With a sigh, Hope said, “Then perhaps you shouldn’t tell me anything, Lady Lancaster. I have no ties to Lord Lichfield. He owes me no explanations and neither do you.”
“Nonsense!” Lady Lancaster snorted again, hitting the arm of her chair forcefully. “I believe, over the course of the next few days, you may be working closely with Michael, and it will be helpful if you know a little about his background; therefore, I feel perfectly justified in telling you about my relationship with the man. If he weren’t such a, well, man, he would have undoubtedly told you something of his past by now anyway.”
Giggling, Hope said, “I thought you said he hadn’t told me out of deference to you.”
Waving a hand to indicate the matter unimportant, Lady Lancaster replied airily, “Believe me, Hope-dear, most of the inherent faults of man lie in the fact that they were born male..”
“Lady Lancaster!” Hope choked out over her laughter.
“Oh, don’t misunderstand me…I think men are a wonderful addition to the human race—”
“Well, there would hardly be a human race without them,” Hope pointed out.
The duchess gave Hope a dry look before continuing. “But they are anything but perfect.”
“Neither, I suppose, are we,” Hope replied with a touch of reproach.
Lady Lancaster arched an imperious brow at that. “Speak for yourself, Hope-girl. Speak for yourself.”
Laughing again, Hope was amazed at how quickly her mood had changed for the better. Now she felt positively silly for making such a production of coming to visit the duchess. Even though she was not one bit the wiser about Michael and Lady Lancaster, she felt reassured nonetheless.
“Now then, back to the subject at hand,” the duchess announced. “I wanted to tell you why I know Michael Ashmore so well…”
No longer dreading the conversation, Hope eagerly waited for Lady Lancaster to continue. Honestly, now that the cloud of doom had blown away, so to speak, she found she was insatiably curious as to what the lady had to say.
“It all started about ten years ago,” Lady Lancaster began. “My beloved James was still alive and we both were working for the war office. By that time, we were well past our prime, but still founts of knowledge, and the war office was loath to let us retire. So, we had taken it upon ourselves to find new talent and recruit them into the spy business. One of our first recruits was the young Michael Ashmore.”
Of course, Hope had known that Lord and Lady Lancaster worked for the war office, but this was the first she had heard of them recruiting other spies. Knowing that she, herself, along with the rest of the Garden Society, had been recruits of a sort, Hope suddenly realized just what that meant. Lady Lancaster must have seen some of the same skills and talents in them as she had in the spies she had brought into the war office.
Feeling rather pleased by that, Hope asked, “What made you choose Michael?”
“Michael has an uncanny skill with languages and accents, in addition to an unassuming, trustworthy air about him. Even the most suspicious and paranoid people failed to perceive Michael as a threat. That is a spy’s greatest asset, really. It is why women do so well in the field. We are so often…underestimated.”
Hope had to smile at that. Lady Lancaster had said as much before and on more than one occasion.
When the Garden Society was first formed and the ladies told of their mission, the duchess said their success would come from being relatively unseen and undervalued, because men, in general, wouldn’t hold their tongues around them, believing—erroneously, of course—that women didn’t have the intelligence to understand the simplest of concepts or intrigue.
And in Hope’s experience, Lady Lancaster was correct. Even her father, knowing Hope’s skill with numbers and odds, thought she was unaware that the amount of money he was making from her investments and betting advice was not actually making it into the bank and certainly not into the household accounts. He was skimming the funds. Hope was not sure for what reason, as he was the only one who had access to the bank accounts and therefore all of the money anyway, but thus far, she had not mentioned anything to him about her findings. He must have his reasons. Or so she hoped.
Returning to the more comfortable topic of Michael, Hope said, “So that is why you know Michael so well. You worked with him in the war office?”
“That is how we met, yes, but there is more to it than that,” Lady Lancaster said with a sigh. “You see, Michael was just nineteen when we brought him into the war office. His mother had passed away when he was quite young and his father was simply more interested in his eldest son—molding him for the title, you understand?”
Hope just nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She had no idea Michael had lost his mother young, nor was she aware of his relationship—or lack of one—with his father.
“I suppose he was looking for some parental figures and James and I…well, we never had children of our own and something about Michael…touched our hearts.”
“He is like a son to you, isn’t he?”
“Just as you are like a daughter, Hope-girl.”
Lady Lancaster’s eyes welled with tears and Hope found she was hard pressed to hold back her own emotions in light of the heartfelt words.
…
Standing just inside the doorway of the Rose Room, Michael wondered what Lady Lancaster and Hope had been discussing for them both to be so obviously maudlin. He hoped to God it wasn’t him. The last thing he needed were two women such as these discussing him. Certainly that would only end in no good.
“Ahem,” Michael coughed from his vantage point near the door.
Both ladies jumped at the sound, their heads whipping around to see him standing there. Turning back to look at each other again, Hope and Lady Lancaster both started laughing. Then they gave each other a brief, but heartfelt, hug.
“Michael, dear, don’t just stand there. Please come in and have a seat,” the duchess commanded, looking around for something with which to wipe her eyes.
When Michael approached with his handkerchief held out, Lady Lancaster took it from him with a gruff thank-you, but also with a noticeable fondness. When the lady had finished with it, Michael held out his hand to take it back, but instead the duchess passed it over to Hope.
For the first time since he had entered the room, Michael took a good look at Miss Stuckeley. She looked quite lovely. Her eyes were bright with tears, turning them a molten golden brown, and she was smiling tremulously, looking as happy as he had ever seen her. Not an obvious kind of happy, but more of an inner contentment that simply shone through. Again, Michael wondered what on earth the ladies had been talking about.
As he sat down, he said, “I feel as if I am interrupting something. I hope that is not the case?”
“No, no,” Lady Lancaster assured him. “Miss Stuckeley and I had just finished our little chat. Your timing is impeccable, as usual.”
Michael eyed them both suspiciously, but Hope was nodding in agreement, so he decided to relax and take the women at their word. It seemed the safest course of action, given the circumstances.
“Then is it appropriate for me to ask what you may have found out about the stock conspiracy from yesterday?”
“Oh, yes. Very good. Thank you, Michael,” Lady Lancaster said. “As it happens, I was able to get some information on that subject. After talking to a contact of mine at the Stock Exchange, I learned that they do indeed suspect deliberate stock manipulation. As a result, they have decided to form a committee to track down the conspirators. Michael, I have asked that you be assigned to the committee.”
“Me?” Michael questioned. “But I have very little knowledge of the stock exchange.”
“Yes, that is true,” Lady Lancaster conceded, “however, Hope does. And as she cannot be put on the committee for the completely asinine reason of her being female, I chose you instead. You and she will simply have to work closely together on this until the guilty parties are found out. I trust
you do not have a problem with that?”
The only problem Michael had with the lady’s plan was the fact he usually found himself extraordinarily addled around the fair Hope, but try as he might, he couldn’t stop the flutter of excitement in his belly when he thought of working closely with her. So while he was fairly positive he would make no end of a fool out of himself over the length of their assignment, Michael found himself shaking his head. “No, no problem at all,” he murmured as he looked at Hope.
Hope returned his gaze with a curious one of her own. “Are you sure?” she asked softly.
“Yes, I am quite sure,” Michael assured her. “While I don’t have much to offer on the stock side of things, I did trail the imposter Du Bourg across England and perhaps something I saw will aid in the investigation.”
“And I will help you with the stock side of things, as you say, as much as I am able.”
Michael nodded. “Thank you. I am sure your help will be invaluable.”
There, that wasn’t so hard. Just keep it cordial and businesslike. I can do this, Michael told himself. And then he looked up to see Hope smile at his cordial and businesslike comment…and he was lost again.
Chapter Seven
Funny how what’s good for the gander is good for the goose…until it’s your goose.
~The Duke of Lancaster
Later that afternoon, Hope was sitting quietly in her study working on the estate accounts. Again, she was finding a discrepancy in the numbers. She knew very well that her father had won a sizeable amount of money at the club earlier that week, but only a fraction of the total had made it into the bank.
By her calculations, nearly 10,000 pounds were missing from the family accounts. That was a king’s ransom for most people. Certainly enough for a household to live comfortably on for many, many years…a lifetime even.
Knowing that she was only aware of some of the monies her father brought in as a result of her assistance, Hope wondered if there was even more missing than she currently thought. And if so, what was her father planning to do with all that money? Did he have a mistress? Was he attempting to gamble on his own and losing? Was he being blackmailed? As a member of the House of Commons, her father was in a position of power and there were many who would do whatever they had to in order to take some of that power themselves.
“Miss? There is a gentleman here to see you. Ah, Miss…?”
“Oh, Rivers,” Hope said, looking up at the serious man, her mind still on the matter of her father. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”
“Yes, Miss. A gentleman is here to see you,” Rivers repeated, this time holding out a small calling card to Hope.
Hope took the card, read it, and then leapt to her feet, nearly knocking over her chair in her enthusiasm. Michael! He was there…in her house…to see her. When they had parted company earlier in the day, he had said he would contact her after he met with the Stock Exchange Committee, but never did she think it would be this soon. And for whatever reason, it never dawned on her that it would be there in her house…
Beside herself with excitement, Hope tried to calm herself as she said, “Very good, Rivers. Please show him in.”
Rivers nodded solemnly, as only a butler can, and left to retrieve the waiting viscount. Hope sat back down and tried to appear as collected and unaffected as possible. He is only here for business, she told herself. This is not a courting call.
…
As Michael followed the Stuckeleys’ butler through the large, clearly lived-in house, he wondered if he should have brought the flowers he was currently clutching. This was not your typical visit to a young lady. This was business. However, it would have felt very strange to arrive at a young lady’s house without the prerequisite bouquet of blooms. And, as he told himself over and over on his way to the Stuckeley home, the flowers were just a show put on for her family.
Pretending to court Hope would give Michael a plausible excuse to visit often. It seemed a stroke of brilliance to him at the time, but now he realized he would have to discuss it with Hope immediately to make it very clear right up front that any courting would be just an act…for the case…and that was all. It wouldn’t do to have any misinterpretations, or possibly hurt feelings, due to a lack of communication in the beginning.
The butler stopped just outside what appeared to be an office of some kind and Michael heard him announce “Lord Lichfield” to whomever was in the room. Michael had assumed the austere man was taking him to see Hope, but apparently, judging from the fact that he was about to enter a study, Michael decided he was about to meet with Mr. Stuckeley instead.
However, to Michael’s immense—although he was not exactly sure why—surprise, seated behind the desk in the well-appointed study was Hope. And in front of her was an impressive stack of ledgers that Michael presumed were not there just for appearances. Apparently, Hope was responsible for managing the estate accounts. Yet another unusual pastime for a young lady.
“Good afternoon, Michael,” Hope said, standing to offer her hand for a greeting.
Taking her proffered hand from across the desk and lifting it to his lips, Michael returned the salutation. Then holding out the flowers he brought, he said, “These are for you.”
…
The surprise Hope felt at such a romantic gesture must have registered on her face, for Michael rushed to add, “For appearance’s sake, you know. I needed a credible reason for, er, visiting you on what is sure to be a, ah, regular basis. This,” Michael continued, gesturing to the bouquet and all it stood for, “seemed the most obvious answer.”
“I…see,” Hope replied haltingly. “Yes…that was a…very good idea. Er, thank you, I guess.”
Hope put on what she hoped was a convincing smile, but inside, her heart was breaking just a little. Even though she had been reminding herself not a minute earlier that this visit was just business, the flowers had thrown her for a moment.
Needing a minute alone, Hope excused herself so that she could put the blooms in water. It was certainly a valid reason to leave the room, but Hope felt a coward nonetheless. She could have easily called for a servant, but sometimes a girl just needed time to pull herself together. Certainly there should be no shame in that?
Feeling much more composed after dropping the flowers off at the kitchen with a request to put them into something appropriate, Hope returned to her study to find Michael still standing where she had left him, apparently talking to himself, of all things. Michael looked up when Hope returned with what appeared to be a rather guilty look on his face. Hope wondered what he had been saying but couldn’t bring herself to ask. Professionalism—that was the way to go here.
“I must say,” Hope said as she made her way across the room to sit behind her desk, “I did not expect to hear from you so soon.”
“Yes, well,” Michael replied with a small cough, “I was able to meet with the committee almost immediately after leaving Lady Lancaster’s. I told them about the imposter posing as Du Bourg and they found that information very interesting. Once I shared what I knew and why I could be helpful to them, they formally invited me to be part of the committee and shared what they knew thus far. Afterward, I felt I should stop by to tell you what I found out.”
“They discovered something important, I gather?”
Sitting down in the chair across the desk from Hope, Michael said, “Yes, quite. Since late yesterday when the hoax was discovered, the members of the stock exchange have been going through all of the trades to find any suspicious transactions. Today it was revealed that there was a sale of two different government-based stocks for more than one million pounds total…most of which had been purchased last week when the prices were especially low. It was the most significant event found.”
“I knew it,” Hope whispered to herself. Then she said louder, “Do you know who was involved in the sale?”
“No,” Michael replied slowly, but with a twinkle in his eye, he added, “however, I asked the gentlem
en of the committee to entrust all the records to me, so that I might study them in an attempt to identify the perpetrators.”
“And by I, you meant me, I presume?” Hope replied with a knowing smile.
“Ah, no,” Michael stuttered. “I, ah, had hoped…I mean…I thought maybe we…”
“Oh, yes, of course,” Hope replied quickly. “That is what I meant, too…we can study them, ah, together, as it were.”
…
Michael nodded jerkily and reached up to tug slightly on his suddenly too tight cravat. What was he thinking? Why hadn’t he just handed the damn files over to Hope and bid her a good day? Certainly she would get much more done without him there. But no, Michael sighed inwardly. Something inside him wouldn’t give up this chance to spend time with her…preferably huddled together over a mountain of paperwork.
Really, that shouldn’t sound like nearly as much fun as it did.
“Good, well, I have the files in my carriage. Is now a good time to begin?”
“I don’t see why not, but I have a dinner party to attend this evening, so we will not have much more than a couple of hours.”
“Oh, yes, Miss Warren and Trumbull’s dinner party.”
“Were you invited, as well?”
“As a matter of fact, I was. It seemed a rather important occasion, if I recall.”
Hope stared at him thoughtfully before saying, “Yes, it is.” She leaned in to whisper, “Rose is working on a case for Lady Lancaster.”
“A case? What are you talking about?”
Looking immensely surprised, Hope said, “Oh, dear. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything…but I felt sure you knew.”
“Knew what?” Michael ground out. Honestly, if Hope didn’t tell him what she was talking about, he would drag her to Lady Lancaster’s that instant and have Elizabeth tell him what was going on around here.
Tempting Her Reluctant Viscount (Entangled Scandalous) Page 5