"I feel quite certain that, between us, we
will
be able to devise a plan. Once we discover what the earl knew, we
will
take it to our fathers
—
and Blackmoor, of course
—
and prove that Alex was right."
Alex smiled to herself. "I do like the sound of showing Gavin that I was right." She paused before asking, "Does it
make me a bad person that I feel that way only in part because it
will
help to avenge the earl's death? The other part of me simply wants Gavin to see that I am, indeed, right."
Vivi shook her head and said matter-of-factly, "Absolutely not. His behavior was unkind and unpleasant. I would be worried if there
weren't
a
small
part of you that wanted to show him that you are right."
"Which brings us to the next question,"
Ella
pointed out.
"Which is?" Alex was beginning to feel better about the entire evening.
"What was the kiss like?"
Alex thought for a moment, searching for the right word. Then, with a soft smile, she said, "It was wonderful. He was wonderful. The moment was ..."
"Wonderful?" Vivi interjected with a laugh.
Alex grinned at her. "Quite." The smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. "But now he's furious with me. I doubt he's reveling in the wonder of the moment."
"Oh, I don't know," Vivi said supportively. "It seems that when something is that wonderful, it's hard to forget it. You're not
thrilled
with his behavior right now and
you
remember how fabulous it was."
"True," Alex replied on a sigh.
"Be careful, Alexandra, you're beginning to sound like the type of young lady who wants
all
those things typical young females want,"
Ella
said with warning in her voice, her nose wrinkled, "marriage, children, a house in Surrey."
"What's wrong with wanting marriage and children?" Vivi asked. "I want those things. Not Surrey," she said with a raised finger, "but the rest."
"True, but with you, it's different. You're pining after The One."
Ella
said the last with an exaggerated swoon, which Vivi ignored.
«Well,
maybe Blackmoor is Alex's One."
Ella
turned an incredulous look on Alex. "Real
l
y?"
They both turned questioning looks on Alex, who thought for a moment before speaking. Was Gavin
The One!
Could she imagine spending the rest of her life with him? Certainly, his mere presence set her heart racing. When he flashed one of his private, conspiratorial grins, she wanted to stop whatever she was doing and just bask in the glow of his attention. And, if that wasn't enough, she couldn't imagine living a day without him in her life. Obviously, considering the events of the season, there was something between them. But was he The One? Did that person even exist? Shouldn't it be easier to communicate with The One? Shouldn't she understand him better? Shouldn't she be able to articulate what she wanted from him? When it came right down to it, she couldn't say
what
she wanted from Gavin
Sewell
, Eighth Earl of Blackmoor, except to say she wanted him with her. For now. And maybe forever.
Turning to her friends, she said simply, "I don't know. However, I would like to find out."
The three girls talked late into the night, eventual
l
y
falling
asleep on the bed long after the
ball
below ended and
all
the guests went home.
Alex had never been so happy to have her friends with her than she was that evening
—
they made the whole, horrible night seem tolerable. She knew without a doubt that, together, they would make this confusing, devastating situation right.
Last night, everything had been so clear. His plans had been so well laid out, so perfect, so clean. He had returned home from the Worthington Ball
to change clothes, planning to find young Blackmoor quickly and finally finish that which he should have finished long ago. As he changed out of his
formal attire, he had imagined what it would feel like to eliminate the boy. How free and invigorated he would feel knowing that another high-and-mighty Blackmoor was gone from the earth. For moments, he had been giddy with laughter
—
eager to kill again. He'd allowed himself a few
moments to fantasize about the manner in which he would dispose of the brat.
And then, everything had changed. A messenger had arrived at breakneck speed, barely able to breathe from the exertion. He had known before
reading the missive that his plans for the evening were changed. Sadly, he would have to wait to exact his punishment on another Blackmoor, but the
messenger had brought news of an unacceptable turn of events
—
one that must be rectified with all deliberate speed. He could not contain the hint of
excitement that he felt in his new task
—
even though it increased a hundredfold his risk of being discovered. No matter. Here was his chance to prove
his allegiance.
As always, he threw the note into the fire, watching the edges of the paper char and curl in the heat. He watched the lines of ink turn from black to
brown and eventually become consumed by the flames. Long after the paper disintegrated, he remembered the message.
There was a girl in the orangery find her.
He was going to enjoy this.
***
The next morning, Alex awoke to bright sunlight and the sound of fervent whispering. For a few seconds, she lingered in that moment between sleeping and waking when everything seems hazy and comfortable
—
until the memory of the previous evening's events came crashing down on her and she had an intense desire to throw the covers over her head and never leave her bed.
Instead, she
rolled
over and spied the source of the whispering. Vivi and
Ella
were sitting cross-legged on the chaise, facing each other, the tea tray next to them laden with a steaming pot, pastries, and jams. Vivi nibbled on a scone, nodding as
Ella
waved her hands in the air wildly to emphasize her hushed point.
"What are you two up to?" Alex said sleepily, sitting up. They both turned to he
r with broad smiles. "Oh, excell
ent! You are awake!"
Ella
exclaimed.
"How are you feeling?" Vivi asked, pouring a cup of tea for her friend.
Alex stretched broadly, reaching out to accept the tea and biscuit Vivi brought to her. "What are you two plotting?"
"To be fair," Vivi said with a pointed look at
Ella
, "only one of us is plotting."
"Mmm. I see that. And what mischief have you devised for us, Lady Eleanor?"
"Not mischief so much as detective work," replied
Ella
.
"Ah. Of course."
"My theory is this: If we cannot prove Lucian's role in the plot to
kill
the earl, we can at least uncover the information that led to his death. Perhaps that in turn
will
lead us to the entire plot against the Crown! At the very least, it
will
prove to Blackmoor that he was wrong
not
to believe you."
"There's only one problem with that," Alex said.
"Only one?" Vivi interjected, earning a black look from
Ella
.
«Well,
only one big one. If the War Office, Bow Street, and Blackmoor himself have not been able to find this information, why on earth would we be able to?"
"Ah ... the voice of reason awakes," Vivi said with a smile.
"
I’ll tell
you why. Because we have"
—
Ella
ticked off the qualities on her fingers as she spoke them
—
"cleverness, a fresh eye for the problem, curiosity, superior instinct
—
as proven by my hunch that Montgrave was involved from the
beginning
—
and
—
" She paused dramatical
l
y. "
—
the most important thing of
all
."
"Which is?" Alex asked.
"Desire to prove that we can," she added, with a measure of fantasy in her voice. "And think of the coup when they realize that three young women did something that a battalion of men could not."
At that moment, a knock came at the door and the duchess entered with
all
the poise befitting her position. She was wearing a day dress of rich purple satin and looked as though she had been up and fresh for hours, despite the fact that she'd hosted one of the greatest
balls
in London history the evening before. Stopping a few paces into the room, she looked suspiciously from one girl to the next, leveling each with a cool, blue gaze before
finally
speaking to her daughter. "Alexandra, I trust you are feeling better?"
"Yes, Mother. Thank you."
"What was it that befel
l
you last evening?"
"I
—
uh
—
" For the life of her, Alex couldn't remember what Vivi and Freddie's excuse was. "I had a turned ankle after the dance with Freddie, and Vivi and
Ella
were nice enough to escort me here and keep me company."
A single brow of her mother's rose as Vivi coughed into her hand. "By that thoroughly unsubtle cough, I rather imagine that Vivian is attempting to
tell
you that it was not your ankle that bothered you last evening, but a touch of the ague."
Alex blushed under her mother's scrutiny. "Mothers always find out, Alexandra."
"I didn't
—
"
The duchess silenced her with a single raised hand. "I would prefer not to hear whatever excuse you have devised to explain your behavior last evening. Instead, I am here to
tell
you that, although you may have escaped the
ball
, you cannot escape me. As punishment for missing my
ball
, I am requiring your attendance at a country house party."
Despite her relief that her mother seemed to think they had schemed only to escape the
ball
last night and not for any more serious reason, Alex groaned, "Mother! You cannot!"
"On the contrary, daughter, I can. More so, I
shall
. You and your brothers are hereby required to be in attendance. They, I'm sure,
will
have a bone to pick with you when they hear." She turned to Vivi and
Ella
, adding, "I've invited both of your parents
—
so I expect you
will
be there as
well
."
Her statement elicited a wan smile from
Ella
and a slightly brighter one from Vivi. Alex piped in,
«Well,
at least you two
will
be forced to be there as
well
.
That might help a bit." Turning back to her mother, she said grumpily, "Who else has been invited?"
"I have dispatched invitations to a number of influentials
—
including Blackmoor and Stanhope, the Salisburys, Lady Twizzleton, the Warings
—
I know your feelings on the young lord, but he is indeed a marquess
—
and a number of
additional young, eligible men. The season is almost half over; it's time you girls turn your thoughts to finding a proper match."
She was so wrapped up in making her point, the duchess failed to notice the slight catch in Alex's breath when she referenced Gavin. He wouldn't attend, would he? Or maybe he would, simply to ignore her. She didn't know what was worse. Perhaps she could convince her mother to postpone this
silly
party? Alex opened her mouth to say something, when
Ella
beat her to the task with a bright smile and an "Oh, Your Grace! What a wonderful group of people! I, for one, am quite excited to attend. Aren't you, Vivi?"
Vivi gave
Ella
a strange look and answered warily, "Indeed."
Pleasantly surprised, the duchess smiled at
Ella
. "Thank you, Eleanor, I share your excitement and
shall
look forward to having you with us." Turning back to Alex, she continued, "You would do
well
to take a leaf from your friend's book, Alexandra. I
shall
expect to see you in a better humor when we leave tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow morning!" Alex cried. "But that's impossible!" Her stomach dropped as she was flooded with reasons to dread the house party. Between Blackmoor's clear frustration with her, which could easily lead him to decline the invitation and stay in town, leaving Lucian and Montgrave with a much easier time finding and dispatching the young earl the way
,
they'd done to his father, and the real possibility that he might join them in the country and plague her with his obvious dislike, her heart was racing and she was beginning to feel panicked.
«Well,
I'm on rather an impressive streak of hosting
excellent
parties," Her Grace explained, "a fact you would be aware of if you had bothered to attend last evening's festivities. I see no reason to wait. The guests
will
join us on Saturday. I
shall
need your help to prepare the manor." Turning to the girls, she suggested, "Why don't you both join us? I'm happy to extend the request to your parents if you'd like. You would be welcome company for both Alexandra and myself."
Ella
and Vivi nodded assent as Alex sighed heavily, drawing a smile from her mother. "There's no reason to be so dramatic, Alexandra. You like the country. Remember?"
"I know," she replied with reservation, "I just
hate
the season."
«Well,
that's
all
the more reason to get yourself married
—
and avoid having to have another," her mother said with a broad grin that reminded Alex of her brothers on their most infuriating of days. She returned the smile with a black look as her mother kissed her on the forehead and turned on her heel to leave the room, saying, "Things
will
look better once you've dressed, my love. Girls, there's a beautiful breakfast spread in the dining room
—
Cook
really
has outdone herself. May I suggest you join us?"
And, with that, she departed.
As the door closed behind her mother, Alex worried her lip, wishing that she'd never escaped to the orangery the night before and swearing silently that she would never eavesdrop on another conversation again. Now she'd made a mess of everything. She had no idea to whom Lucian had been talking and no proof to share with anyone that she'd heard what she'd heard. On top of that, Blackmoor had
all
but pushed her out of his study last night. This was horrible.
"This is
excellent!
"
Ella
burst out after the door to the bedchamber closed behind the duchess.
Vivi and Alex turned shocked gazes on their friend. Vivi found her voice first. "I beg your pardon? This sounds the very opposite of
excellent.
"
"You're not thinking about it in the right way! A house party in Essex
will
give us a chance to search for clues and information in Essex, where the crime was committed! If we don't return from the country with the whole mystery solved, I
shall
be quite surprised!"
"
Ella
, at the rate we're going, if we return from the country with
all
of our loved ones intact,
I
shall
be quite surprised," Alex said, her words laced with frustration as she threw back her coverlet and got out of bed, ringing for Eliza to help her dress. "That's it. I'm going to
tell
my father everything. We can't do this alone."
"But, Alex!"
Ella
exclaimed.
"No,
Ella
. This is not a game. A man died. We're not in any position to solve this mystery ourselves. Blackmoor's life is at stake. And ours as
well
if we don't
tell
what we know."
Vivi nodded in agreement. "I think Alex is right,
Ella
. We cannot traipse off to Essex to save the day
—
we wouldn't even know how to begin to do that."
Ella
pouted briefly until she recognized the truth behind her friends' words. Although she did
allow
herself a heavy sigh and a disappointed "Fine."
***
The rich, savory aromas of a traditional English breakfast were detectable even as they descended the massive central staircase of Worthington House. Alex's mouth was watering before the girls joined the Staffords in the dining room for breakfast.
The entire family was present for the meal, with the exception of the duke, who had clearly already been and gone; the seat always reserved for him at the head of the long mahogany table was empty save for an already-read newspaper. Alex tempered her disappointment
—
she had been hoping to catch her father before he left for the business of the day
—
and focused on the rest of the room. The duchess was seated in her traditional position at the foot of the table, listening to the chatter of Alex's brothers, who were dispersed amongst the eight places that had been prepared along either side of the long table. As was to be expected, the boys had
filled
their plates with
mountains of food and were eating with gusto while they talked.
Noticing the entrance of the girls,
all
three stood to greet
Ella
and Vivi, as was expected of them as gentlemen, and the two, in turn, dropped quick curtsies in response. As the boys returned to their food, the girls made their way to the sideboard, where Cook had created a feast. There were eggs, English bacon and sausages, sautéed mushrooms, freshly baked bread and churned butter from Stafford Manor, and a dozen other choices in
all
manners sweet and savory. Alex's stomach rumbled and she smiled wryly to herself, thinking,
Anxious or no, it seems my appetite is very much intact.