A Rogue of My Own (7 page)

R
EBECCA TOSSED AND TURNED
all night because she couldn’t stop thinking about The Angel. She was so restless that Elizabeth had snarled at her, “Be still!” long after they had both gone to bed.

Rebecca knew she ought to find out if Rupert St. John was The Angel’s real name. She ought to find out what he was doing in Nigel’s room. The same thing she’d been doing? Or just visiting a friend? And who was this man Nigel whom Lady Sarah seemed to be spying on?

There was no chance of sleeping late as she would have liked to do after such a restless night, not with Flora due to arrive early. But then Elizabeth also made an uncommon amount of noise, which Rebecca suspected was intended to wake her. Her roommate’s disposition had not improved one jot. In fact, it had deteriorated. Elizabeth mumbled a lot, slammed wardrobe doors, left her clothes lying on the floor, and even pushed her way past Rebecca as they maneuvered in their tiny room.

The first thing Flora did when she arrived was to kick those
clothes out of the way, which amused Rebecca, but amazingly drew no reaction from Elizabeth. But then yesterday Flora had made it clear to Elizabeth that she wasn’t Elizabeth’s personal maid simply because she fixed her hair. Thanks to Flora’s efforts, Elizabeth’s coiffure was much more becoming to her. So while the lady pretty much snapped everything she had to say to Rebecca, once Flora was in the room with them, she held her tongue.

Rebecca hoped to get answers to her questions if she lasted the entire day. Did Sarah need a reason to have her dismissed? If so, Rebecca could probably stop worrying about it. She was sure Sarah wouldn’t want what had occurred last night to come to light. And Rebecca had told Sarah that she wouldn’t do anything again that she felt was morally wrong.

An hour later when she arrived at the duchess’s quarters, Rebecca considered it a stroke of luck to find Evelyn alone there. She was sure Evelyn could answer some of her questions because the younger girl had been at the palace longer than she had. She grabbed one of the embroidery squares before she sat down next to Evelyn and, after a few words of greeting, asked her, “Do you know who Nigel is?”

“Nigel Jennings?”

Rebecca hadn’t heard the man’s last name, but she said, “Yes.” How many men with that name could be in the palace?

“I’ve heard he’s one of the illegitimate royals, even though he doesn’t use the surname Fitz Clarence as most of them do. Old King William had so many bastards with that actress mistress of his, who can keep count? I haven’t met him, so I wouldn’t know him if I saw him.” Then Evelyn leaned closer to Rebecca and whispered, “I once heard Lady Sarah attach a profane word to his name. I gather she doesn’t like him.”

Rebecca blinked. “Why not?”

Evelyn shrugged. “Hearing this and that and putting it all together, my guess is that she competes with him to get the queen the best gossip.”

Rebecca was incredulous. Sarah had put her in a sordid situation last night simply because she was on a quest for gossip? “But didn’t you tell me Sarah’s errands involved palace intrigue?” Rebecca reminded the girl. “How does gossip relate to that?”

“It’s all one and the same, isn’t it? Secrets, if exposed, can become fodder for gossip and scandal. And who is more interested in nipping scandals in the bud than the queen?”

Rebecca simply couldn’t believe that gossip was all that Sarah was after. She turned her attention to some stitching, letting a few minutes pass before remarking nonchalantly, “I noticed Elizabeth with a young man last night, an extraordinarily handsome fellow. He quite reminded me of an angel—in appearance.”

Evelyn giggled. “Funny you should say that. They call him the Saint, at least I’ve heard other ladies call him that. As a joke, of course, because he’s anything but saintly. It’s merely a play on his name, Rupert St. John.”

Rebecca knew she should stop right there. She had confirmation of his name. He hadn’t lied about it. But she had a thousand questions about him, so she couldn’t resist a few more.

“Don’t be coy,” Evelyn scolded lightly. “I saw you dancing with him. So did Elizabeth. Goodness, you should have seen how jealous she looked! But she’s so silly to think she has a chance with him when he delights in spreading himself around. By the by, those are his words.”

Ah, a reference to his skirt-chasing! “So he flirts with everyone—equally?”

“Oh, my, yes, even me.”

“He’s the fellow you were supposed to distract with kissing?” Rebecca guessed.

Evelyn grinned. “You’re too perceptive by half, Becky! Yes, Sarah wanted to know if his interest in Elizabeth was serious, since he’s often been seen in her company lately. But I don’t know why Sarah didn’t just ask him herself. I gather they are friends.”

Good God, he was friends with Sarah?! No wonder he knew in which wing of the palace she lived.

“And when you asked him if he was courting Elizabeth, he mentioned preferring to spread himself around?” Rebecca queried.

“Yes. He made it sound like he was joking, but considering he is known for doing exactly that with the ladies, I didn’t doubt the truth of it. My own hopes were dashed. By all accounts, he’s never serious about anything, let alone one particular woman. So let me do my good deed for the day with this warning. It’s all right that you find him fascinating. We all do. You’d be lying if you claimed you weren’t attracted to him, a man as divinely handsome as he is. Just don’t make the mistake Elizabeth did and put any stock in his flirtations.”

“Duly noted.” Rebecca grinned.

“He can be wickedly bold,” Evelyn added in a disapproving whisper. Her blush suggested she’d been a target of that wickedness. “Try not to be too shocked.”

“As you were?”

Evelyn sighed forlornly. “He treats all women alike, scullery maid or lady. I suppose that’s how rakes are, but I had
no
training in how to deal with improper gentlemen.”

Neither had Rebecca. Surely Rupert St. John didn’t treat all women with such risqué boldness as Evelyn was implying. Yet Rebecca recalled he’d treated her the same way last night, when he’d put his hands on her breasts. She blushed at the memory.

“I’m sorry,” Evelyn said, assuming she’d embarrassed Rebecca. “I didn’t mean to go on about the man’s wickedness. Hopefully he won’t be a guest in the palace for very long. He is
such
a distraction.”

E
LIZABETH ARRIVED AT THE
duchess’s chambers looking fetching in a pale green gown and the new style of coiffure Flora had fashioned for her. Rebecca wondered if Flora had suggested the pale green gown. The maid had an eye for color, and had removed all the gray and silver garments from Rebecca’s wardrobe when she’d first joined the household, claiming they didn’t suit her a’tall. Elizabeth must have been pleased with her appearance because she was smiling to herself, lost in her thoughts, until she noticed who was in the room and reverted to a scowl.

Lady Sarah entered the room from the other entrance at nearly the same time. She nodded to Elizabeth with a friendly morning greeting, then summoned Evelyn to follow her out of the room. But not before she glanced at Rebecca and turned up her nose with a humph!

Well, that was encouraging, Rebecca thought. A smirk would have implied that Sarah had arranged for Rebecca’s dismissal. That humph! suggested Sarah was afraid other incidents
would come to light if she tried it. Rebecca hoped Sarah would refrain from trying to send her on any more errands. While it had seemed exciting when Rebecca thought she would be serving her country heroically, she knew better now.

Unfortunately, Evelyn’s departure left her alone with her scowling roommate. Now she understood why Flora’s intervention hadn’t made Elizabeth behave in a more cordial manner to Rebecca. Jealousy. Over a man Rebecca hadn’t even spoken to prior to yesterday. Elizabeth’s jealousy over his dancing with Rebecca revealed the girl’s insecurity about her supposed relationship with him. But hadn’t Elizabeth heard about his skirt-chasing? Surely she didn’t take his flirting seriously?

Rebecca knew she wouldn’t do anything that silly herself, now that she’d seen and heard evidence of how he “spread himself around.”

“If you get bored with that embroidery,” Elizabeth said, “I would suggest a swim in the garden lake. Maybe you’ll do me a favor and drown.”

Rebecca actually laughed, since Elizabeth made that remark with an insincere smile, but a smile nonetheless. “I probably would drown since there are no ponds or lakes near home where I could learn to swim.”

“Do I look like I care?” Elizabeth snapped, apparently annoyed that she hadn’t elicited an angry reaction from Rebecca. “Just don’t do it this afternoon, when I have a rendezvous in the park.”

With
him,
no doubt, Rebecca thought, but didn’t ask.

“I’ve tried to be nice to you,” Rebecca said, “though I’m beginning to wonder why I should bother. I didn’t forbid Flora from assisting you with your hair. It was her idea, you know, though she did say that if it didn’t bring about some peace
between us, she would withdraw the offer. You might want to keep that in mind because you do look much prettier due to Flora’s efforts.”

Rebecca was amused to see how a blush from a compliment could mix with indignation on Elizabeth’s face. But her roommate stopped making nasty remarks and went over to the corner to pluck gratingly on one of the instruments there. Apparently, playing the violin was not one of Elizabeth’s accomplishments either, Rebecca thought with a cringe.

Constance arrived when luncheon was served. Rebecca enjoyed a lively conversation with her about last night’s ball and the formal dinner with the duchess that they were expected to attend tonight, in honor of the duchess’s childhood friend who was visiting her.

Elizabeth didn’t join them at the table. She pulled out her pocket watch at least a half dozen times during the hour. Apparently, she was too nervous to eat, anticipating her rendezvous. Her excitement became almost palpable, which was understandable, considering whom she was meeting. Rebecca decided that a walk in the Royal Garden behind the palace might provide a nice break that afternoon. Not to spy on the lovers, she assured herself. Merely to partake of the beauty in such a grand garden before the weather turned too cold to enjoy any sort of walk there.

R
EBECCA COULDN’T BELIEVE SHE
was snooping again, and this time of her own volition. How had she stooped so low? She simply couldn’t stay away from an opportunity to see Rupert again, even if from afar. She had to determine if he was more interested in Elizabeth than he’d let on to Evelyn. It was no concern of hers, of course, it would just be…disappointing if he was interested in her.

As soon as Elizabeth flew out of the duchess’s chambers, Rebecca followed her, telling Constance that she needed to step out to speak to her maid about readying one of her evening gowns for tonight. But it wasn’t easy to keep up with Elizabeth. The girl was nearly running. By the time the lady finally stopped at a small gazebo, forcing Rebecca to duck out of sight, they were deep into the garden.

Rebecca quickly moved away from Elizabeth, going off to the side where no one would detect her. It wouldn’t do to have Rupert come up behind her on his way to the rendezvous. Rebecca could see that Elizabeth was keeping an eye on the path
they had come down as she now paced inside the gazebo, repeatedly glancing at her pocket watch. Was Elizabeth early, or was Rupert St. John late? Either way, Rebecca needed to find a spot she could settle into and appear to just be enjoying the peaceful beauty of the garden.

A bench beneath a large silver-maple tree and facing the lake was ideal for her purpose. The wide tree trunk completely blocked her from Elizabeth’s view. Sitting on the edge of the bench, she didn’t have to lean too far to glance around the tree for quick peeks. But Elizabeth was still alone. No doubt, the girl’s excitement and impatience to see Rupert had brought her to their meeting place too early.

While Rebecca waited for Rupert to appear, she took note of her surroundings. The parklike garden was reputed to be the largest private garden in London. Landscaped by Capability Brown and rich in maple, cypress, and chestnut trees, the current garden had actually been redesigned by the famous John Nash back when the Prince Regent had spent a huge amount of money remodeling the palace. Even the great lake had been created several decades ago and was supplied with water from The Serpentine lake in nearby Hyde Park.

Only a few fall colors were showing up so far, but they were lovely mixed in with all the green. She would have to come out here again when the garden was ablaze with autumn foliage and she wasn’t so distracted. The day was a little chillier than usual, but there had been no time to grab a coat. She might even catch cold if Rupert didn’t hurry up and appear.

Half an hour passed. Elizabeth wasn’t giving up, but Rebecca was about to. She stood up to leave, but caught sight of movement from the corner of her eye and sat back down abruptly. It was him. Some hedges, tree trunks, and statues
might be in the way, but not for long with that long stride of his that made his black hair sway just above his wide shoulders.

He was dressed today in a tan coat, white shirt, and black pants. When he got to within ten feet of the gazebo, Elizabeth flew out of it and into his arms. Rebecca blushed and started to turn away, but Rupert didn’t return the embrace. He was setting Elizabeth back from him.

Hardly loverlike, Rebecca thought as she leaned back against the tree trunk again. Not very Rupert-like either, when by all accounts his roguish ways should have had him taking quick advantage of Elizabeth’s ardor. But he did show up. Elizabeth’s rendezvous
had
been with him. However, another quick peek showed they were merely talking now. They hadn’t even entered the gazebo, which probably had a bench they could sit on. Also, wouldn’t lovers take advantage of the privacy the gazebo could provide?

Well, what the devil? Was this grand romance only in Lady Elizabeth’s imagination? But then Rebecca chided herself. Rupert had only just arrived. Their rendezvous was hardly over yet.

She took another peek. They were still just talking. No, actually Elizabeth looked upset now. Why hadn’t Rebecca thought to hide close enough to hear what they were saying?! Rupert put his hand on her shoulder, but it seemed as if he was merely consoling the girl. About what?

“So you have a knack for snooping, do you?”

Rebecca swung around with a startled gasp. Standing next to her was a rather short, middle-aged man in an ordinary broadcloth suit.
How
had he managed to walk up to her without her hearing him? He wasn’t a gardener, obviously. Perhaps he was one of the visiting dignitaries.

However, his remark about her “knack for snooping” implied he knew she had done this kind of thing before, and aside from The Angel, only one man might know about her “errand” for Lady Sarah.

“Nigel Jennings?” she guessed.

He lifted a brow. “We’ve met? No, I’d remember a pretty lady like you. So you’re as smart as he claims then, eh?”

She found herself blushing furiously that she’d guessed accurately. How utterly mortifying and unfair that Rupert had told him that she’d been discovered in his room! She hadn’t revealed Rupert’s identity to Sarah, so why couldn’t he have done the same for her?

But Nigel wasn’t interested in lecturing her about that outrageous deed. “Be at ease,” he told her. “Since you know who I am, shall we confirm that you’re the newest maid of honor, Rebecca Marshall?”

She would have liked to deny it. A maid of honor snooping, lying, caught attempting to steal! The queen might even hear of it.

He waited for her reluctant nod before he continued, “I was led to believe that you did me a service.”

Incredulous that he could view her misdeeds in that light, she asked, “How so?”

“In keeping St. John’s identity to yourself. Lady Sarah doesn’t know of our association and we would prefer to keep it that way.”

“I see,” she replied carefully. “And that association would be—?”

He chuckled. “None of your business, young lady. But I applaud your attempt to gather information. I can only hope it is for yourself and not for Sarah.”

Rebecca sighed. “I thank you for not mentioning what occurred, but I really
must
apologize. I was told next to nothing about the task Sarah sent me on, merely that it was important. So considering how highly improper it was, I convinced myself that it was of great importance to the crown, that you were a suspected traitor of some sort.”

“Let me guess,” he said in an amused tone. “You were being heroic?”

She nodded. “But I began to feel terrible about entering your room and looking around it. And the bad feeling remained, so I lied to Sarah about who entered your room, and—”

“He had that much effect on you?” Nigel cut in curiously.

“Effect?” She frowned, then chuckled as she guessed, “Oh, you mean because of his angelic looks? No, it was because I know he’s the nephew of my neighbor the Duke of Norford. To think that any relative of the duke would do something treasonous is ludicrous.”

“Quite so. Pray tell me, are you here at Sarah’s behest today, or merely satisfying your own curiosity?”

Rebecca managed not to blush this time, but she didn’t want to own up to her interest in Rupert, either. Fortunately, she came up with a ready excuse, “Yes, I’m keeping an eye on my roommate who’s been rather difficult. I merely wanted to find out why Elizabeth was so excited earlier today. You needn’t worry that I will be doing any more snooping for Lady Sarah. I warned her last night not to use me like that again, that I would take the matter to a higher authority if necessary.”

“That’s too bad.”

She blinked. “It is?”

“Yes, I was hoping an intelligent girl like you could keep me
apprised of anything unusual that Sarah might ask of you again.”

He said it so nonchalantly, yet she didn’t doubt he was serious. “You mean spy for you?”

“No, my dear. I’m not talking about eavesdropping or peeking through keyholes—or sneaking into places where you don’t belong. Nothing of the sort. But if Sarah asks you to do anything else out of the ordinary, I would appreciate a warning beforehand. Just a note, sent by your maid or a trusted servant, to myself or even to Rupert, since business sometimes takes me away from the palace and he usually knows where I can be found.” Nigel paused and shook his head. “Sarah’s antics are usually harmless, but she really has no interest in helping the crown, you know. I had her investigated so I’m sure of that. Everything she does here at court is to better her own position. And the day may come when she goes too far.”

Had he not mentioned Rupert, Rebecca would probably have flatly refused and walked away, no further discussion. But she was intrigued by the idea that she might occasionally have a
reason
to seek Rupert out. It really was too bad that, as Nigel had put it, she had pretty much burned her bridges with Sarah.

“She’s not going to ask me to undertake another of her ‘errands.’ The way she greeted me this morning pretty much confirms that she now views me as a useless member of the duchess’s entourage.”

“Useless to her,” Nigel agreed, giving her a thoughtful look. “But you might still be of use to me.”

Rebecca stiffened slightly, annoyed that he thought he could use her for his own purposes. How was that any different from how Sarah had treated her?

“How so?” she asked carefully.

“Don’t look so suspicious, m’dear. I merely meant you will still be in a position to hear and see what is going on and make your own judgments in that regard.”

He was quite right. Evelyn seemed not to object to Sarah’s little errands and didn’t mind talking about them either. But Rebecca wasn’t about to commit to anything of this unusual nature again, especially when she knew so little about Nigel Jennings.

“We can agree that Sarah works for her own interests, not those of the crown,” she said, then bluntly added, “Whom do
you
work for?”

He seemed surprised, but that could easily have been feigned. “Do you really need to ask?”

She nodded. “You are cloaked in secrecy. No one I questioned could provide anything but rumors about you. So I would need—”

He appeared amused again and cut in, “You were checking up on me?”

“Of course. I was hoping to find out that you are here at the queen’s behest. I wanted to have more ammunition for my mother to take to the prime minister, should Sarah try to dismiss me over this matter. The Marshalls do not go down without a fight. If Sarah wants a battle, she will find that she is the one who will likely get dismissed.”

She had no doubt that Nigel’s surprise was genuine now. “You have floored me, indeed you have. And damn me if that doesn’t sound promising and worth more thought. But in the meantime—”

“There is no meantime. Don’t ask me simply to believe everything you say. That sort of naïveté is what led me astray last night. Before I can do what you ask, even as minor as it seems,
I would need proof that what you do, your intelligence gathering, is in the service of queen.”

“You mean proof other than that I am her illegitimate uncle?”

Rebecca raised a doubtful brow. “Taking advantage of a rumor? Fie on you, sir. No, I don’t think that will do.”

He laughed. “Touché. Would you believe Rupert if he vouched for me?”

Rebecca knew she would enjoy
any
contact with Rupert, for whatever reason, but she shook her head. “While I am certain that he could not be involved in anything that might harm our country, I can’t discount that you may have him fooled about your own motives.”

Nigel smiled, even though she suspected her stubbornness was beginning to annoy him. “Well said. Your determination not to be gullible again I find even more useful. We will not ask the queen to interrupt her busy schedule to have a word with you, especially now that she is being hounded to rest more often during these last few months of her pregnancy. But her husband occasionally has time on his hands. Will you believe Prince Albert if he corroborates that I am a loyal servant to our country?”

Oh, my, the prince?
“Indeed,” she said immediately.

“Very well, I will mention it to him before I leave for my appointment today. Give him a day or two to find an opportunity to approach you in a manner that will not draw undue notice. Once you are satisfied that my devotion to the crown is without question, you can keep me apprised of anything untoward you may learn of at court.”

She was amused that he was taking it for granted that she
would
assist him as long as she received proof that he was
a legitimate royal supporter. Not that she minded. He wasn’t asking her to do anything she was morally opposed to, as Sarah had done.

“Just don’t shove any notes under my door if I’m not there. Hand deliver only. People seem to be breaking into my room lately,” Nigel said drily. “In fact, Rupert could serve as a go-between for us, since the ladies do visit him at all hours of the day—and night—and this meeting I’m going to today may result in a sudden trip out of the country.”

Rebecca blushed instantly at his remark about Rupert, but she tried to cover it up by asking, “A short trip?”

“It’s often impossible to know how long I’ll be away from the palace.”

Preparing to leave, he glanced around the tree first. “They’re gone,” he said with a sigh. “I was hoping to catch Rupert alone here, and I really don’t have time left to search him out.” He pulled an envelope from his pocket. “I wanted to give this to our mutual friend. Perhaps you can deliver it for me, since you are likely to see Rupert socially before I will.”

Rebecca chuckled as Nigel walked away. Did he really think she didn’t realize that this was a test and he would no doubt ask Rupert if the seal had been broken prior to delivery? As if she cared what was in the missive. But Sarah would probably like to see it. That was the test. But then Mr. Nigel Jennings was a spy, she was sure of it, so, of course, he wouldn’t trust everything she’d told him. He no doubt wanted proof of her honesty just as she wanted proof of his.

And then it struck her and she smiled. Nigel hadn’t just handed her a test but also a reason to seek Rupert out.