A Whisper of Treason

by Connolly, Lynne

  “Was she a maid?”

  “No.” The duke frowned, touched his lip with the tip of his thumb. “Mariella Passero is—was—a courtesan. She paints heavily and she wears extravagant clothes in society.”

  The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it. “Society?”

  Trensom shrugged. “Not polite society, but she has her court.”

  It had to be asked. “Is she yours?”

  Trensom shot him a disgusted glare. “And you thought I’d invite my wife here to meet her? No, indeed. She sent me a note early this morning, before I was awake, asking to meet me here at eight.”

  As if taking a cue, the clock of the nearby church struck the three-quarter hour. “When I told Matilda, she insisted she would come, too.” When Adam would have spoken, he held up a hand to forestall him. “No, not to ensure I did not engage with her. To lend me countenance and prevent gossip. I also sent to you, too, so you could hear whatever she had to say. She said she had information for me, and I would pay for it. I did not detail that in my message to you. I assumed you would come.”

  Adam believed him. Trensom loved his wife dearly, too much to set up a mistress. “How did you meet her?”

  “When we first arrived in Rome, I received an invitation to a gentleman’s gathering. I thought it was the convivial club kind, but it turned out not to be so. Far more convivial than that. I left as soon as I could. The women were there to choose their next protectors. I’m afraid I was a sad disappointment for them when they thought they’d landed fresh meat.”

  Trensom gave a tight smile. It did not last long, fading when he glanced at the body on the steps. “She is not a common prostitute, but neither is she the kind of courtesan that can afford to be exclusive to one man. But she was looking for a protector.”

  He spoke without rancor. Adam knew what he meant. Women had few ways of making a decent living, so some chose the indecent route. So, a courtesan. “Perhaps she heard something, or saw something. Did Signora Passero hint at her business with you this morning?”

  “Yes.” He cleared his throat. “She said it concerned Bolsover.”

  Adam hissed through his teeth.

  People were gathering now, huddling closer to view the spectacle. The woman was gathering as much attention dead as she had when alive. Courtesans and whores arrived out of nowhere when British gentlemen arrived in town. Like Trensom, he’d made it clear he was not interested.

  “I have something else for you.” Trensom patted his pocket. “The license and a clergyman. This unfortunate event cannot delay it, and you must know that. You will marry Delphi, and right quick. I will not have any gossip aimed at her. She’s suffered enough already.”

  Adam nodded. “I have every intention of marrying her as soon as is humanly possible.”

  Even more now that he’d been reminded of the briefness of human existence. Whatever life remained to him, he wanted Delphi at his side.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Much to her surprise, Delphi slept like a log in the pretty bed assigned to her. In the morning, she could look on the future with equanimity and not a little excitement.

  The clock on the mantel tinkled the hour. Six o’clock. She hadn’t woken that early since she’d lived in Bunhill Row, but the day was bright and fresh and inviting. She flung back the covers and called for her maid.

  Her luggage had arrived, together with Rossi, her Italian maid, so she could make a decent toilet. Rossi was tall, black-haired and had the olive complexion of many Roman citizens. Her English was excellent, as she had served many of the British visitors to Rome.

  Rossi arrayed Delphi in a robe anglaise in the palest of pinks, a color that went well with her dark hair and pale complexion. The gown went on over her head, the skirt closed so her petticoat didn’t show. French lace at her elbows and neckline added refinement and a pretty stomacher decorated with bows of descending size added a touch of frivolity. Although the style of gown was much the same as she had always worn, the fabrics were finer, more delicate, even pretty. However, she remembered to tuck her spectacles case into her pocket. She would have some close work to do today, and working on texts for long periods without her glasses led to headaches.

  Delphi considered her reflection, posing and laughing before she went down to find some breakfast.

  Last night, Adam had flirted and gossiped with her at dinner, refusing to be serious. “We have discussed all we can. Let us both have an hour or two’s respite,” he’d said. He’d even refused to give her the coded note, holding it back when she would have taken it to her room. “Time enough for that. You look peaky. I want you rested, and since I can’t share your bed just yet, I will do everything I can to ensure it. I’ll lock it in the desk drawer in the book room. You may have a key if you promise not to go down before morning.”

  The reference to their married state did not discomfit her. Rather the opposite. Where she would have dreaded the night with any other man, she looked forward to sharing the experience with Adam. He had refinement, delicacy, as well as strength. He excited her.

  Her sister, Dorcas, had married a man considered by many to be a brute. What would her wedding night have been like?

  Delphi shuddered, but concluded that if Dorcas hadn’t wanted it, she wouldn’t have married the giant who was the Duke of Blackridge.

  When she entered the cozy breakfast parlor, she found her husband-to-be had been there before her. Delphi was conscious of a sinking feeling in the vicinity of her stomach. She need not deny she had been looking forward to seeing him.

  A note sat next to her plate. She unfolded it to discover that Adam had gone down to Trajan’s Column to meet Trensom. She felt cheated, but she’d see him soon enough. Besides, she had plenty to do with the coded note.

  After a light breakfast, she asked Heath the way to the book room. There, she found plenty of Latin grammars and texts she could use to try to solve the puzzle. She opened the drawer, found the note, gathered paper and ink, and set to work.

  When a tap came on the door, she did not answer immediately. Something had struck her, and she did not want to break her concentration. But when she’d finished, she covered her work with a clean sheet of paper and set a smile on her face. “Come!”

  Heath appeared. “There is a gentleman to see you, my lady.”

  “What? I mean who?” Heath would hardly refer to Adam or Trensom in that way.

  Silently, Heath handed her a card. He hadn’t used a salver. The left corner was turned down, meaning whoever had called waited for an answer. She read the name on the card. “Lord Joshua Stuart? Did he say what he wanted?”

  “No, my lady, but he appeared a trifle agitated. He said he must see you most urgently.”

  “Ah. And his grace is still out?”

  Heath bowed his head in assent. His face was graven into still lines, giving Delphi no clue what he thought of this visit.

  Lord Joshua was a sweet, kind man Delphi considered a friend. He held no danger for her, she was sure. And he could have some information for her. That was what his message sounded like.

  She made up her mind. Adam had made her promise not to leave the house, but he hadn’t spoken of visitors.

  “I’ll see him. Show him into the drawing room and have tea served in ten minutes, if you please.”

  “Yes my lady. I would advise that you do not see the gentleman alone.”

  “I doubt he’ll try to compromise me,” she snapped. “He’s a friend. He might have news for us.”

  A small crease appeared between the majordomo’s brows, but he did not demur, but bowed to her and left.

  She waited. The drawing room was a floor up from this book room. This tall house had fewer rooms on each floor and the landing was square rather than a long rectangle.

  The floor below this was the plain reception area, the shabby part of the house with the nearly bare entrance. Below that, partly below ground, with the Spanish Steps overhead, was the kitchen area, with that small, secretive entranc
e into the alley. Above her lay the drawing room and a couple of others. The house widened at this point. A small balcony overlooked the Steps that she would love to use, but could not. Then the room with the master bedroom, and above that, two guest bedrooms.

  Footsteps passed by the book room and went upstairs. Only then did she lock the coded letter back in the drawer and leave the room. She nodded to the footman on the landing and turned to lock the door. “Stay outside the drawing room, please, where you can hear me if I call.” Adam would have to be satisfied with that.

  The lined face of this man creased into what she assumed was a smile. This man had not been hired for his looks. “Yes, my lady,” he said, but with warmth. In time, she’d get to know the politics of below stairs, such as it was, but Adam employed few servants here. In London he surrounded himself with them, ensuring nobody came near him that he did not want to, and adding to his ducal grandeur. Not so much here.

  The footman, whose name, she recalled, was Frith, was wearing the blue and silver livery of Adam’s household. Adam must have decided on the nod to rank today. She suspected she knew why, and the thought sent tingles through her whole body. Their wedding. Her stomach jumped.

  He let her precede him up the stairs. Her silks rustled, making her glad she’d dressed well today, instead of in the old clothes she used when she settled to studying. She’d wanted to look pretty for Adam, she admitted.

  Still smiling, she allowed Frith to open the door for her, and she sailed in.

  As required, Delphi curtseyed, allowing herself a close look at his face as she rose.

  Heath was right. Lord Joshua appeared on edge. His mouth was pinched, and he moved stiffly, as if forcing himself to behave normally. “So it’s true,” he snapped.

  “What is true?”

  “That you’re living in sin with Kilsyth.”

  Delphi shook her head, trying to make some sense of his words. “Living in sin? Really? Is that the best you can do?”

  “You should not.”

  “How did you hear this?”

  “From Eliz—the Duchess of Beauchamp.”

  The news did not surprise Delphi. “Did she mention that his grace and I are marrying?”

  “Yes. And that is worse.” He wrung his hands. “Delphi, you should not do this. The man is a roué, he has always been one. There isn’t a woman in London he has not had relations with, and I assume he is halfway through the female population of Rome. I am sorry to speak so frankly, but the news concerns me deeply. Lady Delphi, I have come to consider you a dear friend. I care for your safety and your well-being.”

  “Thank you. You are a friend, too, otherwise I wouldn’t have agreed to meet with you privately. I have asked them to bring tea in ten minutes, and I will insist on leaving the door open. I cannot see you again like this. But I appreciate your concern, my friend, even though it is misplaced.”

  “You’re not here under duress?”

  That gave her a streak of amusement, and she showed it, laughing before she answered him. “Of course not. This is what I want to do.”

  “I am shocked that the Duke of Trensom has allowed it.”

  “You sound like a maiden aunt.”

  The only maiden aunt she’d known well had been Matilda, and her ideas of propriety were decidedly broad-minded. Delphi received the attention due her as a single, unmarried lady, but given the freedom of being able to think for herself and use her common sense—as she was doing now.

  “If a maiden aunt cared for you, she would insist on your return,” he answered. “Truly, Delphi, I am concerned that you have nobody to care for you. Your aunt seems to have far too free an idea of what should be allowed a delicate spinster.”

  Delphi glanced around, and then touched her chest, her fingers fluttering against the lace. “You mean me? Goodness, Lord Joshua, I thought you knew me better than that. I may not be married—yet—but I have never been particularly sheltered. I learned early, and well. I am not so delicate, dear sir. And by the way, the Duchess of Trensom is not my aunt.”

  “Nevertheless, you are unmarried and in possession of a considerable fortune. Have you considered that marrying without a contract will throw you entirely on your husband’s mercy?”

  Despite her annoyance, his concern for her touched Delphi. For that, she would be tolerant and try to be kind. “We have discussed that, and I couldn’t be less interested. Adam has much more than I do.”

  She didn’t see what her marriage contract had to do with anyone outside the family. She refused to discuss that with Lord Joshua.

  His mouth twitched, no doubt because of her deliberate use of her betrothed’s first name. Let him think what he would. It would not matter soon because she’d be a married lady.

  “He does not have as much as you imagine.”

  “We won’t starve.”

  “But you could be much more comfortable.”

  She couldn’t think of a suitable answer to this, so she just cocked a brow.

  He plowed on. “With someone else.”

  Ah.

  She tried to head him off. “But surely, now that I have made the decision and taken this step, it is too late to change.”

  Even if she wanted to, she added, but didn’t say that part aloud.

  He met her eyes boldly. “Surely you cannot wish to throw yourself away on this man? He’s a traitor, a disgrace to his country.”

  Were people saying that about him? “Where did you hear that?”

  Pink heat flushed up from his throat to his face. “The Duchess of Beauchamp and I are old friends. She is concerned for you, dear Delphi.”

  His voice ran on, nervously running like a babbling brook.

  Was that how the wind was blowing? “She says she’s concerned? I’m sure that’s very kind of her, especially considering she has shown nothing but antipathy to us since we arrived in Mayfair.”

  “Now that she has found her place in the world, she holds no rancor. She is very concerned for you. If you decided to break with Kilsyth, I am sure you would find a friend in her.”

  Gracious? Concerned? Not the woman Delphi knew. Vicious, a spreader of spiteful gossip, a woman who resented the Dersinghams and would not give up her vendetta against them.

  “How did the duchess discover my whereabouts?” she demanded. They had not made a fuss about the move. It would have been the opposite to what they intended.

  “Hmm? After yesterday, people were curious. I must say, Kilsyth’s proposal was most ungentlemanly. He did not give you the opportunity to withdraw.”

  So he wouldn’t answer her. Had the duchess set spies on her?

  He shook his head sorrowfully. “You were forced into a decision you might now be regretting. I have come to help, if I may.” He touched his heart with the tips of the fingers of his right hand. “My admiration for you has grown since I first met you. I find you charming, well-mannered and gracious. You could do so much better. You cannot be unaware of my—regard for you. Since you arrived in Rome, I’ve sought you out. I have more than people assume. My antiquities business prospers and I’ve made some small investments that have done extremely well. Lady Delphi, I can give you the kind of life you say you want. We can travel, collecting antiquities to sell, and you can study all you wish.”

  Apparently, she couldn’t deter him from his course. Well, she had done her best. He’d better get on with it. “Did you have anything in particular you wished to ask me?”

  She glanced at the door, giving him the hint that the tea tray would arrive at any minute.

  “Yes, dearest Lady Delphi!”

  He flung himself on his knees before her. Despite the rug under them, that landing must have hurt, but he showed no sign of it.

  She winced. She let him take her hand as he continued. “I cannot allow you to throw yourself away on this man, this traitor, this libertine! Lady Delphi, won’t you allow me to take you away from this, to give you the life you deserve, rather than living hand-to-mouth with a Jacobite? You will nev
er know happiness.” He lifted his head, imploring her with his eyes.

  “Oh, I think I might.” Despite her annoyance, amusement touched her and turned her mood. At first determined to send him away with a flea in his ear, now Delphi would do her best to be kind. “Indeed, dear sir, there is no need to become distressed on my behalf. I am perfectly content with the answer I gave his grace yesterday, and I intend to stand by it. I will not marry you.”

  He gazed up at her. He did not let go of her hand. “Only think, my dear! You might never see your family again. They will be forced to cast you off lest they share in your reputation. You will have to rely on the kindness of others, beggars indeed. And Kilsyth will not retain his title. After his father’s involvement with the Jacobites, they will not take a chance with Kilsyth.”

  That was why they had to bring this matter to a conclusion as quickly as they could. Before rumor solidified as fact, and people believed what they were being told. Delphi did not rely on the government to clear Adam’s reputation. If it suited them, they would gladly throw him to the wolves.

  But she would not. “I made my decision yesterday,” she said again. “If you believe nothing else, believe that. Kilsyth is no traitor. If he was, why would he spend ten years building his estate back to what it was, only to throw it away overnight?”

  She tried to pull her hand free, but he gripped it tighter. “I don’t pretend to know his motives. But word is spreading, and there’s no smoke without fire. What is he doing in Rome, if not for that?”

  “Traveling. Why assume that every British person in Rome is here to ally themselves to the Stuarts? That would be foolish, would it not?” After another tug, she added, “Get up, Lord Joshua. Please.”

  At least he did that for her, even if she had to pull hard to regain possession of her hand. “Adam is not a traitor, nor is he considering becoming one. What makes you think that?”

  She bit her lip. She shouldn’t have told him even that much, but how else would she get rid of him?