“Perhaps we should be heading back,” he suggested.
Chapter Nineteen
Selina and Leah were driven back to Kirby Hall in the barouche-landau with Faith and Maria. The two cousins were quiet as they went. Selina’s mind was as full as her heart was. To think that he’d bought a horse—for her.
They both alighted from the carriage, their maids trailing behind them. It was just beginning to rain as they walked quickly up the steps toward the front door.
“Naturally, it starts raining before we reach home,” Leah mused fretfully.
“Of course,” Selina agreed as the door opened to admit them.
“Ladies,” Mr. Wickes said, stepping aside so they could enter. “How was your ride?”
“Wonderful, Mr. Wickes,” Selina said. “The weather was perfect, up until the very end.”
“It was a bit warm,” Leah stated, wrinkling her nose. “And I smell horrid.”
“There’s a letter for you, My Lady,” Mr. Wickes said to Selina. He produced it, handing it to her.
“Thank you, Mr. Wickes,” Selina said, recognizing her brother’s handwriting. She hurried up the stairs, so that she could read it alone.
As soon as she closed the door after her, she popped the wax seal, unfolding the letter. It was disappointingly short.
My Dear Selina,
I believe it’s high time for me to be leaving Lord Merriweather’s. I was considering coming to you, in Gillingham County. Perhaps you could see if Uncle Latimer and Aunt Georgiana would be able to put up with my presence? I’d love to see Leah’s wedding, if possible.
You know how much I love weddings.
Warm Regards,
Thomas
Selina laughed to herself. Her brother hated weddings. However, she could read the subtext of the message easily. He and Lord Merriweather had a disagreement of some sort. She was curious to know the reason behind it.
* * *
Despite the rain, Jasper rode out to Reuben’s lodge. He hadn’t been out there in a while. He figured, if Reuben needed assistance with something, then he’d be best able to offer it in person.
Reuben’s butler brought him into the parlor. It was a small room, which Reuben had fitted up in dark blue, the walls painted white. It was very plain—only what was necessary existed there. No paintings or fancy silk wallpaper for his brother.
“Jasper!” Reuben said, smiling. He had a bottle of brandy on the table beside him. He had a few letters, which he was attending to, but he slipped them into the drawer. He stood up, and the two brothers hugged. “What brings you out here?”
“Just coming to visit,” he replied.
“Care for a glass?” Reuben asked.
“Please.”
Reuben walked over to the wooden sideboard, producing a second glass, and setting it in front of Jasper. He poured him several fingers of brandy before sitting back down. The brothers clinked glasses, then sipped in silence.
“It’s been a while since your last social call,” Reuben said.
“That’s because you always come to me.”
Reuben smiled, wrinkling his nose. “Your house is nicer.”
“If you want, I could have yours updated for you. It could be a gift.”
“No, absolutely not. It would ruin the rustic charm of the place,” Reuben said, laughing merrily. “Do tell me, though—what brings you out here?”
“I wanted to see if you needed anything. You never said what kept you earlier.”
“My hunting dog had puppies,” he replied. “I couldn’t leave my best girl all alone in her time of need.”
“You always did like animals more than humans.”
“True,” Reuben said with a laugh. “So many less rules and regulations. They never lie, animals. And they don’t expect you to know titles. You just feed them and scratch them behind the ear.”
Jasper nodded. He understood Reuben completely. It was why he himself was often in the stables. It was peaceful—there was no dissembling. The two brothers sipped their drinks in companionable silence. Jasper was glad that he’d come.
“I’ll be honest,” Jasper began. “I feel as though I’m running myself in circles, trying to find these murderers.”
“They’re not the enlisted men,” Reuben mused, nodding. “And they’re not any townsfolk?”
Jasper shook his head, his gaze on his glass, and the way that the dim light caught the cut crystal.
“Are they living in the woods, perhaps?” Reuben wondered.
“Colonel Fitz has had his men patrolling the whole county both night and day,” Jasper said. “Not a thing.”
Reuben’s brows knit together. He took a sip of his drink. “Baffling.”
“Lady Selina brought up something of interest,” Jasper said.
“Oh?”
“Evidently, while she was in Italy, a Duke was found robbing the local nobility. She believes that our culprit might be one of our own.”
Reuben’s eyes widened, and he covered his mouth with his hand. “There’s a thought.”
“I can’t think of a single person of our acquaintance who would do something so dreadful.” Jasper sipped his drink, letting the burn run down his throat. “And we’re looking for three.”
Reuben exhaled, nodding. “It makes sense, though. Hiding in plain sight!” He clapped his hands together as an idea came to him. He held up one finger, pointing it at Jasper. “Let’s flush them out.”
“What do you mean?” Jasper asked.
“We host a ball or a party of some sort at Gillingham Manor,” Reuben said, waving his hand in the air excitedly. “Get all of the local aristocracy out of their homes. We’ll watch everyone closely. We’ll see who looks suspicious. I mean, if everyone’s out and about, covered in their jewels, whoever it is won’t be able to help themselves. We’ll have everyone travel with guards, and we’ll invite the regiments.” He shrugged. “Somebody is bound to be acting strangely. They might even make an attempt, and then we’ll be prepared to catch them at it when they do.”
“You’re brilliant,” Jasper said. It involved some risk. But it was a bold counterstroke, which might prove to be highly effective.
“I have my moments,” Reuben replied, sipping his brandy. “We’ll only be able to tell a few individuals, though. Keep it a secret, so they don’t know that we’re on to them.”
“We should tell Lord Kirby,” Jasper said. “And Stephen. Colonel Fitz, of course.”
“We should maybe tell Lord Langley,” Reuben suggested. “He’ll want to be involved.”
Jasper nodded, his mind at work, coming up with plans. He felt better already. His brother was an invaluable ally. If he ever died, he would make a good Duke of Gillingham. Not that he planned on dying.
* * *
After reading through her brother’s letter, Selina went to find Aunt Georgiana and Uncle Latimer, who were both in the withdrawing room. They looked up when she entered with the letter in hand.
“I’ve a letter from Thomas,” she announced.
“How is he doing?” Aunt Georgiana asked.
“It sounds as though he’s overstayed his welcome in the North,” she replied. “He was wondering if it would be all right if he came for the wedding.”
“Of course,” Uncle Latimer said. “Don’t know when it will be. Hopefully, it will be rescheduled soon. I’ll write to him to let him know that he’s more than welcome.”
“Thank you, Uncle Latimer.”
Her uncle laughed. “Of course. Then, you can both travel to Staunton together at the end of your stay.”
“That was my thinking, as well,” she agreed. She refolded the letter, frowning. Her uncle looked at her, expectantly. “I just want to apologize to you, Uncle. I’m sorry for going out. It was reckless and thoughtless of me.”
“The most important thing is that you’re safe, my dear,” he said. “I can’t imagine what we’d do if we lost you.”
“Thank you, Uncle. Your kind concern means so much to me.�
��
“Yes, well. Let it be a lesson learned,” he said, taking her hand, and patting it.
“Agreed,” she said, squeezing his hand. She waved her brother’s letter. “I’ll write to my brother and let him know that he’ll be hearing from you soon.”
“Yes, yes,” Uncle Latimer said. “I’ll write to him this evening, so that we can get our dear Viscount out of Lord Merriweather’s hair. I wonder what he’s done this time.”
“I do too,” Selina agreed, curtsying and then leaving the room. Her brother was often hot tempered. He got himself into disagreements frequently. He was also a known flirt with the ladies, something which got him in trouble with the gentlemen.
He was a good brother, though. He and Selina were very close. She was dying for him to meet Jasper, so she could find out what he thought. If Thomas approved, then her parents would approve.
* * *
The brandy was making Jasper feel more relaxed. Reuben was a gracious host, refilling his glass as soon as he emptied it. The two brothers talked of their plans for capturing the individuals responsible for the recent robberies and the murder of Lady Langley.
Jasper’s mind was still racing, making plans. He looked over at his brother and smiled. “I should come over here more often.”
“You’ll have to,” Reuben said.
“Why is that?”
“Your wife will be in Gillingham Hall,” Reuben replied, smiling at him warmly. He took another sip.
“Mmmm,” Jasper groaned, shaking his head. That would be the case—if he had been planning to marry Lady Leah…however, that wasn’t the case. He knew that once he married Selina, he would never want to be away from home for very long. He looked at his brother. “Can I tell you a secret?”
Reuben smiled. “Of course, brother.”
“I’m in love,” he said, his heart thundering in his chest.
“Good!” Reuben said, clapping his hand on the tabletop. “It took you long—"
“With Lady Selina.”
Reuben’s eyes widened, and he sputtered, setting his glass down with a loud thunk. “What?”
“The moment I first laid eyes on her, at my own engagement party, no less, I have been hopelessly in love with her. We’ve been meeting in secret for weeks now. I cannot marry Lady Leah. Not when I know what love feels like.”
Reuben blinked at him. Jasper sniffed, waiting for him to say something. He’d never before seen his brother rendered utterly speechless, but it had happened.
“So, you’re planning on ending the engagement, then?” Reuben said very carefully.
“Yes.”
He eyed Jasper. “Does Lady Selina know of this?”
“Yes, she does,” he said beaming.
“And she loves you in return?” Reuben looked concerned, as he sat there, tapping his glass with his fingernail.
“Yes, she does.” He smiled even wider. It felt so good to tell his secret. Reuben wouldn’t tell a soul.
A slow smile spread across Reuben’s face, and he laughed. “Aren’t you a lucky gentleman?” He lifted his glass. “Congratulations, brother.” They clinked their glasses. “Good luck telling this to Lady Leah.” After taking a sip, Reuben tilted his head to the side. “Do you know what you’re going to say?”
“The truth,” Jasper said. “I’ve thought about it for the past two weeks, and as difficult as it’s going to be, I’m going to have to tell her the truth.”
Reuben nodded. “The truth will set you free,” he commented sagely.
Chapter Twenty
They were all gathered in the parlor since the Duke and Lord Munro had arrived to tell the Earl that they were planning on throwing a ball in order to “flush out” the villains who were terrorizing the county.
“If we all watch, then we should be able to catch something,” the Duke finished. There was silence, as the whole family took in what he’d said.
Leah had listened to the Duke’s plan with trepidation. In doing this, they would all be putting themselves in harm’s way.
Leah cleared her throat. “I am glad that you haven’t decided to use our wedding, thusly.”
“I could never,” the Duke replied.
“It’s a good plan,” she said, pleased to be the first to give him her wholehearted endorsement. The sooner this was all over, the sooner she would have her wedding and the title of Duchess of Gillingham.
“It was my brother’s idea,” he said.
“Lord Munro?” she said, turning to the Duke’s brother. “How truly brilliant you are!”
Lord Munro gave her a little bow. “Thank you, My Lady. Your approbation means everything.”
“It’s going to be dangerous, isn’t it?” her mother said, her hand on her pearl necklace.
“Not at all,” Lord Munro assured her. “You will remain indoors at Gillingham Manor, where you will be surrounded by all of the Gentlemen and Ladies of the County, as well as the local regiments. We will have everyone accompanied by armed guards, on their way home. That way, we will catch him out.”
“We can only hope,” Selina mused.
“It’ll work,” Leah insisted, glaring at Selina.
“If it’s a secret shared by all, then he’s bound to find it out, isn’t he?” she pointed out.
“You’re right, My Lady,” Jasper said. “We’re only telling a select few.”
“Hold it during daylight hours,” Selina added. “If it’s compulsion, he won’t be able to resist. The Duca would break in during daylight hours. He was quite a bold character. It was only a matter of time before he was caught.”
The gentlemen were all listening to what Selina said. Leah frowned. Here she was, making herself seem smarter than everyone else.
“It will also mean that the gentlemen and ladies will feel safer, being out during the day,” Selina went on.
“We’ll do just that,” the Duke said, nodding.
“Does the Dowager Duchess need help with the planning?” Leah asked, ready to offer her assistance. After all, she’d gotten so many compliments on the engagement party.
“I’ll let her know that you’ve offered your assistance,” the Duke told her. Leah beamed. Anything to help catch the villain—so that then her wedding could move forward.
“Well, we’d best be moving on,” the Duke said. “We have to go and tell Lord Langley.” Lord Munro nodded.
After the gentlemen had left, the family talked about the plans.
“I’m going to be so nervous,” Leah’s mother admitted. “Anyone there might be planning on attacking at any moment.”
“Never fear, my dear,” the Earl assured her, patting her hand. “I’ll remain right beside you the entire time.”
Her mother smiled at the Earl. Leah felt excited. Someday, the Duke would look at her like that. He was just the sort of gentleman who would assure his wife that he was going to protect her. And she just knew that everything he was doing was in order to ensure that their wedding happened soon.
* * *
In the week leading up to the ball, Jasper missed Selina, immensely. He’d been busy, making plans for the late afternoon trap that they were setting. He wouldn’t rest until the villains were caught.
There was a lot to consider when throwing a ball, not to mention, coordinating all the gentlemen who were to be keeping an eye out for suspicious activity. Jasper was kept busy from the time he woke up, to late into the night.
Finally, it was the day of the ball. He dressed, hiding his pistol in a holster beneath his arm, pulling his jacket on over it, then went downstairs, to greet his guests. He’d spent the morning, overseeing the final preparations.
As he stood by the front door, greeting his guests, he spotted Selina, the moment that she stepped out of the carriage. She was dressed in a gold silk gown, which matched the color of her hair.
It was like seeing her for the first time, all over again. His pulse quickened, and he felt struck. He watched her as she laid eyes on him, and he saw his own feelings mirrored in her g
aze.
“Your Grace?” Lord Morton asked.
“Hm?” he replied in a daze. He had to tear his eyes away from her. Lord Morton was looking at him oddly. “I’m sorry—what did you say?”
Sins 0f An Intoxicating Duchess (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 18
