“Oh, Your Grace, you fairly scared the life out of me,” she declared with unfeigned drama.
“Sorry, Rosie, I thought you were expecting me,” he grinned, unrepentant.
“Well, of course, I was,” she huffed. “I just was unsure how prompt you would be and I will admit I got caught up in this sketch.”
“You were always like that — you would get so wrapped up in whatever you were doing, even as a child. Your powers of concentration are admirable. And you really have become remarkably skilled with your art. I am impressed.”
Rose bit her lip to prevent the grin of delight that was threatening to break over her face at his awkward compliment. It was truly lamentable that he caused such unprecedented reactions in her. They had always been so comfortable with one another. She really did not think these fluttery feelings had anything to do with their families’ feud. It was most disconcerting. She cleared her throat in an effort to dispel the discomfort.
∞∞∞
Alex could see that Rose was uncomfortable with his presence. He was unsure if it were the reminders of their former friendship and intertwined childhood or if it was just him. Knowing she was uncomfortable, he thought he ought not to prolong the moment, but contrarily, he found that he would happily spend more time. He felt such a longing for their former closeness. Stifling a sigh, he got to the point.
“Have you been able to glean any information from Lady Anne?”
“I have, actually. You will be happy to learn that I think the lady is actually a rather sweet young woman who is not maliciously pursuing you. She has been persuaded by her father that her best chance at attaining an advantageous match is to entrap the gentleman of her choice. Lord Austen has convinced her that you are the best choice for her. He and Sir Broderick discussed together the qualifications of various gentlemen, according to Lady Anne. They agreed that you were the best choice because of your connections, she said. Anne is under the impression that her father means your family connections.”
“But you are not so sure about that, are you?”
“I really don’t think Sir Broderick cares who your relatives are. You are a prize because of your political connections.”
The slight emphasis she placed on the word political caused Alex to frown. “But I am new to my position in the House and have not been able to make many connections, as you call it. I am hardly a prize. Why would you say that?”
“But you are a duke,” she answered simply, which only made his frown deepen.
“But I am not royal,” he protested, still confused.
“All the better, as your pockets are decidedly not to let. As a duke, you are high enough on the power scale that people will listen to you, even if you are inexperienced. The fact that you are not royal will not matter. The royal dukes can rarely be bothered to pay any attention to the running of the country anyway. You are the next best thing. Your lack of real connections will probably make you even more attractive for one such as Broderick, as he would like to guide the choices you will make in where you will place your allegiance. Your deep pockets mean you will be able to accomplish whatever you set your mind to. The more I think on it, the more I see that you really would be a prize catch for someone like him.”
Alex could hear the sneer that she was obviously struggling to control and gazed at her with wonder as she continued. “It is a wretchedly perfect plan, actually. He will think you are easily influenced because you are young and inexperienced. Now is the perfect time to get their clutches into you. And how better than to do so through your wife?”
“But I do not have a wife,” Alex pointed out, still not understanding what she was getting at. He saw her eyes soften as she took in his confusion.
“Not yet, but that is what they are hoping to soon rectify.” Rose reached out a tentative hand to touch his. “I am so sorry, Alex, I should say, Your Grace. I wish I could have told you there was nothing to what I had overheard. Sadly, I fear that you are actually in grave danger.”
“They would not actually harm me, I am certain. Even if they should try, I am well able to look after myself.”
“If it were a fair fight, I fully believe that you could look after yourself. But Broderick would never fight fair. He will use what he considers your weaknesses against you. One of those is the fact that you are a gentleman. That is why it is a perfect plot. All Lady Anne has to do is ensure you are caught in a compromising situation and no matter the truth of the matter, you will feel honour bound to offer for her.”
“But what makes them think that even if I fell for the ruse I would be willing to be their pawn?”
“He can be very manipulative,” Rose answered with a simple shrug.
Alex felt his eyes narrow into suspicion. “How do you know all this? I am beginning to get the feeling you know a whole lot more than you are letting on. Out with it, Rosie. Tell me what you know about Lord Austen and Sir Broderick.”
The colour ebbed and flowed over Rose’s face, and Alex was further convinced she was keeping things from him. His frustration grew when she shook her head and refused to answer him. She merely had a question of her own.
“What about you, Your Grace, were you able to find out anything from your men of affairs or your solicitors? Perhaps I am completely off the mark. Maybe they really are after you for revenge for some perceived wrong you might have done one of them.”
Alex did not take offense, as he saw the amused gleam in her eyes over her own words. “Unfortunately, none of my advisors could enlighten me in the least. Your words are the only ones that have made even a little bit of sense. Unfortunately, they do not bring me to a complete understanding. You really do need to enlighten me.”
“Actually, I do not owe you anything, Your Grace. I have done more than my duty by warning you and then trying to gain more information. The rest will be up to you. I can have no more involvement with you.”
“Why ever not, Rosie? You have gone this far, surely you would want to see it to the end.”
“It matters not,” Rose insisted, verging on belligerence, much to Alex’s consternation.
“What has gotten into you? You were perfectly pleasant just a few minutes ago. This would seem to be right in your wheelhouse. With your managing ways, I would think you would love to be involved. Now you look as though you would happily walk away and never set eyes on me for the rest of your days. Have I done something to offend you?”
∞∞∞
Now Rose felt about as high as a toad. She could not reveal all that she knew. She would rather him think it was because of the feud than for him to have a disgust of her. And surely, he would do so if he ever came to find out how she knew all that she did about Sir Broderick.
“I am sorry, Your Grace, you shall have to fend for yourself from now on. I have told you all I know about Lady Anne and her schemes. If you are careful to avoid her and make sure you are never in a situation where she could arrange for the two of you to be alone together, you should be able to avoid this trap altogether.”
“But Rosamund, think on it for a moment. For one thing, how can I possibly live with this hanging over me like a guillotine about to strike and leave me headless? And for another, if I manage to escape her clutches and you are correct in your reasoning as to their motivations, will they not simply set their sights on someone else for whatever their ultimate schemes are? Do you not want to foil their efforts completely? If he is as nefarious as you make him sound, should we not endeavour to eliminate him as a threat to our nation?”
Rose felt her gaze arrested upon his words. He had an excellent point. Broderick did need to be stopped, or at least contained. It would be best if someone with some sort of power or ability could ascertain what his ultimate plan was. She had no doubt that the man was up to no good, but she was in no position to be able to do anything about it. And her father would definitely insist on hearing the entire story. But she so did not want to tell Alex about the Vienna part of her tale. And her knowledge of the one was so i
ntertwined with the other.
Her conflicted feelings must have clearly shown on her face because Alex pressed his advantage. His face softened as his eyes searched hers. “Tell me, Rosie, what worries you? Why can you not confide in me on this? I swear to you, I will not reveal any of your secrets.”
Rose wavered in her convictions. “I do trust you, Alex, Your Grace,” she started, stammering a little as her throat clogged with her feelings. “It is not only my secrets that I keep. And I know you, Alex. You hate secrets and anything that smacks of subterfuge. I cherish the memories of our childhood friendship, despite the difficulty that now exists between our families. If I tell you everything, I fear that our memories will be tainted.”
She felt her blush rising in her cheeks and her breath hitched in her throat once more as Alex reached out a tentative finger and tilted her chin to force her to look him in the eye.
“The Rosie I knew would never keep a secret from me, and that was all I ever cared about. I know you, just as you know me. It is true that I hate any falsehood. You know the reasons why. Even though three years have passed, I know you could not have changed overmuch and you are nothing like my father. Any secrets or subterfuge you may have been a party to, I trust that there was a good enough reason to merit your involvement. You can trust me to maintain a sufficiently open mind that I would not judge you harshly without getting all the facts.”
Tears welled in Rose’s eyes and she threw herself into Alex’s arms. She felt safe and warm as his arms closed tightly around her. She allowed her tears to flow for a moment and basked in the rightness of the sensation before comfort blended into deeper, warmer feelings, and she drew back abruptly as the butterflies took up their fluttering once more in her belly. Feeling her cheeks heating fiercely she pushed herself from his arms.
∞∞∞
“I apologize, Your Grace. That was highly improper and forward of me. I assure you wholeheartedly that I am not imitating Lady Anne’s strategy and trying to entrap you myself.”
“Perish the thought,” was Alex’s dry reply. He let her go with reluctance, gratified to see that the bonds of their friendship were still truly there. It was going to be a challenge, but he determined in that moment that he was going to find a way to preserve their relationship in the future. “Have I reassured you enough for you to unburden yourself?”
“How did you know it is burdening me? I thought I was doing such a good job of keeping my troubles to myself.”
“You are,” he soothed. “Up until this moment, I was not certain that you were troubled. But I surmised your tears were of relief, and while I have a sufficiently good opinion of myself, I do not think your relief was merely due to my promise not to judge you. You have always been of strong enough character that you would defy my thoughts if they were not to your liking.”
Rose grinned over his words. “You are quite right, Your Grace.” She stuck to formality despite the unorthodox partnership they were sharing. Alex had to struggle to keep from growling his frustration.
“What parts am I right about?”
Now Rose allowed a watery chuckle to escape her throat. “All of it really, Your Grace. I am relieved by your promise to hear me out. But of greater relief is the prospect of sharing my concerns with someone. Particularly someone who is in a position to help, or at least someone who can strategize with me as to what is to be done.” Rose heaved a sigh. “The trouble is that it is such a complicated situation, and I do not think I have the time to explain it all.”
“I understand. Start with the basics. If need be, we can meet again.”
A soft, wistful smile now graced Rose’s lips, and it was Alex’s turn to feel the breath catch in his throat at the sight. She reached out a tentative hand and placed it gently on his sleeve. “Thank you, Alex. You have no idea how much I appreciate your offer. I know it cannot be comfortable for you to have me around. To offer to spend even more time in my presence is truly generous of you.”
Alex kept his smile contained, not wishing to reveal how little of a challenge it was for him to spend any time with her. “You had best get started — your maid will be coming to fetch you before long.”
This caused Rose to glance around the large, empty room. “She is the only one I have trusted with this information, to be honest with you, Your Grace, so I have no concerns about her return, aside from the lecture she will no doubt feel the need to give me for divulging my secrets to another.” Rose again looked around with concern. “Do you think we will be overheard, Your Grace?”
“I really do wish you would stop calling me ‘Your Grace’ at every turn,” Alex complained, but did not dwell on the matter. “To be perfectly honest with you, at this hour of the morning I do not think we need fear the presence of anyone who would care to eavesdrop on our conversation. I have not seen anyone about the entire time we have been talking.”
“All right, if you are sure.”
Rose still looked hesitant, so Alex reached out and clasped her hand between both of his. “I am sure.”
“After the tragedy,” Rose began rather shakily. She paused to gather her thoughts, grateful that Alex gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. After clearing her throat, she tried again. “As you know, my father is a diplomat representing our government’s interests in negotiations with other governments. Usually, my mother would remain at home with us children while Father would be away for months on end. After the tragedy, it was decided that we would accompany my father to Vienna. There was to be a Congress of all the great nations to negotiate a means of maintaining peace, instead of the constant warring that has been taking place for the past twenty years or so.”
Rose again paused, wracking her brain as to how to continue. Alex encouraged her with his quiet words. “Did you enjoy Vienna?”
“Very much so,” she began with more enthusiasm. “It is such a beautiful city. It was a good distraction from the troubles in our family. We had left my little brother at school at first, so it was just my parents and me. My mother was prostrate with her grief at first. It gave me the opportunity to get to know my father a little better, since I had so rarely spent any time with him in years prior.
“He confided in me his worries over the Congress and interested me in the negotiations. I found it fascinating. I so wanted to be of assistance to him as he, too, was weighed down with his grief, besides the weight of the government’s expectations. It turned out that so much of the negotiating was done in the drawing rooms and ballrooms of the wellborn Society that had accompanied the negotiators. I finally found a way to be of assistance to my father.” Rose blushed and hesitated before continuing. “I imagined that I was doing my part for the king. In hindsight it is rather silly, and I did not have much of an influence on any outcomes, but at the time it felt so very serious.”
“What did, Rosie, my dear?” Alex prompted, hoping she would be able to get over her nerves and get to the point.
“I became the ears for my father. So many would clam up if Lord Smythe was in the room, but Miss Rosamund was just a girl with nothing between her ears but the latest fashions or the newest dances. Many things could be discussed, particularly in foreign languages, sotto voce, of course, but out in the open. Little did anyone know that languages were my forte, and that I really could not give a fig about the cut of anyone’s dress. The dances were another story of course—being in Vienna was marvellous for the dancing. London has nothing on Vienna for that, I am sorry to say.”
“What sort of things did you hear and pass on to your father, Rose? Does it have some bearing on our current situation?” Alex was enjoying hearing her ramble but knew their time was running out.
“When Tallyrand arrived in Vienna, the atmosphere changed. He forced his way to the negotiating table for France. That man is as slippery as an eel, and I would not trust him with my worst enemy, let alone my best friend. Sir Broderick became associates with him. I am not sure how Sir Broderick even got involved with the Congress, but he insinuated himself into
as many situations as he could. Procuring invitations to every social event and toadying to the hostesses. He became quite popular, especially with the French and the Germans.”
Rose took another deep breath to steady her nerves before getting to the crux of the matter. “One evening, at an event much like the musicale, I was again sitting near some sort of a shrubby fern or something, mayhap I was obscured from view, I assure you it was not by design.”
“It is all right, Rosie, get on with it. I promise you, I am not disgusted yet, and do not see that eventuality coming.”
Rose grinned over Alex’s choice of words and did get on with it. “I overheard Broderick and Tallyrand scheming how to ensure France did not have to give over too much territory to England. I cannot tell you how I managed to maintain my composure and not reveal that I was there and hearing what was being said. I have never in all my days been witness to such treachery and I hope to never again be forced to do so. I listened for all I was worth to the scheme they were concocting. After they were gone, I made my way as discreetly as possible to Father’s side and indicated I needed to retire for the evening. On the drive to our home I told him all that I had heard. He was able to mitigate their schemes to a certain extent, but Tallyrand still managed to gain so much power for France. And Broderick remains free to concoct more schemes. From what I understand, he argued that he was trying to ensure that we remained fully informed by playing a double agent. I do not believe that for a single second. Double dealing is his favourite game, and he is up to his old tricks here and now, and somehow he has decided to involve you.” By the end of this speech Rose was worked up and agitated over the entire messy situation.
The Duke Conspiracy: A Sweet Regency Romance Adventure (Mayfair Mayhem Book 1) Page 14
