Debra Mullins

by Scandal of the Black Rose

  “True.” Marc’s smile reached his eyes. “She’s a very skilled rider from what I understand.”

  “Then everything is settled.”

  “Quite.” Marc stood. “I have other appointments today, so I had best take my leave.”

  They all looked up as Bagsley stepped into the room. “Miss Rosewood,” he announced.

  Chapter 10

  Anna stepped into Lavinia’s parlor, her focus on Rome. She almost didn’t notice Lord Haverford until he turned toward her. “Miss Rosewood, how unexpected!” He came over, took her hand, and brushed a kiss across her knuckles.

  Shocked at his presence, she slowly lowered her hand to her side, her fingers secretly clenching. “Good afternoon, Lord Haverford.” Confused, her eyes sought her hostess’s. Vin gave a nearly imperceptible shrug. She glanced at Rome, met his fierce gaze for one blistering moment, and hurriedly turned her attention back to her suitor. “Ah…are you joining us for tea?”

  “Unfortunately, no. Though had I known you were coming to visit Lavinia, I would certainly have changed my schedule. Alas, I am leaving for Leicestershire tomorrow.”

  “Oh?”

  “Mr. Fellhopper needs my assistance with a business matter. I should only be gone two days or so.”

  “I’m sorry you cannot stay.” Anna forced a smile, more than aware of Rome’s intense regard from across the room. “Do have a good trip, my lord.”

  “Thank you. I expect I shall see you at Severley’s ball.” He gave a little bow, then turned to his cousins. “Lavinia, I shall call on you when I get back. Rome, are you staying?”

  “Yes, for a while.”

  Something flickered across Haverford’s face— confusion or distress, Anna wasn’t sure. “Very well then. I’ll bid you all good afternoon.”

  He left the parlor. His muffled voice echoed back to them from the hall as he spoke to Bagsley. The three of them stayed frozen in place— Lavinia on the sofa, Rome standing just to the side of her, Anna just inside the room—until they heard the front door close behind the earl.

  Lavinia let out a huge breath. “I am not of the proper disposition for such dramatics!”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Rome quipped.

  “Hush, you wicked thing. Anna, do sit down.”

  Anna gratefully took a seat beside Lavinia, her knees weak from the bone-thrumming tension. “I had not expected to see his lordship here.”

  “Leave it to Marc to choose today of all days to call unexpectedly,” Lavinia said. “I thought I would succumb to the vapors when he walked in.”

  “Not dramatic?” Rome teased with a grin.

  “Be quiet, Rome.”

  Anna watched the byplay between the two. A bittersweet smile touched her lips as she recalled similar banter with her own brother. “Thank you for allowing me to invite myself here,” Anna said. “I realize it was somewhat rude…”

  “Not at all.” Lavinia waved a hand. “Do not think on it for another moment.”

  “But certainly you must wonder why I did such a thing—”

  “I’ve explained that we have a business matter to discuss,” Rome interrupted, his green eyes so intently focused on her that it stole her breath. “That is why you’ve come here?”

  “Yes.” The word slipped from her lips before she’d barely formulated the answer.

  “Good. Vin—”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  He let out a huge sigh. “Lavinia…”

  “No.” She set her chin stubbornly. “This whole situation is already too close to scandalous. I will sit right here on the sofa, and you can discuss your business on the other side of the room, where I can see you.” She gave him a saucy grin. “You can whisper.”

  “Fine.” Rome stood and gestured for Anna to precede him. They walked together to the far side of the room and stopped in a corner.

  “I cannot stay long,” Anna said, pitching her voice low. “Mama has confined me to the house.”

  “How is it that you are here, then?”

  Anna wrinkled her nose. “She sent her maid with me, but Bliss is a stickler for the proprieties and will come fetch me when the proper time for tea has passed. She’s a veritable dragon of a chaperone.”

  Her exasperated tone brought a smile to his face. “Why are you confined to the house?”

  Unnerved by the warmth in his eyes, she dropped her gaze. “Mama found out about my investigation.”

  She had expected him to laugh at her. Instead, he said, very seriously, “I’m glad to hear you will no longer be putting yourself in danger.”

  She didn’t bother to hide her annoyance. “I did what was necessary, and I would do it again if given the choice.”

  “So fierce.” His smile grew tender. “I admire your loyalty, Anna. Your brother is lucky to have you standing up for him.”

  Something in the vicinity of her heart seemed to melt. “Thank you.”

  “But I doubt he would be happy about some of the things you have done in his name. Vauxhall for one. The Cock and Crown for another.”

  “No one else would do it.”

  “If it were Lavinia,” he said, his voice taking on a stern edge, “I know I would be most displeased.”

  “And if it were you,” she shot back, “would you leave her murder unavenged?”

  His face settled into the hard lines of a warrior. “Never.”

  His sudden transformation startled her, and she nearly retreated a step. This, then, must be the Roman Devereaux the enemy had seen on the battlefield. “So you understand.”

  “I do understand. But you don’t.” His expression eased, but the echo of the soldier remained in his eyes. “The world you need to walk in to discover the truth about your brother is not one that is safe or appropriate for a woman. Your desire to take the risks is admirable, but you’re not alone anymore. You have me.”

  “I do need you,” she admitted, then wanted to call back the imprudent words immediately. She glanced up at him, noticing the way his jaw clenched. “I’m sorry; that wasn’t well said.”

  “I know what you meant,” he bit out. His chest rose sharply and fell again.

  She could practically feel the tension rolling off him, a sudden sexual heat that lapped at her like the ocean at the shore. This was the reason she hadn’t wanted him for a partner—this uncontrollable hunger that seized both of them when they were together.

  “Is everything all right?” Lavinia called.

  Her voice broke the spell, and they both took a step back, putting more space between them.

  “We’re fine, Vin,” Rome said. Dear God, where was his control?

  Anna stood with her head bowed, and when she raised her eyes, she couldn’t hide the desire that lingered in those dark depths. His body tightened all over again in response. Sweet, brave girl, trying to do what was right to honor her dead brother. Such faithfulness was rare, and for a moment, he envied Anthony Rosewood. What would it be like to have that love and loyalty directed at him instead?

  His heart ached just imagining it.

  “I’ve come to take you up on your offer to be partners,” she said.

  “So I assumed. But how can we work together if you are confined to quarters?”

  She opened her reticule and pulled out a sheaf of folded papers. “This will be my contribution.”

  “What’s this?” He took the proffered papers and unfolded them.

  “This is my research,” she said, craning her neck to view her own neat writing. “I have kept notes on every death by sword in the past year. Gossip, it seems, is a fertile source of information.”

  “Amazing.” His admiration for her grew as he flipped through the sheets of carefully laid-out notes. He shuffled back to the first page, and his gaze lit on one name at the top: Anthony Rosewood. “You’ve done a lot of work.”

  “I thought perhaps you could take this information and use it, maybe visit the sites where the men were found—that sort of thing.”

  “I could indeed.” He
squeezed her hand. “Thank you, Anna.”

  She blushed and snatched her hand away. “Now that Mama is haunting my every moment, I’m trusting you to follow these clues, Rome, and help me find the man who killed my brother.”

  “I will.” He folded up the papers and tucked them in the pocket of his coat. “I will have Vin send a note around when I have some results.”

  “Contact me even if you’ve found nothing. The waiting will drive me mad.”

  “No, it’s best if we don’t have too much contact.”

  “But—”

  “No.” He held her gaze, his implacable. “Together we will find your brother’s killer and disband the Black Rose Society, but after that, we should stay away from each other.” He glanced at her full, lush mouth, then flicked his gaze back to hers. “You know why.”

  Her pupils had dilated, and she nodded, biting her lower lip.

  He sucked in a harsh breath. Damn it, but she aroused him like no other woman ever had. Her body, her heart, her fierce loyalty. He wanted them for himself.

  “Business only,” he said, talking to himself as much as her.

  “Business only,” she echoed. “I understand.”

  The parlor door opened and Bagsley appeared. “Miss Rosewood’s chaperone indicates it is time for the lady to depart.”

  Anna sighed. “Tell her I will be out directly, if you please.”

  “Very good, miss.” The butler withdrew.

  “Anna,” Lavinia said, as they approached her sofa, “did your maid just order you home?”

  “It’s my mother’s maid, and she has her orders.” Anna pressed Lavinia’s hand. “Thank you, Lavinia.”

  “You are always welcome here.”

  Bagsley came back into the room. “Miss, your companion is most insistent.”

  “I’m coming. Good-bye, Rome.”

  “Anna.” He gave a little bow, but couldn’t stop a grin. “I wish you luck taming the dragon.”

  She grinned back, a dimple flashing in her cheek. “Thank you. I look forward to hearing the results of our business transaction.”

  “As soon as I know, you will know.”

  Bliss appeared in the hallway behind Bagsley and cleared her throat loudly. The indomitable woman was taller than the aged butler, her graying dark hair pulled ruthlessly back in a braided coronet, her clothing stark black. Over the butler’s head, she fixed Anna with a look of warning.

  With a sigh, Anna turned and left the room.

  Rome watched her go, the papers in his pocket a testament to the love she bore her brother. Would she demonstrate the same devotion for her husband?

  “Are you certain you know what you’re doing?”

  Lavinia’s quiet question drew his attention away from Anna’s departing form. “I told you, Vin, this is just a business matter.”

  She sighed, toying with the swirling design of her teacup handle. “You don’t look at her like a business associate.”

  “And how do I look at her?”

  Lavinia met his gaze. “Like she’s your last chance for happiness.”

  Struck dumb by this evidence that he had failed to conceal his true feelings, Rome didn’t reply.

  After a long moment of silence, Lavinia said, “Just be careful, Rome. There are more hearts than yours at stake.”

  “En garde!” Slashing swords drowned out the sharp command. In the moonlit clearing, the two young men parried and thrust, weapons gleaming in the silvery light.

  On the side of the clearing, three masked figures dressed in black watched the battle silently. One of them shifted a bulging purse from one hand to the other, the rapid clink of coins lost in the scrape of steel upon steel. A second man fingered two pieces of white paper.

  The leader held out a hand, snapped his fingers. The second-in-command handed over the notes. “Both of them?” the leader asked without taking his eyes from the duel.

  “Yes. We’ve been more careful these past months since we lost that one.”

  “Reassuring.” He folded the letters and slipped them into his pocket, then watched the swordplay with his companions and waited for the victor to be revealed.

  Chapter 11

  “I do not understand his hesitation,” Henrietta Rosewood said as she tied the ribbons of her bonnet. “Lord Haverford is an honorable man. Why does he not satisfy his family obligation and speak to your father?”

  Already dressed for their outing, Anna gathered up the books she needed to return to the lending library. “I don’t know, Mama.”

  “You’ve been all that is amiable, Anna. Anyone can see you are the perfect wife for him.” Henrietta emphasized her words with grand gestures, and one waving hand nearly hit the footman in the nose as he went to open the front door for the two of them. She didn’t even notice the near miss as she paraded down the stairs to their carriage.

  “Perhaps he feels the need for a certain amount of courtship,” Anna offered, hurrying after her parent.

  “Nonsense!” Mrs. Rosewood clambered into the carriage with a loud creaking of springs. “There is no uncertainty here. He knows what must be done.”

  Anna handed her books to a footman to be stowed, then climbed into the carriage herself. “I don’t know why he hasn’t made an offer, Mama,” she said bluntly. “He does not confide in me.”

  “Men never volunteer information, daughter. This is the first thing you must learn as a wife.” Henrietta pondered the subject as the footmen shut the carriage door and the driver set the horses in motion. “A woman must learn a man’s thoughts by observation and assumption.”

  “Lord Haverford has always behaved quite correctly in my presence, so I can only assume that he is a gentleman,” Anna said, with a grin.

  “Indeed?” her mother asked slyly. “He seemed very attentive at the theater on Thursday.”

  Warmth swept her cheeks. “Mama, that was four days ago.”

  “Nonetheless, it is rather encouraging,” Henrietta said with a smug smile. “Observation and assumption, Anna!”

  “I observe that Lord Haverford has not come to call,” Anna retorted. “Though he is out of Town, so I suppose that does not signify.”

  “I observed him squeezing your hand,” her mother challenged, “and so I assume he finds you pleasing!”

  “I cannot comment on his lordship’s feelings toward me.” Anna turned her attention to the passing scenery, hoping to put an end to the discussion.

  “I also observed your dishabille when you returned to the box, Anna Eugenie Catherine,” Henrietta said pointedly. “And I assume that something of a romantic nature occurred between you and his lordship.”

  “Mama!”

  “Do not try to deny it,” Henrietta said, raising a staying hand. “I know what I observed, and I forgive you the transgression. I was the one who told you to encourage the earl.”

  “You are making much of nothing.” Anna glanced away again before her mother could see the panic in her eyes. Henrietta was an astute woman, and she had a way of seeing through the mildest of deceptions.

  For the night at the theater had indeed lingered in Anna’s thoughts, but not because of the earl.

  “It is quite puzzling that he did not call on you before he left,” Henrietta mused.

  Rome hadn’t contacted her either.

  “I was certain after the theater that he would be on our doorstep the following day,” her mother persisted.

  Had she been wrong to trust him?

  “I certainly hope any…romantic interludes…between you did not change his opinion of you. Men can lose all sense of civility if a lady acts even the slightest bit forward. I declare I do not understand the phenomenon.”

  The first time she’d asked him for help, he’d refused.

  “Can you recall anything you did or said that would make Lord Haverford less enthusiastic in his courtship?” Henrietta waited, watching her daughter with keen expectation.

  Anna scrambled for something to say that would placate her mother. “When I sa
w him at Mrs. Emberly’s, his lordship did comment that he would attend Lord Severley’s ball.”

  “Did he?” Henrietta’s expression brightened. “How gratifying. We, too, have received an invitation. I will accept at once. You must wear the peach silk, Anna.”

  “Yes, Mama.” As her mother droned on about possible wardrobe accessories, Anna let her thoughts return to more pressing matters.

  She had trusted Rome when he’d told her that he wasn’t a member of the society. What if he’d lied?

  He hadn’t contacted her as he’d said he would. He also hadn’t really explained why he was at the dinner party that night. What if he’d simply been trying to get her to admit that she had been there? There had been no obvious connection between Rose and Anna Rosewood, yet somehow he had put the two together and even gotten her to admit the truth.

  Had she signed her own death warrant?

  A chill rippled down her spine. She glanced at her mother, desperate to confide her fear. Mama continued to wax on about the wardrobe choices that would best ensnare Lord Haverford, oblivious to her daughter’s distress.

  Anna pressed her lips closed and turned away to watch the passing scenery without really noticing any of it.

  At least she had realized her own danger. She had only Rome’s word that he had no ties to the society, but a ring was an easy thing to remove and slip into a pocket. What if he was playing some game with her to see what she knew? Had she completely betrayed herself? She had spoken Anthony’s name, had not denied that she had passed herself off as a doxy named Rose. She had handed him all her careful research. And yet somehow, when she thought back on their conversations, Rome had managed to give her vague answers to every question she had put to him. He had assured her he would take care of everything.

  What if that, too, was a lie? What if he had gleaned the information he sought from her and even now planned to remove her from the scene?

  Tears stung her eyes. Anthony, Anthony, I need you so right now!