“Elizabeth, stop this nonsense right now. I know what you are thinking.”
“What are you speaking of?” Sophie could not know what Elizabeth was thinking. Could she? Perhaps her friend’s powers were stronger than Elizabeth ever realized.
Sophie glared at her. “You are not with child. You will not be out on the streets. You have friends who love you and will help you in any manner possible. So no more self-pity!”
Elizabeth almost laughed at Sophie’s angry tone. Never had her friend spoken in such a way to her. “Very well, Sophie. I shall have to trust you in this matter.”
“Yes, you shall at that,” Sophie said. “Now come along, the carriage awaits.”
“As you wish.” Perhaps Sophie could tell with her powers that everything would work out all right. Elizabeth wondered if Sophie knew for certain that she wasn’t with child. As much as she loved children, and would be pleased to have a baby when she married, having one now would be a disaster.
They traveled to the bookstore in relative silence. Elizabeth didn’t mind as she was still lost in her own thoughts. Will would not be pleased when she told him that she was leaving. It was her fault. She should have left as soon as he arrived. Then she never would have fallen in love with him. She never would have found those disgusting journals and discovered just how depraved her parents were.
But now she had to move forward. Decide on a path for her future. Something that would involve never seeing Will again. No matter how much that hurt. The future Duchess of Kendal could not be the daughter of a footman.
They finally arrived at the bookshop and climbed down from the carriage. “What book are you looking for, Sophie?”
Sophie paused. “I am not quite certain. I shall know when we enter the store.”
Elizabeth shook her head as frustration with her friend overcame her again. “I cannot help you if I do not know what you are looking for.”
“Help me? We are here to help you, not me,” Sophie said elusively.
“Help me with what?”
“Will, of course.” Sophie walked toward the store, leaving Elizabeth standing behind her with her mouth gaping.
She followed quickly behind Sophie as her friend walked around the store. “Over here,” she whispered to Elizabeth.
“Why are you whispering?”
Sophie put her finger to her lips to hush her. Elizabeth had no idea what they were doing sneaking around a bookshop but she followed her friend anyway.
Sophie stopped by a selection of poetry and pulled out a book. She inclined her head to let Elizabeth know to do the same. Elizabeth found a volume of sonnets and pretended to peruse it. As she did, voices carried from the stack of books on the other side of the shelves.
“Everything is set,” the woman said with confidence. “I sent him the note this afternoon.”
“Excellent, my dear. You will soon be the Duchess of Kendal,” the man said in a soft tone.
Elizabeth reached for the shelf in support. Who was on the other side of the bookshelf? She attempted to glance through the spaces but could only see a blue gown that looked slightly outdated.
“Do you honestly think this will work, Father?”
“Abigail, remember, he must believe you defied me by coming to England. He must believe you love him and this was all your idea. If he ever discovers the truth, he will never marry you and all our plans will be for naught.”
“I understand, Father. Everything will go exactly as we planned. He will marry me and I will become the duchess.”
Abigail. The Abigail? The woman he loved and begged to defy her father by marrying him? She was in London. And obviously planning to marry Will.
There was no chance of that happening. Elizabeth started to move toward the aisle when Sophie stopped her.
“Not now,” Sophie whispered.
“What do you mean, not now?” Elizabeth frantically tried to pull her arm out of Sophie’s grip.
“They are leaving. Will must make the decision, Elizabeth.”
“You heard them. They are planning to trap him.” Elizabeth finally broke free and strode to the aisle just in time to see them leave. “I have to stop them.”
“Do you?”
She turned back to Sophie. “What do you mean? I must warn Will that she is coming. And she lied about defying her father.”
“Indeed?”
Elizabeth hated it when Sophie arched one brow at her in such a condescending manner. It made her feel like a naughty child. “Of course I do.”
“Is it not his decision to make?”
Slowly they walked out of the store, having bought nothing. “I don’t understand.”
“Has he told you he loves you?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “No,” she admitted.
“If he is still in love with Abigail, shouldn’t he be allowed to make his own decisions?”
“But it would be a dreadful mistake, Sophie. There is something iniquitous about what they are planning.”
“Perhaps,” Sophie drawled. “It should still be his decision, not yours.”
“I cannot believe you are saying this to me!” Elizabeth climbed up into the carriage. “You are the one who told me to seduce him.”
Sophie had the grace to blush. “At the time, I never imagined the woman would come to London to chase after him.”
“But she doesn’t love him.”
“From the conversation, I would have to agree,” Sophie said. “But you don’t know if he loves you, either.”
Elizabeth didn’t know if Will loved her. He acted as if he did. He held her when she needed comfort and helped her find the diaries. If breaking a desk during intercourse could be called helping. Still, he could have asked her to leave as soon as he arrived, and he hadn’t. He must have some feelings for her.
And even if he didn’t love her, he should not be stuck with a conniving little witch for a bride. He needed to learn the truth about Abigail.
“Sophie, I think I need someone else’s help with this.”
Sophie’s mouth drew downward. “Who?”
“Lord Somerton. He can find out what they are up to and then I can tell Will the truth.”
Sophie groaned. “Very well. When we return home, I shall send him a note.”
“No,” Elizabeth said. “We must go to his home now.”
“We cannot do that.”
“Either you come with me or I shall do it by myself.”
“All right.” Sophie glanced out the window and mumbled, “He is going to hate this.”
Anthony fell back against the pillows, breathing hard. The woman next to him appeared to be falling asleep already. That was not about to happen.
“Wake up,” he said, shaking her shoulder. What the devil was her name again? “Annette, wake up.”
The blonde blinked her eyes slowly at him and then leisurely licked her lips. Her attempts to entice him would not work this time. He’d had his pleasure, and now it was time for her to leave.
A knock sounded on his door. “Lord Somerton, there are two ladies here to see you.”
“Hell, Busby. I already have one in here.”
“They don’t appear to be that sort of lady, milord.”
Annette sat up. “What did he mean by that?”
“Annette, get dressed and Busby will see that you are delivered to your home.” Anthony threw off the coverlet and grabbed his trousers. “Who the bloody hell is calling on me at this time of day?”
He glanced over at his clock to see it was only three in the afternoon. “It had better be important, and not two old ladies looking for charitable donations.”
“Somerton,” Annette whined prettily. “Can’t I stay here and wait for you to be done? Then we could take another go at it.”
“Go home.” He left the room before she could argue with him. He hadn’t even bothered with his neckcloth. Maybe his inappropriate attire will scare the ladies off.
“Where are they?” he asked once he reached the bottom s
tep.
“In the receiving salon, milord.”
“Take Mrs. Haddon home.”
“Yes, sir.”
Anthony walked into the salon as casually as he could when all he wanted to do was wring someone’s neck. He noticed Sophie sitting in the floral chair and his anger rose to a boiling point.
“You are the reason I am out of bed this afternoon? I happened to have a lovely woman up there with me.”
A small gasp from the couch brought his attention to Lady Elizabeth. Damn. “Excuse me, Lady Elizabeth. I did not realize you were here.”
“Lord Somerton, Miss Reynard is only here because of me,” she said in a timid voice.
He glared back at Sophie, who merely smirked at him. “And why are you here?”
“I need your help.”
He was bloody sick of helping people. “What do you need?”
Lady Elizabeth quickly explained her need as her cheeks reddened with every word. He did like the woman, and thought she would make Kendal a good wife. Why would he doubt it? Sophie was always right about her matches.
“Very well, Lady Elizabeth,” he said slowly. “I will do my best. But it could take a few days to get all the information you may require. If I can discover their true intent at all.”
“I understand, Lord Somerton. I shall pray that you find the information quickly. I am not sure how long we have before she tries to see him.”
“Elizabeth, go out to the carriage. I will join you in a moment. I need a word in private with Lord Somerton,” Sophie said with a smile.
“Of course,” Elizabeth replied, eying them both carefully.
Anthony waited for the door to close before attacking Sophie. “Why did you bring her here?” he demanded.
“I did not bring her here. She insisted we come to your house to make this request. I tried to stop her.”
Sophie stood and paced the room. “I do not like this development. I had everything under control.”
Anthony laughed caustically. “You mean you didn’t see them coming?”
“No,” Sophie bit out. “I never thought Abigail would come all this way. Out of the blue today, I realized something was happening. Luckily, I was able to sense that Elizabeth and I needed to go to the bookshop. Why is Abigail here?”
“Perhaps if you didn’t sense this until today, you are losing your powers,” he said with a smirk.
She narrowed her eyes on him until he tensed. “You had best hope I haven’t lost my powers, or you will never get the name you are seeking.”
Damn her for making him wait this long already. All he needed was one girl’s name. How hard could that be? “Why didn’t you sense them?”
Sophie paced the small room with a worried frown. “I wish I knew.” She suddenly stopped and looked at him with a slight smile. “Perhaps it is because the duke really doesn’t love Abigail, so her presence here is meaningless.”
“And if he does love her?”
“Then all may be lost.”
Bloody hell, he would never get that girl’s name.
Chapter 24
Will paced the study from his desk to the fireplace and back. What would he say to Abigail? How could he tell her that she had wasted her time and money, and quite possibly ruined her reputation by chasing after him? He didn’t love her any longer.
He loved Elizabeth and wanted to marry her.
But the idea of hurting Abigail was killing him. He’d waited years for her to come to her senses and defy her father. She would never want to stay in England with him. Perhaps if she had come over weeks ago, before he became involved with Elizabeth, things might have been different. But he was thankful she hadn’t. Otherwise, he might never have fallen so deeply in love with Elizabeth.
He didn’t know how to tell Abigail that he didn’t love her. Had he ever? He sank into a chair closer to the fireplace. Had he ever loved Abigail? Or was she simply something he thought he wanted. Marrying her would have given him the excuse to stay in America and not face his duties in England. If she had defied her father, then he would have been forced to do the same and reject the title.
After returning to England, and seeing the possibilities for changes he could make, he started to enjoy the place. But it was Elizabeth that helped him see all those things. She made London feel like home to him.
He could not give it up. And he would not marry Abigail. He would put her on the first ship heading back to America.
A knock sounded from the outside of his door. “Yes?”
Kenneth walked inside. “Your Grace, there is a lady here to see you.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “She came without a chaperone or maid. Should I tell her you are not at home?”
“No, Kenneth. I believe it is an old friend from America. I will see her in the small salon. Bring refreshments.” Like a bottle of whisky for him.
As the footman left, Will rose from his seat and adjusted his cravat. Where was Elizabeth when he needed her support? He walked to the door. Breaking a woman’s heart was not an easy thing to do.
The stroll down the hall to the small salon seemed endless today. The dread in his heart slowed him to a snail’s pace. He needed to get this over with now.
He stood at the threshold and stared at her. She hadn’t noticed his presence yet. Her blond hair was swept up into a loose chignon, and she held a green velvet bonnet in her lap. He must have made some small noise because she suddenly turned her head to look at him. Her sparkling blue eyes filled with tears as she sat there gazing at him.
“Will!” She quickly launched herself into his arms. Backing away, she apologized softly, “I am dreadfully sorry. That was very wrong of me.”
“Abigail, how are you?”
“Wonderful now,” she said with a sigh.
“Have a seat and we shall have tea,” Will said. He waited for Abigail to take her chair, and then moved to the chair across from her.
Abigail poured tea while Will watched her every move. Her hands trembled as if nervous around him, something she’d never been before. She handed him a teacup with a weak smile.
“So, Abigail, how did you arrive in London?” he asked to make conversation and put her more at ease.
“I sold my grandmother’s necklace for passage,” she replied, then sipped her tea. “I had just enough money for the trip and a night or two in London. I hoped you would help me find other accommodations until we can be married.”
Married. She had not even waited for him to bring up the subject. “I will make sure you are taken care of,” he said softly.
“Oh, Will, I have missed you terribly,” she said stiffly.
“Abigail, what changed your mind about defying your father and coming over here?”
She smiled at him. “I missed you. I met Josiah Harwood and immediately knew he was not the right man for me.”
Will sat back and sipped his tea. “Why not? I knew Josiah in Virginia. He is a good man.”
“Oh, Will,” she said coyly. “He is so much older than I.”
“He is thirty, Abigail. Only two years older than me.”
“But he seems much older than that. His hair is almost all gray. And he already has two children from his first marriage. And he owns a farm, Will.”
What was it that seemed different about her? It was almost as if her conversation was scripted. “While I don’t have the gray hair, I do still have seven siblings to care for, and I own four estates.”
“Yes, estates,” Abigail commented. “With servants.”
So that was it. Josiah did not have enough money for her. Although, her father had enough money and would have assisted them if needed. Something didn’t seem right. Could she possibly have planned this all along? Had she been rejecting his offers of marriage until he actually inherited the title?
No, that made no sense. If that had been the case, she would have agreed to marry him before he left for England. He had written to her about the trip five months before he left. She had plenty of time to let him know she wa
nted to marry him and come along with him.
“Tell me more about your estates, Will.”
Will glanced over at Abigail and could have sworn there was a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes. “I really don’t know too much about the estates yet. Elizabeth thought it best if we stayed in London for the Season before venturing off to the country.”
Abigail’s blue eyes widened. “Elizabeth?”
“She is—”
“Standing right here, Will.”
Will turned his head to the doorway where Elizabeth stood with her arms folded over her chest and a look of fury burning in her eyes.
“Elizabeth, come in,” he offered. “Meet Abigail.”
Elizabeth smiled tightly while her heart raced in her chest. Now she had no time to discover what they were up to. She had to come up with a plan. She could never let Will marry that deceitful Abigail.
“I am sorry,” Abigail said slowly, “how do you two know each other?”
“I am his cousin. The former duke’s daughter.” She said the lie easily.
“Oh, I see,” Abigail said in a relieved tone. She leaned back against the chair and smiled at Elizabeth.
“Do you?” Elizabeth asked, using her haughtiest voice.
Abigail blinked as if she realized her mistake.
Seeing the look in Will’s eyes, Elizabeth wondered again how he felt about Abigail. Perhaps she should leave the room and let them talk. But she didn’t want to see him hurt by Abigail again.
“Abigail, back to our conversation,” Will said, “why did you wait five years to defy your father? You had the perfect opportunity when I was leaving for London with the children. I would have married you before we left. I would have paid your passage so you wouldn’t have been forced to sell your grandmother’s pendant.”
Abigail blinked as if holding back tears. “I did not realize how much I loved you until you were gone.”
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