AmandaQuick-Affair.txt

by Affair (lit)

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  Amanda Quick

  "I see." She took refuge in pride. "If you are having second thoughts, you may, of course, resign your position in my service." "I fear that I can no longer play the part of your man-of-affairs, regardless of how well suited I am to the role."

  It is finished. So soon, Before I have even gotten to know him. Baxter was going to walk out the door. The intense sense of loss that surged through her alarmed Charlotte. This was ridiculous. She barely knew the man. She must get a grip on her emotions.

  "Perhaps you would be good enough to explain, sit?" she sa'd crisply. "It would be best to begin at the start of this affair, I suppos(." Baxter turned to face her at last. His eyes were unreadable. "It w@ts no coincidence that I applied for the position you offered. I had already tracked down John Marcle with the intention of discovering everything I could about your finances." "Good heavens." Charlotte felt a cold, prickling sensation on

  her skin. Slowly she sank down into her chair. "Why?" "My aunt was a close friend of Drusilla Heskett's. She asked me

  to make inquiries into the murder. The trail led immediately to

  you. In fact, it started with you." "My God." "She believed that you were responsible for Mrs. Heskett's mur-

  der, you see." "Bloody hell." Whatever it was she had braced herself to hear, this was certainly not it. For a moment Charlotte was bereft of speech. "Yes, I know," Baxter muttered. "I warned you this would be a

  little difficult to explain." "Let me be sure I have this clear. Your aunt believes that I killed poor Mrs. Heskett? But what could possibly have given her such a notion?"

  "The fact that Mrs. Heskett had recently paid you a large sum Of money.

  Charlotte was outraged. "But that was for 'my services.

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  told you, I made inquiries on Drusilla Heskett's behalf into the background of some of the gentlemen who wished to 'marry her. "

  Baxter shoved his hand through his hair. "I'm aware of that now. But my aunt did not know it. Apparently Mrs. Heskett honored your desire for confidentiality. She never told my aunt the nature of her business with You. After the murder, Rosalind assuined the worst."

  H"I see. Whalt exactly did your aunt make of the fact that Mrs.

  1 eskett had paid me a large sum Of money?" "She assumed that you had blackmailed Drusilla." "Blackniail " Charlotte groaned and dropped her head into her hands. Visions of her hard-won career in ruins due to ghastly rumors that she might be a villainess danced wildly in her brain. "This grows worse by the minute. We have moved from the incredible to the truly bizarre." "Indeed." Baxter walked slowly across the carpet to stand behind the chair in front of the desk.

  Charlotte raised her head and watched warily as he gripped the Polished mahogany chair. For some reason she found herself transfixed by his big, capable hands. "Go on, sit. I have the feeling there is more to come." "Having decided that you were a blackmailer, it was no great leap for my aunt to arrive at the conclusion that you had also murdered Mrs. Heskett." "NO, I suppose not. I can see how one false assumption would lead to the next.,, "You and my aunt will no doubt get along famously. The two of YOU obviously think in the sanie erratic manner." "Carry on, Mr. St. Ives. Finish the business." "As I said, logic led me to Marcle, your man-of-affairs. "IiOw is that?"

  He shrugged. "I reasoned that if blackmail was involved, it rjoa4e sense to start with the financial end of things."

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  Silently she acknowledged the brilliance of that line of reason-

  ing. "How did you discover that I employed John Marcle?" "It was not difficult. I have my own man-of-affairs."

  She winced. "Yes, of course." "I instructed him to consult with my bankers, who made inquities of your bankers. I not only learned about Marcle, I also dliscovered that he was searching for someone to replace him." "So you applied for the position." She exhaled slowly. "How bloody clever of you, sit."

  He hesitated and then added in a strangely neutral tone, "I have had some experience in this sort of thing." "Which sort of thing? Acting as a man-of-affairs or spying?" "Both, actually." He glanced down at his hands, which were

  clenched on the chair back. When he looked up again, his eyes were

  bleak. "As far as the business part is concerned, I have managed a

  sizable fortune for several years." "A fortune?" It was to be one shock after another today, she thought, dazed. "Two, actually. My own and that of my half brother." "I see." She swallowed. "And the spying bit?"

  Baxter looked pained. "I prefer not to use the word spy." She narrowed her eyes. "Spies do have a rather unpleasant reputation, do they not? An unsavory, disreputable lot, completely lacking in honor." "Indeed." The strong line of his jaw grew even more rigid. "The profession may be a necessary one, but it is not considered honorable. "

  Charlotte felt terrible. He had deserved the cruel insult but for some reason she wished that she had not succumbed to the urge to

  level it at him. "My apologies," she said brusquely. "Gentlemen do not engage

  in spying. "No, they do not." He did not even attempt to defend himself. "A man of honor, however," she added very delicately, "might

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  .lake himself available to the proper authorities for a clandestine Mission.

  -I assure you, I did not volunteer," Baxter said dryly. "My knowledge of chemistry was what caught the interest of the authorities. A highly placed gentleman approached my father and asked if I would be willing to aid in the inquiries. My father came to me and I

  reed to look into the matter." "Who, exactly, is your father?" "The fourth Earl of Esherton." Baxter's hands flexed on the chair

  back. "He died two years ago." "Esherton." Charlotte was dumbfounded. "Surely you are not

  about to tell me that you are the fifth Earl of Esherton? That would really be too much, sit." "No. I'm a bastard, Charlotte, not an earl."

  "Well, thank God for that much, at least."

  Baxter looked briefly startled by her reaction. "My half brother, Hamilton, is the current Earl of Esherton."

  "I'm relieved to hear that."

  Baxter's brows rose above the rims of his eyeglasses. "Are you, indeed?"

  11 Most definitely. It would have made things ever so much more complicated, you see. The last thing I need is an earl running about the place." A thought struck her. "What is your aunt's name?" "Rosalind, Lady Trengloss." "Good lord, another title." Charlotte frowned. "Trengloss. I be-

  11'eve Drusilla Heskett mentioned her in passing." "As I said, Mrs. Heskett was a good friend of my aunt's."

  Charlotte nodded wearily. "Quite natural that you would look ,nto the matter of the murder on behalf of your aunt. I would have done the same in your place."

  Baxter smiled humorlessly. "Very understanding of you." "May I assume that you are telling me all of this because you have concluded that I am not a murdering blackmailer after all?"

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  "I was never convinced that you were a villainess in the first place. " "Thank you for that much, at least."

  "But certain issues had been raised. My approach to such mat-

  ters is to pursue the most logical line of inquiry until I discover evidence to the contrary."

  11 it must be the scientist in you." Charlotte studied the nib of her pen with great attention. "And what proof did you uncover that

  convinced you I was innocent, Mr. St. Ives?"

  "For one thing, you did not seem to know your way around Drusilla Heskett's house."

  Charlotte looked up sharply. "I beg your pardon?" "Mrs. Heskett was murdered in her own home. Her bedcham-

  ber, to be precise." "Yes, I know." "When we reached the top of the stairs last night, you hesitated. You did not know which bedchamber was hers until we discovered

  the one that contained her
personal possessions." "I see." Charlotte swallowed. "Very logical." "Also, you did not appear to know what you hoped to find in

  the house. You stumbled across the watercolor sketchbook but other than that, you seemed uncertain about what constituted a clue. You were obviously not there to retrieve specific evidence that you knew might implicate you. 11

  No doubt she should have been pleased that his powers of logic had brought him to the conclusion that she was innocent of the crimes. But for some reason her spirits were still depressed. What had she expected to hear? That Baxter had taken one look at her and

  trusted her on sight? Ridiculous. "So," she said with what she privately thought was commend-

  able aplomb under the circumstances, "having resolved the issue oI

  my guilt in the matter, you naturally wish to resign your post ind go about your own affairs."

  "Not exactly."

  -Perfectly reasonable, under the circumstances. After all, there is no need you to continue your inquiries in my direction. You rDay as She broke off as his words penetrated. "What do VOLI mean, not exactly?" I Baxter released his grip on the chair and turned to walk across the roorn. He hatted in front of the bookcase and stood with his back to her. "I wish to continue working with you on this matter, Charlotte."

  Her flagging spirits abruptly rallied. "You do?" "The problem that brought us together still remains," he pointed out. "There is still the matter of Mrs. Heskett's murder to resolve. You and my aunt both want answers." "Yes." She was suddenly feeling much more cheerful. "Yes, we

  do, indeed, sit. And there is certainly truth in the old saying that -two heads are better than one."

  "But there will have to be a small change in our association."

  A frisson of wariness went down her spine. "A change?" He turned around and clasped his hands behind his back. "I fear that I cannot continue to pass myself off as your man-of-affairs." "I admit I had my doubts about that, even after my sister and my housekeeper claimed that there was no cause for concern. But I think Miss Patterson's reaction to you proves that you will, indeed, be able to continue on in that role quite successfully." "The problem," Baxter said carefully, "is that our inquiries will likely take us into Drusilla Heskett's circle of acquaintances." "Yes, of course. What of it?" "Mrs. Heskett's circle of acquaintances overlaps my aunt's. And People in that circle know me." His mouth curved coldly. "Those who don't, know of me. I am Esherton's bastard, after all. In the Polite World, it will be impossible for me to go about unnoticed." "I see." Charlotte's mind raced. "We must come up with anOther excuse for being seen frequently in each other's company."

  A spent most of the night considering the problem." Baxter palsed. "I believe that I examined all of the possibilities."

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  She gave him an expectant smile. "And?" "And I have come to the inescapable conclusion that there is really only one socially acceptable reason for the two of us to spend an inordinate amount of time together." "I am eager to hear it." "An engagement."

  She suddenly could not breathe for a few dazed seconds.

  "I beg your pardon?" she finally managed to say very carefully. "You and I shall announce that we are engaged to be married." He gave her a wry, fleeting smile. "And in light of that situation, I really must insist that you start calling me Baxter."

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  Baxter braced himself for the explosion. But even with his exI tensive knowledge of volatile substances, he could not have predicted Charlotte's initial reaction.

  She went utterly still. Her eyes widened and then narrowed. Her mouth opened and closed twice.

  And then she exploded. "An engagement?" Charlotte erupted from her chair with more force than the legendary Vesuvius. She gazed at him in wild disbelief from behind the barricade of her desk. "Have you gone mad, sit?"

  Very likely." Baxter wondered briefly why he was feeling so chagrined by her reaction. It was only to be expected. Why the devil 'hould she be excited by the prospect of playing the part of his fianc6e?

  Nevertheless, given that he had spent most of the night in a state of serniarousal, it would have been pleasant to see a little less shock and dismay in her eyes. He was not the only one who had succumbed to a burst of passion last night. "That is a crazed suggestion." Charlotte made a visible effort to comPose herself. "Whatever put it into your head?"

  I thought I made that clear." He'd worked hard on the logic of

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  the thing. She was an intelligent female. She should have been able to see the problem and its solution as clearly as he did. "If we are to pursue our inquiries into my aunt's circle of acquaintances, you cannot continue to pass me off as your man-of-affairs. It won't work. We need a believable reason to explain our connection.

  "A believable reason," she repeated numbly. "Yes." Baxter was suddenly aware of a driving need to pace back and forth across the study. Annoyed, he forced himself to remain bolted to the floor. Pacing was a clear sign of an unsettled emotional state. His emotions were never unsettled.

  "You think this reason is believable?"

  "If you can think of a better excuse' I shall be happy to hear it." "There must be a more reasonable excuse." Charlotte drummed her fingers on the desk. "Give me a moment to think." "Take your time." The sensation of restlessness grew stronger. To ease it, Baxter picked up the book that was lying on a nearby table. Absently he glanced at the words inscribed on the leather binding. When he saw Byron's name he swore softly and put down the volume as if it had become red-hot in his hand.

  "We could pretend to have become acquainted through a mu-

  tual interest in chemistry," Charlotte said slowly. "We shall say that we met at a meeting of one of the scientific societies."

  "That would account for our initial meeting and for an occa-

  sional conversation in public but not much more than that."

  "There is another possibility."

  She was certainly eager to find an alternative, he thought grimly. Obviously the notion of an engagement, even a false one,

  was anathema to her. "Very well, what is that?"

  She slanted him a quick, searching glance and then gazed fixedly at a globe positioned near the window. "We could allow your aunt and her circle of acquaintances to assume that you and I had formed a . . . a romantic attachment." "I would have thought that was the essence of my plan."

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  -I meant an illicit sort of romantic attachment." She turned a bright shade of pink and continued to focus steadily on the globe. -rhat we are involved in a liaison."

  "Bloody hell. You wish people to think that we're having an

  affair? That's the most idiotic notion I've ever heard."

  Her chin lifted slightly. "It seems a Perfectly reasonable notion

  to me.

  "Not in my case. "What on earth do you mean by that?" She turned her head quickly and then her flush deepened. "Oh, dear. Surely you do not rnean to imply that you are not interested in females that way? I always knew that Mr. Marcie had no inclinations of that sort but after last night, 1, uh, gained the disti

  I inct impression that you did. Have inclinations. Of that sort." "I most definitely possess inclinations," Baxter said very evenly, "But I do not take them into Society." "I beg your pardon?"

  Baxter sighed. This interview was faring much worse than he had envisioned. "I'm not the sort who conducts his affairs in the full view of the Polite World. To put it bluntly, I'm not my father." "I see." But she looked bemused. "Charlotte, the people who know me, know very well that I would never flaunt a paramour, especially a relatively young woman who has never been married, in Society. It would be completely out of character, if you see what I mean."

  A think I'm beginning to comprehend the situation. You are, at heart, a gentleman, sit. It is very noble of you to worry about my reputation, but I can assure you that I am not at all concerned with gossip. " "You'd bloody
well better be concerned with gossip if you hope to Continue in your career after this matter is finished." It was a shot

  11 the dark, but it was all he could think of at the moment.

  Her eyes widened. "Good heavens. I had not considered that

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  aspect of the thing. Do you really believe that gossip about a roman-

  tic liaison between the two of us could hurt my business?"

  Baxter saw his opening and bore down ruthlessly. "Society can

  be very fickle and extremely hypocritical about such things. You must be aware that the ladies of the ton whom you hope to attract as

  clients are known to demand higher standards of those they employ than they do of themselves." "I see what you mean," Charlotte studied her hands. "My housekeeper, Mrs. Witty, has told me tales of elegant ladies who have any number of affairs but who would not hesitate to dismiss a maid who got pregnant by the footman." "Just so. Such ladies would certainly be reluctant to do business with a woman who has had a highly visible affair with a man in my position." "Your position?" "As I keep reminding you, I'm a bastard."

  "A bastard who appears to be obsessed with not becoming an

  ob)ect of gossip." "Perhaps I wish to avoid it because I have lived with it since the

  day I was born."

  "Yes, of course." Slowly she sank back down in her chair. "My apologies, sit. I had not considered your feelings in the matter, It

  must have been difficult for you at times."

  "Let us Just say that scandal broth is not my favorite beverage." He did not like the sympathy he saw in her eyes. He finally gave in

  to the restlessness that threatened to consume him. He walked deliberately toward the window. "I have had my fill of it for the past thirty-two years. "No doubt."

  He braced a hand on the windowsill. "What I told you about myself during our first interview was nothing less than the truth- I am as bland as potato pudding. What is more, I prefer it that waY. I have worked bard to achieve a calm, orderly existence that does not