Lord of Mischief

by Sasha Cottman

  The grandfather clock upstairs struck the hour of two.

  “I had better get you home. It won’t do for your maid to be wondering why she cannot rouse you in the morning,” he said.

  Knowing Eve, she would gladly sleep beside him in his bed, but after all he had done, he was not foolish enough to tempt the wrath of her parents.

  The fact they would wed was no longer in doubt; it was the manner of how they went about it that held his mind. He had been to enough weddings in his lifetime to know society would expect a formal church service, followed by a wedding breakfast and a glittering ball. After all, he had put their families through, his mother and Adelaide Saunders deserved nothing less.

  “Or you could have me a second time,” she said. Her hand settled on his thigh. He gently removed her hand from his leg.

  “I think you have had enough of me for your first night. You will be sore in the morning,” he said.

  She mewled with disappointment and Freddie laughed.

  “So, can I come and visit you again tomorrow night? We could discuss your new business proposal a little more. My dowry could be put to good use in securing a suitable shop for your bakery,” she said.

  “I am working late at the church tomorrow. After we have served supper, Will and I are going to move some new large tables into the middle of the church. Reverend Brown is happy for the parishioners to sit at tables during the services, which will mean we can get more people fed when the soup kitchen is open. I won’t be home until very late.”

  She frowned at him. “I can slip in here early and wait for you. Even if we get caught, there is nothing anyone can do about it. I’m already yours. Though you seem a little unsure. Why?”

  While Eve was under the impression she had the run of the situation, Freddie knew he had to take command. He had to take effective control of their relationship and future without her realizing it.

  Eve’s taste for danger could pose a real threat to them and their combined future. The ton would only forgive so much. She had to learn there were boundaries that could not be crossed. They would need the support of their families and friends to make their future together a success. He would have to gamble on her love for him one last time. Then she would know that he truly loved her.

  A lie formed in his mind; pulling her into it was a risk he would have to take.

  “Osmont Firebrace has gone missing. The authorities are keeping quiet about his disappearance, as they think he may have been tipped off. If that is the case, then he may also know I had a hand in his downfall. I don’t want you alone in this house without my protection,” he said.

  She huffed with frustration. “He couldn’t be that foolish as to try something. He must know people are looking for him.”

  “Yes, well, you never know. He knows there are no servants here, and I am alone at night. If I finish early on Thursday, I shall send word to you. But until all of the Bachelor Board members have been arrested, you have to promise me you will be careful. I don’t want you in this house alone. I don’t want you put in danger.”

  “So, Thursday it is,” she replied.

  “Did you hear what I just said?”

  She moved to sit on his lap. He sucked in air, trying to keep his erection from getting the better of the situation. Her lips came to within an inch of his.

  “Yes, I heard you. Now tell me you love me, kiss me, and take me home.”

  He slipped a hand around her head and drew her to him. “I love you.”

  Chapter Forty

  Freddie arrived home late as usual the following night. As he entered through the rear garden, the sight that greeted him had him swearing in frustration. Eve had ignored his instructions.

  “Bloody woman. How am I supposed to protect you?” he muttered.

  The golden glow of flames from the fireplace could be seen through the upper windows of the kitchen. Eve had arrived early and built up the fire awaiting his return. He opened the door, words of rebuke ready on his lips.

  “I thought we agreed you would wait until I sent word on Thursday,” he said.

  “And a warm hello to you too,” came the sardonic reply.

  He turned to see Thomas seated at the kitchen table. By his feet lay Zeus, fast asleep. Freddie scowled. He had never managed to get Zeus to sit quietly for him.

  The smile on his brother’s lips made Freddie immediately forgive Thomas yet another first.

  “Ah, brother mine. I was wondering when you would make it home. I have been keeping your pup company for several hours. Still keeping late hours at the soup kitchen?” asked Thomas.

  “You know about St John’s?” replied Freddie.

  Thomas handed him a letter. It bore the mark of the Duke of Strathmore. “This arrived late last week at home. It tells of your good charitable deeds, among other news.”

  Freddie hesitated. “What other news?”

  Thomas rose from the table and pulled his brother into a heartfelt embrace. “The letter said enough for me to be able to put two and two together. I cannot begin to tell you how terrible I felt when I heard you had got mixed up with the Bachelor Board. I should have warned you about them. I failed you. I am relieved beyond words that you did better than I in escaping from their vile sexual abuse,” said Thomas.

  Freddie pulled out of his brother’s hug and stared at Thomas. Thomas was tall and strong; it would take a lot to bring him down.

  Thomas nodded at the unspoken question. “I wasn’t always a big lad. There were members of the Bachelor Board in residence at Oxford. I needed some extra tutelage to pass a particularly hard exam in my final year. One of the professors offered to help me. I went to his study night after night to work with him. The night after I had sat the exam, he asked me to share a celebratory drink with him in his private chambers. I, being a naïve fool, trusted him. The next thing I knew I was lying semi-naked on a couch and he was climbing off me.”

  Freddie began to shake, and he feared he would be sick. “I don’t know what to say. I had no idea,” he stammered.

  “I have never told a soul until this night. Not even Cecily knows. I love my wife and I couldn’t bear to have her see me as anything but a strong and capable man. It took me a long time to understand rape is not so much about sex. It is about power and control.”

  Freddie had a sudden vision of his brother being alone and scared. It had been hard enough for him to confess his own narrow escape; he doubted he could have told anyone if the drugs had rendered him unconscious and he too had become another victim. Staring at his brother, he finally understood the true power that the Bachelor Board held. It wasn’t money or influence; it was silence.

  “I have been in London for the past few days, staying at Mivart’s Hotel. Father read the duke’s letter but he still doesn’t quite understand exactly what it means. I don’t plan to tell him the worst of it—that is your business. Though, from the rumors swirling around the city, it won’t be long before he does comprehend, and you may be forced to have a difficult private conversation with him,” said Thomas.

  The first public arrests of members of the board had been made late the previous day. While Freddie and Eve had been together at Rosemount House, the authorities had raided more than a dozen homes in the central London area. The military had been dispatched to a number of country estates. The downfall of a dangerous secret society had begun.

  Zeus stirred from under the table and lumbered out into the kitchen proper. He settled into a long stretch of his limbs before loping over to where Freddie stood. His master gave him a playful scratch behind the ear. “Good boy, Zeus.”

  “Glad to hear you changed that poor animal’s name. I take it the foolish moniker you gave him was part of the game,” said Thomas. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, then handed them to Freddie. “It might be a little late in giving these to you, I see from the damage upstairs you have not been able to keep that beast from the rest of the house. Father will have to take responsibility for that oversight.
Though you might want to have repairs made before he and Mama next venture to town, you are still not exactly popular at home.”

  Freddie gave a weak smile. He had a matter of a handful of coins in his possession. The only way his mother’s cushions were going to be repaired would be if he took up needle and thread himself. His domestic skills started and ended with food.

  “Be a good lad and make me a coffee, and then come and tell me what else has been happening in your life, Frederick.”

  Freddie snorted with laughter. Thomas had an uncanny ability to take on their father’s voice and mannerisms. “Yes, Papa.” He chuckled.

  Over a cup of hot coffee and some of Freddie’s pasties, the brothers settled down at the table.

  “I am hoping you will be pleased to hear Eve and I have become reacquainted. She understands all of what happened with the Bachelor Board, including the incident with the drugged wine,” said Freddie.

  Thomas raised an eyebrow. Sexual assault of men was not something most women were even aware of in London high society. Especially not unwed, young women.

  “If she was ever going to consider forgiving me and taking me back, I had to tell her everything. She is the one who suggested I go to William Saunders about Osmont Firebrace. That is when I discovered the Bachelor Board posed a threat to the crown.”

  “And will Eve, have you?” asked Thomas.

  A flutter of happiness rippled through Freddie’s stomach. For all his foolish and selfish endeavors, against all hope, Eve had taken him back. But nothing was certain as yet. He still had to prove himself worthy. To show her he was the man who deserved her love.

  “We are still negotiating how we move forward as a couple, but yes, we have a future together,” he said.

  Thomas sat back, chewing on his pasty. He smiled at Freddie, pride in his eyes.

  “These are good. You could always consider opening a small chain of bakeries. I’m sure Papa could help to get you started with money. Something to consider now you are about to get married.”

  “A chain of bakeries?” replied Freddie. His initial plans had been for a single shop. His brother now had him rethinking his goals. Thomas dusted off his hands. “Well, I had better be off. I have a late dinner appointment with friends, then in the morning, I have to buy a few things for Cecily before I leave for home. One must never disappoint one’s bride.”

  Freddie noted the subtle hint.

  The brothers embraced once more. Freddie sighed with relief. It was good to be with Thomas again, to know there was a way back to being a part of the Rosemount family. His parents might be some way still from forgiving him, but he could trust Thomas to help clear the path.

  After Thomas left, Freddie went back into the warmth of the kitchen. Zeus sniffed at his feet, then gave a less-than-subtle push against Freddie’s leg.

  “Alright, boy. I haven’t forgotten your suppertime,” he said.

  He went to the high cupboard where he kept the dog bones out of dog-reach, and as he opened the cupboard he found a small, leather wallet sitting at the front of the shelf. He picked it up. Under it was a folded piece of paper. He stared at the wallet, which he held in one hand, and the note, which he held in the other.

  He opened the note first.

  I was handed this as I left the abbey. Father is still angry with you, but after he received the letter from the Duke of Strathmore he decided it was important to ensure you are not left exposed and without means of financial support. You have been punished enough. You will be relieved to know that the servants will return to the house by the end of the week.

  Mama’s favourite cushions have been sent to the menders and should be back to you by early next week. I trust you to keep them from the dog in the future. Be a good lad.

  Thomas

  Freddie’s heart began to race as he looked at the wallet.

  “Please let there be enough for a bag of coffee beans. Please,” he prayed.

  As soon as he opened the wallet, he knew his family were on their way to forgiving him. There was enough money to buy a dozen bags of coffee beans. There was also enough to buy a new pair of boots, a hat, and a deposit on a good horse. He punched the air with delight. He would be able to afford a decent hot meal that he didn’t have to cook from scratch.

  With the household servants returning in a matter of days, he would have to press ahead quickly with his other plans. The first of which involved making a private appointment to see Charles Saunders.

  Chapter Forty-One

  “There are going to be some very difficult conversations in the House of Commons over this scandal. The prime minister is threatening to call a general election if the two members of the house named so far do not stand down.”

  Eve was seated at the breakfast table next to Caroline while their father held up that morning’s copy of The Times and showed it to the rest of his family. Across the front page was an article detailing the names of the members of the Bachelor Board who had thus far been charged with treason. Five men were currently being held in the Tower of London. Osmont Firebrace was not among their number.

  “Yes, from what Hattie tells me, Will has been working late most nights with the prosecution helping with putting the evidence together. She says she has barely seen him for the past week,” replied Adelaide.

  “Absolutely appalling. The Times says the prosecution will have enough evidence to see all of them hang,” added Charles.

  Eve took a bite of her toast. The press was mainly concerned with the charges of treason, but she knew enough from Freddie that the corrupting influence of the Bachelor Board had gone far deeper into English society. Lives of young men had been ruined. Futures had been corrupted because of the secrets the board held over its members. Once a man joined the Bachelor Board, his life was bound tight by its rules.

  Freddie had so narrowly avoided the same fate.

  “Oh, and Freddie’s name has now made the papers. It was to be expected. Have you spoken to him of late?” continued Charles.

  Eve put down her toast as her appetite evaporated. Wherever he was, Osmont Firebrace would now know Freddie had played a part in his downfall. “I saw him at St John’s last week,” she replied.

  Her parents would find out soon enough that matters between her and Freddie had moved to a point where marriage would naturally follow. But in the meantime, she would continue to indulge in the thrill of stealing out of the house late at night to secretly visit him. The danger of being caught added to the heady pleasure of being a sexually active unmarried woman.

  In her reticule was the note she had received late the previous day from Freddie, informing her that his role as a witness for the crown prosecution was about to be made public. She was anxious to see him as soon as possible.

  “So, what do you two young ladies have planned for the day?” asked Adelaide.

  “Hatchards have a new book of poems by Shelley in stock this week. It includes his latest work, A Hymn to Intellectual Beauty. Eve and I are going to buy a copy. After that, I expect we shall find a nice cake shop and stuff our faces while we read our new book,” replied Caroline.

  She and Eve had been writing their own humorous version of the poem and were keen to see how badly they had insulted the famed poet’s work. Adelaide picked up her cup of coffee and smiled as she took a sip.

  “Yes, well next time you girls are finished writing your naughty poetry you might want to make sure you put them away. We found them in the sitting room last night. After having read your efforts, I think we can safely say Mr. Shelley would not be amused.”

  Charles Saunders chuckled from behind his newspaper.

  Eve and Caroline both finished their breakfast and shortly after ten o’clock climbed into the family carriage in the rear courtyard of their home. As the carriage turned out of sight into Piccadilly, Freddie Rosemount arrived in a hack at the front door of Dover Street.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Eve was hungry when she returned home from a long afternoon of shoppin
g with Caroline, but her need was not for food. Having given herself to Freddie, the hunger to lay with him again burned constant.

  It was Thursday, and the evensong usually ran late. Freddie wouldn’t be home until close to midnight. He hadn’t sent word, but she couldn’t deny her need for him any longer.

  She would visit him and discuss plans to move their relationship to a more socially acceptable state. Her thoughts ran to the obvious conclusion that once Viscount Rosemount discovered Freddie had openly declared himself as being her future husband, he would restore his son to favor and funds. She would let Freddie govern when he felt the time was right for him to inform their parents of the impending wedding.

  She spent a pleasant evening with Caroline and Adelaide discussing family plans for Christmas at Strathmore Castle in Scotland. With the three oldest Radley cousins all recently married, the castle would be even more full of noise and merriment than it had been in previous years.

  A little after eleven, Eve bade her sister and mother good night and headed to her room.

  She changed into a dark, woolen gown and waited until she heard the other members of the family turn in for bed. After throwing on a heavy cloak, she silently stole downstairs and out through the rear garden.

  She hailed a hack around the corner in Old Bond Street and was soon on her way to Grosvenor Square. After searching through various flower pots, she found the key to the rear door of Rosemount House.

  “So much for keeping your house safe from wicked men,” she muttered.

  Inside the kitchen, she lit a candle and made her way upstairs.

  “Zeus,” she called out.

  The dog was nowhere to be seen.

  “That’s odd,” she murmured. Freddie was sometimes able to keep Zeus bailed up in the kitchen, but most times the dog had the run of the house. The silence was eerie.