Malia Martin (33 page)

“You’re right,” he said softly. “I’m afraid of being afraid.”

Prudence arrived at Roger’s Seat early. She pushed herself up into the niche in the wall, swung her feet, and watched a mother bird feeding her babies in the tree over her head.

“My goodness, ’tis a goddess awaiting my arrival.”

Prudence glanced down at Viscount Leighton and could not help but laugh as he swirled his greatcoat in an elaborate gesture and bowed as if he greeted a royal.

“My lord,” she said with a nod of her head, but did not give up her perch in Roger’s Seat.

Leighton turned and leaned his back against the wall beside her. “So,” he said, crossing his arms in front of him. “I have pondered our predicament this afternoon and have decided that I should reveal everything to you. Including the fact that my grandfather is a raving loon.”

“I had already deduced that.”

“Yes, it isn’t hard.”

Leighton sighed rather sadly.

Prudence turned her gaze up to watch another small hatchling receive its dinner from its mother’s mouth. “You said, ‘our predicament.’ How is this
our
predicament?”

“For all this”—Leighton gestured to his fine clothes—“I am a very simple man, Mrs. Ashley. I am led by my emotions, and I don’t mind admitting it. I like you. I don’t like my grandfather.” He frowned and looked away from her. “I would like to help you, if I can. Because I have a feeling you need help.”

Prudence laughed shortly. “Quite an understatement. Your grandfather needs the Wolf, and I have decided that I can no longer be the Wolf.”

Leighton pushed away from his languid position against the wall and turned his eyes on her. “Hmm.”

“Yes, that would put a damper on your income.”

Leighton shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter to me. It’s not my income after all, just my inheritance. And I don’t really expect to receive that anyway. I’m rather sure old Wimsley will find some way to remind me of what a terrible disgrace I am to the family from his grave.”

“Then perhaps you really can help me.”

Leighton smiled his beautiful smile. “Of course, Mrs. Ashley, I am at your service. I could never deny a woman in love.”

Prudence blinked.

“This is all because you love the captain, is it not?”

She rolled her eyes, ready to deny such an accusation, and then realized there was no reason to do such a thing. “Yes, I love my husband.”

And she was willing to give up her role as the Wolf for him. But she wasn’t willing to let the people of Gravesly fend for themselves. She pushed off of her perch. “Shall we walk?”

“With you on my arm,” he said, holding out his elbow, “I would walk to the ends of the earth.”

Prudence placed her gloved fingers on his arm. “My problem is twofold. There is your grandfather to appease, and Gravesly to save.”

“Neither an easy thing to do.”

“Quite right.”

They walked without speaking for a while.

“Money would appease Grandfather,” Leighton noted. “Lots of it, I think.”

Pru laughed. “Your grandfather already
has
most of my money.”

“You could ask your husband.”

“No.”

“Right.”

They continued their stroll.

“Could you find someone to take over the business for you? Clifton?”

Prudence shook her head. “Why do you think my husband asked me, a woman, to take over at his death? There is no one else.” She stopped and turned to look at Leighton. “The situation in Gravesly is unique. We are the only smuggling gang that has been able to keep violence out of the equation. The town is safe for everyone. We have never killed any of the excise men or government agents. In fact, I really believe that is the reason we have been left alone for the most part.”

“Until Captain Ashley happened upon the scene.”

“Yes. Anyway, the people of Gravesly need a firm hand to keep them from becoming like all the other smuggling towns in the area, and my husband believed that having a strong person in charge, a person who cared and was looked up to as someone above the rest, was the best way to accomplish the task.”

“And he was right, obviously.” Leighton drummed his fingers against his leg for a moment. “You would need a peer, then, a peer with the best interests of Gravesly at heart who lives among them so they would trust him … or her.” With a shake of his head, Leighton glanced down at her. “You are the only one.”

Prudence sighed, her shoulders rising and falling. “I am the only one.” Despair made her feel weak. She left Leighton and sank onto a garden seat at the side of the path.

“It is too bad Gravesly could not be like Brighton, really. Brighton is able to survive without smuggling because of the money spent there when the peers are in residence.”

Prudence nodded as Leighton sat beside her. “And Gravesly is ever so much more pleasant than Brighton.”

“Really?” he asked. “I would love to see it, then.”

They sat silently, each mulling ideas until Leighton suddenly laughed. “Mrs. Ashley, what if you took the
ton
to see Gravesly?”

“Whatever do you mean, man?”

Leighton stood, his features animated as he laughed again. He did a little pirouette. “I have the most perfect idea, but we must start on it immediately.” He grabbed Pru’s arm and nearly launched her from her seat. “Come dear, we have work to do. And while we work, we shall think on the problem of Grandfather. Of course”—he winked at her—“we can always hope the man sticks his spoon in the wall. I’ve been praying for his death for years.”

L
eighton’s plan was working startlingly well. In only two days, Prudence had become the talk of the
ton
. She had to admit, of course, that they had been interested in her before. She just had not taken advantage of that interest.

Now, with the viscount’s help, Prudence had found someone to cut her hair, a daring do, actually, that was quite short and curly. She absolutely loved it. And the viscount had directed her to a modiste who had been able to fit her with a few beautiful gowns and deliver them before the end of the first day.

Prudence Ashley had hit her next ball looking like the muse Leighton had called her and just brimming with charm and excitement. The buzz had begun, and now only three days later, the entire town spoke of what a beautiful woman Mrs. Ashley was, how very interesting her conversation seemed, and how incredibly fashionable her clothes were.

She was a hit.

Leighton, as he said, had never had a moment’s doubt that she could do exactly as he had outlined in his plan. And now, Prudence just needed to talk of Gravesly, and their plan would be on the way to complete success.

Of course, Captain Ashley had not really spoken to her since the day he had found her sneaking in her sitting-room window, but he had informed her that Clifton would be staying on in Gravesly and not be forced to leave the country.

This information definitely lifted Pru’s spirits and made her believe that perhaps her dearest husband had a bit of a soft spot for her.

Unfortunately, that soft spot was not showing this evening. As he had said before, he now accompanied her to every one of her engagements, still outlined each day by Jenkins.

This, actually, had caught the morbid fascination of the
ton
as well. It was being whispered about that Captain Ashley was besotted with his wife and would not let her out of his sight. As this was quite a phenomenon, Pru could feel the eyes of nearly every person in the crush at the Belmont Ball turn toward them when they were announced.

“Really, James, I shall not run off to do anything horrible, I promise,” she said to her husband, as they pushed their way into the crowded ballroom. “I will be right here when you return with my punch.”

The poor man contemplated her for a moment, then bowed slightly. “If you are gone when I return, I will hunt you down like a wolf,” he said softly, and turned into the press of people around them.

Prudence actually giggled, then set her attention to the women who had started to gather. A few, she noticed, had cut their hair just like hers.

Leighton had said that it would happen, but she had not believed him in the least.

“Oooh,” said one of the younger ladies, a Mrs. Hampton if Pru remembered right. “Your husband looks absolutely dashing this evening, Mrs. Ashley.”

“Shush, Leta,” said Lady Rawley.

Mrs. Hampton, who could not be much older than eighteen, blinked and seemed to shrink two inches.

Pru linked her arm through Mrs. Hampton’s. “He’s lovely, isn’t he?” she whispered so that only the younger girl could hear, and then turned to smile at the other women. Their circle became larger with each passing minute. There were a few brave men as well.

Perfect.

“Actually,” she said with just a bit of a tremor traveling up her legs and knocking her knees together, “I am just thrilled with my husband. I am so glad that he came down to Gravesly on assignment.”

“Of course, you could have come up here to London, Mrs. Ashley,” Lady Rawley said. “And then, perhaps, you would have met him ever so much sooner.”

“Yes, and it would have given others a chance at snapping you up!” one of the men guffawed.

A few of the older women frowned, but Mrs. Hampton giggled. “Actually,” Pru said, sending up a little prayer of thanks to God for such a lovely opening, “it would have never happened here in London.”

“Whyever not?”

Pru shrugged and sighed dreamily. “Gravesly is so incredibly romantic. Our love for one another could have begun in no other place.”

“Gravesly? Romantic?” Lord Tilton asked disbelievingly. “Isn’t it just a little port town?”

“Oh goodness, no,” Prudence said quickly. “Gravesly is truly lovely. We’re ever so grateful, really, that the people of London have not found it as they have Brighton.”

“Is there anything to do there?” asked a very disbelieving Mrs. Hampton.

“Oh yes, I am so very glad its charms have been kept secret for so long, so that it is not over-run like Brighton.” Prudence crinkled her nose in disgust.

“No, our little Gravesly is lovely and quaint. Gravesly Bay is a very nice beach, and, of course, the waters are said to correct every type of ill.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and everyone knows that sea air is very good for you,” Prudence added.

“Yes, I’ve heard that,” said Lord Tilton.

Prudence nodded. “And you know,” she said suddenly, “Gravesly is going to have their big fair next week. I am planning to attend, of course.”

“Fair?” someone asked.

“Oh yes,” Prudence said. “It is wonderful. There are games and Mrs. Sawyer sells her incredible strawberry jellies and oh …” she made a small sound of pure enjoyment. “The cakes that the baker puts out are something every person should try at least once before they die.”

“We never said anything about a fair,” Leighton said the next day when she accepted him into the parlor at Ashley House.

“Nor did we say anything about you coming here,” she countered glancing toward the door. “I’m sure the butler will announce your presence to Ashley. My husband is only in his study.”

Leighton shrugged. “I have something to tell both of you.”

“Both of us?”

Without answering, Leighton went to stand before the large fireplace. He stared into the dancing flames for a moment, then turned toward her.

“I have been investigating the story you told me. The one of the woman who claimed to be Albert James Von Schubert’s wife so many years ago.”

“That is his name? Your grandfather’s second son was named Albert James?”

Leighton tipped his head slightly.

“Oh.” Prudence backed up and sank into a chair.

“I had heard something of the story, though I had thought it to be a legend. With the details one servant gave me, I decided to see if I could find anything more. I thought, at first, that we could use the information to blackmail Grandfather.”

“And now you don’t think we can?” she asked.

“We could actually, easily.”

They stared at each other. “But …” she prompted.