by Wendy Vella
"Really, madam, if you are too busy—"
"Come with me please, my Lady," the seamstress said, taking Grace's arm. Beth followed, throwing about words like overskirt and raised hemlines.
She was draped and pinned, tucked and measured, and by the time it was over, Grace was exhausted.
"I now have a greater respect for those women who are turned out immaculately night after night," she declared, leaning her head back against the seat of the carriage.
"It certainly is not an easy process," Beth said, smoothing the skirts of her pretty dress. "But worth it."
"Really?" Grace had never wanted to preen, and never thought herself pretty enough to do so. Perhaps if she looked as the woman across from her did, it would be different. She had found to her surprise that she quite liked Elizabeth Whitlow. She was not empty-headed, nor prone to rambling on; she had a sharp wit and sly humor that Grace found herself enjoying.
"You are pretty, Grace, and it is a crime to see you dressed in such a…." She waved her hand about.
"Unstylish manner," Grace supplied with a smile.
"My words were stronger, however, those will do. And your hair must be dressed properly; do you have a maid to do so?"
"Yes," Grace sighed. "My maid has been begging me to allow her a free hand with my hair for many months, however I always insist on this bun." Grace touched her hair.
"It is something to be excited about, Grace, not dread," Beth said gently. "I understand it is daunting. However, I promise that given time, you will enjoy it."
Her life was changing in so many ways. She no longer woke every day in Harry's house with Nipper. She was no longer a virgin, and now she must change the way she dressed. It was enough to unsettle a person.
"I'm not a woman who enjoys society," Grace admitted honestly. "I do not seem to fit."
"Society can be a great deal of fun, Grace, I promise you. If you look the part and have someone to talk with, then you will see how different things can be."
Grace didn't agree, but said nothing further.
"And now I must leave you as I have to visit a friend," Beth said as they pulled up outside the Attwood town house. "But I shall see you at the Bartlet ball." She then kissed Grace's cheek and left her standing bemused, watching the carriage roll away.
CHAPTER SIX
Looking up at the house behind her, Grace remembered the harsh words that she and the earl had spoken after her leaving yesterday without telling anyone. Perhaps she should at least tell Vidal of her plans before going to visit with Harry.
"My Lady, a note has arrived for you."
"How did you know I was standing out here, Vidal?" Grace squinted up to the top step where the butler now stood.
"I heard the carriage pull up, my Lady."
"Did you? Well, I think you must have excellent hearing to have done so," Grace added, walking up to enter the house before him.
"Here is the note, my Lady."
Opening the missive, Grace realized it was from Harry's butler. It stated that he had a matter to discuss with her urgently.
"Does the earl have the carriage, Vidal?" Her heart was thumping inside her chest. Had something happened to Harry?
"He does not, my Lady. Shall I have it brought around for you?
"Yes, thank you, Vidal."
The trip was a quick one, and she was soon letting herself into Harry's house and greeting Nipper, who appeared to be more agitated than usual, turning his little body in tight circles and yipping loudly.
"What is wrong, Monty?" she said, looking at the butler's worried face.
"I fear Lord Harrington has met with foul means, my Lady."
"Why do you say that?"
"He left yesterday evening after receiving a note about the missing papers, but has not returned, and it's my belief that last night someone searched the house."
Ice slithered through Grace's veins as she followed the butler into Harry's office. It looked as it always did, papers everywhere, but as she had spent many hours in there, she saw at once that Monty was right. Things had been moved and not replaced, and Harry always kept things in exactly the same places. A well-ordered mess, he called it.
"Is anything missing around the house?" she questioned the butler.
"No, my Lady."
"Do you know where my cousin went last night, Monty?"
"He said his direction was Moorgate, my Lady."
"All right, thank you," Grace said, sinking into Harry's chair with Nipper in her arms. Harry rarely went out and never stayed the night from home. Something had happened to him, she could feel it.
Lowering the dog to the floor, Grace searched the desk for the card she had placed there yesterday. Putting it into her reticule, she made the decision to not wait to see if Harry returned. She sensed he was in danger and needed help, and these men could provide that… she hoped.
"I will send word of any news, Monty, and would ask you to do the same," she said as she reached the front door. "I shall take Nipper with me," she added, before closing it behind her. Inhaling deeply in an attempt to dislodge the panic that was now consuming her, she gave the driver the directions from the card and climbed into the carriage.
"Be safe until I reach you, Harry," she whispered as minutes later she was once again rolling through the streets.
Nick was talking with Leo, as just the two of them were present at Night Street. They were discussing a case, but Nick's mind was also on Grace. He needed to make her comfortable around him, but was unsure how to do that after what he had done last night. He was sure she had responded to him caressing and kissing her, but she had not enjoyed him taking her virginity, and he'd been a bumbling fool to have done so without making sure she was ready. The problem was he didn't understand her as he did other woman. Most wanted something from him, but not Grace. She only wanted to be left alone so she could visit her cousin, the man who had saved her.
"Nick!"
"Sorry, what did you say?" Nick looked at his friend.
"Is it your wife who has you preoccupied or something else?" Leo said.
"My wife; however, I have no wish to discuss the matter, so please continue."
"Surely you can control a woman like that, Nick? It is not as if she goes out in society or is demanding."
"I have no wish to control her, Leo, and she is a lot stronger than she looks," Nick added, remembering the way she had not backed down from him when he had yelled at her in his study yesterday.
"You don't want to control her?" Leo said, frowning. "But you are the head of the household, surely you want her to do as you bid?"
"She is not a possession, for pity’s sake, and I have no wish to spend my life dictating to Grace. I want us to be friends."
Leo's brows rose in surprise as he looked at Nick. "Do you, by God? And what has brought about this change?"
"She's more than we believed… I believed," Nick muttered. "Much more."
Perkins came into the room then. His face was flushed, eyes wide, and he looked as if he had been running.
"Is there a problem, Perkins?" Leo still looked stunned at Nick's revelations.
"Ah… well as to that, my Lord," Perkins swallowed and looked at Nick with such panic that the hairs on his neck stood.
"What?" Nick said, getting to his feet, because he had the feeling that momentarily, he would be running.
"A woman has arrived, my Lord, asking for assistance from the Lords of Night Street."
"Nothing unusual in that," Leo said, looking at Nick then back to Perkins. "Take down her details, and we shall see if it is a case worth investigating. You know the rules, Perkins."
"It is a delicate situation, my Lord."
"What's her name?" Nick demanded.
"Lady Attwood, my Lord."
Nick didn't stop to think, he just ran from the room and up the stairs. Pushing the door open so hard it hit the wall with a thud, he then stalked toward the office they had set up for clients to wait in.
She stood at the wi
ndow, hands clenched, forehead resting on the glass, and Nick stopped on the threshold. She looked defeated, her shoulders slumped, and his chest ached seeing her pain. Guilt filled him as he remembered last night and how he'd hurt her.
"Grace."
She spun as he called her name, her face pale.
"What has happened?"
"Lord Attwood… what are you doing here?" She looked around him, confused. "Did you have someone follow me?"
She'd given him an excuse and he thought about using it. He could say he was here to see someone himself? Keep his name disconnected from the Lords of Night Street, but for some reason he did not.
"I did not have you followed, and had no idea that once again you had left the house without telling me. Did you bring a carriage at least?" he added.
"Yes, and my d-dog."
She swallowed and the gesture told Nick how nervous she was.
"You own a dog?"
She nodded. "Yes, as I told you yesterday."
He didn't remember her mentioning a dog, but then they had thrown so many words at each other, that it was hardly surprising.
"Grace, why are you here?"
"I came to hire the investigative services of the Lords of Night Street." She lifted her chin, daring him to question her right to be there.
"Why?"
"That is my business."
He'd woken hard for her that morning, his body wanting more of the woman who was his wife. But next time they made love, he would ensure she was a willing participant right to the end. She was dressed terribly once more, in an old gray coat and sturdy boots, with a faded bonnet, but now Nick knew what lay beneath he was no longer fooled. He looked at her face, the delicate curve of her nose and silken pallor of her cheeks, and realized his anger had blinded him to the beauty that was framed by the ugly bonnet.
"If you want help from the Lords it is my business," he said softly.
Her eyes widened as she realized what he had said.
"Are you one of them?"
His nod made her shoulders droop. "Then I shall leave."
"Because you believe I have no wish to help you?"
She didn't say anything further but Nick saw his confirmation in her eyes.. After all, he had hurt her last night, and that was after yelling at her. He shouldn’t feel angry that she believed what she did, in fact she had little reason to trust him, but for some reason it did anger him.
"Tell me what has happened, Grace?"
Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath.
"It's Harry, h-he's gone missing." She was struggling not to cry, her hands clenched, eyes wide. "I-I would have found out sooner, but your cousin took me shopping, and then when I returned to your home there was a note from Harry's butler, saying he wished to see me."
"It is now your home also, Grace," Nick said, not sure why he was making this point, but that he wanted to.
"I-I please will you help me, my Lord?"
"Grace, I am your husband, it is to me you should go for help." Nick moved across the room. "I would expect to be the first person you sought, not an investigation service." He didn’t stop until he stood before her, close enough to see the rapid rise and fall of her chest.
"But how was I to know that when we barely know each other, my Lord? And after yesterday, we exchanged hateful words and then you—"
"Nick," he said, interrupting her as he reached for her hands. "My name is Nick, Grace, and yes we exchanged hateful words and then I came to your room, but now is not the time to discuss that. Now you must tell me about your cousin."
"I have only ever had Harry, you see, and if something were to happen to him I-I—"
Nick watched as she bit her lip and he saw the tears she battled to keep at bay.
"We shall find him, Grace, I promise you," Nick pulled her stiff body close and wrapped his arms around her. She began crying into the lapels of his jacket then, clutching him as one sob after another escaped her.
"I need to speak with my colleague now," Nick said when her tears had stopped. "Will you wait here for my return?"
She nodded and took the handkerchief he handed her.
Nick found Leo still seated at the table where he'd left him.
"Is your wife all right?"
"Her cousin has gone missing and she needs our help. My question to you is, since she now knows my identity, do you have a problem with her knowing yours, Leo?"
His friend studied him for tense seconds. "You trust her, even though she tricked you into marriage?"
"I know now she did not trick me, and yes, I trust her, and believe she will never reveal our identities, but if you are hesitant to reveal yours, I shall take her home and conduct the interview there," Nick said.
"Your feelings for her have indeed undergone a swift change."
"Perhaps," was all he was willing to say on the matter.
"Then if you trust her, I shall too. After all, we have often discussed this situation should it arise, and we all made it quite clear that should one of us take a wife they trust, and wish to share our identities with, we would do so."
"Yes, we did, but in all honesty I have no right to ask this of you, considering the circumstances surrounding my marriage to Grace and my original distrust of her."
Leo waved his hand about. "Bring her down and we shall see what needs to be done to find this cousin of hers."
"Thank you, Leo. I know putting your faith in a woman does not come easy to you," Nick said, remembering a time when a woman had betrayed his friend.
"No, but trusting you does."
Nick shook his friend's hand and quickly left to go to Grace. She was still standing where he'd left her.
"Come." Nick held out a hand and after looking at it for a few seconds she tentatively placed her fingers in his. "I will take you down to where we have our offices, but I would be grateful if you could keep our identities a secret, as until today, only the four of us and Perkins have known who the Lords of Night Street are."
"Oh, then I shall stay here, and their identities can remain secret from me… well, three of them anyway."
"Grace, I have every belief that, unlike other woman, you will hold your tongue, otherwise I would not trust you with this information," Nick added.
"But how do you know that when we are still so uncomfortable with each other?" She was not looking at him, but down at the hand that held hers.
Grace was not the sort to gossip, Nick instinctively knew that, and if he was honest, she probably had no one to gossip to. Which was a sad thought. "I just do," he said, leading her to the stairs.
"Lady Attwood." Leo rose as she entered the room. "My name is Lord Vereton."
"My Lord," she sank into a curtsy as Leo bowed. "I shall never reveal your name, Lord Vereton, I promise," Grace said quickly, which made his friend smile.
"My wife has a problem, Leo." Nick pulled out a chair and lowered Grace into it. "She believes her cousin has gone missing."
"I know he has gone m-missing," Grace added.
"Well, then perhaps we need tea, to discuss this grave matter over," Leo added, going to the stairs and bellowing up to Perkins to bring down a tray.
"In order for us to help you, Grace, you need to be completely honest with us." Nick took the seat to her right. Her eyes were red from crying, cheeks pale, and she looked small and lost. He had the urge to pick her up and settle her onto his lap. "Don't miss telling us anything just because you believe I would not like to hear it."
She nodded, her eyes shooting from Leo to Nick.
Leo studied Grace, watching her movements, as he did with everyone he met. He was not a man who trusted easily, and Nick understood that having her here, in their domain, was making him nervous. His friend was unsure how to take her. His opinions had been formed without meeting her and simply as Nick's friend.
"My cousin and I work on translations; we have done so for many years. We do not take money for our work," she added hastily, and Nick wondered if that was because he wou
ld frown upon her earning money.
"What kind of translations?" Leo said, and Nick could see he was intrigued.
"All kinds. Plays, books, papers on botany, we will work on anything that interests us, Lord Vereton.”
"And you believe Harry's disappearance relates to something you were working on?" Nick asked.
She looked down at her hands briefly before answering. "A Russian gentleman called Mr. Zavorski came to visit Harry, and with him came some papers he wanted translated. There was something about him that unsettled me, but Harry had looked over the work and wanted me to translate them."
Her voice was soft and sweet as she thought about her cousin, and Nick wondered if she'd ever sound like that when she talked about him. Then he wondered what the hell was happening to him, because suddenly it mattered that she did.
"What happened then?" Leo said.
"Mr. Zavorski went back to Russia, telling us he or one of his colleagues would return in a while, and we started working on them."
There was a lot more to this woman than he’d assumed, Nick realized as she continued. He wondered what else she had kept hidden behind her dowdy ill-fitted clothes.
"Then one day Harry and I came home to find that someone had stolen the papers, all of them, the originals and the work I had done."
"You had not completed them?" Nick questioned her.
"No." She shook her head.
"Tell us now about your cousin, Lady Attwood, and where he went yesterday." Leo drew her attention back to him.
"He told his butler he was going to follow a lead on the missing papers, and that his direction was Moorgate. I had no idea he was doing that, or I would have cautioned him not to, but Harry is not one to put off until tomorrow if something can be done today."
"How many languages do you and your cousin speak and read, Lady Attwood?" Leo asked.
"We both know German, French, Italian, and Spanish, but I also speak and read Russian. Actually, Harry can understand a bit, but only enough to get by."