Page 10 of The Duke of Aces
“Pray share. What do you know of Avondale?”
Did her sister suspect something or was she merely fishing for information?
Isadora returned to the settee and sank down to rattle off her limited knowledge of the man. “His Grace rarely dances or converses with unmarried ladies. He’s a known reprobate. He flaunts his wealth and status to bend others to his will. You can’t be serious when you state he is the ideal suitor for me.”
“I do not jest. Avondale never acts without purpose.” Minerva stood and sat at her desk and dipped her quill into the ink. “Tomorrow’s outing shall be exciting.”
The dark cloud that hovered over her sister the entire summer dissipated. Minerva’s spark and appreciation for life were once again present. Isadora held her tongue and watched as Minerva penned their acceptance.
A heavy weight fell upon her shoulders. Was Minerva correct? By allowing Avondale to escort them to Fulham, was she about to seal her fate for the Season? For the rest of her life?
Chapter Five
Seated comfortably inthe large ducal traveling coach, Tom’s gaze remained steadfast on his sister as they made their way to the Malbury townhouse. He had pressed Charlotte for answers as they broke their fast this morning, only to find his sister’s skill at evasion had not only improved but was highly effective. It had been a mistake to permit Charlotte to become involved with Foreign Office affairs. At the tender age of fifteen, Charlotte had caught the interest of the Head of the Foreign Office, who decided to train his sister. His own training had begun at the age of ten, and based on his knowledge of how precarious missions could become, he should have said no. Who was he fooling? No one denied the Head of the Foreign Office. Charlotte fidgeted with the row of pearls that adorned the edge of her kid gloves, bringing his thoughts back to the present.
With a grin, Charlotte said, “I can’t believe you consented to take me to a horse race.”
Tom inwardly groaned. He should have told her the full truth about his arrangement with Lady Isadora, but it had occurred to him over breakfast that, in the past few years, the two of them had spent less and less time in each other’s company. He’d allowed his duties to the Crown to overshadow his responsibilities as brother and guardian. “Charlotte, I want us to be more open and honest with each other. I believe it imperative given our activities for the Crown. I’m forever at your disposal.”
“Ahh. I understand.” His sister’s grin subsided into the barest of smiles.
Tom rubbed his aching forehead. “Actually, that’s not possible, since I’ve not provided you with all the details.” He took in a deep breath and then continued. “The truth is, Lady Isadora and I have entered into a wager of sorts to determine who shall have the honor of leasing Wembly Hall for the upcoming Season.”
A wrinkle between Charlotte’s brows appeared. She was too young to have developed worry lines, yet they were there. “Do you know for what purpose Lady Isadora intends to use Wembly Hall?”
“No.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “But I suspect you do.”
“And since you wish for us to cease having secrets, you believe I should share with you what I know.”
“Exactly.”
The twelve-year age difference between them had never presented a problem since Charlotte conducted herself with poise and grace well beyond her years. There was another woman that came to mind who exhibited those same qualities in spades, but he wasn’t going to name her. No, he was going to exercise restraint. Damn it. Lady Isadora’s image appeared in his mind no matter how much he tried to resist.
Scowling at his lack of mental control, Tom turned his attention back to the matter at hand. If he wanted Charlotte to share with him, he’d have to do the same. “I know that Lady Katherine has leased the location for the past several years. But what I haven’t been able to identify is for what exact purpose. I suspect it was used for ladies to convene, but again, what goes on behind those doors has been extremely difficult to discover.”
“Since my application has yet to be officially accepted, I suppose I’m not breaking an oath.” His sister rolled her eyes. “Wembly Hall is the location where the members of the Wicked Ladies Salon assemble once a month to engage in various pursuits that could not otherwise be enjoyed.”
“What do you mean your application has yet to be approved?”
“There are a number of prerequisites that a lady must meet in order to become a member of the Wicked Ladies Salon.”
Tom waited for her to continue, and when Charlotte remained silent, he decided he needed to take a different approach. “Are you going to share the requirements or would you prefer I guess?”
His question brought back her smile. Charlotte sighed and unfolded her arms. “First, members must be and remain unwed. Second, members are admitted by invitation only.”
“Was it Lady Isadora who extended you the invitation?”
“No. It was a dear and mutual friend of ours that saw to it that his wife extended the invitation to me.”
“How can that be? You just said the members must remain unwed.”
Charlotte arched an eyebrow.
Wicked Ladies Salon. Wembly Hall. Unwed ladies. Tom’s mind raced to figure out how all the pieces of information he had fit together. “Aha. Lady Katherine.” Lord Sutherland consulted for the Foreign Office on occasion and had recently wed over the summer.
Charlotte nodded. “Prior to Lady Isadora becoming the Salon’s champion, the position was held by Lady Katherine. The Head of the Foreign Office believes it would be highly beneficial for me to become a member of the Wicked Ladies Salon, for a significant amount of information is shared behind the closed doors of Wembly Hall at their monthly meetings.”
“Sutherland the crafty devil. It was Lady Katherine who’s kept the man so well informed all these years.”
