Sin With A Scoundrel (The Husband Hunters Club)

Chapter 34

Chapter

Thirty-Four

T ina opened her eyes, complaining as the shaking continued, and realized someone was trying to wake her. It was Richard, so close to her that she could feel his warm breath against her skin. The bruise around the eye Horace had punched was finally fading, but she wanted to reach out and stroke it gently. He smiled, and just for a moment she smiled back, forgetting everything that had come between them, and then she remembered and sat up abruptly. He moved away with a nod to Maria, who came to help her from the coach.

“We are here, miss!” Maria said in a cheerful tone belied by her tired eyes and pale face. “This is Mr. Eversham’s house.”

Tina blinked at the building lit by the setting sun. It was built of mellow pink brick, and with its turrets and gables and arched windows, looked rather like a magical castle. And then the front door opened, and the most beautiful woman she had ever seen came to greet them—a magical princess for the magical castle. Her glorious red hair shone in the lingering sunlight, and her violet-blue eyes were matched by the dress she wore.

“Richard!” she cried, hands outstretched to grasp his. “You have come home.”

Richard seemed to hesitate, then took her hands briefly, and turned toward Tina. But the woman clung to his arm, hurrying along beside him, as if they were . . . well, Tina—wide-awake now—couldn’t help but wonder just how close a relationship these two had.

“Evelyn, this is Miss Smythe, and this is Will Jackson, an associate of mine. This is Evelyn, my brother’s widow.”

Ah, the widow, thought Tina, as Evelyn gave her another of her perfect smiles. The unfaithful widow. Lady Isabelle Arlington might be described in a similar manner, but Tina didn’t get the same warm sense of liking with this woman. Despite her beauty and her welcoming smile there was something cold and off-putting about Evelyn Eversham.

“We get so few visitors here, don’t we, Richard?” she was burbling on, glancing at him as if they were in league. A couple. “Are you staying? Richard, are they staying with us?”

Richard had grown more and more uncomfortable, and now he removed his arm from Evelyn although not without a forceful effort, Tina noted, hiding her smile behind her hand. “Miss Smythe’s life is in danger,” he said gravely.

Evelyn gave a gurgle of laughter. “Her life in danger? My goodness, Richard, that is dramatic.”

Richard opened his mouth, probably to reprimand her, but Tina had had enough of this little scene and decided to answer for herself.

“I was unfortunate enough to come face-to-face with a dangerous man, Mrs. Eversham, and he knows that if he is caught and I identify him, then he will be hanged. I imagine he will do anything in his power to prevent that.”

Her quietly serious tone froze Evelyn’s smile.

“I see,” she said, changing tack. “Then you are most welcome at Eversham Manor, Miss Smythe. Richard was right to bring you here.”

She turned to lead the way inside, and Maria murmured in Tina’s ear, “As if it all belongs to her, miss! The cheek of her.”

But Tina was thinking that perhaps it did belong to Evelyn, and Richard, too. He’d lied to her about other things, why not about his sister-in-law? She was a beautiful woman, and his brother was dead. Was it not entirely possibly they were lovers?

And why oh why did the thought of it hurt so much!

Inside the manor the entrance hall was paneled in dark oak, with a vaulted ceiling in the Tudor style. Tina looked about her, wondering how old it was and how long Richard’s family had been in possession of it. Maria had said he was wealthy—not that Tina cared a jot about that—and yet the house didn’t look as if it had had much care taken of it.

Will, following along behind her, almost ran into her. It was because he couldn’t take his eyes off Evelyn, she was amused to see. “Do you live here the year round, Mrs. Eversham?” he asked, probably hoping he might see her in town at some point.

“I very rarely leave,” she said pensively. “An occasional visit to London to see old friends, but I am unused to all the noise these days. I am afraid I’ve become quite the country bumpkin.”

Richard raised his eyebrows. “You were in London the other week, Evelyn, so don’t play the poor widow. My sister-in-law,” he said to Will, “was an actress before she married my brother and has many friends.”

Evelyn didn’t look pleased to have her version of the story routed, and her response was to pretend not to hear as she instructed a servant to bring tea and refreshments to the sitting room.

“Afterward, I will see you to your rooms,” she said, her smile once more in place. “You are all staying, I presume?”

“Yes, Evelyn, they are all staying. Excuse me for a moment”—it was Tina he looked to—“I need to speak to some of the household. Will?”

The two men went out, and for a moment silence reigned.

“What a very nice room.” Tina made the effort to be polite, and it was a nice room, feminine, with a great many flowery fabrics.

“Yes, I believe it was Richard’s mother’s favorite room,” Evelyn said dismissively. With the gentlemen gone, Tina noticed that the other woman’s appealing manner was no longer quite so appealing.

“Do you have any children, Mrs. Eversham?”

Evelyn gave a playful little smile. “Unfortunately not, Miss Smythe.” She made a show of looking about her. “This house is so big, it needs children. Perhaps one day Richard and I . . .” But she chose not to end the sentence, leaving that to Tina’s imagination.

The tea tray arrived, and Tina was glad to sip the hot liquid and partake of several sandwiches, as well as a large slice of fruitcake She’d been feeling queasy from the coach, but now hunger had taken its place.

“Have you many friends in the area?” Tina tried again, when she was feeling more the thing. “You must be always out visiting.”

Evelyn waved a delicate white hand. “When Anthony, my husband, was alive we were always out and about, but since he died I do not seem to get many invitations. They do not want to share their table with a widow in mourning.”

That didn’t sound likely, but Tina thought she knew the real reason Evelyn was not invited, and decided to be frank. “Pardon me, Mrs. Eversham, but I think it is because they do not want a beautiful widow at their table.”

Evelyn appeared pleased with her observation. “Well, perhaps,” she acknowledged with her playful smile.

“Was your husband a young man when he died, Mrs. Eversham?”

Evelyn looked at her impatiently. “Goodness, what a great many questions you ask, Miss Smythe. Yes, he was young. He was murdered.”

Tina was so shocked she almost choked on her fruitcake.

“Oh yes,” Evelyn went on, having got the reaction she’d hoped for. “Shot in the chest, not far from the house. In the woods, in fact. Hasn’t Richard told you?” she added sourly. “I’m surprised. He’s made it his life’s mission to find Anthony’s killer.”

“I didn’t know that. I’m very sorry to hear such a thing, Mrs. Eversham.”

“Yes, well.” Evelyn lapsed into silence.

Tina wondered if she still grieved for her husband or whether she was too busy grieving for herself. That might sound unkind, but it was understandable. Evelyn was a young and beautiful woman, trapped here in a country manor, with few friends—if her comments could be believed. It was hardly surprising she had fixed her sights on Richard as an escape.

Or am I being too generous to them? Tina asked herself. Perhaps she and Richard are already lovers and intend to marry one day. Perhaps that was just another lie he told me.

“I’m surprised Richard hasn’t mentioned me to you before,” Evelyn said airily, choosing a slice of cake for herself. “He must be keeping me a secret.” And she laughed. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without him. I am so lonely here when he is in town, and I know he is very busy so I don’t like to bother him, but he visits when he can.”

Tina was beginning to feel queasy again, and this time it had nothing to do with riding in a coach. Where Evelyn was concerned it seemed impossible to pin down the fact from the fiction. But one thing was certain—the widow considered Richard her property and was doing her best to warn Tina off.

She didn’t like to admit it to herself, but she was relieved when Richard returned, with Will Jackson, from whatever they’d been doing.

Richard saw immediately from Evelyn’s smug expression and Tina’s disheartened one that things were not going well between them. If he’d had any other option, he would not have brought her here, but he was desperate to protect her, and because he knew his own estate and trusted his servants, this was the best place to be. He’d also wanted to talk with Gregor, his estate manager, to follow up the letter he’d sent. Luckily the man was in his office, but as Evelyn had warned him, Mr. Gregor knew nothing more about the “toff from the north.”

It was just a shame Evelyn was in residence, like a spider at the center of her web. Good Lord, he wouldn’t even put it past her to tell Tina about their ancient affair. Well, there was only one way to head off Evelyn’s nasty tricks, and that was to tell Tina the truth from his own lips.

If she would stay in his company long enough to listen.

“Are the rooms ready for our guests, Evelyn?” he said coolly. “We’ve had a long journey and need to rest.”

Evelyn gave him a hurt look. “I’ll go and see, Richard.”

When she had left the room, Will said, “I hope we’re not putting her to any trouble, Eversham.”

“She only has to order the servants, Will, not too strenuous, even for Evelyn.”

“I say, you’re being rather harsh on her, aren’t you?”

“Oh, Will”—Richard sighed—“please don’t set your cap in that direction. You will only be hurt, believe me.”

“And you’re the expert on setting one’s cap, aren’t you?” Tina said tartly, and stood up. “If you don’t mind, I am rather weary, so I will go to my room now and rest.” She’d reached the door when she stopped and turned back to face them. “Are there any instructions? Should I lock and bolt my door and windows? Should I hide in a cupboard? Up the chimney? I need to know what to do if this man comes upon me unaware.”

Her green eyes were bright with malice, and he wanted to go to her and shake her and then kiss her until she stopped hating him and started loving him again. But unfortunately that wasn’t possible, not yet.

Richard sipped his tea, leaning back in his chair and crossing one leg over the other. He could see his relaxed attitude was infuriating her. “You don’t need to do anything, Miss Smythe. The situation is completely under my control.”

She gave him one more glare and then marched out. Will shifted in his seat. “You upset her on purpose, old chap.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

“And that’s not entirely true, is it? About the situation being under your control.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Sutton is out there somewhere, watching and waiting.”

“I am more than capable of protecting Miss Smythe, Will. We wait, we pounce, and we catch him.”

Will still looked doubtful. “You do seem a bit distracted, Richard. You have been ever since you met her.”

“Have I? Why do you think that is, Will?”

Will pondered. “Well, I don’t like to speak ill of any woman, but she seems to me to be a rather willful sort of girl. Rather a handful.”

Richard grinned. “She is, isn’t she? And damned if I don’t like that in a woman.”

Will gave his head a puzzled shake and went off to find his own bed.