Regency Affairs Part 2: Books 7-12 Of 12. Ann Lethbridge
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over her and she felt fear scudding through her again as he said roughly, ‘You have a liking for playing with fire, Mrs Rowland.’
She stood firm. He thought that her gentle caress—really an acknowledgement of her own fallibility—was just another attempt to entrap him. But now she knew. Now was the time to speak.
She lifted her head. ‘Alec, you told me that Katy and I would be safe with you. And I wish, how I wish, that I’d trusted you. I—I’ve been foolish, I’ve been wrong … But now I want to tell you that Katy was my sister’s child.’
He’d gone very still. ‘Linette,’ he breathed. ‘Linette was your sister.’
Her gaze flew up to meet his. ‘You knew already—how?’
He was rubbing his forehead as if some tight band enclosed it. ‘Damn it, I’ve been making my own investigations. I know you were only at the Temple for one night, but before then you’d been trailing all round London’s theatres, asking questions. Asking about someone called Linette.’ He pulled out a chair. ‘Explain.’
And her words began to tumble out.
‘Linette was two years younger than me, Alec.’ Her voice was so low, he strained to catch her words. ‘She left home three years ago. She became pregnant in the summer of 1813; Katy is her daughter, Alec, and Linette, poor Linette …’ her voice broke just a little ‘… died in abject poverty. I came to London to look for the man who did this to her.’
‘You should have told me,’ his voice rasped.
‘I could not,’ she breathed, ‘I could not, because at first I thought it was you.’
As she uttered those fateful words, Rosalie felt as if something within her had died. Every syllable condemned her more surely in this man’s eyes. Oh, how he would despise her now.
Explain, he’d said, and it all poured out: how Linette had whispered his name as she lay dying, how Linette had said he had a castle.
He had pulled a chair up for himself, and sat in the half-shadow from the dying fire, watching her. At last he said, ‘She was looking for a refuge, perhaps. Sometimes we take in homeless women as well as men at Two Crows Castle. You’ll have noticed them—often they help Mary with the housework, until we can find them somewhere better.’
‘Yes.’ She nodded, her throat still tight. ‘My sister whispered, “Take me to him, please”. I thought—I thought perhaps she’d loved you, but now I see that she’d not even met you, Alec. You don’t turn anyone away and Linette must have heard that. I realise everything now.’
Too late.
From first seeing him, Rosalie had been drawn to his—integrity, that was the word. Alec had maintained Two Crows Castle because he cared about those soldiers. He had rescued her from Lord Maybury because he was concerned about her and Katy. Katy had trusted him straight away. If only she’d done the same. He would never, ever forgive her for her stupidity.
‘Anyone would have told you I was in Spain with the army all through the summer of 1813,’ he said, only echoing her own bitter regrets. ‘And you were taking a great risk, asking your questions all around London.’
‘I thought I was being careful.’ She was defensive now and growing tired.
‘You’ve managed to alarm someone—badly. Don’t forget about that threat and the bribes offered to my men.’
She lifted her gaze to him. ‘Is Linette’s seducer behind it all?’
‘I would think so indeed,’ he answered quietly.
Oh, God. No word of reproach for her vile insults to him, her foolish actions, her multiple mistakes. She dragged air into her lungs. ‘Alec,’ she said, ‘I’m sorry, to have so wrongly suspected you. I’ve been so stupid. Why are you being kind to me?’
He sighed, then got up and walked over to the mantelpiece to douse another flickering candle. ‘Perhaps because I don’t like injustice. And don’t be so hard on yourself. On the contrary, I think you’ve been rather brave, coming to London and undertaking the search on your own.’
‘Linette was my sister,’ she answered simply. ‘Wouldn’t anyone do the same for their family? Isn’t family loyalty perhaps the most basic human instinct of all?’
He caught his breath. ‘Your loyalty is indeed admirable,’ was all he said. ‘Do you have any more clues, apart from the fact that Linette wanted to be an actress and once worked at the Temple of Beauty?’
She told him about Marchmont’s theatre, and Dr Barnard’s register, hidden inside The Myths of Apollodorus. He listened intently.
‘I’ll make enquiries, as well,’ he said.
She gasped. ‘You will?’
‘Put it this way—someone dangerous is after you and I’d rather like to find out who. No promises, but my men are useful at unearthing secrets.’ He looked at his watch and gave her a smile that sent her spirits plummeting, because it was a sad smile, a regretful smile. ‘Time to get back to Two Crows Castle, Rosalie. Though there is just one more thing. You’ve already understood, I think, that you must place yourself in my care, under my protection. In return, I’ll make a promise to you. From now on, I’ll ensure that you can trust me. In absolutely every way. Do I make myself clear?’
Oh, yes. She knew exactly what he meant. In other words, he wouldn’t lay a finger on her again. She got to her feet slowly and an ache of sheer loss swept through her at the memory of those burning caresses to which she’d so rapturously surrendered. ‘I don’t think you should take any blame for what happened just now,’ she whispered.
Something of her inner misery must have shown, because he touched her hand gently. ‘Nor yourself, Rosalie. We’ll find the man who seduced your sister, never fear—and I suspect we’ll find he’s the same man who is threatening you.’ His hand was gone, leaving her cold. ‘In the meantime,’ he went on, ‘my men deserve a pleasant surprise. Don’t you think?’ He’d carelessly pulled on his fine coat again, then picked up some empty sacks she’d not noticed before and began to load food from the table into them. Hams, pies, whole cheeses, loaves of bread—in they went, until the sacks were bulging.
She gasped. ‘What are you doing?’
He grinned, white teeth flashing. ‘Taking this lot back to Two Crows Castle. Jarvis brought me these sacks while you were upstairs. I rather think this food is needed there more than here, don’t you?’
She thought of the hungry, ragged soldiers. ‘Oh, indeed! But—won’t it be missed?’
‘I told you my father’s gone to the country and won’t be wanting any of this. So I’m helping myself. How does that rate on your journalist’s scale of crimes?’
‘I think it’s an excellent idea! But, Alec …’
‘Hmm?’ He was still packing the things, but he swung round to look at her.
‘Alec,’ she said impulsively, ‘there’s always a cluster of beggars at the corner of Lothbury. We passed them on our way. There’s so much food here—will you give a little of it to them, on our way back?’
‘Willingly. If you’ll also take a sack and put in some of those pies that are on the sideboard, I’ll tell Jarvis we’re leaving. And I’ve got something for him.’ He flourished the list he’d made of the counterfeit paintings.
‘The paintings! I’d almost forgotten. Oh, what are you going to do about them?’
‘Make sure the originals all mysteriously find their way back here,’ he assured her. ‘Now, if you look outside, I think you’ll find Garrett’s arrived with transport.’ He strode to the door. ‘Jarvis!’
The elderly steward quickly appeared. ‘Sir?’ Alec gave him his list and had a quiet