Lady In Distress (The Langley Sisters Book 3) (20 page)

Bella looked up then, almost as if she could feel his eyes on her. Smiling, she handed over some money and then started towards him with Eddie trotting along beside her.

“Lady Althea.” Thea’s hand was dwarfed by Ace’s larger one. “May I say that the day has suddenly brightened with your appearance in it.”

“You may say what you wish, sir. Whether I choose to believe your words is another matter entirely.”

Dragging his eyes from Bella, Luke noted the surprise on Ace’s face. Women obviously did not often return his compliments so casually.
 

“I’m wounded that you think so little of yourself, Lady Althea.”

“I’m sure a big man like you will recover.” She waved a dismissive hand at Ace before turning her attentions on Luke. Another first for Dillinger, Luke suspected. Men such as he were not used to behind dismissed.

“Where are you off to, Luke Fletcher?
 

“I had a meeting with Mr. Dillinger, and then I am attending another with Finn.”

“Oh, so you are not here to look at the flowers like Bella and I?”

“It is not something my heart desires, no.”

She gave him a cheeky smile. “And what does your heart desire?”

Bella stepped up at that moment and Luke narrowed his eyes at Thea as she gave him a smug look.

“Hello, Luke.”

“Isabella, this is Mr. Dillinger. Ace, this is Miss Langley.”

She wore cream today, with green trim, the exact color of her eyes. Her straw bonnet framed her face, the green ribbons fluttering slightly in the breeze. The fresh air had brushed her creamy cheeks with a hint of rose and her eyes were bright; he felt the effect through his entire body. It was worse today than yesterday, because now he could see her breasts as he had last night; he could taste her skin and hear her soft cries as she found her release at his hand.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Langley.” Dillinger bowed over Bella’s hand.

“And this is Eddie,” she said, bending to push the dogs bottom down so he sat.

They talked for a while about the weather, the flowers and other silly topics.

“Can I see you to your carriage, ladies?” Luke said.

“Lord Anthony has already offered, but thank you, Luke.” Thea didn’t look pleased, and Luke had to agree. The man was certainly determined.

“He is waiting for us over by the roses. They are his favorite and he is pondering which would best suit his garden,” Bella added.

“I ask you both,” Thea said looking from Luke to Ace. “What man do you know ponders over roses? It does not seem a particularly masculine pursuit, to my mind.”

“Thea!” Bella giggled as she looked around to make sure Anthony had not crept up on them. “Not all men like blood sports and boxing like you.”

“You like to watch boxing, Lady Althea?”

“I like to box, Mr. Dillinger, not watch others do it,” Thea said, to which Luke and Bella moaned. It wasn’t precisely a secret, yet not something her brothers wanted bandied about. Thea had a punching bag in her room, and occasionally she coerced one of her brother’s into putting on gloves and sparring with her.

“We must go, Thea. I’m sure Lord Anthony is looking for us.” Bella grabbed her friend’s arm. “Good day to you, gentlemen.”
 

They bowed, and then watched as the woman walked away.
 

“I want explanations, Luke, lots of them. But the first one is, does she really box?”

“Yes, and spars with her brothers when she can trick them into it.”

“I may just be in love,” Ace said, watching Thea as she disappeared with Bella into the crowd.

“And what is between you and Will’s sister?”

“You are well-informed,” Luke said buying himself some time.

“I make it my job to be.
 
Now answer the question.”

“That information is private, but I will say that we have been friends for a very long time.”

“And you love her?”

“Next question.”

“Who is Lord Anthony and why do you dislike him?

“He’s a peer who seems to have a fondness for Bella.”

“And?”

“And I don’t trust him.”

“Because he cares for her?”

Luke thought about that. “No, there is more to it. He may fool others, but I have seen what lies beneath that civil veneer and it is not pretty.”

“She’s stunning.”

Luke struggled to follow the swift bite of anger at the words.
 

“I bet she gave her brothers the rounds around growing up.”

Brothers?

 
“Lady Althea.” Ace held Thea’s last name in his mouth as if savoring it, and Luke felt his anger ease.

“Her other brother, the Duke, is a good man. Fair and kind. My father worked for his father, and then him, as did I.”

“Ah, so that’s how you know them all so intimately.”

“We grew up together.”
 

Ace fell silent and they walked side by side in the sun. Around them, the sweet scent of flowers filled the air. He would move out from Will’s shadow, and at the end of the season, he would ask Bella to marry him. She would know then what she had to give up to be with him, and whether he was worth the risk.

***

“Not too fast, Kevin. The streets will be busy at this time of the day, and remember that Monty is feisty so you need to keep an eye on him or he’ll start the others off.”

“Get in the carriage, for pity’s sake, Luke. Kevin has been driving for Finn for years. He knows what he’s about.”

“I never doubted his ability, Will. I was just alerting him to Monty’s behavior in case he was not aware of it.” Luke closed the door behind him and took the seat across from Will and Finn. “He is driving your carriage and your horses; he has not done so before.”

“Thank you for alerting him,” Finn stated calmly.
 

“Why are you here, Ryder?” Luke asked Will. “Surely visiting the crooked Mr. Collins does not concern you.”

“Because two noblemen are more intimidating than one.”

Luke saw the look that passed between them. “What’s the real reason?”

“Always so suspicious for a young man,” Will said, shaking his head.

“There is a year between us,” Luke drawled.

“We have a bet about today’s interview with Collins, Luke. But in the interests of a clear winner, I cannot disclose what.”

“You bet on me?” He looked between them as they nodded. “Noblemen,” he said in disgust. “Always bleating on about the righteousness of gambling, yet conveniently exclude themselves from any wrongdoing.”

Will looked affronted. “I have never bleated in my life.”

“I went to look at a house with Oliver Dillinger today,” Luke then said, because if he was going to tell anyone it would be Will, and then Finn, both men he trusted and respected.

“Did you? I had no notion you even knew each other. Finn and I discussed him yesterday and that we felt he would be a good man for you to become acquainted with.”

“Now, there’s coincidence for you.” Luke looked out the window to make sure Kevin was not to close to the path.
 

“And?”

“And I liked it, Will. It is possibly too big for me at this present time, but it will make an excellent investment.”

“And you want to start investing on your own?”

This was another moment that he had to take, another step over the line.

“Yes. I have some ideas which I will talk with you about,” Luke said, looking at them. “But I think it is time.”

“Past time.”

“And you had to add that because you knew it would annoy me.”

Will’s smile was innocent. “What are brothers for if not to annoy each other?”

“What indeed.”
 

“Do you want me to look at the house?”
 

“If you have the time, Will, I would, thank you. You know more about these things than I.”

Will nodded and fell silent, and Luke knew his brain was working furiously to fathom what all this meant. Beside him Finn sat quietly doing the same.

Mr. Collins had rooms in Becall Court alongside other men of business. They were admitted into a spacious waiting area and, after a look around, Finn’s eyebrows rose as he noted the lavish furnishings.

“I obviously should have visited him here before employing him.”

Chairs were in rich emerald velvet; the carpets were plush and thick.
 

“Lord Levermarch, please come through. Mr. Collins will see you now.”

The three men rose and followed the clerk into an office off the waiting room.
 

This, too, was well appointed, and Mr. Collins was seated behind a large desk in an elaborately carved chair that Luke was sure the King would have been happy seated in. His eyes widened when he saw that Finn had not come alone, and Luke saw the flash of fear before he masked it.

“Lord Levermarch.” The man climbed to his feet, all smiles. He came around the desk and offered his hand, which Finn shook with great reluctance. “You have brought company with you?”

“Lord Ryder and Mr. Fletcher.”

“Gentlemen.” Mr. Collins shook more hands and then moved chairs to accommodate everyone. Luke took the one facing him. “Are either of you interested in procuring my services? Is that why you have accompanied Lord Levermarch?”

No one answered the man as Luke rose and placed the five ledgers in front of the man, then opened the top one.
 

“I see you have brought the ledgers back with you,” Mr. Collins said once he had retaken his seat. “Everything is as it should be, no doubt?”

“No, it is not as it should be. You have been stealing from Lord Levermarch, Mr. Collins, and the total of that theft is marked here,” Luke said, flipping the book to the last page, “and if that amount is not returned to Lord Levermarch immediately, then we shall be forced to lay charges against you.”

After these words, Luke sat back in his seat and watched the man look at him, wide-eyed. He then proceeded to open each of the books, taking note of the markings Luke had made.
 

“I’m afraid there has been some kind of mistake, my lord,” he said, addressing Finn.

“Mr. Collins, please deal with Mr. Fletcher. He is the man who identified that you were stealing from me.” Finn spat out the words which made the accountant flinch. “Had he not, then I would have been none the wiser, and probably would have lost a great deal more money at your hands.”

Finn’s eyes were icy and his big body clenched in rage. Gone was the usual, even-tempered man Luke had come to know.
 

“If you refuse to acknowledge what you have done then I will be forced to find other clients of yours who, I’m sure, are unaware of what you have done, as most are wealthy,” Luke said calmly. “I shall then explain precisely what you are capable of, and ask to look over their books, Mr. Collins. Some, of course, will not let me, but…” He gave the man a steady look and noted the sheen of sweat now on his upper lip, “some will, especially if that request were to come from either Lord Ryder, Lord Levermarch or Mr. Dillinger.”

There was enough power in those three names to bring the man to his knees.

“Wh-what can I do to make amends?”
“You will return every penny to Lord Levermarch before the end of three months, and then you will shut this business down and leave London. If I hear you have returned, we will have no choice but to follow through with our intentions to press charges against you.”

“But where will we go? I have a family.”

The man looked bewildered, as if it was Luke that was in the wrong.

“I know you have three sons who all attend prestigious schools and two daughters, one of whom has contracted an advantageous match. I also know that on the money you should have earned from your business you could not have led the life you have, which naturally leads me to believe you have been cheating people out of theirs for many years; but this I cannot prove without further investigation. However,” Luke added when Mr. Collins opened his mouth to speak, “I will not pursue this because to do so would ruin not only your life but your family’s, and I have no wish to do that, as they are innocent of your perfidious behavior. Therefore, you will do what I have said and you will do it with some expediency.”

“I…it will break me.”

Luke rose and placed his hand on the man’s desk; he then bent forward so their eyes were level.

“You are nothing but a filthy, lying thief, Mr. Collins. People steal to survive and get slapped in prison, others deported for taking a loaf of bread, but you…you will walk free when, in fact, you are worse than any of them. What you did was calculated and for no other reason than to elevate your status in the eyes of society. So it may break you to return the money you have stolen, but if you don’t, then be assured that I will finish the job.”

“I…it is your word against mine,” Mr. Collins said, which was foolish to Luke’s mind, as the books were there in front of him and he only had to take them to a magistrate to show proof of what had taken place