Chapter Sixteen
The baroness paused at the knock on her sitting room door. “Come in!” She smiled when she saw her husband standing in the doorway. “Marcus, we’ve found the perfect gown for Pippa—What’s wrong?”
“Lieutenant Tremayne has arrived.” The baron glanced from Pippa to Millie. “A situation has arisen that needs to be resolved at once.”
“Can it not wait until after the wedding this afternoon?”
“I’m afraid not, Phoebe. Tremayne has ridden straight through from London. It is urgent.” Again his gaze settled on Millie and Pippa.
“I see. Whatever the issue is, I wish to be included in the discussion…or will it be the questioning of our guests?”
“If you would let me explain—” Summerfield began, only to be interrupted by his wife.
“I will not countenance anyone meeting with either Millie or Pippa unless I am present,” she said. “Have I made myself clear?”
“Quite,” the baron replied. “If you had not interrupted, I would have agreed.” Turning to Pippa and Millie, he continued, “I do not want either of you ladies to feel uncomfortable. And yes,” he added, “the situation warrants a few simple questions. Tremayne has assured me it will not take long for him to ascertain the veracity of your claims.”
“Veracity?” Phoebe exclaimed.
“Yes, love. Tremayne has come at the behest of Captain Coventry.”
Millie sighed, and Pippa grumbled, “I take it by ‘claims,’ you mean that this Coventry doubts Millie and I are who we say we are?”
“It is merely a formality,” the baron told the women.
Pippa asked Millie, “Did I not tell you that you should have told your father what Trentchester had threatened?”
“You did—but you were there when he…” Millie trailed off and fell silent.
Summerfield urged, “When he what?”
Millie shook her head and changed the subject. “I need to feed Roarke soon. Can it wait until after I do so?”
The baron did not hesitate to respond, “Of course. Forgive me for not taking your babe into account.”
Lady Phoebe suggested, “Pippa, why don’t you go with Millie to the nursery? I’ll have a tea tray sent over. After you feed Roarke and tuck him in his cradle, Millie, have Pippa send for Caro and Prudence to sit with Roarke.”
“I will. Thank you, your ladyship,” Millie rasped. Pippa slipped her arm through her friend’s and led her from the room.
When they were out of earshot, Phoebe rounded on her husband.
“I do not like the way this is being handled. Who does Captain Coventry think he is to order about a new mother who has been terrorized by her brother-in-law and forced to leave her own home with only her best friend as her protector? Pippa has suffered equally, having been stabbed by the squire’s former footman…
that blackguard who tried to kidnap Millie’s sweet babe! ”
The baron reached for his wife’s hand and gave a tug.
Lady Phoebe resisted at first. “Do not try to distract me with any of your soft words or kisses, Summerfield. I am extremely vexed with you!”
“You know I love the challenge of changing your vexation into something a bit more…pliable.” Summerfield enfolded his wife in his arms. He rested his chin atop her head and sighed.
“Trust me, Phoebe. I will not let any harm come to Pippa, Millie, or her babe. Tremayne has not met either woman yet, and once he speaks to them, there will be no doubt that they are indeed who they say they are. Now then, shall I escort you to the nursery? I am quite certain you will feel more at ease after you have had your tea and cake.”
“You know me too well.” Halfway to the nursery, Phoebe paused. “I’ll have your promise ahead of time that you will not let Tremayne raise his voice to either Millie or Pippa.”
“You have my word.”
“I have heard tales of stressful situations curdling a new mother’s milk.”
Summerfield’s mouth gaped open for a moment before he collected himself enough to close it. “Let us hope for everyone’s sake that it is merely a tale, mayhap a warning to keep all fathers vigilant in retaining order and civility in their households for the sake of his heir and his wife.”
“Yes. Let us hope so.” As he knocked on the nursery door and waited to be admitted, Phoebe added, “I hope a father would do the same for his daughter.”
Summerfield pressed his lips to the top of his wife’s head. “He would without question, my love.”
The door opened, and he bade his wife to rest until Millie’s babe had been fed and put down for a nap. Phoebe lifted to her toes and kissed his cheek. “I’m so very glad I answered that ransom note. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“Armed with a handful of ribbon-wrapped hatpins and a paperweight?”
His wife smiled, entered the room, and glanced over her shoulder. “I didn’t really need the paperweight.”
Summerfield quietly closed the door behind her and strode to the staircase. It was time to get to the bottom of what had happened to the women Flaherty had brought to Summerfield Chase. Whoever they were, he’d given his word to add them to those under his protection. He intended to keep it.
*
Flaherty wanted to club the lieutenant in the mouth, but then he wouldn’t find out what in God’s name had precipitated Tremayne’s riding through the night to question Pippa and Millie.
He had to bury his anger deep to regain control of it.
He met O’Malley’s stare, then Garahan’s, letting them know without words that he wouldn’t lash out at the messenger they were meeting with in the baron’s library.
“Ye’d best start talking now, Tremayne,” he said.
“You already know why I’m here, and it’s a simple matter—”
O’Malley snorted with derision. “If it were simple, ye wouldn’t have arrived on one of His Grace’s stallions.”
“He’s got ye there, Tremayne,” Flaherty said. “Spill yer guts now, or we’ll be dragging yer sorry arse outside to beat it out of ye.”
Tremayne chuckled. “Is violence the only way you three communicate?”
Flaherty felt one of the tethers holding his temper in check snap. “It is when it concerns the woman I’m to marry in a few hours.”
“How well do you know Miss Stanhope…if she is truly who she claims to be?”
Flaherty got in the lieutenant’s face and growled.
“Ye’ll not cast aspersions against the lass or Millie unless ye fancy losing a few teeth.
” Tremayne held up a hand, and Garahan grasped Flaherty’s shoulder.
Both actions had Flaherty opening his right fist, relaxing it.
“Faith, but I cannot wait to go a few rounds with ye.”
“I have already said I would. You know that Coventry has never sent Bayfield, Hennessey, Masterson, or me to investigate a situation unless there was information that needed to be verified.”
The cousins exchanged glances before O’Malley replied, “Ye have the right of it, but that does not change the situation. Ye understand that we’ve given our word to protect the women.”
“No matter if ye’re satisfied that they are indeed who they say they are,” Garahan added.
Flaherty could not believe what he was hearing. Were Garahan and O’Malley hinting that they did not believe the horrific story they’d been told? “Tell me that ye aren’t suggesting that Millie would venture out hours after giving birth if her life wasn’t at stake?”
“I never said that,” Garahan shot back.
“Ye’re putting words in our mouths,” O’Malley said.
“Pippa and Millie have been friends since before they could walk. Yet ye’re ready to believe Tremayne’s claim that they are imposters?” Flaherty said.
Garahan moved to stand on Flaherty’s left while O’Malley stood on his right. “We’re bound by blood, and our vow of honor to His Grace, and have been battered, bruised, and bled to keep it,” Garahan murmured.
“We have been in yer boots, Dillon, and felt the bolt to our hearts,” O’Malley added. “Meself when I rescued Caro, and Garahan when he rescued Prudence. Our hearts met the missing halves of ours, as ye recognized Pippa as the other half of yer own.”
Flaherty glared at Tremayne before responding, “Coventry did not send Tremayne or anyone else to question whether or not Caroline was claiming to be someone she wasn’t.”
“True,” Garahan replied. “But ’tisn’t what matters here now, Flaherty, and ye know it.”
O’Malley grunted. “When an O’Malley or Garahan gives his word, we keep it—same as yerself or any of yer boneheaded brothers, Flaherty.”
Flaherty felt as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and with it his anger. Had it been his imagination, or had his Uncle Patrick O’Malley reached from beyond the grave to whack some sense into him?
“Felt that, did ye?” O’Malley asked. “I’ve had it happen to me once or twice. I’m thinking Uncle Patrick is more involved with our being hired on by the duke than any of us realized.”
“Aye,” Garahan agreed. “It started with Uncle Patrick’s oldest son and namesake. Then yer brother Sean was hired, O’Malley.”
“One by one, the rest of the Cork O’Malleys, Uncle Patrick’s sons, were hired, then his nephews, meself, and me brothers from Wexford,” O’Malley added.
“Then the Garahans and me brothers,” Flaherty said. “I’m wondered how we got out of some of the scrapes and untenable situations, when it seemed all hope was lost.”
Garahan grunted, then locked gazes with Tremayne.
“Me brother told me how the two of ye worked together to lift Finn O’Malley once the lever was pulled and the trapdoor opened beneath his feet.
I’m thinking yerself and James had a little help from Uncle Patrick keeping the hangman’s noose from snapping Finn’s neck. ”
Tremayne cleared his throat, and the men turned as one.
“It is something to think about. But back to the issue at hand. I have given my word to the captain, and I intend to keep it. As soon as his lordship arrives, I have a bit of pertinent information about Captain Trentchester that I have been given leave to share, once I verify the identities of the women under your protection and report my findings to Coventry. That is all I am allowed to say until after I interview the women.”