Secret Brides [3] Secrets of a Scandalous Marriage (33 page)

“I admit, I’ll never understand why the valet suddenly confessed,” James replied.

Lily elbowed her husband and Devon coughed. “Tell him,” she prompted. “It’s time.”

“Time to tell me what?” James’s brow was furrowed.

Devon frowned at his wife.

“Yes, tell us what, Lord Colton?” Kate asked, narrowing her eyes on Colton.

Devon cleared his throat. “Oh, very well. The fact is, I may have put up a bit of money … for the truth to come out.”

“An insane amount of money,” Jordan added on a fake cough.

James frowned. “What do you mean?”

Colton shrugged. “I offered anyone with knowledge of the murder a purse for their story. Their
true
story, that is. I arranged the whole thing with Mr. Horton.”

Kate gasped.

James’s eyes were wide. “And that’s why the footman told on the valet?”

“Never underestimate the knowledge of servants,” Colton replied. “In my house they know absolutely everything. I was convinced … if someone else did it, a servant knew. I merely enticed the right chap to come forward with the knowledge.”

“I cannot thank you enough, my lord,” Kate said.

“I am forever in your debt, Colton,” James said, his jaw tight.

“No, now we’re even. I’d been in your debt for your help securing my wife.” Colton smiled at Lily who winked back at him.

“Yes, well, I just cannot believe that despite our very best efforts—and believe me, Medford, we tried—we’ve actually grown to like you, Lord Perfect,” Ashbourne added with a bark of laughter.

Annie elbowed her husband again and James narrowed his eyes on his friend.

“I notice you’re not wearing your cravat as—ahem—straight these days, Medford,” Lily said, pouring him a glass of wine.

James jerked at the cloth around his neck. “That’s right. It’s decidedly askew, and I couldn’t care less.”

“Yes,” Kate replied. “You wouldn’t believe it. He allows messes to sit around the house for hours at a time now, and even the papers on his desk aren’t always straight.”

James beamed at his wife. “And I love every moment of it, my darling.” He kissed her cheek. Then he leaned back on his elbows and stared into the blue spring sky. “It’s true. In fact, every so often, I misalign a stack just for good measure.”

Lily, Kate, and Annie were busily pulling out the items from the picnic baskets and arranging them on the quilts the men had spread along the grass. They had all settled down to enjoy their meal when they noticed a crowd gathering along the row behind them.

“What do they want?” Jordan said, glancing over his shoulder.

James narrowed his eyes. He put an arm around Kate’s shoulder, guarding his wife. “If there’s any trouble…”

Devon and Jordan exchanged knowing, alert glances, their bodies tensed to fight, if necessary.

One man stood forward. “When will your next pamphlet be published, Lord Medford?”

“Hear, hear,” came the shouts from the growing crowd.

“Yes, when is it?” someone else called.

James furrowed his brow. They were referring to his new venture, the pamphlets he’d been printing in an effort to tell the true stories about certain Newgate prisoners. He and Kate had scoured the dungeons of the prison, meeting with the dirty, downtrodden patrons, listening to their tales. They’d just published one such story about a widow who had been falsely accused of stealing. She’d been sentenced to hang. Had the sentence been carried out, she’d have left four small children at home. Orphans.

James and Kate had hired Abernathy and Mr. Horton to examine the facts and the truth had been revealed. The widow hadn’t even been in the town where the theft had taken place. She’d been released from prison shortly after. London had been mesmerized by the story and the pamphlets had sold nearly as well as the scandalous ones had done, amazing as it was to both James and Kate. They’d expected their pamphlets to be completely snubbed by all of London. Though they weren’t about to let that stop them.

Lily’s eyes were wide. “Did they just ask when the next pamphlet will be published?”

“Imagine that,” Annie breathed.

“It shall be published in a fortnight,” James called back. “My lovely wife wrote it.” He leaned over and kissed Kate. Wild applause erupted from the crowd.

Kate smiled. “I cannot believe it. You never could have convinced me that being scandalous would be so popular.”

“Apparently, scandalous is all the crack this Season,” Lily said with a laugh.

James snorted. “And here I was just beginning to relish the challenge our tarnished reputations hold.”

Lily’s jaw dropped. “I cannot believe it. I swear I just heard someone say they always knew Kate was innocent. She couldn’t possibly have committed such a vile act.”

“Ah, the fickle, fickle
ton,
” Devon said.

“They’ll get their pamphlets,” James said with a nod.

“What are you working on next, Medford?” Annie asked, laying the plates out on the blanket.

Kate answered. “The next one is about a woman named Flora who was accused of killing her husband. There is almost no proof and very little evidence at all.”

“Of course, we’re very careful about whose stories we take on,” James assured them. “After all, there are many criminals who are just that, guilty.”

Annie passed the plates of food and Kate rested her head on her husband’s shoulder. “Yes. But there are many who are not,” Kate whispered. “I was very lucky.”

“Not as lucky as I am, my love.” James raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

Kate leaned back and whispered in his ear. “Remember that night when you took me from the Tower and carried me to your town house on horseback?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“I said a prayer that night. I prayed to believe in love again. To find it again. And I have. Oh, James, you did that for me. I love you so much.”

The crowd cheered once more when James kissed his wife again.

“You’re right, Lily,” he said, glancing back at the bystanders. “Scandal seems to be all the crack this Season.”

Kate sighed and leaned against him. “I’m very glad to hear that because I’m very, very scandalous.”

James pulled her into his arms. “I wouldn’t have you any other way, my dear. Not any other way.”

ALSO BY VALERIE BOWMAN

Secrets of a Wedding Night

Secrets of a Runaway Bride

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Valerie Bowman
grew up in Illinois with six sisters (she’s the youngest) and a huge supply of historical romance novels. After a cold and snowy stint earning a degree in English with a minor in history at Smith College, she moved to Florida the first chance she got.

Valerie now lives in Jacksonville with her two rascally dogs. When she’s not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or vacillating between watching crazy reality TV and PBS.

Valerie loves to hear from readers. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and at
www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

SECRETS OF A SCANDALOUS MARRIAGE

Copyright © 2013 by Valerie Bowman.

All rights reserved.

For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

www.stmartins.com

eISBN: 9781466813212

St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / October 2013

St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.