Silver Sea (16 page)

"T-together? You don't mean...?"

"I fear so. If not
quite,
something very near. They were interrupted by the gardener, who had spied me a few minutes earlier."

"This is—simply shocking!"

"Really? Come now, my boy, do you mean to say that your set don't go in for love play?" Frakes-Hogg winked. "As for Adrienne Beauvisage, I can assure you that she is hardly the virtuous lady she pretends to be. Perhaps now you can understand why she has driven me to seek justice in my own way. I have been badly hurt by that baggage."

Huntsford Harms stared at the man across the table from him. He would not give up longing for Adrienne, but this news about her and Essex deepened his feelings of jealousy. Perhaps she was simply smitten because of his role as her protector? If so, the first step toward having Adrienne to himself would be to usurp Nathan Essex's place in her life.

Fiddling with his watch fob, Huntsford muttered, "I can see now that I have misjudged both of them. And your revelation calls to mind something that was said about Nathan Essex the other night. I didn't give it any credence at the time..."

"About
him? Hurry, damn it! What is it?"

Huntsford pursed his lips. "I think that this information is far too valuable to be
given
away. I think that this might be a good time for you to make another payment toward my gambling debts."

"Are you referring to the three thousand pounds I promised when our project is finished?"

"I think I should receive that, as planned, plus an additional two thousand tonight for the information I am about to pass along."

"The Tulip of Fashion would seem to be growing fangs and claws!" Frakes-Hogg stared hard, but he could not force one crack in the young man's smooth, handsome visage. There were already enough problems that could crop up at Harms Castle; it didn't seem wise to risk losing Huntsford as an ally. "By Jove, you're coming along magnificently, my boy! Learning well. I'm impressed, and pleased to give you the additional sums. You may come back to my rooms when we're finished here, and I'll pay you immediately. Ah, I see that I've made you smile. Good show."

"I'm glad that we are in accord, sir. And, you'll be glad when you hear what my guest Lucy Beauchamp had to say about Nathan Essex." Lounging in his chair, Harms began his tale. "One recent night my friends and I were in one of the common rooms of the castle, and Essex appeared. He'd apparently forgotten his spectacles, and when he left, Lucy remarked that he looked exactly like a certain roguish sea captain who had become rather mythic in London of late. The ton took to calling him the Scapegrace...."

"By God, I know about the sea captain you're speaking of! He's known for daring exploits at sea and is quite the rake when on land! But, the Scapegrace's name is Nathan
Raveneau
, not cursed Essex! " Walter Frakes-Hogg's eyes were ebony flames. Other people in the taproom were turning to see what the fuss was about, so he made an effort to keep himself in check. "Could it
be?"

"If it's true that he's in disguise," Huntsford mused, "then I wonder what the purpose might be. Why would a sea captain want to play nursemaid to my mother's paid companion?"

"It's quite inexplicable, but I do know now why I despised Essex at first sight." Sipping his third brandy, red-cheeked, Frakes-Hogg seemed to forget that he was speaking aloud. "The bloody Scapegrace has been a thorn in the side of my business partner, Xavier Crowe. They both live in Barbados, and Raveneau is one of those insufferable men who feels duty-bound to impose his rules of conduct on everyone else. He has hounded poor Xavier almost from the day my friend arrived on the island."

"Barbados! I've always wanted to go there." Sighing, Huntsford reasoned, "Perhaps if I tell Adrienne the truth about Essex, she'll simply send him away."

"Or, more likely, she'll want the dashing Scapegrace even more than she does the bourgeois Nathan Essex!"

Huntsford's brown eyes widened. He took snuff and bit his lip. "That's a good point. She might do."

"Lean closer, my boy, and heed me well." The skin tightened over Frakes-Hogg's cheekbones as he bent across the table. "There's nothing for it but to put him out of the way, perhaps even before I resolve matters with Adrienne. If you help me finish off Raveneau, I'll see to it that you not only have the means to pay off all your debts, but to travel to Barbados—to stay, if you like. Xavier has a grand mansion called Crowe's Nest, and he would be eternally grateful to you for helping dispose of his nemesis. Do you take my meaning?"

Huntsford gulped. "Yes. Yes, I do." The thought of murder turned his stomach. "I'll find a way, sir. I accept."

Part Two

Come, woo me, woo me; for now I am in a holiday

humour, and like enough to consent.

—William Shakespeare

Chapter 9

The sight of Nathan made her almost giddy. How odd it was for Adrienne to realize that she now gazed fondly at his worn top boots and dreamed of tightening buttons and mending the frayed places in his jacket.

"Who will have more soused herrings?" Lady Thomasina was looking at Nathan as she gestured at the array of silver breakfast dishes that lined the sideboard. "They're very fresh. I am also very pleased with the honeycomb. Isn't it delicious, Miss Beau?"

"Mmm. Yes!" Adrienne was glowing. The days since their run-in with Walter Frakes-Hogg had been rich with pleasure. Nathan was careful to stay close at hand, fearing that the villain would strike again, and the two of them had decided on a joint project: an attempt to improve Lady Thomasina's lot in life. They'd made suggestions for small events like this morning's formal breakfast in the dining room, which would nudge the old woman to venture out of her rooms before noon. In some cases, her ladyship dug in her heels and clung to more slothful habits, but she had made changes, and Adrienne and Nathan were hopeful.

"Have you given any more thought to an outing, my lady?" Nathan helped himself to more herring and poured fresh chocolate for Adrienne from a silver pot.

"You two are becoming rather annoying on this subject!" Lady Thomasina smiled as she spoke and finished her buttered eggs. "Besides, it's raining."

"Would you prefer to have people in?" Adrienne wondered. "We could arrange a reception for local neighbors. There must be people you knew in years gone by with whom you've lost touch. I am convinced that human contact would be a great tonic for you, my lady."

"I thought I had hired
you
to provide companionship! And we have Mr. Essex with us, and dear Hunty and his lovely friends. I don't need any other tonics."

Nathan passed her a scone with clotted cream. "I see a furrow in your brow, my lady. Why not give us one of your lovely smiles instead? Haven't you noticed the rays of sun breaking through the dark clouds?"

"If you're going to force me to go out or have people in, I shall choose the former. Perhaps we might visit Winchester's lending library and inquire exactly when we might expect Mary Shelley's
Frankenstein.
Alistair has read it and he says it is quite terrifying!" She scowled again, this time in the direction of the five extra place settings down the table. "I do wish those young people would make a little effort to placate me. They did say that they would join us this morning, didn't they?"

Jarrow sidled over from the doorway. "I beg your pardon, my lady, but I may be able to explain the absence of Lord Harms and his friends from the breakfast table. I believe that the time may have gotten away from them last night. The ladies are still sleeping—"

"What about Hunty? One expects a bit more from one's own son!"

"Quite so, my lady," the butler agreed, nodding his big head. "However, as you doubtless know, his lordship requires several hours to bathe and dress."

Adrienne couldn't resist interjecting, "Would it be improper for me to ask if it is true that Lord Harms bathes each morning in water mixed with eau de cologne? I find that notion fascinating!"

"Indeed, his lordship uses imported eau de cologne," Jarrow confirmed. "His bath is a very involved process, followed by shaving, the dressing of his hair, and the arrangement of his cravat, known as 'creasing down.' His lordship's valet, Roland, works night and day to keep his possessions immaculate."

Lady Thomasina shook her head with a mixture of pride and annoyance. "I don't know where he gets it. All that fussing is a great waste of time, I'd say."

The sound of Nathan's decidedly sardonic chuckle caused Adrienne to take a different tack. "Speaking of new books—"

"Were we?" Nathan wondered. "I was hoping to hear more about the habits of Lord Harms and Roland."

Adrienne hiked up her skirt and gave him a slight kick under the table, smiling politely. "You jest, as always, Mr. Essex. Her ladyship expressed a desire to go into Winchester, in search of new books. I am a great admirer of Jane Austen—"

"Ah, Miss Beau, again we are in accord!" cried Lady Thomasina. "Are you aware that there will soon be two more of Miss Austen's books published?"

"I am! One, I am told, was written some years ago but was mislaid until now by her publisher, and the second novel, called
Persuasion,
was completed just months before Miss Austen's... death." Adrienne's expression changed from lively enthusiasm to sadness. "When I was in school, I saw her once at a millener's in London. I told her how deeply I admired her work, and she was so very kind; warm and genuinely modest. When Miss Austen died last summer, I grieved, truly...."

"You do know that she was living in Winchester at the time of her passing?" Lady Thomasina asked softly. "Jane Austen now rests in the nave of our cathedral."

Adrienne nodded, bright-eyed. "The bookbinder reminded me during my visit to his shop. Oh, my lady, he told me that Miss Austen's house is located on College Street, just a short distance from the cathedral. I would love to make a pilgrimage there, and then to take flowers to her final resting place. Would you not come with me?"

"All three of us can make the journey," Nathan said. "And I know an inn where we can take luncheon."

"I must admit," her ladyship conceded, "that would be a meaningful outing. We can visit the lending library as well. Perhaps we ought to get out Miss Austen's other books and read them aloud. I have been missing the Bennet family."

"Oh, yes, let's read
Pride and Prejudice
first!" Adrienne got up, bent next to Lady Thomasina's chair and reached for her plump hand. It was an act of great fondness, given the stale smell of her perfume and powder. "And then next, shall it be
Emma?
I do so agree with her views on the respectability of old maids! How pleasant it is to discover more common ground between us, my lady."

"We may agree about Jane Austen, but not about old maids." She waggled a finger at the girl. "You're not fit to live without a man. There's a fire in you, Miss Beau, whether you realize it or not!"

Across from them, Nathan raised a teacup to hide his smile, but when Lady Thomasina glanced his way he gave her a fleeting wink.

* * *

"I despise that little beast," Huntsford Harms muttered to his friends.

Alistair looked up from the billiard table in time to see Angus the terrier enter the gallery, a scrap of blue glove dangling jauntily from his mouth. "I think he's delightful."

"Thank goodness that my little Peter is napping on my bed," cried Lucy. "He is frightfully upset by that other... animal." She was sitting on a gilt chair under two portraits of Lady Thomasina's Tudor ancestors. As Angus trotted near, Lucy bent down and hissed, "Go away, if you know what's good for you! Shoo!"

"Grrrr..." replied Angus, shaking his head for emphasis.

"You hideous rodent!" Harms thundered. "You're lucky to be alive!" He ran at the terrier, waving his arms, and Angus scurried away as quickly as his old legs would allow.

"I say, old chap! Wasn't that a remnant of your glove in his mouth?" Alistair queried playfully. His friend gave him a dark scowl in passing, and he went on, "What's got you in such poor spirits? You've been spoiling for a fight all afternoon!"