Page 74 of Cora
“There you are. I despise being kept waiting,” the Queen began querulously.
Gideon dropped to one knee. “Your Majesty.”
Cora quickly curtsied as deeply as she could.
“Get up, Wentworth. It is your wife I wished to have a word with.”
He straightened instantly.
“You. Come here.” Victoria gestured imperiously.
Cora glanced nervously at Gideon.
“You are one of Gryphon’s by-blows, aren’t you?”
“Not the current duke,” Cora corrected, then died a little inside at the thought that she had had the temerity to correct her sovereign. “The seventh Duke of Gryphon is my half-brother, Lysander.”
“We know him. We knew your father well.”
Of course she did. The upper echelons of the aristocracy were all interbred and related. Had she been born legitimate, she could have claimed Victoria as a distant cousin.
“I despise the existence of by-blows almost as much as I do women who would ‘unsex’ themselves by claiming equality with men. Such as that dreadful French countess.” She sniffed, her thin nose crinkling at the corners. “Such women are unnatural and would surely perish without male protection. They simply refuse to recognize it.”
She lumbered out of her chair, an ungainly motion that forced Cora to stumble back. She loomed over the tiny Queen, taller by nearly a foot. Victoria didn’t deign to crane her neck and meet her eye. Imperiously, she waved at the mysterious man and said, “Hawke will explain the countess’ whereabouts, after which, you will stop making inquiries about Countess Oreste. You will distance yourself from that woman and focus on the duties of a proper wife. Creating a family with Mr. Wentworth. If you do not, We shall be forced to find a more upstanding member of Society to manage Our funds.”
There it was. A choice. Abandon her friend, or lose her husband’s most important client.
The Queen glided away. Her somber black gown faded into the gloom, leaving only her collar and hair visible until she exited with the silent assistance of her servants.
“Her Majesty wants me to assure you that the countess has been recovered and is recuperating at an undisclosed location.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Hawke. I tidy up problems that she does not wish to be made public.”
“Such as the late Opposition Leader’s unexpected demise?” Gideon prompted.
“Or Countess Oreste’s disappearance?”
“Indeed.” Hawke clasped his hands behind his back but offered no further details. “You are friendly with Miss Honora Caldwell.”
His statement took her breath away. How could her friendship be of interest to the Queen’s personal spy? Reading between the lines of what Hawke had said, that was his role, wasn’t it?
“You will confide in your friend that Bella has been on an extended visit to France. She will return in due time. If you assist us in calming the rumors currently circulating about her absence, Victoria will personally ensure that the furor around your recent performance is perceived in the most positive possible light. It is of great importance to the crown that the entire affair of Belladonna’s disappearance dies down as quickly as possible.”
Gideon’s hand found hers and squeezed. This was a third chance at rejoining Society that she most certainly did not deserve.
“Has Bella been harmed? The Queen may not love her but many others do. Everyone at the House of Virtue has been worried for her safety.”
“That is the reason Her Majesty requested this private audience. I will answer as many questions as I can, as truthfully as I can. In return, you will never speak of this meeting.”
“Where is she?” Gideon asked.
“Safe.”
“Safe, where?”
“That information will remain private.”
