Clockwork Blue (46 page)

Lady Celeste shifted her weight.
"
He congratulated Sidney on his rise in station.
"

Nicola frowned, confused.
"
Felicitations? That doesn
'
t sound like a threat to me.
"

"
You are extremely innocent, my lady.
"
Lady Celeste
toyed with the lace on the dainty reticule from where it dangled on her wrist.
"
The threat is in the fact that he knows. And he reminded me that he knew. Why, shortly afterward he asked me to include you on my guest list. How could I refuse, knowing he held the future of my family in his palm?
"

Nicola
shook her head.
"
You could have just said no.
"

"
And be at Falcon
'
s mercy?
"
Lady Celeste pressed her lips together.
"
You don
'
t know what it
'
s like to be the victim of a cut direct.
"

"
And I say you are reading malicious intent that
'
s nonexistent.
"
She wondered what she could say to convince the woman—because she didn
'
t believe, not for
one
moment, that
Malcolm
would ever ruin someone on a whim.
"
Has he ever betra
ye
d you?
"

"
Well, not me, personally.
"
Lady Celeste fidgeted and averted her e
ye
s.
"
But you know he was accused of killing his brother for the title, do you not?
"

Nicola
waved her hand.
"
Of course I know, and it
'
s all rubbish. It was a hunting accident.
"

"
I
'
m sorry to disagree with you, but I don
'
t believe it. How can you be sure? You didn
'
t even know him, and everyone who did believed him guilty. It was only because of the family
name that he wasn
'
t sent to prison.
"

"
Pish-posh. I will not believe for a moment, no, not even a smidgen of a moment, that
Malcolm
could kill his own brother.
"
She took the other woman by the hand and walked her toward the settee, wondering just how far she should go with the tall tale she was about to give.
"
Sit down, Lady Celeste, I
'
ve got something to tell you.
"
Nicola
sat next to the Viscountess and angled herself on the seat so she could look directly in the woman
'
s e
ye
s.

"
What I
'
m about to do is drastic, but I know you won
'
t be persuaded otherwise.
"

Lady Celeste pressed her lips together.

"
I
'
m going to confide a secret to you, something so dark that it will ruin me for the rest of my life and will probably ruin poor
Malcolm
, for that matter. This secret you can hold over my head if it
will make you feel more
... bal
anced.
"

Lady Celeste
'
s mouth softened.
"
Good heavens, Lady
Nicola
, you mustn
'
t do anything so rash.
"

"
Why? I trust you implicitly, and I
'
m hoping that you will, in turn, trust
Malcolm
.
"

"
Whatever can it be?
"
Lady Celeste
'
s expression held dread and more than just a little curiosity.

"
Malcolm
and I are active in the Luddite Rebellion.
"
She hoped that
Falcon
never discovered her fib.

Lady Celeste brought her hand to her throat.
"
Oh, my! You
'
re not talking about those protests in the streets.
"

"
Ye
s.
"

Her e
ye
s were as round as shillings.
"
But those are the people who break looms and destroy property.
"

"
Indeed. That is how
Malcolm
and I met, actually—over an axe and a loom.
"
Not exactly, but who would quibble?
"
In defense, I can say it is all for a good cause, although the results can be a bit unruly at times.
"

"
But
…
why would the Earl trouble himself?
"

"
See, that is what I
'
m trying to tell you. He feels sorry for the stockingers who are starving. Although I must say that he wants to settle the matter in Parliament rather than on the streets. As a matter of fact, he has taken a young man under his wing and is coaching him on the finer aspects of the law and how to negotiate.
"
She didn
'
t mention the strange fighting methods
Malcolm
was teaching Ramsey.

"
Perhaps I misjudged him,
"
Lady Celeste said slowly, using her gloved finger to draw circles in the satin fabric of the divan.
"
You have certainly shed a different light on him.
"

Nicola
spun
a
world
globe on a stand
and then turned to look at Lady Celeste
.
"
Think about it. People believe the worst in him because he doesn
'
t correct the misconceptions. He
'
s not the sort to spout his good deeds.
"

"
I
'
m beginning to understand that.
"

"
Nicola
.
"

They both jumped at the sound of
Malcolm
'
s voice.

He scowled fiercely and straightened his cravat in an uncharacteristically restless gesture.
"
You
'
re needed in the fo
ye
r. The guests are leaving.
"

Obviously he wanted her to do the farewells. With a bright smile, she wondered if all
men felt inept at social functions.
"
Oh, then I
'
ll bid them farewell.
"

"
I-I must leave also,
"
Lady Celeste said.

Nicola
gently squeezed the woman
'
s tiny hand.
"
I
'
m so glad we
'
re neighbors. We
'
ll have to get together for tea soon.
"

"
I, uh, don
'
t know,
"
Lady Celeste said, casting a furtive glance at
Malcolm
who hovered like a dark cloud.

Something seemed to snap in
Nicola
.
"
Ye
s, I insist you come.
And bring Sidney," Nicola added, naming Lady Celeste's husband.
"
She took the timid woman
by the arm and escorted her to the door, ever conscious of the glittering disapproval shining from
Malcolm
'
s silvery e
ye
s—
which she ignored.
"
Why,
Malcolm
recently told me how nice it would be if we could arrange a friendly game of whist, didn
'
t you, dear?
"
She turned toward him, daring him with a look to say different.

The air seemed to thicken as
Nicola
waited for his response. Would he disagree—call her a liar? Had she assumed too much?

"
As you wish,
"
he said, giving her a bow.
Nicola
saw the promise of retribution written briefly in his e
ye
s.