by Lucy Adams
It was a relief to reach her sister again and, quite soon after, Daisy was drawn into conversation with one Lady Spencer, who was more than a little interested in Daisy’s return to society. Whilst Daisy was glad to have a conversation to distract her from what Lord Watt and Lord Fitzherbert were speaking of, she could not help but continue to think of Lord Watt, wondering silently whether his apparent drunkenness had been genuine or if it had been merely a ploy by which he might gain some sort of acquaintance with Lord Fitzherbert.
“Miss Williams?”
She turned her head to see none other than Lord Stevenson bowing to her, surprising her by his sudden presence beside her. “Lord Stevenson,” she said, curtsying quickly and throwing a small, apologetic smile towards Lady Spencer, who with a smile of her own then began to speak to Susanna instead. “Are you enjoying the soiree this evening? There is to be some music and mayhap some dancing later also.”
Lord Stevenson cleared his throat and did not smile. “Might you take a turn about the room with me, Miss Williams?”
A sudden rush of tension ran straight through her. “But of course,” she murmured, wondering if she ought to look towards Lord Watt but choosing instead not to do so. “Is there something the matter?”
Lord Stevenson said nothing for a moment or two, walking near to her with his hands clasped tightly behind his back. Daisy walked with him in silence, very confused by his sudden presence and then his sudden silence. She did not know what to do and certainly did not want to start making conversation, so decided to simply remain quiet until Lord Stevenson was able to speak openly to her.
“Miss Williams.” Lord Stevenson’s voice was heavy, his words labored as though he was trying to think of the right thing to say and was choosing each one with great care. “You are quite wonderful.”
She blinked in surprise. This was not at all what she had expected from him. Lord Stevenson, whilst they had danced together on occasion, had shown her no interest whatsoever, and she could not understand the reason for him to be so intrigued now. “I thank you,” she answered carefully, glancing at him and seeing how he did not so much as glance at her. “That is very kind of you to say.”
“I should like to court you.”
Daisy caught her breath, coming to a sudden stop as she took in what Lord Stevenson had said. She could not quite believe what she had heard.
“I know this is very sudden indeed,” Lord Stevenson said quickly, turning to face her and his eyes, which were usually darting from place to place or gazing dully at something with nothing other than boredom, were filled with an intensity that she had never seen before. It was so strong that she felt herself tremble, as if a little afraid. “I am in need of a wife, and I think you would do me very well indeed.”
Trying to find something to say in response to this, Daisy found herself searching for the right words which would convey her sense of gratitude as well as the desire to consider what he had asked of her. Nothing came to mind. It was as though she could form nothing of sense.
“If you will permit me, I will speak to Lord Northgate of my intentions.”
“Please.” Her hand shot out, and she grasped his arm tightly, having not had any intention of doing so but finding herself in that position, nonetheless. “Please, Lord Stevenson, you must understand that this has come as something of a surprise to me. Perhaps…” She hesitated, seeing how he frowned. “Perhaps you might allow me to consider your request for a few days? Before anything further is done.” Her heart began to beat a little more quickly, wondering at his intentions. Was he the man responsible for her father’s death? Did he think that she knew something about it, and therefore intended to use his courtship as a guise to silence her? Letting go of his arm quickly, she tried to smile but found herself growing all the more anxious. “It is just a very great surprise, that is all. I am very honored at your consideration of me.”
This seemed to relax Lord Stevenson a little, for he nodded, smiled briefly, and inclined his head. “But of course,” he answered, filling her with relief. “I quite understand. I am sure we will see each other again very soon.”
“Very soon,” she repeated, feeling herself growing desperate to find Lord Watt and tell him what had just been said. “Thank you again, Lord Stevenson. I am very grateful for your kind offer.”
He nodded, his lips pulling thin. “Ensure you consider it with all seriousness,” he said, his voice a little darker than before. “It is not something you should ignore, Miss Williams.”
There was a warning there, she thought, feeling a tremor run through her. “I will give it a good deal of thought,” she promised. “If you will excuse me, I should return to my sister.” Excusing herself, she hurried back towards Susanna, throwing a glance around the room in search of Lord Watt. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him watching her – but knew nothing could be said at present. There would be a good deal to discuss later, but for the moment, she had to keep up the appearance of being a lady of the ton, caring for nothing more than conversation, dancing, flirtations, and finding herself an excellent match.
It was all most disconcerting.
Chapter Ten
“What is it?”
Matthew burst into the room, fearing that something was very wrong with Lord Templeton. He had received an urgent note from him that morning – although he had shouted at his butler for not rousing him at once when the note arrived after he had broken the seal and read it. Not that it had been the butler’s fault, of course, but Matthew had been so upset by what he had read that he had been unable to contain his emotions. The note had asked for him to attend Lord Templeton as soon as possible, for there was an urgent matter that required his presence. And now he was about to find out what that was.
He stopped dead, just as the door crashed into the wall and swung back towards him, such had been the force of his worry. Lord Templeton was leaning forward in his chair, holding a delicate china cup in his hand and, opposite him, sat none other than Miss Williams.
She, too, was sitting forward in her chair, as though she had been in deep conversation with Lord Templeton, and in front of her on the table sat a steaming cup of tea.
“Do come in, won’t you?” Lord Templeton asked, jovially. “And sit down. There’s tea that has just been made, and we had a cup set for you just in case you arrived in time.” He smiled and gestured for Matthew to sit down, but all Matthew could do was stare at the man, his heart pounding with the exertion of practically running from the carriage into the drawing room and his mind fuzzy and confused with thoughts.
“Lord Watt.” Miss Williams had half-risen from her chair, her emerald eyes glittering with concern. “Is something wrong?”
Much to Matthew’s ire, Lord Templeton merely chuckled. “I fear that I am to blame for this,” he said, with a heavy sigh. “I wrote to Lord Watt this morning and begged him to attend here at his earliest convenience, but mayhap I chose my words poorly and made it sound as though there was some sort of danger in the present situation.”
“Yes,” Matthew rasped, still not quite able to take in what he was seeing. “That is precisely what I thought, Lord Templeton. You are not in danger?”
Lord Templeton shook his head but gestured towards Miss Williams. “I am not. Although I cannot say the same about Miss Williams.”
Matthew’s heart, which had only just begun to settle, now began to hammer furiously all over again. “Miss Williams?” he repeated, coming to sit down and feeling his legs a trifle weak. “What has happened?”
Miss Williams smiled at him, although there was a concern in her eyes that she could not quite hide. “Lord Templeton summoned me also, else I would have written to you this morning and asked if we might meet,” she said, with a slight edge to her voice. “We did not manage to converse last evening.” A hardness lit her expression for a moment, and Matthew felt himself flush.
“I had to pretend to be in my cups,” he explained, realizing that he perhaps ought to have told Miss Williams in ad
vance that this was what his intention was. “Lord Fitzherbert would not think it odd if a gentleman filled with liquor spoke much too openly about a lady of his acquaintance.” He gave her a half smile, filled with apology. “But if I was quite sober, then we would not have been able to discuss you with the same openness. He would have thought it a little odd and might well have been set on his guard.” Seeing the flickering frown in her expression, he sighed. “If it is of any consolation, Lord Fitzherbert told me that he fully intends to seek your hand, Miss Williams. He will soon ask to court you, I believe.”
Miss Williams did not appear to be gratified by this. Instead, she sighed heavily and passed one hand over her eyes. “He is not the only gentleman,” she answered, sending a wave of astonishment crashing over him. “This is what I wanted to tell you last evening, Lord Watt.” Her hands dropped back to her lap and she looked him straight in the eye. “Lord Stevenson has asked to court me. Indeed, he wanted to speak to Lord Northgate only last night!”
Matthew stared at her, before glancing towards Lord Templeton. Concern began to flood his heart, beginning to wonder why Lord Stevenson had done such a thing and what his intentions towards Miss Williams truly were.
“You are as astonished as I,” Lord Templeton muttered, reaching forward and pouring more tea into his own cup before adding some to the third cup that was for Matthew. “What is his intention, do you think?”
Matthew shook his head, quite dumbstruck for a moment. He had never once thought that Lord Stevenson would be at all interested in Miss Williams – not because of some failing on her part, but because Lord Stevenson had appeared to be less than interested in her.
“I wondered at it indeed,” Miss Williams said, her voice soft and her eyes filled with a good deal of concern. “I do not understand the man at all. He shows very little interest in me, then turns about and asks to court me? He even stated that he thought I would make him a very good wife, when the truth is that he has only shared a few words with me!” She rubbed her forehead, looking both puzzled and concerned. “I do not understand it.”
“And I also have news,” Lord Templeton interrupted, looking around to the small table on his right, twisting his body so that he could find something of evident importance. “A letter arrived this morning.” Finding it, he held it out towards Matthew, his face twisted. “We shall have to inform the League, of course.”
Matthew hastily unfolded the letter, scanning the lines quickly. Apparently it had been easy for the two men sent by the League to discover the whereabouts of the two gentlemen who had left England almost two years ago. The note stated that they had died on the voyage, catching some sort of disease and never quite recovering from it. Their names were both in the passenger logs and in the lists of those who had died. There was no reason for them to doubt it.
“I see,” Matthew murmured, shaking his head and looking down at the paper again. “Then we are even more in the dark. Either of these two gentlemen could have been behind the death of Lord Harrogate.”
Lord Templeton considered this for a moment and then shook his head. “I do not think so,” he said, slowly. “I might have agreed with you had I not heard from Miss Williams that Lord Stevenson has sought to seek her out as his wife.”
Frowning, Matthew glanced at Miss Williams, who was looking back at him with a troubled expression. His heart began to ache for her, feeling the overwhelming urge to get out of his chair and to draw near to her so that he might comfort her in some way. Although precisely what he would do, he was not quite sure.
“Do you not see it?” Lord Templeton asked softly. “Can you not make the connection?”
As hard as he tried to understand what Lord Templeton meant, Matthew simply could not understand how the man had reached the conclusion that Lord Stevenson seeking to marry Miss Williams had something to do with the two deceased gentlemen gone to America. He could not understand how they could be so easily pushed from the investigation simply because of their deaths!
“Does it not seem to you, Lord Watt,” Lord Templeton continued, as silence continued to grow around them, “that Lord Stevenson might be protecting Miss Williams in a way?”
Matthew thrust himself from his chair in a sudden flurry of understanding and excitement. “Yes! Yes of course! I do not know why I did not think of it before now!” He gestured towards Lord Templeton. “It is, as you say, quite clear!” He wanted to bang his head against his hands for being so foolish, but instead, he turned towards Miss Williams who was staring at them both with wide eyes. “Lord Stevenson is seeking to protect you.”
Miss Williams blinked, her expression remaining entirely the same. “What do you mean, Lord Watt?” she asked, her voice very quiet indeed. “I do not understand.”
Beginning to pace back and forth, Matthew began to speak quickly. “I spoke to Lord Stevenson at length about Lord Fitzherbert. I mentioned to Lord Templeton briefly that I had done so. I will not pretend that I spoke the truth, Miss Williams, for I did not. I told him that you were pursuing me again after an absence and that I was doing all I could to ensure that nothing serious was brought to the fore.” He waved a hand, seeing her mouth drop open and ignoring the flush of embarrassment that climbed up his face. “I have to tell many lies in such situations, Miss Williams, but it ensured that Lord Stevenson believed that I had no other choice but to introduce myself to Lord Fitzherbert.” He paused, freezing suddenly in place. “I remember now. When I told him that I intended to push you towards him regardless, he reacted as though he had been told the most dreadful of secrets. It was astonishing, in fact.” Closing his eyes, Matthew dredged up the memory of what Lord Stevenson had said and tried to recall it as best he could. “He practically made me promise I would not do so.”
“But he may not have believed you,” Miss Williams breathed, a slow dawning of understanding now evident on her features. “And so he attempted to ensure that, regardless of what you said or what Lord Fitzherbert wanted, I would already have an offer of courtship.”
“Which, in turn, would lead to matrimony,” Lord Templeton agreed, with a jab of one finger in Matthew’s direction. “It is all quite clear, is it not? Lord Stevenson is attempting to protect Miss Williams – a lady he does not know particularly well at all – from Lord Fitzherbert.”
Another memory sounded in Matthew’s memory, and he turned sharply towards Miss Williams. “When I mentioned off-handedly that you might have an interest in Lord Fitzherbert, Lord Stevenson made specific mention of your father,” he said softly, seeing how Miss Williams’ eyes widened. “He said something akin to ‘the daughter of the late Lord Harrogate has an interest in Lord Fitzherbert?’ as though it was something that ought not to be.”
“But there is no reason for it not to be so,” Miss Williams whispered, one hand now pressed against her heart and her cheeks rather pale, “unless Lord Fitzherbert is the man involved in my father’s death.”
Matthew watched her closely, feeling a coldness wash over him as he nodded. He could not imagine what Miss Williams must be feeling at this present moment, now knowing what they did. The horror of it, as well as the feelings of relief, anger, and pain must be torturous. Her head bent over her clasped hands, her knuckles white and her eyes closed tightly.
“There may be another explanation,” Lord Templeton murmured, “although I feel it is less likely.”
Reluctantly, Matthew turned his gaze from Miss Williams and looked at Lord Templeton. “Oh?”
“Lord Stevenson might be afraid that Lord Fitzherbert will say something about what occurred to Lord Harrogate,” Lord Templeton suggested, spreading his hands. “What if they were both involved and one is afraid of what the other might reveal? Lord Fitzherbert is loud, brash, and certainly not a secretive sort. Might Lord Stevenson be afraid of what Lord Fitzherbert would reveal to Miss Williams?”
Matthew closed his eyes, feeling his satisfaction in having reached what had felt like a conclusion now beginning to be snatched away. “There is that to conside
r, I suppose,” he admitted, a tad angrily as his frustration began to rise. “That means, then, that there is nothing we can do. No path that we can follow. No one that we can speak to. We simply continue on as before.”
“No.”
The cold, hard voice of Miss Williams broke through Matthew’s agonized thoughts and made both himself and Lord Templeton turn towards her.
“No, we do not continue on as before,” Miss Williams said firmly. “We need to speak to Lord Stevenson.”
Matthew stared at her, aghast. “We cannot!” he exclaimed, as Lord Templeton shook his head fervently. “To do so would be to reveal our true cause in acquainting ourselves with him. We would lose every advantage.”
Miss Williams turned to him, her face set. “But what if we are to gain an advantage?” she asked, a trifle coolly still. “If you believe that Lord Stevenson may be trying to protect me from Lord Fitzherbert, then if we speak to him of what we suspect, then we may find an ally. And,” she continued sharply, holding up one hand in Matthew’s direction so as to prevent him from interrupting her, “if we discover that he is, in fact, involved in the death of my father, then we have the man we are looking for.”
Opening his mouth to interrupt, Matthew tried to find an immediate response that would find a flaw in this plan, but much to his dismay, he could not.
She was right.
“We would have to set up the situation in a very careful manner,” Lord Templeton said, making Matthew realize that he, too, was now finding it very difficult to find any sort of flaw in what Miss Williams had suggested. “We cannot speak to Lord Stevenson about such a thing without ensuring that you are protected, Miss Williams.”