A Ravishing Lady For The Rebellious Marquess (Steamy Historical Regency Romance)

by Violet Hamers

The Detective looked at him and shook his head again, before reaching down and pulling up yet another piece of paper.

  The evidence just won’t stop materializing, will it?

  “Recognize this?” the Detective asked.

  On closer inspection, he realized that it was the list Leonard had written of all the instigators that were leading the group toward an uprising.

  His answer was definitely critical at this point. He had been careful not to allude to any knowledge of an uprising beforehand, else the question would have been why he didn’t come forward if he possessed such a knowledge. However, everything they were churning out against him suggested that not only had he known about the plan for an uprising, he had also orchestrated the whole thing himself.

  What in God’s name is Leonard’s list doing here instead if in my file at home?

  The Detective placed the list on the table in front of him.

  “Would you say this is your handwriting, Lord Walsrock?” Detective Cooper asked.

  Kenneth had to keep from gasping when he saw that this was the exact list he had written on. He’d scribbled notes all over the list.

  Besides the names of the moneybags, he’d scribbled things like set up meeting with and try and persuade him. Besides the names of the other unsavory characters, he had grouped them together and written without these ones, the uprising won’t get started.

  When he’d been in his study with Leonard sitting in front of him, those words had simply showed the course of action he’s decided to take with each lead.

  Now, however, on the other side of scrutiny and investigation, what he’d written most certainly seemed like a master planner deciding what chess pieces to move on the board.

  “Dear Lord!” he exclaimed softly, as he brought his hand to rub at his temple in a bid to ease the ache and pressure that was building up. “All right, Detective Cooper, I think I have no other option than to be completely honest with you,” he remarked in resignation.

  “I would like that very much. It would certainly make my job easier,” Detective Cooper responded with all sincerity.

  Kenneth began from the very beginning, when he had initially set himself on the course of fighting for the plight of the common folk. He’d told him of his debates in parliament and his travails at getting quality research done in order to sponsor his bill.

  He told him the part his valet had played and how he was certain he wouldn’t have made any headway without Leonard’s help. He described the first presentation of the bill and how it had ended badly. Then, he also described how he had happened upon a plan to start an uprising.

  When he arrived at this part, the Detective paused his story for the first time, to ask a question.

  “So your valet told you about the rumors of an uprising being whispered in the streets of London? How had he heard such whispers?”

  “According to him, there was a whole other world, besides the one I was familiar with. A world where the servants and common folk reigned supreme. It was from there he had heard whispers of the coming uprising,” Kenneth responded truthfully.

  “So when he told you, what did you do?” Detective Cooper asked.

  Kenneth then continued on with his story of how he had determined to intervene and cause the leaders of the pending uprising to see reason with him. He had detailed Leonard to find out who they were so he could meet with them.

  They had agreed to set their plans back by four weeks, in which time he was meant to have succeeded with parliament.

  He went on to detail the work done and the changes made in readiness for the second presentation. He’d thought it was successful until the results from the votes had been tallied.

  He ended with the story of the attack on his person at the House of Lords, and how he only ended up at home when he had managed to escape.

  “I assure you, Detective. You have the wrong person. I have not done any of the things I am being accused of. If anything, I am the reason why the uprising hadn’t started sooner than now,” Kenneth remarked.

  Detective Cooper studied him for a moment when he was finally done with his version of how things had progressed.

  “Give me a moment. I’ll be back,” Detective Cooper had said politely, as he stood up and walked out.

  In the Detective’s absence, he had tried to measure the effect that his version of events had had. It was impossible to know whether the Detective had believed him or whether he had seen him as a liar.

  If only Leonard was here to corroborate my story.

  He missed his valet and the fact that Leonard had remained missing while the world crumbled around him, gave him no small measure of pain and sorrow.

  His mind also drifted to thoughts of Rose. If things hadn’t gone the way they had, she would have been in his arms right now as they waltzed under the gazebo at Lord Rockgonie’s manor.

  I hope you are well, My Love.

  Even with the separation between them, his love for her hadn’t waned one bit. She was always on his mind.

  When he left there, the first thing he was going to do was to go to Lord Rockgonie’s manor and send for her. He would then proceed to stay with her till nightfall.

  He missed her terribly.

  There was nothing in the world he wouldn’t give up to see her smile again. It warmed him up from within whenever she beamed cheerfully, especially, when he surprised her in person. He was never going to understand how someone had captivated him so much and stolen his heart in such a short period of time.

  He yearned to kiss her lips again. The way she’d responded each time he’d kissed her had continued to fuel his desire. He didn’t think he could ever get enough or grow tired of kissing her.

  He longed to hold her in his embrace yet again. The vulnerability that she displayed every time she ran into his arms had him yearning to hold her even closer. Though he’d never told her, he was sure that she knew he would go to any length to protect her from harm.

  If only you were here with me, Rose.

  The door opened without warning. Detective Cooper walked in and shut the door behind him.

  He could tell that the Detective’s countenance had changed from what it was only moments ago. He didn’t know whether this spelt redemption or disaster for him.

  “You mentioned that your valet had gone missing?” Detective Cooper had said.

  “Yes, Detective,” he answered simply.

  “Could you narrate the events and circumstances surrounding his disappearance for me?” Detective Cooper asked.

  With permission granted, Kenneth launched into another tale of his last moments with Leonard. When he finished, he made sure to indicate that he was still looking for his valet and friend, irrespective of how this interrogation was going.

  “So do you believe my story now, Detective?” Kenneth asked hopefully.

  “Well, I never doubted your story, if that is what you are asking.”

  “What does that mean?” Kenneth asked, confused.

  “Maybe I should have been straight with you from the beginning, Lord Walsrock. When we first got on this case, we already figured someone was after you, even though we didn’t know who. After your attack in parliament yesterday, we set things in motion to find out what was going on. The newspaper headline—which was false—and the constables letting people know that we had arrested you, had been our plan all along, for your own protection. We’ve only been asking you questions about yourself for your own protection and to figure out who wants to hurt you.”

  There was a brief pause in which Kenneth thought.

  So that has been your intention all along.

  “If only Leonard was here,” he wished out aloud.

  “Well, to be honest, Leonard has a different story from yours.”

  “Excuse me?” Kenneth responded in confusion.

  “I’m saying, your valet is the one who put us on to you in the first place,” Detective Cooper remarked.

  Chapter Thirty

  Rose’s entourag
e pulled into Lord Rockgonie’s manor just as the messenger she’d sent initially was leaving.

  “My Lady,” he said, after noticing her as she disembarked from her carriage. “I was on my way back to you with a message from Lord Rockgonie.”

  “Is there a safe route you can use to get home? If not, you can stay here or at my house until this all blows over,” she offered.

  “Oh, thank you, My Lady. I can get home in one piece. I will be fine. Moreover, I have a family I’ll like to spend time with,” he responded.

  As soon as she dismissed him, Lord Rockgonie came out and met her at the stairs.

  “Welcome, Lady Rose,” he said simply, as he led her toward the gazebo.

  “So you braved the protests and chaotic streets to come meet Lord Walsrock?” Lord Rockgonie said. “Then I am afraid I have some bad news.”

  “I know of the news you want to tell me about, My Lord. It is everywhere in town. And it is only making matters worse for Lord Walsrock,” she responded. “By the way, was Lady Anna able to make it here?”

  “No, she hasn’t come yet. I suspect the protests have crippled movement and transportation all across the city,” Lord Rockgonie remarked. “And, yes, I certainly agree that things continuing to progress this way portend grave consequences for the Marquess, especially after he’s been accused of starting them in the first place.”

  “You have no idea. The streets are crammed with angry crowds, who are at this moment marching on the House of Lords. I do not think it would be wise for any member of Britain’s high society to be out on the streets at this time,” she said.

  “And yet, here you are.” He struggled to keep from chuckling.

  “This is different,” she fired back, even as she struggled to control her laughter as well. “Plus, Father made sure I had enough guards to get me here safely.”

  “Well, if the streets are as you say they are, then I shouldn’t be expecting Lady Anna today,” he remarked. “Although knowing her, and seeing how she is as stubborn as you, she just might surprise me.”

  “You definitely cannot be talking about me,” Lady Anna’s voice sounded from behind them, startling them both in the process. “I could have sworn I heard someone call me stubborn, but that would be impossible seeing as this person is head over heels in love with me.” She walked over to Lord Rockgonie and planted a soft and passionate kiss on his lips.

  “It is lovely to see you, Lady Anna,” Rose said, laughing.

  “It is lovely to see you, too, My Lady. And I am so sorry for what I am reading. Lord Walsrock is definitely innocent of the crimes they are claiming he committed. I couldn’t read all those lies and stay behind even if I wanted to.”

  Turning to face Lord Rockgonie, Lady Anna continued.

  “What are we going to do about this? We are going to do something, right?” she asked expectantly.

  “We most certainly are,” Lord Rockgonie responded.

  “We are?” Rose questioned.

  “Isn’t that why you came here, even after knowing that he wasn’t coming to meet you?” Lord Rockgonie responded. “We can’t just sit back and fold our arms as one of our own suffers.”

  The resolve she heard in Lord Rockgonie’s voice gave her strength. It was nice to know that she was part of a group that was looking out for each other, and now that Kenneth was down, they were all rallying round to get him all the help he needed.

  “So what are we doing?” Lady Anna asked.

  “I decided I was going to set out to see Lord Calbrook first. He was the last person who saw Lord Walsrock and took him home yesterday, after the whole debacle.”

  “Excuse me? What debacle?” Rose exclaimed in shock. “What in God’s name happened in that House yesterday?” she queried.

  Lord Rockgonie went on to tell her everything that had happened and how they had narrowly escaped. By the time he was done, both ladies couldn’t close their jaws from the shock that had enveloped them.

  “Well, that is exactly what happened in parliament and at this moment, I don’t even know where I stand myself with regards to my safety. But it doesn’t matter in this battle for Lord Walsrock’s freedom.”

  “If only Leonard were here,” Rose remarked absent-minded.

  “Who is that? His valet?” Lady Anna asked.

  “Yes, his valet. He is the perfect alibi for Lord Walsrock, always knowing his every move. If only we could find him.”

  “So let’s find him,” Lady Anna responded.

  “It’s not that easy, My Lady. The valet simply vanished into thin air without a trace. We are even of the opinion that he is dead,” Rose said in response.

  “That sounds suspect. Someone vanishes and no one can detail his whereabouts nor find his body? That suggests to me that said person is going through extra effort not to be found and not that said person is dead,” Lady Anna offered. “At least one person should have seen or remembered him walking down the street and told the constables. No one?”

  Lady Anna’s logic began to spread slowly to the rest of them.

  “Well, if we can miraculously find Leonard, this will all be over,” Rose said again.

  “Then let us find him,” Lady Anna reiterated.

  They all fell into silence as each one of them began to think of ways they could use to find Leonard.

  “I’ll have to escort you home, though, before I can begin the task of finding Lord Calbrook,” Lord Rockgonie said, not coming up with anything tangible.

  Rose had begun to protest when Lady Anna had interjected.

  “What kind of gentleman leaves his betrothed to go home in all this chaos without escorting her and making sure she is safe?” Lady Anna said.

  “And what about you?” Rose retorted.

  “Well, I can definitely find my way back, same way I found my way here.”

  “I will not agree to that. Either you let us escort you all the way home first, or we all go our separate ways right now,” Rose offered.

  “All right, then,” Lady Anna conceded.

  They set off in an entourage to take Lady Anna home, consisting of Rose’s carriage, and Lord Rockgonie’s as well, coupled with quite a number of servants. The three of them had chosen to ride together in one carriage so that they could continue their discussions.

  By the time they got to the streets of London, both Rose and Lady Anna weren’t as perplexed as Lord Rockgonie. He was the only one who hadn’t stepped out of the house today and as such had no idea what the streets looked like.

  Protests from angry crowds were ongoing on literally every street they ventured on. The crowds were loud, deliberate, and heading in one direction—the House of Lords. Anyone going in any direction contrary to this was going against them.

  “This is madness!” Lord Rockgonie exclaimed. “Is this what they said the Marquess instigated?”

  With the volume of people in the street, it was obvious these crowds were beyond the doing of one man alone as they chanted and screamed in unison. More than one man had to be involved and definitely not one of privileged birth, like Lord Walsrock.

  Their entourage inched slowly along until they finally managed to make it to Lady Anna’s house in one piece. Before she got down, she kissed Lord Rockgonie goodbye and hugged Rose. After she stepped down, she turned to face them before leaving them with some words of encouragement.

  “You both better make sure that this is all resolved by the time we meet again,” she said, before turning and walking toward her house.

  Rose let Lord Rockgonie sit in silence for a bit, watching his lover. With the way things were going, everyone deserved every little moment they could get. The next moment wasn’t guaranteed.

  Soon their carriages pulled away from Lady Anna’s manor and began the journey to hers.

  Half the journey had been made in silence, even though the silence prevailed between them and not their surroundings. It was chaos out there and gliding through these crowds was risky in itself as they could turn violent at any minute.
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br />   “Oh my goodness!” She suddenly exclaimed as her eyes stopped roaming over the crowd and stayed glued to one point in the teeming mass.

  “What is it?” Lord Rockgonie asked her, even as shock paralyzed her and kept her from speaking. Her eyes remained glued to one entity in the crowd.

  “Impossible!” She exclaimed again as she continued to observe.

  “What is the matter?” Lord Rockgonie asked again, trying to follow her line of sight and failing to see what had interested her so.

  “It’s…it’s Leonard!” She responded, sounding completely unsure of herself as well.