“It certainly was just now,” I said. “And I’ll thank you to keep it lower when discussing my private affairs.”
While we bickered, George spoke quietly with Mr. Stoke-Whitney, who paled to the point of looking positively ill. I guessed George was explaining the situation. The look of concern the other man gave me told me I’d guessed correctly.
“Hazelton, you must nip this in the bud before a scandal erupts. Make sure this girl retracts her statements. Better yet, send her back where she came from.”
“She looked like trouble, if you ask me.” Alicia was enjoying this far too much.
“The prince agrees with you both,” George said. “He considers her to be trouble and asked me to ensure she modifies her behavior.”
“Never say she’s the chit who threw the rock at the grand duke?” Arthur’s expression was now horrified.
“The very same.”
Her name is Irena Teskey, is it not?” At George’s nod, he pursed his lips and seemed to be considering the matter. “Interesting that the prince has entrusted you with the task of reining her in. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.”
“Good of you to offer, but I’m sure I’ll manage.”
And I was sure Arthur was relieved with George’s answer. This situation was a bit too scandalous for his comfort. Though, as a politician, he might see this as a chance to do a favor for the prince. Before I could give it much thought, I noticed an addition on the periphery of our little group. “Mr. Bradmore. What a surprise to find you here.”
George cast a quick glance at me, then followed my gaze to the large blond man standing just behind Alicia. He gave him a polite nod, but I noticed his lips compress, leading me to assume he hadn’t forgiven Bradmore for his subterfuge a few weeks ago, when George and I were dealing with a spot of trouble in Hampshire. Bradmore had made matters even worse by being less than forthcoming with us. Though I understood his need for secrecy, his actions had only added to the chaos we were experiencing at the time. I’d never trust the man again, and it appeared that George felt the same.
Bradmore seemed not to notice George’s cool welcome and joined our small group, so introductions were necessary. I had to admire Alicia’s self-control. She cast one look of longing at the newcomer, then inched closer to her husband. She must be determined to show him she could control herself. Under normal circumstances, she’d flirt with any man under fifty. Percy Bradmore was well under that age and quite attractive into the bargain.
Stoke-Whitney studied the younger man. “I believe I’ve heard you’ve recently been named heir to Baron de Brook.”
“That’s correct,” Bradmore said. “My uncle finally came to the conclusion he would have no children of his own, so the title must move to my branch of the family.”
“One would think he’d have noticed it thirty years sooner,” Stoke-Whitney said with a snigger.
Bradmore raised his glass. “Hope does spring eternal.”
I considered Lady Esther’s advanced years and agreed. This was a hope that should have been dashed long ago.
Bradmore turned his attention to George. “I believe I heard you speaking of someone by the name of Irena Teskey a moment ago.”
“Have you some interest in the lady, Bradmore?” George eyed the man with suspicion.
“I have a slight acquaintance with her and should like to renew it, if you could inform me of where she can be found.”
Alicia let out a titter. “Why, she is stopping with Lady Harleigh, if you can imagine that.” She clamped her lips together and shot a glance at her husband, who must have given her some sort of signal to hold her tongue. I gave him silent thanks, as I was certain she was again about to announce Miss Teskey’s claim to be George’s wife.
Bradmore didn’t notice the exchange and turned to me. “Is she indeed? Would it be acceptable if I called on her?”
“Of course you may. I’m not certain of her immediate plans, so you would be wise to pay that call soon.”
An attendant warned us the interval was nearly over, drawing our attention back to the opera. Bradmore quickly agreed to call on Miss Teskey tomorrow, and after polite farewells, we all returned to our seats. George seemed to be brooding once the performance started.
“What’s troubling you? Bradmore?”
“Just wondering how he knows Irena.”
“You need only to be at my house tomorrow, and I’m sure he’ll enlighten you.”
He took my hand and laced our fingers together. “Oh, I definitely intend to be there.”
Chapter Five
Since everyone was abed by the time I returned from the opera, except for my maid Bridget, of course, I rose early the following morning, eager to learn if Hetty had extracted any more information from Miss Teskey. Happily, I discovered Hetty alone in the dining room, reading the morning papers while enjoying her coffee.
“Good morning, Frances.” She folded the paper and set it aside upon my entering the room. “How was your evening?”
I poured myself a cup of coffee from the pot on the sideboard and joined her at the table. “It could have been better. The prince has officially requested that George take charge of Miss Teskey. He’s to keep her out of the public eye while he investigates her claim that someone is threatening her.” I lifted my cup to my lips, then froze in mid-motion. “She is still here, isn’t she?”
“Oh, yes. Toddled off to bed a few hours after you left.” She gave me a sympathetic look. “The prince’s request isn’t that much of an imposition, is it? After all, Hazelton had already planned to investigate.”
“I suppose it’s really no more than he expected, but that’s not all that happened. We bumped into the Stoke-Whitneys during the interval, and Alicia, in a booming voice, inquired about the woman who claimed to be Hazelton’s wife.”
Hetty let out a tsk. “What is wrong with that creature? Did anyone hear her?”
“I don’t know about anyone around us, but her husband certainly did.” I twisted and turned the cup in my hands, imagining it was Alicia’s neck. “It would serve her right if Stoke-Whitney rejected her request for me to sponsor her daughter.”
Hetty gave me a blank stare.
“Due to the rumor of my fiancé having a wife.”
“Yes, yes, I understand that, but why did she request that you sponsor her daughter? Why wouldn’t she do that herself?”
“That’s right. I forgot you slipped away when Alicia visited yesterday.”
Hetty parted her lips to protest but stopped herself when Mrs. Thompson came in, bearing a tray for the sideboard. The aroma of eggs, tomatoes, and toast wafted toward me as she passed, and I found myself filling a plate before the housekeeper had even left the room. Hetty followed close behind me.
“As to Mrs. Stoke-Whitney’s visit, you said you didn’t need my presence.”
“I didn’t. Alicia brought no trouble to my door, at least not for me.” I returned to the table and dug into my meal. “The trouble was all hers and of her own making, if you ask my opinion on the matter.” I relayed the story of Alicia’s impending banishment from London mere months before her daughter’s presentation to the queen.
“Forgive me for being blunt,” Hetty began, “but the man must be a complete fool if he’s only just discovered the shenanigans his wife gets up to.”
“He’s not a fool. I believe he finds it convenient to pretend he doesn’t notice. Alicia fills all the requirements for a politician’s wife. She’s the perfect hostess and campaigner. She’s also a favorite of the prince, and no one would appreciate that more than Stoke-Whitney. From his point of view, there are more positives to their marriage than negatives.” I shrugged. “They can’t all be love matches. Chances are he has a mistress tucked away somewhere, so he can hardly make a fuss if Alicia enjoys the company of other men.”
Hetty returned to the table, her brow furrowed. “If her infidelity doesn’t trouble him, then why does he plan to banish her to the country?”
“Sh
e broke the most important rule of managing one’s liaisons, Aunt. She was indiscreet, and people began to talk. A group of high-minded, influential ladies championed Stoke-Whitney in the last election. If they learn of Alicia’s misbehavior, he could lose their support. He can’t ignore her indiscretion if everyone is talking about it, so he hopes to sweep her out of sight and out of the general conversation.”
“I don’t like these modern marriages.” Hetty set her plate on the table with a thunk.
“Nor do I.” I took a bite of toast and washed it down with coffee. “But I also wouldn’t call it a modern viewpoint. Marriages like that have been around for ages, particularly among the upper crust. Let’s not forget my late husband.”
“I’d like to forget him, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, if I had to put up with his philandering, at least he was discreet. I rarely heard even a whisper of it. The point is, if one plays that game, one must play by the rules, and Alicia broke them.”
“You don’t expect Hazelton to act in the same manner, do you?”
I recoiled and let out a gasp. “He had better not even consider it. I refuse to share him with anyone else.”
“That’s reassuring. You sounded so calm about this sort of arrangement, I began to wonder.”
“It’s easy to be calm if the arrangement doesn’t affect me. I want my marriage to be a true one, and George completely agrees. That’s why this business with Miss Teskey is so upsetting. I hope he can prove her claim is without merit. And quickly, before any gossip starts.” I dipped into my egg. “That reminds me, how was your evening with Miss Teskey last night? Did she give you any trouble?”
“None at all. She slept on the sofa for most of the evening.” Hetty grinned. “The result of the fine brandy, I assume. She asked for Hazelton when she woke, but I sent her up to her bed, telling her he’d call in the morning. I hope he plans to do so.”
“He’ll be going to her rooms at Brown’s Hotel first to gather some of her belongings, the so-called threatening letters, and anything else he thinks might be helpful. He planned to go first thing this morning, so he could be here at any time.”
“I missed much of the conversation yesterday between the three of you, and I’m not entirely sure I understand her story. Hazelton rescued her from an abductor. She says they married at that time. He says they didn’t. Since she didn’t come to London in search of him, why is she here?”
“You aren’t alone in your confusion. I’m not certain Miss Teskey understands her own story. As to why she’s in England, it has something to do with the theater. Either she’s an actress or she owns a theater.”
My expression of soured misery was what greeted Miss Teskey as she stepped, or rather stumbled, into the dining room. She spared me a glance as she sank into a chair opposite me at the table. “Mon Dieu, you look as wretched as I feel.”
“I have no wish to compete with you on that front.” Indeed, her eyes were puffed and shadowed, and her face was drawn, and if she’d even attempted to pull a comb through her hair, I assumed it was still stuck somewhere amid the dark tangles. How much brandy had the woman consumed?
“I believe your evil friend here tried to poison me with that vile drink.”
“Vile? That was a superb French brandy, and you found it very much to your liking last night.” Hetty lifted her chin. “Perhaps a little too much.”
Miss Teskey ignored Hetty and turned her ghoulish face to me. “Is there any coffee to be had?”
Unwilling or not, I supposed I was the girl’s hostess. I poured a cup from the pot on the sideboard and placed it in front of her. After dumping in several teaspoons of sugar, she took a deep drink and released a sigh. “Perhaps it was not poison, after all.”
“I should say not,” Hetty said.
“But I had far too much.”
“As to that, we are in agreement, but you seemed determined to finish the bottle, and I didn’t have the heart to stop you.”
“It was a difficult day. I came here seeking help from my husband, only to find he plans to marry another woman. And it was an excellent brandy. I’m sure I’ll recover soon.” She planted her elbow on the table, then rested her chin on the back of her hand. Her gaze locked with mine. “Tell me, Lady Harleigh, did you and my husband have a pleasant time at the opera last night?”
I pasted a smile on my face. “My fiancé and I had a delightful time. Thank you for asking.”
“Did you speak to my cousin?”
“We did not. He wasn’t in the royal box, so I doubt he attended. We did speak to the prince, though. He informed us that there would be no charges filed against you.”
She released a little snort of contempt. “As if they would. I should be able to call on my own cousin in my moment of need.”
“I’d wager it wasn’t the calling that disturbed them, but the rock throwing.”
Hetty clapped her hands together, drawing both our gazes. “The point is,” she said, “you won’t be arrested. Isn’t that good news?”
“That is no news at all.” Miss Teskey swept her arm as she spoke, playing to the back of the house. “What about my plight? I thought Hazelton would speak to my cousin about the threats to my life. He promised he’d help me. Where is he? What is he doing? Has he left me to the tender mercies of you ladies? One of you who plies me with drink and the other who hates me. I may be no safer here than out on the streets of London.”
“Aunt Hetty did not make you drink, and I don’t hate you. Well, not precisely. At least not yet. If someone is threatening your life, then you are indeed safer here. You could certainly hurry things along by providing more information. You’ve been far from forthcoming, and every story you tell goes in circles, with each fact contradicting another. How on earth are we to help you when we can’t even keep up?”
Her eyes welled up with tears. Now, what had I started?
“You don’t hate me?”
That’s what she was crying about? I glanced at Hetty in an appeal for help, but she seemed as confused as I. “No. I wouldn’t say I hate you. At least, not exactly.”
“My dear Countess, you are all that is kind.” She dashed away a tear from her cheek and grasped my hand. “We shall be good friends, no?”
“I don’t think I’d go that far.” I squeezed her hand and tried to extricate mine, but she held fast. For such a little wisp, she had quite a grip. “But we can work together to solve your problems.”
And get her out of my house and away from George.
“I will settle for no less than friendship,” she said. “You will be like my older sister.”
It was on my lips to decline the office, but she wore such a wistful smile, I held my tongue.
“As long as I can remember, it has only been me, on my own—my mother dead, my father out to sea or traveling in some faraway land. The Teskeys had no children of their own. I was always lonely.”
“How did you come to be with them?” I asked. “I would have thought your mother’s people would be determined to hold on to you after having lost her to childbirth.”
“I suspect they were eager to be rid of me. Their daughter was dead, possibly at the hands of her own husband, all because of me.”
Hetty tutted, and Miss Teskey finally released my hand to shake a finger at her. “Yes, it’s just a rumor, but rumors often have some connection to fact.”
“How did you come to hear it?” I asked. Who would tell a child such a thing?
“I overheard it.” She shrugged. “Ten years or more ago. Right after the first time someone tried to abduct me. Oncle thought I should be returned to my mother’s family, and Tante said, ‘To the man who murdered her mother?’ Oncle just grumbled and said she couldn’t be sure of that, but Tante gave him a look like she knew. And they never spoke about sending me back again.”
“While that sounds rather damning, it could also mean that Mrs. Teskey was prone to exaggeration or hysterics,” Hetty said. “If that’s all you have, I’d say it’s likely
she died of natural causes.”
“Did anyone ever tell you who your mother was?” I asked.
“All I know is she was English and a lady. That makes England part of my heritage. I wanted to see if I felt any sense of kinship here.”
“Russia is also part of your heritage. Why did your father not settle you there with his family?”
She spread her hands. “Who explains to a child what is happening to her? From what I understand of my Romanov relations, they are in and out of favor with each other as often as you might change your gown. Perhaps my father was not on the best of terms with his family when I was born. By the time I became aware of my circumstances, the arrangement was a settled matter. The Teskeys were happy in our little seaside village. My father spends very little time in Russia, after all. In France, at least he would visit now and again.”
Well, that explained how everyone found out Alexei was her father. Though it seemed she was well taken care of, I felt rather sorry for the girl and wondered how things might have been different for her if her mother had lived. Regardless of the affair, her mother’s husband would likely have called the child his own. She would have grown up in England, surrounded by family. Though had those events taken place, she would never have known her real father.
Mrs. Thompson tapped on the door at that moment and stepped inside. “Mr. Hazelton, my lady.”
As he stepped around my housekeeper, George took in the scene with a wary eye. “Everything all right here?” I suppose he thought we’d be at daggers drawn by now.
Miss Teskey visibly revived and scurried toward him, her arms open wide. “Husband, you have returned.”
He recoiled as she approached, causing her to stomp her foot. “You must stop doing that,” she said.
“I will when you stop attempting to throw yourself at me.”
“If you fear Lady Harleigh’s reaction, you mustn’t. She and I understand one another and are good friends now.”
He gave me a wary glance. “I’m not certain that bodes well for me.”
“Both of you come and sit down.” I assured George we were all managing and poured him a cup of coffee as he settled in next to me. Miss Teskey returned to her seat across from us.
A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder Page 5
