Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
“A woman of delicacy and sensibility seldom receives much happiness from the generality of mankind.”
Dr. John Gregory, A Father’s Legacy to His Daughters
Richard sat at his mahogany desk, reading his neglected correspondence of the past few days.
He was to meet with Halmesbury that afternoon at one of their mutual clubs, White’s.
He could do nothing more about the note planted on his person at the musicale the night before.
All he could do was attempt to address his mounting work before the meeting.
He heard Perry’s distinctive gait enter his study, then loiter near his desk. Richard bit back his irritation and looked up to find his brother looking disconcerted. Hades, has something else happened? He did not think he could handle any more surprises this morning.
Perry fidgeted in discomfort before opening his mouth to speak, then shutting it.
“What is it?” Richard asked in the most patient tone he could manage, not quite daring to hear the answer.
“You know those print shops? The ones that display caricatures in their windows, like the ones Rowlandson and Cruikshank draw?”
Richard closed his eyes, a wave of unease washing over him.
Despite his less-than-virtuous past, he had largely managed to avoid being the subject of scurrilous drawings—unlike the new king, whose reputation often suffered at the hands of satirical illustrators.
Judging by his brother’s lack of composure, however, Richard feared his luck might have taken a turn for the worse.
Perry continued. “I was walking past some of those shops this morning, and I saw a great quantity of these displayed.” He tossed a paper on the desk as if he wished to be parted from it as quickly as possible, then swiftly stepped away.
Richard opened his eyes and reluctantly glanced down at the colored print in his hands.
The illustration appeared to depict him, dressed in nightclothes and surrounded by a tangle of scandalously dressed women.
Across from his likeness stood a figure unmistakably meant to be Sophia, her flowing red-blonde hair a clear identifier.
He exhaled sharply, a mix of agitation and disbelief rising in his chest, before lifting the image to read the caption beneath it.
Somerset earls and their scandalous habits. “I swear I did not invite these women to our wedding night.”
Richard dropped the print like it was scalding hot. Exhaling heavily, he pushed his chair back to rise, running his hand through his hair in agitation.
Perry ventured a question. “Do you suppose one of the servants tattled about what happened?”
Richard paused, his thoughts turning to the threatening note he had found in his pocket. He shook his head, the pieces beginning to fall into place. “No, it must have been the man who let those women into the house. It must be him.”
Perry tilted his head. “What do you mean? This is another prank?”
Richard scowled. “Not a prank. I believe whoever let those women in wished me ill. I received a threatening note, so it must be linked because it is too many situations converging at once to be a coincidence.”
“But who?”
“I do not know. A jilted lover? A wronged husband? The possibilities are endless, given the foolish choices of my past.” He raked a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “Why, oh why, could I not have exercised a shred of self-restraint?”
“May I read the note?”
Richard tugged it out of his coat and threw it at Perry, who caught it deftly.
He resumed pacing, thinking about how he had decided not to tell Sophia about the note yet.
He must alert her to the caricature, however.
She might be a laughingstock, and it was only fair to warn her to expect trouble the next time she left their home.
Perry whistled after reading the page. “What will you do?”
“I am meeting with Halmesbury this afternoon to discuss it. This is beyond my experience, and I need an outside perspective. In the meantime, I increased security for Sophia and Ethan. The My wife married me for safety, and all I have done is bring her chaos!”
His brother came over to hand the note back. “Halmesbury is a good idea because I find myself quite unprepared for this. But what can I do to help, brother?”
Perry’s face reflected genuine concern. Richard sighed in relief. His brother's recalcitrance of the past few days appeared to have passed, for there was no evidence of it now. His help in dealing with the matter would be valuable.
“Perhaps you can attend your clubs and listen for gossip. Any clues to who is tormenting me would be helpful.”
Perry nodded. “I can do that. What will you tell … your wife?”
Richard dropped his gaze. “I will need to warn her about the gossip, but I do not want to scare her about the note. I must take care of it, but she will be safe. I made sure of it.”
Drawing in a steadying breath, Richard moved to his desk and retrieved the dreadful print before leaving the room in search of Sophia.
After checking a couple of rooms, he finally found her at breakfast, seated with a full plate and raising a strawberry to her lips.
The sight brought back memories of the tender kisses they had shared the night before, a warmth blooming in his chest at the thought.
“Richard!” she called out in delight, dropping the strawberry.
“Good morning, Sophia. Did you sleep well?” A pretty flush covered her cheeks, and he recognized that she was thinking similar thoughts to his own.
“Yes, my lord.”
Richard grinned for a moment, suspecting he was being ‘my lorded’ because she was embarrassed and nervous.
“Can you clear the room?” He directed the command at the footmen, who quickly left and closed the door.
Sophia’s features reflected worry when he walked over to pull out the chair next to her. “Is something wrong? With Ethan?”
“Ethan is fine. I have a bit of news this morning. Bad news. I wanted to share it with you before you became aware of it … some other way.” He offered her the print he was carrying. Perplexed, she accepted it and scanned the print.
“Oh my!” She made a snorting sound and her shoulders shook. Richard’s heart sank. He was causing his bride to sob not three days in to their marriage.
Then the snort turned into … laughter? Sophia howled, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. Had she lost her mind? Had he driven her to hysteria with one too many problems? Thankfully, he had not informed her of the threatening note or?—
“This is priceless!” Her exclamation marked the end of her laughter. Richard raised his eyebrows. Noting his expression, she raised her own. “Never say this concerns you?”
“Of course it does. I made you the object of gossip and?—”
“Pish! Marrying you has made me interesting for a minute. But next week someone will draw yet another print of King George and that silly rumored trial of Queen Caroline. All will be forgotten of the Saunton household, and we will move on. Whatever we must contend with will be no worse than polite society’s reaction to Ethan living in our household.
If I can cope with that, then I can cope with this, too …
but I appreciate the warning,” she finished in a cajoling tone, as if she was comforting him.
Richard hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until her words prompted him to exhale in relief. “What did I do to deserve you?” he asked softly.
Sophia coughed delicately into her hand, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Quite a few things I would rather not mention.”
Richard chuckled, catching the playful reference. Her wit and warmth made his heart swell, reminding him once again of how fortunate he was.
Grabbing her hand, he raised it to his lips. “You are a marvelous woman! Beyond compare.”
She blushed in response before waving him off so she could eat her meal.
Richard was determined to prevent any more crises from arising before his wife ever discovered that he put the valued security she sought in jeopardy with his immoral past. He would finish his correspondence and then it would be time to meet Halmesbury to discuss the note burning a hole in his pocket.
Sophia held her skirts aloft while climbing the stairs to the nursery.
She planned to take Ethan out to the gardens to enjoy some sunshine, and perhaps share some hothouse fruit with the boy.
Reaching the landing, she turned in to the corridor leading to the nursery.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a flicker of movement and spun around in surprise to see that the new footman, John, was climbing the stairs behind her.
He quickly stepped over to the banister, pulled out a dust cloth, and started wiping at the grooves.
Sophia frowned. She thought the chambermaids did the dusting.
The man was behaving suspiciously, and she did not trust him.
Perhaps she needed to talk to Richard about it when he returned home.
News of the print had caused her to forget her desire to talk with him about the new footman earlier.
Turning back, she made her way to the nursery, where she found yet another footman dusting picture frames hanging on the wall.
Stopping near him, she looked him over, noting she had not met this servant either. He gave her a quick bow. “Milady.”
“Are you new?”
“No, milady. I … am recently arrived from … one of Lord Saunton’s country estates.” The man spoke like he was remembering lines in a play. Sophia’s suspicions mounted once more.
“And your name is?”
The man, who was very similar in appearance to the footman she had met at breakfast, looked uncertain for a second. He was slightly taller, but his livery was just as disheveled and his collar was crooked.
“John, milady.”
“John?”
“Yes, milady.”
“Like the other footman just arrived.”
His expression was strained. “Yes, milady.”
“Two Johns?”
He gave a nod.
“Both arrived from the Saunton country estates?”
He nodded again, appearing to be tongue-tied.
“Well. Good to meet you, John. I hope you enjoy London.”