Read Rapturous Rakes Bundle Online
Authors: Georgina Devon Nicola Cornick Diane Gaston
is a rare enigma.’
Lucas smiled ruefully. He had already observed
how much detail of her childhood and upbringing Re-
becca had chosen not to tell him.
‘I was watching her at dinner,’ he said. ‘Such as-
surance comes only with a privileged background.’
‘I doubt that your scrutiny was as objective as
mine,’ Justin said drily, ‘but I agree with your conclu-
sions. What did she tell you of her family?’
‘Very little,’ Lucas said. ‘Apparently she grew up
in Somerset. Her father was an army man who died in
India and after that her mother fell into a decline.
There was no money, so Rebecca went to live with
relatives who had a trade.’
Justin was frowning. ‘It is a curious story.’ He broke
off, deep in thought, then turned his head sharply to
look at his brother. ‘What do you think, Luc?’
Lucas sighed. ‘I think,’ he said carefully, ‘that ev-
erything that Rebecca has told me is true but that for
reasons of her own she has omitted some of the facts.’
‘And the reason for that omission?’
‘The same reason that prompted her nervousness
this morning,’ Lucas said. ‘She is protecting her
brother.’
‘The mysterious Daniel Raleigh,’ Justin said, as
there was a quiet knock at the door. ‘When you told
me about him this morning, I instructed Bradshaw to
make a few enquiries. Unless I miss my guess, that
will be him now.’
Sure enough, it was Tom Bradshaw who slipped
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into the room. Both Justin and Lucas looked at him
expectantly.
‘There is no Daniel Raleigh on the Navy List, your
Grace,’ Bradshaw said.
Justin looked expressively at Lucas. Lucas sighed.
‘Somehow I did not expect that there would be.’
‘He could be a merchant sailor,’ Justin pointed out,
toying with his brandy glass. ‘Which ship did Miss
Raleigh say that her brother sailed on?’
‘She claimed not to know,’ Lucas said.
‘And you do not believe her.’
Lucas shifted. He disliked speaking of Rebecca like
this when all his instincts told him that she was fun-
damentally honest. Her silence spoke of family loyalty
rather than treachery, but even so it frustrated him that
she would not tell him the truth. He drained his brandy
glass, acknowledging to himself that it was in fact a
miracle that Rebecca told him anything at all when he
had treated her so badly.
‘I trust everything that Rebecca has told us, with the
exception of the information about her brother,’ he
said tentatively. ‘I do not believe her to have been in
the confidence of the Midwinter spies, I do not think
her uncle was aware of the nature of the work he was
undertaking and I trust Rebecca to do everything in
her power to assist us. But in this...’ He shook his
head. ‘She is keeping secrets. She knows which ship
her brother sails on, but she is trying to safeguard
him.’
Justin tilted his head thoughtfully. ‘Why would she
do that?’
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‘I have no notion. Or rather,’ Lucas corrected him-
self, ‘I have an idea but no proof.’
Justin looked at him. ‘Construe.’
‘I think,’ Lucas said slowly, ‘that Daniel Raleigh is
involved in something illegal. His sister knows it and
wishes to keep the truth from us.’
‘Something to do with the engravings and the spy?’
‘I doubt it. On that score I think Rebecca is all she
seems.’ Lucas stared into the fire. ‘When I was ques-
tioning her this morning, she was very cool and com-
posed, because she knew she was innocent and was
telling the entire truth. But when I found the letter
from her brother she became very agitated. It was the
only time during the interview that she appeared
shaken. She also pretended to know nothing of his
whereabouts.’ Lucas smiled with betraying tenderness.
‘She is a poor liar, for she is not practised at it. She
gave herself away many times over.’
‘Perhaps he is a petty criminal and Miss Raleigh is
simply worried that we will find him,’ Justin sug-
gested.
Lucas shook his head. ‘He is definitely at sea. That
much is true. The sea features prominently in many of
Rebecca’s engravings—anchors, seagulls, sailing
ships... There is a most beautiful vase on the win-
dowsill of her studio with a picture of a privateer ship.
It is exquisite—’ He broke off as Tom Bradshaw gave
an exclamation. ‘What is it, Bradshaw?’
‘A privateer, my lord,’ Bradshaw said excitedly. He
grabbed his pencil and scribbled a few names. ‘Ra-
leigh, Drake, Hawkins...’
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‘Is this some kind of guessing game?’ Justin en-
quired drily.
‘No, your Grace.’ Bradshaw pointed his pencil at
Lucas. ‘Lord Lucas mentioned privateers and I thought
of Raleigh and Drake.’
‘A little harsh,’ Lucas said. ‘I am sure our brother
Richard would defend them as great, patriotic sailors
rather than pirates.’
‘Indeed, my lord,’ Bradshaw said. ‘The point that I
was trying to make was that Daniel Raleigh does not
exist amongst the ranks of his Majesty’s Navy, but he
may well exist as a different sort of sailor—a priva-
teer—and one who may not even be called Raleigh...’
There was a silence.
‘That is very ingenious, Bradshaw,’ Justin admitted.
‘I can see why Lord Newlyn values your code-
breaking skills so highly. You think outside the normal
span of things.’
Bradshaw shrugged self-deprecatingly. ‘It is merely
a thought, my lord, and one that could be quite mis-
taken, but I can explore the possibility. I will start with
Miss Raleigh’s uncle, George Provost, and see if I may
discover more about the family.’
‘How long will it take you to find out?’ Lucas
asked.
Bradshaw scratched his head. ‘Two days, three
maybe, my lord, if the information is hard to find.’
‘Then you had best bring your results to us at Mid-
winter,’ Justin said, ‘for we travel there tomorrow.’
‘There is one more thing that you might like to look
into, Bradshaw,’ Lucas said slowly. ‘On the windows-
ill in Miss Raleigh’s workshop is a magnificent vase
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with a family motto engraved on it.
Celer
et
Audax.
Swift and bold.’ He sighed. ‘It may well be that if you
find the family to whom the motto belongs, you have
found Miss Raleigh’s rightful ancestry and the identity
of her brother. I leave it to you.’
Bradshaw bowed and went out and Justin Kestrel
turned his thoughtful, dark gaze upon his brother.
‘A useful piece of information,’ he commented.
‘Tell me, Luc, how stands your current relationship
with Miss Raleigh?’
‘Poorly.’ Lucas was betrayed into a rueful smile.
‘She will have none of my suit.’
‘Hmm.’ Justin moved a chess piece with precision
on its marbled board. ‘And how do you think that our
enquiries into Miss Raleigh’s identity will affect that?’
‘I imagine it will make an already parlous situation
ten times worse,’ Lucas said crisply. ‘However, I
would rather know the whole truth than be left with
any uncertainty. Besides, I shall persuade Rebecca to
accept me in the end.’
‘You sound very certain,’ Justin said, with a twitch
of the lips.
‘I am,’ Lucas agreed. He looked at his brother. ‘She
is my match in every way and now, having found her,
I shall never let her go.’
The journey to Midwinter, in the Duke of Kestrel’s
second-best carriage, the first being out of commission
for repairs to the upholstery, seemed long and arduous
to Rebecca.
The weather had turned colder, with a clinging fog
that made progress slow. Justin Kestrel had elected to
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ride, but Lucas had chosen to accompany her in the
carriage, much to Rebecca’s annoyance. She wished
that he would not persist in speaking to her when she
had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with
him. Throughout the journey he had been quick and
unobtrusive in attending to her comfort. There had
been rugs and hot bricks to warm her feet, food and
drink at the hostelries. Every so often he would point
out something of interest on the road—a stately home
behind high gates, or a model village, or a curious inn
sign swinging in the breeze. Lucas was knowledgeable
and interesting and, little by little, Rebecca found her-
self unbending towards him and chatting with anima-
tion, only to fall silent when she remembered once
again that she did not like him and was determined
not to fall for his charm a second time. Instead she
fell asleep, waking a little stiff and totally mortified to
find herself with her head on Lucas’s shoulder and his
arm gently holding her to him.
Despite her reticence, when she saw the sea for the
first time in sixteen years, Rebecca could not help but
give a little exclamation of excitement. It was late in
the afternoon by now and the dusk was starting to fall.
The mist that had dogged their journey had lifted and,
beyond the high hedges and lofty pines, she saw the
glimmer of silver on the horizon. The carriage had
slowed now and was trundling down a sandy track.
Rebecca found herself sitting forward and searching
for glimpses of the sea that ran like a pale-blue ribbon
beyond the trees.
‘Oh! It is so beautiful, my lord.’ She turned spon-
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taneously to Lucas. ‘I had no notion that Suffolk was
so pretty a county. I thought it flat and empty...’
‘It is both of those things,’ Lucas said, smiling at
her enthusiasm, ‘but in a very beautiful way. When
you stand on the seashore the sky seems huge, like a
great dome above one’s head. But you must have seen
the sea before,’ he added, ‘for so much of your en-
graving contains the imagery of ships and seabirds.’
Rebecca felt surprised that he had noticed. ‘I... Yes,
we lived near the sea when I was a child,’ she said.
‘In Somerset?’
‘Yes. At Watchet, on the north Somerset coast. But
it is many years now since I have been to the seaside.’
She remembered that it had been part of Lucas’s job
to observe her and to notice things like the images on
her engraving, and her spirits dulled a little. She had
to remember that this was no holiday, but a business
trip with a serious purpose. When she had fulfilled her
part of the bargain she would be away back to Cler-
kenwell. In the meantime she would do well to give
Lucas as little information as possible, not for her own
sake, but for Daniel’s. Never had she been in a posi-
tion to do him more harm than she was at this moment.
‘That road takes you to Midwinter Royal,’ Lucas
said, pointing to a track that peeled away through the
woods. ‘Rachel and Cory will be staying there with
Rachel’s parents. And this...’
The carriage swung through resplendent wrought-
iron gates. ‘This is Kestrel Court,’ Lucas said. ‘Wel-
come to Midwinter, Miss Raleigh.’
The drive was a long one between stands of tall
limes interspersed with the dark green of oak. The
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parkland beyond looked verdant in the dusk. Beyond
the high wall to the east, Rebecca could see the roof
of a smaller building, a miniature manor house.
‘Saltires,’ Lucas said, following her gaze. ‘That is
the dower house to the Court and currently home of
Lady Sally Saltire.’
Rebecca remembered the brief summary that he had
given her of the Midwinter villages and their occu-
pants.
‘Lady Sally, whose husband was a great friend to
your brother the Duke?’
‘That is correct.’ Lucas’s gaze rested on the quaint
beamed exterior of the manor. ‘Justin gave the lease
on the house to Stephen Saltire after he and Lady Sally
were married. She was widowed eight years ago and
Justin has held a candle for her ever since.’
Rebecca was startled. The Duke of Kestrel seemed