Who Wants to Marry a Duke

by Sabrina Jeffries

  “In October? No.”

  She yanked her skirts down as he fastened up his trousers. They both hurried to look out the window, and her heart sank.

  Her new laboratory was no more. Flames engulfed the dairy, leaping up to the sky. Occasionally another chemical would break free, only to burn blue or green or purple. Olivia would have thought it beautiful . . . if it hadn’t meant death to all her hopes.

  “My samples!” she cried, and ran for the door.

  But she only got as far as the hallway before Thorn caught up to her. “No, it’s not safe. You know as well as I do that all the chemicals in there may not have burned yet. If the saltpeter erupts or—”

  “It’s not the saltpeter you have to worry about. There are things like sodium hydroxide, which shouldn’t be allowed to burn at all, but is probably already burning. The fumes of that are toxic, too.”

  “What’s sodium hydroxide?” he asked.

  “You would know it as lye.”

  “Damn. Even I know that lye on fire can’t be good.”

  They could hear noises from downstairs that said the servants had been alerted.

  “Stay here,” Thorn told her. “I’ll tell the servants just to let the fire burn itself out. It’s far enough from the house and high enough on that hill that it shouldn’t ignite anything else.”

  He hurried down the stairs and she rushed after him. Whether he admitted it or not, he didn’t know what he was doing, so he needed her.

  As she approached the bottom, one of the servants cried, “Miss, that fire is already so hot we can’t get near to it. You must have left coals burning in the fireplace or something.”

  “I didn’t start it, I swear,” she protested. “I’m always careful to douse the coals with water, and I never leave a candle burning—”

  “That’s what we need—water!” another footman called out. “Buckets and buckets of water!”

  “No!” she screamed, trying to be heard over the sudden clamor of servants making suggestions. “That could make it worse!”

  But no one could hear her. When Grey and Beatrice appeared at the top of the stairs, the servants called out to their master to do something. Judging from Grey’s crookedly buttoned banyan and mussed hair, he had just awakened and still hadn’t figured out what was going on, so he wasn’t going to be any use to them.

  Then Thorn moved higher on the stairs and let out an ear-piercing whistle that got everyone’s attention. When the noise quieted, he said, “The fire is made up of burning chemicals. So we should listen to Miss Norley, since she’s the chemist and it was her laboratory that exploded. She knows better than anyone how to handle things.”

  Stepping aside in clear deference to her, he then hurried up the stairs to apprise Grey and Beatrice of the situation.

  “I beg you,” Olivia said, “don’t try to douse anything with water. Some of those chemicals are harmless in fire but explode in water. Others explode in air. If you must go near the fire—and I wouldn’t advise it, frankly—use salt or sand to extinguish it.”

  “Why must we not go near it, miss?” one footman asked her.

  “Because depending on which chemicals are burning, poisonous gases will be rising from those flames, and you don’t want to breathe any of those.”

  Another fellow cried, “Why are we listening to her, anyway? She’s the one what started the fire in the first place.”

  Olivia bristled. “I swear I did not—”

  “The miss didn’t start it!” another man called out. “It was that boy who did.”

  That shocked everyone into silence.

  “What boy?” Thorn asked the man. He and Grey hurried back down the stairs, leaving a clearly pregnant Beatrice standing at the top in her nightdress and wrapper.

  “I was outside getting some air, Your Graces, when I saw a boy—couldn’t have been more than fifteen—running from the old dairy. I called out to him to stop, but then the whole place exploded, and I lost sight of him.”

  When the servants began murmuring among themselves, Grey turned to Thorn and lowered his voice. “Do you think perhaps we’re getting too close to the truth? That someone would go so far as to blow up Miss Norley’s laboratory to prevent that?”

  Thorn paled. “It’s possible, I suppose.”

  Olivia shook her head. “They’d have to know which chemicals to ignite and—”

  “They wouldn’t have to know a damned thing,” Thorn said in a low voice. “I started a fire in your laboratory just by knocking off a jar, remember?”

  “Good point,” Grey said.

  Her cheeks reddened as she glanced at Thorn. “Wait, you didn’t tell him about—”

  “I told him I accidentally knocked off a jar, which is true.” Thorn ran his fingers through his hair in obvious frustration. “Olivia, could this fellow, whoever the hell he is, have started an explosion simply by smashing jars and throwing things about?”

  “Absolutely. But that would be very stupid of him, given the sort of chemicals one would find in a working laboratory.”

  “We’re not dealing with chemists here, sweeting,” Thorn said, not even realizing he’d used the endearment in front of his brother. “I mean, it’s unlikely the boy knew that much about what he was doing.”

  Thorn headed out the front door and onto the steps to gaze toward the laboratory with its still burning fire. She followed him.

  “If we do nothing, will it burn itself out?” he asked her.

  “I think so.”

  He shot her a hard look. “You don’t know for sure?”

  “How can I? I’ve never seen a laboratory explode before.”

  “Right,” he said hastily. “Of course not. But you do believe our best course of action is to leave it alone.”

  “Yes, definitely. There’s little wind tonight, thank heaven, so there’s not much likelihood of having sparks blown onto the roofs of other buildings. The fire shouldn’t take too long to die out, and Grey doesn’t need his people choking to death on toxic fumes in an attempt to make it happen sooner.”

  “I certainly don’t,” Grey said as he came up behind them. “But there are two things that can be done at least.”

  Turning to his servants, he ordered several to search the grounds for the lad who might have destroyed the laboratory and a few others to take turns keeping watch that the fire didn’t ignite anything beyond the dairy.

  Then he told everyone else to go to bed.

  Grey turned to her as the servants drifted off to do their several duties. “That includes you, Olivia. I know you must have stayed up late in the laboratory because you were still out there when Beatrice and I retired. But you need your sleep like everyone else.”

  “Listen to him,” Thorn said.

  “How can I sleep when we’ve lost everything we worked for?” she said. “The samples are gone, and I don’t think we can use what was left of the remains.”

  “We still have that set of samples in the icehouse,” Grey said soothingly.

  Hope sprouted inside her. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Damn, I forgot to tell you,” Thorn said. “The coroner split everything in half in case we needed fresh samples for a trial. You only received one half. I meant to say something when I brought the samples this afternoon, but . . .”

  “I wouldn’t let you in,” she said.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t mention it tonight.”

  She beamed. “I don’t care. That’s marvelous news! I can still do the experiments! Of course, we may have to set a man to keep watch over the laboratory at night, and we’ll have to send for fresh chemicals and equipment.” Her mind jumped ahead to what needed to be done. “I should make a list right now while I’m thinking of it. Ooh, and my journals and notebooks are upstairs—thank heavens they’re safe—so I can refer to them if—”

  “We’ll discuss all that in the morning.” Thorn shot Grey a somber look. “For now, you should rest, Olivia.”

  She thrust out her chin, trying no
t to be flattered by his concern for her. “Only after I make my shopping lists.”

  “Before,” Thorn said sternly. “Or I swear I’ll lock up your journals and notebooks until tomorrow.”

  He would do it, too. The two of them were up to something. She could tell.

  “Oh, very well, if you insist,” she muttered. “But only if you promise to fetch me if the fire worsens.”

  “I swear it,” Thorn said. “Now off with you.”

  She sighed. But there was really nothing else she could do until the fire was out. Besides, as Grey had guessed, she was exhausted, not only from the long day but from the wild swings her emotions had taken. Much as she truly wanted to start picking items for the new laboratory, her exhaustion had begun to take over.

  So she would put off everything until tomorrow morning.

  Chapter Nine

  Thorn stood at a distance, surveying the remains of the fire that had raged nearly until dawn. Here and there a pile of something either smoldered or flared up briefly, and there was the occasional wisp of smoke. But the flames seemed mostly banished, although he couldn’t be sure of anything until he spoke to Olivia.

  As if he’d conjured her up, he suddenly felt her at his side. Her scent, faint as it was, alerted him to her presence. Knowing how much the laboratory had meant to her, he could only imagine how the sight of its destruction must be affecting her.

  “You’re up early,” she said with a catch in her voice.

  He faced her. “So are you.”

  Like any other typical young miss, she wore some gossamer muslin gown, beautiful and fragile. But the sturdy shawl of green wool she’d draped around it showed her to be more resilient than the typical young miss. Here she stood itching to go on, even after what had happened to her laboratory . . . even with the destruction laid out before her.

  It reminded him of the first time they’d met . . . and last night’s revelations about that first meeting. She was never exactly what she seemed. Best to remember that.

  “Did you get any sleep?” he asked.

  “A little. Did you?”

  “Some,” he lied. He and Grey had stayed up quite a bit longer figuring out what to do, and now he had to tell her what they’d decided without her. He wasn’t sure she’d go along with their new plan. But before he revealed it . . . “What do you think? Is the fire mostly out?”

  “It seems to be.”

  “Is it safe to go near? Grey has a bag of salt over there,” he said, pointing to a spot a little way from the fire, “but sand isn’t easy to come by here. We’d have to send to the coast.”

  “No need for that. The salt should be enough to extinguish the last bits if Grey wants his footmen to spread it over what’s still smoldering.”

  “Good.”

  She stared at the embers a while, then straightened her shoulders. “Now that Grey knows the dangers, does he have any other buildings on his property I could use for a laboratory? When I couldn’t sleep last night, I made a list of chemicals and laboratory equipment, but I was careful to pare it down now that I know precisely what to test and how, so—”

  “We’re not staying,” he broke in.

  She looked stricken. “What do you mean?”

  “Someone clearly wants to make sure you don’t do these tests,” he said. “Grey and I think that the lad who smashed up your laboratory, whoever he is, was hired by the person who poisoned Grey’s father. So as long as you stay here, you’re in danger.”

  “I don’t see why I am—”

  “You could have been inside when that devil broke in,” he said hoarsely. The thought of anybody daring to murder her turned his blood to ice. “You could be lying in those embers right now.”

  She laid her hand on his arm. “Yes, but I wasn’t, and I’m not.”

  “Not yet. But after finding out that you mean to continue, this . . . this arse may decide to do worse than destroy your laboratory. He might decide to destroy you.” He caught her by the shoulders, barely resisting the urge to shake her. “And that’s a chance neither Grey nor I wish to take.”

  Hurt glinted in her eyes. “You’ll put an end to my experiments just like that, without giving me a say in it?”

  It took him a minute to realize how she’d taken what he’d said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t explain myself very well. We’re not putting an end to anything. We’re simply spiriting you away to do the experiments elsewhere.”

  Her face cleared. “Oh.” She walked over to view the destruction more closely. “And you’re sure the explosion was caused by some villainous ‘lad’? That it wasn’t anything I failed to do properly or some residual chemical I overlooked in my tests that ignited on its own?”

  “We’re sure. Although the broken glass and emptied containers could conceivably have resulted from the explosion, the dairy’s lock, found beneath the intact door and door frame, was clearly busted apart by a sledgehammer before the explosion. We know that because we found the hammer in the wreckage. Apparently, the lad left it behind in his hurry to escape with his life. He probably saw a chemical catch fire and then ran out, in fear that the whole place might burn. I doubt he had any idea that it would explode.”

  “Neither did I.”

  “We realize that.”

  “Thank heavens it wasn’t my fault.” Then, as if realizing how callous that sounded, she grimaced. “I—I only meant—”

  “I know what you meant. No one wants to be responsible for this level of destruction . . . or for possibly exposing innocent people to caustic chemicals. And you would never behave so recklessly.”

  He hoped not, anyway. Because she had no idea how dangerous this whole venture could turn out to be. He and his brothers already believed that four men might have died to serve the villain’s purpose, whatever it was. One woman more would mean nothing to this scoundrel.

  Shoving his hands into his greatcoat pockets, he added, “That’s why we’ve found a better place for you to do your work. Somewhere safer that no one knows about.”

  She eyed him skeptically. “And where in creation would that be?”

  “My estate. In Berkshire.”

  He’d expected surprise and perhaps resistance to the idea. Not the bitter laughter that erupted from her. “I can only imagine what Mama would think of that,” she said.

  “She won’t think anything, because she won’t know about it. No one will. That’s the point. Since plenty of people were aware that you were coming here for a visit, anyone could have done this. So, until your work is finished, the only safe place for you is somewhere no one expects you to be.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “And you think your estate is best for that.”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, come now, Thorn, that’s—”

  “Trust me, Grey and I have thought through our whole plan. I’ll take Grey’s phaeton to London later today. You’ll leave tomorrow, ostensibly to head home. Everyone will see Grey and Beatrice making a big show of packing you off in Grey’s carriage, accompanied by a maid. We’ll make sure the news is spread in Sudbury in case our villain is hanging about, hoping to try again if we decide to set up a new laboratory.”

  He paced in front of the ruins. “But you’ll really be meeting me at Gwyn’s town house in the city. Gwyn’s husband, Major Wolfe, is an investigator of sorts, so I’ll send him up here to see what he can discover about the lad who did this.” He gestured to the destruction. “Meanwhile, in London I’ll personally oversee the purchase of more materials and equipment for your laboratory. With any luck, we can leave for Rosethorn in Berkshire, south of London, in a day or two.”

  Her lips tightened into a line. “You realize that if anyone finds out I’m traveling with you, let alone staying at your estate, I’ll be ruined.”

  “Did I forget to mention that Gwyn will be coming with us to chaperone? That’s the beauty of our plan. There’s no risk to you. Well, except the usual risk of exploding chemicals.”

  She ignored his half-joking remar
k. “Have you asked either Lady Gwyn or Major Wolfe to do this?”

  “Not yet, but I know them. They’ll help.”

  “And if they don’t? Or can’t, for some reason?”

  “Then I’ll ask another member of my family—Heywood’s wife, perhaps. I don’t want to ask Mother if I can avoid it. We haven’t even told her we’re doing this and why.”

  Nor had they told Olivia everything about their investigation. There was no reason to do so. Once this part of the investigation was finished, they wouldn’t need her.

  In fact, while he was in Berkshire and she was doing her experiments, he planned to ask around about his father’s carriage accident. It had happened close enough to the estate that it had still been under the jurisdiction of the local constable. Until a year ago, he’d had no reason to look into it. Thirty years ago, no one had suspected foul play. Thorn still wasn’t sure it had been murder. But it was time to rule that out.

  And perhaps that would keep him from spending every waking moment trying to seduce her.

  “Anyway,” he told Olivia, “I’m certain Gwyn will travel with us and chaperone you. I’m family, and she knows you’re important to—” Thank God he’d caught himself before he’d said “me.” “To Grey and Beatrice.”

  He could feel her eyes probing him.

  “Only to Grey and Beatrice?” she asked softly.

  God, she would ask him a question like that. He stared out over the destruction. “And to the rest of the family, of course.”

  Coward. But he knew better than to let anyone get too close, especially a woman whose favorite pastime was dancing with danger. If she had been inside the laboratory when that fellow had broken in . . .

  Instantly tensing, he swung his gaze back to her. “Grey and I can think of no other way to protect you from whoever is trying to prevent you from doing your work. As long as the villain thinks we’ve given up, he’ll leave you alone. And that’s what we all want. Obviously you struck a nerve, and now the killer is focused on you.”

  “Wonderful,” she said dryly. “Just what I require to make my life complete.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, and meant it. “I’m sure Grey never expected this to be a hazardous proposition. I know I didn’t.”