Chapter Nine #2
A steady knocking drew Audrey to the main door.
She had slept very little—actually, such was not true.
She had slept, but her dreams had been fretful—dreams in which Lord Marksman held out his hand to her, but Caroline, of all people, held Audrey in place.
The dreams were so real and so confusing, she had known little true rest.
Now, she looked through a side window to know with confidence that the caller was not Lord Amgen. Audrey possessed no coins to pay the gentleman, even though she thought he should be paid. However, she could not chance being evicted. Thankfully, her visitor wore a day dress.
Another knock had her wiping the dust from the front of her gown before she opened the door. “Lady Theodora,” she said in surprise. “How pleasant of you to call. Unfortunately, my cousin is away.”
The young woman did not appear best pleased with Audrey’s response. “Lord Marksman insisted I call upon you.”
Audrey knew her eyebrow lifted in equal animosity. “Why would his lordship insist upon your being someplace you find repugnant?”
“Perhaps you best ask him yourself,” Lady Theodora said as she pushed past Audrey, who turned quickly to discover Lord Marksman entering the hallway through the servants’ door, followed closely by Lord Duncan.
Audrey smiled, despite a bit of irritation tugging at how this reunion had been staged. “I thought I locked the kitchen entrance last night…” she quickly added her childhood name for her brother just to prick Lady Theodora’s pride a notch, “Axe.”
As if he understood her purpose, his lordship grinned widely. “Very few locks keep me out if I am determined to enter,” he announced.
Lord Duncan stepped around Marksman. “We have little time for your games, boy.” He bowed to her. “I beg your pardon, Miss Moreau. Marksman and I have a few details to discuss with…” The Scotsman glared at her brother. “To discuss with you. I pray you can spare us the time.”
Audrey found she enjoyed the role in which she found herself. “Naturally, we may speak in the front parlor, my lord. However, if you desire tea or cakes, we should take our discussion to the kitchen. I fear there are no servants to prepare us a meal or to serve it.”
Lord Duncan bowed to her. “I assure you, Miss Moreau, neither Lord Marksman, my daughter, nor I will stand upon ceremony. Let us begin in the parlor.”
Yet, before any of them could move, a male figure appeared in the still open door. “Pardon.” The man bowed properly. “Although the knocker is still removed, the door was open. I thought perhaps Lord Honfleur had returned.”
Audrey felt as if the floor had opened beneath her feet. Her uncle would be angry to know she had permitted others into the house. However, she had no reason to know any real qualms, for Marksman stepped into the fray.
“Good day, Amgen.” Her brother extended his hand in friendship. “I fear Lord Honfleur is still away on business in…”
“Scotland,” Audrey was quick to add.
“Yes, in Scotland,” Marksman said smoothly. “Lady Theodora realized her new friend had been left without company, and she insisted upon spending the afternoon with Miss Moreau. Lord Duncan and I escorted Lady Theodora this afternoon.”
Lord Amgen said, “I did not note your carriage.” Amgen glanced back to the busy street as if expecting a carriage to be waiting outside the door.
“You must have simply overlooked the carriage,” Marksman said without missing a beat. “We sent it around to the mews as we expect to spend an hour or more with our new friend.”
Lord Amgen’s countenance fell, and Audrey knew real compassion.
“I suppose I must continue to wait for Lord Honfleur’s return.
” It bothered Audrey greatly how others suffered at her uncle’s hands.
She had been excessively ignorant of what really went on in her uncle’s house.
Had he practiced a similar sham against others when they lived for a short while in Naples and then again in Spain? She strongly suspected such was so.
Marksman suggested, “Why do you three not remove to the parlor? I will join you momentarily.”
Lord Duncan said, “Come along, lasses. It will be good to enjoy time with Miss Moreau, will it not, Theodora?”
“Yes, Papa,” Lady Theodora repeated dutifully.
Audrey gestured to a room along the hall. “This way.” She ushered them forward, but she glanced back to her brother, who inclined his head in reassurance of all being well.
Therefore, Audrey lifted her chin and led the way to the room. Once they were inside, she turned to Lord Duncan. “What does Lord Marksman mean to do?” she whispered.
His lordship motioned them deeper into the room.
From the hall, hurried voices in whispered phrases could be heard.
Once Lord Duncan, Lady Theodora, and she were settled in a tight circle of chairs, Lord Duncan suggested quietly, “Likely the boy is paying your uncle’s debts in order to protect you. ”
Before Audrey could respond in protest, they could hear the exterior door close with a decided click of the lock.
Lady Theodora’s ire arrived. “Why would Marksman care to defend Miss Moreau? She can be nothing to Alexander.”
A voice from the open door ended the discussion. “You err, Theodora. Miss Moreau is the most important person in my life.” He extended his hand to Audrey, and she rose to cross to where he stood.
“Most important person?” Lady Theodora sputtered, also rising quickly to her feet. “Pray tell, when did Miss Moreau take on such a role?”
Lord Duncan shook his head in apparent disbelief. “I have told you repeatedly, boy, not to rile a Scottish lass.”
Marksman grinned as he caught Audrey’s hand and brought the back of it to his lips.
“I apologize, Dora,” but his smile grew, indicating he had known no shame in teasing the woman.
Audrey suspected her brother was enjoying tormenting Lady Theodora.
“Miss Moreau is very important to me, for she is my sister Annalise.”
Lady Theodora looked to her father for confirmation, and the earl nodded his head in agreement.
“How is such possible?” Lady Theodora stammered.
Lord Duncan gestured to the empty chairs.
“It appears Marksman still is his same impetuous self, and he has claimed his sister before the English government was prepared for him to act. Today, we must determine how to correct Lord Marksman’s natural mistake, protect England’s shores and its kind, and provide shelter for Miss Moreau as the sister of an earl. ”
Beaufort knew he was in danger of losing his heart to Marksman’s sister, but when she placed the signal in the window, he waited until he was alone in the watch house and then made his way across the street.
She smiled when she greeted him, and he again feared he was too far gone for his own sanity, but he accepted her natural childlike happiness at his appearance.
“I have made us a small meal. Nothing fancy. Bits of what all I had,” she said apologetically, though he had never viewed another meal that had been more appealing, even the oysters and champagne Julia served with some regularity, for she thought the meal increased his prowess in bed.
“It is quite lovely, my dear,” he said. “You wished to speak to me.” Beaufort was not confident he should stay.
Miss Moreau apparently did not notice his hesitation. “My brother and Lord Duncan called today. Evidently, Alexander was not to tell me of our connection.” She looked at him then. “Did you truly not know of my being Lord Marksman’s sister?”
“I did not,” he admitted. In fact, if he had known, Navan would have saved her from the fire and then left her alone.
“Lady Theodora came along. She was quite dreadful to me,” she shared as she poured tea for both of them, though he had yet to enter the room nor close the door behind him.
“I fear,” Navan warned, “if you are to claim Marksman as your brother, you must become friends with Theodora Duncan, for Lord Duncan’s daughter and Marksman have long been, how do I say this, attracted to each other. It is assumed they will marry someday.”
Miss Moreau frowned. “I suppose I knew such was true, but…”
“I imagine by now you realize Marksman and I were raised in the same household. We, along with three other young lords, are often referred to as Lord Duncan’s sons.”
“Until recently, I did not realize there were more than you two, though now that I think about it, Alexander said something similar previously. I just had not made the connections,” she admitted. “You said Alexander’s brothers would be envious of him, but it is just beginning to make sense.”
“Did not Moreau warn you against associating with us?”
A frown crossed her expression. “He warned me against Marksman,” she admitted.
“Your uncle has likely always known your connection to Marksman. I cannot imagine that Darwood Lisey did not speak to the bayman of how he came to have your mother as his property. Perhaps even her real name was on the paperwork. Just as likely Honfleur’s orders forbidding you from leaving the house were meant to prevent you learning you had a family before Moreau.
I do not often bet, but I would bet your uncle has been aware of the connection since you were a child.
I am only surprised he did not previously demand a bounty and sell you to your brother.
But, then again, I suppose he might not have initially realized Alexander Dutton had succeeded to the earldom.
He may have thought it was one of Robert Dutton’s brothers. ”
His words appeared to hold her in place.
“What am I to do, Beaufort?” She rose quickly from the bench.
“Marksman wishes to search Uncle Jacobi’s study.
I am not to enter the room. It is likely marked so if someone else touches anything, my uncle will know.
He is clever in that manner, but both you and Alexander have told me how Uncle and Caroline are passing forged notes, and I do not wish for others to suffer because of them. ”