Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
M ichael was staring at her so intently that Adelaide worried he could see through her, to her every thought.
Which was most concerning, for then he might discover how she actually felt about him.
Finally, she had to break their gaze.
“What should we do with the note?” she asked, looking at it in her hands. “If we open it, Lord Gregory will know.”
“I know a way to open it and reseal it without anyone being the wiser,” he said with such confidence that her heart warmed. She loved it when he looked like this – that boyish, mischievous grin on his face, the dimples she had fallen for sunken deeply in his cheeks.
“And just how would you know that?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
He leaned in. “Don’t tell anyone, but I was a bit of a practical joker as a boy.”
“You don’t say?”
They both chuckled, and she passed him the note, which he slipped into his jacket. “I’ll open it and copy it,” he said. “Tomorrow, if you would like to call upon me, then I will tell you what it says before I give it to Lord Gregory.”
“Oh, Michael, what if it is awful?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“Well, then, we will deal with it together.”
They had rounded the path and were approaching the park entrance when Adelaide recognized a figure entering.
“Michael,” she whispered, standing on her toes so her lips would reach his ear, even though no one was close enough to hear her. Not that he was complaining. “Is that Lady Carroway?”
“It is,” he said, his face darkening when he looked upon the woman who had tried to ruin the lives of Dot and Edward. Fortunately, she hadn’t gotten away with it – partially because of Adelaide.
And she wasn’t going to hide from the woman now.
“Lady Carroway!” she called out, heading straight for the woman. A quick look back at Michael showed that, rather than warning her away, he was interested in the exchange that was to come.
Lady Carroway looked down her nose at them, recoiling when she realized who they were – not that she admitted her recognition.
“I do not know who you think you are, but I would prefer you not address me.” She sniffed before continuing on her path. Her husband appeared behind her but far enough away that he wouldn’t hear them right now.
“Do you avoid Hyde Park now?” Adelaide asked. “Since everyone discovered that you were a liar?”
“Now see here. I?—”
“We are leaving. I just enjoy seeing how those who once considered themselves so mighty can fall when they behave without thought for anyone around them.”
Lady Carroway let out a harrumph before pressing forward, and Adelaide couldn’t help but grin as she watched her walk away.
“You certainly have no fears,” Michael said, watching her with awe, although Adelaide wondered how much of that was shock.
“I have fears,” she murmured.
“Do you now? I do not believe I have seen them yet.”
“Yes,” she said, returning her gaze to him. “My greatest fear is turning out just like my mother.”
With that, she continued out of the park, leaving him with the choice to follow or to leave her be.
When she heard the footsteps behind her, she couldn’t help how her entire heart warmed. He had followed her. She shouldn’t love that so much.
But she also couldn’t help her fickle emotions, which were much more invested in this man than she would like them to be.
“I will walk you home,” he said when they exited the park.
“That is unnecessary,” she said swiftly, still wanting to maintain separation. She wasn’t sure if he had discovered where she was staying, but?—
“I know where you live,” he said, answering her silent question. “There is no use hiding it, but I will not use that knowledge for my own gain.”
Mabel still slumbered in her pack, which had become the most important thing Adelaide owned, for it was the only way to keep the baby sleeping some days. It had been a gift from Dot and Magda, the midwife Dot worked with.
“I might open the letter today, but I will wait for you before doing anything with it,” he said. “I will not seek you out. I promise.”
She could see the pain cross his face – pain that she had caused – but all she could do was nod.
“Thank you,” she said. “I will try to come tomorrow. Perhaps I shall see if I can find someone to watch Mabel for a time.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Bring her with you – please?”
“Very well,” she said, struck by how much he wanted to see his daughter. It was admirable, truly.
But she couldn’t allow herself to be taken in by his charm once more. She had to be strong, figure this out, and then move on to finish her plan and achieve everything she wanted.
It wasn’t going to be easy.
But she didn’t have much choice.
Michael had told Adelaide that he would open the letter once he returned home, but the truth was, it seemed wrong to do so without her present.
Fortunately, he didn’t have long to wait. She appeared as eager as he was the next day to discover its contents.
“Mr. Redgrave? Miss Stone has arrived,” the butler said without judgment after knocking at his bedroom door. Adelaide had stayed at the house long enough that the entire staff had fallen in love with her. Probably because she treated them as one of her peers. A lot could be learned from her, for the servants would do anything for her.
“I will be down momentarily,” he said as he kept his attention in front of him on his work.
“No need. I’m here as well.”
“Adelaide,” he said, whirling around, holding himself back from rushing to the door with exuberance. “You are early.”
“Not all of us wait until after the noon hour to begin our day,” she said dryly as she eyed him. “Even those of us who work all night.”
“Where is Mabel?” he asked, looking around, disappointed that she hadn’t brought the baby despite his request.
“Dot stole her from my arms the moment I walked through the door,” she said with a soft smile. “I’m sure she will allow you some time with her before we leave.”
“Oh, good,” he said in relief.
“What are you working on?” she asked, drifting into the room and standing next to him, immediately filling him with her fresh scent.
“Oh, just a hobby,” he said, waving his hand at the papers before him, full of the bloodlines of some of the top horses in England. It was much more than a hobby, but he didn’t want to admit it.
“When did you acquire these?”
“After you left,” he mumbled. “Actually, I’ve become reacquainted with my interest in horseflesh again. Aside from riding for necessity, I haven’t been involved with it for years, but in the past few months I needed to focus on something else, and riding and breeding has been there for me.”
She wandered over the book he had opened in front of him and ran her hand over the page.
“Are these your notes and illustrations?”
“Yes.”
“You are so meticulous,” she said, and he wasn’t sure whether he was happy about the surprise in her voice or hurt that she would not have thought him capable of this.
“When I put my mind to something, Adelaide, I do so with complete focus,” he said. “That is why I was such a good reprobate. I was dedicated to my craft.”
She eyed him in amusement. “I see. Well, this is impressive, and if you would ever like to share more, I would be interested.”
“I would love to,” he said. “But we have so many other pressing causes.”
“We do, unfortunately. Now, have you opened the letter?” she asked eagerly.
“I was waiting for you.”
“You were?”
“Yes,” he said. “Come, let us go to the library.”
He led her out the door, down the stairs, and into the small library, which he had used as his study of sorts since returning to his brother’s house, not that he had an overly great amount of business. His papers were on a small writing desk in the corner, and she followed him over as he moved a chair next to the desk.
“Wait here,” he said, holding up a finger before going to the kitchen and asking the cook for a cup of steaming water. She seemed confused when he didn’t want any tea along with it, but she didn’t question him.
When he returned to the library, he didn’t say anything, although Adelaide watched him curiously as he turned the note over and held the seal right above the steam.
“You are softening the wax,” she murmured, and he nodded, keeping his attention on his efforts.
“Just a little more,” he mumbled until he finally decided it was enough. “That’s the trick – knowing when to stop so the wax will open but still maintain the original imprint.”
When he decided the timing was perfect, he removed the tea pot, setting it aside away from any important books or documents.
Then he slowly, carefully fit a letter opener beneath the wax seal and lifted it away from the bottom side of the paper.
“Aha,” he said triumphantly as he lifted the seal completely, breaking the two sides of the paper away from one another. “Here we are.”
She leaned over his shoulder, and his breath hitched at her nearness as he wished it was her interest in him bringing her closer and not her curiosity about the letter.
But he would take what he could get right now.
He cleared his throat and began to read.
My Lord Gregory,
I hope this reaches you in good health. The goods arrived, though some were not quite up to standard. We can pass them off as they are or special handle them. Either way, I reckon we’ll get it sorted.
Things are quiet on my end, but there’s been a bit of chatter around the place. I’ll handle it for now, but it might be time to have a word with your man about tightening things up. Best to keep the wrong ears out of our plans.
We’ll be ready for the next step. Just say when. We should hold a gathering next week in the usual spot. Keep it small. Too many tongues wagging, you understand.
I am looking forward to sorting everything properly. Send word when you’ve got it worked out.
J.T.
Michael sat back, turning his head to meet Adelaide’s intrigued stare.
“Well, I am uncertain how incriminating that is for either of them,” Michael began, wanting to prove his worthiness to her. “He does not say much.”
“Not outright.” She pursed her lips. “But there are a few things to take from this.”
He lifted a brow, waiting. Adelaide was more intelligent than most would ever give her credit for, and he felt that if anyone could solve all of this, it was she. He only hoped she would still see reason to include him in this investigation of hers.
“I guess that Jack is working for Lord Gregory by the way he addresses him, although it is certainly a partnership, for he warns him as well,” she said, pointing to the page before them. “He talks about ‘your man,’ so obviously someone else is involved that we do not know about at this point.”
“Clearly, he is smuggling items that have arrived damaged, for he speaks about the quality.”
Adelaide nodded eagerly, leaning in, obviously excited about their progress.
“It sounds like whatever network they have is under some strain, as he said that there is chatter and things need tightening up,” she said. “And then the gathering.”
“The gathering,” he agreed with a nod. “That’s where the next step lies. I’m sure of it.”
“We need to be there,” she said with determination, but he was already shaking his head.
“I will go,” he said. “You cannot.”
“Michael,” she said, placing her hands on her hips, her brow furrowing. “I was the one who brought you into this. I?—”
“You told me that you were frightened that something might happen to you,” he said, lifting a finger.
“I didn’t say frightened ?—”
“Concerned then,” he conceded. “Either way, I am committed to keeping you safe, and I can hardly see how that will occur if you are at this gathering. I will deliver this letter to Lord Gregory and, when doing so, comment that I would like to return to The Red Lion if he is ever going.”
“Won’t he be suspicious?” she asked, but he shook his head.
“He only knows me as Michael Redgrave, second son, interested in gambling, women, and drink. Not necessarily in that order.”
Her jaw tightened as she nodded. “Very well. So you will accompany him – hopefully – to The Red Lion the night of this gathering?”
“That’s the hope. I will see what I can discover, at the very least, and then try to infiltrate myself into there. Hopefully, the meeting will provide us with some answers.”
“Such as what they are smuggling and who all is involved.”
“Exactly.”
“I would still like to be there.”
He shook his head.
“I do not think it’s a good idea.”
She didn’t reply but instead changed the subject. He knew exactly what she was doing, but he didn’t comment on it, for her next words had him far too excited.
“Well, should we go find our baby?”