Robyn DeHart - [Dangerous Liaisons 01]

by The Secrets of Mia Danvers

  The constables took Drew out to the waiting carriage. Simon walked out behind them and Alex followed.

  “This isn’t over, Alex, I will do my best to make this as short as possible. We’ll find the real killer,” Simon said.

  Alex gripped his friend’s arm. “Thank you for believing him.”

  Simon nodded, then climbed into the carriage.

  Alex stood there trying to think of anything he could do to help his brother. To get him out of the current situation. He knew there was no way to prevent this scandal from utterly ruining their family, but now that seemed the very least of his worries.

  Alex watched the carriage drive away from Danbridge. When he stepped back inside, Mia no longer stood at the bottom of the stairs. The Duke of Carrington’s brother arrested for five brutal murders. What that would translate to was everyone believing that Drew was Jack the Ripper. Still the newspapers hadn’t confirmed that the new murders were done by the same killer as Whitechapel, the police had managed to keep that out, but everyone knew.

  Alex sent gratitude heavenward that he’d already secured an engagement with Juliet. Though the announcement in the papers was still a few days off, everyone was already talking about it. Hopefully it would be news enough to deflect from this and protect Drew’s reputation a little longer. Alex couldn’t do much more to keep the attention off of his brother.

  But he could help Simon find out who the real killer was, not simply because he needed to prove Drew’s innocence, but also because Mia remained in constant danger.

  Alex went to the drawing room in hopes he could calm his mother, but as he breached the doorway, she was the very picture of anger. She was not lying down as he’d instructed, instead she stood in the middle of the room barking orders at a maid who cowered across from her.

  “You may go,” he told the girl.

  His mother’s eyes narrowed. “I have not released her,” she said.

  “Enough, Mother.” He turned to the girl. “Go,” he told her and she didn’t wait for additional instructions.

  “We have to do something,” his mother said. “We cannot allow this to ruin your life.”

  “Mother, this is about Drew.”

  “That boy has been nothing but trouble since your father brought him home,” she said, ignoring his comment.

  “That boy is my brother,” Alex reminded her.

  “But he is not my son,” she said, doing nothing to hide the spitefulness in her tone.

  “To the rest of the world he is. Drew is a Carrington, as much as I am. Denying that now will do nothing to salvage our family name. You know that as well as I do. Besides, it is not Drew’s fault that Father had an affair.”

  “Well, we must do something.” She went to the side table and poured herself a brandy, something he’d never seen her do.

  “The announcement of my engagement will be in papers in two days. That should distract everyone enough, pull attention from the scandal,” Alex said. He watched his mother take two solid sips of the amber-colored liquid.

  “It’s doubtful,” she said. “Everyone has expected the engagement, no one will be surprised. No, I’ll think of something.”

  “Perhaps a party,” he said. Giving her something to do, something to plan, might take her mind off of everything and prevent her from saying something to Drew that she could never take back.

  “Perhaps,” she said, noncommittally. She downed the brandy, then set the empty glass on the side table. “I’m going to my room and I do not wish to be disturbed under any circumstances.”

  “Shall I send a tray up from dinner?” he asked.

  “That will be fine.”

  He knew his mother took laudanum on occasion to help her sleep. She’d done it since he was a boy. Alex suspected this would be one of those nights. She’d stay in bed until at least noon tomorrow and wake with a headache, but if it put the current situation out of her mind for a while, Alex would say nothing. Besides, he still had to go out for the evening.

  She turned on her heel and left the room. He heard her mutter something in the hall, but couldn’t discern her words. A moment later Mia stepped into the room.

  “What did she say to you?” he asked.

  “Something about with this current scandal, I am the least of her concerns,” Mia said.

  ***

  “I apologize for her rudeness,” he said. “My mother has undergone a great shock with Drew’s arrest.”

  Mia nodded, but suspected his words were nothing more than an excuse. She’d heard what the woman had said. Heard the vileness and cruelty in her voice. Granted, she was a woman scorned, but most women in marriages dealt with infidelity from their husbands. It was expected behavior in the upper class of Society. But then Mia supposed most men did not bring home their bastard children for their wives to raise among their legitimate children.

  Still it was not Drew’s fault. “I do hope that I am not to blame for his arrest,” she said softly. “I only shared my speculation with you because . . . ,” but she let her voice trail off. Well, she’d told him she thought Drew was the killer because he’d smelled like the man from the alley, but clearly there was additional evidence. Still Alex had said nothing.

  “I think someone is trying very hard to make it look like Drew is the killer,” he said.

  “Why Drew?” she asked.

  “I have no idea. He does not always spend his time with the most savory group of people and he has a fondness for seducing servant girls. Could be he simply happened to be in all the right places at the very wrong times,” Alex said.

  “You honestly believe him innocent?” she asked again.

  “I do.”

  She took a steadying breath. And Simon himself had claimed to believe him innocent as well. He’d apologized to both Alex and Drew. So if those two men, two men she trusted, did not believe Drew to be the killer, why, then, should she? “Then I shall trust you and I shall believe in your brother’s innocence. I’m not so certain I can condone his behavior, though.”

  Alex chuckled then in the first indication that he still maintained his sense of humor. “There is no forgiving some of his behavior. He hasn’t always been this way. The alcohol makes him angry.”

  There was a long pause, a settled silence between them, and she wondered where he stood in the room. He was so quiet, so still, she had no sense of his whereabouts.

  “I have to go out tonight,” he said.

  “Of course.” She turned to go and he grabbed her arm, his warm fingers encircling her bicep.

  “I want to see you when I return.” He pulled her to him, pressed his forehead to her own. “Will you wait for me?”

  His question seemed to hang in the air and she wondered, daring to even hope, if he meant more than just tonight. “Yes, I shall wait.”

  He stood there with their heads pressed together for a moment more before he dropped a brief kiss to her head, then left her alone.

  ***

  Alex had done his duty and made an appearance with Juliet and her family, but he’d left as soon as he could. He wasn’t relishing the idea of telling Mia about his official engagement, however he’d made arrangements to take her somewhere special, somewhere that might soften his news. He was eager for one reaction, though he dreaded the other.

  She was true to her earlier promise and he found her waiting for him in his study. She still wore her wool dress from earlier that day, this one a dark blue. Upon him entering the room, she came to her feet. “Alex?” she asked with a tentative smile.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “For what?”

  He took her hand and led her forward. “I have somewhere I want to take you.”

  She paused.

  “Do you trust me?” he asked. In that brief moment before she answered, not even enough time for a full breath, he realized just how much he needed her trust. He craved it.

  “Yes, I do,” she said.

  They spent the carriage ride discussing small matters as
he did his best to avoid their talk turning to his time at the ball. He wasn’t yet ready to tell her everything. Finally they rolled to a stop in front of the large stone building. It was sprawling, with one center tower and two rows of windows lining both sides.

  “Where are we?” she asked.

  “South Kensington Museum,” he said.

  “Are they not closed at this hour?” she asked as he assisted her down from the carriage steps.

  “Indeed they are, but I called in a favor. The curator here is an old friend. In fact, there he is now.” They walked over to the waiting man. “Harris, thank you again for this,” he said.

  “Well, I couldn’t say no to you now that you are a duke.” He eyed his friend with a gregarious grin. “It suits you. The exhibit you’re looking for is in the east wing. Enjoy.”

  Alex fully intended to do proper introductions, but Harris nodded to the building. “Get yourselves off the street before someone sees us and I am forced to work at some tiny museum in Stratford.”

  They walked, her arm linked in his, into the main doors, his boots and her shoes tapping loudly on the marble flooring.

  “I still do not understand why we are here,” Mia said in a whisper.

  “You don’t have to whisper. We’re here alone.” They turned left and took the corridor into the east wing. “Have you ever been to a museum before?”

  “Once, when I was a girl. I came with my father here to London for some business and he took me. We saw Egyptian antiquities. It was all quite fascinating. I, in particular, enjoyed the mummy.” She paused for a few moments as they walked. “Alex, museums are primarily for the visual arts. I thank you for bringing me here, but I believe I shall not be able to enjoy what you wish to share with me.”

  “I merely thought you’d enjoy this new exhibit of Grecian statues.”

  Her face brightened and she beamed a smile at him. “Truly?”

  “Yes. Though seeing some of these pieces, we might need a ladder for you to feel the tops of them.”

  “You can describe them to me.”

  He led her first to the center of the room where the largest piece sat. “This one is by Bernini and is a huge sculpture of Neptune and Triton.” He guided her hand to the stone and allowed her fingers to follow the ridges and lines of the sculpture.

  “It must be quite large,” she said.

  “Yes, it is one of two sizeable pieces in the room.”

  She smiled. “His toes are enormous.”

  “Indeed.”

  She continued to feel her way around the piece, though there was much of it she couldn’t reach.

  “I’m sorry you can’t see the rest of it,” he said.

  “This gives me enough to put an image in my mind.”

  She asked him a handful of questions about the faces on the sculpture and he answered as best he could, but he’d never looked so intently at art and wished he had more vivid descriptions to offer her.

  They continued working their way through the room. He managed to describe as well as he could the parts of the sculptures she couldn’t touch and he read the placards to her. And with each piece he’d place her hand beneath his, then he’d guide her along to everything she could reach.

  “This has all been so lovely, Alex. Thank you. But I know something is bothering you.” It was disconcerting how much she could see in him that others missed, others with perfectly good eyesight. “Is it Drew?” she continued, “is the evidence worse than you first thought?”

  “No, I’ve heard nothing new regarding Drew.” Hell, he couldn’t avoid this conversation forever. He didn’t even know why he was so bothered by the thought of having it. He had made no promises to Mia. She knew that. She also already knew about Juliet, knew of his intentions. “I am to be married,” he said abruptly. He cleared his throat. “That is to say, the engagement is now official.”

  Mia nodded and turned back to the sculpture she was appraising. Her hands ran over the marble absently. “Congratulations,” she said, her voice remarkably cheerful.

  Perhaps she did not actually give a damn if he married another woman. He’d expected for her to be hurt.

  “These pieces are quite remarkable. I do wish I could see them, fully enjoy the scope of their size.”

  Was that it? That was all she’d say about his pending nuptials? Congratulations? “We should be getting back,” he told her. They’d been here for the better part of two hours and she’d been able to peruse all of the sculptures.

  “Thank you again,” she said. “This was really quite amazing.”

  “Of course,” he said. He’d been anxious for no reason, it seemed. He’d expected her to have some sort of a reaction. For her to be angry or jealous or perhaps even a little sad. He’d planned the entire evening simply because he’d thought he would need to tell her gently. He hadn’t wanted her to be hurt, but hell, he hadn’t expected her to not care at all. He was beyond disappointed he had to marry Juliet, yet it seemed as if Mia didn’t care a whit about his would-be bride.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  It had been two days since the museum. Two days since Alex had told her of his upcoming wedding to Juliet. Mia had known the news was coming, yet she’d still been hurt by his words as he’d told her. Especially since he’d done so after such a thoughtful evening. It would have been easier had he merely mentioned it across the breakfast table. Something cold and distant. But not after sharing with her something so intimate as her art and her passion for sculptures.

  She’d kept her distance since then. Not really knowing what to say or how to act toward him. He had asked her first, and she’d declined. The man needed a wife. It was better this way. Juliet was meant to be a duchess. Alex himself had said that Mia was clearly not meant for such a position.

  Alex had not sought her out these past two days, either. Normally they’d share a cup of tea or breakfast or something during the day, but she had not so much as caught whiff of his scent or heard his boots hit the floor in the hall.

  Currently she and Rachel sat in the front parlor, a room they used most often because it was not a room Alex’s mother frequented. Rachel read steadily from Jane Eyre, but Mia had not heard a word her friend had said in the last several pages. Every now and then she’d hear the rustle of paper as Rachel turned the page and then her friend’s voice would continue on. But Mia’s mind was elsewhere.

  As she continued reading, Mia heard the muttered curse from outside the room, long before Rachel did. Then the voice became much louder and Rachel’s words fell away.

  The door burst open with another string of curses, Alex’s curses. Footsteps crossed over the rug and back again several times, clearly the steps of him pacing. Instantly she felt more aware of everything in the room, his mere presence put her on alert. Despite her rattled nerves, though, she was pleased she knew it was him regardless of the fact that he hadn’t actually spoken to them yet.

  “He seems to be riled up over something in the newspaper,” Rachel said, adding some sort of image for Mia as to what Alex was blustering about.

  “Drew’s arrest must be on the front page,” Mia said. “Once he’s proven innocent, then the scandal will blow over. You really ought not worry so, you yourself said the Carrington name had survived more than its share of scandals over the years.”

  He cursed again, then paused. “My apologies, ladies,” Alex said. “I shall kill whoever did this as soon as I discover the culprit.”

  “Oh, dear,” Mia said. “I truly don’t believe murder is necessary, Alex. Do tell us what is troubling you.”

  The paper cracked and Rachel gasped. “Oh dear,” she said.

  “Would someone kindly tell me what the devil is going on?” Mia asked.

  “Lost Danvers girl found living in London. Blind,” Rachel read the headline.

  Mia came to her feet. “There is a story in the newspaper about me?”

  “The Times, to be exact,” Alex said. “The story goes on to say that you’re staying here at Danbridge
, though you have lived for many years at the edge of our property. It speaks of how my father rescued you and nursed you back to health after an accident that took your sight.”

  “Well, that’s ridiculous,” Rachel said. “Not to offend you, Your Grace. May I?” she asked. The rustling of paper indicated he’d handed over the item in question to Mia’s friend.

  “How would they have discovered I was here, who I am?” Mia asked.

  “I do not know,” Alex said.

  “Would Drew?” she asked.

  “I don’t see how he could have. I spoke to Simon last night and he said that he’d spent most of the time since Drew’s arrest going over every detail with Drew. Where he’d been, what time, who he’d seen and been with.”

  “The article is rather detailed,” Rachel said. “Obviously whoever spoke to the paper has firsthand knowledge of your whereabouts and interests. It says you are a guest of the Carrington family, which is why you are staying here. It even mentions your sculpting.”

  “A servant, perhaps,” Mia said. “It doesn’t much matter to me, though I do wonder how my sisters will react to such a thing.”

  “It does matter, though,” Alex said. “It certainly puts you in more danger. That killer out there knows your name. Now he knows where to find you.” He swore again. “I do have my suspicions on who gave The Times the story. They will be dealt with.”

  “There is no reason to do anything rash, Alex. I have been safe here at Danbridge. I do not believe this will change anything,” Mia said.

  “I do not want you sculpting outside any longer,” he said.

  Mia took a deep breath and nodded. “What does it say about your brother?”

  “Simply that he was arrested for suspected murder. It’s not a very big headline at all. It doesn’t even mention a possible connection to the Jack the Ripper murders. I suppose I can thank Simon for that. He said he’d do what he could to limit the public detail until they were certain Drew was guilty,” Alex said.