Regency Spymasters 01 - Spy Fall (15 page)

“Is that what you want?” Tension infused his words. “A tryst with me and Darling?

She shook her head. “You really are an
idiot
.”

Both relief and confusion showed in his face. “What are we talking about here? I confess I am quite lost.”

“We are discussing the fact that you and Darling had carnal relations with Irene Talbot during the same time period.”

“We most certainly did not.”

“You deny bedding her?”

“No, I do not.” He pressed his lips together. “Only the lowest of scoundrels speaks of the women he has relations with, but I am going to indulge you this one time. Irene Talbot was a lively village girl of a certain charm. We engaged in a liaison for several weeks. I was not her first lover, and I’m certain I wasn’t the last.”

“And Darling?”

His exasperation was plain. “I’ve no idea of what you speak where he is concerned.”

“Marcel’s information is that Darling also had an affair with her at the same time.”

His face changed, grew serious. “I don’t believe it.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “If it occurred, it was without my knowledge.”

“Were you aware that she went away shortly after your liaison ended?”

“No. I returned to London. That was the year Elinor died. I didn’t return to Langtry for several years afterward, as you well know. How is that relevant to anything?”

“She was gone for ten months.”

At first he appeared confused, then comprehension settled into his face. “Are you going to present me with a bye blow?”

“It is a possibility, is it not?”

“No, it is not. I am exceedingly careful in that regard.” At her pointed look, he blew out an exasperated breath. “Except for my lapses with you.”

“Look.” Anna’s excited voice cut in on them. She waved her latest find. “It is such a big shell.”

Cosmo’s face softened as he smiled at the child. “It is grand, Miss Anna,” he called to her. “Magnificent.”

“Irene Talbot could be her mother.”

His expression sobered as he appeared to ponder the possibility. “Irene. Anna’s mother.”

She watched his face. “Is the timing right?”

He looked upward in silent calculation. “If Darling was indeed keeping company with Irene at the same time I was, then yes, it is possible.”

She wondered if he’d cared for the woman. “Are you bothered she entertained Darling while she was involved with you?”

“Not where Irene is concerned. It was just sport with her.” His expression grew contemplative. He turned his attention back to Anna, who gestured wildly for them to join her. “However, if it is true, it would be a subterfuge I had not thought Darling capable of.”

They walked toward Anna.

“I find I would not have minded it too terribly,” he said absently.

“Minded what?”

“If the girl had been mine,” he said. “She is charming. Darling is fortunate to have her.”

Astonishment halted Mari in her tracks. Cosmo walked on ahead to join the child. Reaching her, he dropped to his knees and sat back on his heels. Taking the large shell from Anna, he put it to his ear, saying something in an animated fashion clearly designed to entertain her.

It worked. Like all females, Anna appeared entranced by Cosmo’s effortless charisma. Giggling, the child watched with wide eyes, twirling a strand of windswept honey-colored hair around a pudgy, sand-dusted finger.

The following day, Cosmo, Aldridge, and Darling exited the house with Anna running excitedly out in front of them. Cosmo watched with amusement as Anna screeched to a halt by the stable, turning toward him with a wide-eyed look.

“Is that for me, Uncle Cosmo?”

A dappled gray pony, whose appearance he’d arranged at Aldridge’s request, stood in the paddock with its firm musculature twitching. The animal was already saddled, and a groom held its head. “Yes. It is a gift from Uncle Lord Aldridge.”

She beamed at the marquess, who appeared quite pleased with himself. “Thank you, Lord Aldridge.”

“It is my pleasure, Anna.”

As if belatedly remembering her manners, she turned to Darling. “May I accept it, uncle?”

“It is too generous.”

“Nonsense,” Aldridge intoned, the sharp lines of his profile set in the way of a man used to having his wishes followed. “Anna is already like a grandchild to me, Darling. Do not deny me the pleasure of spoiling her.”

The child fidgeted, bouncing back and forth on both feet. “Please, uncle.
Please.
” She drew out the last word with a child’s urgency.

“Very well.” Darling relented with a resigned smile. “It is not as though I could stand against you, Lord Aldridge, and Cosmo all at the same time.”

With a whoop, Anna twirled around and ran out to see her pony, with Darling and Aldridge following. Cosmo glanced at the barn, where Mari worked on the smallest gondola he’d ever seen. Wondering what it could be for, he wandered over to her. “Whatever is that?”

“A boat,” she murmured, still focused on her work. She knelt by the basket in slim-fitting buff breeches and a white linen shirt, her usual work uniform, which never failed to delight his baser instincts.

“I can see that. Why is it so small?”

“I’m going to experiment with attaching a balloon to it.”

“You are going to go up in that?” Disbelief throbbed through him. “It is no bigger than a chair. You could topple right out!”

“It requires less hydrogen than a larger balloon. Maxim is a showman. He is keen to try it.” She looked up with a wry grin, a dark spiral of hair falling across one eye. “Our first showing in London must be memorable.”

“So let Maxim do it.”

“He is too heavy.”

Dread trickled down his spine at the thought of her being hurt. “As though the regular gondola is not enough of a death trap. You cannot do this.”

Brushing the errant strand of hair away from her face, she paused, the symphony of color in her eyes glinting in the sun. “I can and I shall.” The words were firm. “This is my work, Cosmo, and you have no say in it.”

An urgent desire to keep her safe pumped through him, yet he could do nothing to stop her. “You are the most obstinate woman.” He bristled at being helpless to protect her. “It is a good thing you plan to never marry. You would give any husband a heart seizure.”

“No doubt. On that, we agree.”

Anna’s delighted laughter rang out, drawing their attention. The child sat on her pony’s back while a groom led her around the paddock. “Do you buy horseflesh for all females of your acquaintance?” Mari asked.

“Aldridge secured the pony for Anna,” he answered, watching as the groom let the animal go. Obviously proficient at riding, the child urged the animal on. “He is growing very fond of her.”

“As you appear to be.”

He gazed at Anna as she posted around the paddock on her pony, warmth both filling and squeezing his chest. “She is enchanting.” When Mari paused, regarding him with her vivid gaze, he said, “Don’t look at me like that. I know what you are thinking.”

“Oh?”

“Just because I am fond of the child doesn’t mean I am her sire.”

“It is also the way you look at her.”

“And how is that?”

“With an openness I’ve never seen on your face before, absent of all cynicism.” She spoke slowly, weighing her words. “It is honest and pure.”

The words pricked something in his heart. He snorted to cover the emotion. “Please. As you very well know, there is nothing pure about me, Mademoiselle Lamarre.”

“Uncle Cosmo, Uncle Cosmo!” Anna called, a bit petulant, from atop her pony. “You must watch me.”

“Coming, Anna,” he called back, quirking a smile at Mari. “Like most females, she doesn’t like to be ignored. I think Anna is a bit jealous of the attention I pay to you.”

“Hmmm, she certainly has no reason to be,” Mari said absently, returning her attention to the death-trap gondola, leaving Cosmo to wonder exactly what she meant.

Since Aldridge had demanded that no fuss be made over his birthday, only a handful of people were invited to a luncheon marking the occasion. In addition to Darling, the marquess’s physician attended with his wife, Mrs. Hodges, along with Vicar Payne and his wife, and Rosie Chalcroft. As usual, the
M
brothers declined to make an appearance at a formal meal, yet Cosmo felt certain Mrs. Godfrey would see to it they were well fed.

Given the fine weather, a long, elegantly arranged table had been set out on the front lawn. Daily hires from the village helped serve an abundance of Aldridge’s favorite foods, beginning with partridge soup and followed by buttered shrimp, boiled turbot, and roast beef. Vicar Payne, a man as stout as he was devout, dug into his beef, while chatting with the marquess, who, as always, maintained a polite countenance.

“His lordship appears to be enjoying the party,” Rosie said from her seat next to Cosmo. “It was good of you to arrange it. Well done.”

Relaxing against the back of his chair, Cosmo said, “I had no hand in it. Godfrey arranged everything.”

“She could not have issued the invitations.”

“The old woman told me whom to invite, a mere formality, that. Sometimes I do wonder who is master and who is servant, given that I always seem do her bidding.”

“It probably helps that she’s known you since you were in apron strings.”

“No doubt.” Sipping the sweet apricot wine, Cosmo’s gaze slid to Darling, who was engaging Mari in what appeared to be an intense conversation. Darling sat to Aldridge’s right, in a place of honor, which reflected both his rank and close personal relationship with the Dunsmore family. Mari sat on Darling’s opposite side, resplendent in a gown the color of pale sunshine. With its high, ruffled neckline, the style was both more demure and more frivolous than her usual attire. She’d topped her ensemble with a straw bonnet embellished with an enormous ribbon cockade the same shade as her gown; a concoction of yellow and blue silk flowers added additional flourish. It all struck him as rather fanciful for someone as sensible as Mari. He’d become accustomed to the simple clothing she used for work, but then again he’d never seen her at a social occasion in polite company before today.

“Lovely girl, your Mademoiselle Lamarre,” Rosie said.

“She is not my Mademoiselle Lamarre. Aldridge invited her here, not I.”

“She is most amiable.”

“Amiable?” His prickly parachutist? “Are you certain we speak of the same person?”

“Yes, she is exceedingly pleasant. She inquired about Elinor.”

Hiding his surprise, he paused to take a leisurely drink of his wine. The parachutist seldom did anything without a reason. “I wonder what interest she could have in Ellie.”

“She thinks they might have had friends in common in Paris.”

He didn’t believe that for a moment. “What else have the two of you discussed?”

“Her work, my work. Her betrothed.”

His heart stumbled. “Her betrothed?” Disbelief shot through him. “What betrothed?”

“Pascal something or another.”

“Mari is betrothed?”

Rosie’s inquisitive eyes fastened on him. “Mari, is it?”

“Yes,” he said, anxious to learn more about Mari and this other man, a potential husband. “She told you she is promised to this Pascal fellow?”

Her soft brown eyes honed in on him. “You refer to Miss Lamarre by her Christian name?”

“Who is he?” Cosmo demanded. “She says she will never marry.”

Interest glimmered in her too-astute gaze. “You’ve discussed marriage with her.”

Ballocks. He’d managed to draw Rosie’s interest squarely, and uncomfortably, to himself.

“No need to dissemble,” she continued. “I’ve suspected for a while now that you and Miss Lamarre have become…close.”

“Why would you think that?” he responded in a bland voice before taking a gulp of the too-sweet wine.

“You did purchase horseflesh for her. A gentleman does not bestow a gift of that size without having some depth feeling.”

Mari rescued him from Rosie’s interrogation by rising to her feet with an announcement. “My lord,” she said to Aldridge. “To show our appreciation for your hospitality, my brothers and I have a gift we should like to present to you.”

Aldridge regarded her with surprised delight. “That is most kind of you, Mademoiselle Lamarre, but unnecessary.”

She smiled warmly. “But of course it is our pleasure. If you will come with me.”

The guests all rose to follow the parachutist and Marcel toward the barn, with some of the servants following behind. As they rounded the back of the structure, a striped, deep-red-and-green hot air balloon came into view. Cosmo noticed it was much smaller than the one he’d ridden in and immediately realized why; the balloon was attached to the death-trap gondola Mari had been working with yesterday, the one barely larger than a chair. He sucked in a furious breath, understanding what Mari intended before she announced it.

Excitement glowed in her radiant eyes. “My lord, in honor of your birthday, we’ve arranged this private exhibition.”

Murmurs of anticipation rippled through the small crowd, which grew in number as more servants and estate workers came to watch. Aldridge’s face brightened. “You honor me, mademoiselle.”

She stepped into the gondola and suddenly the reason she’d dressed like a bedazzled banana fell into place. Like the draped gondola and colorful balloon, her flouncy yellow gown and its matching abomination of a bonnet with all of those fripperies crowded atop it were part of the extravaganza the public demanded. As if the sight of a woman risking her life wasn’t spectacle enough.

“You cannot possibly think to go up in that.” He struggled to keep his voice even, despite the pull of anxiety in his gut. “It’s barely bigger than a picnic basket.”

“Perhaps Cosmo has the right of it, Miss Lamarre.” Aldridge frowned as he ran his gaze over the gondola. “I won’t have you exposing yourself to unnecessary danger.”

Fixing Cosmo with a quelling look, Mari turned to his father. “I assure you, I would not risk myself, and it is solely a balloon ascent, as I will not be parachuting today.”

Aldridge’s face relaxed. “If you are certain.”

“I am,” she said in a firm voice, shooting another dark look at Cosmo, as if daring him to object.

Despite his struggle to contain his fury, Cosmo forced a relaxed posture, knowing he had no right to intercede; she was neither his wife nor his betrothed. The parachutist had brothers to act as her protectors, although they did a poor job of it. And, if Rosie was to be believed, she also had a betrothed stashed somewhere who should be looking after her. Apparently, Cosmo was nothing but the latest in Mari’s string of paramours.

Standing proud in the gondola, gripping one of the cables securing the balloon to the basket, she looked like a sky warrior ready to take flight. Marcel and Maxim reached over and tossed out the sand-filled ballasts. Gradually, the basket lifted off the ground. Palpable excitement swept the spectators when the balloon lurched upward and began to take flight. Appearing strong and confident, her spine straight, Mari gave a farewell wave and continued her ascent.

Dread suffocated Cosmo as he watched her drift upward, away from him and the safe confines of earth. A breeze blew in, nudging the slight basket and balloon off course, slanting her in the direction of the trees. His nerves stretched to the snapping point when the balloon brushed against the branches before continuing its unsteady upward climb. Blue discharges, unlike anything he’d seen before, formed a partial halo around the balloon.

None of it looked right. A glance in the
M
s’ direction confirmed his fears. Maxim and Marcel wore identical grave expressions. Color had leached out of Maxim’s face. His heart pounding, Cosmo shifted his gaze back to Mari. Whatever the problem, she was on her own now, just as Elinor had been when she had died alone in Paris.

He shoved the thought from his mind and focused on Mari. At least the balloon cleared the trees. It disappeared behind a cloud and reappeared a moment later, this time with a red-gold halo around it instead of the blue. At first he thought it was an effect of the sun, but then the halo flickered and smoked. It took his mind a moment to comprehend what his eyes saw.

Up among the clouds, Mari’s balloon was on fire.