by Joyce Alec
Julia smiled and rose to her feet. “It may be another of my friends,” she said by way of explanation. “Lady Haddington has told our small guild of your difficult circumstances.”
Lord Stephen looked as though he wanted to say something to her at this, only to remember that the footman was waiting, and dismissed him first with a quick wave of his hand and an instruction to bring refreshments for all of his guests to the drawing room instead.
“You should have a name for this society of yours,” he said as he offered her his arm in order to lead her from the room. “Something by which people might both know and refer to you.”
She accepted his arm with pleasure, feeling both embarrassed and pleased at his comment. “I am not sure if we would all consent to such a thing,” she answered, knowing just how firm some of the other ladies could be. “But mayhap you are right. I shall have to consider it.”
He led her out into the corridor and then along a short distance until they came to another door. “The letters have given us very little to go on, have they not?” he murmured, his thoughts now back onto the difficulties that lay before him. “All I have is a list of people who wished ill onto my brother.”
“But you have a list of names,” she reminded him, pressing his arm for a moment. “That is something of significance, at least.” She did not want him to give up so quickly, and tried to think of how to encourage him to take this list of names further. “We might perhaps take some names each and see what we can discover about each one. Mayhap there is more to one’s appearance than we might first be aware.”
The look he sent her was a sharp one, but Julia took no notice. Her eyes were fixed on the footman who was now holding the door open for them. In fact, all of her attention was pushed toward the footman, who, even though he looked away from her face, still gave her an overwhelming sense of familiarity. The way his dark hair fell over his brow gave her pause, her mind working frantically at something she could not quite make out. The footman, surprising her, looked back at her directly, his eyes dark and glinting almost ominously. Not understanding why he should behave with such arrogance, Julia turned her head away and swallowed hard, trying to shake off the strange feeling that had overcome her.
“Ah, good afternoon,” Lady Haddington, Lord Haddington, and Lady Catherine rose to their feet at once, distracting Julia from her odd thoughts regarding the footman.
“Good afternoon,” Lord Stephen murmured, inclining his head and throwing a broad smile in the direction of Lady Haddington. “How good to see you both.” He looked at Lady Catherine, who was smiling but looking back at him with a sharpness in her eyes. “And please do introduce me to your acquaintance, Lady Haddington.” Taking a small step forward, he bowed over her hand and, much to Julia’s surprise, she felt a sting bite at her heart.
“This is Lady Catherine,” Lady Haddington said. “Lady Catherine, Lord Stephen Paxton.”
“I am very dear friends with Miss Hawkins as well as one or two others who are interested in assisting you with this difficult situation,” Lady Catherine said, sending a smile toward Julia, who only just managed to return it. “I thought to come along this afternoon to offer you some support in any way that I can.”
“I am truly blessed,” Lord Stephen answered, looking back at Julia and smiling warmly. “To have come to London with very few acquaintances—and with every intention of keeping it that way—I have now discovered some true friends, albeit through difficult circumstances.”
“Circumstances we intend to help you work through,” Lord Haddington said gruffly as he sat back down. “Have you found anything of interest in Lord Atherton’s study?”
Julia shook her head as she sat down in a chair next to Lady Haddington, glad indeed that she had left Mrs. Law to sit alone in the study. “We have a list of people who might very well bear Lord Atherton a grudge,” she said, hoping she was not speaking on Lord Stephen’s behalf, “but aside from that, nothing to immediately suggest that one in particular might be responsible.”
“Which is quite understandable,” Lady Haddington said firmly, which seemed to encourage Lord Stephen a little.
“And Lord Stephen was considering attending the ball this evening also,” Julia added, which earned him another confirming smile from Lady Haddington. “And since I am already acquainted with Lord Bentham, I might be able to make a further introduction.”
Lord Stephen smiled at her and she was glad to see that he appeared a good deal less distressed than before. “I must hope so,” he said with a small shrug. “For I have nothing else to go on.”
It was not until the time came for them all to take their leave that Julia suddenly recalled that she had not told Lord Stephen the strange sensation that she somehow recognized one of his footmen. Nor had she mentioned what the butler had told her about how the staff had remained with the house since the previous owner, half wondering if he already knew of such information. Hesitating, she looked up into his face as Lady Haddington, the last of their party save for her, quit the room to make her way to the front door.
“Yes, Miss Hawkins?”
Lord Stephen’s expression was open and questioning, his eyes searching her face as he waited for her to say something.
“Your staff,” she began slowly. “One of the footmen. I…” She trailed off, the question in her mind as to whether it was worth saying something. It felt very odd indeed to say that she thought she recognized one of the footmen from the house, for it bore no weight when it came to the matter of Lord Atherton. With an embarrassed smile, she shook her head. “It does not matter,” she said quickly, dipping into a quick curtsy so as to hide her true feelings. “I will see you at the ball this evening?” She glanced to her left to see if her friends were waiting for her, but only saw one of the servants hurry by out of sight.
He nodded. “This evening,” he said with a quick smile. “Unless something happens with my brother.” His smile faded and, without thinking, she put a hand on his arm.
“I am sure he will recover,” she said softly, as silence seemed to wrap around them both, holding them for a moment together. “We must pray that he will.”
Lord Stephen said nothing but looked down into her face, her breath catching as his eyes held hers. She could not explain why she felt such a nearness to him after such a short acquaintance, but there was something entirely new and unexpected growing within her own heart.
“Miss Hawkins?”
The voice of Lady Haddington dragged her out of the wonderful moment, pulling her aside and forcing her to turn away from Lord Stephen. With a murmured goodbye, she hurried away from him, feeling such a swell of emotion that her cheeks grew warm and, as she approached her friends, she felt the urge to drop her gaze to the floor.
“You will see him again this evening,” Lady Catherine said quietly, a note of teasing in her voice, as Julia hurried out of the door, just as Lord Stephen came to bid them all farewell. “It is naught but a few hours.”
“I cannot imagine what you mean,” Julia protested with as much dignity as she could muster. Climbing into the carriage, she kept her eyes straight ahead and waited until Mrs. Law had come in after her, not daring to even glance at Lord Stephen for fear of what he might see in her eyes if she did so.
Everything was becoming a little too convoluted for her liking, Julia reflected. Things had happened very fast indeed and she was not at all sure that she liked it. Perhaps this mystery that she had longed for was going to take more of her heart than she had ever anticipated.
7
The ball was not lifting his spirits in any way, Stephen reflected. He had returned home a short time after Lady Haddington, Lord Haddington, Lady Catherine, and Miss Hawkins had left his brother’s house and had immediately gone to check on his brother’s condition.
Atherton had been just as he had left him, drifting between sleep and unconsciousness. The doctor had come to bind his wound and had continued to give him laudanum for the pain. Given that Stephen knew very lit
tle about doctoring, he had to trust that the fellow knew what was best for his brother but still found himself worrying that Atherton was not receiving the best possible treatment. However, he knew that he could not remain sitting in the townhouse, worrying over his brother’s treatment and condition, which was why he had then decided to attend Lady Horsley’s ball, as he had said to Miss Hawkins. Besides which, he knew that he would be able to meet Viscount Bentham, in the hope that he might be able to tell him a little more about the rumor and the house itself. Silently, he wondered if Lord Bentham would have any reason to attempt to get rid of Lord Atherton, as he moved slowly into the ballroom and wandered between the groups of guests, finding no relief to his many unanswered questions.
“Lord Stephen Paxton.”
He turned his head to see a tall, dark-haired gentleman approaching, swiftly followed by a shorter, lighter-haired gentleman that he did not recognize.
“Lord Forrester,” he answered, recognizing the viscount. Lord Forrester had been introduced to him by his brother at one time or another—he could not quite remember when—but he had not seen him yet this Season. “How very good to see you again.”
Lord Forrester bowed, but the grin faded from his face. “I heard about your brother,” he said, as direct as Stephen remembered him. “I am sorry that he has been so gravely injured.”
“I thank you for your concern,” Stephen answered, appreciating the gentleman’s worry. “I do hope that he will recover.” Clearing his throat, he tried to turn the conversation back to lighter things. “Are you only just returned to London?”
Lord Forrester shook his head. “No, I have been back some time already,” he said with a half-smile. “Your brother and I have been enjoying the company of society for some weeks now, although I was not present the night of his ball.” Sighing heavily, the smile faded again. “I must hope that he will return to health very soon. I will miss his company otherwise.”
Knowing that Lord Forrester and his brother had been fast friends, Stephen managed to murmur his thanks but then allowed a few moments of silence to cover them both, which was then interrupted by a loud, brash voice that came from the other gentleman, the one Stephen did not know.
“Then you have no intention of taking on the house yourself?”
Stephen turned his eyes toward this unknown gentleman but felt himself holding back. The gentleman had spoken without any sort of introduction and was asking questions that Stephen did not feel at all obliged to answer. Clearing his throat, he turned his head away a little, giving only a small shrug in answer.
“Oh, I do apologize,” Lord Forrester stammered, perhaps a little embarrassed. “This is Viscount Lustrum.”
Stephen’s ears pricked up at once. Viscount Lustrum was one of the names on his list of gentlemen who had recently written to his brother, upset with some matter or other.
“Lord Lustrum,” he murmured, turning sharp eyes on the man. “You were acquainted with my brother, I think.”
Lord Lustrum’s eyes narrowed just a little as he looked directly back at Stephen. His expression grew hard and for a moment, Stephen thought the man would deny it—only for him to shrug and turn his gaze away.
“I know your brother, yes,” Lord Lustrum replied with yet another shrug. “He owes me a significant sum.”
Stephen, a little taken aback by the gentleman’s honesty, paused for a moment. “I see.”
“His vowels continue to remain unfulfilled,” Lord Lustrum continued, speaking of Lord Atherton’s gambling debts. “And I do not think there is any willingness on his part to pay me what he owes.”
“A significant sum, you say?” Stephen asked, and Lord Lustrum nodded fervently. “I am sorry to hear that. I will settle on his behalf, if you wish?” It would be easy enough to instruct his brother’s solicitors to settle as many of his brother’s debts as they could whilst he remained so unwell. They would accept his authority and would, no doubt, have each and every debt paid within the week. He held Lord Lustrum’s gaze and, after a moment or two of consideration, the gentleman gave a brisk nod.
“That would be acceptable to me,” he told Stephen, who nodded in agreement. “I look forward to hearing from you.”
“But of course.” Stephen bowed and watched as Lord Lustrum lifted his chin, an arrogant smile on his face.
“Let me fetch you a drink, Lord Stephen,” Lord Lustrum remarked with a tight but dark smile. “So that we might toast our agreement.”
Stephen nodded and murmured something of an assent, watching the fellow turn away and seeing the embarrassed look on Lord Forrester’s face.
“I would not have introduced him to you if I had known he would say such things,” Lord Forrester muttered, somewhat apologetic. “Truly, I did not expect him to—”
Stephen held up one hand. “There is no need to concern yourself in that regard, Lord Forrester,” he said tiredly. “There are a good many gentlemen within London who have been treated ill—or whose daughters or sisters or nieces have been treated poorly—and thus I must expect such remarks. I have every intention of doing what I can to pay for any debts my brother has when he is so very unwell, as I think it will take him some time to recover and I would not like those who are waiting for his funds to remain so for much longer.” He shot a quick glance toward Lord Forrester and saw that the gentleman’s eyes had become quite serious, his lips pulled tight. “It is the least I can do.”
Lord Forrester cleared his throat gruffly. “It is good of you,” he told Stephen, who accepted the compliment with nothing more than a shrug. “But what will you do for those gentlemen who, as you have said, have had sisters or daughters treated with cruelty and disdain once they had given Lord Atherton what he desired?”
Stephen frowned, looking at Lord Forrester with a weighted brow. “What can I do?” he asked, his tone somber. “I cannot have my brother married to one of them when he is unable to even open his eyes to see who it is he is marrying.” Shaking his head, he let out a long breath. “It is discouraging to know that my brother has made so many poor decisions in his life,” he muttered, a little sorrowfully. “And that he has brought pain to so many people.”
Lord Forrester nodded but shrugged. “Mayhap the rumor of the house is true, then,” he suggested, surprising Stephen. “Except mayhap he left a little of the story out. Perhaps it is that the owner of the house is brought to their death if they are considered unworthy.”
“Except my brother is not dead,” Stephen snapped, upset with what Lord Forrester had suggested, even though he knew full well that there was every reason to think it. “And I pray that he will continue to recover.”
“A chance to improve, then,” Lord Forrester commented dryly. “Mayhap he is to gain a second chance and once he is recovered, will make good on all of his promises, pay all of his debts, and do all he can to turn from his foolish ways.” He arched one eyebrow, but Stephen did not respond. He was not quite sure he liked or appreciated Lord Forrester’s suggestions, although perhaps it was because he was so very ashamed of the gentleman his brother had become. An angry response came to his lips but before he could release it, his attention was caught by the appearance of Miss Hawkins walking with another young lady he did not recognize. She saw him almost immediately and Stephen was astonished to feel just how much his heart lifted from its anger and upset by the mere sight of her.
“I should go and find Miss Markham,” Lord Forrester commented, clearly unaware of how Stephen’s attention had been caught. “Ah, and here is Lord Lustrum with your brandy, Paxton.”
With an effort, Stephen turned his attention away from Miss Hawkins, watching Lord Forrester walking away and Lord Lustrum approaching. He accepted the brandy from Lord Lustrum, seeing how the man held up his glass.
“To our agreement.”
“Which will be fulfilled within the month,” he promised, almost desperate to look back in the direction of Miss Hawkins and finding himself entirely unable to prevent himself from doing so. Lord Lustrum also l
ooked toward them, his brows lifting in evident appreciation.
“Goodness,” he murmured as Miss Hawkins began to make her way toward them, her friend at her side. “And who is this vision of beauty?”
A trifle irritated that Lord Lustrum had noticed Miss Hawkins, Stephen cleared his throat, forced the rest of his frustrated spirits back down into his chest, and greeted Miss Hawkins with a smile.
“My dear Miss Hawkins,” he said, more glad to see her than he had expected. “How good to see you this evening.”
She smiled at him, her eyes bright. “And you, Lord Stephen,” she answered warmly. “Might I present Miss Seymour, daughter to Viscount Addington.”
The young lady next to Miss Hawkins curtsied beautifully, lifting her golden head to look directly into Stephen’s face.
“You have been struck with many troubles of late, I understand,” she told him, making him realize that this was another of the ladies involved with Miss Hawkins, Lady Haddington, and Lady Catherine. “I am sorry to hear it.”
“I thank you,” he answered, realizing that he had not yet introduced Lord Lustrum. Quickly making the introductions, he saw how Lord Lustrum’s gaze flicked between the two ladies, clearly intrigued by one or both of them.
“How lucky I am to make the acquaintance of not one but two beautiful young ladies,” Lord Lustrum said with another small bow, which brought a touch of color to both their cheeks. “Please, you must permit me to sign your dance cards. That is, if you have any spaces remaining.”
Miss Seymour glanced at Miss Hawkins, who was smiling at Lord Lustrum.
“I thank you,” she said without hesitation, holding out her dance card for him. “You are very kind, Lord Lustrum.”
Feeling as though something was being stolen from him without him even knowing what it was, Stephen cleared his throat and inclined his head quickly. “As would I, of course,” he said as Lord Lustrum wrote his name down in one of Miss Hawkins’ spaces. “Although I am sure that your dance card must now be quite full.” Part of him was afraid that Lord Lustrum would have taken Miss Hawkins’ last space but, much to his relief, he saw that one waltz still remained. He wrote his name there without even a moment of hesitation, looking up at her to see her still smiling. Perhaps she was as glad as he that they would have a dance together.