~The Duke of Lancaster
It was just before four when Hope bade Emily and Sarah farewell in front of Lady Lancaster’s grand mansion. Normally, the ladies would have joined her on her visit, but knowing the purpose of Hope’s call, they wisely forwent the custom. Taking a deep breath to calm the riot of butterflies in her stomach, Hope knocked on the duchess’s door. To her great surprise, it swung open immediately…and who should be standing in front of her? None other than the man crowding her thoughts of late.
“Michael!” Hope gasped, her heart once again taking flight within his magnetic presence. “Why ever are you answering Lady Lancaster’s door?”
Eyes twinkling merrily, Michael replied, “I would be happy to close it again, if you would rather wait for Jacobs?”
Hope laughed as she swatted at Michael. “That will not be necessary, sir. I was just not expecting you, that is all.”
“Yes, well,” Michael explained, as he ushered Hope into the house and began helping her with her pelisse, “I was waiting here to be announced to Elizabeth by Jacobs when I heard the bell, and I knew it had to be you. On impulse, I decided to answer the door.” Maybe it wasn’t the sweetest explanation he could have given, but Hope barely cared.
It was just so very good to see him.
The same could not be said for Jacobs, however. The butler was just arriving to answer the door and retrieve Michael when he saw that the gentleman in question had already done so. Bristling slightly with indignation at having his domain infringed upon, the normally unflappable butler turned a decidedly cold eye on the couple as they approached him.
Apparently realizing he had offended the man, Michael said brightly with a quick wink, “Sorry, my good man, but even a gentleman cannot always stand on propriety when a pretty girl is at the door, don’t you know?”
Jacobs didn’t appear particularly moved by that reasoning as he turned around to lead them down the hall, but Hope’s stomach flipped over at Michael’s words. She wondered if he really thought she was special. After so many months of harboring such strong feelings for him, it didn’t seem completely real that he may suddenly be seeing her in a similar way.
However, the time to dwell on such a miracle quickly passed as Hope and Michael entered the Blue Salon and were greeted by their hostess.
“Hope… Michael,” Lady Lancaster declared. “How nice it is to see you.”
“And you, Elizabeth,” Michael replied, settling in next to Hope on the settee after a perfunctory kiss of greeting for the duchess. “You are looking well.”
“Thank you,” the duchess replied before delving into the purpose of their visit. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”
“Well, as you know,” he began, “yesterday I joined the committee to investigate the stock market scam and was almost immediately granted the job of searching through all the trades for any suspicious activities. I took the reports directly to Miss Stuckeley, and together we compiled a list of apparent suspects.”
Lady Lancaster raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Have you now? That is wonderful. Do you have the list with you?” Michael turned to Hope in silent query. She only paused a moment before holding out her hand.
“Are you sure?” he asked softly, even as he withdrew the list from his pocket.
“Do you trust Lady Lancaster?”
“With my life,” Michael said without the slightest hesitation.
“As do I,” Hope said with equal conviction, taking the folded paper from his hand.
Then she handed the list to the older woman and said, “Here are those that seem to be tied to the hoax. All the men on that list benefitted in some way from the fluctuation in stock prices.”
Looking thoroughly intrigued, Lady Lancaster quickly perused the list. When she got to the name of Hope’s father at the bottom of the page, her eyes flew to Hope and then to Michael. Folding the sheet of paper carefully, she said quietly, “And what do we plan to do about this…predicament?”
Michael reached over to squeeze Hope’s hand as he answered, “The only way to prove Hope’s father’s innocence is to solve the crime in its entirety. Only then can the true perpetrators clear Mr. Stuckeley’s name.”
Nodding slowly, Hope knew that Lady Lancaster immediately recognized what was happening. It was clear that even Hope could not be completely convinced that her father was innocent, but she was trying to uphold that belief. Therefore, they would proceed as if Mr. Stuckeley being on the list was just an unfortunate coincidence until it was proved—without a doubt—otherwise.
“Very good,” she said finally. “Have you decided what your next steps will be?”
“Well, that is why we are here,” Michael said. “I believe we should begin by looking into the financial advisor, Richard Butt, and his relationship with his stockbroker, which by all accounts appears to be a Mr. Fearn of the R & W Hichens firm. It seems to me that any stock market scheme would start and end with the financial advisor and stock broker. It is their world, after all.”
“I agree with Michael,” Hope said, giving him a weak smile. “There are hundreds of different investments that could have been targeted, but only someone truly ingenious, someone who was deeply entrenched inside the daily life of the stock market and finance, would recognize the money that could be made by manipulating the government stocks.”
“So,” the duchess continued gamely, “do you plan to take the, er, direct approach with Mr. Butt and Mr. Fearn?”
Michael shook his head. “I hadn’t planned on it. At least, not yet. I thought that Hope and I could take a ride to the Hichens’ offices and just keep our eyes and ears open. Perhaps we will see some suspicious activity that will give us cause to intensify our investigation.”
“Ah, yes.” The duchess nodded. “And the lateness of the day may afford you the opportunity to search for clues in the office after hours, as well.”
“Precisely.”
“Very good,” Lady Lancaster commended. “Is there anything I may do to help?”
“Not at the moment, Elizabeth,” Michael answered. “I do hope it is acceptable for us to continue to use your home as a center of operation, though?”
“Yes, yes, of course. But what do you plan to do about everyone seeing the two of you together alone? It is bound to stir up some gossip. Hope, did you even arrive here with a maid?”
“Oh, no!” Hope exclaimed. “I walked over with Emily and Sarah. I didn’t even think about a maid. Wait, what if I wore my costume again? It is still here, is it not?”
“Why yes, it is,” the duchess confirmed. “I had it cleaned and it is hanging in one of the spare rooms. That is a brilliant solution. Very good, dear.”
Hope blushed at the dowager’s praise and turned to Michael for his thoughts.
“You mean the gentleman’s outfit I found you in the other day?” he asked.
“Yes, exactly.”
“Well, I don’t know…” Michael replied. “I thought perhaps an appearance of my courting Hope would suffice. She and I discussed as much yesterday.”
Hope didn’t remember much of a discussion, but for all intents and purposes she agreed that the ruse was necessary for his continued visits to her house. She wasn’t sure how she felt about making the knowledge so very public elsewhere, though.
“Perhaps, Michael,” Lady Lancaster proclaimed, slapping the arm of her chair for emphasis, “but today there is nothing else to do. However, going forward, I think we could spread the story you proposed, except for true propriety, I think you should perpetrate a fake courtship. It would give you even more leeway in the future. What do you think?”
Goodness, now Lady Lancaster was talking about pretending to be engaged. Hope wasn’t sure her heart could take that. Wasn’t she confused enough already?
“Do you really think an engagement will be necessary? The costume has worked well enough in the past,” she wondered aloud, looking at Michael.
…
Michael considered the idea. Pret
ending to be engaged would give them more maneuverability, but judging from his sudden feelings for the girl, keeping their engagement strictly business might be more than he could handle. And Hope, would she be able to understand the nuances of such a relationship? Considering the intimacies they had shared recently, she may think he honestly had feelings for her. Yes, he cared about her, and certainly she stirred his passions far more than he expected, but he wasn’t willing to say he was ready for marriage. He hadn’t even come to terms with being a viscount, for God’s sake.
He knew that society on the whole didn’t approve of the way he ran his estates. He was much too plebian about it. He worked with his people, housekeepers, gardeners, hired hands, and the families who lived on his lands. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was used to being on the same level as all ranks of men when on the front lines of the war or just some regressive roots coming forth in him, but he enjoyed being involved in all aspects of his holdings.
And while it was fine for him to live that way, would a wife accept that part of him? Could he ask a well-bred young lady to welcome home a dirt-covered, sweat-soaked man at the end of every day? He honestly didn’t know, but he didn’t have high hopes in finding someone who would accept him so whole-heartedly.
Taking a deep breath, Michael looked at both Hope and Lady Lancaster and said, “I think a pretend engagement could be useful, but I will leave that decision to Hope. Right now, I am sure she is confused enough just thinking of clearing her father’s name. Adding a complicated ruse on top of that…?” Michael looked questioningly at Hope.
Hope’s face was completely unreadable as she replied, “I honestly don’t think it would make the investigation easier going forward. I think the costume is the best solution. Lady Lancaster, you know as well as I that the ton is not very forgiving of the woman after a broken engagement, plus how could I possibly keep up the ruse with my friends?”
“That is an excellent point,” Lady Lancaster replied, “I approve of your logical approach to this matter. Very well, a courtship it will be. And if no better solution presents itself, Michael, you will have to get used to seeing Hope dressed as a man for the length of this investigation. Hope, you had better get changed. It is getting late and you do not want to miss any opportunity to possibly catch some illicit behavior prior to the offices closing.”
After being directed to the spare bedroom that held her disguise, Hope ran off to get changed. It did not take very long and soon she and Michael were on their way.
…
Hope spent most of the trip into the city contemplating all that had happened that morning. A fake engagement? What was Lady Lancaster thinking? Already Hope was having a hard time distinguishing her real feelings for Michael from her imagined ones. She had had a tendré for the man for some time, but only recently had she really begun to know him. As such, it was hard to differentiate the true emotions from the romanticized ones. She feared the false courting would only heighten her confusion, so she was grateful the betrothal idea had been dismissed. However, false emotions would still need to be employed—on both parts. She would just try to keep her head. This was business. With this new mantra firmly on her mind, Hope soon found their carriage just around the corner from the offices of R & W Hichens.
Departing their carriage near the Stock Exchange building on Bartholomew Lane, Hope walked with Michael the short distance to Threadneedle Street, where they continued west, away from the London Wall toward the stockbroker’s offices. Hope felt a familiar excitement at seeing the towering buildings rising up on either side of them. Add to that the excitement of their mission and it was all she could do to appear calm and confident in her guise as a young gentleman.
As they approached the office building, Michael stopped a lad on the street to purchase two copies of the newspaper. Handing one to Hope, he said, “I’ve been here before and there is a small sitting area just inside the entrance. If we sit with our papers and keep to ourselves, I doubt we will rouse much suspicion, especially at this late hour. The men will be busy wrapping up the day.”
Nodding her understanding, Hope tamped down the nervous butterflies in her belly and followed Michael into the small foyer of the building. Sitting in chairs close to the reception area, but off to the side enough to not be noticeably present, Hope and Michael kept surreptitious watch over the small, but busy, lobby.
After about fifteen minutes of not seeing much of anything interesting, a man stuck his head out of one of the offices and asked the man sitting near the foyer area (The firm’s factotum, by chance? Hope wondered) to run and retrieve a file for him.
Michael leaned over and whispered, “That is Mr. Fearn.”
“Oh,” Hope replied in surprise, a shiver of excitement running through her. Though whether the excitement was from what Michael said or the feeling of his breath in her ear, she couldn’t have said. She turned her focus back to the weary looking gentleman who had asked for the file. Beyond him, she could just see the back of another man sitting in the office before the door was shut again. “I wonder who is in his office with him?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. Stay here.”
“But—”
Michael gave her a sharp look that broached no argument and Hope sat back. From behind the safety of her newspaper, she observed him closely, wondering just how he was going to accomplish his task and not be seen or recognized. He was a spy after all, right? Maybe she would learn something.
First, all that Michael seemed to do was change his location. Hope watched as he walked over to the opposite side of the room and leaned against the wall. There, he opened his newspaper and began reading. Confused, Hope paid close attention to Michael’s eyes. While to the casual observer he appeared to be absorbed in his paper, Hope could now see that he was glancing quickly down the hall every so often, as if waiting for something.
Less than a minute later, the same young man they had seen earlier came around the corner with a file in his hands. It was then that Michael pushed away from the wall and, seemingly engrossed in the paper, started walking toward the young assistant. Then, with absolutely flawless timing—the broker’s factotum had just knocked on Mr. Fearn’s door—Michael bumped into the man.
It wasn’t an especially hard bump, but Michael managed to trip the fellow up enough that when the door opened, both he and Michael fell through the opening, landing in a crumpled heap on the floor, and the file the man was carrying flew out of his hands and skittered across the floor.
Hope had to bite her tongue to keep from giggling at the site of two grown men tangled up on the floor, and at the same time she was struck with a sense of awe at Michael’s feat. Falling into the room as they had, Michael was able to get a good look around while Mr. Fearn and his visitor were focused on retrieving the file and its contents. He then turned around and began apologizing profusely to the assistant, who quickly ushered Michael out of the office and away from his now irritated boss. She could clearly see how Michael would be considered an asset to the war office. The entire event took less than a minute and was so expertly done, no one was the wiser as to it being planned.
Returning to Hope, Michael whispered, “We need to move.”
He motioned to a more secluded nook of chairs situated near the entry to the office, and Hope didn’t hesitate for a moment before moving with Michael to the new seats. Once there, he immediately opened his paper and adopted a blasé look. Following his lead, Hope also re-opened her newspaper and tried to calm her rapidly beating heart by pretending to read the print in front of her.
Going crazy wondering what was happening, Hope was just about to ask Michael what he had seen when the door to Mr. Fearn’s office opened and out walked Richard Butt and another gentleman who looked somewhat familiar to Hope.
Suddenly, Hope understood why Michael had wanted them to move to the spot more out of the way. He was probably concerned that Mr. Butt would see Hope and recognize her. Hope was sure that in her current get-up that
was unlikely; however, it was also possible that Michael didn’t want to be recognized as the man who had fallen into the room. Clearly they could not have left immediately after the incident as was prudent—the opportunity to spy on Butt was too great to ignore—but Hope could certainly understand the impulse to avoid a confrontation, especially in light of their investigation.
Taking even greater care to blend into the background, Hope kept her eyes on her newspaper and her ears open as the two gentlemen passed them.
“I don’t like where this is going, sir,” Mr. Butt was saying in a low voice. “An investigation has been called—”
“Yes, that is unfortunate,” the older man replied softly, looking around. Luckily, from his vantage point, the lobby appeared empty. “But I don’t believe we should be overly concerned. What proof is there that we have done anything wrong? As long as De Berenger is not found out, all they can prove is that we invested in the stock market and our investments came good. We chalk it up to good luck and move on.”
“But if they ever find—”
The other man stopped and grabbed Mr. Butt’s arm brusquely. “If they ever find what, exactly? There is nothing to find…is there, Butt?”
The smaller man blanched at the tone of his companion. “No, no, of course not, sir.”
“Good. Then let us go to the club. I need a drink.”
Hope and Michael watched the younger man scurry forward and hold the door open for his friend before following him out to the street.
After waiting a few moments to ensure the men were out of sight, Hope jumped up and said, “Quick Michael, we must hurry.”
“Hurry?” Michael repeated.
“Yes,” Hope said impatiently, reaching down to pull him up by the arm. “Hurry.”
Apparently too surprised to do anything but accede to her wishes, Michael quickly stood, and together they ducked out of the building and onto the busy street. It seemed everyone was on their way home and after just a few steps, Hope and Michael found themselves swallowed up by the crowd.
“Where are we going?” Michael asked when there was a break in the crowd and he was able to reach her side.
Tempting Her Reluctant Viscount (Entangled Scandalous) Page 8