The Duke Conspiracy (30 page)

Rose hung her head dejectedly at her father's
series of questions. “I am truly sorry, Papa. I thought for sure
there would be proper safeguards in place, even without a specific
threat and that once you were apprised of the situation you would
know just who to tell and it would all be right and tight. I held
onto my silence before now because I worried that you would be glad
of a threat upon Wrentham and would not look beyond it to the
potential larger danger. I wanted to see if I could find out
whether it was just to the duke or if there was something more
afoot.”

“So you did not trust me?” her father asked
quietly, searching her face for her true feelings.

“Of course I trust you,” Rose insisted hotly.
“There is no one on this earth that I trust more than you. I just
was unsure if you could have unclouded judgment when it comes to
Wrentham. I truly am sorry, Papa, I should not have questioned your
ability to be open minded.”

“No, you shouldn't have, but I am man enough
to admit that there is merit to your fears. If you had not done
some digging, I might have been disposed to dismiss the possibility
just because I do not care for the duke or the knight. But now
something must be done. I shall make a few inquiries and send some
messages to the proper quarters. It is good that you were not
planning to accompany me to Paris. Now you can stay here and keep
your eyes open for Broderick if he stays in Town. I shall have some
protocols set up for you to follow before I leave.”

Impulsively, Rose leaned forward and threw
her arms around her father's neck, giving him a squeeze and placing
a brief kiss upon his cheek before pulling back sheepishly. “Thank
you so much Papa. I am truly sorry for adding to your burdens, but
I am so relieved to be able to share it with you.”

“Anytime, my darling daughter. Please know
that you can come to me anytime, but for the moment you really must
run along and leave me to sort through a few things. I will be sure
to reserve a few moments to discuss whatever is necessary before I
leave.”

Rose bounded up from her chair and hurried to
leave her father in peace. She ran up to her room, not bothering
for decorum, taking the stairs two at a time. She reasoned that
inside, where no one but family and the servants could see, it
would do nothing to sully her reputation.

With a grin, she tripped into her room and
sprawled onto her bed.

“I am uncertain if you look as though things
went well or not,” Mary mused from the other side of the room where
she had herself immersed into Rose's wardrobe, where she was
searching for anything which needed mending.

“It went marvelously well, Mary. I should
never have questioned otherwise. I have the most wonderful papa in
the world. I didn't even have to tell him about speaking with
Wrentham,” she declared happily as she lifted her head to smile at
the maid.

“I'm not so sure that you should have gotten
away with it so freely. I worry this will embolden you to continue
with such scandalous behavior.”

“Oh Mary, you fret too much. I can assure you
I will not be meeting with the duke anymore. This problem has been
handed over to those more equipped to handle it, and my days of
clandestine behavior are over. For now, anyway,” she added as an
afterthought. “Now I shall be free to apply my mind to deciding on
a suitable groom for myself.” She smiled cheekily at the maid
before asking, “Speaking of that, were you able to give the matter
any thought, or have you been as preoccupied as me with other
matters?”

“I did as a matter of fact, Miss,” Mary began
but then they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Mary hurried over to see who was there.

A footman was standing there with a message.
“A gentleman is here to see you, Miss Rose. He wishes to take you
for a ride in the Park.”

“A gentleman?” Rose repeated. “Does this
gentleman have a name, Gregory?”

Blushing to his roots the young servant
answered, “Yes Miss, Walter says as it is Lord Wesley Dunbar here
to see you, Miss. What should I tell him, Miss? Are you welcoming a
ride with Lord Dunbar or should Walter tell him you are not at home
to visitors this afternoon?”

The young Gregory needn't have finished his
questions as Rose was already off the bed and next to Mary, pawing
through her gowns to find suitable attire for a ride in the park.
Running over to the window and looking down, she let out a little
squeal when she saw the conveyance that surely belonged to the
viscount standing in the street.

“Oh Mary, he brought a high-perch phaeton. I
shall be the envy of all the ladies this afternoon,” she declared
with glee while glancing at the clock with a frown. “Although, it
does seem rather early for a fashionable ride around Hyde Park.
Mayhap his lordship plans to go elsewhere and that is why we need
to have an earlier start.” Now Rose thought of another thing, and
she turned wide eyes upon her maid. “Do you think it's acceptable
for me to go out for a drive with the viscount right now? What if
my father needs to speak with me? Has the footman left, perhaps we
should have him take a message to Lord Smythe and see what he has
to say about my going out for a little while.”

He was still waiting. In her excitement, Rose
had failed to properly answer the poor footman. He was still
standing there awaiting her reply. It did not take long for a reply
to come back. “Your father says you are to carry on about your
business and enjoy your afternoon. He will not have much to tell
you before this evening, or maybe not even until early in the
morning before he leaves.”

It was the answer she had been hoping for.
She was already half changed into a pretty gown of sprigged muslin
that perfectly matched the darling parasol she had recently
purchased to keep the still warm, late autumn sun off her face. “I
shall need a spencer too, Mary. The sun might be warm right now,
but in a carriage such as a phaeton I am sure to catch my death
from the breeze if I am not careful to cover myself up.”

Before too many moments had passed she was
ready to descend to greet the gentleman caller.

****

Lord Dunbar was pacing in the Smythes' front
receiving room, hoping earnestly the young lady was not going to
keep him waiting for too many moments longer. The suspense was
eating at him and he was anxious to be on the way. He heard a
commotion in the foyer and turned to look toward the door to see
what was going on.

His mouth opened on a quiet gasp of surprise.
“Miss Rosamund, you do look ravishing this afternoon. I shall
surely be the envy of all the gentlemen we encounter this
afternoon,” he complimented.

Rose blushed prettily at his compliments, but
maintained her composure sufficiently to ask primly. “And where
might we be going, my lord? I thought it a little odd for you to be
calling round at this hour.”

“Can a gentleman not just be that anxious to
see you?”

Rose's tinkle of laughter filled the air
between them. “Now, that is a bouncer if ever I heard one, my
lord.”

Wesley could not resist the twinkle in her
eyes as she gazed at him merrily. He fully understood why his
friend the duke was so tied up in a knot over this young lady. He
sincerely hoped Wrentham would be able to straighten out all the
complicated twists and turns their lives had taken of late. He
hastened to answer her reply. “'Tis not a bouncer at all, Miss, I
can assure you. I was most anxious to set my horses to their paces
today and I thought it would be lovely to see if you would like to
join me. I hope I have not inconvenienced you by arriving a trifle
earlier than is the fashionable norm, but I thought we would have
all the more opportunity for conversation if the Park is not
overcrowded.” He concluded his statement with a look of
significance, and Rose returned his gaze with her own eyes wide and
focused.

With her mouth agape in the shape of a silent
oh
, Rose nodded slightly. Recovering swiftly, she pulled on
the gloves she had been holding and neared the viscount to grab his
arm. “Now would be a lovely time for a ride in the Park and I am
completely ready to go. We ought not to keep your horses waiting
much longer, should we, my lord? If you are ready, we could be on
our way.”

Wesley laughed over her turning of the tables
on him and allowed her to usher him from the room. Before many
moments had passed they were high up in his phaeton, making their
way swiftly toward the Park. The traffic was thin and they were
able to get to a rapid speed. He was glad she did not squeal at the
pace, but he was forced to control his amusement as she grabbed
onto the seat with both hands.

“Your team seems to be wonderfully matched,”
she said with as much composure as she could muster.

Wesley laughed again. “You are a downy one,
Miss. Most young ladies would be demanding to be put down at the
nearest corner if I were to drive like this with them in my
phaeton.”

Rose managed to keep an innocent look upon
her face as she gazed steadily at the viscount. “Whatever do you
mean, my lord? Surely you would never try to intentionally put me
to the blush, would you, my lord?”

Wesley had brought the phaeton down to a
slower pace by this point and was able to look into her dancing
eyes as she had made this sally. “No, Miss, I would never do such a
thing,” he drawled sarcastically.

Rose batted her eyelashes at him in response
and Wesley barked with another laugh. “You are a complete hand,
Miss.” Wesley applied himself to pulling his matched bays through
the entrance of the park and letting them take a sedate pace as
they meandered along the well-traveled lanes.

After a few moments of silence Rose turned to
Wesley. He enjoyed seeing her eyes dancing with merriment once
more. “So, my lord, I am waiting on tenterhooks to know what we
shall be conversing about. You did hint rather heavily that you had
something to discuss with me, did you not?”

Wesley smiled as he answered. “I admire your
forbearance, Miss Rose. I am impressed that you managed to hold
onto your silence for this long. Most ladies would have been
badgering me long before we made into the park.”

“Really, my lord?” she countered. “I would
think most ladies would have been too busy yelping at you to slow
down and all thoughts of any conversation with you would have fled
from their minds, swept away with the wind created as your horses
galloped through the streets of London.”

“Now you are exaggerating,” Wesley
chided.

“Not by much, my lord, but never mind about
that. I am not most ladies, but I do find that I am growing
impatient over your teasing. Did you have something you wished to
discuss with me or not?”

“As a matter of fact, I did,” Wesley teased
but then quickly launched into his explanation as he saw that his
companion was about to lose all semblance of patience. “I actually
bear a message from Wrentham.”

“The duke? Is everything all right with him?”
Rose's dismay was evident in her tone.

“All is well. He is just concerned over
something that occurred this morning while you two met.”

****

Rose blushed over this reminder of her
questionable conduct, as well as her memories of the sweet kiss
they had exchanged that morning. Her eyes flew to meet those of the
viscount as she wondered frantically if Alex would have told his
friend about that. Struggling to maintain her composure Rose asked
in as neutral a tone as she could muster. “What is he concerned
about, my lord? Did he tell you all about it?”

“He did, in fact. And he wanted me to pass
the information on. It only came to his attention after you had
already left, so he could not tell you himself. And of course, he
cannot simply call upon you for a myriad of reasons.”

“Of course,” Rose replied a little faintly,
as she realized it was not what she had feared. Her relief was
short-lived.

“The duke has reason to believe that your
meeting was witnessed. He does not think you were overheard, but he
does believe someone was watching the two of you together. He had
very little information when I was speaking with him earlier today,
but he did want you to know as soon as possible so you could be on
your guard. He fears you may not be perfectly safe.”

“His Grace worries like an old governess.
What could there possibly be to threaten my safety even if we were
observed?” Rose demanded in counter argument. “'Tis true that my
reputation could be in tatters were it to become known that I have
met with the duke at Burlington House, but since it is a venue open
to the public, and I had my maid in tow, there is very little that
could come of anyone speaking of it.”

“It was actually not your reputation which
concerned him, although, of course, as a gentleman, he would want
to ensure that no scandal were to be attached to you. But rather,
he is concerned that the man watching you could have been a
follower of Broderick, and that dastardly fellow could now view you
as a threat to his plans, in which case you could be in serious
danger indeed.”

Rose remained silent as she absorbed Lord
Dunbar's words and all the possible ramifications. “I now
understand the duke's concerns,” she finally mustered before
quickly rallying with a shrug. “Even if Broderick were to figure
out that we were onto his schemes, I am most certain he would not
think to threaten me. I have already passed all my concerns about
Broderick on to my father and it is out of my hands. I am no threat
to Broderick on my own. Surely he will not trouble himself with a
mere slip of a girl.”

Wesley once again threw back his head and
laughed. “If he knows what kind of a girl this particular slip is
he will be very troubled, Miss. But perhaps you are right and there
is no danger, however Wrentham was most insistent that you be told
that it is a real possibility. He was trying to find out more
information, but he wanted you to know as soon as possible. I would
suggest it is best if you do not arrange any more clandestine
meetings, but instead try to speak in a crowded ballroom where you
will be sure to be fully safe.”