The Gamekeeper's Lady (19 page)

He turned, expecting to see disgust in her elfin face. Instead he saw puzzlement.

‘W-why?’

The stutter was back, betraying her nerves. Good. She should be nervous. ‘I didn’t want to get married.’

‘Oh.’ She looked shocked.

As well she might. He took a deep breath and found his chest tight. ‘I am a rake.’

‘But not a thief.’

‘No, but nor am I a good man. And after tonight I will be a wanted criminal.’

‘But you didn’t take the necklace. They have to tell the truth.’

He shook his head, his throat too full of something hot and hard for speech.

A fissure cracked in the ice that seemed to encircle his heart. The pain of it sent him spinning away, made his eyes blur, his heart feeling too large for his chest. It was as if the coal piled at the end of the cellar had been lifted from his shoulders and been put back where it belonged. She trusted him.

He grabbed her shoulder. Tipped her chin so he could look in her eyes. ‘Don’t get involved.’

‘Then stand up for yourself, R-Robert.’

‘The evidence is against me, I’m afraid. Who will believe me, a gamekeeper against a peer of the realm?’

She winced. ‘How did the necklace get in your pocket?’

All questions he’d asked himself. He took a deep breath. ‘I believe Lullington put it there.’

‘Because he hates you. I saw it in his face. He is jealous of you—’ her voice caught and she took a deep shaky breath ‘—because of Maggie.’

He narrowed his eyes. ‘What do you know about Maggie?’

‘That she spoke your name, just before she fainted. She knows you.’

If she trusted him enough to believe him about the necklace, he had to do the honour of telling her some of the truth. ‘It was Lullington’s cousin whose virtue I stole.’ Not that she’d had any, but that was the way it appeared.

She pursed her lips. ‘It isn’t a very honourable way to punish you.’

He cracked a laugh, couldn’t help it. ‘He’s a clever man. This is the one way he can do it, without sullying the lady’s name.’

Her beautiful eyes stared at him. He tried to maintain dispassion, tried not to let the trustful gaze suck the truth about his banishment from his throat even as it ate through every defence he’d built over the years. He didn’t want her pity.

He caught her around the shoulders and pressed a brief kiss to her lips. ‘You must go now. Forget we ever met.’

A noise sounded out in the passage. They both swung around to face the intruder. Hell. Now he’d never be able to speak to Maggie. He pushed Frederica behind the opening door and picked up the shovel.

‘Robert?’

He let his weapon fall. ‘Maggie?’

Her buxom figure glided through the door. She paused when she saw Frederica frozen in the light of the candle.

‘La, Robert,’ she drawled, ‘I see you haven’t changed. But isn’t she a little young even for you, darling? On the other hand, you always did have an eye for something special and this one is quite unique. I’m madly jealous.’

Frederica backed up a step, her gaze flickering back and forth between them, her eyes large and hurt and grave.

‘How did you get down here?’ Robert asked.

‘There was no guard in the kitchen. I hoped to find you alone.’ Maggie looked shamefaced and, now he looked more closely, rather pale.

‘Why?’

‘Dash it, Robert, there’s no need to look so Friday-faced. I wanted to apologise. I had no wish to get you into trouble.’

‘You
planted the necklace on me? Not Lullington?’ He felt as if those he cared about most were bludgeoning him from all sides. He clenched his fists. ‘God damn it, Maggie. Why?’

Maggie flinched. And so did Frederica. She must have heard the shock in his voice, the note of betrayal. Naturally, she wouldn’t understand that he and Maggie had been friends as well as lovers. In some perverse way, Maggie’s betrayal hurt worse than Father’s. At least that hadn’t surprised him.

‘I had no idea it was you,’ Maggie cried. ‘Oh, I saw through your highwayman disguise, but I thought you were the saucy gamekeeper. How could I know you were my Robert out for a lark?’

Frederica gasped. Robert inwardly winced. ‘I’m not your Robert.’

‘You know what I mean. I thought you were a cheeky servant. I knew you’d leave before the unmasking.’ She tossed her head. ‘Dash it all. This is so confusing. What are you doing playing at gamekeeper anyway?’ She cast a sidelong glance at Frederica. ‘Or shall I make my own guesses?’

‘That’s enough,’ Robert snapped. ‘Even if you didn’t know it was me, why incriminate an innocent man? A theft like that means the gallows.’

‘The necklace wasn’t supposed to be found. You were to walk outside where my groom was waiting to relieve you of the necklace. He was to engage you in a bit of a scuffle, or get you drunk or something. Then it was to disappear. Lull ruined everything.’ She sounded distraught.

‘So Lullington is not in on your little scheme.’

‘It was his idea.’ She caught her bottom lip in her teeth. ‘The emeralds are paste. They have to disappear before my husband finds out. I don’t know why he changed the plan.’

‘Lullington always plays his own game. You know that.’

Her chin thrust forwards. ‘He’s been good to me. Kind and generous since you left.’

Robert snorted. ‘He’s a rake.’

She stamped a foot. ‘So were you.’

Robert recoiled from her vehemence. He held up a placating hand. ‘How came you to be in such a fix that you needed to steal your own necklace?’

Frederica moved forwards, as though she too wanted to know the answer. Her face was white and pinched. He wanted to hold her. To offer comfort. He didn’t dare. Maggie had already guessed about them. He didn’t want to give her proof.

‘You know what Caldwell is like about my gambling. I had a run of bad luck. Lull would have given me the money, but he was short of funds.’

‘So you pawned it.’

She nodded.

He glanced at Frederica, standing silently in the shadows, her thoughts hidden by an unusually blank expression. ‘Were you planning to claim the insurance?’

Maggie gave a bitter laugh. ‘My husband is the only one who could benefit from that. No. Just before I left to come here, he told me he’d noticed the clasp needed repairs and promised to send it to the goldsmith on my return. I was terrified. If he discovers I pawned it to pay off gambling debts, he will lock me away in the country. He threatened it last time. This time he will do it.’

Robert stifled a curse. ‘Well, you are in a pretty fix now. The emeralds are recovered. And very publically, too.’

‘I know.’ She twisted her hands together.

Frederica moved into the circle of light. ‘You must t-tell the magistrate the t-truth,’ she said. ‘You cannot allow R-Robert to take the blame.’

Her fierceness took him by surprise. The sense of being swept up out of harm’s way by the arms of an angel was strangely uplifting to say the least. He wanted to hug her. Instead, he raised a brow at Maggie.

She wrung her hands. ‘I’ll tell the magistrate I don’t wish to prosecute,’ Maggie said. ‘I can’t tell him I planted them on you, but I can convince Lull to let the matter drop.’

‘I don’t need Lullington to do me any favours, but dropping the charges would work.’

‘Is this a private party?’ said a drawling voice from the doorway. ‘Or can anyone join?’ A lithe, tall man leaned against the doorpost, a bottle in one hand and two glasses dangling from the other.

John. Robert groaned. How many more people from his past would join him in his cell? All it wanted was Lullington to complete the nightmare. ‘Radthorn, what are you doing here?’

‘I dropped the ladies at home, then returned to see if you needed help.’

‘By giving me enough brandy so I won’t notice when they hang me?’ He gave a hard laugh. ‘I’m surprised you are prepared to acknowledge you know me.’

John stiffened. ‘Er, Robert…about that afternoon. You took me by surprise. I didn’t expect to see you out in the street. We were meeting at White’s.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Frederica asked, her eyes suspicious.

‘The day he got sent to Coventry,’ Maggie said. ‘Lull told me all about it.’

‘He would,’ Robert said.

‘It was all over Town,’ Maggie said. ‘The son of one of the most powerful dukes in the land thrown out of the fold?’ She shrugged. ‘It was on everyone’s lips.’

‘A duke’s son?’ Bemusement dawned on Frederica’s face and then horror.

‘A second son, Frederica,’ he said, reaching out a hand. ‘I’m banished. My father disowned me.’

She spun away, avoiding his touch. Then she turned back, her soft mouth twisted in pain. It almost killed him to see her hurting even if he couldn’t understand the source of her pain.

‘You have to leave here tonight,’ she said, clearly anxious to be rid of him. ‘If Viscount Lullington deliberately implicated you, there is no guarantee he will back down.’

Maggie opened her mouth to protest.

‘Miss Bracewell is right,’ John said. ‘Lullington would love to spear you with his proverbial rapier. Come home with me and we’ll find a way to sort out the mess. The duke—’

‘No,’ Robert said.

‘What about Charlie?’ Maggie asked.

Charlie had been less than charitable the last time they met. He shook his head. ‘Forget about my family.’

A grating noise had everyone looking up.

‘Snively,’ Frederica said. ‘Unbarring the trapdoor. Pippin should be waiting at the end of the drive.’

John looked startled. ‘Enterprising young lady, I see. Robert, let me offer you refuge until we get this sorted out. Do you think you can find your way to Radthorn Grange? You can stay in the east wing.’

Another person who believed in his innocence. His best and oldest friend. A man he would trust with his life. Robert let go a breath. ‘All right. I’ll meet you at the gate. Then we can decide on what to do next.’

‘Let Pippin go when you are done with him. He’ll find his way home,’ Frederica said. She looked at him for a long moment, moisture glistening in her eyes. ‘I just want you to know, I am not getting married.’

Amid the tears he saw hope. Yet he could not be swayed by those eyes or that lovely mouth. He could not tie her to a man without honour. He could not let the ache to fill his empty nights be her downfall, no matter how much he desired her. ‘You are safe here,’ he said softly. ‘Get married, have children and be happy.’

She stared at him as if he’d handed her a death sentence.

‘You had better get going,’ John said. ‘Who knows who else might decide to visit you?’ They all knew he meant Lullington.

Frederica turned away, but the pained expression on her face sliced through his chest like a sword. At that moment he would have much preferred to face the viscount’s blade.

She was better off without him. He might never clear his name. He’d certainly never be accepted back into society. He forced himself to scramble up the coal heap, holding his breath against the clouds of dust, and pulled himself out into the fresh air.

Chapter Ten

F
rederica turned back to see his legs disappear through the trapdoor. Tears she hadn’t wanted him to see stung the back of her eyes. Obviously, he couldn’t wait to see her married to Simon. He’d said she belonged here.

Of course she did. He was a duke’s son. One step from royalty. Far above her touch.

And all this time she’d thought him no better than herself. One of the lesser mortals. A man within her reach. How he must have laughed behind his hand at the way she’d fallen for his charm.

The tears threatened to well over again. To hide them, she picked up the three-cornered hat lying at her feet, then rounded on Maggie who was talking in a low voice to Lord Radthorn. ‘You will do as you promised, won’t you?’ Her voice sounded damp.

Lady Caldwell’s wide eyes darted a glance at Lord Radthorn before she answered, ‘Robert is not the man for you, my dear. He’s a charming rake, but a rake all the same.’

Radthorn shook his head. ‘But he’s too much of a gentleman to betray you, Maggie. I’m damned if I’ll let you make him an outlaw.’

Maggie folded in on herself, her shoulders hunching, her hands twisting at her waist, her pretty face looking years older. ‘I already said I would withdraw the charges. But my husband is going to murder me.’

Radthorn put an arm around her shoulders. ‘Don’t worry, Lull with think of something.’

Maggie wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand. ‘Yes.’ A tremulous smile curved her lips. ‘He usually does.’

‘Of course he does,’ Radthorn said cheerfully. He patted her shoulder.

She smiled up at him ruefully. ‘I never meant for anyone else to be harmed, John. You know that, don’t you?’

Such endearing sweetness curved her lips, Frederica could see why Robert had loved her. Her heart squeezed pitifully, but she forced a practical smile. ‘That’s it, then. We are d-done here. I’ll lock the d-door. With luck it will be morning before anyone notices he’s gone.’

Radthorn nodded. ‘Good idea. You need to get back upstairs, Maggie. I’ve no wish for pistols at dawn if Lull finds you missing and comes looking.’

Maggie laughed and fluttered her lashes, no doubt cheered by the thought of men fighting a duel over her. She took Lord Radthorn’s arm and the two of them walked out of the cellar.

All’s well that ends well.
Not quite. Maggie would be fine. Robert would be fine. And she was betrothed. Hah. In a pig’s eye.

She dropped the hat on the floor.

The son of a duke and the Wynchwood Whore’s bastard daughter—he must have thought her such a fool.

Suddenly, she felt drained. Empty. As hollow as a drum in her chest, and yet there was a hard ball of something else in there making it hard to breath. A sense of loss.

She didn’t want to think about it or she might start crying in earnest. And never stop. Tears never did the slightest bit of good.

Frederica left the cell and locked the door behind her. The affair with Robert must be viewed as one of life’s lessons. She would never again give her heart to a handsome man. She had no heart left to give. Robert had taken it with him.

She marched up the stairs. With Robert rescued, she needed to know what her uncle was about, announcing the betrothal without warning. Did it have something to do with a letter from the London lawyer as Snively had hinted? Perhaps she should find out in case there was more bad news in the offing.

On silent feet, she stole along the corridor past the drawing room and crept into her uncle’s dark study. If there was a letter from this mysterious lawyer, it would be here.

She lit a candle. The desk was cluttered with paper. A quick search turned up nothing. She pulled on the right-hand drawer. It was locked. If Uncle kept to old habits.. yes, here was the key in the inkwell. It turned in the lock.

The drawer was full of papers. She unfolded the one on the top, an official-looking thing with a seal. She almost dropped her light. It was a special wedding licence. Made out for her and Simon, dated the day he left London. She picked up the next sheet of paper. A letter. From the vicar. Agreeing to perform the ceremony—tomorrow. She gulped.

They couldn’t force her to marry Simon. Could they?

Did she dare stay and find out?

Umm. No. She needed to leave. Now. Tonight. And there was only one person she trusted to help her.

Raindrops ran down the nursery’s diamond window panes. Low-hanging clouds hid Radthorn Grange’s acres from Robert’s view. He swung around at the sound of the door opening.

‘Only me,’ John said, tossing a pile of clothes on the cot on which Robert had spent a restless night. ‘Why you insist on wearing these rags is beyond me. I would happily lend you some of mine.’

‘Because no one will give me work if I dress like a damned dandy,’ Robert said.

John winced.

Robert focused on undoing the buttons of his frilled highwayman shirt to avoid seeing his friend’s embarrassment and softened his tone. ‘Thank you for fetching them. I’ll be off as soon as I’m dressed.’

‘You might want to hear the latest.’

Robert glanced up. John’s face was half-puzzled and half-amused. ‘What?’

‘Wynchwood Place is in utter turmoil. You are a wanted man.’

‘Hardly news.’

‘It’s not what you think. Maggie worked her magic on Lull. He agreed that the jewels in your pocket weren’t Maggie’s at all and said they must have been part of your costume. For a moment I thought all would be well, until they discovered you missing, along with Miss Bracewell. Now you are wanted for kidnapping.’

Robert’s stomach pitched. ‘The little fool.’

‘It gets worse. The silver plate has gone. They found signs of a struggle in the butler’s pantry and the butler is also missing. Apparently done away with by a desperate criminal. You.’

Robert’s jaw dropped. ‘Bloody hell? Are you saying he stole the silver and ran off with Frederica?’

‘It looks like it.’

Robert’s mouth went dry. ‘My God.’

‘I know.’ John gave him a pained looked. ‘They found your hat in the butler’s pantry. It seems your Miss Butter-never-passed-my-lips Bracewell neatly took a leaf out of Maggie’s book and left you to carry the blame for her abduction. No wonder she was so keen to set you free.’

‘She wouldn’t do that.’ She couldn’t have.

What did Snively have to do with it? Was he the one who’d had her virginity? That old man? Disgust rose like bile in his throat even as he shook his head in denial.

What other explanation could there be? She’d seen her chance and used him to take the blame. The cunning little witch.

He struck out with his fist at the wall. Felt pain in his knuckles, felt the vibration up his arm and all the way to his chest.

Damn it all. After Father’s betrayal, he’d sworn to trust no one. To rely only on himself. He’d forgotten his own rules.

But Snively! How could she? Jealousy pricked like the point of a knife. He forced himself to think. Where would they have gone? She’d talked of Italy, which meant a port. Or was that a smokescreen? A lie to put him off the scent, if indeed he had any ideas of following her.

One thing was certain, they would have to fence the silver. And London was the most likely place.

‘Where does Wynchwood presume we are headed?’

‘Ah, that’s where things start to get interesting.’

‘Out with it, man. I don’t have time for puzzles.’

John sighed. ‘You spoil everything. Listen to this. Young Simon was in such a dither when I found him in his room packing he muttered something about finding them at a Mr Bliss’s office near Lincoln’s Inn Fields.’

‘A lawyer?’ It made no sense at all.

John shrugged. ‘I was just about to question him further when Lullington joined us. He hustled me out of the door.’

‘Meaning he is in Bracewell’s confidence.’

‘I assume so. Even old Wynchwood is headed for town and he hasn’t been there for years. It all sounds a bit like a Minerva novel, don’t you think.’ John chuckled, clearly vastly entertained.

‘If Wynchwood’s for London, I am too.’

‘What I don’t understand is why Lullington is tagging along?’ John mused.

‘Lullington is short of funds.’

‘I don’t see how this would help.’

‘I really don’t care about Lullington. If Wynchwood thinks Mr Bliss’s office is the place to look for the runaway pair, I am going there too. I have to clear my name, John. I won’t let anyone turn me into a criminal.’

John clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Nor you should. Come with me to the magistrate and we can clear the whole thing up.’

‘Can we? Or will they accuse me of doing away with her too?’

‘Ouch.’

‘Quite. I’ll catch the first stage that goes through Swanlea.’

‘I think not,’ John replied. ‘I’ll take you up in my carriage, as my groom.’

Robert raised a brow.

‘You insisted on dressing like that.’ John grinned. ‘I’m going to enjoy giving you orders.’

‘Bastard.’

‘Numbskull. Why the hell didn’t you come to me before?’

For the first time in a long time Robert didn’t feel completely alone. But his growing rage at Frederica’s dirty trick left little room for softer emotions.

‘Right. Let’s be off.’

A duke’s son. Again the realisation twisted Frederica’s insides painfully. It was as if her mind refused to believe what she’d heard. Standing at the window of the private parlour Snively had procured at a down-at-heel inn near Lincoln’s Inn, she took a deep, calming breath. Dash it. She kept letting thoughts of Robert creep into her mind the way shadows creep into a valley at night. Thoughts of what she’d hoped.

If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.
She had many wishes. But horses were in short supply.

From one side of the mullioned window, she peered into the narrow street, careful to ensure no one would see her from below. Snowflakes floated past the window, turning grey when they hit the cobbles, then melted away. It would make an interesting drawing. If only she could settle.

After visiting the publisher to arrange for the payment of her money, Snively had gone to find a friend he thought might prove useful. She paced to the blazing hearth on the other side of the room and held out her hands to its warmth.

Robert
had
tried to warn her off. She just hadn’t wanted to hear. She’d thought he was trying to protect her because he thought her too good for him. Quite the opposite. In the end, she’d seduced him. Used his wicked male urges against him. Her body flashed hot, then cold.

What man would resist a wanton? He’d tried to be honourable and she’d behaved with all the morals of a barn cat. If only he’d told her who he was, she would never have harboured such foolish ideas. It had to be his lack of trust that made her chest ache as if her breastbone was pressing against her heart.

The door flew open.

Frederica jumped. She swung around.

‘I told you to keep this door locked,’ Snively said, hanging his hat on the hook on the back of the door and shooting her a glare under his brows much as he’d done when she was a child tracking mud across the hall floor.

‘What did you discover?’

‘None of the Wynchwoods have called on Bliss as yet.’ He dropped into a chair beside the hearth. ‘An old friend of mine is watching the place.’

They’d arrived in London yesterday and so far there had been no sign of pursuit. ‘Perhaps you are wrong about Uncle Mortimer,’ she said, sitting opposite, clenching her hands in her lap to keep them still.

He wiped his brow with a large white handkerchief and stuffed it back in his pocket. ‘I’d be right glad if I was, miss. My nose tells me otherwise. ’Tis my guess he knows your father left a letter to be opened on your birthday.’

‘My father?’ Her chest squeezed. She couldn’t breathe. It was like falling off Pippin, the ground rushing up to meet her. ‘My father left a letter?’ she gasped. ‘You know who he is? Why didn’t you tell me?’

Snively’s face turned red. Beads of sweat broke out on his brow. ‘A slip of the tongue, miss. Forget it.’

‘No. I need to know what this is all about.’

‘I can’t tell you.’

She had never seen Snively sweat as he was doing now.

She voiced her greatest fear. ‘At least tell me he is not some horrid murderer.’

‘I’ve said more than I ought, but I’ll say this. You needs to find out for yourself. Tomorrow at the lawyer’s office.’

‘And if I don’t?’

He pressed his lips together. ‘You’ll be sorry.’

Pieces of a puzzle fell into place in her mind. ‘You said you went to see Mr Bliss because he could arrange an account on which I could draw. It isn’t true, is it? He is the lawyer who wrote to my uncle.’

He tugged mightily at his stock. ‘Yes.’

‘Then where is the money for the drawings?’

‘Waiting for you at the publishing house,’ he squeezed out.

‘Then we don’t need to see this Mr Bliss. I will book passage to Italy immediately.’

‘Don’t, miss. Please. You must read the document Mr Bliss has for you.’ His jowls wobbled. He dabbed at his brow. ‘Sworn to secrecy, I was. But I assure you, you will not be sorry.’

‘I’m sorry I trusted you.’

He gazed at her with hurt eyes.

‘Dash it. If my father wanted to contact me, he could have done so years ago.’

Snively cringed. ‘It’s all explained in the letter.’

She huffed out a breath. ‘I don’t even know his name.’

‘He swore me to secrecy.’

Because of who she was? She felt sick. ‘I don’t need to know and I need to be on a ship before Uncle Mortimer finds me.’

‘You’ll regret it,’ he said.

She glared at him.

He let out a sigh. ‘Joshua Snively don’t blab. Not with a thousand pound on the line. And Bliss will not see it paid to me if I say one word. Your father trusted me. Now so must you.’

Life had seemed much simpler less than a week ago. Did she really want to know the identity of her father? Lady Radthorn’s talk of her mother’s wildness before her marriage meant this man could be anyone. A shiver ran down her spine. Perhaps the man was a criminal. Or married and ashamed. Or…what? And why should she care when her father had never paid her the slightest heed until now?