Secrets of Surrender (27 page)

“Timothy believed that it would be useless too, which meant he had no reason to lie. I do not think it was the first time Norbury misused a woman, either. The village where my husband grew up—when they were boys, something happened back then. It involved Kyle’s aunt. And all those house parties—”

“Willing women, he would say.” Lord Easterbrook peered at the letter with an expression of distaste. “Although there are limits to what any woman would will, let alone a girl. Still, there is nothing to be done in the law. There is no one to swear information.”

“There is the girl, if she can be found. There is Kyle’s aunt. There is even my husband.”

“That was years ago. He was a boy. His aunt did not speak then, and he may not even know for certain himself now.”

“I think that he does know.”

“Mrs. Bradwell, we are talking about an earl. The other peers would never convict him in a public trial in the House of Lords. I doubt it would even get that far.”

“You mean that they will weigh his words more heavily than those of common women wronged long ago.” It was always such. Even as Norbury, he had been out of reach. Now that he was the Earl of Cottington, he was totally safe.

Perhaps there would be another way someday. She strode the few yards between them and held out her hand for the letter.

He held it up and away from her reach. “I will keep this, Mrs. Bradwell. It might only get you and your husband into trouble.”

“I have erred in coming to you. It was poor judgment on my part. I forgot that the peers reserve a special justice for their own.”

He did not respond before she left, with her hands now lacking even the slim evidence that Tim had provided of Norbury’s depravity.

Rose admired her husband from across the ballroom. He looked extremely handsome tonight. His new frock coat, of the deepest blue, made his eyes even more vivid. Its lines hugged his body in a fashionable silhouette, revealing his taut strength and fine form. Most amazing was his waistcoat. Subdued but in no way staid, it sported a weave of silver mixed with touches of sapphire.

He held his own over there, talking to some artist friend of Phaedra’s. Kyle’s time in Paris made him attractive company to that element of tonight’s ensemble.

Others noticed him. The ladies in particular responded to this tall, broad-shouldered man, so handsome in his way, with the deepest blue eyes and a vitality that seemed to alter the air around him. He was not containing that very well tonight.

“You do not have to worry about him, Rose.” Lady Phaedra spoke at her ear. Rose startled. She had not noticed Phaedra approach.

“No, I do not. He is very at ease. Very comfortable.”

No one had to worry about Lady Phaedra tonight, either. She had dressed her hair into a fiery crown styled in the latest fashion. Her mint green dinner dress showed off her snowy skin. She had set aside her eccentricities for the night. Rose suspected that was part of the bid to have her mix of guests appear more acceptable. To show up in black gauze would tilt the balance decidedly one way.

“I was not referring to his social grace, Rose. I thought that perhaps you were jealous about the feminine attention directed at him.”

“I know that I do not have to worry about that, either.” She did know that. Knew it so well that jealousy had not even entered her mind. “It is not his lack of appeal that makes me confident, of course.”

“Since he is demonstrating enormous appeal, that goes without saying. However, if you are secure that is very good. Then you can accept invitations that are made for the wrong reasons, and use them to a benefit not intended by the hostesses. From the looks of things, some such invitations will come your way soon.”

One lady had decided to approach Kyle and the artist for those wrong reasons. Kyle chatted with her amiably and did not seem to notice her rising color when he turned those blue eyes on her.

He saw Rose watching him. He eased away from the artist and flirt and walked over. “There will be much envy in town when the season starts, Lady Phaedra. Word of this assembly will make many regret that they did not open their houses a little earlier.”

“This date made the list of my friends easier to assemble. I did not have to pick and choose to avoid a crush. As for the others, Elliot said I must invite any peers who are in town, along with their wives, since his brother never entertains on his own. Fortunately, Norbury has not shown even though he had the poor taste to accept.”

Kyle did not blink at Norbury’s name. Instead he surveyed the crowd from his superior vantage point. “Where is Lord Elliot? I have not seen him since we arrived.”

“His eldest brother cajoled him into smoking. Easterbrook barely stayed ten minutes before finding excuses to escape.” Phaedra’s own survey raised a frown. “Oh, dear, Sarah Rowton is boring Mr. Turner silly. He looks as if he will fall asleep on his feet. I must go and save him.”

She left Rose and Kyle to do her duty.

“She looks especially lovely tonight,” Kyle said. “But not nearly as lovely as you, Rose. You outshine every woman here.”

She felt herself blush under his gaze. “It is a little like coming out, what with the circumstances of the last months and my exile. I feel as if I have one foot still in the schoolroom and don’t really belong here.”

“No one would know you were not at complete ease. They see only grace and poise, I promise. Nor were you prettier the first time you came out, I am sure.”

“Actually, I never did officially. We were in Oxfordshire then, and there was no money. Oh, how I resented that at the time. Living there instead of London, it felt as if my life was being stolen from me. For a year or so I hated that house. Now I find that I yearn to visit it. Is that odd, Kyle? Not long ago it was a prison and yet I am nostalgic.”

“It has always been your home, Rose. Perhaps it was never a prison, but a sanctuary. Do you need one again?”

“I could use a respite and some time in a quiet place to mourn the loss of my brother. I am sure that I will never see him again.”

Kyle took her hand and tucked it around his arm. “Then we will go there. Now, however, we will take a turn through this fine ballroom. You expressed curiosity about my friends once. Lady Phaedra had Henrietta wheedle some names out of Jean Pierre and a few are here. I want you to meet them so I can puff with pride that you are mine.”

Rose dazzled them all, of course. Kyle knew that she would. Her elegance, her poise, and her goodness made the result inevitable. She listened earnestly to all the conversations with these friends of his whom she had never met before.

She would never know that Mr. Hamilton, the banker, had cursed her family when Kyle told him of the match. Hamilton knew the Longworth brothers rather too well.

Nor would she ever learn that Mrs. Caldwell, whose husband designed bridges for nations far and wide, had let it be known that the scandalous Roselyn Longworth would never sit at her table even if respectably married to her husband’s friend.

He knew that they would come around once they met her, just as Pru and Harold had. An invitation to an assembly where they mingled with lords and ladies and luminaries in the arts probably helped soften their views too. Drinking punch out of a marquess’s cups no doubt put a different light on everything.

Had Jean Pierre not supplied names to Hen, the meetings might never have happened. Kyle had assumed they never would. He was prepared to reduce these friendships to formal business associations.

Rose appeared to like his friends, however. If she wanted to accept Mrs. Caldwell’s invitation now, he would not let resentment over past prejudices interfere. Rose could probably use all the friends she could get. The war was not over, even if it looked to be going well.

He escorted Rose from the corner and crossed the room after these new alliances were forged. Rose spied Alexia just as someone else spied them.

Kyle saw a tawny head turn and narrow eyes focus. Norbury had shown up after all.

“Why don’t you go talk with Alexia, Rose. I am going to try to find Lord Elliot. He spoke of rowing some morning next week.”

She walked away just as Norbury aimed toward Kyle. Kyle turned and headed to the wall, so that whatever happened did not occur right in the middle of the chamber.

Norbury was in fine form when he stationed himself in front of his quarry. “You have not answered my letters. I bid you to call, but you did not.”

“I have been too busy to call, and am not inclined to do your bidding in any case. I have had nothing to write in response to your letters. I could not even understand the first one, the accusations were so irrational.”

“You understood them well enough.”

Yes, he had. That first letter had been the drunken ravings of a man pouring out resentments about a father now dead. The mixture of hatred, regret, and grief had been too raw, too revealing, to have been written when sober, least of all to Kyle Bradwell.

On the other hand, to whom else could Norbury write such things? Not the men who joined his orgies. Those men would not care about a son’s momentary despair that his dreams of his father’s death had come true. Nor would they have understood the allusions to the questionable parentage of the two men facing each other right now.

Kyle wondered if Norbury even remembered what was in that letter, or the bizarre, bitter accusation that they were brothers in fact. The other letters, coldly sane and sober in their venom, Norbury probably could recite word for word.

“I’ve things to say to you, Kyle. You
will
hear them.”

“Perhaps we should go elsewhere, then. The library should offer some privacy.”

Fortunately the library was empty. The accusations began before the door had closed.

“You tried to get that bastard off. You made it sound like you had been repaid.”

“Don’t you want to sit? Those high chairs facing the fire look comfortable.”

“Damnation, explain yourself.”

It appeared they would have this out in the middle of the room, circling each other like two pugilists eyeing each other for good blows.

That suited Kyle just fine.

“I told the truth in court. Nothing more or less.”

“You lied. You said you had been repaid with that marriage to his sister. To my whore.”

Kyle’s fist connected with Norbury’s face. Norbury staggered, wide-eyed.

“I warned you,” Kyle said. Icy anger claimed him. Its chilling danger waited.

“Warned me? Warned
me
!” Norbury held his face where the blow had landed. “How dare you! I will have you on a ship alongside that thief, and your soiled dove with you. My father cannot protect you now. You are just another parvenu who clawed his way to a spot near his betters that he has no right to have.”

“You will do nothing to me. If I am asked to explain that blow, I will tell the jury about the way you insulted my wife, now and before we married. I will show them that raving letter in which you impugned my mother’s virtue. I will tell them about other things, from long ago. How this is not the first time I thrashed you, and why I did before.”

Norbury stilled. He appeared cautious at first, but his face turned mean. “Your family was compensated more than enough.”

“Hardly. Be glad I did not kill you after I learned the truth.”

“She asked for it. Your aunt was a pretty thing back then, not worn out like now. She flirted all the time. She invited us all—”

Kyle hit him again. This time Norbury fell. A trickle of blood formed beneath his nose.

He sat up and found his handkerchief. He blotted and expressed astonishment at the blood. “You are mad!”

“I don’t feel the least mad.”

Norbury scrambled to his feet. “You are too much trouble, and it is time to be rid of you. I know about that report you wrote on the mine. How dare you interfere with how men use their property? I was going to give you the chance to recant it, but now I will not. I am glad he is dead, and my association with you can end.” His eyes glinted. A nasty sneer formed. “I will not be allowing that property in Kent to be used. It is mine now. It doesn’t matter what papers were signed. My solicitor will tie it up so long that you will be dead before it is cleared.”

Kyle glared at him and absorbed this blow that required no fist. It should smart more than it did. Instead he experienced only relief that after today he would never have to see this man again.

A small sound came from his right. He glanced over to see a hand setting a wineglass on the floor beside one of the high-backed chairs.

They were not alone in the library after all.

A dark head rose as a man stood. Easterbrook turned, his expression bland and bored. “You should make sure that you are alone before you discuss private matters, Norbury.”

“And you should make yourself known before listening to them!”

“I did not have a chance to make myself known. You began blustering immediately and have not stopped since.”

Another man rose from the other chair. Lord Elliot had overheard too.

“Is that a bruise forming there, Norbury?” Lord Elliot asked. “I thought that I heard the sounds of fisticuffs, but when there were no returning blows I assumed that I was wrong.”

“No doubt Norbury feared hurting Bradwell if he responded with his fists,” the marquess drawled.

Norbury sneered. “I seem to have witnesses, Bradwell. You attacked me, and I will be laying down information.”

“What a ridiculous drama that would be. I would not be pleased to be drawn into something so common,” Easterbrook said. “Why not just settle it here and now? Elliot and I will make sure you don’t kill him, Norbury. We will stop you before it goes too far.”

Norbury’s frown froze. He appeared to be thinking hard behind his coldly glinting eyes.

Lord Elliot walked past them and secured the door. “I will take your coats.”

Kyle shed his and handed it over. Norbury hesitated.

“You really should answer his challenge,” Lord Elliot said. “A gentleman has no choice in such a situation. Nor do you really want to lay down information on such a minor matter. That would require us to repeat to a magistrate everything that we heard. That business about Bradwell’s aunt might be interpreted as an admission of guilt.”