Lady Catherine's Secret: A Secrets and Seduction book (28 page)

Her jaw dropped. “But Lord Huntley, we hardly know one another. How can we marry?”

“Many marriages have started with less. And to make this arrangement easier for you to accept, I’ll grant you one concession. If you can manage to be circumspect, I’ll agree to allow you to continue with your fencing. It’s not my desire to turn you into someone else. But that being said, I must insist that you never again go to Bernini’s alone. You must always be either with me or with Charles.”

A sensation swelled within her, filling her and making her skin tingle. “I can fence?”

He frowned. “Yes. I said so, didn’t I? But I repeat: the condition is that you must remain circumspect.”

“I promise.” Catherine’s grin felt as though it might split her face in two. “The only time I ever had a problem was the night you were attacked, and it has caused me no end of trouble. I’ve learned my lesson.”

“Then we’re engaged?”

She paused, the smile slipping from her face. “This takes some consideration. You have placed restrictions on my behavior. I have a few conditions of my own.”

He stepped back. “This sounds like a negotiation.” He moved around Papa’s desk and sat in his chair. “I always feel more comfortable negotiating from behind a desk.” He rested his hands on the arms of Papa’s chair, drumming his fingers on the wood. “What did you have in mind?”

“Fidelity. I assume you want fidelity in a wife, and I must insist on it in a husband. If you cannot promise me that you’ll remain faithful to our vows, then I can’t agree to marry you. I will not marry a man who holds me to a different standard than he keeps for himself.”

He nodded. “I can accept that condition.”

“And you cannot prevent me from fencing as long as I remain circumspect.”

“Agreed, with one caveat. You cannot fence if you are carrying my child.”

She pulled her head back with a jerk. His child? “Of course.”

“Do you have any other conditions?”

“You will give me a fair allowance, allow me to manage the household as I see fit, speak to me in a way befitting a lady, and you will never intentionally harm me.” She rubbed the sore spot on her side where Stansbury had bruised her ribs.

His face darkened. “Are you injured?” He pushed himself out of the chair and moved around the desk to stand closer to her. “Did Stansbury harm you?”

“It’s minor. Just a bruise. I’ve had worse injuries at Bernini’s. But I had the distinct impression that he knew he was hurting me and liked doing it.” She couldn’t suppress the shudder that rippled through her.

“I should call him out.”

“No.” Her eyes widened. “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s illegal. And I’m satisfied with the way you threatened him last night. I’m sure he’ll leave me alone.”

He looked at her levelly, and then gave a sharp nod.

She looked back down at the neatly arranged kaleidoscope of paperweights, not willing to meet his eyes. “There’s one other thing. You never asked me what prompted his attack.”

“I assumed he wanted your inheritance,” he said, frowning at her. “Was there something more to it?”

“He implied that he knows about my fencing. He tried to use it to blackmail me into marriage, and when I wouldn’t submit, he contrived that scene you saw at the ball.”

“What the blazes?” He stiffened. “So your secret is already out?”

“Not entirely. He has no proof of his accusation, and I haven’t heard even a whisper of it from anyone else. But I must admit, I was so shocked when he attempted to blackmail me that I’m afraid I confirmed his suspicions.” Huntley frowned at that, so Catherine rushed to reassure him. “Your threats appeared to have had a significant effect upon him. I don’t believe he’ll say anything.”

Huntley slowly lifted his chin, directing his gaze toward the ceiling. “Now I understand. Certain things didn’t add up last night, but now they do. Tell me, how did he find out about your masquerade?”

“That question has been nagging me. It had to have been that night when I discovered you in the alley. I’m normally very careful, but when I rushed home, there were already people on the streets. My brief trip would have been noteworthy.”

He sighed heavily. “Another debt I owe you.”

Catherine bristled. “No more talk of debts. We can’t go about tallying a balance sheet if we’re to be married. We need to forge a partnership, not remain in competition.”

He looked surprised at her words. “Agreed. You make a valid point.” He stared at her for a moment with a contemplative expression. “I was not raised in a typical household. I’ll rely on your guidance in matters such as these in the future.”

She looked at him blankly. “Forgive me. Matters such as what?”

His face reddened. “I refer to the proper behavior between husband and wife. I’m used to managing everything on my own, or negotiating deals with temporary partners. My own family life was nonexistent, so I tried to learn what I could about families by observing the more successful ones. I have noted that the happiest marriages are those in which the husband and wife behave more as partners. Marriages in which the husband dominates his family appear to be the worst.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Is this why you plan to allow me to continue to fence?”

He gave a sharp nod. “It’s also why I hadn’t initially planned to ask for your hand. I admit, your passion for fencing worries me, but I firmly believe that asking you to forgo it would be a greater mistake.”

Relief flooded her. He really would let her keep fencing. It wasn’t just words, but part of his moral code. “Thank you for your explanation. It makes things much clearer to me.”

“Then it’s agreed. We’ll marry as quickly as possible. Do you have any more conditions?” he asked.

“None.” This might not be the perfect marriage, but it would allow her the one thing she desired the most.

So why wasn’t she happier?

33 - Found

Daniel and Charles eyed one another in Kensington House’s elaborate drawing room. Charles stood framed in the large picture window with the sun streaming in behind him, leaving him silhouetted against the light. This should have been the position of power, with the light behind him partially blinding his opponent, but Daniel remained unperturbed. He recognized the power play for what it was and mentally applauded Charles for it, but he was unwilling to yield the advantage.

He strode across the room, putting distance between himself and his adversary in this negotiation. As he’d hoped, Charles followed him, losing his position of strength.

Daniel paused before the fireplace, where Charles joined him. This maneuver left them as equals, a situation Daniel preferred with the younger man. After all, the marriage contract negotiations had been going well, so a détente was in order.

“Should we wait for your father’s final approval? If I were in his position, I’d want to meet the man my daughter would marry.”

Charles looked away, not meeting his gaze, which surprised Daniel. Charles cleared his throat but didn’t say anything for a moment.

Daniel examined the younger man more closely for any other hints of deception. “Is there a problem?”

Charles puffed air out through his nose. “Yes, I believe there is. I received a note from Father this morning that he has been sent to Paris. I’m supposed to break the news to Mother and Catherine, but I haven’t had an opportunity. I wanted to tell Mother first, but since she hurried off to Lady Wilmot’s home so quickly, I haven’t had the opportunity to speak with her. I know she’ll be disappointed.”

“Who sent your father to Paris?”

Charles shot him an assessing gaze. “That’s an interesting question to pose. Not ‘why’ or ‘when will he return,’ but ‘who sent him.’”

Daniel offered a slight shrug of one shoulder, but kept his intent gaze fixed upon Charles. He watched as the young man came to a decision.

“Queen Victoria sent him as her representative to Emperor Napoleon’s court. She believed him to be the perfect man for the task, and as soon as he arrived in port here in England, he had to take the first ship back across the channel. He should be there for at least a month.”

Daniel frowned. “Then I won’t be able to meet him before we announce our engagement, perhaps not even for the wedding. Will he permit you to finalize the marriage contract?”

Charles gave a crisp nod. “I have Father’s trust in this. I hope he’ll return in time to give Cat away.”

Daniel smiled when he heard the nickname Charles used. His little mouse must have claws.

Charles glanced toward the door as a footman entered the room. “I’ll have our lawyers draw up the papers.”

Daniel watched the footman deliver a folded bit of paper to Charles, who quickly scanned it. The young man’s eyes widened in surprise as he took an excited step back and then forward again. Whatever the news, it seemed to energize him.

Charles glanced at the footman. “Please find Lady Catherine. I need to speak to her at once.”

Daniel watched the footman leave the room and then glanced back at Charles. The younger man had a speculative glint in his eye as he openly assessed Daniel.

“I’ve fenced against you,” Charles said. “You strike me as someone good in a fight.”

Daniel gave a noncommittal shrug. “I prefer to avoid them, but yes, I can hold my own.”

Charles grinned. “Then I have a story to tell you, and a request to make.” Charles quickly explained his unintentional entanglement with an Oxford professor’s daughter named Calliope. “It’s been a horrendous mess. I keep worrying that a rumor will get out, dragging my name through the muck. My best hope is to help the silly girl find Attwood and force him to marry her.”

Daniel froze. “Attwood, you say? What’s his Christian name?”

“That’s part of the problem. He shares my first name, Charles. Charles Attwood.”

“Damn. Attwood? Of all people.”

“What? Don’t tell me you know the man.”

“I wish I didn’t. He was at Eton with me until he was kicked out for stealing from some of the other students. The man made my life miserable before that. Even though he was a couple of years younger than I, he had the nerve to accuse me of the thefts. If not for the fact that Wentworth vouched for my alibi, the crime would have been attributed to me, and I would have been expelled.”

Charles grinned. “Would you like the opportunity to hold him accountable for his crimes? This note is from the man I hired to find him. Attwood’s here in London.”

A slow smile spread across Daniel’s face. “That I would. I’ve heard a few rumors about the man over the years, none of them good. What’s your plan?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel saw Catherine approach the doorway and pause with her hand on the door frame. “Charles? You wished to speak with me?”

She cast a cautious glance at Daniel. Clearly, she didn’t trust him yet. He frowned at the thought, but Catherine noted his expression and frowned as well, so he smoothed his features.

“Cat. I’m glad you’re here. Read this.” Charles thrust the note into her hand.

She quickly skimmed it and then grinned. “So you’ve found him. Congratulations. But at a dog fight?” She shuddered. “The man is quite odious, isn’t he?”

Daniel snorted. He might have guessed as much. “Dog fighting is a weakness of his.”

Catherine shot him a questioning look.

“I knew him at school. He wasn’t very pleasant then, either.” And that was putting it mildly. “We were about to devise a plan, but I need to know our goal.”

“Calliope needs to be married, and quickly,” Catherine said without hesitating. “We need to find him, bring him here, and hold him until the wedding can take place. After that, her reputation will be intact and it won’t matter what happens to her husband. If she’ll have him, that is.”

“Oh, I have no doubt about that,” Charles said. “Even though he’s treated her abominably, she still claims to love him.” He shook his head as he appeared to contemplate the convolutions and complexities of Calliope’s mind. “I’ll never understand women.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. I can’t understand her either.” Catherine grinned at him. “Or maybe I’ve simply spent too much time around men and some of it has rubbed off.”

Charles’s brows bunched, and then he shot Daniel a curious look. Daniel was confused until the realization hit him. Then he grinned. “I’m already aware of Catherine’s unconventional interests.”

Charles grinned in surprise and seemed to relax. “Now, that’s a relief. I was wondering if she’d break the news to you before you married her.” He furrowed his brow. “What do you propose to do about it?”

“About Catherine?” he asked. Charles nodded. “Nothing at the moment. She and I have come to an agreement.”

“You aren’t going to insist she stop, are you? You can’t. She’s truly magnificent with a foil.”

“I’ve seen her, and I agree.” He glanced at Catherine and noticed her face turning pink with embarrassment. “But enough of that now. We need to apprehend Attwood before he leaves the dog fight.”

Charles glanced from Daniel to Catherine and back again with an odd look on his face, but didn’t comment. Instead, he gave Daniel a crisp nod. “Mr. Phipps is watching him now, and we can join him there. I’ll send Professor Caruthers a message letting him know we’ve located Attwood. We’ll need to take the carriage to bring him back. If you can go on horseback, Daniel, I’ll ride in the carriage.”