by Cheryl Holt
“I ran into a fist.”
“When?”
“A week or two ago.”
Lord Sidwell studied Lucas’s face. “If it’s still this bruised after so much time has passed, it must have been quite a clout.”
“It was.”
“Did you deserve it?”
“Absolutely.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Lord Sidwell bristled with exasperation. “I have a letter for you from James Talbot.”
“Thank you.”
His father handed it over, and Lucas stuck it in his coat.
“I brought it to you,” Lord Sidwell complained, “because the messenger said it was urgent.”
“I appreciate it.”
“But from now on, please have your mail sent elsewhere. I’m not about to play the part of your delivery boy.”
“Yes, I’ll shout to the world that no one should write to me in care of my family.”
“Why aren’t you married?”
“What?”
The swift change of subject disconcerted Lucas.
He was back in London, and he and his father were attending the same party, a musical soiree complete with cards and gambling in the other salons.
Lucas was prowling through every fête he could find in the hope of crossing paths with Amelia. There’d been no sign of her anywhere, but he’d managed to bump into his father with no trouble.
“Why aren’t you married?” his father repeated. “Your deadline to wed Miss Hubbard has come and gone, and last I heard, you were still a bachelor.”
“Miss Hubbard has left London.”
“Why? What did you do to her?”
“Why is your immediate and only assumption that I’ve behaved horridly?”
“I’ve known you for twenty-five years, Lucas. Nothing about you is a mystery to me.”
“I didn’t do anything to her,” Lucas fibbed, for he wasn’t about to tender an explanation. It would require mention of Nanette, which would pitch his father into a rage, and Lucas was in no mood for a public scolding.
“You did nothing?” Lord Sidwell scoffed. “I don’t believe you.”
Lucas shrugged. “I went to Mrs. Middleton’s to propose—as I apprised you was my intent—but, apparently, Miss Hubbard had decided she wasn’t interested in being my bride.”
“That’s a lie. I watched the two of you waltzing.”
“Will this accursed town ever stop talking about that stupid dance?”
“I merely cite it because I’ve never seen a woman who was so visibly in love. You looked awfully smitten yourself.”
“I’m sure it was a trick of the light,” Lucas blithely quipped. “So...I’ve been trying to locate her, but I can’t. Have you any information about her in your files? Were you provided details about her background?”
“No. I was told she has relatives in France, but I doubt she’s traveled there. She hadn’t the funds.” Lord Sidwell scowled. “Evidently, she has a brother here in London. His name is Chase Hubbard. You could ask him if he’s heard from her.”
“I’ll try that,” Lucas said, but it would be futile.
He’d already spread a dozen discreet inquiries, seeking a meeting with Chase Hubbard, but as with his sister, no one knew where he was.
Lucas kept peeking over his shoulder, worried that another assault was imminent. Hubbard had ordered Lucas to wed Amelia, and as Lord Sidwell had pointed out, Lucas was still a bachelor.
Considering Hubbard’s fury at their prior encounter, Lucas was positive Hubbard would carry out his lethal threat. He might simply step out of a crowd and murder Lucas before Lucas saw the pistol being aimed.
More likely though, Hubbard would challenge Lucas to a duel. In case that happened, Lucas had been frantically working to conjure up a second to accompany him, but the only man he’d ever let guard his back was James.
Yet with James settling in with Rose, Lucas didn’t think James would be willing to tot off to London to assist at a duel. And if Rose learned of it, she’d kill them both. Lucas wouldn’t have to wait for Hubbard to accomplish it.
But Lucas didn’t want to fight with Chase Hubbard. He wanted to marry Hubbard’s sister, but Lucas could hardly be held to account if he couldn’t locate the blasted woman.
“However”—Lord Sidwell puffed himself up—“as Miss Hubbard has abandoned you, it’s clear you won’t wed in the foreseeable future.”
“I will if I can find her.”
“Obviously, she came to her senses about you.”
“It appears that she has.”
“So your deadline has expired and consequences will now ensue.” His father leaned nearer and hissed, “I cut you from my life, Lucas Drake! Be gone. Leave me be, and don’t darken my doorstep ever again.”
Lucas rolled his eyes. “Yes, my lord.”
“You’ll soon discover what it means to be adrift from your family.”
“Yes, I’m certain I will, and if you hear from Miss Hubbard, contact me right away.”
“Where will you be?”
“At Summerfield with James. He’s marrying.”
Lord Sidwell’s brows quirked up in astonishment. “Who would have him?”
“Rose Ralston. You know who that is, don’t you, Father?”
A hint of recognition flitted across his father’s face, but it was quickly concealed.
“Why do I bother with you?” Lucas rhetorically asked. “Rose is my cousin. She’s your sister Kathryn’s daughter.”
“I had no sister named Kathryn,” Lord Sidwell tightly stated, denying the sibling that had been disowned decades earlier, “and you have no cousin named Rose.”
Lucas snorted. “Have you ever wondered what it will be like to die old and alone?”
“What are you talking about?” his father sneered. “I shan’t die alone. I shall have Aaron to attend me in my dotage.”
“Aaron will? With his lovely wife, Priscilla?”
“Yes.”
“Good luck with that, Father.” Lucas laughed aloud. “Good luck with that.”
He strolled away, and the crush of people kept his father from shouting or calling Lucas back to his side.
He meandered through the gathering a final time, checked the garden and the verandah, but there was no sign of Amelia or Chase Hubbard. He decided to move on to the next party, and he was headed down a hallway to the front foyer when, to his surprise, his brother peered out from a closed-off room and gestured to Lucas.
“Come here for a minute,” Aaron said.
“I was just leaving, Aaron. Whatever it is, we’ll have to discuss it later.”
“No, you have to hear this. Come.”
Lucas wanted to depart, and after his quarrel with their father, he was in no mood to bicker with Aaron. But he had no genuine disagreement with Aaron. He simply didn’t like his brother very much. Yet for a change, Aaron appeared solemn and forceful, and with his being regularly emasculated by Priscilla and their father, he hadn’t looked so powerful or vigorous in years.
“Five minutes,” Lucas huffed. “I’ll give you five minutes, then I have to go.”
Aaron drew the door wide so Lucas could enter the quiet parlor. It was a small space, probably for reading or contemplation, and a lamp burned on the table. There was a sofa by the fire, and a woman was seated on it. For a heart-stopping instant, he thought it was Amelia, but quickly, he realized it wasn’t her.
Lucas glared at Aaron, then marched by him and over to the woman, being unsettled to discover it was Nan. Since that last night in her bedchamber, he hadn’t seen her, and Aaron despised her, so Lucas couldn’t imagine why they’d be together.
“Why are you in here with Aaron?” Lucas asked.
She didn’t reply, and Aaron scowled at her.
“You will admit to every one of your offenses,” Aaron ordered. “Get on with it.”
Nan nodded at Aaron, but still didn’t seem able to speak.
“Mrs. Nipton!” Aaron snapped.
Ultimately, she murm
ured, “I owe you an apology, Lucas.”
“What for?”
“Ah...I did you a bad turn.”
“In what way?”
“First, I need you to understand what occurred. There was quite a bit of money involved and I—”
Aaron cut her off. “We won’t listen to any excuses from you. Just state the facts.”
“Yes, I suppose that’s best.” She wrung her hands and fiddled with the fabric of her dress. “I schemed against you with Claudia Cummings.”
“How?”
“After your waltz with Miss Hubbard—”
“That bloody waltz!” Lucas griped. “Can’t all of you get over it?”
“Yes, well, after you danced with Miss Hubbard, Claudia was afraid you might marry her.”
“So what? Why would Claudia care about that?”
“She didn’t want Miss Hubbard to join your family,” Nan explained. “She felt Miss Hubbard was too far beneath you.”
“I see,” Lucas muttered, and he really, really did.
Claudia was exactly like his father, like Lucas’s grandfather. They were stuffy, pretentious snobs, and their pompous attitudes had been drilled into Aaron. It was the reason Lucas was so disappointed in Aaron. Lucas refused to concern himself with station or rank, a sentiment that enraged the members of his father’s social circle.
Amelia Hubbard could never be lofty enough for Claudia Cummings.
“What was your plan with Claudia?” Lucas asked. “What harm was inflicted on Miss Hubbard?”
“The night in Westwood’s music room...”
Nan couldn’t continue, and Lucas pressed, “I remember it clearly, Nan. Tell me what you did.”
“Miss Hubbard was out on the verandah, peeking in the window. I figured I could drag you off while she watched.” She glanced away, actually looking ashamed for once. “I knew I could wound her and break her heart.”
“You definitely succeeded.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Are you?” Lucas chided.
Aaron interjected, “Let’s review the terms of your agreement with Claudia.”
“I have a bit of a gambling debt with the Stevens brothers,” Nan mumbled.
This was not news to Lucas. He’d helped her accumulate a lot of it.
“I’m aware of your gambling debts, Nan.”
“Mrs. Cummings said she’d pay it off if I made Miss Hubbard go away.”
“That’s quite a bribe,” Lucas mused.
“Yes, but she didn’t follow through. She’s insisting now that we had no deal.”
Lucas scoffed. “You’re confessing because you were double-crossed?”
“Yes.”
“And here I was hoping you’d had a burst of conscience.”
“My conscience is eating away at me too,” she claimed.
“Is it?”
“Yes. You’ve always been a friend to me, and I feel awful about you—and Miss Hubbard.”
“Well, thank you for that—I guess—except it’s a little too late for an apology.”
“Why?”
“Because of your shenanigans, Miss Hubbard wouldn’t have me for a husband if I was the last man on Earth.”
“Oh.” Nan seemed a tad regretful, but with her, it would only be a very tiny thimble of regret.
“Is there anything you haven’t mentioned?” Aaron asked her.
“I don’t believe so.”
“Then you’re excused,” Aaron said as if she was a servant.
She stood and approached Lucas, and she stopped in front of him.
“I’m sorry,” she claimed again.
“I heard you the first time.”
“I wish I could make it up to you.”
“I wish you could too, but please go away. I need to discuss this with my brother.”
“All right.”
She left, and he and Aaron huddled in the quiet until she’d shut the door and her footsteps faded down the hall.
“How did you find out about this?” Lucas inquired.
“I bumped into Mrs. Nipton the other day on the street. She’d just quarreled with Claudia, so she was in a temper. She babbled the whole story to me. Initially, I thought she was spouting drivel, but then, when I learned of Miss Hubbard’s departure, I figured it was probably true.”
“Have you talked to Claudia?”
“I can’t until I’ve calmed down. I’m too afraid I might wring her scrawny neck.”
“Give it an extra tight squeeze for me, will you?”
“I will.”
They stared and stared, a thousand comments swirling between them, but they couldn’t manage to voice them aloud.
Finally, Aaron asked, “What will you do now?”
“I’ll keep searching for Amelia, but even if I locate her, I’m not sure she’ll speak to me.”
“You could take Mrs. Nipton to her. You could have her confess directly to Miss Hubbard. She might listen to you that way.”
“I doubt it. If I strolled into a room with Nan by my side, Amelia Hubbard would murder me.”
“If her brother doesn’t kill you first.”
“You heard about that?”
“Yes, I heard.”
“Well, he’ll have to find me before he can kill me.”
“How’s your eye?”
“Nearly healed.”
Lucas turned to go, and Aaron inquired, “Where will you be?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been trolling all the balls looking for her, but I don’t think she’s in London. I don’t think her brother is either. I’m hoping he took her somewhere safe.”
“I hope so too.”
“I’ll spend another day or two searching, but then, I’m off to Summerfield for James’s wedding.”
“He’s really getting married, is he?”
“He really is.”
“I guess matrimony can happen to any man,” Aaron sagely reflected.
“I guess so. How about you? Will you still wed Priscilla after all this nonsense with Claudia? How could you bear to have her for a mother-in-law?”
“I have some decisions to make.” Aaron shrugged. “As I said, I’m too angry to deal with this now. I may ride to Fox Run for an extended visit.” Fox Run was Aaron’s country estate. “I always feel better after I’ve been there awhile.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll write to you there after the ceremony. I’ll let you know where I’ll be.”
“Father told me you might travel to India.”
“I might. If I can’t fix things with Amelia, there’s no reason for me to stay in England.”
“I don’t want you to go.”
“You’re the only one in the kingdom who holds that opinion.”
“If you remain in London, you’ll eventually run Miss Hubbard to ground. You could still wind up with a wife. It might tame you.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Lucas said, but he grinned.
To his consternation, there was an enormous amount of charged emotion in the air, and he was unnerved by it. He was afraid to open his mouth, afraid of all the maudlin poppycock that might spew out.
He put two fingers to his forehead and gave his brother a jaunty salute, then he sauntered off. After retrieving his coat, he walked out into the night. It was beginning to rain, sprinkles wetting the cobbles, casting the streetlamps in a dim glow that matched his melancholy mood.
At loose ends, he morosely dawdled, wondering what was next for him. As he started down the stairs, he remembered James’s letter was in his pocket. He went back into the lighted foyer to read it.
He flicked at the seal, a brow rising as he scanned the short note.
Rose lied to you. Miss Hubbard is hiding here at Summerfield. I think you need to marry her, or my wife will never stop harping about it. Have mercy on me. If you’re willing, come to my wedding, and I’ll help you out of this mess.
“Rose, you deceptive devil,” Lucas murmured, and he chuckled.
She seemed so straightlaced
that he hadn’t thought her capable of duplicity, but then, she was a Drake—despite how she tried to pretend she wasn’t. Drake blood coursed through her veins, and Lucas couldn’t wait to happily inform her that being a Drake rendered a person fully proficient at all sorts of dishonesty.
But he’d tell her—in no uncertain terms—after he’d settled matters with Amelia. Amelia would listen to Lucas, and she would forgive him. He wouldn’t consider any other conclusion.
Suddenly, he felt better than he had in a very long while. He marched out into the dark night again, and this time, he didn’t mind the rain at all.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Amelia strolled down the lane toward Summerfield Manor. She never grew tired of seeing the stately mansion through the trees. It had proved a relaxing haven where she could assess her options and recover from her ordeal.
With each passing day, her London escapade faded further into the background, and try as she might, she couldn’t figure out what had possessed her to flirt and flaunt herself.
She was just an ordinary, modest woman. Despite the tendencies of her parents, she’d never had an inclination for luxury or extravagance. She’d simply craved a quiet and stable life, so the whole experience made her wonder if she hadn’t gone temporarily mad.
Perhaps there had been something in the air or water in the city that had rendered her insane. For of a certainty, since she’d traveled to Summerfield, her genuine character was gradually reasserting itself.
“Never again,” she murmured.
She’d had her London adventure, had recklessly and hedonistically frolicked and played, and she’d learned too many hard lessons. If she occasionally reminisced about Lucas Drake, it was in a detached, almost scientific way as she struggled to comprehend her misdeeds with him.
Yes, he could be a charming rogue, so she understood why an innocent, sheltered female such as herself would have been tempted. But he also possessed every despicable trait she loathed, and she couldn’t fathom why she’d been so gullible and easily swayed.
Temporary madness, she mused again, but it was slowly receding, her old, reliable self returning. She was wiser now. Should another scoundrel ever cross her path, she’d run far and fast in the opposite direction.
Rose had devised the perfect arrangement. Amelia was hiding in a bedchamber in an isolated wing of the mansion. Once the wedding was over, and Rose had more time to focus, they’d look for a new situation for Amelia.
