Victorian Vigilantes 01 - Saving Grace (14 page)

She sat up and stretched. She knew not how it would happen but somehow she would regain access to Grace and put William from her life. He had the law on his side but that was no match for a mother’s strength and determination.

Betsy slipped into the room and pulled back the curtains.

“Good morning, my lady. Did you sleep well?”

“Exceedingly well, thank you, Betsy.”

“I’ll be right back with your breakfast.”

Eva took breakfast in bed, simply because she could. She dawdled over it as she recalled the events of the previous evening, wondering if she could persuade Lord Isaac to repeat them. She smiled to herself, hardly able to believe she was considering actually instigating sexual activity.

Betsy showed Eva several day dresses for her to choose from. They were lovely and Eva was sorely tempted. Even so, she insisted upon wearing the gown she had arrived in, unwilling to accept endless charity. The gown in question had been sponged and pressed and now looked in much better condition. Betsy helped her into it and told her the gentlemen were in his lordship’s study.

Eva went in search of them, found the correct room after taking only two wrong turns and tapped on the open door. They had their heads together over papers spread across Lord Torbay’s desk. They looked up when they saw her and stood to greet her, Lord Isaac’s heated smile affected her almost as much as his voice had the previous night. She suppressed a shiver she now recognised as desire and returned their smiles with a radiant one of her own.

“Good morning,” Lord Torbay said, examining her face closely. “Are you quite well?”

“Good morning, gentlemen. I am perfectly well, thank you. Never better, in fact.”

Lord Isaac took her hand and kissed the back of it, winking at her from beneath his thatch of thick curls as he lifted his head. Lord Torbay watched their exchange with an attitude of mild amusement that implied he knew precisely what had passed between her and Lord Isaac. Eva ought to feel awash with embarrassment but had never felt more clear-headed in her life. She sensed last night’s experience had been the tip of the iceberg. There was so much more he could teach her and Eva was now a most eager pupil. Having had her passions aroused, she was no longer willing to settle for half-measures. She was a changed person with wasted time to make up for.

“I am pleased to hear you say so.” Lord Isaac pulled out a chair for her. “Please take a seat. Your timing is perfect since we were just planning our strategy to wrong-foot your husband.”

“How can I help with that?”

Both men pushed aside the papers they had been studying and resumed their seats.

“It seems to us,” Lord Torbay said, “that your husband holds all the aces, expect for one very important one.”

“Me?”

“You.” Lord Isaac nodded, his cerulean blue eyes alight with mischief as he focused them on her face. “You are his one weakness and, with your permission, we mean to exploit that in order to draw him out.”

“Draw him out in what way?” she asked.

“We heard from Franklin after you went to bed last night,” Lord Torbay replied.

“Do you have any news of Grace?” she asked anxiously.

“She’s perfectly safe and well and still in Sloane Street.”

“Thank goodness. I thought he might hide her away somewhere.” Eva looked away, taking a moment to recover her composure. “Still I suppose her being in Sloane Street amounts to the same thing since I can’t get to her there. Still, it comforts me to know we are at least in the same city.”

“Calm yourself,” Lord Isaac said. “Your separation won’t last for much longer.”

Eva didn’t see how he could be so sure but smiled her thanks anyway. “I pray you are right about that.”

Lord Isaac shot her a look. “We usually are right, even when people have entrenched ideas to the contrary.”

She blushed and lowered her gaze. “What else did Franklin have to say?”

“He happened to overhear a conversation between your husband and Stoneleigh last night,” Lord Torbay replied. “Your husband was furious because you failed to return to Whitechapel.”

Eva bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling. “Yes, I imagine he would have been.”

“He is now convinced you must be hiding out with one of your wealthy friends and is setting people to question servants.”

“Oh, that could be awkward.”

“None of mine will say a word,” Lord Torbay said with certainty.

She wanted to know how he could be so certain of that. Then she recalled Betsy’s glowing testament and was reassured.

“Franklin also overheard them say that whoever is controlling your husband’s efforts to steal the diamond is worried about your disappearance.”

She blinked. “Why should that matter to him?”

“You witnessed that murder, you know about the Sikhs and are obviously unwilling to return to your husband. In other words, you are out of control.”

“Yes, but—”

“Perhaps so unwilling to return home that you would be prepared to go to the authorities with your suspicions and see your husband taken into custody. We believe this person mixes in society, knows the circumstances of your forced marriage to Woodstock, your dissatisfaction with it and your desire to be rid of him. This would be the ideal way to bring that about. Worse, you might even have actual evidence of his intentions, which wouldn’t sit well with our as yet unknown mastermind.”

“Franklin was not so fortunate as to overhear the man’s name?”

“No, but he did learn that Woodstock is thinking of telling him you have returned.” Lord Torbay shook his head, looking as though he was enjoying himself. “Naturally, we cannot allow that happen.”

“How can you prevent it if you don’t know who he is?”

“I assume your husband reads the society column in
the Chronicle
every day.”

She felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “What are you two planning?”

“We thought it might interest him to read this in the newspaper tomorrow morning,” Lord Isaac replied.

He turned a piece of paper towards her and Eva read a statement they had prepared.

Sighs of disappointment could be heard across London six years ago when Lady Eva Redbridge, only daughter of the Earl and Countess of Portslade and sensation of the season, shocked society by marrying way beneath herself. The lovely debutante could have taken her pick from a whole raft of suitable admirers but no one had heard of her actual choice and were unable to explain why it was permitted. Her father had died suddenly the year before, so perhaps her judgement was impaired by grief
.

William Woodstock was and still is a merchant with a dubious reputation and manner to match. Nothing is known about his origins and Woodstock is reported to be tight-lipped on the subject
.

Lady Eva continues to be accepted by society but her power-hungry husband fails to excite. Could that be why Lady Eva has mysteriously disappeared? She has not been seen at Woodstock’s Sloane Street home for over a week and Woodstock is reported to be desperate to find her, although not desperate enough to involve the authorities in the search. Lad Eva is known to be devoted to her daughter but the child remains at Sloane Street, awaiting her mother’s return
.

Eva looked up from the piece and gasped.

“You cannot have that printed. It will lead straight back to you.”

Lord Torbay shot her a wounded look. “Credit me with more guile than that.”

“It will infuriate your husband and worry the man controlling him,” Lord Isaac added.

“What it won’t do is place you in any danger.” Lord Isaac looked absolutely determined on that score. “Jake insists you remain here, where no one can get anywhere near you.”

Lord Torbay inclined his head. “Absolutely.”

“Will it make them drop the plans for the theft?”

“We think not,” Lord Torbay replied. “The man behind it is absolutely determined to go ahead no matter what, but it might well flush him out.”

“The question is,” Lord Isaac added, “are you prepared for us to use this ruse? You will be absolutely safe but the final word still rests with you.”

Eva didn’t even need to think about it. “I trust your judgement absolutely, gentlemen. If you think it will work then by all means go ahead.”

“Thank you.” Lord Torbay smiled at her. “It will help considerably but is by no means our only angle of attack. Your husband plans for your daughter’s outings to the park to resume today.”

“Oh. Do you know why?”

“No, unfortunately Franklin didn’t overhear Woodstock making the arrangements. He heard about it from Mary.”

Eva closed her eyes and threw her head back, willing the tears she felt building not to fall. “Oh, how I wish.”

“We know what you wish.” Lord Isaac covered one of her hands with his own. “Unfortunately you cannot risk going anywhere near the park.”

“But someone else can,” Lord Torbay said.

“Not you, obviously.”

“No, not me.” Parker entered the room and nodded. “And she’s here now. Send her in please, Parker.”

A stunningly beautiful lady with dark hair and darker eyes sailed into the room, dressed in the height of fashion. Both gentlemen greeted her with informality, especially Lord Torbay, Eva noticed. She looked familiar. Eva was sure they had met before but was unable to place her.

“Lady Eva,” Lord Torbay said. “May I present Mrs. Olivia Grantley?”

“Mrs. Grantley. Of course, we came out together.” Eva recalled taking an immediate liking to her when they first met six years ago. She had made fun of the whole business of being presented, eradicating much of Eva’s fear. “How nice to see you again.”

Olivia Grantley smiled as the ladies shook hands. “We were both predicted to make fantastic matches, but neither of us did terribly well as it turns out.”

Her candour was refreshing. “Your husband died,” Eva said. “I am sorry.”

Mrs. Grantley smiled as she seated herself beside Eva. “There is no need to be so delicate. Marcus was violently killed and everyone thought I was responsible. Between you and me, the world is a better place without him, but that doesn’t mean I sent him on his way. Were it not for Jake,” she added in a matter-of-fact voice, “I would have hanged for a crime I did not commit.”

“How terrifying.”

“It was certainly inconvenient, especially since I was innocent.”

“Well yes, I imagine it must have been.”

“Now, of course, I’m
persona non-grata
in some circles.”

“Nonsense,” Lord Isaac said. “You are still invited everywhere.”

“Yes, because I am so notorious. People are fascinated by me and can’t quite decide if I was actually guilty or not, even though Jake exposed the true villains. Some would have it I was in league with the rogues, which I find most insulting. If I
had
wanted to kill Marcus, I was more than capable of carrying out the deed unaided,
and
I would have made a much better job of it.”

Eva was slightly overwhelmed by the lady’s frankness, to say nothing of her engaging personality. “I am very glad Lord Torbay was there when you needed him,” she said.

“He has a happy knack of being in the right place at the right time.” Mrs. Grantley flashed a saucy smile. “Jake excels at rescuing damsels in distress.”

Eva looked down, plucking imaginary specks from her skirts. “I doubt if he can rescue me.”

“Of course he can. Jake can do anything he sets his mind to.”

“Olivia, please stop speaking about me as though I wasn’t in the room.”

“Oh, are you here?” She elevated one brow. “I was so enjoying my conversation with Lady Eva that I had forgotten all about you and Isaac.”

“Obviously we are easily forgettable,” Lord Isaac replied, chuckling.

“Mrs. Grantley has a son who is a little older than your daughter, Lady Eva,” Lord Torbay explained. “They are about to take a turn in Holland Park. If anyone can get your daughter’s nursemaid to open up about events inside your husband’s household, then it is Olivia. As you have just discovered for yourself, conversation comes easily to her.”

Mrs. Grantley sent Lord Torbay a challenging smile. “Is that your way of saying I talk too much, Jake?”

“It was meant as a compliment, Olivia.”

“Hmm, of course it was.” Mrs. Grantley turned her nose up at Lord Torbay and then looked at Eva. “Now, tell me about your daughter’s nursemaid.”

“Mary is the only servant appointed by me.”

Mrs. Grantley looked astonished. “Your husband does not allow you to choose your own servants?”

“Absolutely not. That would mean I had people to take my side against him, which is a risk he would never entertain. The only reason I was allowed to appoint Mary is because he takes no interest whatsoever in our daughter.”

Lord Torbay appeared pensive. “Mary is loyal to you?”

“Indeed, yes. We are firm friends. She’s the only person in Sloane Street whom I can safely confide in, although even then I must be cautious.”

“Call it off, Jake,” Lord Isaac said. “I very much doubt if Mary knows anything that will help us and so there is nothing to be gained from it.”

“She would speak to you, Mrs. Grantley, if she knew you had been sent by me.” Eva tried not to show her anxiety. “She must wonder what has become of me. I would like to set her mind at rest, and am also desperate for a first hand report on Gracie’s welfare.”

“So, if Olivia lets Mary know the two of you are in contact, she will tell you whatever she knows?” Lord Torbay asked.

“Yes, I am sure she will.” Eva paused. “If you were to ask her how her mother’s arthritis is, she will know I sent you. No one else knows about her mother, or her ailments.”

“It’s worth a try,” Mrs. Grantley said.

Eva desperately wanted news of Grace, but still worried that Mary might somehow give herself away. She was a straightforward country girl, not used to duplicity. “Please don’t place yourself any in danger for my sake, Mrs. Grantley. My husband can be vicious and downright cruel if he thinks a person is conspiring against him.”

“It’s kind of you to concern yourself about me, Lady Eva, but rest assured I am well able to take care of myself. I often help Jake with his little assignments. No one suspects a weak woman of involvement, you see.”