Secrets of a Fair Lady: A Historical Regency Romance Book

by Abigail Agar

  Thank you in advance.

  Your friend,

  Rachel Smithfield

  A chill went down Georgiana’s spine.

  Who would threaten Rachel for having spoken with Inspector Brock? Why would anyone be giving her a difficult time? Did they not know what a lovely young woman she was? Did they not understand that she had such a great deal of precious value to so many people?

  She sighed, wondering who in her family could possibly be so cruel.

  As Georgiana had been out, enjoying her evening and dancing with Inspector Brock, Rachel had been living in terror. It was a reminder to Georgiana that she had no reason to be developing feelings for the Inspector.

  No, that was entirely unfair. Inspector Brock had more important things to handle and he could not be distracted by Georgiana any more than she could be distracted by him. What if she was only making things worse?

  No matter what, she would go to Rachel. She would see to it that everything was made right.

  Chapter 18

  Early in the morning, before her family would notice that she had gone out, Georgiana woke Sarah.

  “Are you ready?” she asked.

  “I am, Miss Reid. But are you quite certain that we shall not get into any trouble? I cannot risk being relieved by your mother and father. If they should send me away, I may not find another position,” Sarah said.

  “They shall do no such thing. I assure you. We are going to be back before they even know that we have left. I only need you as my chaperone in case they do wake. Remember, we are going to bring the pastries. I shall tell them that I woke early, wished to go out, and enlisted you as my chaperone,” Georgiana said.

  Still, Miss Dalton looked unconvinced. Nevertheless, she went along with it and accompanied Georgiana as they made their way to Rachel’s home in a coach.

  “Are you quite certain it is not going to take a very long time to go back?” Sarah asked.

  “You have no reason to worry, Sarah. Everything is going to be perfectly fine,” Georgiana said, convinced.

  Sarah was terribly nervous, but she nodded anyway.

  Finally, they reached Rachel’s home. Georgiana lead the way, Sarah followed behind.

  They went straight to the tenements and Rachel let them inside.

  “Thank you both for coming. Oh, I am terribly anxious,” she confessed.

  “Do not be anxious. Please. Everything is going to be all right,” Georgiana said.

  “You do not know. It is dreadful, Miss Georgiana,” Rachel said, ushering the two women to sit and rest.

  “What happened? Please, you must tell us so that we may understand why you are having such a fright,” Georgiana said.

  Rachel nodded, eager to explain.

  “I will tell you. I was on my way through the city, searching for a new position. I could not find any very good ones, but I was trying very hard. I went this way and that, hoping I might learn of a good opening. Perhaps even a governess if I was lucky,” Rachel explained.

  “And what happened?” Georgiana asked.

  “Someone bumped into me. I did not see who it was. They were shrouded by a coat and gone before I realised what had happened,” she said.

  “What do you mean? What did you not realise?” Georgiana asked.

  “The person, whomever it was, dropped a note for me. Using rather ugly lettering, almost as if to disguise their own handwriting, it was for me,” she said.

  Clever. It was a good idea to disguise the handwriting from a maid who would have seen how everyone in the house typically wrote.

  “What did the letter say?” Sarah asked, looking dubious.

  “It told me to stop speaking with the detective,” Rachel said.

  “May I see it?” Georgiana asked, deeply curious and very worried.

  Rachel nodded and left the room for a moment, coming back with the letter in her hands.

  “This is it. You can see that, whomever the author was, they took care to disguise themselves. It only makes me more certain that it must be someone from the house. I would have recognised the handwriting too easily,” Rachel said.

  Georgiana agreed that it looked very intentionally done as she read the note.

  You were warned upon your leaving, but this is a new warning. Keep away from that detective. He cannot help you and you will only bring trouble upon yourself. Silence is your dearest friend for the time being.

  Do not make me write to you again.

  Georgiana was terribly upset reading the note. She couldn’t imagine someone in her family being vicious enough to write something like this, so cruel and threatening. What had Rachel possibly done to bring this upon herself? Had she not been an excellent maid? Had she not done everything she could for the family?

  It was horribly unfair that she was now having to suffer like this, to be forced into a prison made by the Reid family.

  “Rachel, this is awful. You saw nothing? Not the person’s height or their form? You did not see anything?” Georgiana asked.

  “Nothing. They were gone before I turned to look for them, before I even realised the note was meant for me,” she said.

  Grieved and anxious, Georgiana had to make a decision.

  “I think you may be at risk as well,” Rachel said to Georgiana.

  “What? Me? Why?” she asked, taken aback.

  “Well, whoever it is, they would have seen us together if they know that we spoke with Inspector Brock. There is only one way that they would know we saw him and that is to have seen us with him. You were there, Georgiana,” Rachel said.

  They both looked to Sarah.

  “You were with us a part of the time as well. I hope that we were only seen once you left for the market,” Georgiana said.

  Sarah’s eyes widened and she was quiet, as if her very words might bring about something unpleasant.

  “Have you had any threats against you?” Georgiana asked.

  “None,” Sarah said.

  “Very well. You must tell me if anything should arise,” Georgiana said.

  “But what about you?” Rachel asked Georgiana again. “What if they harm you?”

  Would they do that? Would her own family harm her for being involved in this? Would they come after her in the same way that they had targeted Rachel?

  They would never do something like that. They couldn’t possibly be so careless, so cruel.

  Georgiana was vehement about it. She knew that they wouldn’t dare. Her family was flawed, certainly, but they loved one another…didn’t they?

  Suddenly, a million other questions rained down upon her.

  Had her family ever really loved one another? Had that been a part of them or were they always living a lie of family when they really had no care at all for each other?

  If she accepted the fact that her family was not the loving sort of union that they ought to be, she would have to also accept that it was possible she might be at risk after all.

  “Georgiana? Have I frightened you?” Rachel asked.

  She looked at Rachel with tears in her eyes, the sudden, painful awareness of her family unshakeable.

  Clearing her throat, Georgiana gathered herself. She took a deep breath and focused her eyes.

  “We must go to Inspector Brock,” she said.

  “But why? What is he going to do? What do you think will happen? This very letter said that we should not go, that it would be a mistake. Georgiana, I am frightened,” Rachel said.

  “I know you are, but that is something we must fight through. Please, Rachel, think about this,” Georgiana said.

  “I am thinking. I am thinking about the very clear warning that I have received, telling me not to go anywhere near the police,” Rachel said.

  “But are you truly going to listen to that? To obey this mysterious and vile letter?” Georgiana asked.

  “I must. It is a very strong warning and I don’t wish to be put at risk,” Rachel said.

  Georgiana pursed her lips. Certainly, she didn’t want t
o be put at risk either. But she recognised that she had very little choice. She needed to figure out what was going on and how she could put a stop to it. For everyone’s sake.

  “Rachel, I know that you are frightened. So am I. This is a scary time, a scary day. But please, I urge you to think about what is at risk if we do not take this to him,” she said.

  “What do you mean? You think I am going to be in even more danger?” Rachel asked.

  “I believe it is possible. It is certainly possible that you will find yourself overwhelmed and overpowered by this villain, that they are going to keep you held back and frightened for the rest of your days. Besides, whatever it is that you know, it is important,” Georgiana said.

  “But I do not know anything. I cannot think of anything at all that I know that might lead someone to behaving thusly,” Rachel said.

  “You may not realise it, but you must have some knowledge in your head that is detrimental to my family. You must have something that is leading to this,” Georgiana reasoned.

  “But what? I know that your father is very untidy in his study. I know that your mother asks for only half a teaspoon of sugar but adds two full teaspoons when she believes no one is watching. I know that your brother is deeply insecure about your family’s status, but he admits it only to the journal that he frequently leaves open on his desk,” Rachel said.

  “There must be something more,” Georgiana insisted.

  “I know that you have no desire to marry the Baron of Ayre and that your face lights up for only the one man who has openly challenged you,” Rachel said, stopping Georgians in her train of thought.

  “What did you just say?” she asked, taken aback.

  Rachel shrugged.

  “Fine. Let us take it to him,” Rachel said, clearly wanting to move on from her observations more than she actually wanted to face meeting with Inspector Brock.

  Georgiana was also relieved to move on from what Rachel had just said about her.

  “Well, then, in that case, let us depart,” she said.

  They went quickly and arrived at the precinct shortly thereafter.

  “Please, be certain that Rachel is well hidden from view,” Georgiana said to Inspector Brock as they entered.

  Rachel was wearing a hat and cloak that they had hoped would disguise her, but it was warm outside and Georgiana thought it might only make them stick out further.

  “What is this all about? What is this new evidence you are speaking of?” Inspector Brock asked.

  “Show him the note, Rachel,” Georgiana said.

  Reluctantly, Rachel held out the piece of paper and Inspector Brock took it. He unfolded the note and read it, silently.

  Then, with his eyes wide and anxious, he looked at the three young women.

  “This is very grave, indeed. Sarah, have you been threatened?” he asked.

  “No, sir. Nothing has come to me,” she said.

  “Very well. It is possible that you have not been seen thus far,” he said.

  Georgiana sensed that Sarah was also quite anxious. She was eager to get back to the house before everyone was up and moving. But this was too important to ignore.

  “And, Miss Reid? You are not facing any scrutiny from your family thus far?” he asked, looking at her with those intense, brown eyes.

  “I have not,” she said.

  “I fear that you may yet see it happen. Your family is going to be anxious that you are speaking with me, that you are investigating them as well. This is not good and your safety could, very well, be at risk,” he said.

  “They would not harm me,” she said again, suddenly dubious.

  “Do you really believe that?” he asked.

  Georgiana replayed all of her earlier thoughts. Her family did not truly love one another as a family ought. They had many problems, many secrets and struggles. There was much that was between them, driving them apart and making them unpleasant around one another.

  But would they harm her? No. She could not believe that.

  “Whatever my family faces, whatever disagreements or dislikes, I truly believe that I am safe. There is nothing that might convince me otherwise,” she said.

  He sighed in relief.

  “I am glad to hear that. I still worry, I fear that you may be wrong, but I am glad that you believe all will be well,” he said.

  His concern touched Georgiana. Still, she really did believe what she had said. Whatever demons her family might be facing, she believed that they cared for one another at some level.

  And she rested in the hope that no one would harm her.

  Chapter 19

  William Reid was next on Hamish’s list. He needed to do whatever he could in order to find out what Mr. Reid had intended for Miss Smithfield.

  Now that he knew the young women were being tracked, that they have been seen with him, he had to be extra careful. After all, he didn’t want them getting into any trouble.

  Hamish hoped that they had not been seen this last time. If they had, it could cause some grave problems for them.

  If William was unwilling to discuss his feelings for the maid, it was quite possible that payment would end up without the information that he so desperately needed. It was possible that he might be back where he had started.

  All he knew was that Miss Smithfield had made a claim against him.

  Hamish made his way to the gentleman’s club that he had learned William frequented.

  At the entrance, a doorman stopped him.

  “Pardon me, but you are not a member here, to my knowledge,” the doorman said, looking at him with disdain.

  “No, I am not. Nor shall I ever be,” Hamish said, starting to walk forward again. The doorman stepped in his path.

  “I am not permitted to allow anyone entrance save for members and their guests,” he said.

  Hamish pulled out his identification, showing that he was an Inspector, and flashed it.

  The man set his face in an unpleasant grimace.

  “Go on, then,” he said, waving Hamish away.

  Finally, he entered the room.

  Hamish scanned the place with his eyes in search of William.

  Upon seeing him, Hamish made his way over, waiting for William to notice him before interrupting him with the group of men to whom he was speaking.

  At last, after only a moment, William spied him and began to look nervous. Hamish waited, patiently, but William excused himself and made his way over.

  “Good afternoon, Inspector Brock,” William said.

  Hamish glanced around the room at the men playing cards and laughing and drinking.