Chapter Eight
When Letitia suggested going up to the third floor at Club Knight, Greyson almost relented.
But he believed she would regret it afterward and that it would put an unnecessary strain on their friendship.
He would never have regretted it, but he feared she would have.
The tension on the carriage ride to her townhouse tightened his chest. Perhaps he should never have introduced her to the club.
It wasn’t for everyone. Even though she appeared agreeable, he wasn’t convinced.
When they arrived at Rutherford Manor, he escorted her inside, determined to convince himself she was fine and then take his leave.
He hadn’t planned to pull her onto his lap and kiss her, a kiss he would remember always.
Next thing he knew, his hand was wandering of its own accord, and his mind had to hurry to catch up.
To his utter surprise and delight, Letitia melted under his exploring hand, a hand that brought her up and over the edge to oblivion and beyond.
He’d always suspected she was a sensual woman. Tonight confirmed his suspicions.
As he returned to Club Knight for a secret meeting of the Black Knights, his chest ached at the memory of her words. “I can’t abide secrets.” Rutherford’s secret life had caused her irreparable harm. How could he maintain his secret life without causing her the same harm?
“Bloody hell, I can’t let her go. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I owe it to both of us to see this relationship to fruition,” he mumbled to himself.
His driver stopped the carriage one street over, and Greyson hopped out without a word to either his driver or his groom.
No words were needed. Reed knew to stay close by.
He pulled the collar of his coat up and his hat low, shielding his face from onlookers.
He softly tapped the secret code on the backdoor of Club Knight, and it opened, letting him into a dark back corridor.
They changed the code each sennight for security.
One could never be too cautious when dealing in business involving secrets, investigations, and spying.
The man who opened the door closed it behind him and locked it without a word.
He need not speak, as Greyson knew where to go.
The less one said, the better. He opened the well-oiled door on the left, closed it silently behind him, and walked down the stairs without a creak.
Knight prepared well for their secret meetings.
As did Greyson. As he’d prepared for his role within the Black Knights.
Greyson had worked hard to hide his emotions when he needed to.
It was essential and a lifesaver while on assignment.
He practiced in front of a mirror, learning to school his features.
It wasn’t as easy as one might think. Keeping his expression neutral came easily to him.
The hard part was his eyes. They tended to be overly expressive without his knowing it.
He had worked extremely hard to make them look bored or emotionless.
It was a necessary skill if he wanted to stay alive.
However, it often interfered with personal affairs.
He had to remind himself to relax around his family and friends lest they begin to think he didn’t care about them, which was the farthest thing from the truth.
When it came to Letitia, he appeared to gush his feelings openly.
Not that he could see, but he felt his guard drop and could read her emotions.
Another thing he was trained to do. Words were one thing, but the expression on someone’s face said it all.
As he descended the last step, the room came into view, lit by numerous wall sconces.
It wasn’t large, perhaps twelve feet square.
The dirt floor was covered with a rug. Eight wooden chairs stood in a circle, with a low table in the middle, laid with bread, cheese, a decanter of brandy, and eight glasses already poured.
Greyson nodded to those seated in the chairs.
Knight, Lord Hammond, Lord Cain, Baron Cooke, retired Captain Sweeney, Mr. Thomas Tobias, and Mr. Samuel Cutter.
“Now that we’re all here,” Knight said, picking up his glass of brandy.
“Let us get down to business. I had an interesting meeting with Prinny earlier today, and he’s most worried about further uprisings due to the Corn Laws and job and wage cuts by industry and mine owners.
There’s been more unrest in Derbyshire because the leaders of the Pentrich Rebellion are still imprisoned and awaiting execution.
Also, word is that other towns are planning marches demanding the repeal of the Corn Laws. ”
Greyson spoke up. “What is the plan going forward?”
“Everyone in this room understands the plight of the English people.
They have been suffering since the conclusion of the war with France.
Citizens continue to voice their dissatisfaction with the government, and quite frankly, who can blame them?
Our job is to end these rallies or rebellions amicably so no harm comes to the good people of England.
We need to find peaceful ways for them to be heard without it turning to violence.
That is our job at Black Knights, and we must do everything we can to accomplish it.
“We’ll travel in pairs to the rumored rally sites and do what we can to quell any unrest and keep the peace.
We must use our false names. Which, of course, is why I’m staying here.
” He paused, then added, “You were all hand-picked by me because you support the causes of the protests but you don’t want the citizens of England to suffer.
Our job is to keep the peace. We are caught in a conundrum because our other job is to keep the royal family safe.
We shall strive to do both without bloodshed.
“Cain, Sweeney and Hammond, you will travel together to Derbyshire, where the Pentrich Uprising originated Greyson and Cooke, you’ll go to Bristol.
The miners and their owners are not happy with the price of coal.
See if you can come up with a solution. Tobias and Cutter, you will pair up and travel to Nottingham.
“Our intelligence is still working to pinpoint the details. You leave for the assignment on Wednesday. That should be sufficient time to wrap up your affairs and come up with plausible excuses for your upcoming absences. All of these uprisings are in the infant stages and not expected to become organized for several weeks. Before that happens, I have faith in your abilities to help those involved and come up with a way they can be heard without violence.”
Knight poured himself another brandy and downed it. “That will be all for now.”
Greyson thought about staying behind to have a word with Knight, but decided against it. The man looked ready to snap in two, no doubt from the strain of his earlier meeting with Prinny. Instead, he left with the rest of the Black Knights.
Riding home in his unmarked carriage, Greyson’s thoughts turned to Letitia and to how this assignment was coming at the worst possible time.
What could he tell her to explain such a lengthy absence?
And what about his sisters? He’d never asked his married cousin, Lady Charity Colbourn, to chaperone them, but he would send a note asking.
Thankfully, she often offered her services.
*
Letitia looked in the mirror over her dressing table, satisfied with her appearance for the carriage ride in Hyde Park with Greyson.
She was dressed in a cream muslin day dress, a blue pelisse trimmed in cream, and a matching hat and brown leather half boots.
There was a breeze today, so she grabbed a lap blanket and warm gloves as she left her room.
At four in the afternoon, the time to see and be seen riding in the park, it could be chilly, as the sun was low on the horizon this time of year.
As she descended the stairs, Greyson’s deep voice reached her ears, and her cheeks heated at the memory of what had happened last evening in the drawing room when they returned from Club Knight.
How could she ever look him in the eye today without blushing?
As she reached the last few steps, Greyson watched her with intensity, adding more heat to her cheeks.
When her feet met the entry hall floor, he bowed, straightened, and said, “Lady Rutherford, you look lovely today. Are you ready for our ride?”
“Yes,” she answered, taking his offered arm as Mr. Henry opened the door for them.
Greyson helped her up and into the mid-rise phaeton while a stableboy held the horses’ reins, keeping them steady.
Greyson joined her on the seat, took the reins from the stableboy, and off they went at a slow clip toward Hyde Park.
“This reminds me of our time in Newmarket in the spring.”
He looked at her and grinned. “Yes, it does me, too. I look forward to the next racing season.”
“It was my first time attending a thoroughbred race, and it was an eye-opening and fun experience. All the excitement that came from horses running on a flat course.”
He chuckled. “It doesn’t take much to entertain people.”
“Do you miss Stanton?”
“Yes. I imagine you miss Clarice. Stanton sent word, and they should return to London in early November.”
“That’s what Clarice wrote in her last letter.
” As he expertly handled the phaeton and horses, Letitia remembered the time they spent in Newmarket.
She attended two races with Greyson, the 2000 and 1000 Guineas Stakes.
Both races were won by the Duke of Stanton’s horses.
While visiting Newmarket, she and Greyson had very little time alone, but it was enough for them to share several kisses.
Still, nothing compared to last evening.
She moved one hand to her lips, and her gloved fingers hovered over them.