Gabe straightened in his chair. “From the manner in which you just said that, I have to wonder if changes are in your future.”
Looking ever so uncomfortable, Tom finally shrugged. “Possibly,” he hedged.
“You mentioned in your note that you had to see someone about a horse.”
“Indeed.”
“And?”
Tom pretended the matter was of little consequence. “A potential client is all. I received a request to meet with someone regarding their investment opportunities,” he explained. “They have a fortune that must be protected. They also happen to train horses for the racing circuit.”
“Are you buying a race horse?” James asked in surprise.
“No.” The word held the sort of finality that suggested James shouldn’t inquire further, which instead had him furrowing a brow.
“What’s her name?”
His mouth dropping open, Tom straightened in his chair. “Whatever has you asking that?”
“If it had been a man looking to protect a fortune, you would have said so,” Gabe accused, reminded of his expectation of M. F. Longworth. Of course he had thought she would be a man. Mr. Harris expected she would be a he. Even Tom had assumed it from having read her character before she was hired by the museum.
“You know that I cannot disclose my clients’ identities,” Tom stated. “Besides, I haven’t yet decided if I will take her on.”
“Because you have feelings for her?”
“What? No!” Tom appeared a bit too exasperated and said, “No,” one more time.
Gabe’s eyes widened in delight, and he said, “Perhaps I should pay a visit to the betting book,” he teased.
“Don’t. You’ll only lose,” Tom warned with a shake of his head.
James exchanged glances with Gabe, and the two were up and out of their chairs in an instant, hurrying off to the room in which the book was mounted for all to see.
Rolling his eyes, Tom glanced down at the letter he still held.
A letter of apology.
It was the very last thing he had expected to receive from the woman he had met with the afternoon before, but it meant he had a decision to make. Take her on as a client, or walk away.
There was another option, of course, but he couldn’t think about that just now.
Gabe and James returned, huge grins on their faces.
“You and I have exactly the same problem,” Gabe announced.
Tom frowned. “And what is that?”
“We’re in love.”
James cleared his throat, which had both Tom and Gabe turning to regard him. “I probably should mention that I, too, have proposed marriage on this day.”
Gabe stared at him before he chuckled. “Emily?” he guessed with a huge grin. His gaze quickly turned to find Tom displaying an unreadable expression.
“I thought to speak with you about it this morning—before you learned I planned to marry her,” James said in his own defense, “but then Emily interrupted us, and I didn’t get the chance.”
Tom dipped his head. “And I didn’t have the chance to ask if you are only doing this because she was to marry Henry?” Their earlier conversation would have been different had Emily not been present. They might have very well ended up in a row in the snow.
James winced. “Of course not. Truth be told, I had already made up my mind about her before she told me about Henry. And what a shock that was.”
“So, you didn’t even know she was going to marry your brother?” Gabe asked.
The younger brother shook his head. “My stepmother, Lady Andrew, knew. So did Emily’s mother. As far as I know, they kept the betrothal a secret from everyone else.”
“But why?” Gabe asked.
Tom inhaled sharply. “They must have known about Henry’s debt,” he murmured.
“They did,” James confirmed. “Or, at least Lady Andrew discovered it and then shared what she knew with your mother,” he added as he nodded in Tom’s direction.
“But how did Lady Andrew find out?”
“Henry needed money. He wouldn’t have gone to Father,” James replied. “He knew better. But he always had Lady Andrew’s ear, because she knew his secret.”
“Secret? You mean that he had debts?” Gabe queried.
James shook his head. “The other secret. Turns out, my brother was actually my half-brother. His real father was some rake who took advantage of my mother after the theatre let out one night. When her father, Lord Craven, learned a child was on the way, he negotiated with my father for a quick wedding to save her reputation.”
Tom’s mouth dropped open as he stared at his cousin. “However did you discover this?” he asked in a whisper.
Not wanting to admit he had learned it all from Emily only the night before, James said, “It seems Lady Andrew and my father were in love even before my parents wed. But her father had arranged for her to marry the Earl of Stoneleigh, so my father accepted Lord Craven’s offer.”
“Well, this certainly explains why you and Henry were so different from one another,” Tom murmured.
Gabe’s brows furrowed. “Do you think he asked Lady Andrew for the money to pay his debts?”
“Oh, I am most sure of it,” James replied. “And when he couldn’t get the funds from her, he courted Emily.”
“Which is why Lady Andrew told my mother,” Tom guessed. “And why she kept it a secret from all of us.”
The three men regarded one another in turn.
“What other secrets do you suppose these women are keeping from us?” James asked as he settled back in his chair.
Gabe finished off his brandy and allowed a wan grin. “I cannot imagine Frances having any more secrets, but I shall endeavor to learn them all. Starting tonight,” he said as he stood up. He pulled the museum key from his waistcoat pocket and offered it to Tom. “Mission accomplished. The Apollo amphora has been found—”
“Where?”
“In the Acquisitions Office. Mr. Peabody’s order for a plant container from the Apollo Pot Company ended up in my office and the real Apollo ended up in his.”
“And the pots that I donated?” James queried.
“All unpacked and accounted for. Are you quite sure you wish to donate all of them?”
James allowed a shrug. “Of course, unless... why do you ask?”
Gabe regarded Tom a moment before he said, “Your Apollo is a close copy to the one that was missing.”
“So it’s not worth much then,” James guessed.
“Oh, it’s from 350 BCE,” Gabe countered. “And in far better shape than the one I was in search of.”
James and Tom exchanged glances. “I’ve already made the donation, but if... if the Apollo is in your way, I suppose I can find a home for it somewhere.”
Gabe arched a brow. “I think I can ensure it’s considered superfluous.”
“I will take it, then,” James agreed.
Giving the two older men a bow, Gabe said, “Gentleman. I am going home, and tomorrow, I’m paying a call in Doctors’ Commons for a marriage license.”
James straightened in his chair. “If you’d like, I will join you on the morrow in Doctors’ Commons.” He drained his brandy and dared a glance at Tom. “I think I, too, will be taking my leave so that I may learn all of Emily’s secrets,” he said as he stood.
Tom rose and straightened to his full six-foot, two-inch height and said, “And I will come learn with you. About time I spent a night at Woodscastle,” he said, one eyebrow arched.
Giving him a quelling glance, James said, “I am not going to like you as a brother, am I?”
Tom shook his head. “Probably not.”
Chapter 34
A Quiet Night Before Bed
A half-hour later, at Trenton House
After Gabe had peeked into the Peach Room and found it unoccupied, he made his way up to the nursery. Although the three rooms were quiet, he stepped into the baby’s room and held his breath.
&nb
sp; The oddest sensation gripped his chest, and he knew he had made the right decision when it came to Frances. The woman might be a force to be reckoned with in the workplace, but she was also a good mother.
Dressed in the frilly nightrail she had been wearing the night before, she sat in the rocking chair, David held in her arms. He had been nursing and was now sound asleep, and after a moment, Gabe realized she was as well.
Recalling the number of times they had made love the night before and then again that afternoon when they had returned from the park, he thought she deserved to sleep. He had been selfish, he decided, even though she had been a willing participant. An enthusiastic lover after their first coupling had proved to her how pleasurable making love could be.
Moving to stand by the side of the rocker, he carefully lifted the babe from her arms and placed him in the bassinet.
Then he turned and was about to lift Frances into his arms when she awoke with a start. “Shh,” he whispered. “I just put him down, and it looks as if you require your bed.”
Frances stared at him. “What time is it?”
“Half-past ten o’clock,” he whispered.
“And you’re home already?”
“Well, of course. I’d rather be here with you, and besides, we must be at work in the morning.”
She allowed him to help her stand and was gratified when he took her into his arms and hugged her. When he kissed her on the temple, she asked, “Did you even have anything to drink?”
“Just a brandy,” he murmured as he led her out of the nursery and to the steps. “If I drink two, I get terribly tipsy, and I talk too much.”
Frances suppressed a giggle. “I shall remember that.”
“It seems we are in good company when it comes to our nuptials.”
“Oh?”
“James Burroughs—”
“The one who donated the Greek pottery?”
“Yes, that’s the one. He has asked Emily Grandby for her hand, and they plan a quick wedding,” he said as he opened the door to the Peach Room.
“And you think they will make a good match?”
“I do. He’s older than Emily by... oh, a dozen years, but I sometimes think of her as an old soul.” He paused a moment. “Would you like me to ring for your maid?”
“No,” Frances replied. “She already helped with my buttons earlier this evening.”
He glanced around the room, noting there were items on the dressing table that hadn’t been there in the afternoon. “Did Thompson already see to putting away your things?”
Frances nodded. “She did. And she mended two hems and a hole in one of my stockings.”
“We can get you some new ones,” he murmured.
“But—”
“Then you can give the others to her.”
Frances was about to put voice to a protest, but then understood what he was trying to explain. “Is that true for other clothes as well? The maids get the hand-me-downs?”
“Gowns, at least,” Gabe acknowledged. “Does that bother you?”
She shook her head. “I am glad to learn they are not discarded.”
Gabe glanced over at the bed, noting that Thompson had turned down the bed linens, and the lump at the end of the bed suggested she had placed a warm brick beneath the linens and blankets.
“I wrote a letter to Mrs. Hough to let her know I would no longer require lodgings in her house,” Frances whispered as she moved to climb into the bed.
“Barclay will see to its delivery,” Gabe said as he pulled the bed linens over her. “Did you gloat?”
“Of course not!”
“Not even a little bit?” he teased as he sat on the edge of the bed.
Frances allowed a sigh. “I said that I accepted the offer of a room and a nursemaid at the house of one of the museum patrons,” she explained.
“You didn’t tell her you had accepted an offer of marriage?” he countered.
Frances allowed an impish grin. “I didn’t wish to gloat.”
Gabe grinned and then leaned down and kissed her. “If you prefer, I will sleep in my own bed—”
“I do not.”
Blinking, he regarded her a moment. “I was terribly selfish last night. I thought perhaps you might want a full night’s sleep.”
“You thought wrong,” she replied. “Now, do you need help with your buttons? You are going to join me in this bed, are you not?”
For a moment, Gabe struggled to keep a straight face, for her tone of voice and words of insistence were exactly how his mother sounded when she was in want of something.
Frances Longworth might not look like his mother, but she was most certainly much like her in other ways.
“Yes, my lady,” he replied. “But I can see to my own buttons.”
Glancing down, he realized she had already undone the ones on the fly of his trousers and was working on those at the bottom of his waistcoat.
“Or not,” he added with a guffaw.
Chapter 35
Monday Morning Murmurs
The next morning at Woodscastle
“I cannot tell you how glad I am that there are secret passages in this house,” James whispered as he practically fell onto Emily.
She giggled softly, her sleep warm body now tingling from their early morning lovemaking. “I shall have to make use of the longest one at any moment. I expect Tom will awaken soon.”
Emily had pretended to sleep in her own bedchamber the night before, but stuffed her bedcovers with pillows and then sneaked around the house via the hidden passageway to Emma’s bedchamber. From there, she made it into the guest room and James’ bed.
“Will I see you before I leave for the bank?” James asked as he rolled off of her, heartened to hear her mewl of protest. He propped himself up on one elbow and watched her with heavy-lidded eyes.
“I’ll be down for breakfast,” she whispered.
He kissed her lips and then the back of one of her hands. “I’m going to join Mr. Wellingham for a trip to Doctors’ Commons today. Buy a marriage license,” he said before he kissed one of her nipples. “To think, a week ago I hadn’t given a thought to marrying at all,” he murmured.
“I blame that on your mistress,” Emily remarked, rather enjoying his attentions.
James furrowed his brows, wondering if he had heard her correctly. “My mistress? What did she have to do with it?”
“Her constant complaints had you believing that all women behaved like she did.”
Regarding her with a frown, he allowed a sigh. “There are certainly many who do,” he argued.
“Why do you say that?”
“I pay mind to some of the comments made by my fellow men. Those who have been married for some time.”
“But what man would wish to take a wife if that’s his expectation?” she asked in a whisper.
“None, I suppose,” he replied. “But there are other considerations. Obligations.”
“Heirs, yes, but until Henry’s death, you weren’t under any pressure to marry, were you?”
He shook his head, his tongue darting over one of her nipples.
“Then, are you marrying me because... because you now have the obligations that Henry once had?”
Realizing she might be leading him into a trap from which there would be no easy escape, James paused in his ministrations and pretended to think. “Now that you mention it, that might be one of the reasons.”
She jerked under his touch and made eye contact. “There are others?”
He chuckled, which had the entire bed vibrating. “Shall I list them all?”
“Oh, please do,” she encouraged. “And don’t leave any of them out.”
“You’re a saucy wench, you’re more wanton than is proper, you have a beautiful bum, and I love you.”
Emily giggled, but then her mouth formed an ‘o’ as she peered down the front of her body. “So my breasts don’t figure into it?”
“Oh, yes. Did I not mention those?” he tease
d. He sobered and then settled back onto his elbow. “I will admit Lady Andrew gave me a bit of a push in your direction, but I could think of nothing and no one but you that first day you invited me in for tea,” he murmured. “I was quite smitten.”
“I’m so very glad I left a good impression,” she replied.
“Which begs the question. Why would you wish to marry a man who is half again as old as you?” he teased.
Emily gave him a brilliant smile. “For your fortune, of course. And for the tumbles,” she replied with a twinkle.
“Not for my bum?” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“Oh, that, too. And because I love you and I want you to be the father of my child,” she added, kissing him before she slipped out of the bed. She scooped up her bedclothes from the floor. “See you at breakfast, darling,” she whispered, just before she disappeared behind the panel in the wall.
James settled back onto his bed and allowed a chuckle. It seemed married life would be quite different from what he had expected it would be.
Chapter 36
An Unwelcome Visitor
Later that morning, at the British Museum
Edward Cooper stepped out of the smelly hackney and turned his gaze onto Montagu House. Despite the rain, or perhaps because of it, a number of people were making their way into the sixteenth century building.
From this vantage, it was hard to believe a rather large—and growing larger—museum was located within. He double-checked the dog-eared note he carried in his waistcoat pocket, confirmed the address, and made his way to the entry doors.
Once he was in the first hall, he paused. The sheer enormity of the place had him boggling. If Frances truly worked here, as her father had insisted when Edward had paid a call on the man the week before, then he would have to find an employee and inquire as to her whereabouts.
The visit to Frank Longworth’s cottage on the edge of Stoke had been a lark. He had half-expected to find Frances still living there, even though several of the potters with whom she worked claimed she was no longer in Stoke.
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