Jonathan watched him for a moment before turning back to the bath. It was going to be nice to wash off the stench of the dance and the alcohol.
He undressed and stepped into the bath slowly, enjoying the warmth of the water. Ten minutes later, he was resting his head back with his eyes closed when the door opened. James entered and set a tray with the requested tea and biscuits on a table close to the tub, within Jonathan’s reaching distance.
“Thank you, James.”
“Is there anything else you require, my lord?” He kept his eyes against the wall on the other side of the tub.
“No, I’m enjoying this very much.” Jonathan looked over at the tray. “Are those berry-filled? I love berries in my biscuits. Thank you.”
James looked like he was trying not to smile. “Yes, my lord.”
“Wonderful. I can’t wait to eat them.”
“Yes, my lord.” James turned away, but not before Jonathan caught the big grin. He left the room.
Jonathan was sure he heard him chuckling as he went. He was fully determined not to be aware of the fact that Shawn and Elizabeth were waiting for him.
* * *
After he dressed, Jonathan decided to explore the mansion just a bit before having to go to the study, where Shawn and Elizabeth were waiting. He felt refreshed, full of tea and biscuits, and his spirits had lifted tremendously from earlier. It was amazing what a little kindness and friendship could do for a person.
As he moved around the large mansion, he noticed that it was in disrepair, just like the majority of the land outside. Everything was at least four seasons out of fashion. Some were much older than that. Jonathan knew very little about the Dunning estate and family, other than the fact that they had gathered together infrequently as neighbors while he was growing up.
Currently, he was the isolated neighbor, the gentleman Viscount who stayed alone the majority of the time. He had few friends, never invited anyone over and didn’t socialize any more than he had to. If he hadn’t been burdened and stressed about his financial position, he would never have gone to the ball the night before. And look what had happened. He’d gotten drunk and slept in his neighbor’s summer cottage.
He felt like he should be ashamed of himself, but he wasn’t. It seemed that his friend Lady Anna had been sent to his rescue.
He smiled.
He stopped at the sound of muffled voices. He opened the door next to him and poked in his head. “Lady Anna?” He didn’t see anyone. He entered the room, amazed by how big it was. He looked to the left and to the right. Books lined the walls on bookshelves that reached the ceiling. A rolling ladder was attached to poles that circled the room.
He could still hear the muffled voices and moved slowly around the room, trying to find out where they were coming from. After a few minutes, he was at a bookshelf that looked smaller than the others. He scanned it curiously. The voices were louder when he was standing in front of it.
“Hmmm.” He ran his fingers over the books on the shelf, reading the titles. One of them looked different than the others. It looked fake. He ran one finger down its spine and tilted his head to the side.
He pulled on the book.
The bookshelf shifted, first toward him and then to the side. Jonathan smiled.
Suddenly, the voices were louder. He took a few steps into the dark corridor and then stepped back out. He looked to his right and smiled to see a lantern and tinderbox. It seemed that lanterns were his best friends lately.
He lit the lantern and stepped into the corridor. The walls were made of wood. He knocked on them softly, noticing that they were solid on the other side. He walked in a downward slope and then up, going closer to the sound of the voices. He recognized a few words, but it wasn’t Anna talking.
When he reached the end of the passage, he took the five steps up and stopped, turning around to sit on the top step and listen to the words. As he listened, he became more and more angry. He didn’t recognize the voices, but he understood the words perfectly. It was a man and a woman. Those were not the voices of the Duke and Duchess.
Someone was plotting against Lady Anna.
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“I don’t know. I only know that I am the one to inherit if she doesn’t fulfill the Prince Regent’s wishes.”
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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
BETRAYAL OVERHEARD
“My lord, does the Lady know about this?” Gertrude looked down at the parchment Stephen handed to her. “If she doesn’t, we need to let her know right away.”
“I don’t know if I want to.” Stephen went to the large window and stared out, his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his trousers.
“But, my lord, she must be told!”
“Why?” Stephen turned to look at the governess. His brown eyes narrowed angrily in her direction.
“Because the Prince Regent is insisting that she get married in order to inherit! If she doesn’t inherit, she will be left with nothing.”
“And I will inherit Father’s money.”
Gertrude shook her head. “You cannot inherit, Stephen. You are adopted. It is not allowed under the laws of the kingdom.”
“You need to read the rest of the letter.” Stephen turned back to look out the window.
Gertrude did just that, raising her eyebrows in surprise. “I find it hard to believe that the Prince Regent would allow you to inherit if Lady Anna doesn’t get married. Why would he do that? What does he have against the Lady?”
“I don’t know. I only know that I am the one to inherit if she doesn’t fulfill the Prince Regent’s wishes.”
Gertrude shook her head. “I truly find this shocking, my lord.”
“I don’t care what you find it, Gertrude.”
Gertrude frowned at him. “I am going to show this to Lady Anna.”
“You may do that, if you wish.” Stephen turned back to her. “But we must discuss a deal first.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know that you have a place of trust with Lady Anna. I want you to help me ensure that she is unable to find a suitor before her birthday.”
“She only has five weeks until the day, my lord. She has no interest in anyone at this time. I can’t see my lady finding anyone in that short amount of time.”
Stephen nodded. “Let me be clear, Gertrude. I am only letting you show Anna the letter because it is the second warning and the Prince Regent will visit or send one of his men to ensure that she knows of the circumstances if he does not hear back from her.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“If you help me ensure that she is not married by her birthday, I will keep you on here as a housekeeper and you will be paid a much higher amount than the paltry sum you receive now.”
Gertrude’s eyebrows shot up once again. “You will? How much are you proposing?”
“Let’s say… 200. No, 300 pounds per year. I know that is well above what you normally receive.”
“Yes, my lord!” Gertrude nodded, dropping the paper onto the table next to her. “Quite a bit more.”
“Good. Are you willing to do it? I know that you are close to Anna. But I also know that you have debts of your own, do you not?” He grinned.
She wondered how it was possible for the young lord to be so handsome and look so devilish at the same time. His grin was not one of happiness or joy. It was a mean grin, one that told her he knew of her difficulties. Her cheeks burned and she dropped her eyes. “Yes, my lord.”
“I know that you owe a great deal from your insatiable need to gamble away your pay. How often do you win? Not often, I suspect.”
Gertrude’s blush deepened with her shame. “No, my lord,” she mumbled.
“I didn’t hear you.” Stephen took a few steps closer to her. “Speak louder.”
She looked up at him, tears burning in her eyes. “No, my lord. I very rarely win.”
“An
d yet you continue.” He shook his head, chuckling menacingly. “I fail to understand why.”
She dropped her eyes again and folded her hands tightly in front of her. “I…”
“There’s no need for you to speak. All you need to do is take the letter to Anna, tell her that although it says second notice, you do not remember getting the first one. Tell her that you forgot or something. We all know how old you are getting. Your memory will begin failing you soon enough, if it hasn’t already. Not only will I pay you a much higher wage to ensure you never speak of this deal again to anyone, but I will also settle your accounts.”
Gertrude felt two inches tall. She wanted to smack the young man’s, but bit her tongue to keep from doing so. He was a mean and hateful person. She didn’t want him to be master of the house, but if she didn’t do something soon, those she owed money to would come. They would likely tell Lady Anna and she would be dismissed. She didn’t want to end up a beggar. Taking the young lord’s deal was the only way out as far as she could see.
“All right, my lord. I will help you.”
Stephen snorted. “I think it is more me helping you, Gertrude. Go on. Show that to her. Tell her to come in here and speak to me about it. I want to see her reaction. In fact, leave the letter here. Go fetch her and send her here. That way I can see how she feels about it as soon as she reads it.”
Gertrude turned toward the door, thinking about what a cruel and unkind person Stephen could be. He was a handsome young man and would likely be able to find a bride very easily. Unfortunately for him, his status as an adopted child did not sit well with most of the noble families, which meant he was destined to marry a commoner with no title, he himself would never have a title and the dowry for his bride would be minimal at best. No matter the beauty his bride possessed, he would still only see her worth in dollars. That was not what the lord wanted. He wanted to be a nobleman and have the title that his adoptive father would have given him if he’d been his legitimately. An Earl. It was all he wanted.
The Earl had only two children by birth when his Countess died. He had never found another bride. Instead, he had hired Gertrude to raise the two children. His son Andrew had died at the age of five from a sudden fever. Three years later, he had adopted young Stephen after his cousins, Duke Wembley and Lady Rachel Wembley, had been killed. Stephen was two years older than Lady Anna and he acted the part of older brother very well, ordering around her and the servants as though he had authority in the house.
Lady Anna remained hesitant to say anything to her father, even until his death. She didn’t remember Andrew, who had died when she was a toddler, and Stephen was the only brother she knew. She trusted him and she trusted her old governess, who had never done her wrong in the past.
As Gertrude left, she thought about Lady Anna and how it was going to be a long and miserable rest of her life under the dictatorship of Lord Stephen. Especially if the Prince Regent decided to honor with him a title, any title, much less that of an Earl. She wished she could write to the Prince Regent and tell him what it was like living with a tyrant, what Stephen’s true character was.
Nevertheless, she had no authority, even less than the adopted son of a deceased Earl.
In her heart, she didn’t want to betray Lady Anna, but she needed to pay her debts before her life was in danger because of them. She also wasn’t sure if she would be able to stop gambling. Eventually, Lady Anna would find out and she would be dismissed.
Lady Anna needed the money from the inheritance; Gertrude knew it to be a fact. The house was falling to ruin. Repairs were needed, fashions and styles updated in order for Lady Anna to keep up to her status. She was unable to afford more than one new dress for the season and could not afford to pay a seamstress to update the dresses she already had. As a result, she’d attended just three dances in two months, hoping that no one would realize she was wearing the same dress each time. She wasn’t willing to take another chance and had stayed away from the ton since, holing herself up in the manor under the guise of “mourning” for her father. It was almost 2 years since his passing. Lady Anna had earned herself the title of the most dedicated daughter any of their peers had ever known.
Gertrude liked her mistress and didn’t want to hurt her. However, she had to think of her own needs sometimes. Anna had been raised with great riches, wealth and a loving father. These were things that Gertrude had not experienced. She was going to save herself. What other choice did she have?
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Anna laughed. “Oh, Viscount! You are a silly man. A gentleman, but a silly man.” She tapped her hand against his arm.
“Please, call me Jonathan.”
“All right, I will. We are old friends, aren’t we? It wouldn’t be inappropriate.”
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CHAPTER NINETEEN
OLD FRIENDS
Determined to find a way to speak to Shawn alone, Jonathan hurried back down the passage, extinguishing the lantern and closing the opening. He hurried to the door, went through and immediately spotted Anna coming toward him. Her face lit up. He was taken aback for a moment by her happy reaction. She threw her arms in the air and hurried toward him.
He hugged her. “Viscount Jonathan! You have arrived! I trust you have bathed and eaten!”
“I have, Lady Anna. I certainly have. It is wonderful to see you.”
“And you as well. Have you been to see the Worthingtons?”
“Not yet, my lady.” Jonathan was about to spill what he had just heard, but bit back the words. He wanted to speak to Shawn and get advice first. The Duke would know what to do.
“Let’s go to the study. I do hope you are not unhappy with me for letting them know where you were. I’m sure he was concerned when you left the ball last night.”
“You were not there, my lady. How did you know this?”
Anna laughed. “I know the Duke. It would be unlike him not to be concerned for his cousin. I am so glad you are here. Come, come with me to the study. My brother should soon be in there with the Duke and Duchess and I do not want to leave them with him for too long. He can be a bit annoying at times.” She hooked her hand around his elbow and turned him back in the direction he’d come from. “You can help me ward him off. He’s such a cad, you know. It’s amazing that my father never saw through him.”
“He was still a teenager when your father…”
Anna looked up at him when he hesitated. “When Papa passed on? No, he is older than I. It’s only been two years. I am not still in mourning, even though others seem to be under that impression.”
“You don’t do a lot to sway them from that idea, my lady.” He grinned at her.
“I know. I really don’t.” Anna giggled. “I’m sure you’ve noticed, my lord, that I am not as wealthy as some of the other women of the ton. Papa did not have a mind for business and was too generous with his money. The only real money he had was in the trust he left for me. He never dared touch it. He always told me that the money would remain untouched so that I didn’t have to marry some foolish Duke or Earl or someone who wouldn’t really take care of me.”
“I don’t see why anyone would not want to take care of you, Anna. You are a wonderful woman.”
Anna laughed. “Oh, Viscount! You are a silly man. A gentleman, but a silly man.” She tapped her hand against his arm.
“Please, call me Jonathan.”
“All right, I will. We are old friends, aren’t we? It wouldn’t be inappropriate.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not. Besides, who’s going to know? We are the only two people of any notability of the ton who isolate themselves and rarely show up to any of the balls or parties. You know, I have been to three of them so far this season. Three. How many have you attended? You weren’t there last night.”
Her smile was stretched wide. “That’s surprising! I have been to three as well! I was stricken with a terrible hea
dache last night. I didn’t venture out anywhere.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“You are not troubled that I contacted the Duke, are you? I did not realize they would come here.” She sounded sheepish and gave him a small smile.
“It is like him to come and scold me for not staying there when he told me to. But he will not be too harsh. I am his favorite cousin.”
“Oh?”
Jonathan laughed. “Well, we have a large family. Perhaps not. But I am one of his favorites, I would say, and we get along well. Do you think your brother would dare annoy the Duke of Fairbanks?”
“He is an angry young man.”
“He is older than you.”
“And continues to get older. Which is something he does not like at all. A bachelor at his age. Tsk, tsk.” She clucked her tongue, shaking her head back and forth.
“I am about his age.” Jonathan tried to hold a chuckle. She smiled at him.
“Yes, but you are not an angry man. He is angry and acts like a spoiled child.”
“Why does he do that?”
They were at the door of the study. Anna opened it, and, unsure if her brother was in the room or not, whispered, “He is angry that he was not my father’s real son. He takes it out on everyone, including me. He never realized that an adopted son could not inherit a title. So when Father passed and he wasn’t given what he thought he was entitled to, he was incensed.”
“How unfortunate,” Jonathan whispered back and then smiled at Stephen Dunning as they entered. He didn’t smile back. For the moment, Jonathan gave no attention to the Duke and Duchess.
“Hello, Stephen. This is Viscount Jonathan Caldwell. He lives in the mansion…”
“I know who he is, Anna,” Stephen interrupted her and held his hand out to Jonathan, taking the few steps over in long strides. They shook. “How are you, my lord? How did you find yourself in our home today?”
Regency Romance: More For A Duke (The Fairbanks Series - The Familial Adventures) (CLEAN Historical Romance) Page 8