Now the buffoons have gone and done the exact opposite. Who’s to say what impression the detective has formed of Kenneth now?
Kenneth had no idea that Leonard was the one pulling the strings of the uprising in the shadows. Kenneth also had no idea how close the uprising was to occurring and that at this very minute, all the muskets and weapons that were going to be used had already arrived in England and were safely stashed away.
Worst of all, Kenneth had no idea that at the end of it all, he was going to be framed for their actions and sent to the executioner for treason.
He dressed, then holding his hood in his hand he walked to his door and opened it. Shutting the door behind him, he began making his way toward the stables and the hole in the fence beyond.
He looked up as he walked by Kenneth’s window and saw nothing but darkness.
Sweet dreams, Prince Idealistic.
His walk into town had been uneventful. The majority of those about town at this time of the night was comprised of servants and lowlifes—the other world he’d told Kenneth about.
This was his world and he had nothing to fear.
He made his way toward London’s red light district and the room where his group normally met.
His hood was in place now, eliminating the possibility of anyone recognizing him. The reason that he’d been able to live a double life as a valet and leader of an uprising was the level of anonymity and cautiousness he’d put into his different activities.
It will all be over soon. I am so close.
Arriving at the dark alley, he made his way to the end and stood in front of the door.
Checking his pocket watch, he was satisfied he had made it in time, even after such a long walk. It was five minutes before midnight and he proceeded to knock on the dingy door.
The usual question and answer session to gain entry into the enclave occurred and the door was opened for him.
This time he didn’t ask any questions or wait for the burly doorkeeper to shut the door and secure the locks before he marched on in the darkness toward the room ahead.
“What in God’s name happened at the meeting today? I do not show up and everything falls apart?” He railed at the men seated all around the room as soon as he walked in.
There were murmurs and grunts as everyone turned to focus their attention on him.
“Who in their right mind decided it was all right to promise the Marquess that we will hold off on our plans so he can get his useless bill through parliament?” Leonard continued to rail.
Whispers went up all around the room but no one dared speak up.
“Now you all have made me spend more wasted hours working on that blasted bill, instead of putting my time to good use in preparation for our planned attack. Not to mention that you all have got the Marquess running on false hopes, thus complicating things for me and restricting my movements even further.”
This time, however, there was a response.
“There was nothing else we could do but improvise,” a member of the group spoke up. “Your instructions were explicitly clear about not harming him till he had taken the fall. There was nothing else we could do to get him out of here besides pretending to agree to his requests. You were not here, Leonard, so we had to manage it as best we could.”
“What are you saying?” Leonard asked.
“He’s saying that we are still on track with our plans. We just said what we said to get rid of the Marquess so that we could continue on with our errands,” another person responded.
Leonard stayed silent for a bit, while he analyzed the responses he had received and how best to proceed.
They are right.
His absence at the meeting had created the room for error. Of course, Kenneth would never have known he was their leader, but there were still so many ways he would have been able to communicate with them if he were present, without alerting Kenneth.
They’d had no other choice but to improvise as best as they could.
“Sheldon!” he exclaimed, turning to face the supposed informant for the Bow Street Runner.
“Did the detective meet with you after the meeting? What did he say? Is he on the path to thinking that Lord Walsrock is trying to lead an uprising?” Leonard asked, trying to ascertain where the mind of the detective was. Having the detective circle in on Kenneth was very crucial to their plan.
A scrawny looking fellow stood to his feet to address Leonard.
“He asked if I knew what the connection was between Lord Walsrock and the rest of the men. I told him I didn’t know but that I saw Lord Walsrock constantly at that warehouse. I left it at that,” Sheldon responded.
This could still work, then. All we need do is orchestrate some more evidence and dump it on the lap of the detective. He will still reach that conclusion soon enough.
“Very good, then,” Leonard told Sheldon. “Make sure you continue to lead him toward the conclusion that Lord Walsrock is the main culprit. Don’t hesitate to let us know if you need anything.”
“All right, men. We have two weeks to the start of our uprising in this great city. Let us begin our final checks of plans and equipment to be used on that day. Everything has to be executed to perfection. Nothing can go wrong. Understood?” he queried.
There were only a handful of responses as the rest remained silent.
“Understood?” Leonard screamed louder this time.
The response was unanimous.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rose walked around the grounds of Lord Rockgonie’s manor as she reminisced on the day before, that she’d spent with Kenneth. Elsa wasn’t far behind, as usual, trailing her and making sure she remained in her line of sight.
Even though Rose was definitely not going to see Kenneth today or anytime soon as a result of Lord Rockgonie’s father’s presence, it had made sense to stick to her schedule to avoid suspicion from her own father.
If she suddenly stopped coming to the manor, her father was going to start wondering why. And then, if she suddenly started going after Lord Wisham left, her father was definitely going to be on to her. He might not have arrived at the truth but she was in danger of having him arrive at the conclusion that she was doing something prematurely with Lord Rockgonie.
If only he had an idea of what is going on between Kenneth and I.
That was what would have happened yesterday if not for the quick thinking of Lord Rockgonie, Leonard, and Elsa, who had saved her from discovery. It had been a close call but she wouldn’t change any detail from yesterday.
It was perfect.
A smile involuntarily crept up her lips as a pleasant sensation coursed through her body at the memory of Kenneth’s kissing and caresses.
She hugged herself tightly as she paused in front of a flower and breathed its scent.
“I see someone is in a good mood.”
She spun around in shock, to see Lady Anna standing behind her.
“What are you doing here?” she shrieked.
Lord Wisham was still in residence, making Lady Anna’s presence here a huge risk for them all.
“I came to see Lord Rockgonie. What else will I be doing here?” Lady Anna answered casually, as if it was normal for her to be found on the grounds of the manor.
Rose, who was nearly having an apoplexy, scanned her immediate environment frantically, looking out for anyone but most especially, Lord Wisham.
“Relax yourself, Lady Rose. Breathe,” Lady Anna said with a chuckle which confused her even further.
“How are you so calm about being here?” Rose railed.
“Because this is a normal routine for Lord Rockgonie and I. I have been sneaking into this manor for more than two years now and his father has never found out,” Lady Anna responded.
“And the servants? They know of your presence?” she asked frantically.
“Yes.”
Her face contorted further in frustration at Lady Anna’s calmness. If the servants knew about Lady Anna’s comings
and goings, it wasn’t long till they started wondering why she, who was supposedly betrothed to Lord Rockgonie, condoned it.
It also wasn’t going to be long before they pieced it together that the reason for her indifference was because she herself also had a lover and that was why she was unbothered. The number of people that were in the process of finding out about their secret was much more than she was comfortable with.
And in all of this, Lady Anna remained unconcerned about her fears.
“If you are so worried about anyone seeing us, why don’t you meet me in your room? There is something you are itching to tell me after all, isn’t there?” Lady Anna winked as she turned and headed back toward the house.
Rose turned and exchanged glances with Elsa. Her lady’s maid said nothing but her eyes encouraged her to follow Lady Anna.
She turned back to concentrate on Lady Anna’s retreating figure. As soon as she had disappeared from sight, Rose began walking toward the house as well.
Elsa, on the other hand, remained in place and didn’t follow after her.
Rose passed the gazebo on her way and saw Lord Rockgonie and his father having a little discussion. She looked at him and wondered if he knew that Lady Anna was in the house at this moment. He simply smiled at her and continued talking to his father.
She continued her journey and made it successfully into the house. By the time she got into the room, Lady Anna was already rushing toward her at the door.
“So tell me. What happened? You look different,” Lady Anna said excitedly.
“Forgive me, My Lady, but I think I have more concerns than telling you about anything that happened. Aren’t you worried about our secret being discovered, like I am? For heaven’s sake, Lord Rockgonie’s father is sitting right outside,” Rose protested.
“All right, My Lady. I understand your concern. But I assure you that you have nothing to worry about. If Lord Rockgonie and I have been at this for two years with no one in London finding out about us, then you can rest assured that your secret is safe.”
Rose couldn’t help connecting with the point that Lady Anna was making. The truth was that the servants in the house had kept the relationship between their lord and his lady a secret. It only meant that hers with Lord Walsrock would also be kept safe.
“Think of the servants here sharing the same bond with Lord Rockgonie that you share with your lady’s maid. Also, I didn’t just arrive. Actually, I never left,” Lady Anna smiled.
“Excuse me?” Rose asked in confusion.
“I never left the manor since we met the other day. I’ve been in Lord Rockgonie’s personal chambers. My parents went to their country home and left me in London, so I decided to come out here instead, while my lady’s maid covers for me. I came out just now because I spied you from the window with that blush plastered across your face,” Lady Anna snickered.
“And you kept this secret from me?” Rose expressed herself, feeling hurt.
“It wasn’t intentional, Lady Rose. I have just spent so much time sleeping during the day as a result of all the business I get up to at night.” Lady Anna winked again. “So are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to keep trying to pry it out of you?”
“And who said anything happened?” Rose said exasperatedly.
“Come now, it is written all over you. You couldn’t keep it in even if you tried,” Lady Anna insisted. “Did you make love to Lord Walsrock?” she said, hitting the nail on the head.
Rose couldn’t answer. Instead she found herself blushing and turning away from Lady Anna’s intense scrutiny.
“I knew it,” Lady Anna exclaimed, taking Rose’s hand in hers and leading her toward the bed.
There was a brief pause in which both of them stayed silent. Finally, Rose spoke.
“If I may ask, how have you managed to stay in this hidden relationship with Lord Rockgonie? What has kept you going for the past two years?” Rose asked out of curiosity.
“Love,” Lady Anna replied simply. “I love him and will do anything for him, which is the same way he feels.”
“I see.” This time it was Rose’s turn to use the phrase.
“Why do you ask, though? Do you love Lord Walsrock?”
“Of course I love Lord Walsrock. I ask because I admire your commitment and resolve to your relationship. When you said you’d been doing this for two years, I had to ask myself if I could do the same thing if I was ever in your shoes.”
“Well, I have no doubt that you wouldn’t even think twice about it. Why? Because that’s what people in love do,” Lady Anna retorted.
There was another brief pause before Rose spoke again.
“I don’t mean to pry deeper, but what caused the hate between Lord Rockgonie’s mother and yours? You said before that she was the main obstacle in your love with Lord Rockgonie,” Rose asked politely.
Lady Anna proceeded to regale her with a tale of love and betrayal.
Their mothers, Lady Matilda and Lady Margaret, had been friends from the cradle who’d grown up together. Right from their childhood, they’d fantasized about nothing being strong enough to separate them both. For years, they’d lived by that pact till they’d turned sixteen.
Then the problems began.
Eligible bachelors had begun to take interest in them from the balls they’d begun attending. The former Lady Margaret, Lord Rockgonie’s mother, had always been the bell of the ball, extroverted and outgoing, while the former Lady Matilda, Lady Anna’s mother, was the exact opposite, introverted and reserved.
Lady Anna’s father had first approached Lady Margaret. However, in her usual exuberant fashion, she had rejected his advances. He’d then set his sights on the quieter and more reserved friend who seemed like she was always one step away from running back home. Their love had begun to blossom from there and soon, even the quiet and reserved lady couldn’t keep it a secret.
She’d gone on to tell Lady Margaret, who was her closest friend at the time. Instead of being happy for her, her friend had grown wild with jealousy.
“End your relationship with him or consider our friendship over,” Lady Margaret had issued an ultimatum.
When Lady Matilda had tried to find out why, she had received no cogent reason from her jealous friend except repeated threats and a clearly stated ultimatum. For the first time in her life, however, the quiet and reserved lady would go against the wishes of her friend, and rejected the ultimatum. She was in love and was sure as hell not going to let it go.
It had been a new era in the life of the once shy, quiet, and reserved lady. She was losing a friendship that had lasted all her life at that point. In its place, however, she was getting a love that would go on to last a lifetime.
Lady Margaret had been furious. In anger, she’d settled for the next best suitor that came her way, Lord Wisham, and married him, all in a bid to show the world, and most especially Lady Matilda, that she was still capable of getting any gentleman she wanted.
The battle line was drawn but Lady Anna’s parents didn’t care. They weren’t at war with Lord Rockgonie’s mother who was now the Marchioness of Wisham by virtue of her marriage, even though she was at war with them.
Eventually, Lady Wisham would have the last laugh when her son would bring the daughter of her arch nemesis home with the proclamation that he wanted to marry her.
“Over my dead body,” Lady Wisham had screamed. “I would rather go to the grave than let you marry her.”
“And go to the grave she did. Still, she refused to let us get married,” Lady Anna finished the tale.
“Oh, my goodness.” Rose was only able to exclaim after the tale was done.
“So in spite of all that hate, how did your love for Lord Rockgonie originate?”
“Well, we’d always known about the bad blood between our families but for some reason, we’d never seemed to care about it like the rest of our siblings. We’d just simply stayed out of each other’s way. Then we’d gone on this trip to the countr
yside to attend a ball. Somehow I’d gotten lost in the woods and separated from the rest of the party.”
“The damsel in distress,” Rose interjected causing both of them to chuckle.
“Well, no one except Lord Rockgonie had noticed this damsel was missing. He’d thought I was going to come back, but when I didn’t, he’d gone out to search for me. He found me in a ditch, as I had slipped and fell, and he rushed in to get me.”
At this point, Rose’s hands came up to her chest in admiration. Even though her eyes were tearing up, she contained her tears and continued to listen.
A Ravishing Lady For The Rebellious Marquess (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 18
