Conduct Unbecoming of a Gentleman (15 page)

Chapter 14

Adron pounded on the door again and rattled the knob. “Laurel, open at once or I’ll break it down.”

The door screeched partially open and Laurel appeared in the crack. Her voice trembled. “Adron.”

“Move aside or I’ll not be answerable for the consequences.” He shoved the door inward as Laurel jumped back. He scoured her from head to toe with his gaze and clenched his jaw.
There she stood, unharmed
and his temper ignited replacing gut-wrenching fear. The urge to throttle her rode him hard, but he had the sense not to touch her, else his hands might clamp around her throat—anything to alleviate his emotions and the pain of his guilt before he exploded.

“Do you . . .,” he opened his mouth, but no other words emerged. He averted his gaze and then fixed his stare on her again. Adron tightened his jaw muscles almost to the point of pain.

“You put me through hell. How dared you bring Jamie to such a place,” he hissed and glanced at the servant, her eyes wide with fright. “Girl, get dressed behind that screen and be quick about it.”

Adron located a slight motionless bump under the covers before Jamie jerked awake and let out a wail. Laurel rushed to the bed, gathered him in her arms and soothed his cries. Rage burned through Adron and he glared at her. Rubbing his hand around the back of his neck to calm himself, he reached for Jamie. “Give me the boy.”

She shook her head, her face pale and stricken. With Jamie clutched in her arms, she backed as far away as the wall allowed and stood with her chin lifted in defiance.

Adron followed reaching out to pluck the child to his chest and Jamie began to scream. At that moment the servant girl emerged from behind the screen and Adron passed Jamie to her. “Take him and wait in my carriage. Horace is below stairs. He’ll recognize Jamie and see to you both.”

Laurel rubbed her temple and rushed into speech. “Surely you don’t mean to take him from me.”

“You intended to take him from me,” he spat. He didn’t try to prevent the chill of censure in his voice.

“But he’s my son.”

“And my ward.”

Laurel ran to Adron and began to pound his chest. “You ill-begotten cur. Don’t you dare take Jamie.”

“Girl, do as I tell you.” Adron ordered and caught Laurel by the wrists to thrust her back. She stumbled against the wobbly table spilling the contents of the case onto the surface while a few pieces slid to the floor.

A candle flared and a sparkle danced across a necklace. The glint caught his eye but it took a second to get past his anger and for the glitter to register in his mind. “What’s this?”

One step took him over to the table. Laurel raised a hand to stay him, but he ignored her and surveyed the scattered jewelry. As sparkling gems caught the light, he couldn’t believe his eyes. When he realized these had to be the entailed jewels, a deep sense of betrayal nearly buckled his knees. He felt empty, completely drained at the realization Laurel had stolen the gems. She was the thief.

Adron rightly blamed himself for her flight with Jamie since he’d practically forced her to take such a measure, but never once had he expected to struggle with her guilt as a criminal. The sense of being taken for a fool had never been stronger or more devastating.

“You abducted my ward and you’re a thief as well it seems,” Adron uttered bitterly and motioned to the jewelry.

“Robert gave me the jewelry.”

He held up his hand. The silence in the room pulsed with tension. “This is the missing entailed jewelry is it not?”

Laurel nodded.

Two men crowded into the open door behind Adron. “Who the devil are you?” Adron demanded.

The short man taking the lead had dark intelligent eyes set in a mature face, stocky and wide. “A officer of the law is what.”

“What is your business here?” Adron snapped.

“A Runner from Bow Street on official business to carry out a warrant of arrest on one Lady Laurel Laningham is what.” The other officer, tall and well-built with less of a presence than his partner, gestured with his hands.

Laurel’s fingers trembled against her throat. “No! Please Adron. I didn’t steal anything.”

“Abducting a child is the charge, but if stealing is taking place, it’s my sworn duty to arrest her for that too.”

Adron stared at the officer for a minute. “By whose order?”

“Sampson Wright, what’s head of the Bow Street Runners hisself and by the law of the land.” The Runner nodded and raised his chin to a belligerent angle.

“Who filed a charge?” Adron demanded with a frown.

“Sampson Wright don’t need no other person, but one Lord James Adron Gladrey is the one as brought the complaint about the abduction. The stealing is a nother matter entirely.”

“I brought no complaint. I’m Lord Gladrey and I insist both of you leave at once. Here are my credentials.” Handing his calling card to the Runner, he stood with feet apart, poised for trouble.

The Runner glanced at the card, shaking his head. “This here is a official document and must be carried out and a crime committed as must be answered for,” the officer said indignantly. “You can take it up with Mr. Wright in the morning if you’ve a mind too.”

Stunned, Adron shook his head. “This is outrageous.”

“Just doing my duty like.”

“Adron, help me. Please.” Tears ran down her face and she stretched out her hand toward him.

Sorrow and disappointment mingled in his eyes as Adron gazed at her. “You brought this on yourself when you took Jamie and ran. You’ve tied my hands.” His voice held an angry edge as he hunched his shoulders. “You have the missing jewels in your possession, Laurel. There is nothing I can do.”

Before the men could stop her, she dodged. “I stole nothing,” she shouted. “I told you Robert gave me the jewelry.”

“There always seems to be a reason to excuse your actions, but this time you’ve gone too far.” Adron stared at her a long moment before he turned away.

The men caught her by the arms, restraining her as Adron raked the jewels into the casket and strode from the room with the container under his arm. He’d send Horace up for the trunk. He left the Boarshead Inn wanting to chew rocks. In his fury, he saw spots dance before his eyes.

At least his anger replaced a crippling, gut-wrenching fear. To think that she and Jamie had been living in that—that squalor for the better part of a day and in that neighborhood curdled his blood. Anything could have happened to them and the very idea of her in America where he might never have found her again froze him to his core.

Laurel had no business doing this to him. Until this point he’d begun to trust her, to believe in her, but she had shattered his belief and his confidence in his judgment. She’s certainly had him fooled.
Laurel is a thief.

A thief.
Adron still found that fact almost impossible to swallow, but perhaps a bout in jail would teach her a valuable lesson. Let her taste a little discomfort and some of the fear he had endured.

Laurel must learn not to bring a man down and then kick him in the teeth. Her little game was over. No more vulnerable, smitten males to entice and leave writhing in pain. She could no longer continue to manipulate every male she came across, first Robert, then George and now him and possibly countless others. He tried to blame her for his actions, but he despised himself all the same.

Jamie’s cries finally brought his attention back to the moment. “Here, give him to me.”

Adron scooped the child into his arms and rocked him against his shoulder. Jamie pushed back, stared into Adron’s face and cried even harder. The wails were enough to haunt him. He’d been guilty of this before when he had stolen Jamie from his mother’s arms and disquiet shuddered through him. Why hadn’t he pushed harder to have her released into his custody tonight?

While the carriage rolled toward his residence on Brook Street, he considered his actions. She had stolen the jewelry, her personal responsibility, but the rest of this episode should rightly be laid at his door. At every turn he had expected her to meekly accept his edicts, but she’d fought back in the only way she could and this was the result. Adron ground his teeth.

When he entered his town house, his grandmother stood in the drawing room threshold.

“Thank God you’ve found them.” Heloise glanced around. “Where is Laurel? What happened?”

Adron handed Jamie to the servant girl and motioned to one of the maids. “Show her to the nursery.”

Handing his coat to the butler, he turned to his grandmother. “Patience, all of your questions will be answered but first, what are you doing in town?”

“When Laurel went missing, I was so perturbed I had George escort me to town.” Heloise’s hands fluttered to her bosom. “We went straight to her aunt’s but could discover nothing.”

Adron ushered her into the parlor. “I suppose I’ll have George down on my head before long.”

“Most likely. He went to make a few inquiries. Now where is Laurel?”

Before he could answer, Rhonda entered with a hand resting on her throat as if to still a racing pulse. “Oh, Adron, I’m so glad you are here. Laurel went missing and we didn’t know what to do.” Rhonda grimaced and lowered her lashes. “I’m loathed to tell you this, but I compelled Edmond to bring me to town. Have you found her?”

Adron speared her with a look of disfavor. “A couple of Bow Street Runners arrested her for abducting my ward and being in possession of stolen goods. I would think she’s in the roundhouse by now.”

Heloise clutched at her chest. “Never say so.”

“The scandal,” Rhonda cried and fixed her gaze on him. “She’ll never live it down.”

“Posh,” Heloise dismissed. “A scandal can be squashed. Lady Laningham came to town to visit her aunt. A simple misunderstanding is all, a mislaid message is the likely story.”

“That’s beside the point at the moment,” Adron said. “Rhonda, exactly what did you hope to accomplish with this reckless trip to London?”

“When I heard Laurel was missing, I insisted that Edmond escort me to town in the hopes we could discover her whereabouts.”

“And if Gran hadn’t been here, you would have created a scandal of your own. Arriving as you did without so much as your personal maid with you, totally irresponsible.”

Tears gathered in her eyes. “I thought I was helping you. I’d do anything for you. You know that.”

“Blister it. I should dismiss Edmond for his careless behavior.”

“Please, Adron. It was entirely my fault. I begged him to be my escort.”

A surge of annoyance washed over him and his voice took on an edge. “Next time, be a little less busy. I handle my own affairs.”

Heloise took a deep breath and stared up at him. “Put a stop to this nonsense at once. Laurel is the one that needs your help.”

Adron elevated his chin, ignoring the sting at the back of his eyes. “I can’t help her. I never expected to actually catch her with the missing jewelry in her possession.”

Rhonda gasped. “She had the missing jewelry?”

“Yes and as the boy’s guardian, I have a duty to protect him from such as her. A thief and an abductor.”

Heloise narrowed her eyes. “You’re being foolish. You are so rigid and pitiless you can’t see that Laurel is not like Geniveve. Laurel is so guileless that deception is not easy for her. And as for being a thief, I for one don’t hold with such nonsense. Indeed, a thief—that girl, as kind to children and old people as can be. Harrumph.” Heloise crossed her arms over her chest.

“Laurel abducted Jamie and took the estate jewelry. She would have taken him to America.”

“I dare say you gave her reason. You judge every woman by that impossible standard you adhere too—a standard that no female on earth can ever live up too. Simply because that heartless Genevieve deceived you, there’s no reason to continue to set in judgment on the rest of us.”

Adron turned to Heloise. “Gran, you’ve met every standard that I’ve ever set for you. Not so impossible I take it.”

She snorted and flung her head back. “That’s because I’m not ever going to marry you. I suggest you go at once and undo this wickedness.”

He stared down at her for a long moment, but he couldn’t suppress the bitterness in his voice. “I won’t be vulnerable to a conniving woman again. The deed is done. All else must wait until tomorrow.”

“Don’t punish Laurel because you’re too stiff-necked to forgive yourself. You were taken in by an accomplished liar, a spy and good at her job or she would never have fooled you.”

Adron simply stared at her without moving so much as an eyelash.

Heloise threw up her hands. “There is no talking to you when you get like this.” She stomped down the hall, muttering to herself with every step.

Biting down on his tongue, he dismissed Rhonda with a glare and left the parlor. He marched into his library, pouring whiskey into a glass before collapsing into his chair. His grandmother understood nothing of a man when he’d been duped. Gran didn’t understand the anger that choked him or the frustration that ate at him. She failed to recognize his necessity to be exonerated in his own eyes or how hard that need rode him. Adron swallowed the whiskey in one gulp and closed his eyes.

Ridiculous
. Why should he feel guilty because Laurel had brought punishment down on her own head? It wasn’t his fault she had taken the missing jewelry. He shouldn’t be blamed so why did he still feel the need to find an excuse for himself? Adron rounded his desk to pour another measure of whiskey when George peered into the room.

Adron motioned with his glass. “Care to join me, old chap. Drown your sorrows.”

George cautiously entered the room. “As in misery loves company?”

“Precisely.”

“I came in search of Laurel but without much luck. I heard some vague rumor of an abduction, but such a tale couldn’t be true.”

Adron stared at him. “It’s perfectly true. She abducted Jamie.” He lifted his chin. “I can scarcely credit the notion she intended to leave for America, to hide from me and to take my ward with her.”