Chapter 5 #2
“I am indeed. And if I do not miss my guess, you are Lady Cora Lovett? Which must make you Lady Irving and you Lady Nettle.” He smiled at each of the women, and Adele saw each of them soften — even Rowen, proffering a hand towards them as though to assist them from the carriage.
She bristled and was tempted to bat his hand away. Has he been sp ying on my friends as well as me? “As I said, Your Grace, we are in noneed of assistance. No doubt you have somewhere more important to be.”
“Ah, yes. I forgot, you do not like to depend on people, do you Lady Adelaide?” The Duke’s smile broadened, and he let his hand drop as Adele narrowed her eyes.
“Though perhaps your friends are less independently minded. I can think of few things more pleasurable than an afternoon spent in the company of such fine women.”
Where was this charm weeks ago? Adele realised that she was scowling and forced her face into a smile. She had no wish for her friends to think her petulant. “We really should be on our way —”
“I am not journeying another mile in this cursed contraption.” Cora cut her off. “I would not refuse your assistance, Duke Scarfield. I am in need of a stiff drink. Failing that, a cup of tea will do.”
Cora held out a hand expectantly.
“I can offer you an arm, My Lady, but I fear I can do nothing to help with the drink.” He helped her from the phaeton.
“Then it is a good thing we are by a tearoom.” Cora beamed at him, and for a moment, Adele was convinced the woman was going to squeeze his cheek.
Verity and Rowen had clambered from the phaeton with the Duke’s assistance and looked up at Adele expectantly. She hesitated. The Duke followed their gaze and arched an eyebrow at her. He held out his hand, and Adele begrudgingly took it.
The warmth of his fingers against hers spread through her body, and she lost her footing. She tumbled from the phaeton with a yelp, but strong hands caught her, steadying her against him. Her breath caught as the Duke’s grip tightened around her before he set her on her feet.
Her heart skittered around her chest, and it took her a moment to realise that her hand was resting against the Duke’s chest. She withdrew it hastily and stepped away from him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she did.
“Are you hurt?” Verity was beside them in an instant.
“I am fine, really, I just missed my footing.” Adele’s cheeks were still bright red.
Verity smiled at the man. “You are lucky the Duke was here.”
“I am sure Lady Adelaide would have managed without me.” The Duke nodded towards her. “Though I confess, I was hoping to run into you.”
“Were you indeed?” Adele forced herself to smile at him though it felt more like a grimace. Of course, he was. “And was it luck that happened to bring you across my path or something else?”
“I suspect you already know the answer to that question.” The Duke’s eyes glittered in the sunlight, and Adele realised that her friends had disappeared into the tearoom without them.
She seized the moment and prodded him in his chest. “I am not sure what game you are playing, Duke Scarfield, but I am not falling for it. You may have fooled my friends, but I know this is not the real you.”
Duke Scarfield canted his head towards her, the flicker of a smile on his face as he took her finger in his hands and moved it from his chest. “I see the weeks have done nothing to soften your temper.”
Though his movement was firm, there was a surprising gentleness and softness that took Adele off guard. The feeling of several thousand butterflies taking flight in her stomach unnerved her, and she tried to extinguish it with her anger.
“How could they, when they have not eroded your suspicion? Or are you going to deny that you sent those men to follow me?” She gestured to the empty road behind them.
“I see they were not as circumspect as I had hoped.” The Duke sighed.
“They were as subtle as elephants,” Adele snorted.
“You are a fine one to talk.” The Duke rubbed his temples with his hands.
Rowen appeared in the doorway and broke them from their argument. “Are you two joining us?”
“Yes, of course.” Adele moved towards her friend, eager to be rid of the Duke or at the very least put the others between them.
“Actually, I was wondering if I might borrow Lady Adelaide for a moment. There are some things I must discuss with her.” He gave Rowen an apologetic smile.
Rowen nodded, much to Adele’s surprise. “Cora thought as much. She saved the two of you a table in the back.”
“I cannot sit at a table alone with an unmarried man!” Adele yelped, panic rising in her at the thought of being trapped with the Duke.
“Of course, you can. You are a widow; you can do anything you please.” Rowen shook her head and disappeared back inside.
The Duke muttered something under his breath, but Adele ignored him. She stalked inside and sat at the table, quietly cursing her friends and the way they had fallen for the Duke’s charms. Rowen of all people! She practically sneers at the mere mention of a man.
“Well, what do you wish to discuss?” Adele gestured to the Duke as he sat down opposite her.
“Your antics.” He pulled several bits of paper full of writing from his pocket and began to read, laying each one on the table as he did.
“Widow at the races — winning back her fortune or gambling it all away?; Promenades at midnight; Widow Kidlington frees dogs from fighting ring. You have been rather busy these last weeks.”
“Well, I could not very well leave them there!” She swallowed. Each of the bits of paper looked like articles, but she was certain they had never been published.
“This one was particularly interesting: Woman spotted swimming in lake beneath the moonlight; could it be Widow Kidlington? It raised all sorts of theories about what you might be up to.” The Duke pointed to the papers.
“You have kept me rather busy of late and forced me to spend far too much time with the cretins who run the Morning Post and other such papers.”
“What do you mean? I am fairly certain none of these were published.” Adele squinted at the words, racking her brains for when she might have seen them. At least not everything I have been doing has made it to the papers, but how closely am I being watched?
“Exactly. I have been using every means at my disposal to keep them from publishing this.” He moved the papers towards her.
“Why?” Adele’s jaw dropped.
“Partly because I cannot stand their idle speculations and brainless nonsense, but primarily because I have no wish for your behaviour to detract from the investigation into my cousin’s death.
And I am sick to death of my family’s name being the latest gossip in the ton.
” His mouth formed a grim line, and his blue eyes flashed with anger before returning to cool disinterest.
Adele waved his words away, trying to ignore the way that flash of emotion had sent her heart into a whirl of movement.
Why could he not be ugly? That would make it so much easier to stay cross with him.
“The papers will find any excuse to say something rubbish about me. I spent my life living by the rules, and what did it get me? Nothing but scandal. Let the think what they like! I am not doing anything harmful; I am just living my life.”
“But it is not just your life, is it?” He leaned forwards.
“I am not beholden to anyone, least of all you,” she scoffed.
He arched an eyebrow at her. “I am not talking about me but of your family. Your nieces and their futures. After all, they will be coming out in a few years, and scandals like these will ruin their futures. Few husbands will want to marry someone whose aunt is the ton’s favourite scandal.”
Guilt welled up inside Adele, warring with anger. A part of her wanted to ask him why she should care about a family that did not care about her? Not once had her parents visited her, and she had received only two letters from her sisters.
One letter asked how she was, and the other invited her to Bianca’s fortieth birthday party. But her nieces had never done anything to hurt her, indeed they were closer to her in age than her own sisters. They did not deserve to be shunned for her own freedom. How could I have been so selfish?
“And it is not just your family, but it is mine. This kind of scandal will not allow my uncle to grieve.” The Duke curled his hand into a fist, but his voice had lost it’s cold edge as he met her gaze.
“I know you think little of me, but if ever you held any affection for my cousin, I would ask you to think of his father and his brother. Both of them must have the space to grieve, and these scandals make that all but impossible.”
“Very well, I will endeavour to be less scandalous, but I am doing it for my family and for your uncle and cousin. Not for you.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“I do not care why you do it, just that you do. I am tired of putting out wildfires caused by your behaviour.” The Duke ran a hand through his hair, and Adele thought she saw the start of a smile on his face before it vanished into his usual neutrality.
“I have one condition though.” Adele pressed on before she lost her nerve. “You will have your guards stop following me; I refuse to be treated like a criminal.”
The Duke stiffened. “They are protecting you.”
“Do you really expect me to believe that?” Adele scoffed.
“It is the truth.”
“Do not treat me like an idiot. You have made it abundantly clear you think I am a murderer, and I am not stupid enough to believe that you would have your men follow me for any other reason than to prove my guilt.” She jutted her chin forwards.
A look that Adele could not quite read flitted across Duke Scarfield’s face. After a pause, he threw up his hands and said, “You really are the most stubborn woman I have ever met.”
“And you are the most judgemental man I have ever met,” she retorted. How can he be so charming one minute and then the most irritating man in the next?
“I can see you will not be moved. Fine, I will call off my guards, but you must swear to me that you will not go back to the King’s Arms. It is no place for a woman, and I cannot allow you to get yourself killed for idle gossip.” He gave her a hard look.
Adele almost snapped at him but stopped herself just in time. Let him think that is what I am doing; it will be better that way. She did not want him interfering in her work, did not want to risk what revealing it might mean, but she also did not want to stop going to the King’s Arms.
“A compromise. I will tell you in advance when I plan on going to the King’s Arms, and you may send guards to accompany me.” She swallowed.
Duke Scarfield’s face could have been carved from marble for all the emotion it revealed. “Very well. Then we have an accord.”
“Should we shake hands?” She grinned maliciously as she held out a hand to him, her eyes full of defiance. He will not shake my hand. “After all, this is a gentleman’s agreement.”
“It would be, but you are a gentlewoman, Lady Adelaide.” He took her hand in his, clasping his fingers so lightly around hers that she knew she could slip her hand from his grip if she wished. Before she could decide to, he brushed his lips gently against her knuckles.
She drew in a breath as every hair on her body stood on end, and she was grateful she was sitting down. The Duke released her hand and stood, straightening the lapels of his coat.
“I will take my leave of you, Lady Adelaide.” He inclined his head towards her. “I am not one for negotiation or lenience. Do not make me regret it.”