Natalia’s Secret Spinster’s Society (The Spinster’s Society) (A Regency Romance Book)

by Charlotte Stone

  Lorenzo… or rather Zed… gave her a ruthless grin. “Call me Zed.” He used a slight East London accent that made her laugh whenever she heard it.

  She touched his cheek and sighed. Had it not been for Zed’s humor through the years, Leah was sure she’d have crumbled under the weight of the blackmail and life’s other challenges.

  Zed had come to London over two years ago, simply to see how Julius was faring. Leah had stayed in France and waited for his reply. She’d been surprised by the story her brother had sent back.

  Zedock had found employment with Lady Lorena Cullip and had quickly become one of her most trusted servants… and a friend.

  Leah had never met Lorena herself, but she’d met her brother Francis, along with the other Men of Nashwood, long before they’d been given that name. During breaks, the men would travel to visit one another’s families. Julius’ estate, which was close to Oxford, was always their first and last stop during their travels.

  Leah knew them all. Morris Kidd, the Duke of Cort. Francis Cullip, the Duke of Valdeston. Hugh Vance, the Marquess of Edvoy, Aaron Walsh, the Earl of Jeanshire, Frank and Calvin Lockwood, the sons of wealthy gentry, Rollo Kerry, whose father had been called ‘King Kerry’ for his luck in the market, and little William Tift, whose family had been gentry, but whom Leah had always despised for reasons she didn’t know.

  And then he’d killed her cat.

  The murderer.

  Not that she was in any position to judge. After all, her father had played a role in the night of the marchioness’ death.

  The only one of Julius’ friends she’d not known had been Emmett Starr, the Earl of Ashwick, but Leah had heard about him and had known he’d come up from Oxford on the night Julius’ mother died.

  Zed had told her of the way the earl had courted the stubborn Lady Lorena but had known that if the earl were anything like the others, he’d win her over. Then Zed had written her the tale of Lorena’s kidnapping… and now the man who’d done it ceased to breathe.

  The Brothers had made that so.

  She’d feared for her brother’s life then, but Zed had assured her that he was well and that the men did not suspect that he was the same boy they’d played with all those summers from long ago.

  He’d not written her often after that. Money had been thin with the blackmailer still over their heads. But now she was here.

  “Can you believe that it was Sarah our mother had been paying all those years? Who we’ve been paying?”

  Zed shook his head. “She was such a quiet girl.”

  “She was most certainly not quiet the other night,” Leah had to fight to control her temper. It wasn’t even the money that bothered her. It was the fact that Sarah was trying to hurt Julius, who’d already suffered enough. “We were not able to speak for long. Frank appeared and I had to flee.”

  “Why did you return to London if she is in Oxford?” her brother asked.

  “Because she lives here,” Leah crossed her arms. “She hinted at it when we met and that makes sense. If she’s been handing off her own notes to Lord Reinburg— who also lives here— then it stands to reason that she leaves the ones that arrive at Julius’ door.” She and Zed had worked to gather as much of those threatening notes as they could, but they’d not managed to get them all. The Brotherhood was onto her. Leah only hoped she could find Sarah first.

  “We should tell the men who she is,” her brother suggested. “They’ll see that the matter is put to rest.”

  “No!” Leah grabbed his arms. “We can’t. I’ll not have another stain on their souls. Julius has already been through so much.” Tears burned her eyes as vague memories filled her vision. Julius’ mother had hated him and so had Leah’s father. Leah was glad they were both gone but hated that the evil deed had been done by someone she loved. “Now that we know who she is, we can find a way to make her stop without there being violence.”

  Zed’s eyes gentled. “You still see them as the innocent boys they were eighteen years ago, but that is not the case. These men do not fear violence.”

  “Zed, promise me,” she whispered. “Don’t tell them. Not yet. I’ll continue to pay her until we can find a secret of hers that will put her in her place.”

  Her brother grinned. “So, now you’re willing to stain your soul?”

  “If that is what must be done then so be it.” But not death. No more death. Then she changed the subject. “How is he?” They were speaking of Julius.

  “He is worried,” Zed confessed. “How would you be with a blackmailer at your door?”

  Sarah had begun to taunt the men by sending messages through Lord Reinburg and his heir. She was a fool if she thought they wouldn’t find her and end her in the most vicious of ways. Leah had to find what she needed and soon. There was no other way that didn’t end in the woman’s death.

  “Leah, if you told Julius what we’ve been doing all these years, if you told him that you’ve been paying his debt—”

  “He wouldn’t care.” She cut him off and moved to the window in her room that overlooked the yard. Just on the other side of the hedge was the beginnings of the Valdeston backyard. Francis and his wife Genie hosted parties and sometimes when the men were outside, she saw him.

  Julius.

  It saddened her to know how much he hated her now, though she’d never done anything to deserve any other emotion from him. She’d been horrible to him and all his friends, hating them for taking Lorenzo away whenever they were in town… but that didn’t mean she wanted them dead.

  “He’s not so blind as you think him to be,” her brother said from behind her. “He’d understand.”

  “Then why do we live like this?” she asked. Over the years, the money from their land had grown less and less, and Romina had suspected Julius of taking a portion. Then, three years ago, he had delivered his final blow by crippling the family estate and sending them into complete financial ruin. Julius seized their land and its profits. Now, the only way to set the land to rights would be to come out of hiding, which was something Leah and Zed were unwilling to do if it meant death.

  “He’s still angry,” she told him. “Our mother knew of our father and his mother’s plan to kill him and did nothing. He’s right to wish us all gone.” She’d watched her mother cry and pray for her damned soul every night while they’d lived in France. This knowledge came to her from the letters she’d exchanged with Sarah. Leah still wondered why her mother had done it. Had she feared their father?

  “When this is over, we will tell him,” Zed declared.

  Leah looked over her shoulder and nodded before she walked Zed to the door.

  On the other side of it, she was startled to see Maura. She stood in the hall not far from her door with the calmest blue eyes Leah had ever seen. Maura didn’t even bother to pretend that she hadn’t been listening.

  Had she been listening?

  Surely, Maura didn’t know Spanish… did she?

  Maura smiled. “Do you need anything, Mrs. Wells?”

  “No, Mr. Sudworth was simply helping me bring in my trunks.”

  Maura ran the Spinster House and was very good at seeing to every woman’s needs. The House took in women who were escaping violent husbands. Leah pretended to be one of them while she also taught classes.

  The women had gone a week without classes while Leah had been gone.

  “And how is your friend?” Maura asked, referring to the person Leah had claimed to be visiting.

  “Better,” Leah said, slipping into a Parisian dialect. Then she turned to Zed. “Thank you, Mr. Sudworth, for your assistance.”

  Her brother bowed and left.

  Leah closed her door behind her and said, “I better start preparations for my class.”

  “Of course.” Maura didn’t move, and so Leah went around her and made a note to find a new place to speak to her brother in the future. It would not be good for Maura to suspect anything out of the ordinary with Leah.

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  CHAPTER FOUR

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  “If there be no other concerns...”

  Maura lifted her hand, and seven pairs of eyes met hers. She was in a meeting with the rest of the heads of the Spinster’s Society, and though running the charity house kept her busy, she had made the time to come today.

  A few months ago, she’d brought up her concerns about Mrs. Wells regarding whether or not the woman actually belonged in the charity house. It wasn’t that Maura didn’t like Mrs. Wells. She liked her immensely, but there was a strength in her that didn’t speak of a woman running from abuse.

  Maura had been charged with the care of each of the women in her house, and though all of them kept a lot of secrets from her, Leah kept the most. At times, Maura wondered if Leah really had the past she claimed to have.

  “What is it?” Lorena asked as she set her son down on the floor. He crawled away again the moment she let him go. Lord Owen had inherited his father’s black hair and gray eyes… and his mother’s stubbornness.

  Lorena was Maura’s cousin and, as such, they favored one another with pale blond hair and blue eyes, though Lorena had always been curvier. But their temperaments were very different. While both could be defiant of Society’s rules, like the fact that they’d made the Spinster’s Society, which was still controversial in some circles, Lorena acted in ways that drew attention, while Maura tried desperately not to. Still, they were close, and Maura knew that if she had an issue, there was no one better to handle it than Lorena and their friends.

  In the past, the meetings had been held in the Spinster’s House next door, but then sometime last year, they’d moved to the upstairs sitting room in Francis and Genie’s home. Now, they took place in Lady Selina’s nursery. The girl was fast asleep in her mother’s arms and was the spitting image of Genie with dark red curls and an adorable nose.

  “It’s about Mrs. Wells.” Maura held herself back from adding the word ‘again.’ Her fingers played with the hair of the little boy she held. Asa was the Duke and Duchess of Cort’s youngest son. His twin, Ambrose, rested in Sophia’s arms. Though the boys looked alike with black hair and sea-green eyes, Ambrose was larger and ate more than his brother. He was also more demanding and, oftentimes, Morris would take him whenever he thought to shout his displeasure at being told no. Morris’ mother, who’d also given birth to a son in the last year, claimed that Ambrose was much like Morris and would only get worse.

  Asa, on the other hand, was sweet. One almost had to remind him to eat. Otherwise, he was content to gaze peacefully at the world.

  “Mrs. Wells has been meeting with Sudworth in her room,” Maura said.

  “How lovely for Sudworth.” Sophia declared boldly.

  Maura shook her head. “They don’t have those kinds of meetings. They simply… talk.”

  “Are you listening in on private conversations?” Alice asked with accusation. She was free of her daughter at the moment. Calvin had taken Hannah with him to visit Hugh and his wife, Taygete. Taygete was the only member missing from the meeting, as she was pregnant once more and enjoyed long afternoon naps. “We promised the women privacy.”

  “Yes,” Maura agreed. “But this particular woman makes me wonder if she belongs.”

  Lorena stood and tried rocking Owen to sleep. He was the only baby to refuse his naps. “But I thought you liked her? Did you not say how great an asset she was to the house? You said she spoke Latin and French and the lessons could help the women get better positions when they sought employment. You also said she knew much on the matter of psychology and philosophy and held meetings with any woman who wished to discuss the subjects.”

  “I like her, and I don’t even know her.” Florence stood by the window, her daughter Mercy resting on her shoulder. The sunlight made both woman and child’s golden hair glow.

  “What makes you suspicious of her?” Christin sat at the small table not far away, sipping tea. Her dark feline eyes watched Maura closely. She was the only married member of the Sisterhood who’d not had a child of her own. Only married for half a year, she and Aaron were already raising three little girls they’d adopted from deceased family members. And for the moment, both thought that quite enough.

  Christin had also approved of Fanny living in the house after meeting Bancroft the previous year. Christin put her cup down. “When I spoke to Mrs. Wells, I thought her lovely.”

  Maura had asked Christin to meet her last year, since the countess had also run a large staffing agency before she’d married Aaron. Christin had concluded the meeting nearly in love with Leah, which seemed to settle the matter for the rest of the Spinster Sisters.

  Christin had struck up a business agreement that would help certain criminals find a new start. It was a work in progress, but Maura liked Fanny, as did the rest of the women. She was a very good cook and, moreover, the larger than usual woman made the others feel safe.

  But Fanny was not who they were discussing.

  “Mrs. Wells speaks Spanish,” Maura declared. It was a language that she spoke as well. Her grandmother on her father’s side was from Spain. And though it had been hard to hear the entire conversation, one name had been repeated more than once.

  Julius.

  That was what truly worried Maura. It was possible the woman was simply interested in the dashing Lord Darvess. What woman wouldn’t be? He was likely the most handsome man to ever walk the Earth.

  And the most irritating, to say the least.

  “So?” Lorena asked.

  Maura leaned forward. “Why keep her knowledge of a fourth language hidden and tell us that she only speaks three?”

  Lorena seemed to consider that.

  “Perhaps we should meet her,” Alice said.

  “Agreed,” Lorena said. “Let’s meet at the House tomorrow and see her for ourselves.”

  “Yes,” Sophia said. “It’s been some time since we’ve taken part in the House. I feel poorly about that.”

  Maura smiled at her. “You all have so much to worry over. I take no issue bearing most of the burden.” She liked how dedicated her friends were to their families, and she truly didn’t mind running the House by herself. The women fascinated her, and she liked to see them succeed after all they’d gone through. Maura, who’d grown up in an insane asylum, knew what it was like to be held against one’s will. The House meant a great deal to her. More than the others could know.

  “The babies are old enough to be left with their nursemaids for at least an afternoon,” Florence said in agreement.

  It was settled. Mrs. Wells would be invited for tea and, hopefully, would answer the questions that pressed on Maura’s mind.

  The door to the nursery opened, and Morris led the way into the room. He was followed by the house’s owner, Francis, and Emmett. William and Julius remained by the door. Both wore blank expressions. The rest of the men looked tense as they headed toward their wives. It was clear that the Nashwood Brotherhood had just had a meeting as well.

  Maura wanted to know what it had been about. For the last year, the men had continuously disappeared, two or three at a time. This time, it had been William and Frank who’d been gone for a fortnight.

  Could the meeting have been about the topic she’d heard the men whispering about last year at Christin’s niece's party?

  The Slaughter.

  The name of such an event sent shivers up her spine.

  She was glad when her cousin started to ask questions.

  “Where is Frank?” Lorena handed a very awake Owen to his father.

  Emmett placed the boy close against his chest and, as if knowing the protection his father’s arms offered, Owen’s head went down. “He is with the others at Hugh’s home.”

  The others were Aaron, Calvin, and Rollo.

  “Is he reporting his findings?” Lorena asked, though not
even she was entirely sure what she was asking about. “When do you plan to let us know what is going on?”

  “Soon.” Her husband’s gray eyes softened as he met hers. “You’ll all be informed of what is happening very soon.” He rested his head against Owen’s soft f hair. His son had fallen asleep.

  Lorena looked at William. “Is this dangerous?”

  “Yes,” William said without hesitation. “There has been… violence introduced to the situation, so from here forward, we’ll take precautions and make sure none of you are harmed. Your husbands and the rest of us protect you.”

  Julius looked away but not before Maura caught the storm in his eyes. She felt the strangest urge to go to him and… pet him, stroke his hair as though he were a wild animal that needed soothing.

  Sophia took the hand Morris offered and rose from the floor. “Don’t you think it best we are aware of this danger before it comes after us as well?”

  “No one will hurt you,” Morris all but growled before he took Ambrose. When he tried to grab Sophia, she moved toward Maura.

  “How can you be sure?” The Duchess of Cort lifted a brow in her husband’s direction.

  Morris narrowed his eyes. “Because I’ll shoot anything that stands in my way.” The threat was not idle and made Maura’s stomach tighten.

  “You’ve no need to fear anything,” Francis said. “We’ll protect you, and we’re prepared to do just that.”

  Maura gave Asa over to his mother with ease, but her arms felt empty without the infant. But that was no matter. There were plenty of babies to go around.

  Lorena turned to her brother, Francis. “But who will protect Maura and the women I keep in the house?”

  Emmett answered, “Julius and William will see to it, which means they’ll need permission to enter the residence.” The Spinster’s Home for Women was closed to every male, both guests and servants, with the only exception being Zed.

  It was understandable why the men would choose Julius and William as their protectors. Both were unattached bachelors and thus had no families of their own to watch over. Maura didn’t know how the women would feel with two more men roaming the halls. “It’s out of the question. I can’t let them in the house. It’s the women’s sanctuary.”