Realm 02 - A Touch of Velvet

by Regina Jeffers

  “She has not.” Bran absent-mindedly ran his finger around the glass’s rim. “I take it upon myself to inform him. I will not have Worthing return to London expecting Eleanor to receive him nor will I have him hear it second hand.”

  “What do you expect of me?”

  “I know the basics, but I want you to find out everything you can about Levering. Leave no stone unturned. I want to know when he gets up in the morning and when he goes to bed at night and everything in between. What attracts my sister to the man? Everything I know of Ella says she should feel revulsion, not affection. Something in my gut says he is not what he appears. I demanded a delay to make this right for Ella.”

  Lord Godown finished off his drink. “I will start immediately. Possibly, we should bring someone in who the baronet does not know.”

  “John Swenton or Aidan Kimbolt?”

  “I was thinking both. Kimbolt can weasel his way into Levering’s company, and Swenton knows every gaming hell in London. With Levering’s debts, John will discover who holds the baronet’s blunt.”

  Bran made himself some notes. “You will take care to bring them up to date?”

  “Absolutely Your Grace.” Crowden eased from the chair. “Will you escort Mrs. Warren this evening?”

  Bran did not want to share his agreement with Lucinda Warren with the world; and, with Crowden, he preferred to keep their relationship professional. On a personal level, he most profusely objected to Crowden’s time with Velvet. “I must marry eventually and set up my nursery. I am just looking at the possibilities.”

  “Look at all the possibilities, Your Grace. It is an important decision for any man.” Then Crowden was gone. The Marquis’s words bothered Bran. What does Godown mean by “all” the possibilities?

  *

  Over the next fortnight, Bran spent countless hours securing bits of information regarding Levering, most of which he could have guessed without any confirmation. Swenton provided a long list of creditors and a truer picture of Sir Louis’s financial difficulties. The baronet kept only a skeletal staff at Huntingborne Abbey–had sold off anything of value from the family estate. Levering and his friends, an unsavory group of minor aristocrats, used the estate to sow their wild oats: evenings of drinks, cards, and women often the entertainment–leaving the place in shambles and disrepair.

  Kimbolt had weaseled his way into Levering’s inner circle by playing to one of Sir Louis’s weaknesses: cards. In just a little over a week, the careless baronet had lost over a thousand pounds to Kimbolt, whom he knew by the name of Allister Collins. Kimbolt often joined Levering in his search for “adventure,” or he spent his time secretly following Sir Louis about town as the baronet escorted Eleanor.

  “So, Levering plans a private retreat with my sister,” Bran bit out the vile words.

  Aidan Kimbolt, Viscount Lexford, occupied a nearby chair. They had met in Bran’s study late at night. The viscount came to Briar House through the mews and the servants’ entrance to keep their connection a secret. “I am to be a member of the party.” Kimbolt purposely paused.

  “What is it?” Bran set forward in his chair.

  “You will not like it,” the viscount warned.

  Bran growled, “Tell me.”

  “Levering and his friends will use Gavin Bradley’s hunting box in Nottingham for their private affair. Each man–Bradley, Danver Clayton, Levering, and Heath Montford–brings along his mistress.”

  Bran’s head snapped up. “Then why does Levering insist that Eleanor be a member of the party?”

  “Remember, I am playing a role in this.” Kimbolt set back, keeping his distance from a short-tempered Brantley Fowler. After stalling for a few pregnant seconds, he disclosed, “Levering has proposed giving me Lady Eleanor for the week as payment on his debt.”

  Bran did not respond as quickly as Lexford would prefer. He knew Fowler’s temper–knew the quick, impulsive Fowler and also knew the seething, calculating Fowler. The latter was a most dangerous man. “The baronet would use my sister as a whore!”

  Lexford shared the details. “I have followed Levering about Town as you requested. He often uses physical pain against your sister–a twist of her arm–a bending back of her wrist.” Lexford paused when he heard Bran’s sharp intake of air. “Levering takes liberties in public no man should take, even with his mistress. He touches Lady Eleanor inappropriately or forces her to touch him.”

  Bran’s fists clenched and unclenched. “I will forbid Eleanor from seeing Levering ever again,” he hissed.

  “Is that wise?” Lexford questioned. “What you have said of your sister tells me that she would not endure such abuse if she were not being coerced by Levering. Therefore, what Levering is using against her must be something big. It is no little scandal to be washed away by time. The baronet has shared with his friends that he can bring down the Fowlers, and that is exactly his intent–some sort of perceived indifference by you and even your father–at least, according to Montford.”

  “Knowing what he plans, you expect me to permit Eleanor to leave with Levering?” Needing to take action, Bran paced the room.

  “I am to be there,” Lexford reminded him. “I will let no harm come to Lady Eleanor.”

  Bran fumed, “The man abuses her!”

  Lexford took a deep breath, preparing to reason with his friend. “It appears to me that if you forbid Lady Eleanor from seeing Levering that the baronet has an open door to exact his revenge. However, if you permit your sister to accompany Levering, we control the situation. I will be there, and Sir Louis does not suspect our connection. I will aid Lady Eleanor in an escape. We will send her some place safe–away from Levering, which gives us time to discover the baronet’s hold over your sister and maybe even over your family. What can the baronet do once she is no longer in the picture? Levering cannot demand that you share her hiding place; after all, as far as you know Lady Eleanor is with her friends or whatever story Sir Louis coerces her to tell. To the public–to Society–she is enjoying a deserved holiday. Meanwhile, we force the baronet’s hand. Dealing with the Realm is quite different from inflicting pain on an innocent woman. We know all types of ‘physical abuse’ that the baronet is in ‘need’ of experiencing.”

  During the long explanation, Bran returned to his seat. “You will assure Eleanor’s safety?”

  “Even if I have to exact my own revenge and blow our plan completely. The baronet will not touch your sister again. I will take Lucifer with me for good measure,” Lexford asserted. Lucifer was the viscount’s man–half personal guard and half valet. Lucifer’s physical stature–a giant of a man–frightened many with his presence.

  Bran nodded his approval. “Who do we know in the area? Where might we hide Ella?”

  “There is Baron Blakehell, Lowery’s older brother in Derbyshire,” Lexford suggested.

  “No,” Bran decided immediately. “If we hide Eleanor in Derbyshire, then send her to Kerrington. He will protect her with his life. If Levering thinks of seeking her at Linton Park, he will have to go through Viscount Worthing to reach her.”

  “Is that the best choice? Crowden said you have written to Worthing, telling him that Lady Eleanor chose another. Worthing’s temper is nearly as volatile as yours.”

  Bran smiled deviously. “But he loves Eleanor to distraction. If she shows up and in need, he will forgive her. Insist that Eleanor tell Kerrington everything. It will speed up our search for what Levering plans to do. Would you like to place a bet on how quickly Worthing makes her his bride? I will see my sister as his countess before the month’s end.”

  “From what I know of the captain, once he has made up his mind, I doubt if Lady Eleanor returns to London an unmarried woman.” Lexford stood to make his leave. “I have a late appointment with Montford and Bradley. I will attempt to learn what to expect in Nottingham.”

  “Thank you, Lexford.” He shook his friend’s hand, thankful to have the Realm as his partners.

  “Depend on your friends,
Fowler. We have protected each other for years. We will not desert you.”

  Bran led the viscount through the darkened hallways. “Reclaiming my family and abolishing my father’s reputation has consumed my time since returning to Thornhill.”

  “By the way, how is the incomparable Miss Aldridge? Crowden reports the lady is as attractive as you said.”

  Lexford waited for Bran’s predictable protest, but it did not come. “I wish I knew. One minute she shows Crowden her attentions and the next ...well, she...” He shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts. “I used to think Velvet naïve, but she plays these games–the kind men do not understand–games with no clear rules.”

  “Ah,” Lexford smiled with amusement. “You are learning, my Friend. There is a reason the ancients compared falling in love with going to war. There are no clear winners in either.” Lexford clapped Bran on the back before slipping from the room and into the night.

  Bran watched him walk away. The viscount’s words rang in Bran’s ears. He went to “war” on multiple fronts: a Baloch warlord, a conniving baronet, and a girl who had won his heart years ago.

  *

  As predicted, Ella presented her request to travel to Leicestershire for a house party with her “new friend,” Miss Nelson. Bran gritted his teeth as Eleanor purposely lied to him about her destination. He, to date, had not met anyone named Miss Nelson among Ella’s new acquaintances. Although he doubted Ella willingly participated in Levering’s farce, it hurt Bran that she did not turn to him for assistance. His sister’s independence rubbed him raw. However, he agreed with her request, but only with the stipulation that Hannah must accompany her. In fact, he called Hannah into the room and ordered the maid to travel in the same coach as her mistress; he recognized Hannah’s allegiance to Eleanor. The woman would thwart any plans Levering might have before they reached the hunting box. At that point, Lexford would take over.

  They had fine-tuned their movements, checking and rechecking the minutest details. Within days, Ella would be safely hidden at Linton Park. “A present for Kerrington,” he mused out loud. “The Captain is in for a surprise.”

  *

  Besides clarifying his concerns with Levering, Bran sidestepped Velvet’s obvious manipulations for their being alone. However, things evolved the evening Ella was on her way to Nottingham. Sipping a brandy and watching the dying embers, he sat alone in the darkness of the Briar House library. A cool damp London evening required the additional warmth. Brooding, he second-guessed his decision to permit Eleanor to ride off alone. Knowing she had planned to meet Levering worried him beyond reason. His natural tendency to charge into the fray made Bran hate every tick of the clock–his imagining each click of the mechanism as another spoke on the wheels, which took Ella from him–from the safety of his arms.

  “Damn!” he grumbled. He knew Viscount Lexford trailed Levering’s coach–knew the baronet prepared to meet Eleanor north of London–knew he had thought of everything. Yet, he had imagined the worst–had imagined Levering’s depravity and Ella’s suffering, and every nerve ending stood on end. “I hate this!” He slugged down the last of his drink. Frustration kept him company as he forced his eyes shut, wanting to shut out everything except his willing Ella to safety.

  Although his mind rested on Eleanor, his body knew the second Velvet entered the room. His senses having recognized her tread, Bran now rested with his head against the sofa, feeling her with every fiber of his being. She leaned over him and brushed her lips against his closed eyelids. Bran debated on whether to pretend to sleep or to simply enjoy her ministrations. Velvet kissed his temple and lightly skimmed his cheek and then hovered over his lips. He heard her breathing go shallow as she waited for him to react.

  Unable to resist the woman who stood over him, anticipating his kiss, Bran slipped one hand behind her neck and brought Velvet’s mouth to his. He kissed her tenderly–warm mouth to open invitation. “Is that what you sought?” he mumbled as he released her.

  “It was a good beginning.” She placed a knee on the cushion, leaning closer still.

  Bran shifted uncomfortably with her closeness. “Velvet, I cannot do this now,” he half protested.

  “I thought you did it quite well. When would be a better time than now?” she teased. Since the day he had impulsively kissed her, Velvet’s enticements had become more forward. When he spared her a second thought over the past few days, Bran thought of Velvet’s innocence–of her vulnerability, but then as he skillfully evaded her advances, Bran saw a very different Velvet. He remembered the one who climbed to the top of the pin oak to rescue the stable cat and the one who wielded a play sword as well as any of the local boys, despite being half their size. “It was I,” he had told himself, “who put her on the pedestal. Who only remembered her as the princess in her fairy tales.” Now, he was not certain which Velvet he kissed.

  “I should not be participating in these secret moments when more important issues require my attention.” His hand drifted instinctively down her arm. Catching her hand, Bran pulled Velvet to sit beside him.

  “May I be of assistance?” She leaned against his shoulder, resting her right arm across his chest.

  Bran turned to kiss her forehead. “You do just by being here.”

  They sat in companionable silence for several minutes before she snuggled closer. “Bran, you can tell me. I am not a gilded bird in a cage. Please do not attempt to protect me.”

  He let out a deep sigh. “I should not. I do not want to worry you.”

  “I worry. I worry about you. About Ella. About Thornhill.” She kissed his cheek lightly.

  “I always held such dreams of you and Ella. Every night. All the years I was away, I dreamed of you two. Of the three of us together again. Running across the rolling hills. Laughing and dancing and happy at last. Then the night–that night–the night of the fight with my father would break the bubble, and the reality of what all I had lost would shake me to my core. I had hoped when I returned to Thornhill, I could obliterate all the ghosts. Put them to rest. I could bring you and Ella happiness, but I keep making the wrong turns. I brought danger to Kent with my former connections, and I have permitted Eleanor to place herself in danger.”

  Velvet sat up suddenly to look at him. “You mean with Levering? I knew Eleanor was in trouble. She could not turn from a man like Viscount Worthing to take up with the likes of Sir Louis. Back at Thornhill, she never liked for anyone to even mention the Leverings as our neighbors, and then she takes up with the man.”

  “Eleanor does it for Thornhill; she wishes to protect the estate and me and you.” Regret polished off the words.

  “Tell me,” she whispered.

  For the next twenty minutes, Bran described everything he knew of Eleanor and Levering. All along he had thought to protect her, but now he told Velvet the truth of what Eleanor had suffered. He shared all his qualms of the soundness of his plan. Only with Velvet could he share the degradation Ella had known. Although they had never spoken of the late duke’s proclivity for seduction, Velvet knew what went on at Thorn Hall.

  “Are you certain it has something to do with your father?” she asked.

  “It can be nothing else.” With his fingertip, Bran traced a line from her temple to her mouth’s corner.

  Velvet turned her head to kiss his palm. “So we wait to hear from Viscount Lexford?”

  “By this time tomorrow, Ella will be at the hunting box. If all goes well, Lexford should have her on her way to Kerrington’s estate by night’s end.” He caressed Velvet’s cheek. “I just pray her safe tonight and that I did the right thing by listening to Lexford.”

  “His advice seems sound.” She leaned back into him. This time Bran encircled her with his arms; his chin rested on the top of her head. “Ella is strong; she survived the Duke.”

  Velvet thought aloud. “May we wait together?” All thoughts of enticement had left them; they needed a different type of comfort.

  “I would cherish tha
t opportunity.” Bran tightened his hold. “Remain with me; I need to hold onto the dream.”

  Chapter 11

  Bran nearly pounced on the servant wearing the Linworth livery when the man appeared in the Briar House foyer. A caged animal, he had paced the halls for four days. Only Velvet had ventured near him; everyone else had given him a full circle. Bran snatched the letter before Mr. Horace had an opportunity to present it on a silver salver. Turning toward his study, he stopped at the blue sitting room’s door and simply nodded at Velvet. She immediately excused herself from a handful of gentlemen callers and followed Bran down the long hallway.

  “Is it from Ella?” she asked as she entered the room and closed the door.

  Bran already held a letter opener in his hand. “It has Worthing’s insignia in the wax.” He gestured to a nearby settee, indicating he would join her there.

  “Thank, God,” she gasped as she collapsed onto the seat. “Worthing has protected her.”

  “I pray that is the case.” Bran sat beside her. As he unfolded the multiple pages written in a close hand, he rasped out the first few words before he could steady his nerves.

  Fowler,

  A miracle occurred at Linworth Park today. A wagon driven by Lexford’s man Lucifer brought me the most precious of cargos. Lady Eleanor and her Hannah reside under my roof, and I should tell you when your sister returns to London, she will do so as my wife. That is my wish, and I will do everything in my power to make it so.

  Although I will preface what I will share with the knowledge that you will suffer as have I, this is what I know. Listening to both Lucifer and to Lady Eleanor has ripped my soul to the quick.

  Once I secured your sister’s immediate needs of food and shelter, I sought Lucifer for information. Lexford’s man tells me that it was your idea to send Lady Eleanor to me. For that, I am forever in your service. Lucifer described the nature of the party to which Levering escorted your sister. You are aware of those particulars. Lexford is to come here later today, and I will learn many of the details I am currently missing. I will ask him to accompany me to Northamptonshire. I have sent a servant ahead to reserve rooms at the inn in Blisworth. Please meet me there Wednesday evening, as we need to confer on how to resolve the issues haunting Thornhill. If they are available, bring Crowden, Swenton, Lowery, and Wellston. I need the power of the Realm with me now to turn this for our benefit.