Sari Robins - [Andersen Hall Orphanage]

by What to Wear to a Seduction

  The topic of their discourse, Sir Lee Devane, stood in the garden below, leaning lightly on a gold-topped cane. The gray-haired wizened chap wore a black coat, old-fashioned dove gray knee breeches with white stockings and black-buckled shoes. He was examining something in his hand flashing in the sunlight.

  “Well, even if he looks harmless, we must be wary.” Janelle stepped down the last step and onto the white-graveled path. “Of all the guests, he seems the most suspect.”

  “You mean besides Lady Pomfry?” Edwina muttered under her breath, joining her. She’d been trying not to think about how much the woman’s attendance was upsetting her, but a nasty heavy feeling had been brewing in her middle ever since she’d heard that the lady’s carriage had arrived only an hour before.

  Edwina’s only comfort was in knowing that Prescott was searching Sir Lee’s rooms at that moment, so he couldn’t possibly be with his former paramour.

  Janelle inhaled a deep breath. “Come, Edwina. Let us ensure that he doesn’t return to the house anytime soon.”

  Sir Lee turned, waving his cane excitedly. “This Claude glass is positively ingenious!” He held out a mirror about a hand’s width wide that was slightly bowed. “You must have a try! Everything looks quite different from this perspective.”

  “I don’t believe that we’ve had the pleasure of an introduction.” Janelle gave quiet rebuke. “I am Lady Blankett. And this is my friend Lady Ross.”

  He tipped his hat. “Sir Lee Devane, at your service.”

  Just as Edwina rose from her curtsey, the man pressed the mirror into her gloved hand. “Now have a look.”

  The glass flashed in the light, blinding her for a moment, then she held it up, seeing the cloudless blue sky.

  “No, not that way.” Taking the mirror from her hand, he adjusted it, holding it up for her view. “Like this.”

  Green trees, pink roses, and emerald grass spread in a panorama before her with a canopy of blue above. It was so lovely Edwina’s breath caught.

  “You see it, don’t you, my lady?” Sir Lee’s lips split into a loose grin, exposing tobacco-stained teeth.

  “It’s enchanting.”

  “Isn’t it?” The man’s green eyes twinkled and Edwina couldn’t help but feel swept away in his delight.

  “An old comrade gave it to me for my birthday and this is my first attempt at using it. I must write to thank him.”

  “Comrade?” Pressing her hands together, Janelle stepped forward. “You were in government service, I heard. The Foreign Office, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes. But now this old gent has been put out to grass.”

  “Retired, are you?”

  “Purposeless, in other words.”

  “Don’t say that,” Edwina charged, liking the man, despite herself.

  “Truth is truth. These days I’m at a loss for what to do to fill my time.” Lifting his hands, he shrugged. “Which is why I attend parties far afield from my dear London, hosted by a man who frets that the artificial ruins he paid a fortune for don’t appear authentic enough.”

  Edwina hid her smile. Upon arriving at the house a few hours earlier she had found Lord Kendrick sending his servant back to London to procure his pattern book for the grounds for that very same reason. Edwina had been tempted to offer the copy she had in her luggage, but Janelle had warned her that it would have raised too many questions.

  Sir Lee chuckled. “I told Lord Kendrick if he wanted authenticity, then he needed to have a real ruin packed up and shipped here piece by bloody piece.”

  “You didn’t!” Edwina cried, suppressing a giggle.

  “Of course I did. My only regret is that Kendrick’s poor man of affairs almost fainted when he heard the news.”

  “Thank heavens for Lady Kendrick,” Janelle remarked. “I don’t know how she does it.”

  “With great fortitude. There’s a lady who knows how to captain a ship.”

  Edwina raised a brow. “A fine commendation, indeed.”

  “And I am not one to banter about compliments easily. You will have to be much more than a pretty face to earn my regard, Lady Ross.”

  Edwina smiled, almost believing his flattery. “I consider myself up to the challenge, sir.”

  Janelle was eyeing them with disapproval, as if she did not like how congenially Edwina and Sir Lee were getting along. Edwina tempered her regard, reminding herself that this man could, indeed, be the blackmailer. But he seemed so sweet and harmless, she somehow doubted it could be true.

  “Here, Janelle, have a look.” Edwina held out the glass.

  “I have no care for such things. They make me dizzy. But I would very much like a stroll. Sir Lee, if you would be so kind as to escort us. If it’s not too much trouble, that is.”

  “The old leg can certainly use a bit of exercise, particularly when the company is so engaging. I would, indeed, be delighted.”

  They fell into a line, the wide white-graveled path providing ample room for them to stroll side by side. Honeysuckle filled the air from the vines creeping up the nearby row of trees and pebbles crunched under their shoes as they proceeded along in silence.

  Nearing the lake, Edwina turned to him. “Do you fish, Sir Lee?”

  “Avidly. There’s nothing like starting with an empty hook and landing a fat catch to eat.”

  Janelle shot Edwina a glance. Did Sir Lee’s comment seem to have an underlying meaning?

  “My only problem,” Sir Lee continued, “is that I tend to fall asleep, and miss the strike every time.”

  Edwina relaxed. He seemed an unlikely candidate for wicked blackmail. “My uncle always said that fishing was more for catching a snooze than anything to eat.”

  “I believe I would like this uncle of yours.” Sir Lee nodded.

  “There you are!” a familiar deep voice called from behind them.

  Hiding her relief that Prescott was safe and the room search was over, Edwina turned. She did not bother to disguise her overwhelming delight at seeing him again. They were supposed to be engaged, for heaven’s sake.

  Prescott strode down the path, his limber gait gaining ground quickly to join them. His coppery brown mane shone bright in the afternoon sun and his skin glowed golden as if he had a hint of Roman blood in him. He wore an ivory cravat, sea-green coat with ivory enamel buttons over a navy Marcella waistcoat and tight ivory breeches

  Edwina’s heart skipped a beat, he was so handsome to behold.

  Grinning like a puppyish fool, Edwina turned to the gentleman by her side. “Sir Lee Devane, may I introduce my fiancé, Mr. Prescott Devane. With a shared name you’re sure to have double luck to win at the Newmarket races.”

  Prescott shot her an amused smile as he tipped his tall black hat and bowed. “The pleasure of your acquaintance is mine, Sir Lee.”

  Wondering why Sir Lee was so silent at her jest, Edwina tore her gaze from Prescott’s.

  Sir Lee’s craggy face had washed of color and his mouth hung open as if he needed air. The man swayed slightly on his feet and his hat fell over backwards, baring his thinning gray mane.

  Prescott straightened and stepped forward, grabbing the man’s arm. “Are you unwell, sir? What ails you?”

  Frantic for what to do, Edwina snapped open her fan and waved it before his face. “He needs air!”

  “There’s a bench over here, lay him down!” Janelle ordered.

  Prescott half carried the man over to the gray stone bench and gently seated him, with Edwina following close behind. “Maybe if we untie his cravat?”

  Prescott reached forward, but Sir Lee waved him off and pulled at his cravat, loosening the neckcloth. His breathing seemed to become normal and the color returned to his face. “That’s…what an old man gets for trying to be fashionable.”

  No one laughed, but Edwina released the breath she’d been holding. Her eyes met Prescott’s in silent communion that the crisis seemed to have passed.

  “Death by fashion,” Prescott joked. “That would be a first.”<
br />
  Edwina shook her head. “First? Corsets are a plague to womankind.”

  Taking a handkerchief from his pocket, Sir Lee pressed it to his forehead, then his lips. “I’m sorry if I frightened you. But I am perfectly fine, I assure you.” He exhaled loudly and Edwina was relieved to see the pink color in his craggy cheeks. He looked up at Prescott and his cheeks tinged even pinker.

  “There’s no reason to be embarrassed.” Edwina sat down beside him. “Everyone loses his breath now and then.”

  “Not me.” The elderly gentleman shook his head, still shaken.

  Noticing the man’s lost hat, Prescott rose and retrieved it. Dusting it off, he held it out. “Here you are, sir. No harm done.”

  “Except to my pride.” Pain seemed to flash in his eyes and they shone bright.

  “Does anything ache?” Edwina asked gently.

  Sir Lee took the hat and set it on his head. “I’m fine, truly I am. I just…remembered something.” He looked up at her, his green eyes filled with sadness. “You ever have a memory so powerful it sucks the air right from your lungs?”

  She shook her head, feeling sorry for him. “It must be a horrible memory.”

  “No.” His smile was melancholic. “Quite the opposite.”

  The birds chirped in the trees and a cluster of bees buzzed as they enjoyed the creamy white blossoms of the nearby lime tree.

  Exhaling noisily, Sir Lee set his cane and stood. Funny, he’d never dropped it, even when he’d almost fainted. He extended his hand. “Good to know you, Mr. Devane.”

  Prescott shook it. “You as well. I can’t help but feel as if I’ve made a bad impression.”

  “Not possible, with a natty name such as yours.” The man’s gaze sharpened. “Are you by any chance related to the Cheshire Devanes?”

  “No, sir. I am an orphan and Devane is a made-up name. Rest assured I am no relation…” His smile was teasing. “Unless of course you have a fortune in need of an heir.”

  Sir Lee smiled, but his eyes did not twinkle as before. “No such luck, I’m afraid. But I do have a few outstanding accounts that I’d gladly pass on.”

  “I have enough of those on my own, thank you.”

  Edwina sensed an undercurrent coming from Sir Lee, but then decided that it must simply have been the scare he’d received.

  “Oh, no!” Raising her hands to her mouth, Edwina rushed over to The Claude glass. It lay in pieces in the white gravel. “I’m so sorry, Sir Lee. I must have dropped it.”

  “Don’t pick it up!” The elderly man’s voice was shrill. “It will cut you.”

  “I’m so sorry! You said it was a birthday gift—”

  “It was my own fault, for falling into a silly faint.” Stepping over, he flicked the glass into the nearby grass with his cane. “I’ve caused enough spilled blood in my lifetime; I don’t need to add yours.”

  Prescott firmly grasped Edwina’s arm and helped her rise, holding her close. “How, exactly, did you cause spilled blood, Sir Lee?”

  “Secret, lies and mayhem, Mr. Devane. I’ve quite the talent for it.”

  Edwina’s mouth dried to dust and she was bereft of words. Had Sir Lee just confessed to being the blackmailer?

  Sir Lee adjusted the gold head on his cane. “At the Foreign Office I was able to keep my skills sharp.”

  “Do you still employ those talents, Sir Lee?” Prescott enquired.

  The man’s eyes were locked with Prescott’s, sharp green flashing in the light. “Nay. I’m just an old man with a lot of memories, Mr. Devane. Some good, some haunting, but enough to make me understand that those days are better left behind me.”

  “Still, it must be hard to leave all that…excitement.”

  “I confess, I do miss it at times. Very, very much. But the baton must be passed to a new generation, and I often feel as if I now need to put myself to good use elsewhere.”

  Edwina felt Prescott relax beside her. “That is admirable of you, sir.”

  “Mayhap…” The man tilted his head. “You didn’t by any chance hail from Andersen Hall Orphanage, did you, Mr. Devane?”

  “I did indeed, sir.”

  “I’d heard that the headmaster had been murdered. Is it true?”

  With his eyes hooded, Prescott nodded. “Yes.”

  “Nasty business.” Sir Lee almost spat. Then eyeing the ladies, shrugged in apology. “I hear orphanages are almost as bad as the gaols. Is it true, Mr. Devane?”

  Prescott’s body tensed to iron, but his mask was firmly in place. “I wouldn’t know, sir, as I’ve never been in prison to be able to compare.”

  The old gent chuckled. “Touché.”

  Squeezing Prescott’s arm, Edwina tilted her head. “I’m proud to say that I’m a benefactor to Andersen Hall Orphanage. As are many enlightened people who appreciate the standards that Headmaster Dunn maintained. You would do well to visit the place and judge for yourself, Sir Lee. No doubt you’ll be inspired by the people who hail from there and become a supporter.”

  “Edwina…” Prescott cautioned, and she looked away, knowing that he would prefer that she not make an issue of it.

  “The lady is right, I’m afraid, Mr. Devane,” Sir Lee intoned. “I’m being an insensitive sod. My apologies.” He sighed. “I suppose I was simply trying to distract attention from my embarrassing fainting spell.” Sir Lee bowed. “I hope that you can forgive me for both the faint and the insufferable probing. I would be most appreciative if you would.”

  Prescott tilted his head. “Of course.”

  Sir Lee motioned to the residence. “Come, let us walk back to the house for some lemonade. I’m feeling a bit…unequal to things.”

  “You two go on.” Prescott waved a hand. “I want a moment with my fiancée.”

  My fiancée. Even though it wasn’t true, it sounded so sweet on his lips.

  While Janelle and Sir Lee strolled off, Edwina laid her palm on Prescott’s chest. “Are you all right?”

  He grasped her arms, nodding. “Yes, fine. I found nothing in his rooms to indicate that he’s the one.”

  “I’m talking about what he said about Andersen Hall.”

  Looking down at her, his face softened. “It is what it is, Edwina. It doesn’t matter.”

  “It matters to me! People can be so bloody tactless, it makes me just want to shake them!”

  He smiled. “I doubt Sir Lee will make the same mistake again, not after you ever so tactfully straightened him out. Headmaster Dunn would’ve been proud.”

  “Still…”

  “Shh.” He pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I want to ask a favor of you, Edwina.”

  “Certainly.”

  “I want you to…um, well, stay away from Daphne, uh, Lady Pomfry.”

  Daphne.

  Jealousy snaked around her heart so piercingly she almost gasped. “Why?”

  He wouldn’t meet her gaze. “She’s just…well…apt to cause trouble.”

  Edwina licked her suddenly dry lips. “She still wants to be with you.” It was a statement; any sane woman would want to be with him.

  “Nay. She just likes drama.”

  Liar.

  His hand rubbed her shoulder in a very brotherly way. “And I’ve asked the same of her.”

  Edwina stiffened. “So you spoke with her?”

  “Her rooms are down the hall from Sir Lee’s. I ran into her on my way back.”

  A terrible pit formed in her belly. What else had they discussed?

  At the look on her face, Prescott hugged her close. “You’ve nothing to worry about with Daphne. She and I are finished. There’s nothing there.”

  Edwina swallowed, wishing she could believe it. She trusted Prescott, knowing he wasn’t the kind to double deal, but Edwina didn’t trust Lady Pomfry, not by a hair.

  “We should join the rest of the guests,” he urged. “Make ourselves seen so that later we can sneak off and take a turn at Lord Cunningham’s rooms. He’s ne
xt on our list.” He kissed her temple. “The sooner we get started, the sooner we can put a stop to Ginny’s nightmare.”

  It took every ounce of willpower for Edwina to resist the desperate urge to pull him deeper into the garden and ravage him right then and there, claim him for her own. But Prescott was right, they were here for a reason, and Ginny was counting on them.

  “I will stay away from Lady Pomfry,” she murmured. “But I want your assurance that you won’t do anything to encourage her or attract her attentions.”

  “Please, Edwina.” His tone was affronted. “Give me a little more credit than that.”

  “I just mean, well, not that you’d encourage her, but she may get the wrong idea in her head…”

  “Look, Edwina. The only person whose head you should be concerned with is mine. And all I can think about is you.” Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he led her toward the house. Her legs felt leaden as she stepped alongside him.

  “Daphne probably didn’t even know I was going to be here when she accepted the invitation. I’m possibly the farthest thought from her mind.”

  Edwina doubted that was true. At this very moment Lady Pomfry was probably scheming and contriving a way to land herself back in Prescott’s bed. For if the roles were reversed, Edwina would be doing exactly the same.

  Chapter 26

  Edwina eyed Lady Pomfry as a mongoose eyes a viper, knowing that they were natural enemies and that with one wrong move she would be struck dead.

  It wasn’t that Lady Pomfry had said anything particularly antagonistic. It was the way she looked at Edwina; with such vehement animosity that Edwina’s hair stood on end. Trying to keep in mind Prescott’s words, Edwina wondered if she wasn’t being a bit melodramatic.

  Mayhap her ill will stemmed from the fact that Lady Pomfry stood in a circle of astoundingly fashionable gentlemen and ladies, and Edwina felt like a straggly weed standing next to the wine service all by herself. And, she had to admit, from the fact that the lady was lovely enough to cause even the most devoted man’s head to turn.