At her answer, Morgan asked, “Who delivered this package? Is there a note inside?” He began firing questions at Diana, but she could only shake her head, not knowing the answers.
“Tristan!” the duke shouted.
Diana winced. She had never heard anyone shout with such a loud, booming voice.
Tristan strolled into the hallway after a few moments. He was clearly accustomed to his brother’s yelling and didn’t seem to think anything was unusual. Morgan unceremoniously thrust the empty hatbox into Tristan’s hand.
“Find out which one of your servants accepted this package today,” the duke said. “Then find out everything you can about it. What time the box was delivered, what precisely was said when it was left, a complete description of the person who delivered it, and so forth.”
Tristan’s demeanor changed radically at his brother’s request. “What is the trouble?”
“I’ll tell you after you bring me the information I need,” Morgan said, dismissing his brother.
Diana thought Tristan might protest the duke’s high-handed manner, but he didn’t. After Tristan left, the duke once again spoke to Diana. “Do you want me to have Derek summoned?”
“No,” she replied softly. “He will be down soon enough.”
“Fine. We shall rejoin Alyssa and Caroline,” Morgan said.
The conversation between Alyssa and Caroline halted abruptly after Diana and Morgan entered the room and the two women saw Diana’s pale face and Morgan’s grim expression.
“What has happened?” Alyssa asked directly.
“Diana received a most disturbing package,” Morgan told his wife. “We hope to know more about it when Tristan returns.”
Diana could see both women were exceedingly curious, but they did not ask any further questions, and she was grateful. The minutes seemed to drag by as they waited anxiously for Tristan and Derek to arrive. Caroline, the most socially adept of the group, kept up an endless stream of soothing chatter, and Diana appreciated her attempts to keep the mood light.
Derek and Tristan entered the room together, their expressions solemn.
“Well?” Morgan demanded without preamble.
“Not much, I’m afraid,” Tristan replied. “One of the underfootmen, Robins, took the parcel. He said it was delivered by a young boy dressed in unkempt and none-too-clean clothes. The lad practically threw the box at my footman and then ran away. The boy said the package was for Lady Diana Rutledge.
“Oh, God,” Diana said. “He used my married ” name.
Derek placed a comforting arm around her. “It is all right, love,” he said soothingly. “We will get to the bottom of this mystery.”
“Mystery!” Diana echoed, her voice rising with panic. “It is hardly a mystery, Derek. First I am shot at. Then my house is burned. Now my missing bonnet suddenly appears. It is obvious someone is watching me very closely. But why?”
All three men exchanged concerned glances.
“Giles,” Derek finally whispered softly. “This has to be tied to him in some way. There might even be a connection to his murder.”
Caroline gasped loudly at Derek’s comment. Diana backed away from him and began pacing the room in agitation, coming finally to rest in front of a large overstuffed chair in the corner of the salon. As she faced everyone, her fingers gripped the fabric back of the chair.
“How is it possible the boy was told to use my married name?” Diana asked. “Aside from my servants in Cornwall, and you, no one else knows of my marriage to Giles. My home was burned and along with it my marriage lines, and Derek and I discovered only a few days ago that no record exists of the wedding in the church where the vows took place.”
“We don’t know who set fire to the Manor, but we assumed Giles removed the information from the church register himself,” Derek said. “Perhaps we were mistaken.”
“Whoever is behind all of this is someone who knew Giles well,” Morgan said. “What was the name of the solicitor you wanted to question, Derek? The one who disappeared so suddenly.”
“Jonathan Marlow,” Tristan and Derek said at the same time.
“Have your men had any success in locating him, Tristan?”
“Not yet,” Tristan replied. “They have managed to discover a few things about him, however. None of them very flattering, I might add.” He cast a questioning eye toward Caroline and Alyssa. “Shall I get the files from my study, Morgan?”
“Well, you certainly can’t expect us to leave now,” Alyssa huffed, correctly interpreting her brother-in-law’s look.
“We will not leave unless Diana requests it,” Caroline readily agreed.
Everyone waited for Diana to speak. She felt torn. She certainly could use the moral support, but she did not want Caroline and Alyssa upset by what might be revealed. In the end, Diana figured the women would probably eventually wheedle the information out of their husbands anyway, so she asked them to remain.
“I would appreciate if you both stayed,” Diana said gratefully. “That is, if your husbands don’t object.”
“It is not their place to object,” Alyssa said immediately. Her ready response brought a frown to Morgan’s face, but his wife ignored it.
Soon everyone was reading through the papers Tristan brought out and commenting on various unsavory facets of Jonathan Marlow’s character. Although the documents contained a wealth of information about Mr. Marlow, there was actually very little that would shed any light on Diana’s problem.
“I think we all agree Jonathan Marlow is a dangerous man,” Diana said, placing the papers she had been reading on the tea table. Everyone nodded in accordance. “If Marlow is, as we believe, the man behind all this nonsense, then I fear I have placed Tristan and Caroline in grave danger by living here with them. I’m going upstairs to begin my packing. I should be completed within the hour.”
The room erupted in pandemonium as everyone began talking and shouting at once.
“We just won’t hear of it, Diana.” Tristan exclaimed loudly. “I am sure you are safe here with us, but if you are worried, I shall have men posted round the clock to ensure your safety.”
“It is not my safety that worries me so much, Tris,” Diana said. “I am more concerned about you and Caroline.”
“Well, I am concerned about your well-being, Diana,” Derek said. “Either you remain here with Caroline and Tris, or you return home with me.”
“Derek!” Caroline exclaimed in horror. “Diana cannot possibly reside at your house without a proper chaperon. What would people think?”
“For pity’s sake, Caroline,” Derek replied. “Who is going to know about it? We will hardly be receiving social calls, nor attending any of the few functions taking place at this time of year.”
“I seriously doubt you can keep Diana’s living with you a secret,” Tristan said. “Even if you kept her a virtual prisoner in the house.”
“There are also the servants to consider, Derek,” Morgan said.
“Yes,” Alyssa agreed, “servants do gossip—within the household and among friends who are in service at other houses. Even among the most loyal staff, it would be difficult to keep this confidential.”
“And your staff is hardly a loyal group, Derek,” Diana said sarcastically.
“Besides,” Tristan said, “there is always the pos sibility Henriette might suddenly descend on you.”
The mention of Henriette brought an abrupt halt to the debate.
“If Henriette ever found out you two were living in the same house, it would be common knowledge among the ton within hours,” Caroline said with authority. “Diana’s reputation would be ruined beyond repair.”
“Diana could stay with us,” Morgan said.
“No,” Diana replied, shaking her head. “It is very kind of you to offer Morgan, but I must refuse. I would not only worry about the risk to you and Alyssa, but also to the girls. If anything ever happened to Katherine and Juliet, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”
“If you insist on leaving, we could try to find someone suitable to chaperon you while you were at Derek’s house,” Alyssa said. Then shaking her head, she added, “Of course, that plan does have the potential of putting another innocent person at rick.”
“You are back to your original decision, Diana,” Derek declared. “Stay here, or leave with me.”
“That is not a solution,” Diana said.
“Now, wait just a moment,” Caroline said, interrupting. “It would be proper for Diana to stay with Derek if they were married.”
Diana blanched visibly at the suggestion, and Derek felt a twinge of hurt at her reaction.
“I don’t think that is a plausible solution, Caroline,” Derek said hastily. He knew Diana was not yet ready to fully trust him and still needed more time to accept marrying him. Pushing aside his own bruised ego, Derek vowed to give Diana the time he promised her, despite his own great desire to have her for his wife.
“But, Derek, you don’t actually have to get married,” Caroline said. “You could just pretend to be married.”
“What!” everyone shouted simultaneously.
Caroline held up her hand. “Hear me out first,” she said, then took a deep breath. “It would be improper for Diana to inhabit Derek’s house as an unchaperoned, unattached female, but it would be perfectly proper for her to be there if she were Derek’s wife. The servants might gossip about the sudden nuptials, and Henriette might even find out, but it wouldn’t create a scandal. Diana might even be able to uncover some clues while living in the house.”
“And what happens to Derek’s pretend wife when this mystery is solved, Caroline?” Morgan said. “Does Diana succumb to some fatal disease or just suddenly disappear one morning, never to be seen again?”
“Well,” Caroline said, hedging.
“I was going to marry Derek anyway,” Diana said suddenly. “In fact, he has already told Lord Bennington we are betrothed. That is the main reason we have returned to London: to announce our engagement.”
“Bennington?” Morgan asked. “Why would you tell Henriette’s brother about your impending nuptials?”
“It certainly wasn’t by design,” Derek replied, actually forgetting about the meeting in all the ensuing confusion. “We ran into him quite by accident in Chippenham.”
“Personally I think it is splendid news,” Tristan cried with delight. “There is no need for a pretend wedding at all. We shall have the real thing.”
“No,” Derek said. Above all, he did not want Diana to feel she was being forced into the marriage. “We will wait until all this mess is cleared up before we actually marry.”
“Yes,” Diana quickly agreed, biting her lip.
“All right, that solves one problem,” Morgan stated. “Now what about Diana’s background? She can hardly be introduced into society as Giles’s widow.” Turning to Derek, Morgan asked, “How did you introduce her to Bennington?”
“I used her maiden name and introduced her as Lady Diana Crawford.” Derek’s eyes narrowed in concern. “You are right about Diana’s background, Morgan. We must create a plausible lineage for her, as well as an opportunity for us to have met.”
Silence prevailed as everyone pondered the newest point in question. “You certainly have a talent for finding fault, Morgan,” Caroline said grumpily.
“I am merely being cautious, Caroline,” Morgan replied, giving her a charming smile.
“I know!” Tristan shouted excitedly. “Since Diana’s true identity must forever remain unknown, we shall claim Diana is related to us.”
Morgan stroked his chin as he considered his brother’s idea. “That just might work.”
“Actually, that would be an excellent solution,” Derek said. “When Diana first appeared at my house, she naturally instructed the butler to announce her as the Dowager Countess of Harrowby. Later I told him, and the footman who also heard her state her name, Tristan was playing a rather humorless prank on me.
“You never told me that before, Derek!” Tristan exclaimed.
Derek shrugged his shoulders and smiled at his friend.
“It certainly sounds like the kind of mischief that would appeal to you, Tris,” Alyssa said with a grin.
“Not you too, Alyssa,” Tristan protested with exaggerated drama and everyone laughed.
“I’m afraid you’ve been found out, little brother,” Morgan told him. “Your suggestion about Diana has merit, however. We shall claim her as a distant cousin.”
“Henriette also saw Diana on that first afternoon,” Derek said, suddenly remembering. Turning toward Diana, he asked, “How were you introduced to her?”
“I wasn’t,” Diana said, smiling. “Henriette never stopped talking long enough for me to be properly introduced.”
“Then it is settled,” Tristan said cheerfully. “You shall be our cousin, Diana.”
“Are you certain you want to claim me for a relative?” Diana asked skeptically. “This will be a falsehood you will have to adhere to for a very long time.”
“Speaking as the head of our family, we would be delighted to welcome you as one of our own,” Morgan said sincerely.
“My father was in trade,” Diana said.
“And from what I gather, very successful at it,” Alyssa said calmly. “You should be proud of that, Diana. My own father was a viscount. He was also a gambler, a drunkard, and a coward.”
“Thankfully his daughter inherited none of those characteristics,” Morgan said with a gentle smile at his wife. “And she, in turn, possessed the good sense to marry me.”
“Ha,” Alyssa said with a straight face. “As I recall, Morgan, I wasn’t given much of a choice.”
Diana wasn’t certain, but she actually thought she saw Morgan blush.
“If you are sure that you want me,” Diana said with emotion, “I would be honored to be known as your cousin.”
“Splendid!” Caroline exclaimed with true delight. “Now we must plan the wedding. I suppose it will have to take place this evening.”
“Is all that really necessary?” Diana asked. “Can’t we just tell everyone we ran off to Gretna Green to get married?”
“Gretna Green!” Caroline looked positively scandalized. “The entire point of this charade is to lend an air of respectability to your marriage, Diana. I hardly think Gretna Green qualifies.”
“Since Diana is now an Ashton cousin, she should be married from our house,” Alyssa said kindly. “Morgan is the head of the family.”
“Yes, that is true,” Caroline reluctantly agreed. “I rather had hoped we could have the wedding here”—Caroline turned to the duke with a pleading look—“if Morgan has no objections?”
“It would probably be easiest,” Morgan said. “What do you think, Derek?”
“Fine,” he replied absently. “Morgan, Tris, and I have business to attend to this afternoon. We shall leave the wedding details in your capable hands, ladies.
“Good,” Caroline said, “I do need one of you to locate someone to play the vicar.”
“I’ll do it,” Tristan said. “I am certain I can engage a Drury Lane actor who would be pleased to earn some extra coin. Paid adequately, he should hold his tongue about this entire hoax.” Tristan rose to his feet and turned to his wife. “Anything else?”
“I don’t think so,” Caroline said. She stood up and practically chased the men from the room. “We will all meet here this evening at, shall we say, seven o’clock?”
Everyone nodded in agreement. After brief good-byes, the men quit the room.
“Now,” Caroline said, clapping her hands together with glee, “where shall we begin, ladies?”
Chapter Nineteen
Two hours later, Diana stood in the middle of Caroline’s bedchamber while the renowned modiste, Madame La Belle, refitted Caroline’s wedding gown on Diana. Caroline had insisted that Diana wear the lovely dress, and Madame La Belle, along with three of her most talented needlewomen, had been summoned to make the necessary al
terations.
“I have recut the neckline to accommodate Lady Diana’s amble bosom, Your Grace,” the dressmaker explained to Alyssa as Diana modeled the gown for them. “All we have to do is take up the hem a bit and the dress will be ready.”
“It looks lovely, Madame La Belle,” Alyssa said.
The antique white dress did indeed look beautiful, Diana thought. It was an elaborate ensemble of satin and lace, aglow with dozens of tiny seed pearls. The newly designed low-cut neckline enhanced the romance of the dress, accenting the tightly fitted lace bodice and the graceful sweep of the full satin skirt.
“I have finished sewing the fresh roses on the headdress, madame,” one of the assistants told Madame La Belle, handing her employer the veil.
Madame La Belle inspected the headpiece with a critical eye before placing it on Diana’s head. The two layered tulle bridal veil was gathered in a tight circle at the crown, under a floral headdress made of fresh pink and white roses. The dressmaker adjusted the headpiece and fluffed out the cascading veil of tulle.
“You look just like a princess,” a small voice called from the doorway.
“Katherine,” Alyssa said as the little girl ran into the room. “What are you doing here? I thought you and Juliet were taking a nap.”
“We were, Mama,” Katherine replied, nearly colliding with Madame La Belle in her excitement to reach Diana. “Juliet is still sleeping, but I woke up.”
Katherine reached out a tentative hand to touch the glimmering satin of the skirt. “Why are you all dressed up, Lady Diana? Are you going to a party?”
“Not precisely, Katherine,” Diana said, noting Madame La Belle’s annoyance as she stepped off the small stool she was standing on and bent down to speak to the little girl.
“I am going to marry the earl tonight,” Diana said, not sure how Katherine would react to the news.
“Really?” Katherine said, clearly impressed. She moved closer to Diana, whispering conspiratorily in her ear, “When I get older, I’m going to marry the earl too.”
Diana smiled at the child’s sincerity and nodded in agreement. “I am sure Derek would like that very much, Katherine.”
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