by Aria Norton
"The lady of the house?" Thomas was taken aback. He had been under the impression that Mr. Staton was a bachelor. His eyes flickered from her face, traveling down her person. She was dressed in a simple blue cotton gown. Her hair was tied back in a simple fashion, and she wore no adornments. Even so, she was very pretty, with dark silky hair and chocolate brown eyes. He would not have noticed her in passing, but as he took a closer look at her, the passion and intelligence that shone from her gaze were captivating.
"Yes, is that so hard to believe?" she asked, prickling under his scrutiny.
"Forgive me. I am Lord Brampton, Earl of Harborough. I have urgent business…"
"Yes, you already said that," the woman cut him off before he could finish.
He bristled at the impropriety of the situation. It was highly irregular and inappropriate for the lady of the house to answer the door, especially if her husband was not at home. He shifted uneasily. This woman was unlike those with whom he was used to dealing. She met his gaze boldly rather than cowing under his perusal.
"I do not know when Mr. Staton will return, Lord Brampton. I suggest you send a card next time, or call at a reasonable hour."
***
Abigail stood her ground, refusing to be bullied by this man who was obviously full of himself. He looked to be a man accustomed to getting his way, broaching no argument from his staff. She was not sure she could trust him, though. He could be acting a part to get into the house and steal them blind.
Not that they had anything of much value. Whether he was an earl or not, he was handsome. Her heartbeat picked up as he had looked her up and down. Blushing, she nearly had him thrown out for treating her like a menial and then openly perusing her person as if she were a fallen woman.
"Please, I do not wish to offend you, Mrs. Staton. I must see your husband. It is of utmost importance." His features softened slightly, his eyes pleading.
Abigail blushed again at this mistake. "Mr. Staton is not my husband, Lord Brampton. He is my brother."
This bit of information did not seem to phase him, however, which stung. He was a handsome young man, despite his rudeness. She took the moment of silence to gather her racing thoughts. He was indeed good looking, but it was as if his wardrobe had seen better days.
Perhaps the gentleman had fallen on hard times and was seeking advice from her brother? It would be better to have him wait than to have him thrown out of the house. She would not want to unwittingly damage her brother's reputation if this were one of his voters coming to ask for help.
"What is it that you need from my brother, Lord Brampton? Perhaps we should go into the study and wait for him if it is as urgent as you say?"
He shook his head and took a step backward. "No, that would not be appropriate. I am sorry to have bothered you, madam. I will call again when Mr. Staton is at home. Please give him my regards. Good evening," he said, and turned to leave. Abigail was about to say he could wait in the parlor when her brother's voice sounded down the hall.
"Ho! Lord Brampton!" he called. "I apologise for making you wait. I was caught up at the gaming house and have just now returned."
Lord Brampton turned, his face dissolving from disappointed anger into relief. "Good evening, Mr. Staton. I am sorry; I should have thought to send my card first." He glanced her way, and she blushed again.
"Not at all. It was my fault for being late. Come into the study."
Chapter 8
Thomas followed Mr. Staton into the study, feeling shaken by his encounter with the young woman. He was embarrassed by his treatment, mistaking her for a maid. Mr. Staton's sister was beautiful, in a country sort of way. However, what attracted him more than her outward appearance was the free spirit he sensed inside her. He did not have time to get distracted with women, not when another of her sex had so recently destroyed his life.
Rather than going back to her piano, Miss Staton followed them down the hall and turned into the small library. Thomas let his gaze flicker over her once more before turning into the study.
"Please do sit down, Lord Brampton. Can I get you anything? A drink, perhaps?"
Thomas' stomach lurched at the very thought of drinking another drop of alcohol. "No, thank you."
The young gentleman sat down behind his desk and leaned back in his chair, taking a relaxed attitude. Joshua watched him for a moment, waiting for him to begin.
Thomas cleared his throat. "I hear that you are an opponent of Sir Filmore's in the upcoming election for the Commons?"
Joshua nodded, visibly cringing at the mention of Filmore. "Yes, I am. He is a slippery fellow. Do you know him?"
Thomas was not sure how much he should reveal about the situation. He needed to be sure he could trust Mr. Staton first. "We have been introduced once. But we have never spoken in depth. I was hoping that you could tell me a little bit about him?"
Mr. Staton leaned forward and shrugged. "We haven't found out all that much about him. He hails from Brighton, but no one seems to have heard of him until he appeared in the capital about a year ago. He has no family that we know of."
"We? Have you launched an investigation into the man?"
"No. I mean, my sister and I. Abigail has been helping me with my campaign, you might say. She is quite brilliant when it comes to politics."
Thomas raised a brow at this. Not many men would allow their sisters or wives to give input on their careers. It was the general opinion that a woman did not have the strength of mind to handle the pressures of the political arena. He could see where she would be the kind of person to weasel her way into her brother's affairs. Mr. Staton did not seem to be a man that ruled his home with an iron fist.
"He has many friends here in the capital. Filmore moves in many circles, ranging from the nobility all the way down to the less fortunate. It is even said that he is in contact with a smuggling ring."
"So you would say he is a charismatic sort of man?'
"Indeed. Most everyone he meets falls under some sort of spell. I seem to be the only person who has not fallen for his charming nature. There is something sinister about the man that irks me. Perhaps I am biased, though."
"Perhaps." Thomas looked him straight in the eyes, to watch his reaction. Mr. Staton did not seem offended by his honesty. He decided to continue. "Here is my proposition: I would like you to get close to Sir Filmore once he returns to London. Get close to him and find out how I might ruin him."
Joshua raised his eyebrows again. "You mean in the campaign? That is exactly what I have been trying to do. He has a way of charming the people, though, Lord Brampton. It will not be easy to discredit him."
Thomas leaned forward, taking a conspiratorial attitude. "I am speaking, of course, of his political ruin. However, I am also speaking of a complete and utter ruin of his finances as well. I want to destroy his household, and his reputation. It will not be enough to crush him in the campaign. We must weed him out of London, so to speak."
Joshua thought about this for a moment. "Why so vehement, Lord Brampton? What has Sir Filmore done to you?"
"That is not the point, Mr. Staton." Thomas was becoming impatient. If Mr. Staton could not be convinced to help him, he would have no one else to turn to for help.
"Then what is?"
"The point is that you are not doing well in the race against Sir Filmore. And, from what I have ascertained at the club, your finances are not… healthy, shall we say?" Joshua turned white, frowning at the fact he knew so much about his financial situation. "Have no fear, Mr. Staton. I want to help in that department. I am willing to pay you for your services if you will gather information for me and help me bring Filmore down."
"So we are talking about conspiracy now." Mr. Staton stood and put his hands in his jacket pockets. "I don't know if I can be a party to that. It seems very low handed."
"It is not a conspiracy. We are not planning a murder, here, Mr. Stanton."
"Then espionage. What kind of a man do you think I am, Lord Brampton? One who go
es about peeking around in keyholes like any curious scullery maid? I have my own reputation to think of in this campaign. What's to say I won't destroy my reputation while we plan Filmore's ruin?"
Thomas joined him in standing, walking around the desk. "I mean no offense, Mr. Staton. You would be doing me a great favor. I have friends in very high places here in the capital. I could protect you. And I will pay you a thousand pounds."
Joshua stilled. It was a ridiculous amount in his eyes, no doubt, but one Thomas could easily afford.
"A thousand pounds…?"
"Yes. That will alleviate some of the financial difficulties you are finding yourself in, I'm sure. Now, do we have an accord?" Thomas stretched out his hand. Joshua stood still, dumbfounded by the generous offer.
"I… Yes of course…"
"Wait!" Mr. Staton's sister burst into the room. "Wait, Joshua. What are you thinking?" She stood in the doorway for a moment, fire in eyes.
"Abigail. What are you doing?" Joshua came around the desk and tried to usher her back out of the room. She brushed past him and neared the desk.
"This is foolish, brother. Absolute foolishness. What are you thinking?" Abigail never took her eyes off Thomas, though. Her gaze made him feel uneasy, as if she could see his true motives.
"My sister, Miss Abigail Staton," Joshua introduced her to him. He came to stand beside her, placing a protective hand on her elbow. Thomas was not sure whether he was trying to protect her from him or if it was the other way around. Miss Abigail looked ready to pounce.
"A pleasure, Miss Abigail," Thomas said through clenched teeth.
"What do you mean by listening in on our conversation?" Joshua asked, turning to her with embarrassment. Thomas rolled his eyes, hoping that he was not about to become a party to a sibling spat.
"Someone has to protect you from making a complete fool of yourself. This plan of yours is dangerous, brother. I know how badly you want to best Sir Filmore, but it is not worth ruining a man to do it." Abigail took a few steps away from the gentlemen so she could face them. He had the feeling Joshua had his hands full trying to keep her under control.
She spoke with such passion and courage. Thomas would have admired that trait if it were not for the fact she was trying to keep her brother from helping him.
Joshua seemed to lose heart. "I'm sorry, Lord Brampton," he began, but Thomas cut him off by pulling out a wad of banknotes.
"Two thousand pounds then," he replied, holding the wad of money out to him.
"Two thousand pounds!" Abigail exclaimed. "You think you can bribe my brother into being your lackey? What if his constituents hear about this? My brother cannot afford to get his hands dirty in the midst of a political scandal, Lord Brampton." Abigail glanced at her brother to make sure he was not seriously considering taking the money. Joshua looked from her to Thomas and back to Abigail, frozen in indecision.
"I will be happy to pay another one thousand pounds once the job is complete—three thousand pounds in all. What say you, Mr. Staton?"
Joshua grabbed his sister by the elbow and took her aside. "We need the money, sister. You know that."
"But is it worth the cost to your reputation if you are found out? This is improper and besides, we are talking about a man's life here. What if he has a family?" Abigail whispered vehemently, glancing over at Thomas as she did so.
"He is a bachelor."
"It doesn't matter. This is wrong."
"Sister. If we don't do this, we will be forced to leave London in disgrace. I don't have the money to continue this campaign for another six months. But with this money, we will."
Abigail quieted and glanced over at him. Thomas feigned ignorance of the contents of their conversation, but he sensed that she knew otherwise. Glaring at him, she turned back to her brother.
"How do we know we can trust him?" she whispered.
"He is held in very high regard at the club. And he is respected in the House of Lords. Believe me; I would not be doing this if we were not desperate." Joshua's eyes were pleading, and it was then Thomas knew he had him exactly where he wanted him. Abigail turned her eyes on him again, and for a moment, he felt a pang of guilt. Was it worth ruining Filmore and reducing Sarah to a life of drudgery?
Abigail took a few steps towards him, clasping her hands in front of her. "Very well. But if you are determined to go through with this, then I will act as the liaison between you two. I will not have my brother's reputation sullied."
Thomas thought for a moment. It would be good to have someone that Filmore did not know gathering information on him. He would hardly pay attention to the girl, for she paled in comparison to Sarah's beauty. "Yes, I think that would be best. Good, then do we now have an accord, Mr. Staton?"
Joshua stepped forward and nodded, a smile on his face. "Yes, we do."
They shook hands as Miss Abigail watched. She still did not look pleased, but she kept any further thoughts to herself.
"I will take my leave now. I'm sure there is much you wish to discuss." He handed the money to Joshua. "I assure you, I would not be doing this if the situation were not desperate."
They walked him to the door. "The less we know about your motives the better, Lord Brampton. We will do our best to help you achieve your goal."
"Thank you. Good night, Mr. Staton. Miss Abigail," he said, bowing to the lady as he left. He could only hope that Miss Abigail proved her worth by getting him the information he needed.
Chapter 9
Abigail turned slowly, giving her brother a withering look. He lifted his hands, palms up, a mischievous grin on his face. "What is it, sister?"
Abigail was fuming, angry that he would be taking such a risk. Lord Brampton had offered them a king's ransom to do this for him. Or at least, it was a king's ransom in their eyes. But it was going to take a lot of work to accomplish their goal. "Joshua! This is the most impulsive, dangerous plan I've ever seen you get involved in. What will happen to us if Sir Filmore finds out we are snooping around his private affairs?" She placed a hand on her hip and tapped her foot with frustration.
Joshua was too naive sometimes when it came to the world's ways, which was a miracle in itself. He had been out on his own for much longer than she had. It was a wonder that he had survived on his own this long if these were the types of dealings he agreed to. "You're much too apt to trust people."
"And you are much too quick to doubt them. Not everyone is evil, Abby." Joshua walked away, leaving her to stew in the hall for a moment. He stuck his head out of the parlor and waved her in. "Abby? Are you coming?"
She softened as he used her familiar childhood nickname. No one had ever called her that, except him. She followed him into the parlor and sat down with him near the fire.
"Stop worrying, please."
"That is easy for you to say. I'm the one who will be gathering all the information for you."
"Filmore will never suspect you. Now we just have to find a way into his inner circle."
Abigail turned to him, fear in her eyes. "I don't want to see you get hurt, Joshua. Your whole career— your whole life— is hanging on this one decision."
Taking her hand, he squeezed lightly as if to reassure her. "I promise that we will be careful, sister. Everything will be alright."
"You don't know that. Neither of us knows how this is going to turn out. We could be leaving the city in disgrace anyway, with the money or not."
Sighing, he shook his head and would not meet her gaze. "We need the money, Abby. I don't know what else to do. I'm sorry to have kept this from you, but there is hardly enough money to feed ourselves a decent meal, let alone keep the staff on."
