My Lord Hercules (13 page)

“
Do you or do you not know
where the Birkin girl is?” Giff grumbled.

“
I don’t know for certain,”
Woodsworth said. “She might be in County Durham. She might be
somewhere else.”

“
Why County Durham?” Harry
asked.

The marquess shrugged. “Her uncle has
a place there. Outside Escomb, near River Wear.”

The uncle who, according to Miranda,
was the girl’s guardian? “And why would she go there?”

“
I’m done talking to both of
you.” Woodsworth stubbornly pursed his lips as though he wouldn’t
say another word.

“
Wood,” Harry growled.
“You’re done when Giff and I say you are. Now why would she go to
Escomb?”

“
Do you know how many girls
come to Town with the intent of trapping a peer into marriage?”
Woodsworth asked.

“
Trapping a peer?” Giff
echoed. “What are you suggesting, Wood?”

The marquess snorted in annoyance then
shook his head. “Who knows how many men she spread her legs for?
Was I just supposed to take her word for it that the child was
mine?”

Something that sounded like a gasp
came from the other side of the study door. Miranda, Harry would
wager his fortune on it. Fortunately, Woodsworth and Giff were so
focused on scowling at each other, they didn’t seem to notice the
sound.

“
Child?” Giff roared. “Are
you telling me you got that girl with child?”

As Harry moved to stand in front of
the door, on the off chance Miranda gasped again, Woodsworth folded
his arms across his chest and glared at his friend. “Didn’t you
listen to a word I said? There’s no proof it was mine.”

Giff dropped his glass on St.
Austell’s desk and grabbed Woodsworth’s jacket with both of his
hands. “I don’t even know who you are any more. Your
father—”

“
Is dead.” Woodsworth pushed
the earl away from him. “And I don’t answer to you, Cedric Loring.”
He started for the door, which Harry was still blocking.

“
You’ll answer to me,” Harry
growled. “What happened with Miss Birkin? And why do you think
she’s in Escomb?”

An exasperated sigh escaped
Woodsworth. “You want to hear it all? Very well, here it is. The
girl followed me around like a lap dog most of the Season. She was
a pretty little thing, and it only took a few whispered words of
flattery to get her to lift her skirts.” He shook his head as
though it was ridiculous he had to tell them any of this. “Then
before the Season was over, she told me she was increasing and
wanted to head for Gretna before her uncle found out. I told her to
go on and head there then.”

Harry could hardly believe the
cavalier way the man was discussing the ruination and downfall of
the girl. Theresa Birkin could have been anyone, any girl who fell
for the wrong man. She could have been Pippa or Miranda, clearly a
girl who didn’t have anyone looking out for her. She’d been an easy
target.

Fury built in Harry. His hand balled
into a fist, he pulled his arm back, and then he crashed it into
Woodsworth’s jaw.

The marquess’s eyes rounded in
surprise as he fell backwards, crashing into one of St. Austell’s
chairs before sliding to the rug at Harry’s feet. His hand rose to
cup his face as he scrambled away from Harry along the floor. “Have
you lost your mind?”

“
Have you lost yours?” Giff
countered softly, as though he still couldn’t quite believe the
tale he’d just heard. “What happened to the girl, Wood? Since you
clearly didn’t elope to Scotland with her?”

Woodsworth’s gaze flashed from Giff to
Harry then back. “Don’t let him hit me again.”

Giff met Harry’s gaze then said, “I
have a feeling if you don’t tell us what happened to her, there
won’t be a thing I could say that would keep him from killing
you.”

Woodsworth huffed indignantly as he
pushed back to his feet. He tested his jaw with his hand and
moaned. “I ought to call you out.”

“
Alas, you’re a coward,”
Harry ground out. “So answer the question before I decide to use
you as my punch bag again.”

Giff heaved a sigh. “What happened to
the girl, Wood?”

Woodsworth backed away to a far corner
as though to put as much distance between himself and Harry as
possible. “She said she was going to Escomb, to one of her uncle’s
homes. I got word a few months ago that she lost the child, which
seems rather convenient, if you ask me.”

If Giff wasn’t there, Harry might very
well kill Woodsworth. Was there ever a less honorable bastard? “You
haven’t seen her?” he growled.

Woodsworth shook his head. “Nor do I
expect to.”

“
You won’t ever tell another
soul what you told us,” Giff warned. “If she can start her life
over, she won’t fear
you
blackening her name, do you hear me?”

“
She’s of no matter to me,”
Woodsworth muttered.

Giff met Harry’s eyes once more. “I
don’t know that this answers all of your questions, Casemore, but I
do know when he’s telling the truth.”

Harry didn’t question Woodsworth’s
tale, and if he had to wager a guess, he’d put money down that Miss
Birkin was in County Durham, too hurt, too ashamed of herself to
contact Miranda or anyone else. “Thank you for all of your
assistance in this.”

Giff nodded. “I wish we’d heard a
different story.”

So did Harry.

Miranda pulled Penny down the corridor
back toward the ballroom. “Hurry before they catch us,” she
hissed.

“
Did you know that Tessie
was with child?” Penny asked, her eyes sill rounded in
surprise.

Miranda tugged her sister harder,
nearly dragging her down the hallway. “Didn’t you hear Lord
Gifford? We are never to repeat anything we just heard.” Besides,
she was still so numb from hearing Lord Woodsworth’s words, she
couldn’t think of what she could even say to Penny or anyone else
for that matter.

“
Do you think she’s in
County Durham?”

Miranda didn’t know what to think.
“Penny!” she begged as they stepped back into the ballroom. “Please
not now.”

Finally, Penny nodded. “I just feel
awful for her.”

Miranda did too. She squeezed Penny’s
hand. “We’ll talk about it later, but don’t—”

“
I won’t tell anyone,” Penny
promised, and for once Miranda believed her sister would hold her
tongue. “There’s Devlin,” she added in a whisper. “He looks in a
temper.”

Miranda glanced in the direction Penny
was staring to find their brother and his wife’s eyes leveled on
them. “Blast,” she muttered under her breath. “Come on.” She tugged
Penny toward Devlin and Louisa. “We’d better get this over
with.”

As soon as they reached their brother,
Devlin arched a brow at Miranda. “I don’t suppose I have to ask
where you were.”

“
We left for the retiring
room,” Penny said cheerfully. “Did we miss something?”

Devlin turned his glare on Penny. “The
retiring room?”

“
Where else would we go?”
Penny asked, the epitome of innocence.

Miranda cast her sister a sidelong
glance. Penny was much more complex than Miranda had ever given her
credit for. If they weren’t in a crowded ballroom, she’d have
thrown her arms around her sister and hugged her for all she was
worth.

“
Marston.” Harry’s voice
came from behind Miranda. Then his hand landed on her shoulder. “I
shall be around first thing in the morning to meet with
you.”

“
London is all safe now, is
it?” Devlin asked austerely.

Harry squeezed Miranda’s shoulder
possessively. “It will always be safe for Miranda. I can promise
you that. I’d like to steal her away again, if you don’t mind. I’d
love for her to become better acquainted with my
sister.”

Miranda’s stomach dropped to her toes.
Lady St. Austell probably thought she was little better than a
mute, considering their conversation the previous day.

“
As long as you don’t leave
the ballroom, I have no objections,” Devlin replied.

Harry offered Miranda his arm, which
she tentatively took. “I don’t think I made the best impression
when I met your sister,” she said as soon as they were out of
earshot of her family.

Harry’s brow rose in question. “What
do you mean?”

Miranda shrugged. “I wasn’t terribly
happy with you at the time. You’d just broken my heart,
and—”

“
Broken your heart?” he
echoed.

She was sure her face was aflame
again. “After you kissed me, and—”

“
Ahh,” he said,
understanding reflected in his eyes. “Pippa came by right then, did
she? No wonder she’s concerned.”

“
She’s concerned?” Miranda
squeaked.

Harry’s smile was right back
in place. “Not to worry, my dear, she will love you just as I do…
Well, not
just
as
I do, but you know what I mean.”

Before Miranda could respond to that,
she and Harry were at Lord and Lady St. Austell’s side. The
countess’s gaze flashed from Miranda to Harry. “I haven’t seen you
all night.”

“
I’ve been sharing St.
Austell’s whisky with Giff and Wood.” Harry replied, which earned
him a scowl from his brother-in-law, though Harry didn’t seem to
pay the man any attention. “Anyway, Miranda and I have news,
Pippa.”

“
Oh?” The countess’s eyes
drifted back to Miranda.

“
Tomorrow we will be
officially betrothed, but we wanted you to be the first to
know.”

Lady St. Austell’s mouth fell open,
then she smiled at her brother. “Congratulations, both of you.” She
seemed to study both of them a moment before saying, “You do seem
happy.”

“
We are quite,” Miranda
said.

“
Never been happier,” Harry
added. “So, if you’ve been worried about me, there’s no
need.”

She gaped at him like a fish out of
water. “I—I…”

“
Just be happy for me,
Pip.”

“
If you’re happy, so am I,”
his sister replied.

“
Which is something I should
have said to you long ago.” Harry smiled at her, and then met his
brother-in-law’s gaze. “And you, Jason. Thank you for making Pippa
so happy.”

“
It’s my greatest pleasure
in life,” the earl returned as the first strings of a waltz
began.

Harry pulled Miranda closer to him. “I
believe you promised this dance to me, my dear.”

He could have every dance for the rest
of their lives. Miranda’s heart nearly overflowed when she turned
to gaze up into his clear green eyes. She wasn’t sure how she’d
been so fortunate to have crossed his path that fateful night in
that hell, but after hearing what sort of man the Marquess of
Woodsworth was from his own lips, she was so incredibly lucky to
have fallen for such an honorable, decent man. “I believe I
did.”

Without further ado, Harry swept
Miranda out onto the floor. He bowed low before her and then drew
her into his arms, his devoted gaze never leaving hers. “What am I
going to do with you, Miranda?”

“
Kiss me?” she
suggested.

“
You think to distract me
with your kisses?” A rakish grin settled on his lips. “How
resourceful. That might just work.”

He led her into the first turn, his
hand splayed across her back, drawing her even closer to him,
making tingles race across her skin. “I love you, Harrison
Casemore.”

His grin widened. “Because I’d battle
mythical creatures for you?”

Miranda shook her head. “Because of
who you are.”

“
Good answer.” They turned
again. “I still ought to toss you over my knee for eavesdropping on
my inquisition, however.”

Miranda’s mouth fell open. How in the
world did he know she’d eavesdropped?

“
You gasped,” he answered
her unasked question. “Fortunately neither of the other gentlemen
heard you.

But she hadn’t gasped aloud. “That was
Penny,” she whispered. Even still, she couldn’t be upset with
Penny. What they’d heard had been shocking, but when given the
chance, her sister hadn’t betrayed her to Devlin.