Confessions of Lady Grace

by Rachel Ann Smith

  He didn’t need Grace by his side to tell him the woman’s features were strained with concern.

  Theo continued, “As long as I’ve known you, you have always done what is right. And I also can tell when you are up to no good. Revenge will not give you peace.” She released a sigh.

  His jaw clenched, and he focused on the flames before him. “It’s not peace I seek.”

  “Then what?” Theo’s skirts shifted. “What type of revenge do you mean to extract from Burke? Why wait for the season to begin before executing your plan? You allowed Burke additional time to aggregate his resources. You have placed Grace in grave danger.”

  Every question and statement Theo threw at him arrowed into his gut. He had no clue how to address her litany of questions. Matthew wanted Burke to suffer as he had, experience the devastation he had caused others to experience. Ultimately, Matthew wanted the man dead. He had no intention of placing those he loved in danger. But Theo was right—he had placed Grace in danger the moment he decided to leave for the Continent.

  A mixture of guilt and anger spurred his reply, “She didn’t appear to be in any danger last night with Ellingsworth by her side.”

  “You are a fool. Grace was blackmailed into the betrothal. Who do you think obtained the necessary information for your rescue?” Theo tugged at his arm until he turned to face her.

  “Archbroke, of course.” A terrible knot formed in his stomach as her features set in disbelief told him he was wrong.

  Theo’s eyes raked over him as if she wasn’t sure who he was. She blinked and shook her head. “Granted, my husband is a genius, but it wasn’t he who left the security of home and went searching for you on the Continent.” After a long sigh, Theo continued, “Grace discovered Burke was the one behind Devonton’s kidnapping and the missing crown jewels. She realized the potential danger. She, along with her aunt, left right after Lucy’s wedding in the hopes of finding you first. When Grace learned Burke meant to be rid of you once and for all, she took matters into her own hands.”

  What was Theo saying—that Grace had ventured across the channel in search of him? That she had negotiated her hand in marriage for his safe return?

  Matthew’s head ached. Why had the woman done such a thing? Grace’s musical voice filtered through his mind—Because I love you. The same sweet words she had uttered the night she had given her innocence to him. The phrase that had given him the strength to endure the beatings and survive his captivity.

  Matthew flinched as Theo placed a hand on his arm. Her tone softened as she continued, “Burke discovered it was you who shut down every one of his underhanded money-making schemes. There were whispers he was orchestrating your demise. Plans were hastened when you made your way to France.”

  Impossible. The events Theo described would have placed many at risk. “Grace left Flarinton and went in search of me?”

  Theo emitted a growl. “Yes. Have you not been listening to me? Grace returned home distraught after discovering you were being held captive, and that only Burke held the answers.” She angled her head to fully capture his gaze. “Her actions came as no surprise to any of us. Why are you in shock?”

  Leaving Theo to stand alone by the dying fire, Matthew paced about the room. “You are telling me that Grace left the Foreign Office devoid of a leader. Made the treacherous journey across the channel. Traveled the Continent. Agreed to deals with the devil. Madness—utter madness.” He came to a stop and faced Theo, who had her arms crossed and was briskly rubbing her bare skin. “Why did no one stop her?”

  “No one stopped Lucy when she went to Devonton’s rescue.” Theo took a seat upon the settee and arranged her skirts as if they were merely talking of the weather or of some other trivial matter. But when she returned her gaze to his, her eyes were sad and serious. “If it had been Archbroke in your place, no one would have been able to prevent me from taking the same actions. I need to know, if you have no plans to hand over the crown jewels to my husband, what do you intend to do with them?”

  When he remained silent, Theo said, “Sit.”

  She pointed to the wingback chair directly opposite her. He hated having his back to a door, but sunk into the chair, relieved to be off his feet for a moment.

  “How can I assist you if you will not share your plans with me?” Theo asked.

  “I didn’t ask for your assistance, nor will I.”

  Through narrowed eyes, Theo said, “You need help. You have no idea of what and whom you are up against.”

  The air hung heavy between them. “Burke is a lord, as am I. While he may hold the privy position of Crown counsel, I too am well respected at court.”

  Theo stiffened. “You and Burke are not the same. Burke…”

  Matthew finished her sentence, “Burke is not the only one with a network of supporters.”

  “And what do you know of Burke and his network?”

  Theo’s ambiguous tone was one she rarely used with him but one that put him on high alert.

  Matthew answered, “While I’m not a genius like your husband, I am fully capable of devising a stratagem that will succeed.”

  “Then share this brilliant plan of yours.”

  “Are you mad? I will not involve a woman who is enceinte.”

  “I might be breeding, but that doesn’t prevent my brain from working.” Theo leaned forward and whispered, “What if I were able to arrange matters so that no one would attempt to remove the jewels from your possession?”

  “How could you possibly convince Archbroke to leave off?”

  Theo wagged her eyebrows at him. Surely Theo wasn’t hinting at using seduction to persuade her husband. Grace had never used her wiles to ply information or seek a boon from him. No, she had other methods to gain those from him. Matthew cleared his throat and said, “Like I said before, I do not need your assistance.”

  The patter of Theo’s toe tapping beneath her skirts indicated she was thinking. “Very well. I’ll speak to Landon and have him deal with Archbroke.” She stared at Matthew and said, “If the most logical players were kept unaware of your plans, Burke might too be caught off guard. Tell me, what is your plan?”

  “Not until after Archbroke provides the information I’ve requested.”

  Theo’s head tilted to the side. “What are you carrying on about?”

  He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “My investigations into Burke’s artifact scheme brought to light information concerning what I had once regarded a mere children’s fable. But there are signs all over Britain, if one looks closely enough, that would indicate the existence of a secret network of families who swear to protect the royal family—three families who have been honor-bound for generations to protect the Crown.”

  Since his return, Archbroke had skillfully evaded Matthew’s inquires. It remained a point of frustration with his superior and admittedly had been part of the reason which had led Matthew to his rash decision to leave for the Continent. To leave Grace.

  Theo lowered her gaze and shifted back, resting against the arm of the settee. Interesting—she was not so chatty now. Theo shivered. Was she cold, or had the mention of the PORFs caused her unease?

  Matthew walked over to check that the windows were sealed. “Do you believe in the tale of the PORFs, the honorable families sworn to serve in secrecy?” He found one window cracked open and slammed it closed.

  Theo jumped. Agitated, she asked, “What has this to do with the crown jewels you have in your possession?”

  Instead of returning to sit in the winged chair, Matthew sat next to Theo on the settee and turned to face her. Oddly, she refused to make eye contact.

  Matthew said, “I discovered that long ago—I’m speaking of generations ago, not a few years—the power among the three families was not divided equally as it is today.” He’d been told it was a child’s fairy tale so many times it was only fitting he began his findings with, “Once upon a time, there were three loyal families who were devoted to the protection
of the Crown. One day the king decided to have a coin fashioned out of gold. He summoned the three lords, who were called PORFs. The king declared the holder of the coin would wield full control over all PORFs and the network sworn to serve them. The king threw the coin in the air, and the three men scrambled to take possession. And for decades, the three families fought among themselves for possession of the coin. Countless lives were lost in the fight for power until one day three sons, one from each family, made a pact and swore that if any of them were to come into possession of the coin, he would hide it from all and never reveal its existence or disclose where it was hidden.”

  He enjoyed telling the facts he and Grace had accumulated over the years which he had woven into a story during the countless nights of boredom while in captivity.

  “Matthew, we are too old for fairy tales. Get to the point.”

  With a sigh, he continued, “Our king believes in such fairy tales. I believe he discovered the coin among the crown jewels, and—not in a fit of madness, but in a moment of clarity—he ordered them to be buried on the Continent.”

  “Who told you such an outlandish story?”

  “No one. I’ve been investigating the existence of PORFs from a young age. Ever since Baldwin dared me to prove it to him.” He intentionally left out Grace’s involvement.

  “Why would my brother issue such a dare?”

  “We were but maybe eleven or twelve, that’s what boys do at that age. But once I began looking for evidence, I found clues that were actually in plain sight if you knew what to look for. I hypothesize, Burke too, found out about the existence of the coin among the crown jewels and sought out your brother’s assistance to find them.”

  “Baldwin never mentioned any of this to me when he was alive.”

  “Of course, not. Your brother would not want to endanger you in any way. But I suspect he had an inkling that Burke was up to no good.” He didn’t want to tell Theo his theory that Burke was behind Baldwin’s death, but when Theo looked directly at him, he didn’t have to say the words.

  Her cheeks shone a bright red color. She was of an even temperament, slow to anger, but once angered, she did not forgive or forget.

  Theo said, “You suspect Burke was after the coin, and when Baldwin found it, Burke had him killed.”

  “Yes.”

  “And you suspect Burke to be a PORF?”

  “Yes.”

  Theo gave no indication or clue to confirm Archbroke was indeed a PORF.

  She rose from the settee. “If you do not succeed in burying Burke, I will.”

  He grabbed Theo’s hand as he stood. “You can’t involve yourself; it is too dangerous.”

  “Then, we shall have to work together.”

  Damnation—he would have to share his plans with Theo after all.

  Chapter Eleven

  Grace approached Gunter’s tea shop, her footmen on her heels. Over her shoulder, she ordered, “Take Tilman around to the back and order ices for yourselves. My meeting with Archbroke shan’t be overly long.”

  Archbroke had a particular fondness for lemon ices and routinely visited the establishment in the afternoons. Grace counted on the man’s preference to stick to the daily routine. Taking the parchment with Gunter’s tea shop selections for the day from a server, Grace searched the crowd. No sign of Archbroke. Yet.

  Head bent; Grace reviewed the list. Lemon. She shook her head. Eww. The tart flavor was offered every day without fail. No doubt it was due to the fact it was Archbroke’s favorite.

  Tapping the edge of the paper with her forefinger, her eyes were drawn to the corner where the letter G was incorporated into an intricate design that Matthew would be most interested in. Granted, she had assisted Matthew in his search for the identity of the mysterious PORFs and their elaborate underground network, but it didn’t mean she believed in their existence. She stared at the seal. Years ago, Matthew had formed the theory that both Burke and Archbroke were PORFs, but he hadn’t managed to determine to his satisfaction who the third family was. If Archbroke was a PORF, why had he assigned Matthew, a Home Office agent, to meticulously take down each and every one of Burke’s schemes instead of someone within the secret network? Her breath caught in her chest for a moment. If Burke was a PORF, that meant Tobias was one too.

  A shadow fell over the parchment. “I recommend lemon.” Archbroke chuckled as Grace startled at the sound of his voice.

  Annoyingly, the man was as stealthy as Matthew, yet Archbroke rarely employed the talent. She lowered the parchment in her hand to find Archbroke grinning down at her. “I prefer the peppermint. However, it’s not being offered today.”

  Archbroke snatched the list from her hands and signaled for a server. As soon as the harried server was within hearing. Archbroke said, “One lemon and one peppermint.”

  With a nod, the server rushed away to see to their order.

  “How is that poor footman to retrieve a flavor that is not available?”

  “Not to worry. He’ll find a way. Trust me.”

  Grace leaned closer. “I do.” She glanced about. No one was within hearing. “Papa wishes Jones to be reassigned to the docks.”

  “I’ll take it under advisement.”

  It wasn’t a confirmation he’d see to it, nor was it a decline. Which meant unless there was a sound reason not to Archbroke would have Jones carry out the assignment. Now that she had seen to matters, she was eager to leave. Matthew could return at any moment, and she wanted to be waiting for him at the gazebo. Grace had sensed the moment Matthew had decided to leave her alone with Tobias. She needed to speak with him in person, but if she wasn’t present when he arrived, at best, he’d leave a note in the wall.

  Archbroke tugged on his waistcoat, “You can’t leave before your ice arrives. I’m sure the lad is going to extremes to ensure the order is to your liking.”

  Blast the Home Secretary—he was nearly as good as her at reading body language.

  His movement drew Grace’s attention to his attire. His dandy threads of high-tip collars and extravagant amounts of lace about the cuffs were long gone. While Theo had seen to it that he now wore outfits that were conservative in cut, the color of his waistcoats remained questionable. Archbroke was often seen in the awful shade he called gamboge. She never understood why Archbroke favored the abhorrent shade of orange. When he wore such a color before he married, the man reminded her of the round citrus fruit.

  While they waited for their order, Grace decided to share the riddle Tobias shared with her last eve. “Archbroke, humor me and play along. Knock. Knock.”

  “Beg pardon?” His gaze sharpened and scanned the few patrons close by.

  No one paid them any heed. Grace pressed on and said, “You say ‘who’s there.’”

  It was the first time she’d managed to catch Archbroke totally off guard. She smiled and began again, “Knock. Knock.”

  “Who’s there?”

  Grace answered, “Banana.”

  Archbroke arched an eyebrow and merely stared at her.

  “You say, ‘Banana, who’”

  At Archbroke’s contorted features Grace swallow the burst of laughter that threatened to escape. She tried again. “Knock. Knock.”

  Archbroke replied, “Banana, who?”

  Grace released a sigh. “Not banana who! First, you respond who’s there. If being married dulls a person’s wit, I shall have to tell Ellingsworth the marriage is off.”

  “Marriage has nothing to do with this silly game.”

  Grace, nonplussed by Archbroke’s comment, said, “It isn’t a game. It’s a joke. Let’s try again, shall we? Knock. Knock.”

  “Who’s there?”

  “Banana.”

  “Banana who?”

  Ah, finally, the man had caught on.

  Grace continued, “Knock. Knock.”

  “Who’s there?

  “Orange.”

  Archbroke frowned but asked, “Orange who?”

  “Orange you glad I didn�
�t say banana?”

  A chuckle escaped Archbroke’s lips. “I’ll have to regale that one to my niece. She will enjoy the play on words.”

  The young server reappeared, cheeks flushed and wearing a barely visible satisfied grin. Grace’s mouth briefly gaped in surprise as she accepted a bowl of green-colored ice.

  She said, “It is rather interesting how things come about.”

  “Who told you such a clever riddle?” Archbroke asked.

  As he spooned a mound of lemon ice into his mouth, Grace answered, “Ellingsworth.” She released the most unladylike snort-chuckle combination at the sight of Archbroke’s cheeks sucked in, mouth puckered, and raised eyebrows. Regaining her composure, she said, “Actually, the two of you have a lot in common.”

  “Is that a fact?”

  “Ah… Hmm.” Grace let the peppermint flavor soak into her tongue. It reminded her of Matthew’s first kiss. Did Matthew still carry peppermint treats in his pocket? She needed to hurry and finish her ice and return home. Blinking her eyes open, she expanded upon her answer, “Yes, you both utilize the ton’s gossips to hide your true nature. You are no dandy, and Ellingsworth is by no means a dullard.” In her haste to leave, Grace swallowed a rather large spoon full of ice. She gave her head a slight shake and found Archbroke staring down at her. Spoon held halfway to her mouth, she continued, “And then there is the matter of your family—”

  Archbroke’s cutting stare cut off the rest of Grace’s sentence. In a tone that sent chills through Grace, he said, “Enough. This is not the location to discuss such matters.”

  Assessing Archbroke’s hard ice-blue eyes, Grace realized the man had never genuinely attempted to intimidate Grace until now. His extreme reaction solidified Matthew’s suspicions. Information from a reliable source indicated a power shift had occurred among the PORFs. She was told the upheaval could resort in deadly consequences for PORFs. If Archbroke was really a PORF, then he and Theo could be in danger.

  Returning the spoonful of uneaten ice to her bowl, Grace steeled herself and said, “My sources have reported an increased amount of interest and chatter regarding a certain children’s story since your cousin by marriage returned from the Continent.”