The Clarendon Rose (23 page)

“How the devil did he get into my rooms?”

“He was the best, Clare.
 
You know that.”

“So what have you learned?”

His friend sighed.
 
“All the others have disappeared.
 
Berkley was last seen a little over three years ago, so one can only speculate what Pepridge was doing with himself before that.
 
The roses have been part of his modus operandi from the beginning.”
 
Lord Sebastian shrugged.
 
“That’s all I’ve been able to discover.”

“And you’ve got men watching the place?
 
Here and in London?”

Bastian shook his head.
 
“The men who are to be assigned to the manor were only dispatched this morning.
 
We’ll make sure that he doesn’t get through again, Clare.
 
Should we put a few fellows on staff as well, just to keep an eye on things?”

Clarendon nodded.
 
“Send them along and I’ll see to it that they’re found work to do.
 
They’ll have appropriate qualifications?
 
I wouldn’t want to tip anyone off.”

“Of course.
 
We have men who specialize in these sorts of things.”

Clarendon slanted a look at his old friend.
 
“You seem to have a goodly number of resources at your disposal.
 
Not that I’m complaining, of course.”

“When Farnsworth disappeared, it became an issue of national security—the possibility that this has something to do with our work rather than with some old scores to settle cannot be ignored until the case is solved.
 
And of course, the threat to one of the Peers of the Realm,” Bastian inclined his head at Clarendon, “is also an issue that potentially falls under our jurisdiction.”

Clarendon began pacing.
 
“Maybe we should call off the wedding, Bastian.
 
I don’t like the way things are developing.”

Bastian shook his head.
 
“He might not be alerted to the fact that I’ve started investigating him, Clare.
 
I don’t want him to become suspicious quite yet.
 
Give me another few days to marshal my resources.
 
Then, we can try to force his hand.”

Elsewhere in the manor, Jane fussed over Tina’s hair, all the while muttering to herself.
 
“… cropped style looks much better, suits yer face, Miss Tina.
 
But this silly curl won’t stay… ‘ll have to work on it, I think… better get to the coils in the back fer now, then ‘ll come back t’the curl…”

Tina tried not to fidget as Jane worked.
 
It usually was not a problem, but just knowing that Clarendon was elsewhere in the house, himself getting prepared for their upcoming nuptials, threw Tina into a state of agitation.

 
She swallowed and tried to calm herself.
 
Though the duke had returned the day before, special license in hand, Edmund and the duchess in tow, the situation still did not feel real.
 

No doubt, her deep weariness, stemming from four restless sleeps, added to her sense of unreality.
 
Everything seemed bright and slightly blurred around the edges.
 

She would be marrying a man in the vain hope that once whatever feelings he had for her subsided to a sedate friendship, her love for him and her devotion to the welfare of the estates, the tenants and the staff would be enough to sustain her.
 
Certainly, the latter was not to be forgotten, not when the entire staff had turned out to offer their good wishes with every appearance of genuine warmth.
 
Tina had been grateful for their support.

Still, there were plenty of other things to worry about, without the additional concern that the servants might not accept her new position.
 
The duchess, for instance.
 
True to form, upon returning to Loughton Manor, the woman had given her one disdainful glance, then retired to her private apartments with a sniff.
 
Close on her heels, Edmund had grinned and winked at Tina.
 

“Pity you missed the fireworks at the townhouse when Clarendon made the announcement,” he murmured once he had come to stand beside Tina.
 
They watched the duchess ascend the stairs, her back stiff with outraged propriety.

“High Drama, was it?”

He nodded.
 
“You must know by now that Mother would have it no other way.
 
She truly missed her calling by becoming a duchess rather than taking to the stage.
 
And, just for the occasion, the Drama was of a higher caliber than usual.
 
I truly
almost
didn’t notice the little sidle that positioned her beside the couch before she collapsed onto it in a dead faint.”

Tina couldn’t suppress her rueful chuckle, even as she worried over how Clarendon had felt about his mother’s reaction.
 
Might her disapproval have given him second thoughts?

“Of course, where my gentle pats to the cheek failed to produce any response, Clarendon’s loud suggestion that we try dousing her face with water from one of the vases was miraculously timed to precede her revival by mere seconds.”

Tina laughed.
 
“A coincidence, no doubt.”

“It could hardly have been otherwise,” Edmund agreed, at his most bland.
 
He turned and smiled down at her, before growing serious.
 
“But you should know that Clarendon suggested that if Mother felt the manor might be too crowded with two duchesses under one roof, then she would be invited to take up residence at Clarendon House.”

Tina’s eyes widened.
 
“He didn’t!
 
But that’s over a week’s journey away.”

“Precisely so.”
 
Edmund spoke with immense satisfaction.
 
“But I’ve been remiss in offering my congratulations, Tina my sweet.
 
May it be a long and fruitful union.”
 

Tina smiled back at him.
 
You know this family and these estates better than you knew your own father.
 
This will be a good marriage.
 
So why, then, did she continue to fret about it?
 
Why was she so wound with nervous tension that she had hardly known what to do with herself these last days?
 
Just the usual jitters.
 
“Thank you, my dear.
 
Will you walk me down the aisle, then?”

Edmund squeezed her shoulders affectionately.
 
“Unfortunately, I’ve already been recruited for duty as my brother’s groomsman.
 
If only there were two of me—but there isn’t.
 
And trying to do both might come over as a little more farcical than you want.”

“Of course—I should have realized.
 
But that’s wonderful!
 
I’m so glad.
 
And I suppose, given that we were engaged until recently, it might seem a little odd to have you giving me away.”

Edmund chuckled.
 
“I suppose it would, at that!
 
People might mistake it for a symbolic re-enactment of recent events,” he said, eliciting a laugh from Tina.

“May I share in the joke?” Clarendon asked as he entered the front hall.
 
Tina’s grin faded as she looked at him, avidly observing the details of his appearance.
 
His smile seemed strained as he walked towards them, but then again, she knew that he and Edmund had shared a closed coach with the duchess, which was undoubtedly enough to tax all but the patience of a saint.
 

Still, he looked glorious, his dark hair falling across his forehead in casual disarray.
 
She took in the firm lines of his body, perfectly outlined by the immaculate fit of his clothing.
 
She wanted to run to him and hold his face in her hands before standing on tiptoe for a slow, deep kiss.

Yet, despite her itching desire, he was virtually a stranger to her—a disturbing, incredibly compelling stranger.
 
She still found it difficult to understand how she could love him so deeply already.
 

“… so we were just chuckling over the thought of something like that in the ceremony.” Edmund had been speaking while she lost herself in her contemplations.
 

“Ah, I see,” Clarendon nodded, that rigid smile still fixed on his face.
 
“So, have you any ideas of who might be suited for walking Tina down the aisle?”

Edmund frowned, removing his hand from Tina’s shoulder to rub his chin.
 
“Who could we ask, and at such short notice?”

“How about Sir Roland?
 
He and the duke were always on good terms—I’m certain he’d be happy to do it if he has no other engagements,” Tina offered.

“Of course.”
 
Edmund brightened.
 
“I’ll ride over and ask him now.
 
I’ll also call in at the rectory on the way.”
 
He winked at Tina.
 
“After the ride in, I do find myself in need of a breath of fresh air.”

Clarendon frowned.
 
“Perhaps I should—“

“Nonsense, brother!
 
I’m certain this is the sort of thing I should be doing as groomsman.
 
Besides, this will give you a chance to catch up with Tina.
 
And I really do need the fresh air,” Edmund added, already walking back towards the door.
 
“I’ll see you both later,” he called as he disappeared outside.

An awkward silence ensued.
 
Finally, Clarendon cleared his throat.
 
“You’ve been well?
 
You look a little tired.
 
Are you having second thoughts?”

Tina shook her head with a smile, unwilling to confide her doubts to this handsome, self-contained man.
 
He was certain their chosen course was the correct one, nor had her specific qualms changed from those he had dismissed when he proposed.
 
“What about you?
 
Any doubts about the tenability of getting leg-shacked to a plain country miss of a wife?”

“Ah, Tina, I don’t know where you get these notions about yourself.
 
I find you utterly fascinating, you know.”

Now, perhaps, but for how long?
 
She kept the thought to herself, however.
 
He had made no promises when he proposed.
 
She wasn’t about to start asking for more than he could give.

“But in response to your question…” He shook his head.
 
“No doubts at all.”
 
He gave her a searching look.
 
“But, from the tone of your comments, I would suspect that you’re once again demonstrating your mastery at the art of evasion.
 
You are having second thoughts, aren’t you?”

She shrugged, averting her gaze from his scrutiny.
 
“I’ve just been feeling restless these past few days,” she said.
 

He frowned.
 
“Restless?
 
You mean restricted?
 
Trapped?
 
I don’t plan to restrict you, Tina.
 
You know that don’t you?
 
I respect you and hope you will continue to help with regard to matters of the estate, but if there are other projects or things that interest you then you must know that I have no objections—“

“No, no, Your Gr—Clarendon.
 
That’s not it all.
 
I’m feeling restless, not trapped.
 
I suppose I just want to get it over with, if you’ll pardon the phrase.
 
Then perhaps I’ll stop thinking about it all, if you see what I mean.”
 
She felt more awkward than ever by the time she had finished speaking.

He grinned, genuine amusement lighting his face.
 
Seeing it, her stomach fluttered, even as she returned his smile.
 
“’Get it over with,’ is it?” he drawled.
 
“Well, Miss Merriweather, I’m flattered, indeed I am.
 
And your wait is almost over, my Penelope.
 
We’ll do the deed tomorrow if all goes according to plan,” he said, turning towards the west wing.
 
“But come, join me in the study and we can discuss what has gone on in my absence,” he added, already walking towards the room in question.

Tina followed more slowly, glad his back had been to her and he had not noticed her fiery blush.
 
What an embarrassingly apt characterization,
she thought, for like Penelope, some secret part of her had been waiting through the years for his return from the wars and the errant adventures that followed.
 
But unlike her mythical counterpart, she had never presumed that he would be returning to her, for while Penelope had a legitimate claim over the affections of Odysseus, Tina had never expected to be more than a peripheral figure in Clarendon’s life.

Now, sitting in front of the mirror as Jane continued to tug and pull at her hair, Tina wondered once again if Clarendon had guessed the truth about her past feelings or whether, as was likelier, it had been no more than an ironic nickname in response to her expressions of impatience.
 
She sighed, earning a comforting pat from Jane.

“Now a course ye’d be nervous, Miss Tina, but it’ll go well, ye’ll see,” she murmured before once again resuming her muttering and tugging.
 
“Though I canno’ see why His Grace couldn’t wait till we were out’a mourning at least.
 
But ye don’t look too bad in black, and that’s a lucky enough thing, I s’pose.”