world.” She didn’t add that as her father had been grandson to a duke, her mother had insisted that Caroline learn all the things a proper lady would know, including how to serve tea and speak French.

  It was ridiculous. The duke had no interest in the connection. Caroline had never even met the man. And her family had been poor enough that her mother had taken in embroidery to make ends meet.

  She absently smoothed the fall of the fabric. “My mother had a delicate hand with a needle and thread.”

  “So, is this for your niece, then?”

  Caroline smiled. “No, my lady. This is work for hire. I have a friend who owns a dressmaking shop. She gives me work every now and then.”

  Lady Anne huffed out a breath. “Well, that is unacceptable. I shall have words with my brother immediately. He cannot pay you so little that—”

  “Actually, this is my mother’s work, Lady Anne. Her hands don’t stitch as well now, so sometimes I finish it. Your brother pays me quite well. I thank you for your concern.”

  Lady Anne nodded, her expression easing. But a moment later, she was fiddling with her skirt, and her gaze would not stay still.

  “My lady, you have something on your mind. How may I help?”

  The woman huffed out a breath as she seemed to deflate. “My brother told me about offering you a new position. He said something about monkeys and large carriages. I swear, I do not understand the tiniest bit of how the man thinks. Do you suppose he is touched in the head?”

  Caroline felt her lips curve into a slight smile. How could two siblings not comprehend anything about one another? “He is very worried. He wants you to find a husband and have children. To live a happy life.”

  “I know he does!” Lady Anne exclaimed as she jumped up from her chair. “But the stupid man thinks all I have to do is meet a viscount or an earl, and all of a sudden, I will be in love. As if I haven’t tried that already!”

  Caroline tilted her head. “Have you? Truly?”

  “I have been to dinner parties and the poetry salon. I go to the theater. I daresay I’ve met my share of aristocrats.”

  “But that is not the same as a Season, my lady. It is not husband-hunting in earnest.”

  Lady Anne didn’t answer except to collapse into her seat. And once there, she stared at her hands. Caroline waited in silence, feeling again like a visitor to the menagerie. Any moment now, the animals would perform. And sure enough, after a few more breaths, Lady Anne began to speak.

  “Mr. Pike didn’t know about what that other man was doing.” Lady Anne looked up, her heart in her eyes. “I am sure of it. He didn’t know anything, and he feels terrible.”

  Caroline swallowed, the unwelcome memory of hands squeezing her throat shuddering through her thoughts. It took a moment before she had the wherewithal to speak calmly. “It is done now. Best all around to forget it ever happened.”

&n
bsp; “But that’s just it,” Lady Anne cried. “He’s in gaol! Gregory won’t hear of his innocence, and… and gaol is a terrible place.”

  Something in her words sent a bolt of alarm through Caroline. “Never say you went there, Lady Anne. Never say you went to see Mr. Pike.”

  “I had to, don’t you see? It’s not his fault, but no one will hear any different. And he could be hung for thievery!”

  Caroline didn’t answer. She had no qualm about the other man’s punishment. If it weren’t for his lordship’s rescue, she’d likely have died. But if Mr. Pike truly had no complicity in the crime, then he didn’t deserve the hangman’s noose.

  She sighed. “Perhaps your brother will relent,” she offered, though from this afternoon’s conversation, that didn’t seem likely.

  “I’ve tried and tried,” Lady Anne said. Then she looked at Caroline, her eyes pleading. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  Caroline sat back, wariness making her keep silent. Lady Anne had a good heart and was the kindest mistress she’d ever known, but her ladyship was wily in a way that required careful handling. After all, Mr. Pike was not the first unusual guest to visit in a manner that might even be called “sneaky.”

  “Caroline, my brother and I have come to an agreement, but I’m afraid it involves you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes. You see, he will tell the magistrate that he believes Mr. Pike had nothing to do with the attack. Gregory will say that, and then they will let Mr. Pike go free.”

  Caroline studied her mistress. They both knew that his lordship would not do such a thing out of the goodness of his heart. “What is the condition?”

  “There are two. First is that I not see Mr. Pike again.” She looked at her lap when she said that. Caroline sighed. She could already tell that Lady Anne would not comply. It was plain in the mulish set of her mouth.

  “And what is the other?”

  Lady Anne looked up. “That I have a Season in earnest. With you as my companion.”