A Gentleman by Moonlight

by Bethany M. Sefchick

  "And the stories about Silas gallivanting about the Continent? And Africa? And India?" Sophia made certain to keep the judgment out of her tone, for she had no idea how she and her family would have reacted had their positions been reversed.

  Lewis shrugged miserably. "Lies meant to keep the truth hidden and Society at bay. It pleases them to think that the Blackmore "spare" has little more to do with his time and allowance than jaunt about the world wreaking havoc in his wake. The gossip keeps them all happy and blissfully unaware of reality."

  "And if they knew the truth, Silas would be locked away." Sophia knew that to be true.

  He nodded. "I do my best to keep an eye on Silas when he is in Town. He was supposed to remain at Westwind for the Little Season, but he came to London a few days ago. We sent him back just the other day, but for some reason, he returned, likely because Silas is very good at wheedling what he desires out of his caregivers. He is not a stupid man, though he is little better than a child in many ways."

  Sophia nodded in agreement, still refusing to judge either Lewis or the situation. "I had noticed. There is keen intelligence within him. I saw it just now for myself. He simply does not know how to utilize that intelligence, nor will he likely ever."

  Once more, Lewis nodded grimly in agreement. "And, as you might have already guessed, he is fascinated by cats. Kittens to be specific, which is what led us to this spot in the first place. He must have gotten out of my father's house somehow. I sent McIvers from my own staff to watch over Silas at Blackmore this morning, just after I received news that he had unexpectedly returned to Town. Something must have gone wrong."

  "I'm sorry," she replied, not knowing what else to say. What could one say in a situation such as this? "I know this cannot be easy for you."

  "No, it is I who am sorry, Sophie," Lewis sighed and closed his eyes tightly, leaning back against the carriage squabs. "If you wish to end this...arrangement, I will understand."

  Sophia looked at him as if he had grown a second head in that instant. "Whyever would I do such a thing? Silas is not an embarrassment, Lewis. He simply is what he is - a damaged little boy who grew into a damaged man. It is not his fault or your fault or your family's fault. It was an accident. A horrible one, but an accident just the same."

  "Others in Society would not view the situation in that same manner, I fear." That was at least part of the reason why Lewis had never seriously courted a woman. There was always a fear that she would discover the truth about Silas and not understand. In truth, he was surprised that Sophia had not shied away from Silas when he had spoken to her. Then again, Sophia was a rather remarkable woman. There was, Lewis had long since decided, not another woman like her anywhere.

  She arched an eyebrow at him in amusement. "I am not those people, Lewis. You know that. Actually, I rather enjoyed speaking with Silas. I imagine there is a limited number of topics he can speak to, certainly, but as I said, he is hardly an idiot. In fact, he is rather like his brother in some ways." She smirked at him now, feeling playful. "He's rather charming. Just like another Blackmore I know."

  The carriage slowed, indicating that they were approaching Reynolds House when Lewis took Sophia's hand in his, daring to be bold for a moment. "This is your last chance, Sophie. If you want out or away from my family, say so now. I am granting you release if you wish it. Otherwise, we play this out to the end. Wherever that leads."

  From the heat in his eyes, Sophia knew Lewis was referring to more than just their false courtship and it sent delightful tingles through her body. "We will part soon enough, my lord," she teased. "There is no need to rush the event."

  "If you say so." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. His expression told her that he wished fiercely there was no glove between them. She felt the same.

  "I do." On that point, Sophia was quite certain.

  "Very well then. It is settled." Lewis released her hand as he heard the rattle of the coach steps being lowered and the door about to open. "I shall see you this evening at Lady Wofford's."

  Sophia now smiled in that same serene manner she had seen Eliza do earlier. "I am looking forward to it." She allowed the tiger to hand her down from the carriage but paused before she took the final step away. "And Lewis?"

  "Yes?"

  "If you could somehow manage a repeat of the other night, that would be utterly delightful." Then she exited the carriage leave a speechless Lewis behind her.

  It was only as she walked up the steps of Reynolds House that she could hear his laughter echoing out from inside the carriage.

  Chapter Sixteen

  "Your association with the man doesn't have to end, you know. Not if you don't wish it to, at any rate. If you desired to wed Blackmore, I would back you. Even if Mama did not agree." He shook his head, almost in disbelief. "I do seem to recall that I thought this was a foolish plan at first, but now I see that the idea had merit after all. You seem happy, Soph. Far more than you ever did with Selby, may he rot in Hell, the bastard."

  Adam whispered the words as quietly as he could to Sophia as the two of them stood at the edge of Lady Wofford's smaller ballroom, searching for seats in the crowed room. The musicale was scheduled to begin soon and neither of them wished to be standing at the back of the room when it did.

  "Lord Blackmore does not love me," Sophia replied quietly, keeping her gaze fixed straight ahead. "Not that I require love, certainly, but it would be nice. Especially after watching you with Abby." Her words were a deflection and they both knew it, but Sophia did not feel like having this discussion with Adam this evening. Not when she was anticipating being with Lewis again.

  For if Adam even had a hint of what she and Lewis got up to when they were alone, he would pack her off to the nearest convent and not think twice about the matter. No matter how much Adam stated that he liked the man and thought Lewis good for her.

  "The way he stares at you tells me otherwise." Adam guided her to a chair in the very back of the room.

  Sophia swatted her brother on the arm. "He does not stare. And how would you even know how Lord Blackmore looks at me?"

  "Because he is staring at you even now." Adam discreetly pointed to a far corner of the room where Lewis was currently leaning up against a pillar, making Sophia blush red.

  Actually, she would not term what he was doing "staring" precisely. Instead, it was more of a dark glower that made her shiver all the way to the very toes of her spangled slippers. Sophia had no idea why he was making such a spectacle of himself, for surely everyone about would notice. Except that they weren't noticing. In fact, no one really seemed to be paying much attention to Lewis at all.

  Instead, nearly all of the assembled guests were whispering and tittering behind their fans at the appearance of the Marquess of Lansdale in the company of Lady Charlotte Cleary. Sophia had thought that Lady Charlotte was utterly besotted with Lord Francis Deaver, Viscount Underhill. Oh, everyone was well aware that Lady Charlotte's parents, Lord and Lady Waverly, were not precisely enamored of Underhill, but no one really believed that the marquess and his wife would deny their daughter if she was truly besotted with the viscount. And especially not since Underhill was now the brother-in-law of the Bloody Duke.

  Beside her, Adam growled low, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Blast the man. Why must he always muck things up?"

  "Pardon?" Sophia gazed at her brother who now appeared rather angry. "Are you referring to Lord Lansdale?"

  "Not him." Adam jutted his chin in the direction of Lord Waverly who was standing in the doorway to the ballroom looking utterly smug and pleased with himself. "He was warned about interfering in this matter."

  Sophia shook her head. "I still don't understand."

  Sighing, her brother ran a hand through his hair. "Prinny does not trust Lansdale and has made it abundantly clear to much of the peerage that they are to keep their debutante daughters away from the man until Bow Street has thoroughly investigated him. The man seems amiable enough, but he was ra
ised in Baltimore of all places!" Adam said the name of the American city as if it was the very pit of Hell itself. For all Sophia knew, it was, though she doubted it very much. "While I think Lansdale is far better than most of our lot, one does not cross our beloved prince regent if they wish to keep their good fortune."

  Suddenly, the entire situation became very clear to Sophia. "Am I to assume then that Waverly's dislike of Underhill is blinding him to that fact?"

  "Precisely." Adam nodded grimly. "Waverly wants anyone but Underhill for his daughter, even though the man is the Framingham heir and exactly who he claims to be, despite the scandal surrounding him and his recent reappearance. The man had hoped for a duke, specifically Candlewood, for his daughter and is thoroughly annoyed that Underhill's sister managed to snag the man."

  "Most fathers were afraid that Nicholas would eat their daughters for breakfast, if you'll remember correctly," Sophia reminded her brother as she watched Lansdale settle Lady Charlotte into a chair before leaving her side, which allowed Underhill an opportunity to approach her from the side.

  Adam snorted. "Men are strange creatures," he reminded her.

  "Tell me something I do not know," Sophia teased back. Then, she caught movement at the corner of her eye and saw Charlotte's father begin to approach Underhill and his daughter. "Oh, dear. This will not end well." She nudged Adam in the side. "Go. You are a duke and I don't see another in the room. Calm this situation before it gets worse."

  "You will be well?" There was worry in his eyes and Sophia's heart broke. She had caused him so much pain. She did not wish to cause him any more. Ever. At least not if she could help it.

  "I am in a room full of friends and acquaintances. More than that, I am in plain view of all. I shall be fine." She nudged him again. "Now go. For Lansdale is returning and I do not believe any of us wish for this to turn ugly."

  With a great sigh, Adam heaved himself out of his chair and ambled towards the small group that was gathering around Lady Charlotte. For a long moment, Sophia simply watched her brother, marveling at how different he was from the man he had been just a few short months ago. It was not simply her who had been changed by the Enwright house party and masquerade. Adam had changed as well, and for the better it now seemed. Where once he might have only added to the discord by taking his position as the Duke of Hathaway far too seriously, Adam now adopted a more even and level-headed manner. It was refreshing. It was also heartening.

  For if Lord Adam Reynolds, the notoriously stiff and proper Duke of Hathaway could change, then so could his brash and headstrong - not to mention often impulsive - sister.

  It was simply too bad that Sophia still felt as if she was falling back into her old ways at times, the same ones that had led to disaster with Alex. She had fallen into bed with Lewis after truly knowing him only a few days. She had given him her body, something she had sworn never to do with another man. Moreover, she was afraid that she was now in danger of giving him her heart as well. Was she truly that fickle? She was afraid that she was and, in the end, that she had learned absolutely nothing from her disastrous courtship with Alex.

  "Your brother is a brave man, indeed." Lewis whispered the words in Sophia's ear. Though she hadn't even needed to hear him speak to know that he was nearby, for she had smelled the uniquely spicy scent of him as he approached.

  "You mean because he is willing to confront Lord Lansdale?" Sophia scoffed. "I hardly think the man is a threat, no matter that he was raised in America."

  Lewis slowly drew Sophia to her feet as the collective focus on the room was now on the growing tension between the cluster of men that included Adam, Lansdale, Underhill, Waverly, and for some inexplicable reason, Lord Raynecourt as well. "No, for being willing to defy Waverly. The man is a candidate for Bedlam, after all, and most of the other lords know it."

  Then, with more stealth than Sophia had thought possible, Lewis had spirited her out of her chair and through a side door. He slid the pocket doors, which had been all the rage to install this past Season, closed gently as the cacophony of voices rose on the other side.

  "I am afraid that Lady Wofford's affair is about to become rather messy, not to mention delayed for a good long while." Lewis' remark was punctuated by a loud crack of what sounded like a chair being overturned. "Lord Waverly does not like to be crossed and he has set his cap for Lansdale as a husband for his daughter, rather than Lord Underhill. The man does not take very well to being told no."

  The voices became louder and Sophia shuddered. For some reason, they reminded her of that night in the carriage with Alex. "Who would tell him no?"

  "Lansdale, for one." Lewis took Sophia gently by the arm and began escorting her through the darkened hallways. "He might agree to escort the chit a time or two, but he is not yet inclined to wed. Not until he goes through at least one Season and makes certain that his new estate is set to rights." He shook his head. "Being with Bow Street did have some advantages, I suppose."

  Sophia allowed Lewis to lead her through the dimly lit halls without question, the only light coming from occasional illuminated wall sconces, likely so that people would not be encouraged to explore on their own. Lord Wofford was a noted antiquities collector and many valuable pieces were contained within his collection. Despite their claims of being Quality, Sophia knew very well that some in her social circle were really little better than common thieves.

  "You know your way around this place well," she remarked as a patch of moonlight shone through the nearby window, casting silvery shadows on the luxurious carpeting, the weather still particularly fine for this time of year since the storm had passed.

  "Lord Wofford had an item stolen from his collection not long ago." Lewis gripped Sophia's hand tighter as they continued to wind through the maze-like house. "I was the Runner assigned to the case. My old superiors believe, correctly or not, that a Runner from the ranks of the peerage will make investigating cases like this much easier, as the victims are more likely to trust someone like me than someone of a lower class." He snorted indignantly. "Too bad that the thief in this case was Lord and Lady Wofford's own son who had run up an enormous gambling debt that he needed to satisfy quickly."

  They finally stopped outside a set of ornate glass doors covered in scrolling ironwork and Sophia was quiet for a moment. "It bothers you, doesn't it? That you were let go?"

  Lewis nodded. "It should not. After all, I have family duties to attend to, as you now well know." For a moment, he inclined his head. "However, a life of service is all I have ever known. When I returned from the peninsula, Bow Street seemed the perfect place for me. My old friend Harry Greer vouched for me, and I was able to continue my service to my country. Now? Now I am not certain what comes next."

  Sophia saw him swallow hard for a moment before he turned a sunny smile on her once more. "But for now, no more unhappy thoughts. Not when there is this to behold. I promise you that what you are about to see will be a far more pleasant view than whatever is transpiring in the ballroom at this very moment." He paused. "And you did wish to be alone with me tonight, did you not, Sophie? This is the best way that I know of to grant your rather delightful request."

  At that, Lewis pushed the doors open and Sophia gasped at the lush setting that immediately spread out before her. She knew, of course, that the Woffords maintained a conservatory in their home, which was really just a smaller version of the famously massive conservatory and orangery that dominated their country estate. However she had no idea that the London conservatory was so well stocked with all manner of flora, even at this time of the year.

  "It is simply lovely," she whispered, taking a step inside as the lush, tropical scents washed over her, filling her senses to the very brim. "I have never experienced anything quite like this. It is absolutely breathtaking!" Exotic plants in stunning pinks and bright oranges and vivid yellows seemed to spring up from everywhere all at once in front of Sophia. Glorious purple blooms and creamy white flowers dominated the very center of the
entryway, providing the illusion that one was entering a veritable fairy tale forest. She had truly never seen the like in all of her years and she had enjoyed the good fortune of visiting a conservatory or two in her time.

  Lewis closed the doors behind them with a soft click. "I thought you might enjoy this room. When I was here investigating several months back, Lady Wofford could not resist giving me a tour and informing me that I was free to indulge myself whenever I happened to be in the home." He smiled sadly. "She and my mother are very close and while she does not know the truth of Silas, of course, I do believe that she suspects something is amiss. She is often far kinder to me than other Society women I know."

  Linking her fingers with his, Sophia allowed Lewis to lead her around the conservatory, pointing out plants that he recognized and making up names for those he did not. Whatever clouds had remained in the sky earlier were gone now, leaving nothing more than the sparkle of moonlight falling softly along the conservatory paths. Small, ornately scrolled lanterns hanging from metal hooks stuck in the ground flickered gently as they passed by, providing a truly romantic setting.

  Once more, Sophia questioned whether she was making foolish choices again, but this time, her heart overruled her head. No one, not even her friends had particularly liked Alex. They had all seen something in him that she either could not or would not. Not to mention that, were she being completely honest with herself, a part of her had, in some small way, recognized that there was something shifty and dishonest about him from almost the very first. She had simply chosen not to see him for who he truly was.