The Duchess of Lofton tilted her head. "The old bugger can wait. I want to see what happens."
Eleanora slipped the lilac glove into the pocket of her apron. "Very well, then. If you're going to hang around you can help clean up." She bent over and righted one of the potted ferns.
The duchess smiled. "Only you would put a member of the peerage to work, Miss Quinton."
"I find some members of the peerage are there only out of luck, not that they have earned it."
The duchess raised her eyebrows. "Am I one of those there out of luck then, Eleanora?"
Eleanora smirked again. "Loads of luck, your grace."
~
He didn't bother grabbing his coat or hat as he walked out into the crisp dark night. He did not have far to walk. The drive in front of him was full of the mob that the ballroom had been full of just moments before. Ladies were scrambling to get into carriages as men pushed from behind, shoving the wads of fabric through the carriage doors that were much too small. Especially for Lady Drendrigeshire's fat arse. Alec observed for a moment that her behind looked quite like the signal flag of a ship as it attempted to make its way through the tight carriage door, and he pondered whether the signal flag would be depicting distress.
He turned right at the end of the walk from the front door and headed down along the side of the drive, ignoring the ladies that shouted at him for assistance and the men who plodded into him while trying to shove the women into the carriages. It really was just a great mess.
Stryden met the street and crossed quickly between two passing carriages to the other side. Walking toward the corner, he ducked down an alleyway before he reached the intersecting street. His shoes clicked, ricocheting off the brick walls that enclosed the back gardens of the townhouses along the alley. The light from the street did not penetrate the darkness very far. But the hack was pulled only so far in, facing the street in case the occupant had a need to leave quickly. Styrden walked up to it, pulled open the door and climbed in.
"Nice shot." He rubbed his hands together from the cold.
"Thank you." His brother's teeth flashed white in the darkness as he smiled. "Thank you for the distraction. Is she really all that Jane says she is?"
"That and more, I'm afraid. I thought I was in over my head." Stryden relaxed against the cushions, keeping one eye focused out the window for movement.
He had been rather surprised by how ardently Eleanora Quinton had surveyed the room. It was as if she herself had served in the military and knew exactly what it took to correctly manage a battalion of soldiers. Or in this case, housemaids, footmen, and an unpredictable bunch of peers. But quite impressed he still had been.
When he had taken on this assignment from the War Office, he had thought it would be simple enough. A typical assassination of a treasonous lord. He had not taken the time to realize all of the possible scenarios where things would become truly difficult. An assassination meant to look like payment for untold debts and rights wronged and all of that glory nonsense that winners spouted about the morning after the duel in which they had survived and some other poor chap had not. Alec did not know who really had the energy for such drivel. What happened to being a gentleman and all that that stood for?
"You? In over your head with a woman? I doubt that," Nathan said, and Alec looked at him through the darkness.
It still startled him to see a face so like his own, and he felt again the rush of affection for his older brother. Although Nathan had been born first, it was Alec who had carried the title as Nathan had been born on the wrong side of the sheets. It saddened Alec to know that a title Nathan so richly deserved was one he would never have. But their father had not neglected Nathan, just as the Duke of Lofton had not neglected any person under his care in his entire life. He had taken Nathan as a son when the baby's mother had died in childbirth, and Nathan had never wanted for anything. And Alec had had a big brother to look up to.
"Do not doubt, dear brother," he said now, "She's an eagle. I thought I was going to have to ravish her right there on the dance floor to get her to stop eyeing everyone and everything." He straightened his coat. "I have never seen any one more observant in my entire life. Including you."
Nathan sat up. "Including me?"
"Yes, you." Stryden watched the lines of his brother's face in the darkness. "No." His brother did not move. "No, you are not going to meet her."
"Why not?" Nathan sat forward so a shaft of moon fell across his blue eyes, revealing features so like Stryden's that he paused again in consideration.
This was his brother. The one he fought next to on the battlefields in France and returning to England, they had been partnered by the War Office to fight in a more intellectual game, one of espionage and stealth, played out in drawing rooms and clubs instead of battlefields. And now the bloody bastard was going to ruin everything he had worked so hard to accomplish that night because he wanted to meet a woman?
"I flirted outrageously with her in order to get you in there without her seeing you. And now you just want to waltz in and meet the chit?"
"Oh, come now, Alec, I would not call her a chit. You just said she was an eagle. Most gracious and noble bird that is." He reached for the door. "I believe I shall have a look."
Alec grabbed his brother's hand in mid air. "Think about what you're doing. Your life may never be the same."
Nathan sat back. "Yes, maybe it will get better."
"I think it will get a lot worse."
"She's that incredible?"
"She reminded me of Hurst."
Nathan leaned further back in the seat. "Hurst?"
"Yes. Holds her hands behind her back in just the same manner."
"Oh my." Nathan sat all the way back against the cushioned seat, remembering their commanding officer from their days in the field.
"And what about the mission, Nathan?" Alec tried a different tactic. "This was supposed to have looked like a revenge killing."
Nathan seemed to ponder this.
"Do you think anyone will believe that?"
Alec shrugged.
"I do not know. I have never seen a revenge killing before. It is not like they happen regularly at balls."
Nathan gave a sound as if to agree but spoke no further.
The two sat for a moment staring out the window. They heard the horses shift their feet in the cold, sending their reins jingling in the stillness.
"They should be coming soon. I should head back." Alec opened the door and climbed down. He turned to shut the door, but Nathan was climbing out behind him.
"No." Alec tried to physically push Nathan back into the hack.
Nathan swatted his little brother out of the way. "I think my life could use an adjustment."
~
Standing in the doorway to the ballroom, he knew, quite quickly in fact, that this was more than just an adjustment, and his life really may never be the same again. She was beautiful. Well, not beautiful in any normal manner. In fact, she looked like she could put him in his place faster than make him buckle at the knees with want. Both options sounded vastly appealing though.
She stood in the middle of an absolute mess. There was what looked like the remains of some kind of shrubbery strewn across the floor. Why shrubbery would be in a ballroom, he had not a clue. But a herd of society's finest had done their best to maim the poor plants. Maids and footmen were gathering the fronds in piles growing almost too large to hold. Others were carefully picking up shards of glass, broken champagne flutes and plates. More were crawling over the platform in the rear where he had entered earlier that evening. The ballroom had looked quite lovely then.
Miss Quinton was currently folding yards of a sheer, blue fabric, carefully placing it on a table away from the dirt and spilled liquor. Her white hat and apron were as starched and perfect as if nothing out of the ordinary had transpired that evening. The corners of her mouth were slightly turned up. Why? He did not know, but for some odd reason, he really wished to fin
d out.
He felt Alec staring at him as he stared at Miss Quinton.
"Hurst, indeed."
"Do not do it, Nathan. You still have time to flee. She has not seen you yet."
Nathan glared at him. "I'm not going to run with my tail between my legs from a mere woman."
"Who is this, my lord?"
The sharp tone made Nathan swing his head around. He stared openly, knowing his mouth was hanging down to his chest and not caring in the least.
Alec opened his mouth to speak, but Nathan moved first, grabbing her hand and bringing it to his lips, "Mr. Black, of Bow Street, Miss Quinton."
He lowered her hand, letting her fingers slide slowly through his own before fully letting go of her.
Alec attempted to hide a laugh under a strained cough.
A little lie was not going to hurt things at the moment. After all, he had just killed a man.
Except Miss Quinton did not flinch.
Nathan straightened fully and smiled his most devilish smile.
She cast her eyes down along the length of him and back up. "Here is the body, Mr. Black." She turned away from him, gesturing to the dead man on the floor about ten feet away.
Nathan frowned. Deeply. Had she just given him the once over and then dismissed him completely?
He threw a scowl at Alec who just shrugged his shoulders and moved to follow Miss Quinton. Nathan also moved and found his path blocked by one of the decimated ferns. He kicked it out of his way and continued on.
"Be careful, Nathan."
He almost jumped out of his skin. He swung his head to the side to see Jane smiling at him. Where the bloody hell had she come from, and why was she still here?
He raised his eyebrows at her, and the crotchety woman stuck out her tongue at him. He went back to making his way across the cluttered ballroom toward the swiftly moving Miss Quinton.
"I apologize for the mess, Mr. Black. My staff is deeply horrified by such a tragedy and is trying hard to move past it. They are cleaning up this mess as promptly as possible, so that they may retire for the evening. And it has been quite a long evening, I'm sure you understand. I have not allowed them to touch the body, however, in case you may find some clue with it."
She stopped three feet from the body and by God, folded her hands behind her back under the starched bow of her apron. He quirked a brow at Alec, who just shrugged again. He dared to look at Jane, who winked at him.
"Very astute of you, Miss Quinton." Nathan bent down to look more closely at the body although he knew quite well who it was and what that who was. Lord Archer had been passing information to the damned French. It had been a pleasure to shoot the bastard. Nathan reached out and removed the man's handkerchief from his coat pocket to cover his face. He straightened up and turned to speak to Miss Quinton.
"Why did you do that, sir?" She had her lips thinned out, no longer turned up at the corners, her head cocked looking quite perplexed. He thought he heard Jane laugh behind him.
"I do not want your delicate sensibilities to be offended by the look of death." Nathan smiled gently.
"I assure you, sir, my sensibilities are far stronger than you might think. A dead body is just a dead body. I have seen far worse." She straightened her head and rolled her shoulders back. She became a full two inches taller, or perhaps that was an illusion. But Nathan took a step back anyway.
And that time he definitely heard Jane snort.
"I apologize for making an assumption, Miss Quinton. Please forgive me."
"Of course, sir." She nodded. "What do you plan to do with the body? It is quite upsetting to my staff."
Nathan pulled his gloves off and tucked them into the pockets of his greatcoat, bumping into the pistol still in his pocket. He bent down and rolled Archer over from the bent position he had landed in. It was pretty spectacular that the bloke had plummeted off the balcony after the bullet had smashed into his chest. Nathan really had not expected that to happen.
Alec squatted down beside him and leaned close. "I warned you."
"Yes, please do remind me to heed your warnings in the future," Nathan whispered back.
They both stared at the body without a bloody clue what to do with it. This was Rogers's territory.
And as if on cue, Rogers appeared.
"Very sorry, sir. Was detained by a very large, irate butler in the entranceway." Shiny Flip Rogers looked like a weasel that had been smacked in the face with a rug beater. But really the most trustworthy and kind fellow once you got to know him. True, he was a body snatcher. But he only sold the bodies to the really elite schools of medicine, none of those dodgy, experimental quacks.
Alec and Nathan stood, moving apart to allow Rogers and the two men he had brought with him to approach the body. He would take Lord Archer off their hands, and no one would miss him. And the dead lord would be contributing to the advancement of science. How thoughtful of him.
"Irate butler?" Nathan quirked an eyebrow at Miss Quinton. He thought he saw her assess the statement for a moment as if the description did not match an idea she held in her head. But she quickly recovered and moved on.
"Would you not be irate, Mr. Black, if someone went and got himself shot and kept you from your bed?"
Nathan found he had no response.
Miss Quinton's mouth returned to its normal position, corners slightly turned up. She actually looked pleasant then, looking up at him from under the stark white cap on her head. He noticed thin tendrils of hair had fallen out from under the cap around her ears. It was brown. No, red. Maybe both. The thousands of candles around them were setting it on fire, and he wasn't sure what color it really was.
He cleared his throat. "Mr. Rogers," he pointed behind him, "will move quickly and get Lord Archer removed, so that your staff may finish their cleaning and be in bed before long."
"Lord Archer?" Miss Quinton bent her head to look at the body.
"Yes, the, um, dead man." Nathan watched her face, fascinated by the movement in her eyes, wondering what she could possibly be thinking.
"That is not Lord Archer, sir."
Nathan had not thought she had been thinking that.
"Of course, it is Lord Archer." Nathan turned back to the body.
"No, it is not." Miss Quinton stepped forward and actually bent down. "This is his brother, Frederick. Or Mr. Westley as his brother is the elder and inherited the title of lord while Frederick is a mere mister." She tugged on the man's cravat revealing a scar along one side of his neck. "He got that in a duel over his mistress's honor. Most preposterous thing." Miss Quinton stood back up. "Lord Archer is in Wessex at Lord Heathenbaum's house party."
Nathan, Alec, and Rogers all stared at Miss Quinton. Jane bent over and looked at the scar letting out a soft Oops.
Alec spoke first. "What?"
Nathan thought that a profound statement from his little brother.
Miss Quinton drew in a deep breath and held it a moment. She released it slowly through her nose in a soft sigh. "Franklin, Lord Archer, is in Wessex attending a house party with his mistress while his wife is in Rome recovering from a bad chest cough which involves the personal attention and care of one Monsieur Pierre, last name unknown." She stared directly at Nathan.
Nathan pointed at the body.
"That is not Lord Archer," he said.
He felt his throat closing.
"Precisely, sir." She adjusted her apron, which did not need adjusting and placed her hands carefully behind her back.
Nathan moved his gaze over to Alec, who in turn looked at Rogers.
Rogers, daft idiot that he was, blurted out, "Even though it's the wrong bloke I still get the body, right?"
Miss Quinton's spine straightened. Her whole body seemed to lengthen, and Nathan knew, had she been a dog, her ears would have stood up. Her gaze sharpened. "Mr. Black?"
Jane stepped up. "I really think you should tell her. If anyone can understand the need for discretion right now it would be Miss Quinton."
"Tell me what, Mr. Black?"
"It is a rather delicate affair, Miss Quinton-"
"Mister Black, you are operating under a false impression. I am not a stupid, fragile girl like the rest of the debutantes in this society. I have lived things that you only have nightmares about, so could you please stop assuming that I am going to break at your every word?"
Nathan nodded, not daring to open his mouth.
"Thank you, sir. Now what is going on here?"
Nathan actually turned to look at Alec, but somehow, Miss Quinton ended up in front of his face. "Do not try to avoid me, Mister Black. I would like an explanation."
"Very well, madam, but only in some place more private." He grabbed her elbow and swung her around, not caring in the least any more for her delicate sensibilities. She ended up smacking into his side, but he just scowled at her. Her cap had fallen back on her head, and she looked up, her eyes huge.
Nathan forgot what he had been doing.
There was fear in her eyes.
Stark, naked and piercing fear.
He immediately let go of her, thinking his touch had brought on the sudden terror in her. She backed up, two whole steps, her eyes never leaving his face, always wide and watching as if waiting for him to strike. Her hands were bunched in the front of her apron, making the fabric crease with jagged wrinkles he was sure she absolutely would have hated had her mind been functioning. But he could see her mind was completely focused on him.
She was scared to death of him.
Nathan pulled his gaze away from her, hoping to stop whatever his touch had begun. Alec and Rogers were both staring at the suddenly silent Miss Quinton. Jane was staring at her hands. Nathan stepped in front of the men to block their view. Leaning close, he whispered, "Take the body. Alec, go to the Office. Tell them what has happened. Find Lofton."
Son of a Duke Page 3
