by Rose Pearson
Another gentleman chortled. “Then you have been chased away, Lord Richmond!”
Bristling, Jeffery tried to keep his irritation hidden, shrugging instead. “I am tired of London,” he said calmly. “That is all.”
Lady Kensington said nothing, but, as Jeffery allowed his gaze to pass over the group, he saw the paleness in her face and the way her lips had flattened from her confident smile. Evidently, he had worried her.
“When do you depart?” asked another gentleman, and Jeffery gave him a small smile.
“Tomorrow,” he said as a few murmurs of surprise came up from those listening. “As soon as I am ready, I shall be gone from London, and I confess that nothing can convince me otherwise.” Clearing his throat again, he looked past Lady Kensington, pretending to see someone else. “Oh, if you will excuse me.” Taking his leave, he walked away from the group, a broad smile on his face, knowing that he would soon have Lady Kensington seeking him out to discuss all she could with him.
“I have no reason to speak with you!”
Jeffery glared at Lady Kensington as she drew near to him, beckoning him towards her.
“You will, Lord Richmond,” she said sharply. “My husband has allowed me a few moments of freedom—although quite where he has gone, I do not know—and I will speak with you.”
Jeffery snorted and shook his head. “I have no reason to do so, as I have said,” he stated, turning on his heel. “You said that this was all at an end, that you would demand nothing more of me. You cannot expect me to remain in your company, particularly when you have already driven me out of London!”
Lady Kensington laughed harshly, the sound grating on Jeffery’s nerves.
“You will do what I ask for as long as you remain in London, Lord Richmond,” she told him sharply. “Lady Rebecca is still within your affections, I am sure of it, and you know full well what I can do if you do not comply.”
Making a show of being more than frustrated at Lady Kensington’s demands, Jeffery eventually allowed himself to concede, stating that they would have to find a private room to discuss anything she wished, for fear of being overheard or seen. A few quick arrangements and Jeffery stalked through the ballroom and towards the parlor where he hoped Lord Kensington and Lord Swinton were already waiting. Lady Kensington, he knew, would follow after him soon.
His breathing quickening, Jeffery pushed open the door of the parlor, murmuring to the footman to allow one Lady Kensington entry, should she come in search of him. Stepping inside, he let his breath rattle out of him, seeing Lord Kensington and Lord Swinton sitting by the fireplace, although Lord Kensington’s face darkened instantly.
“Lord Kensington,” Jeffery said quickly. “Please, I know that you think very poorly of me, but I have arranged for you to be here to protect your very life.”
Lord Kensington said nothing, although his frown lifted just a little. Glancing at Lord Swinton and seeing him nod, he turned back to Jeffery.
“I have no particular interest in whatever you are speaking of,” Lord Kensington said suddenly, rising to his feet. “I do not trust you, Lord Richmond and I—”
The door behind Jeffery swung open and, much to his relief, in stepped Lady Hayward and Lady Rebecca.
“Oh, you are here!” Lady Hayward said as Lady Rebecca came to stand directly beside him. “I am glad. I have given Lady Anna and Lady Selina into the care of my dear friend Lady Cartwright, but I cannot be absent for long.”
“I was just taking my leave,” Lord Kensington said stiffly, giving Lady Hayward a short bow. “If you will excuse me.”
Lady Rebecca stepped forward before anyone else could speak.
“Pray, do not,” she said softly, her eyes searching Lord Kensington’s. “It is of the utmost importance that you remain. Truly, Lord Kensington. Your life is in danger.”
The gentleman laughed harshly at this, scoffing the remark, but the rest of the group remained entirely silent. The sound died away, and Jeffery could see the way Lord Kensington’s certainty began to fade. His eyes darted from one person to the next, looking hard at Jeffery for some moments.
“It will be quite painful,” Jeffery said quietly. “It will cause you trouble to hear what I have to say, Lord Kensington, but it is for the best.” Knowing that Lady Kensington was soon to join them, he spread his hands. “Your wife, Lady Kensington, has been doing all she can to manipulate me. She has threatened Lady Rebecca’s reputation, Lord Swinton’s reputation, as well as others that I consider my friends.”
Lord Kensington threw up his hands. “You can hardly expect me to believe this!” he exclaimed, his eyes wide. “You might very well have convinced others, but I shall not believe it.”
“You must,” Lord Swinton told him sternly. “It is well known amongst the ton that your wife is something of a flirt, Lord Kensington. You know it well, I am sure, but you continue to deny it to yourself. Will you truly continue to do so now when your life might be in danger?”
Lord Kensington made to speak, only to close his mouth tightly again. He shook his head fervently, but no sound came out, as though he were attempting to convince himself that he was right in his own mind. Jeffery prayed that it was not so.
“What is it that my wife has supposedly done?” Lord Kensington asked sharply, looking up at Jeffery. “Why do you believe her to be so malicious?”
Jeffery opened his mouth to reply, only for the door to open again and, with a look of shock rippling across her features, Lady Kensington to step inside. Her hand remained on the door handle, the door wide open, but with one swift action, Lady Hayward stepped back and swiftly closed it, wrenching it from Lady Kensington’s hand. With a sense of satisfaction, Jeffery looked back at Lord Kensington and saw the heavy frown begin to settle over his features as he looked at his wife. He too saw the wide eyes, the paleness that had shot into her cheeks, and the worry now playing about her mouth.
“Lady Kensington,” Jeffery said softly. “I have just informed your husband of the threats you have settled over me, forcing me to do as you ask. He has not believed me thus far, but it does not matter, for I will soon be able to prove it.” Clearing his throat, he looked back to Lord Kensington. “Lord Kensington, your wife first informed me that I was to make arrangements with one Lord Bellingham on her behalf, given that she could not do so herself since you were watching her with a sharp eye. Lord Bellingham was to call upon your wife during the fashionable hour when you were absent, which I believe he did.” Taking in a deep breath and seeing Lady Kensington sinking into a chair, Jeffery continued with determination. “Thereafter, she gave me a series of appointments I was to fulfill. I had to visit various places in London and, much to my astonishment, at each time, you were there also.”
Lord Kensington sucked in a breath, looking wide-eyed at his wife. “You have been very interested in my plans of late,” he said, his words hard and cold. “I have thought it an attempt to show interest in me, but it seems I was wrong.”
“I did not understand why such a thing occurred, nor why I had to greet another gentleman present at the time, but I could not refuse for fear of what would occur if I did not.” He felt Lady Rebecca’s hand slip into his and squeezed it gently, all the more grateful for her support. “I have come to care very deeply for Lady Rebecca, and your wife, being aware of my feelings, did whatever she could to use it against me. Therefore, I asked no questions when I was told to purchase items that had already been set aside for me. I had to do this on two separate occasions, Lord Kensington, and I did so without hesitation. I did not, however, untie the string and look inside these parcels, again, out of fear as to what would occur with Lady Rebecca if I did so. That is, until two days ago, when Lord Swinton, Lady Rebecca, and Lady Hayward stood with me, and we all found out what was inside.”
“This is nonsense!” Lady Kensington cried, her hands flying up around her ears as she gesticulated wildly. “There is no need to listen to such ravings, Lord Kensington. We should return to the ballroom and leav
e Lord Richmond alone. He has gone quite mad and appears quite determined to—”
“Lady Kensington, I believe that Lord Richmond was to give these parcels to Lord Bellingham,” Lady Rebecca interrupted, her voice flooding the room as Lady Kensington stared back at her, her face milk-white. “Lord Bellingham is to come and collect them from this very room. He will be able to confirm what Lord Richmond has said.”
“Besides which,” Jeffery continued softly, “I have a note here. A note that you wrote to me, demanding that I do the very thing you have just refuted.” Pulling it from his pocket, he handed it to Lord Kensington, who took it with a shaking hand. Jeffery did not like upsetting the gentleman, but he knew the truth had to be revealed. “The parcels, Lord Kensington, contained a knife and a vial.”
Lord Kensington lifted his head from where he was reading the note and stared at Jeffery, despair beginning to fill his eyes. “A vial?”
“We do not know what it is,” Lord Swinton said quietly, “but we have concluded that Lady Kensington is planning your death, Lord Kensington. And, given that Lord Richmond will have been seen following you around London, given that society believes him to be guilty of attempting to steal your wife’s affections, guilt will, of course, instantly be pushed onto him.”
“And, in addition,” Lady Hayward said quietly, “he has been the one to purchase both the knife and the vial. The shopkeepers will testify to it, and I do not doubt that Lady Kensington would make certain they were given the opportunity to do so.”
Jeffery took in a deep breath. “Which means, Lord Kensington, that I would be given yet more unearned guilt, although this time it would be a much more grievous matter,” he said as Lord Kensington dropped his head, his breath rushing out of him. “But whilst I fear for myself, Lord Kensington, my concern is also for you.”
“As it was for all of us,” Lady Hayward remarked. “Your wife is attempting to remove you from this earth, Lord Kensington, so she might have both financial and social freedom.”
Lord Kensington closed his eyes tightly, his shoulders slumping as he dropped his head. “I have made arrangements for my wife to be financially secure should I pass before her,” he said, his voice broken with emotion. “If this is true…”
“It is not!” Lady Kensington cried, throwing herself out of her chair and hurrying towards her husband. “Please, Kensington, do not believe a word of this!”
“I have the items here,” Jeffery said, letting go of Lady Rebecca’s hand and going to retrieve them from where he had placed them earlier. “And as I have said, Lord Bellingham—”
Before he could say another word, the door opened again, and Lord Bellingham stepped inside. His eyes flared wide in a moment, but, for what was now the second time, Lady Hayward stepped neatly past and closed the door tightly.
“Lord Bellingham,” Jeffery said, straightening. “Lord Kensington has some questions for you. Questions I will not ask myself for fear of influencing the outcome, but I would beg of you to answer honestly.” He picked up the two wrapped items and set them down in front of Lord Kensington, who looked from Lord Bellingham to the parcels and then back again. “You might begin by stating whether or not you are aware of what is within these parcels.”
Making his way back to Lady Rebecca, he stood with her, one hand settling around her waist as she leaned into him. The warmth of her was reassuring, the strength of her comfort in simply being present bore him on as Lord Kensington began to ask Lord Bellingham about what he had done.
The man looked utterly terrified. His eyes were wide, his hands shaking, and his voice quavered whenever he spoke. Every so often, he would look to Lady Kensington, but she would look away, turning her head as though she did not even wish to see him.
“You were to do as my wife asked you?” Lord Kensington said as Lord Bellingham swallowed visibly. “Why?”
“She...” Lord Bellingham trembled. “She promised me that I would be rewarded for such loyalty,” he said, his cheeks now crimson as the meaning of his words became clear to them all. “That was our first meeting. I—I did not know the extent of what she meant, but I was willing to do as she asked.” Dropping his head with evident shame, he lowered his voice. “I was then to collect some items from Lord Richmond and bring them to her the next time she sent for me.”
“And do you know what these items are?” Lord Kensington asked, picking up the first and opening it, the paper ripping under his hands. “Have you any knowledge of what is within them?”
Lord Bellingham shook his head but did not look at Lord Kensington. “I do not, my lord,” he said pathetically.
No one spoke. Lady Kensington let out a soft moan and moved to sit down again, her fear and upset palpable, but no one gave her any attention. Instead, they watched as Lord Kensington revealed first the vial, then the knife.
Jeffery said nothing, his heart thumping furiously as Lord Kensington set the two items back down on the table and then, with a deep breath, looked directly at him.
“The night you were at my soiree, Lord Richmond,” he said heavily. “I knew very well that my wife had sought you out. I had seen her attempt to do so before, and I had seen your response to her. You were not as eager to chase after her as she hoped.”
Beside him, Jeffery heard Lady Rebecca gasp, although, much to his relief, she said nothing.
“I am all too aware of my wife’s foibles,” Lord Kensington continued, throwing his wife a dark look. “But I never once expected her to attempt to do something as treacherous as this.”
Lady Kensington shuddered violently, now a crumpled heap in her chair, but Jeffery felt no sympathy for her. She had brought this on herself, and whatever consequences lay before her now were of her own making.
“I am sorry that I allowed society to believe that you were pursuing my wife,” Lord Kensington continued, his expression grave and his words heavy with emotion. “I will right such a rumor, Lord Richmond. You have my word.” Lifting his chin just a little, he held out one hand towards him. “And thank you for what you have done.”
Jeffery stepped forward and grasped Lord Kensington’s hand firmly, thinking to himself that it appeared the man had aged heavily in the last few minutes. “Thank you, Lord Kensington,” he said quietly. “I would be very grateful for such an action.”
Lord Kensington nodded, then turned to his wife, who looked up at him with terrified eyes. Jeffery, seeing Lady Hayward making for the door, grasped Lady Rebecca’s hand and followed out after her, leaving Lord Bellingham and Lord Swinton to bring up the rear. The door closed behind Lord Swinton, and, with that, the dreadful affair was over.
Epilogue
“And you are quite sure about him, Father?”
The duke looked up from his papers, having dismissed Rebecca only a few moments before. As she had walked away, another niggle of uncertainty had bitten at her, and she had been forced to return. Her father, however, did not appear to be at all exasperated. Instead, he gave her a small smile, tilting his head just a little as he did so.
“I am not about to change my mind, Rebecca,” he said firmly. “Lady Hayward has made certain that the rumors are unfounded. I have looked into the gentleman thoroughly and am quite satisfied. And, if I were not,” he continued, a twinkle in his eye, “then I would not have given him permission to court you.”
A delighted smile spread across Rebecca’s face as she clasped her hands together tightly. Lord Richmond would call at any moment, and she was overwhelmed with both excitement and hope. “Thank you, Father,” she said, seeing him nod but then immediately pick up his papers again. Stepping out, she closed the door tightly and then leaned back against it for a moment, her fingers at her chin and her eyes closing as she dragged in air.
It had been a sennight since they had all managed to speak to Lord Kensington. A sennight since Lord Kensington had made the promise to remove all trace of guilt from Lord Richmond, and in that time, he had done precisely that. Lord Kensington had removed himself and his wife from L
ondon, had stated, quite clearly, to those near to him that he knew now that Lord Richmond had done nothing wrong and that, much to the ton’s shock, his wife was the one who had behaved inappropriately. The shock of his statements had run through society like wildfire, and Rebecca had been more than relieved when Lord Richmond was finally welcomed back into society without hesitation.
It had meant Lady Hayward recommending to the duke that a courtship be allowed to take place between Rebecca and Lord Richmond, and now, finally, it seemed that he had agreed.
Making her way to the drawing-room, her excitement building with every step, Rebecca felt her heart quickening with the joy that would soon be hers. Lord Richmond was the only gentleman who had captured her interest, and now, she had to admit, her heart.
“Oh, my lady!”
Rebecca looked up to see the butler nearing the drawing-room, with Lord Richmond in his wake.
“Lord Richmond has come to call,” the butler said, gesturing to him. “I shall send for a tea tray.”
Rebecca nodded, warmth hitting her cheeks as she looked at Lord Richmond. “Lady Hayward is to arrive also,” she called after the butler, aware of just how soft her voice was. “She is tardy, I believe, but will be here presently.”
Lord Richmond chuckled and, pushing open the drawing-room door, held it back for her.
“I do hope she is tardy purposefully,” he said with such meaning that Rebecca felt a tremor run down her spine. “I have longed for only a few minutes alone with you.”
Following after her but making sure to leave the door ajar, Lord Richmond let out a long breath and held out his hands to her. Gladly, Rebecca took them at once, stepping close to him and lifting her face to his.
“I am accepted by your father, it seems,” he murmured as she smiled up at him. “He has said that I might ask you something particular.”
