Two Beaux and a Promise Collection (7 page)

Perhaps her problem was this sitting room instead of Richard. It was not designed to facilitate thought, being sumptuously furnished in red and gold, its satins and velvets blatantly sensual. A painting of naked nymphs cavorting in a garden hung above the fireplace. Several well-thumbed books sat atop a table, but she’d not dared examine them closely after one fell open to a shocking illustration. The memory had produced some very odd dreams last night.

Richard had seemed oblivious to the décor, proving his familiarity with such rooms – why this surprised her was a question she ignored. He
had
taken the main bedchamber for himself, though. Her one glimpse through the door had revealed some provocatively placed mirrors, so he did have some concern for her sensibilities.

Concentrate on the letter.

Yes, the letter. No purpose was served by imagining that illustration brought to life in front of a mirror, with Richard’s hand on her—

She wrenched her mind back to business. How could she convince her trustees to ignore Derrick’s claims?  Derrick was a lord. She was an unknown who had met them only once, when she’d been fifteen. Why would he—

Richard pushed open the door. He was frowning.

“Is there a problem?” she asked.

“Nothing you need to fret over.”  He smoothed his expression. “I met with Hawthorne’s solicitor. He will present your petition to the bishop this afternoon. Inslip’s support should gain you a hearing tomorrow. A notice to that effect is on its way to Herriard.”

“So fast.”

“There are times when influence is useful. I also spoke with Inslip. He will call on you this afternoon and will accept your guardianship, if you approve. We can still find someone else if need be, but I believe you will suit.”

She wasn’t so sure, but he was in no mood to argue. So she must prepare to meet a marquess.

A glance at her gown made her cringe. Brushing had helped, but it remained unfashionable and shabby. It was also her only gown at the moment. She’d left her other ones in Hawthorne’s carriage.

Shaking her head, she returned to her letter. Now that she had a willing guardian and a definite hearing with the bishop, her words flowed easily.

* * * *

Richard stood when Tester showed Inslip into the sitting room. Once the butler left, Richard performed introductions.

Arranging this meeting had been tricky. The staff did not know his name or Georgiana’s. He hoped to survive Inslip’s call with that situation intact. And inviting Charles’s father into Charles’s love nest was not done, so he’d not mentioned whose cottage he was using. If he wasn’t careful, the half-truths would soon strangle him.

“Miss Whittaker,” Inslip said, pressing her hand before taking the seat she indicated. He turned his gaze on Richard. “This tangle is worse than you implied, Hughes.”

“What happened?”

“Stagleigh and Herriard returned to town this morning.”

“Then Stagleigh should now be at Herriard’s throat.”

“Why?” asked Georgiana.

“I sent him proof that Herriard was cheating him.”

“He hasn’t received it,” said Inslip. “They went directly to Herriard House. Half an hour later, Stagleigh rode north.”

“Why?”  This time Richard asked the question.

“Herriard claims you abducted his ward and are headed for Scotland.”

“Absurd!” Georgiana snapped.

“So they’ve adopted Stagleigh’s explanation,” murmured Richard. “I’m surprised Herriard gave in on that point. Or perhaps not. He must know he can’t prove theft.”

“What theft?” asked Inslip.

“Yesterday Herriard claimed Miss Whittaker had robbed him. It was Stagleigh who swore I’d abducted his betrothed.”

“Which is ridiculous,” insisted Georgiana. “Even the groom at that inn didn’t believe him, so why would they expect society to?”

“But it fits his reputation very well,” said Inslip. “Many will accept the claim.” 

Richard’s face heated as Inslip’s gaze clashed with his own. “Not those who know me,” he swore. “I have no use for heiresses.”

“I know that. The Beaux know that. But most of society believes otherwise. This escapade has placed Miss Whittaker in an untenable position and destroyed what was left of your reputation.”

Richard shrugged. He cared nothing for what society thought of him. Only his friends’ opinions mattered.

“I won’t be responsible for hurting you,” said Georgiana. “Surely there is a way to counter these lies.”

“They will die the moment Stagleigh realizes that Herriard tricked him into handing over your entire trust and then some,” swore Richard. When Inslip raised his brows, he let Georgiana explain her cousin’s perfidy, then added, “So there is no problem. Stagleigh will recant his claims. Herriard’s credibility is already suspect and will disappear entirely once I present my evidence to Lords.”

“Wasn’t your meeting today?”

“I rescheduled for Wednesday. By then the bishop will have ruled on Miss Whittaker’s petition.”

“Maybe, but she should immediately move to Inslip House. That will—”

“No.”  Richard glared.

Inslip raised his brows.

“That would play into Herriard’s hands. Moving her now would raise the question of where she has been for two days. Once you are officially her guardian, bringing her to Inslip House will seem natural. Few will wonder where she was previously.”

“I don’t see—”

“If anyone who deserves a response wants details, you are keeping her at another property until your status is official. You don’t wish to burden Lady Inslip and your daughter with Herriard’s temper.”

“But I have no other property near town.”

Richard gave in to the inevitable. “Charles does.”

Inslip’s gaze took in the décor. “I see.”

Richard pressed his advantage. “Knowing that Herriard is greedy and vicious, you had to hide her until her legal status was settled.”

“Your reputation will still suffer.”

“I doubt it. Herriard must already regret mentioning her. People will demand to know who she is and what she’s been doing these past five years. The barrage must fluster him.”

“What are you planning?”  Inslip’s eyes gleamed.

“I will make the usual social rounds tonight, disproving his claim that I am headed for Scotland.”  It might make Charles seem curiously uninformed, but there was no help for it. “A few words to Lady Beatrice will raise the awkward questions that Herriard doesn’t want to face – like why society knows nothing of his ward’s existence though she’s lived with him for years, what his arrangement was with Stagleigh, and how that arrangement relates to Friday’s losses. Once he is exposed as a scoundrel, society will welcome Miss Whittaker with open arms. She will be feted for surviving his plots. If anyone asks where you met her, you were introduced at Emily’s wedding breakfast. Upon hearing her story, you immediately offered your support.”

“Perhaps that will work,” he grudgingly agreed. “But don’t wait to call on Lady Beatrice. Go now. Herriard’s lies are already on every tongue. You want the truth out before evening. I will remain here and become acquainted with Miss Whittaker.”

Richard nodded. The errand should take only an hour. Inslip would watch her until then.

His growing need to protect her nearly suffocated him. He beat it back, reminding himself that she was not for him. Never would it be said that he had feathered his nest with a lady’s fortune.

— 7 —

Richard inhaled deeply as he followed the butler to the drawing room. Lady Beatrice was not a woman he enjoyed confronting, especially when he was the subject of gossip.

She gestured him to a seat, her face the grimmest he’d ever seen it. Even Emily’s announcement that she had jilted Charles to wed Jacob hadn’t made her this disapproving.

“Thank you for seeing me,” he said, feigning calm.

“I trust you have an explanation.”

He nodded. “The very fact that I am in London should tell you that Herriard is lying.”

“Why?”

“To confiscate his ward’s trust so he can cover Friday’s gaming debts. To discredit me before I can present evidence to Lords accusing him of fraud. To—”

His tongue froze as her eyes widened in shock. He’d done a better job of hiding his investigation than he’d thought. Few people could surprise Lady Beatrice. No one surpassed her knowledge of society. She knew everything that happened almost before the participants did.

She stroked her chin. “Let’s start with his ward. Who is she?”

“Miss Georgiana Whittaker. Her mother was Herriard’s paternal aunt. Her father was a merchant – Whittaker and Metcalf Imports.”  Again her eyes widened. “Herriard has had the care of her since his grandfather’s death.”

“Five years?”  Her face relaxed, thawing the air. She handed him a glass of wine, then poured tea for herself.

“Five years. Miss Whittaker’s father died a week before the old baron’s accident. His will named the baron as her guardian. Herriard inherited that duty along with the title.”

“How old was she?”

“Fifteen. Her grandfather had planned to bring her out, but Herriard refused. He has used her as an unpaid governess while squandering her income on his gaming.”

Lady Beatrice made a sound that in a less exalted person might be called a growl. “How long have you known?”

This was where he must be careful, Richard reminded himself. “Not long,” he said calmly. “Herriard kept her well hidden, so even though I’ve been keeping an eye on him for some  time—”

“Since he cheated you.”

He nodded, not surprised she knew about it, though he’d kept the matter quiet. “Exactly. The Beaux dealt with that incident and warned him what would happen if he fleeced anyone else. For a time he was careful to live within his income – at least, I thought it was his until recently.”

“How recently?”

“Last week. But Herriard is incapable of watching his purse. The next time he ran short, he fleeced Rothmore.”

“Precipitating his suicide.”

“Exactly. It was a private game that I learned about too late.”  A mistake he still rued. “I dug deeper into Herriard’s affairs afterward, forcing him to abandon cardsharping. The next time he needed money, he set up a railroad scheme that fleeced Jameson, among others.”

“Ahh.”  Her eyes gleamed.

“It was out-and-out fraud – no rail company existed. So he’ll finally pay. I’ll present the evidence to Lords on Wednesday.”

“You’ve hidden your activities well.”

“I would not have succeeded if I’d talked about it.”

She nodded. “So how does abducting Miss Whittaker fit your plans?”

“I didn’t abduct her. She has long sought to escape Herriard’s abuse. When she heard him blustering about my investigation, she decided to seek my help once she came of age. Herriard’s losses last Friday forced her to act early. She heard him selling her to Stagleigh the next morning, so she fled. It was easy to find me. Everyone in town knew I’d be at St. George’s for Emily’s wedding.”

“True. So you helped her.”

He nodded. “I introduced her to Inslip, who will take over as her guardian, but she must remain hidden until the bishop rules on her petition tomorrow.”

“Herriard swears he tracked you to Oakhaven.”

“He did. I had to distract him while Inslip spirited Miss Whittaker away. One of Hawthorne’s grooms accompanied me, dressed in a cloak and bonnet.”

She shook her head. “Another of your pranks.”

“I wouldn’t call it that.”  He kept his hands relaxed, but it wasn’t easy.

She ignored his protest. “This one went too far, Hughes.”

His eyes snapped together. “Should I have returned her to Herriard when she begged for help?  No one deserves that fate, especially Georg— Miss Whittaker. Her breeding is every bit as good as Lady Jersey’s. And despite years of mistreatment at Herriard’s hands, she remains sweet.”

“You know her well.”

Richard cursed himself for losing his temper. “My studies of Herriard made it easy to investigate her claims once I learned of her existence.”

“Hmm.”  She pursed her lips for a long moment. “It’s true about her breeding, and it’s true that her grandfather accepted her parents’ marriage. I remember the incident well.”

She would.

“I can quash most of the stories, Hughes,” she continued. “And I will, for I agree that Herriard is lying. But your little charade with the groom succeeded too well. People saw you, and now that Herriard claims abduction, they no longer think that jaunt was one of your affairs. Her reputation will suffer unless you wed her.”

“No.”  He continued over her protest. “She has come to no harm, as you know full well. She is under Inslip’s care and attended by servants.”  He almost offered to produce the groom, but didn’t know if the man would back his half-truths. Or if Inslip would, for that matter. Any hint that Georgiana had accompanied him in truth would doom her. “I will not condemn Miss Whittaker to another situation not of her choosing. Nor will I be branded a fortune hunter.”

“You would rather be branded a cad?”

“That is not an issue. If necessary, I will retire to the country. London is rapidly losing its charm anyway.”

“Flight would imply guilt, raising new suspicions about her.”  She held his eyes. “You will wed the girl. If pride won’t let you use her fortune, then put it in trust for your children.”

“No. Do you want to lend credence to Herriard’s lie?”

“I’ll see that it won’t.”

“Even your power has bounds, my lady. You cannot force me, nor will your conscience let you malign her when you know full well that she is blameless. As for marriage, Inslip will bring her out next Season, though she may surprise him by refusing. She has a low opinion of men and a lower one of the aristocracy – not that I can blame her, given her experiences.”

“You did not think poorly of my power when you came here.”

“I don’t. Your word can expose Herriard’s lies in a trice. But I draw the line at accepting a marriage I do not want. Miss Whittaker is in good hands and will remain so.”

“Oh, you want her. I can see it in your eyes.”

“Balderdash!”

She smiled. “You haven’t changed a bit, Hughes. Just as prideful and touchy as when you came down from school. I won’t condemn you in public, and I’ll refute Herriard’s claims. But I urge you to reconsider. There is a spark in your eye whenever you mention her that tells me you are not indifferent. I suspect you know her better than you care to admit. Don’t let pride stand in the way of the best marriage you could find.”