Rupert’s expression cleared and he gestured for Jack to have a seat in one of the chairs closer to the window. Rupert and Dr. Townsend sat as well, and Fergus wheeled himself over to join them. It was much easier conversing with all three of them on the same level, which Jack was sure was Rupert’s aim.
“Please tell me you’ve found a connection to Denbigh,” Fergus said, hatred in his voice and shining from his one remaining eye.
“We might be getting closer.” Jack cleared his throat and shifted to sit with his back straight, all business. “My assistant, Poole, received information about a man named Brickman who recently came into a sum of money as payment for services rendered to an as-yet unknown nobleman.”
“Is it Denbigh?” Rupert asked, looking hopeful and vengeful at the same time.
If Dr. Townsend was surprised to hear the name of a prominent noble connected to the attack, it didn’t show.
“I believe it could be,” Jack said cautiously. “I have one of my informants working on making a connection with Brickman and pumping him for more information.” And if anyone could pump like a professional, it was Nanette.
“How long will it take?” Fergus asked, brimming with eagerness. “How long until we can bring Denbigh to justice?”
“It’s hard to say,” Jack said with a wince. “If I have anything to do with it, it’ll be soon.”
“Good.” Rupert nodded. “You’re the best man Scotland Yard has. I’m sure once you crack this one, they’ll promote you to Commissioner.”
Jack let out a wry laugh. “I think Sir Edmund would have something to say about that.”
“Let him say what he wants,” Rupert went on with a grin. “In my opinion, you deserve the job.”
“We’ll see.”
Jack shifted forward in his chair, rested his elbows on his knees, and was about to go on when every thought in his mind fled in a rush as Bianca swept into the room, her sister-in-law, Lady Cecelia, by her side.
“Jack,” Bianca said, her face lighting up with delight and surprise, and a few more emotions Jack wasn’t sure Rupert or Fergus should see. “I didn’t know you were calling today.”
Jack shot to his feet—Dr. Townsend and Rupert stood as well—hoping the important part of him would stay down as he took a step toward Bianca. She looked ravishing in a light blue morning dress that accentuated her curves. It never ceased to amaze him how Bianca in a high-necked dress, completely buttoned up, could ignite his lust and stir his blood far more than half a dozen working girls in nothing but their unmentionables. Perhaps it was the idea of undoing all those buttons.
“I came to give Lord O’Shea and your brother an update on the investigation,” he said. They met near the center of the room and he took her hand to kiss it. The greeting was both formal and intimate, so much so that he let go and stepped back as soon as he could, highly aware of Rupert’s eyes boring holes in his back.
To avoid feeling like he was about to be murdered, he straightened, clasped his hands behind his back, and greeted Lady Cecelia with, “You’re looking particularly lovely today, Lady Cecelia.”
Jack had become close enough with the Campbells and the Marlowes in the last few years for Lady Cecelia to smile and rest a hand on her round belly without being shocked that he’d noticed the obvious. “Thank you, Mr. Craig. We’re doing quite well.” She accepted Jack’s hand for a quick shake, moved to greet Dr. Townsend, then stood by Rupert’s side. “What is all this about the investigation?” she asked, glancing from Jack to her husband.
“Not quite the breakthrough we’re hoping for, but we’re getting closer,” Rupert said.
“I’ll order tea and you can tell us all about it.” Lady Cecelia smiled at Jack, then nodded to Galston, who stood in the doorway as if by some miracle. Jack swore he would never get used to butlers.
“I’ve received new information,” Jack went on, walking with Bianca back to the chairs and sofa by the window and sitting once more. “A man named Brickman might have something to do with Lord Denbigh. He could be the key to the attack. It sounds promising, and my hope is that my informant will be able to find the connections we need.”
“How exciting.” Bianca smiled, sitting on the edge of the sofa nearest to Jack. “How will you proceed if you do find a connection to Lord Denbigh?”
“We’ll have the man brought in and questioned, and then, in all likelihood, there will be a trial.”
“Can a lord be tried in civil court?” Bianca asked on. “I seem to recall a case several years ago where that Lord Shayles had to be tried before the House of Lords.”
“We’ll deal with that when we get closer to a conviction,” Jack said. “But yes, the House of Lords would be involved.”
“Would that I could take up a position in Parliament,” Bianca sighed, glancing to her brother. “I believe I would be an ideal minister.”
“You wouldn’t,” Rupert teased her. “You can’t keep your mouth shut.”
“I believe that is exactly the sort of trait that makes a fine minister,” Lady Cecelia argued. “Bianca would take the political world by storm.”
“Women ministers?” Dr. Townsend laughed. “That’ll be the day.”
“I’m already taking the political world by storm,” Bianca said with a proud grin. “Just wait until you hear the speech I plan to make at the Regent’s Park rally in a few days.”
Dr. Townsend’s grin sobered, as if he’d just realized the ladies were serious.
Jack sat back in his chair and listened as Bianca launched into a preview of everything she planned to say to support the Liberal candidate in the upcoming election. A sense of peace and contentment settled over him as Bianca spelled out every point in the arguments she would make, pounding her fist in her hand to emphasize each one as she did. She was all fire and energy. She could take on an army singlehandedly and come out victorious. Watching her made Jack feel as though he knew just where he belonged in the world, where they belonged—together.
His contentment vanished the moment a footman brought in a huge, silver tea service, however. The silent man—who had undoubtedly been born into a much better set of circumstances than he had—set the tray on the table beside the sofa, bowed, and backed to the corner of the room. Lady Cecelia stood and poured tea for everyone as Bianca continued with her speech.
“The last thing we can afford,” she soldiered on, “is for the Liberal Unionists to split the party in two. We won’t stand a chance against the Conservatives if they do, and now more than ever, we must continue to push forward.”
“How do you take your tea, Mr. Craig?” Lady Cecelia asked him in a hushed voice as Bianca gathered her thoughts.
Tea was tea, as far as Jack was concerned. But he had the sense there was a right way and a wrong way to take it. Far too much depended on him telling his hostess how he wanted such a banal drink prepared. He generally drank whatever Smiley fixed for him at work.
“Er, cream,” he said, racking his brain to remember how his tea had tasted that morning.
“Sugar?” Lady Cecelia asked.
“Please,” he nodded.
“Of course, it is the votes of the newly enfranchised men who will decide this election,” Bianca began again as Lady Cecelia handed Jack his tea, then went on to deliver cups to Fergus, Dr. Townsend, Rupert, and Bianca. “I can’t see how good, working-class men would vote for anyone other than the Liberal Party.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Fergus said, wriggling in his chair as though trying to find a comfortable way to sit. “You’d be surprised how many among the working-class believe the Conservatives have the way of things.”
“And don’t discount this new Lib-Lab party that’s taken root in Scotland,” Dr. Townsend added.
Jack nearly choked on his tea. He had no idea what the others were talking about. Lib-Lab? It sounded ridiculous, but if there was one thing he’d learned in his life, it was that the high and mighty spoke in ridiculous riddles that only their own kind understood half the time.
; “The Liberal-Labour Party is an interesting phenomenon,” Bianca said, glancing subtly to Jack, as if hinting she would fill him in on anything he didn’t know. “But I wonder how any working-class man who is elected to Parliament will possibly be able to afford to take up his seat.”
“That’s a problem that will need resolution swiftly in the coming years, I think,” Fergus agreed with a nod.
Jack took another sip of tea to hide the pieces fitting together in his mind. So men like him not only had the vote now, they might soon be able to serve as Ministers of Parliament? The world was changing fast.
The conversation continued, and Jack listened as though he were at school. He watched the way Rupert and Fergus held themselves while sipping tea from china cups painted with dainty flowers. He listened to the subtle clues Bianca gave him about what was going on in the world of politics and the elite. He drank everything in and filed it away as information he might need later, when pretending he was well-born would mean the difference between acceptance and success and failure and humiliation. But he didn’t feel comfortable. Not for one second.
“I think you did brilliantly,” Bianca whispered to him when the impromptu tea party broke up, as both Lady Cecelia and Fergus hinted that they needed to use the toilet. Something that simple had turned into an event for both of them, and since Rupert felt the need to help his wife while Dr. Townsend assisted Fergus, it left Jack and Bianca alone.
“Thanks to you,” he said, glancing around to make absolutely certain they were alone, then catching her around the waist and pulling her close.
“You hold your own just fine without me,” she said, sliding her arms over his shoulders. Her smile twitched and she sniffed, then said, “Why do you smell of cheap perfume?”
“Because I stopped off at Aphrodite’s Den in Clerkenwell to follow a lead and give orders to an operative,” he answered without hesitation, honest without going into detail.
He watched as the quick, vague look that came to her eyes whenever he touched on his origins sparked then vanished. A sly grin formed in its place. “I have news for you,” she whispered.
He liked the hint of mischief in those few words, liked the lusty sparkle in her eyes. “Oh?” he asked, bending closer to her.
She tilted her head back, but instead of kissing him outright, she continued to whisper, “Mama has granted me use of her flat in St. John’s Wood.”
She could have torn off her clothes and pressed her naked body against him and it wouldn’t have sparked as much arousal as the implication of her words. “Is that so?” he asked, his voice a deep rumble.
“Mmm hmm,” Bianca hummed, her grin growing. “I’ve just been over there to survey the place. I’ll be spending my first night there right after the rally in Regent’s Park.”
“Whatever will you do, spending the night by yourself for the first time?” He knew full well she wouldn’t be alone. The wickedness in her eyes and the way she leaned into him was all the invitation he needed.
“I’ll be so frightened,” she said, tilting her head down slightly and glancing up at him through her long, dark lashes. “I may need someone to protect me from invaders.”
“I might know of someone who could keep you safe,” he said, lowering his lips to hers. “An officer of the law at that.”
He was within inches of kissing her when Rupert cleared his throat loudly from the doorway.
The simple sound was like ice pouring down Jack’s back.
Bianca gasped and leapt back from him, turning sharply to face her brother. “Rupert. It’s impolite to sneak up on people like that.”
Jack tugged at the bottom of his jacket in an attempt to hide what was far too obvious. He nodded to Rupert in acknowledgement that he’d been in the wrong.
But unlike every other time in the past few years when Rupert had merely scowled and looked the other way, Rupert cleared his throat again and said, “Bianca, I’d like to have a word with Inspector Craig, if you don’t mind.”
Jack swallowed. Being addressed by his office was as bad as being scolded using his full name. “Go on,” he told Bianca in a soft voice.
She turned to stare at him as though she wouldn’t be moved, but seemed to grudgingly change her mind at his stubborn expression. She lifted one eyebrow slightly in a gesture that spoke volumes, then quickly left the room.
Rupert stepped forward with as much menace as Lord Malcolm Campbell had become famous for. He stopped in front of Jack, crossing his arms. “You know what I’m going to say.”
“That I should back off,” Jack said without pause. “That I’m not good enough for your sister.”
“It’s not that,” Rupert said with an irritated sigh. He rubbed a hand over his face. “We all know you’re a good man, Craig. My entire family likes you. In theory.”
“In theory?” It was Jack’s turn to cross his arms and narrow his eyes.
“Classes can’t mix,” Rupert said, half as though he were apologizing, half as though Jack were thick for not honoring the unspoken rule. “I don’t doubt that you care about my sister, but if you did, you would see that carrying on with her is hurting her more than helping.”
Jack remained silent. It was the second time in one day he’d been given the same lecture and it was beginning to grate on his nerves.
“It’s impossible for the two of you to take this flirtation any further,” Rupert went on, attempting to sound like he was Jack’s mate giving him much-needed advice. “It’s better for both of you if you make a clean break now and set her free to find a suitable husband.”
“Do you have someone in mind?” Jack growled.
“No,” Rupert admitted, his shoulders dropping. “Bianca hasn’t so much as looked at anyone else since the two of you…became involved.”
A deep sense of satisfaction filled Jack, but it wasn’t enough to soothe the bitterness that thinking about his love for Bianca realistically raised in him.
“I like you, Lord Stanhope,” Jack said in imitation of Rupert. “What’s more, I respect you, which I don’t say about a lot of men. But what goes on between your sister and me is our business and none of yours.” Emotion caused his accent to slip, which he knew full well would hurt his cause more than help it. Not even the progressive Lord Stanhope would want a cockney cozying up to his sister.
He cleared his throat and gathered himself before going on. “I’ll do what’s best for Bianca,” he said. “That’s the only promise I’ll make you.”
“As long as you know what’s good for her,” Rupert said.
“Oh, I do.” A dark grin tugged at the corners of Jack’s mouth as he imagined just how sweet it would be to tumble with Bianca after waiting for so long. He would make her feel things she didn’t yet know were possible. “I do.”
Chapter 4
Once, when she was a girl and Rupert had taken her for a gallop on his new horse, Bianca had experienced what it must feel like to fly. She felt the same way as she took her first step onto the platform that served as the focal point for the election rally in Regent’s Park.
“Our next speaker,” Henrietta announced from the podium in the center of the platform, “is a new and enthusiastic member of our May Flowers society. Lady Bianca Marlowe comes from a distinguished family and has been connected to the political world for most of her life. She was raised listening to debates about policy and the issues of the day and has an extraordinary grasp of the direction our country has been going in and where it needs to go. Her insight has been a valued addition to the May Flowers. And so, I give you Lady Bianca Marlowe.”
A generous applause sounded from the men and women who had come to listen to the speeches various members of the May Flowers were giving in support of the Liberal candidates in the upcoming election. Bianca crossed the platform to the podium only slightly dismayed that the majority of her audience would be women and that the men looked as though they’d come to witness a circus act and not a serious political debate. Henrietta stepped back with an encouraging
smile, making way for Bianca to step into the limelight.
A rush of excitement made her dizzy as she gripped the edges of the podium and glanced out over the audience. Her audience. At last, after years of bubbling with ideas and opinions, she’d been given exactly the platform to speak her mind that she’d always craved. At least fifty people stood before her, waiting to hear what she had to say. Best of all, Jack was one of them. He lingered at the edge of the crowd, his expression implacable, turning his head from side to side to survey the larger crowd of people passing time in Regent’s Park, ever the policeman. But the smile in his eyes as he looked Bianca’s way was all the encouragement she needed.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” she began, using her full voice and not being scolded for being too loud for a change. “We are in the midst of one of the most monumental changes our nation and, indeed, our civilization, has experienced in its history.”
“She doesn’t mince words, does she,” a man standing near the front of the crowd muttered to his friend, loud enough for all to hear. The friend snorted and smirked up at Bianca.
Prickles broke out down Bianca’s back at the interruption, but she took a breath and ignored the hecklers. “Our world is undergoing profound change,” she said, speaking above the heads of the men. “Why, in my lifetime alone, I have seen improvements in sanitation and standard of living, the extension of the franchise to a broader spectrum of working and middle-class men, and a vast increase in the rights of women. We can thank ministers of the Liberal Party for so many of these changes and advancements, and we can support them by continuing to vote for them.”
“Yes, but which ones?” a female voice rang out from the crowd.
Bianca fought a frown and scanned her audience for the source of the comment. Her gut clenched as she spotted Lady Claudia Denbigh and two of her friends tittering to each other near the back of the crowd. The thrill of the fight welled up in her. She glanced subtly to Henrietta, who nodded to acknowledge that she, too, had spotted their rivals.
“The right ones,” Bianca answered, as though it were obvious.
It’s Only a Scandal if You’re Caught Page 4
