Taming the Wicked Wulfe (The Rogue Agents) (26 page)

“Justin,” Clarissa said.

“Clare, we are all friends in here.
 
At least, I hope we are,” he said looking pointedly at Thorn.

Wulfe held up his hands as if in surrender.
 
“I am on your side, Southerby,” Thorn said.
 

“I sincerely hope that is true,” Southerby said.

Rebekah found herself looking at the three other adults in the carriage with confusion.
 
There was some underlying meaning in regards to the exchange of words they just had, and she could not understand what they were.
 
Choosing to ignore it for the time being, she turned to Clarissa, “Thank you for sending Mrs. Gunther.”

“She did a marvelous job.
 
I am glad you are pleased.”

“Do you think Mrs. Gunther would be willing to be a lady’s maid?”

“Shouldn’t we interview for that position?” Wulfe asked.

“I like her,” Rebekah said stubbornly.

“I can vouch for her references,” Southerby chimed in.

“We will discuss this later,” Thorn said.

They traveled on to the location of the ball in awkward silence.
 
Rebekah found herself feeling like a child that had been reprimanded for doing nothing wrong.
 
Refusing to act petulantly, she stiffened her spine and slightly tipped her chin.
 
She found herself sending up a little prayer of thanks when the coach came to a halt, indicating they had arrived at their destination.
 
She scooted to the edge of her seat, ready for the door to open and disembark.

“What are you doing?” Thorn asked her, still leaning back, relaxed against the squabs.
 

“Getting ready to leave the coach,” she said, slowly, as if dealing with a dimwit.

“It will be at least another half hour before we can exit, the carriage,” Clarissa said.
 
“You see, our carriage has just entered the line with the others to see people off.”

Rebekah craned her neck around to look out the window in the twilight.
 
Indeed there was a line of carriages in front of them.
 
She fell back against the squabs on her and Clarissa’s side of the coach in frustration.
 
“Is there anything else I should know before we disembark?
 
It seems we have plenty of time for a lesson.”
 
When they finally were able to leave their carriage, Rebekah found herself regretting having asked for a lesson.
 
Her head pounded with all the do’s and do not’s she was instructed on.

The two couples entered the house and went through the receiving line.
 
The Duchess of Richmond seemed to be very kind.
 
The Duke of Richmond looked stern and as if he would rather be in the middle of a battlefield than here.
 
They arrived at the top of the stairs that entered into the ballroom.
 
Rebekah and Thorn stood in line, waiting for their name to be called.
 
Thorn took her arm and threaded it through his.
 
Clarissa and Justin had been introduced and were descending into the throng of people.

“I can’t do this,” Rebekah said, panic in her voice.

“Of course you can,” Thorn said.
 
“Take a deep breath, and smile.”
 
He handed the announcer the invitation with their name on it.

“Lord and Lady Thornton Wulfe,” the man called.

A ripple went through the crowd and Rebekah felt like hundreds, if not thousands of eyes were on her.
 
“They’re staring at me,” she whispered.

“They’ve never seen such a beautiful creature before.
 
Smile,” he squeezed her hand and assisted her down the stairs.
 
They began wading through the crowd.
 

Several men stopped them to speak to Wulfe.
 
She felt eyes following them wherever they went.
 
Trying to look without anyone noticing that she was spying on them, she saw men and women alike staring. The men looked as if they were ravenous and wanted to devour her.
 
The women looked vicious and catty.
 
People came up on the pretext of talking to Thorn and instead wanted to be introduced to her.
 
Everyone wanted to know who the woman was who was willing to brave society and be seen in public with the wicked Lord Wulfe.
 

Wulfe found people’s reactions to his marriage to be quite funny.
 
Many called him a liar.
 
Others thought it was funny that he had dressed up his mistress, Aimée, and tried to pawn her off as his wife.
 
No wonder they did not believe Rebekah was his wife.
 
For some reason, of which he was not privy, she was not wearing the signet ring that had served as a wedding ring. Most of the men they had talked to, had spent some time at
Lady Luck
and knew Aimée well.
 
The ring could be easily rectified.
 
Aimée would prove somewhat harder to deal with, especially since she now turned to Glandingham as her protector.

Rebekah’s skin felt as if hundreds of tiny little insects were using her as a road.
 
She tried not to give in to the feeling.
 
The women had gone from looking at her with curiosity to giving her looks of pity, revulsion, and hatred.
 
She suspected they all knew what her husband did.
 
Did those that glared at her with revulsion hate her because their husbands had been fleeced of their money by Thorn?
 
Rebekah also guessed that the women that looked at her with something akin to hatred wanted her husband warming their beds.
 
Little did they know that he did not even warm hers. Why had they come to this ball?
 
They were pariah’s among society.
 

A footmen dressed in livery passed by with a tray of glasses.
 
Rebekah took one and quickly gulped it down.
 
She made a face and held a hand to her nose.
 
“What was that?
 
My nose tickles.”

“Whoa now,” Thorn said, taking the glass from her.
 
“Champagne, and I suggest that is the only one you drink.”

Rebekah felt her arms turning somewhat languid and found she enjoyed the feeling.
 
“Oh, look, there is Lord and Lady Blackburn,” she said, giving a little wave.
 
Another man dressed in livery passed her and she took another glass, sipping the contents this time.
 
The effervescence tickled her nose, keeping her mind off the stares she had begun to receive.

“Rebekah, you look absolutely gorgeous,” Tessa said.
 
“Doesn’t she Derek?”

“Love, there are some things a man knows not to answer.
 
Wulfe, let’s go get a drink,” Blackburn patted Thorn on the back.

“Will you be all right?” Thorn asked Rebekah.

“Of course she will.
 
I am here, and Clarissa is working her way this direction as well.”
 
Rebekah watched Wulfe nod and follow the other man into the bowels of the home.
 
She found herself wishing she could accompany them and disappear from all the people that surrounded them.
 
There were so many prying eyes and speculation.

“It is difficult living the way you are, isn’t it?” Lady Blackburn asked.

“Whatever do you mean, Lady Blackburn?”

“Tessa, remember.
 
I know how it is to live with secrets.
 
Not knowing who to trust.
 
I didn’t even know if I could trust my husband, yet my life depended on him.
 
It was a scary time for me.”

“We do not have any secrets, Tessa.
 
I know how my husband makes his money.”

“Yes, on behalf of the office.
 
You must remember that.
 
It helps you through the hard times.”

“What are you talking about?”

“How are you doing, cousin dear?” Clarissa came up to the other two women.

“I want to know what Lady Blackburn is talking about, and I want to know now,” Rebekah could hear her voice rising in agitation, but could do nothing to halt it.

“I’ll explain in a moment,” Tessa said as Clarissa shot her a curious glare.
 
“Let’s remove ourselves to the terrace.”

Chapter 14

There were several couples hiding in the shadows of the terrace, so the women took a stroll in the torch-lit gardens.
 
When they were far from the house and prying ears, Rebekah turned on the other two.

“I want to know what you two are talking about.”
 
Rebekah started to take another drink of champagne, but Clarissa swooped in, taking it from her, and pouring it into the hedges.
 
“I was drinking that!”

“And if you are to deal with what we are going to tell you, then you need your head about you, not lost on champagne.”

“Tell me, then.
 
What is my husband doing besides running a gaming hell and very nearly a house of ill repute?”

“Your husband is an agent of the Crown,” Tessa said, a stern look on her face.

Rebekah laughed out loud, unable to control herself.
 
“That is a good farce.
 
Now, tell me the truth, and no need to spare my feelings.
 
I already think the worst about him.”

“Rebekah, she isn’t
lying
to you,” Clarissa said softly.

“Not you, too,” Rebekah said.
 
“This is really too much.
 
You expect me to believe that Thorn Wulfe is a…a…”

“He is an agent,” Tessa said.
 
“Some people call them spies, but that seems to have such a negative connotation at times.
 
What our men do is for the good of England.”

“They have made it their top priority to stop Napoleon.”

Rebekah stared at the two other women, her mouth hanging open.
 
“You really believe this, don’t you?
 
The both of you believe Wulfe is a spy,” she spat the word out.
 
“I cannot begin to imagine how you would fall for something like that.
 
Who told you such nonsense.”

“Rebekah, what we are going to tell you, you cannot share with anyone.
 
We are putting the lives of our families in your hands.”

“I understand.
 
This information you are bestowing on me is monumental.”

“Our husbands are agents as well,” Tessa said.
 
“Derek and Wulfe serve the same office.”

“Justin works for another government office.”

“But it can’t be,” Rebekah said softly, swaying just a bit.
 

“Help her sit,” Tessa instructed as she grabbed one of Rebekah’s arms and Clarissa the other.
 
They moved her down the walk a few feet and helped her sit on the bench.
 

“When?
 
How?”

“That is for Thorn to tell you,” Tessa said.
 
“We cannot provide the answers you need.
 
Derek kept his involvement from me until both of our lives were in danger.”

“I knew from the beginning.
 
It was much easier going.”

“It can’t be,” Rebekah said.
 
“I’ve despised him for so long, for everything, including his occupation.
 
Perhaps it most of all.
 
And now the two of you tell me that he is an agent.
 
That he is trying to protect us from Napoleon.
 
It is too much.
 
I can’t believe it.
 
I won’t believe it.”
 
She stood up.
 
“If you will excuse me, I am going to return to the ball.
 
I find I would rather deal with the looks of pity, hate, and censure than listen to this fairy tale the two of you have spun.
 
I just can’t understand why you would even do such a thing.”

Tessa and Clarissa watched Rebekah storm back to the ballroom.

“Did we do the wrong thing?” Clarissa asked.
 
“She’s already been through so much.
 
I just wanted to help.

Tessa put a comforting arm around Clarissa, her Scottish accent strong as she spoke, “Give her time.
 
It is a lot to process.
 
She has a lot to work through.
 
She seems very angry and bitter.”

“I hope you are right,” Clarissa said worriedly.

“Look at all the trouble Mikala and I had not knowing the truth.
 
She just needs time to think about it.
 
Now, let’s go back to the ball and make sure she doesn’t do anything foolish.”

***

Rebekah walked into the stuffy, overly warm ballroom.
 
The first thing she did was to find a liveried footmen and retrieve another flute of champagne.
 
Then she began walking the perimeter of the room.
 
She spied her husband standing in a corner with Lords Southerby and Blackburn.
 
The handsome man from Gertie’s dinner party had joined the group.
 
What was his name?
 
She took another sip of champagne.
 
Mr. McKenzie!
 
But he had insisted she call him Mack.
 
Her mind went back to catching Mack and Thorn in that heated discussion at Gertie’s dinner party.
 
Were Clarissa and Tessa correct?
 
Could the gaming hell be a cover for something far more sinister?
 
Could their family be in danger?
 
She quickly drained the champagne glass.