Thornstock’s gaze shot to Lady Gwyn, and a muscle worked in his jaw. That was proof enough for Joshua that the woman had been lying about how she had acquired her brother’s pistol.
“Did you think to load the pistol I gave you, Gwyn?” the duke said, with sarcastic emphasis on the word “gave.”
There was a certain defiance in the way she looked at her brother. “Of course not. Loading it would require some knowledge of how to use the thing, and you haven’t bothered to teach it to me.”
Joshua was impressed by how she’d turned her dangerous act into a fault of her brother’s. Thank God Beatrice hadn’t picked up that skill.
“Right,” Thornstock said blandly. “In that case, perhaps you should return it, because it’s always unwise to brandish a weapon you aren’t prepared to use.”
“Exactly what I told her,” Joshua said.
Thornstock smiled at him. “I see you are growing used to the fact that my sister rarely listens to what she is told.”
“Now see here—” Lady Gwyn began.
“Not to mention,” Thornstock went on, ignoring her, “that the pistol is worth a bloody fortune.”
“Then I suppose it’s a good thing I didn’t allow Malet to steal it,” Joshua said.
“Indeed.” Thornstock cast his sister an enigmatic look. “Hand it over, Gwyn.”
Lady Gwyn smiled. “Wouldn’t it be better if you simply taught me how to shoot?”
“I shudder to think of you armed to the teeth for your debut.” Thornstock held out his hand. “Give it over, Sis.”
“Oh, all right,” she grumbled, and slapped it into his hand hard enough to make him wince.
Thornstock narrowed his gaze on her. “Wolfe, would you mind giving me a few moments alone with my sister?”
Joshua bowed, glad to finally leave the twins to their own devices. “Take as much time as you need. I have work to attend to.”
But when he turned for the door, the duke said, “Actually, Wolfe, I’d like you to wait in the hall until I’ve finished my discussion with Gwyn.”
Her ladyship paled. “Why?”
Joshua wondered the same thing but had the good sense not to ask.
Thornstock ignored her question anyway. “If you don’t mind waiting, sir.”
Joshua wasn’t fool enough to tell the man the truth—that the prospect of being around Lady Gwyn any longer would unsettle a saint. “I can wait.”
“I promise it won’t take long.” Thornstock headed over to open the door.
With a terse nod, Joshua walked out, tensing as the door shut behind him. Nothing like being summarily dismissed. He wasn’t certain which was worse—being treated like a servant by a man his own age or being asked to wait around for her bloody ladyship.
Not that it mattered. Beggars, especially lame ones, couldn’t be choosers. All the more reason he had to find a better situation for himself soon. Because his life at the Armitage estate became more intolerable by the day.
Gwyn glared at her brother. “You didn’t have to be rude to him.”
“Was I rude?” Thorn paused. “Ah, you’re simply trying to change the subject. But I know better than to fall for that.”
“You caught me,” she lied. Because she’d never be able to explain to her twin the anger that had welled up in her when Thorn had shut the door practically in Joshua’s face.
Thorn pointed to the only other chair in the small room. “Take a seat,” he ordered as he sat down behind the writing table. “I want to hear the truth about what went on between you and Malet.”
“I already told you the truth.”
His eyes turned a stormy gray. “Not the whole truth, I suspect.”
A pox on Thorn for knowing her so well. The blessing—and the curse—of being twins was their inability to hide much from each other.
Wondering what to say to put him off, she ambled over to the chair. Thorn absolutely could not learn the “whole truth” of this. But a version of it might suffice, especially one that made her sound like a fool. Brothers always seemed to consider their sisters fools, and Thorn clearly had thought her one since the day he’d paid off Lionel in Berlin.
“I received a note from Mr. Malet this morning,” Gwyn said. “He told me he wanted to talk about renewing our former . . . acquaintance.”
Thorn shot to his feet. “And you agreed to meet him, just like that? What possessed you to do such a damned foolish thing when you knew he’d tried to kidnap an heiress before?”
“I borrowed your pistol. I figured brandishing it would keep me safe enough.”
Thorn stalked up to her chair. “Obviously, it did not.”
“Which is precisely why you should teach me how to use the thing,” she said, meeting his irate gaze with her steady one.
“Over my dead body,” he growled.
“Or mine.”
A flush rose in his face. “I am never teaching you to load or fire a gun, so put that thought right out of your head!”
“Then do not be surprised if I get into trouble in London.”
Looking positively apoplectic, he paced the room before halting in front of her. “Trouble with Malet, you mean.”
“Of course not.” Or at least not the kind Thorn was thinking of. “I assure you, I lost any fondness for Mr. Malet years ago.”
Thorn looked skeptical, which was rather ironic because she meant every word. “Then why did you go alone to meet him?”
“To tell him what I just told you—that I want nothing more to do with him and he must leave me alone. I knew if I didn’t give him an emphatic refusal in person, he would assume you were forcing me to refuse him and then he’d continue to plague me. But I made myself very clear. He just didn’t like what I was saying.”
Thorn crossed his arms over his chest. “Then what did you mean just now when you spoke of getting into trouble in London?”
“I meant that with men being the reckless, unpredictable creatures they are—and with my being an heiress—I might experience some difficulties during my debut. And having a weapon for protection might solve that.”
“Having me around all the time would be more likely to solve it,” he growled.
Her heart skipped a beat. “Absolutely not.” If Thorn was constantly about, she’d never be able to pay Mr. Malet his money. She rose to face down her brother. “I can’t have you hovering over me during the entirety of my debut. Not only will it frighten off all my suitors, but you don’t even like marriage marts, so you’ll be bored, which always makes you annoying. I prefer more pleasant company when I attend balls, thank you very much.”
He opened his mouth, then thought better of whatever he meant to say. Instead, he released a heavy sigh. “What am I to do with you, Liebchen?”
The familiar endearment didn’t dissuade her from her purpose. “Be my brother, not my father,” she said softly. “I already have a nosy mother; that’s parent enough for me. I’m thirty, for pity’s sake. Don’t you think it’s about time you stopped hanging about me like a matron acting as my chaperone?”
Though he stiffened at the insulting comparison, he said, “I only wish I could stop, believe me.”
“Perhaps if you trusted me for a change—”
“I do trust you. It’s all the fortune-hunting arses in society I don’t trust. Like Malet. And speaking of him, did Wolfe overhear enough of your conversation to realize that you were once nearly engaged to the bastard?”
“I don’t think so. The major wasn’t close enough to us for that.”
Thorn released a breath. “Thank God. It wouldn’t do for people in society to learn that you were once involved with Malet. The gossip about his being cashiered—and why—has already filtered out to those in the highest ranks of society, and he is persona non grata there. So people might make unfounded speculations about you if it becomes known that you almost married the scoundrel ten years ago.”
She blinked at Thorn. “Being cashiered? I know nothing of that. What happened?”
A shadow crossed her twin’s face. “Ask Heywood and Cass if you want the whole story. Suffice it to say, Malet isn’t in any way an acceptable suitor for young women.”
“As I recall, you made sure I figured that out on my own,” she said tersely.
At least her brother had the good grace to look guilty. “Still angry with me over that, are you?”
“Don’t be absurd. You saved me from a dire fate—being married to Captain . . . Mr. Malet.” Never mind that you nearly destroyed my future in the process. “It’s all water under the bridge.”
“Liar,” her twin said softly. When she didn’t repeat her claim, he sighed. “In any case, we should keep your past association with Malet a secret from Wolfe. We’ll just let him continue to assume that Malet was trying to abduct you today because of his conflict with Heywood. Don’t you agree?”
“Of course.” The very idea of Major Wolfe knowing what a fool she’d been in her youth put a knot in her stomach, though she wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t as if she would see much of the former officer from now on. Her family was leaving for London in a few days, and he would be stuck here.
“I’m glad you concur,” Thorn went on. “I honestly don’t think Wolfe is the gossiping sort, but the less said about the matter to anyone, the better.”
“Most assuredly.”
When her twin walked over to the door and opened it, she belatedly remembered that Major Wolfe was awaiting them outside. But why? Did Thorn mean to offer him a reward for rescuing her today?
She hoped not. The major was as proud as a lion—and twice as snarly. He wouldn’t take that well.
“Come in, sir,” Thorn said. “I have a proposition to put to you.”
Oh no. That didn’t sound good.
Judging from Major Wolfe’s wary expression as he entered, he agreed with her. “What sort of proposition?” he asked, shooting her a questioning glance.
She gave a helpless shrug. She had no idea what her brother was cooking up.
“As you may know,” Thorn said, “the entire family will be decamping to London in a few days. We leave the day after Easter.”
“I’m aware,” the major said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“When we do, I would like you to join us.”
“I daresay there’s not much call for a gamekeeper in your London town house,” Major Wolfe said suspiciously.
“True, but I don’t need you for that. I need you to be Gwyn’s bodyguard.”
Chapter Three
Bloody hell. Now that was unexpected.
Did Lady Gwyn know what her twin had planned? One look at her incredulous expression told Joshua that she didn’t.
“While I agree that under the circumstances your sister could use a bodyguard,” Joshua said, “surely you, sir, would be enough to frighten off Malet.”
The duke drummed his fingers on the writing table. “My sister says she doesn’t want me ‘hovering about’ because it will also ‘frighten off’ the men courting her,” he said acidly. “But most people don’t know of your connection to our family. So you can keep an eye on her suitors without people realizing you’re doing so.”
Lady Gwyn stiffened. “I don’t need a nursemaid for my debut.”
Thornstock arched a brow. “I would hardly call a marine officer a nursemaid. Protecting you will be rather dull for him, I expect. Fortunately, I don’t mind paying him handsomely for such work.”
Joshua could use the money, but given his lack of endurance for loud noises, the very thought of London made him shudder. “There are other considerations, Duke. Like my inability to pursue Malet very quickly on foot should he attempt to abscond with her in that fashion. You may prefer to hire a more able-bodied fellow.”
“You can shoot, can’t you?” Thornstock asked. “And use a blade? Grey said you knocked around one of Malet’s minions so well at Christmas that the fellow could barely walk afterward. So it seems you can use fisticuffs, too. Apparently, running is about the only thing you can’t do.”
“I can shoot, stab, and slug a man, yes, but that’s not—”
“It’s good enough to satisfy me.” The duke cast a furtive glance at his twin. “As long as you protect my sister by any means at your disposal, I am content.”
It began to occur to Joshua that despite the difficulties he might encounter, this chance to go to London could also work in his favor. His letters clearly weren’t reaching the War Secretary, but if he could visit the office in person, he might convince the man to put him back in the Royal Marines at full pay.
Before Joshua could ask any questions or even agree to the proposition, however, Lady Gwyn cleared her throat. “I suppose I have no say in this.”
“Of course you have a say in it,” Thornstock told her. “You can either have me hovering about you in society, or you can have Wolfe doing so more discreetly. But one of us will be accompanying you during your debut. So you’ll have to decide which it’s to be.”
“That’s not much of a choice,” she said, casting Joshua a look he found impossible to read. Alarm? Anger? Attraction?
He scoffed at that last one. The woman might flirt with him occasionally, but that didn’t mean she desired him. She’d been preparing for her debut for months. Practicing her flirtation skills was undoubtedly part of that preparation.
Still, he held his breath as she seemed to consider the two possibilities. He wanted her to choose him . . . but only because he needed to go to London to see the War Secretary.
It had nothing to do with how lovely she looked wearing something other than a black gown for the first time in months. Nor did it stem from how the light from the window turned her hair redder than flame, or the way her plump lower lip quivered a bit as she considered her brother’s proposal.
God, this was a mistake he’d be a fool to make. Going to London was already a potentially disastrous running of the gauntlet from which he might never recover. But to risk having it happen around her? He could well imagine his reacting to some sudden sound in the street and having her witness the full extent of his vile temper.
So he opened his mouth to withdraw his willingness to serve as her bodyguard, but she spoke first. “Very well. I choose the major.”
Her words so took Joshua aback that he nearly missed the satisfaction flashing across her brother’s face. What was Thornstock planning, and why would he want Joshua to be part of it? Granted, the duke was known to be a rakehell, the sort of chap more preoccupied with debauchery than debuts. But even if escorting his sister about society would curtail his fun, surely he’d rather do it himself than rely on a virtual stranger.
As for Lady Gwyn . . .
No point in trying to figure out her reasoning. She rarely made sense to him. She liked to shop—he sometimes saw her in Sanforth picking out reticules and such. She liked to tease and cheer people up—she’d attempted it with Joshua time and again. But when it came to her brother, she seemed to feel naught but anger. The duke must have thoroughly provoked her ire at some point, and she was still punishing him for it.
Joshua should take that as a warning. The lady held grudges, even against her own twin. So he mustn’t lower his guard around her. It was never wise to expose one’s jugular to the enemy.
The duke turned to him. “And you, too, agree to the scheme?”
If he didn’t, he might end up sentenced to a life in the countryside forever. And even though it was peaceful, which was probably better for his temper, he would rather be at war where no one cared about that. “I agree.”
“Excellent,” Thornstock said. “With that decided, we should settle a few details.” He ran a critical gaze over Joshua. “I do hope you have clothes suitable for going into society.”
“Thorn!” Lady Gwyn exclaimed. “Don’t be rude.”
“How is that rude?” Thornstock asked. “You don’t want him to stick out in society any more than necessary, do you?”
She thrust out that lush lower lip. “It’s just . . . I merely think . . .
”
“I don’t mind the question,” Joshua put in, amused by the fact that she was trying to defend him. Her brother’s inquiry was reasonable, given the ragged state of Joshua’s greatcoat. “I still own a dress uniform, as well as an undress uniform that would probably be appropriate for daytime social affairs.”
Thornstock looked surprised. “I thought you had left the marines.”
“I’m on half-pay. It’s not the same as being discharged. Technically, I am still an officer, and still capable of being called up to serve. But in reality, a man with my . . . difficulties would be overlooked when it came to calling up soldiers on half-pay.”
“Ah, I see,” Thornstock said. “As long as you can legitimately wear the uniform, that’s fine with me. And ladies do find officers in uniform appealing, don’t they, Sis?”
Something flared in her gaze. “So I’ve heard.”
The duke smirked at her before continuing his interrogation of Joshua. “What about regular attire? You’d hardly want to wear your uniform to accompany Gwyn on her shopping jaunts, for example.”
“Oh, Lord,” Gwyn said. “He’ll be going with me on those, too?”
“As long as Malet is a threat,” Joshua said, “I will be going with you everywhere.” He returned his attention to the duke. “I have regular clothes that should be perfectly appropriate.” Granted, some of them might be moth-eaten and out of fashion, but he wasn’t about to admit that to Thornstock, duke or no.
“If you need a tailor,” the duke said, “let me know, and I can recommend one who can fit you out.”
Joshua fought the urge to laugh in his face. A tailor. Thornstock clearly hadn’t ever had to deal with a dearth of funds or he would realize how absurd his offer was. Lack of a reliable tailor was the least of Joshua’s problems. “Thank you.”
As if Lady Gwyn guessed the reason for Joshua’s terse reply, she said, “Or if you’d rather, one of my half brothers could loan you a few things.”
“I appreciate the thought,” he said. This conversation had begun to grate, and the one thing he must not do in front of these two was lose his temper. That would very quickly ruin any chance he had of going to London with them. “I do have one question for the duke. Where will I be residing while in town?”
The Bachelor Page 3
