Lord of Mischief

by Sasha Cottman

  He watched as the vegetables and grains swirled around in the gently bubbling soup, then turned and looked to the door leading back outside.

  For heaven’s sake, go to her. Tell her your heart.

  He had already lost her. There was only a small hope, but he had to risk it. He put the spoon down, summoned all his courage and walked back out into the garden.

  Eve was leaning against the high, stone garden wall, not far from the gate. The gate which she had walked out of the previous morning, one he had not expected her to ever walk through again.

  With slow hesitant steps he came to her and took her gently by the hand. He lifted it to his lips and placed a tender kiss on her fingertips. He heard her soft sigh and looked up to see her eyes shining with tears. He brushed his hand on her cheek, thumbing one of the tears from her face. “I could spend an eternity telling you how deeply sorry I am for all I have done. That deceiving and betraying you is the very worst thing I have ever done in my life. I could tell you a thousand times I know I have lost the greatest love of my life. But I know none of it will ever wipe the memory from my mind of the look on your face that afternoon in the stables.”

  “Freddie,” she murmured.

  He slipped his hand under her chin and lifted her face so she was looking directly into his eyes. His gaze fell upon her soft rose lips. Lips he knew were meant to be his for all time.

  “I love you,” he said. His lips descended, but a hand came between them and gently pushed his face away.

  “Not yet.”

  He searched her gaze. “When?”

  “If is more the question that needs to be answered. There is still much I need to think about. So many things of which I am uncertain,” she replied.

  Disappointment burnt his heart, but along with it was a spark of hope. Hope, which until now, he had thought was stone dead. “Can you answer me one question?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you done with me?”

  She walked toward the garden gate, stopping a few feet from the entrance. She turned and looked at him. “No, I’m not done with you, Freddie Rosemount. Of that I am certain.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Freddie stood outside the house in Newport Street and waited. He had left a note there earlier that morning that he wished to see Will Saunders. He was continually being reminded as to how much he had previously relied upon the use of servants in the day-to-day running of his life.

  When he checked his pocket watch for the fourth time and saw it was close to eleven o’clock, he opened the front gate and headed up to the door. A sprightly, old butler answered and after Freddie had shown him his card, he ushered him into an elegant drawing room on the second floor.

  “I shall let Mr. Saunders know you have arrived,” he said.

  Freddie was busy examining an odd collection of glass eyes when he heard the door to the drawing room open. He put down a large, red eye and turned to see Will Saunders enter the room.

  “Good morning, Will. I hope I am not disturbing you at this hour.” Freddie held out his hand and was relieved when Will took it.

  Will looked to the bowl of glass eyes and raised an eyebrow. “I hope you are planning on stealing a few of those. I promise I will make every effort to forget how many of them are in that bowl. They belong to Hattie’s father. This is his house. We are renting it while he is in Africa. The man has terrible taste in decorating,” said Will.

  Freddie’s gaze fell on the elegant chairs that sat about the room. There was nothing terrible about them. They spoke of a keen sense of taste and wealth.

  “Those are mine. I brought them back with me from France,” said Will.

  Freddie felt sick. While playing the Rude Rules with Eve he had made fun of Will and his time in France. “I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am for all the foolish things I said to you. How I could have dared to mock you when you had served our country so bravely.”

  He had a good many other people in London and at home to apologize to, but it felt right to attempt to make amends with Will Saunders. Freddie held him in high regard. Many other men of London high society would not permit their wives to work with the downtrodden, indigent population of the slums. Will was a special breed of man. The fact he was Eve’s brother added a special significance to their relationship.

  The butler who had answered the door entered the room carrying a tray with a teapot and cups balanced somewhat precariously upon it. Will walked over and took the tray.

  “Thank you, Mr. Little. I shall take it from here”. Will placed the tray on a nearby coffee table and offered Freddie a seat. “I expect you miss having servants. I must admit the first time I had to light a fire it took me over an hour.”

  Freddie raised an eyebrow. It had never occurred to him that anyone else in his acquaintance would have had to do the domestic chores he was currently undertaking.

  Will looked up from pouring the tea. “I was supposed to be a lowly shipping clerk during my time in Paris. I couldn’t exactly maintain a house, let alone a retinue of servants. I was a bachelor for the first few months I was in France. But enough about me. What can I do for you?”

  Freddie sat forward on the finely handcrafted French chair and clasped his hands. He had practiced his speech for the best part of the previous evening, but when it came time to make his case, he feared his nerves would fail him. He cleared his throat. “Have you ever heard of the Bachelor Board?”

  Will fixed him with a steely glare. “I had heard rumors of it when I was a young man, but never paid much attention. I was busy with other matters. Why?”

  “Eve and I were playing in a series of challenges in order for me to gain entry to the board. Though, at the time we were playing, she did not know the true purpose of the game. She simply thought it was a silly game and that we were having a spot of fun.”

  “Go on,” replied Will.

  “I won the right to join the Bachelor Board. But with my father having cut me off after I had jilted Eve, I couldn’t stump up the blunt for my membership. That’s when Osmont Firebrace made me an offer to rent my body out to other members of the board. Before I had a chance to refuse him, he drugged me. I expect it was in order to rape me and then force me into doing his bidding in exchange for keeping silent. Fortunately, I was able to escape his office before the drugs took a complete hold.” Hot tears came to his eyes. He had buried the memory of that afternoon deep in his mind, refusing to allow it to resurface. He knew, however, that if he was to get Will’s support, he would have to tell him the truth.

  Will sat silent, watching him, then rose from his chair and headed over to a small cabinet. When he returned, he was bearing a large glass near filled to the brim with whisky.

  “Forget the tea. Get this down you. I promise to send you home in my carriage,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  The hour that followed was the longest and hardest of Freddie’s life. By the end of it, Will Saunders knew the whole sordid story. When Freddie finished relating the events at Rosemount Abbey, he sat with his head bowed. He had never felt so ashamed of himself in his life. His father had been right; he had brought disgrace on their family.

  “Well that explains the outrageously stupid name you gave your dog. I am sure he is grateful you decided to give him something more suitable. Which now brings me to the question of what you want me to do to about Osmont Firebrace?” said Will.

  “I need to do something about Firebrace and his friends. You are the one person who I feel I can come to for advice,” replied Freddie.

  Will sat back in his chair and looked at Freddie over his steepled fingers. The room was so quiet, Freddie could have sworn he could hear Will’s brain as it churned over the ugly revelations.

  “Tell me this: are you doing this out of some sense of civic duty or is it purely revenge?” asked Will.

  Freddie considered the question for a moment. He hadn’t expected such a forthright discussion, and now he was silently kicking himself for having unde
restimated Will. He was a spy, you bloody fool.

  “To be honest, there is a little revenge included in the piece. The game cost me the love of a wonderful, spirited girl. And yes, I was the one who made the choice between Eve and the board—that failure is completely my own. But the members of the Bachelor Board are predators who prey on the insecurities of younger sons. I was a fool to be blind to their real motives. I also have no doubt that if Lord Godwin’s family had not stepped in, the board would have offered him a seat and he would be caught up in their web. These men have to be stopped. I just don’t know how. Eve suggested I speak to you.”

  He finished the last of his whisky, wondering where it had gone as he set the glass on the table. It was a surprisingly cathartic experience to finally speak to someone about his experience at the hands of the board. While he could tell Eve about what happened, he felt only another man could truly understand his position.

  “Alright. Let me sleep on this news. Firebrace has been in power at the House of Commons for over twenty years. His network of friends will be extensive. I will need you to give me a full list of those whom you met during the challenges. If we are to move on them, we will need to be sure of whom we trust. If he gets a sniff of anything untoward coming his way, you can be certain he will come after you,” replied Will.

  Freddie got to his feet. He would go home and wait for Will to contact him. In the meantime, he would go back to baking his pasties, cooking soup, and catching the occasional treasured moment with Eve.

  Will shook his head. “Sit down, lad. You and I are not finished.”

  A perplexed Freddie resumed his seat and met Will’s stern gaze.

  “My sister may be displaying her best social face whenever you meet her, but I know full well a river of tears has been shed over you. She is wounded, but she has her pride. And with that pride comes the Saunders family stubborn streak. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if she up and did something rash like eloping with the next chap who is half pleasant to her. Someone entirely unsuitable. Someone who is not you,” said Will.

  Freddie silently chastised himself. Of course, Eve’s brother would want to dig over the ground of what he had done to Eve. After his encounter with Eve at St John’s, he wasn’t completely certain where he stood with her. In the deep recesses of his mind was the nagging worry Eve was toying with him simply to exact her revenge when the time suited her.

  She had said she was not done with him but knowing Eve that could mean anything.

  “Eve and I have spoken. She appears to understand. As for forgiveness or any other matter of the heart, only time will tell,” he replied.

  Will sat quiet for a moment. It was the longest of moments. “I would give you this advice: listen to what Eve has to say. She is an intelligent girl, but headstrong at times. There have been long heart-searching and character rebuilding moments for her as a result of what happened at Rosemount Abbey. She has seen the folly of some of her headstrong ways, but she is still attracted to scandalous behavior and the taste of danger. The problem I see with her is that she has never had to face real danger. Until she does, she will think it is exciting but not understand the risk. As someone who learnt the hard way about having a taste for danger, I would caution you to be careful where you tread,” said Will.

  “I will be careful with Eve. I am well aware she has her own mind; it is one of the things that I love about her. I also know I am going to have to give over the reins of our relationship until she starts to trust me again. But, if we ever get to a point of being together again, I know I shall have to address her thirst for risky endeavors.”

  Will chuckled. “You have no idea what you are letting yourself in for if you allow her to set the rules. It is going to take a lot to win her back, and even then, it won’t be an easy path to the altar for the pair of you. But I can guarantee you this much: if she doesn’t kill you before she forgives you, Eve will certainly make the rest of your life interesting.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Two days later, Freddie stood inside the foyer of Strathmore House nervously fiddling with his hat. He hadn’t expected Will to take his story about the Bachelor Board with more than a grain of salt. How many other young men had offered up tall stories to explain their way out of poor behavior? Yet here he was, summoned to the home of the Duke of Strathmore, one of the most powerful men in the country.

  He gritted his teeth. The duke was Will and Eve’s uncle, and no doubt had heard enough of what Viscount Rosemount’s second son had done to his niece to have formed a poor opinion of Freddie. Freddie was not looking forward to this particular meeting.

  The footman took his hat. Freddie was adjusting his jacket for the third time when the Strathmore House butler opened the front door and Charles Saunders stepped across the threshold. Freddie’s breath caught in his throat.

  “Rosemount,” said Charles.

  Freddie bowed.

  “Have you seen Will?”

  “I have just arrived myself. I haven’t seen anyone as yet,” replied Freddie.

  A nearby door opened and out stepped a well-dressed young man with fair hair. Freddie immediately recognized him as the Marquis of Brooke. He crossed the floor to Charles and held out his hand.

  “Uncle Charles, good to see you. I hope you and Aunt Adelaide are well.” He then turned to Freddie. “And you must be Freddie Rosemount. Alex Radley. Good to finally meet you, though I wish it were under more pleasant circumstances. You were a year or so ahead of me at Eton, as I recall. I never made it to university,” he said.

  Freddie shook Alex’s hand. “Yes, I was. I remember you and your older brother David very well.”

  What he really meant was the Marquis of Brooke and his illegitimate older brother were legendary for their exploits at the school. The Radley brothers had their places firmly cemented in the history of Eton.

  With the brief greetings over, they were ushered into a nearby room. As soon as Freddie stepped inside his heart began to race.

  Seated at the head of an elegant mahogany table on one side of the room was Ewan Radley, the Duke of Strathmore. Also present was Will Saunders. It was the third man who had Freddie’s pulse racing.

  Hugh Radley, the Bishop of London.

  While all the men present held various levels of power and influence, it was the Bishop of London who had the Prince Regent’s ear. If anyone could strike a blow against Osmont Firebrace and the Bachelor Board, it was Hugh Radley.

  To Freddie’s surprise he was warmly greeted by all those at the table and offered a chair beside Will. The bishop sat directly across from him.

  As a footman poured them each a glass of wine, a slow trickle of sweat worked its way down Freddie’s back. Exams at Oxford had been nerve-wracking enough, but they paled into insignificance against this moment.

  “Now I know most of you have a good idea about what has happened to young Frederick here, but I think it is time you all understood how serious the situation is with regard to these chaps,” announced the duke. He looked in the direction of his brother and the bishop cleared his throat.

  “The goings on of the Bachelor Board are not a secret among the men of the ton. At some point or another in our lives, most of us have had a friend suddenly elevated into a position of power and the Bachelor Board has been behind it. As with Freddie here, the younger sons of families have been the prime target for membership for a number of years. Once a chap joins them, it becomes his duty to ensure he does everything to assist other members, and so on,” explained the bishop.

  There was a collective nodding of heads from the others seated at the table.

  “What you do not know, and what has been kept from all but a few, is the members of this secret society are behind some of the recent social upheavals we have experienced in England. They are actually one of the main reasons why the rule of habeas corpus has been suspended since February of this year. There is a growing body of evidence they are plotting to overthrow the crown.”

  Freddie’s
blood turned to ice. In his small world, it had all been about righting wrongs. He had hoped to have Osmont Firebrace relieved from his role at the House of Commons—that was the size of the victory he had in mind. Never once had he thought the Bachelor Board was more than a group of self-serving libertines. That they could actually attempt to seize power was an immense shock.

  Will placed a reassuring hand on Freddie’s shoulder. “We know you had no idea of the depth of their treachery. We have been secretly investigating them and their dubious business affairs for some time. It is one of the reasons why I came back to England. They don’t know me well enough to see me as a potential threat.”

  The bishop nodded. “Yes, the evidence Will and other government agents have been collecting all year is now enough for laying charges under the Treason Act. There is going to be a number of arrests over the next few weeks. Several members of the Bachelor Board were arrested last week as they attempted to flee England. They are currently being held in prison without trial, though of course everyone thinks they are travelling abroad. This country is going to be rocked to its very foundations when the names of those being brought before the courts are made public.”

  He turned to Freddie, who was feeling nauseous at this point. He was just starting out in life. If he was swept up in the trials of those charged with treason he was finished in England.

  The bishop leant over the table and met his gaze. “Fear not, young Rosemount. Since your role in this has only been as a minor player, you will not be asked to give evidence in court. I have spoken with his Royal Highness, Prince George, and he has agreed you have done enough to help bring these men down. Several names you gave Will have been added to the list of people to be questioned and likely charged. Your name will have to appear in the court transcripts, so you may wish to speak to your father once the arrests begin.”

  Freddie sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. Tears threatened. He had brought shame upon his family already. He had no idea how he would face his father once the Bachelor Board and all its depravity became public. The fact he would play a hand in bringing down Osmont Firebrace was only a minor comfort at this moment.