How to Romance a Rake (8 page)

“Where is she?” Juliet asked, rising from her seat, her need to be doing something, anything, urging her to action. She gripped her walking stick in frustration. “She cannot stay with Mrs. Parks. What if whoever has taken Anna comes for Alice as well?”

Alec stood too, staying her with a comforting hand on her arm. “I have brought her to my house in Berkeley Square,” he said, attempting to calm her agitation. “I thought it best, given your mother’s dislike of Mrs. Turner and the circumstances of Alice’s parentage.”

Juliet nodded. He watched as she took a deep breath, and reined in her emotions. He suspected, given her past difficulties, that this was a skill she’d been forced to learn on her own, in order to survive in her parents’ household.

“That is for the best,” she said, her emotions once more under control. “I know Mama would not agree to let Alice stay with us, no matter my wishes. But what of your own family? Will your sisters object?”

He smiled. “They are used to my quixotic temper and will not be bothered in the slightest. In fact, I suspect they both will sneak up to the nursery every chance they get. I will have my man of business hire an appropriate nursemaid for the babe. And you are, of course, welcome to visit the child whenever you wish.”

“I am grateful for your willingness to upset your household in such a manner,” Juliet told him, “You behave as if it is nothing, but taking in a child, especially one with the stigma of illegitimacy, is no small thing.”

He took her hand. “There is a special place in Hades for those who hold the sins of a child’s parents against them.” He gave a bitter laugh, “I should know. And given what Monteith and I found in Mrs. Turner’s flat this morning, your friend had no notion that she’d be gone for more than a few hours. I am well able to care for her until her mother’s return. If anyone asks, I shall put it about that she’s the child of a distant cousin who was called away suddenly…”

He did not add that he suspected that tale might be close to the truth if she was, as he suspected, his uncle’s by-blow.

“I cannot thank you enough, my lord.” Her worry was evident in the shadows beneath her eyes. Still, she seemed to draw from some inner reserve of strength, straightening her spine and returning to the subject at hand. “So, if you believe Anna had no idea she’d be leaving, was her note coerced?”

*   *   *

Alec longed to set her fears for her friend at rest, but he could not bring himself to lie. “I think it likely.”

Her resignation made his gut ache, still he knew she would not wish him to lie to her.

“Given your knowledge of her habits, and her affection for her child, I find it difficult to believe that your friend left her home voluntarily. There was no visible sign of struggle in her rooms, but Mrs. Parks heard an altercation. She assumed it was the couple in the house next door, but I believe that it must have been Mrs. Turner and the man who took her away.”

“But why?” Juliet demanded, her worry turning to anger. “Anna never divulged the name of the man who attacked her. She lived a quiet and unassuming life far removed from the society she was born into. She was a threat to no one.”

“We will not know the answer to that until we find out who took her,” he said, “and where.” He suppressed a pang of guilt at the thought of his uncle’s possible involvement in the matter. Juliet would not be so grateful for his assistance when she learned the truth.

“I would like to come see Alice,” she told him. “Would that be agreeable? Once she’s settled?”

“Of course, you are most welcome to come visit the child,” he said. “Perhaps you would like to bring one of your cousins along.”

He was about to issue an invitation for her to come that very afternoon, but was interrupted by the arrival of Lady Shelby and Lord Turlington, who rushed forward as if they had spent hours searching for her, rather than the quarter hour Juliet had likely been outside.

“Where on earth have you been, Juliet?” Lady Shelby demanded, her frown directed at both Juliet and Deveril. “It is highly improper for you to be here alone with Lord Deveril. I would think a gel of your age would know better. And you, Lord Deveril, you should know better as well.”

Alec stepped closer to Juliet, offering her his physical support if she had need of it.

“Lady Shelby.” He bowed. “A conversation between friends in broad daylight can hardly be considered improper. I found Miss Shelby resting here and we kept one another company. You do your daughter a disservice to suggest otherwise.”

Turlington stepped forward and offered Juliet his arm, which she had no choice but to accept.

“Miss Shelby, I hope you are recovered,” he said, his gaze never leaving Deveril’s. Alec noted with annoyance Turlington’s possessive posture. “Come, let me show you Rickarby’s new work. It is dedicated to the Regent, you know.”

That left Alec alone with Lady Shelby. He found himself inwardly amused. For all of his father’s and uncle’s bad behavior, he himself had never been warned off from any particular young lady. Quite the contrary, he often found himself being pursued by matchmaking mamas with designs on his title.

“I do not know what sort of game you are playing with my daughter, my lord,” Lady Shelby said coolly. Her eyes, although the same color green as Juliet’s, were infinitely more calculating. “I thought at first that you must be using her as some sort of amusement. A man must grow weary of being fawned over constantly. I imagine her clumsy attentions must be refreshing when compared to more skilled compliments.”

He said nothing, though his distaste for Juliet’s mother grew by multiple degrees.

“But now,” she said, her expression speculative, “now, I believe you are up to something altogether more … sweet.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I think you’ve developed some sort of
tendre
for her,” she said baldly. “And I dislike telling you, as I realize how unlikely it is to have any gentleman show an interest in her given her … flaw, but I’m afraid Lord Shelby and I have already promised Juliet’s hand to someone else.”

If this were true, Alec surmised, then no one had told Juliet about it.

“I suppose you mean Turlington?” Alec felt a muscle in his jaw flex at the idea of Juliet being manhandled by one such as Turlington.

“Of course.” Lady Shelby nodded. “I haven’t informed my daughter yet, of course. But she will do her duty. If nothing else Juliet is a biddable girl. And given the fact that she has little other chance at marriage, I believe she will be persuaded to accept him. That is, so long as you maintain a safe distance from her.”

“And what makes you believe that I pose any danger to your plot?” He gazed intently at a speck of dust on his coat sleeve, refusing to let his adversary know how attuned he was to her response.

“Oh, come now, Lord Deveril. I know the signs. At least when it comes to my daughter. She all but bursts into flames when you enter a room.”

Though he was careful not to show it in any way, Alec inwardly cheered.

But Lady Shelby’s next words dampened his triumph. “Do not think that I do not appreciate your condescension. She is far too plain for a high stickler like you. Why, you’ve got waistcoats that are prettier than my Juliet. But I must ask that you curtail these little tête-à-têtes with her. Because while he is handsome enough, I know perfectly well that Turlington cannot hold a candle to you when it comes to looks and charm. And make no mistake, Juliet will marry him eventually. It only remains to be seen whether she does so willingly or through coercion. It will be a kindness on your part if you will allow her the illusion of making the decision for herself.”

And, thinking she’d made her point, Lady Shelby sashayed back through the side door and into the gallery within.

Stunned into silence, Alec watched her go with a mixture of astonishment and contempt. If he were honest, he did feel a surge of triumph at Lady Shelby’s revelation that Juliet showed a preference for him. But that happiness was tempered by outrage on Juliet’s behalf.

Did she really have so little respect for Juliet’s wishes that she would force her into marriage with Turlington? Even if she were as plain as Lady Shelby said, and he was in definite disagreement with her views on the matter, there seemed little need to force Juliet into marriage. Unless, of course, Lady Shelby had some other motive for backing the match. Which, doubtless, she did.

It was the only explanation for her pains to warn Deveril off.

Any other mother of an unmarried daughter would eat Prinny’s pocket watch if it meant securing a viscount as a son-in-law. The fact that Lady Shelby was against the very idea meant that she had some other scheme up her elegant sleeve.

Alec ran a weary hand over the back of his neck. He’d best visit his uncle sooner rather than later. The more he learned about his family’s responsibilities toward Mrs. Turner and little Alice, the sooner he would be able to set Juliet’s mind at rest. At least on that score.

He’d consider how to prevent her mother from marrying her off to the loathsome Turlington later. For that he’d need assistance from Monteith and Winterson. He had little doubt that Cecily would find her aunt’s plans regarding Juliet’s matrimonial status objectionable. And Cecily with an objection was a force to be reckoned with.

Four

Alec ran his uncle to ground in his bachelor rooms at the Albany where he was looking much the worse for wear after a night spent at the gaming tables.

“Come to ring a peal over my head, have you?” Roderick asked, his eyes narrowed against the anemic sunlight peeking through a chink in the drapes. Casually attired in a dressing gown and hunched over the small breakfast table, the older man scowled into his tea.

Waving away the offer of refreshment from his uncle’s valet, who hovered nearby, and indicating that he should leave them alone, Alec surveyed his father’s youngest brother. “It is nothing to me if you wish to spend what little income you have in the pursuit of winnings that will never exceed your losses,” he said baldly.

It was a mark of Roderick’s fatigue that he did not object to his nephew’s assessment of his nocturnal activities, merely shrugged.

“But I did not come here to offer my opinion on your dissolution,” Alec said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I came because I want you to tell me what role you played in the dismissal of Miss Anna Turner from Viscount Shelby’s household.”

“What makes you think I had anything to do with that?” Roderick asked, his expression shuttered.

“Oh, come now,” Alec said impatiently, “I realize that the rumor mill is often wrong, but in this case, I know there was more fire than smoke. You were an intimate of Lord Shelby at the time, and I know your penchant for seducing innocents. You are distressingly like my father in that.”

“I was hardly the only friend of Shelby’s with an eye for the tasty Miss Turner, nephew,” Roderick said. At Alec’s harsh stare, he shrugged and threw up his hands. “But if you must know the truth of it, I never touched the chit.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Alec said. “What stopped you?”

Embarrassment crossed the older man’s face. “If you must know, she did. Or rather, some other chap did. I sneaked up to her rooms to … ah … press my suit, and someone was there before me.”

Alec unfolded his arms and leaned forward. “Did you see who it was?”

“Of course not!” Roderick actually looked offended. “As soon as I heard the unmistakable sounds of shagging I left.”

At least his uncle had
some
standards, Alec thought grimly.

“Surely you had some guess as to who it might be,” he pressed. If his uncle weren’t Baby Alice’s father, then whoever was might be responsible for the music teacher’s disappearance.

But Roderick shook his head. “I went back to the billiard room and every other man at the house party, with the exception of the servants and secretaries of course, was there. If the man I heard was one of the guests, he was damned quick about it.”

Alec bit back a curse. He had hoped that his uncle would give him some information that would lead to Mrs. Turner’s whereabouts. But as so often happened with the man, he had only added to Alec’s frustrations.

Pushing back from the table, Alec rose. “Thank you for the information,” he said grudgingly.

“Not as if I have any use for it,” the older man said. “I presume you’re helping the Shelby chit in her search for the Turner woman.”

At Alec’s nod, his uncle tilted his head and said with more sincerity than he’d offered in some years, “Watch out for that one, nephew. She won’t settle for less than a happy marriage. And the men in our family are simply not made for happiness.”

Alec didn’t bother informing Roderick that he was safe from Miss Shelby given the arrangement her mother had already made for her with Turlington. Even so, the warning echoed behind him as he took his leave.

*   *   *

“What an appalling situation.” Cecily shook her head, concern shadowing her dark eyes. “I had no notion you were dealing with all of this, darling. You should have told us.”

“I know you have your own worries, what with your father and Winterson being so overprotective these days. But since it appears that Anna is not simply away for a brief jaunt, I decided I had to tell someone. Aside from Deveril, that is.”

Juliet had arrived at Winterson House early that morning to request her cousin’s company. She could hardly go to Deveril’s town house unchaperoned. And Cecily was very interested in babies now that she was expecting one of her own.

They were now comfortably ensconced in the well-sprung Winterson town carriage for the painfully short drive through Mayfair from Winterson House to Deveril House.

“Yes,” Cecily said, her mouth pursed. “I have been waiting for you to tell me about this new association between yourself and Lord Deveril. He was positively ready to challenge your mama to a duel at our little dance party.”

Juliet felt herself redden, an unfortunate consequence of her fair complexion and red hair. “You exaggerate, surely. He is simply a friend. And when he came upon me that evening when he suggested the party, he found me reading the note from Anna. I’m afraid I blurted out my worries and he had no choice but to assist me.”