Page 88 of An Honorable Deception
Seemed the Crown might not have been so far behind.
Yates smiled. And let the accent drop. “Let’s get back to this talk of a retainer.”
“I’ll leave an envelope behind with the first month’s installment—though I do realize that this particular month you’re not likely to have time for much by way of investigating. That is understood. In the new year, though, I’ll be in touch.”
Thought himself quite clever, this Mr. V. That was all right. Yates could appreciate clever. “Happy Christmas to you, then,” he said, though the holiday was weeks away yet.
“And my felicitations to you and your bride. Speaking of which, haven’t you a train to catch?” On that, he swung the door open again and stepped out.
Yates opened his too. Why not? This chap already knew who he was. But all he saw was a grey bowler and matching overcoat, which could have been any number of men. And yes, silver-and-gold hair peeking out beneath it. He strodequickly enough that his coat flapped around his legs as he walked. Then the cathedral door opened under his hand, and he vanished into the blustery winter morning.
James jogged into sight from the direction of his office, exasperation loud on his face as Yates was collecting an encouragingly fat envelope from the bench. “Yates! I heard the door but thought itcouldn’tbe you. Dash it, man, you’re getting married today—in Northumberland! What are you doing in London still?”
Yates slid the retainer into the inner pocket of his overcoat and reached for the hat he’d left on his own bench. “Do relax, James. Plenty of time. Wedding’s not till six.”
His old friend gave him a look that questioned his sanity. “Lavinia’s going to have your head if she realizes you’re not even in the right county yet.”
Yates laughed and put his hat on his head. “Lavinia would have my head if I’d passed this opportunity by.”
James sighed, a look on his face that said the vicar was about to deliver a personalized sermon.
Not that he was opposed to sermons. But hedidhave a train to catch. “Some other time, old boy. Getting married today, you know—better get myself to Northumberland. Coming?”
Lavinia paced the chamber, holding up her white skirt as she went so she didn’t step on it, her eyes straying once more to the clock. It had scarcely moved its hands from the last time she’d looked, and yet was so much closer to six o’clock than it should have been.
Marigoldtsked her disapproval, though Lavinia didn’t know why until she intercepted her and repined a curl thatmust have fallen. “Do sit before you bring our hard work tumbling down. Look, you’re leaving a trail of beads too.”
There were two beads that had scattered. She’d heard them clatter and had a feeling they were two thatshehad sewn on. Zelda’s wouldn’t have the audacity to fall off. “Wherearethey?”
“They’ll be here any minute, I imagine.” Though Marigold glanced at the clock, too, let it be noted. And then smoothed a hand over her gown as if to cover it. What society ladies were waiting in the church would no doubt note with envy that mere weeks after giving birth to sweet little Lawrence, her figure was as trim as ever—though granted, it was because the woman never ate anything even remotely unhealthy and hadn’t stopped her training but for a few days. The neighbor ladies wouldn’t know that. They’d simply whisper about how lucky she was.
And if only they’d seen her on the trapeze last week with Yates. Then they’dreallyhave something to talk about.
Lavinia’s lips turned up at the thought, and she reached to twirl the Fairfax emerald on her finger. A trapeze had played a part in that too. Marigold had positioned her in the sand beneath it the morning they got back to the Tower, and Lavinia had watched Yates’s solo routine with a smile wider than any she’d worn before. That vantage point was unlike any other. It didn’t allow her to measure the full height of his swings quite so well, but she could feel the wind of his movements.
Then he’d dismounted, flipped and spun, and had landed so close to where she stood that she couldn’t help but scream a bit, jump, and then laugh in delight. He’d grinned up at her—up, because instead of straightening into his dismount like he usually did, he’d dropped to one knee. It had taken her a moment to realize that his hands were out before him,and that the twinkle of sunlight on gold was from the ring he held before her.
“Lavinia,”he’d said,“my love. I can’t promise you our life will be easy, but I can promise you it won’t be boring. Will you live it as my wife?”
She’d tried to make a show of considering, but Penelope had her own ideas. She’d jumped onto Yates’s shoulder and lunged for the ring, and Lavinia had had to act quickly to snatch it first.
When Yates had oh-so-innocently suggested a trapeze entrance to their wedding, though, she’d put her foot down. Her grandmother would faint dead away if he tried it.
Running footsteps signaled that her wait was finally over, bringing her back to the present, and she swung toward the door as it burst open. Alethia ran in, pink-cheeked, Samira behind her. Both were smiling.
A knot unraveled in her stomach. “You got her there safely?”
They both nodded, and Samira moved forward to adjust something on Lavinia’s sleeve. “Saanvi is taking care of her until I return. She is in bad shape—we had to call the doctor in. But she will survive. And we will remind her every day that she is loved.”
Lavinia let out a long gust of breath. She didn’t know who had sent the note alerting them to the young maid being so terribly abused by her employer. Buttheyknew who to contact when someone needed help, and that was what mattered. One more woman out of the reach of her own monster. One more sheep rescued from the wolves.Thank you, Lord.
Marigold gusted out a relieved sigh. “I’ll send a wire to Gemma after the ceremony. She has been praying, I know.” And given that she’d given birth to twin girls yesterday, herown plans to attend the wedding had come to a delightfully screeching halt.
Lavinia missed her and Graham, but mostly she couldn’t wait to see the little blessings that had joined the Wharton family.
Alethia moved behind the dressing screen with her gown that matched Marigold’s. “Sorry to have cut it so close! When the train was delayed, I nearly abandoned it and started walking.”
Lavinia laughed, along with Marigold and Samira. “We’ll know not to let you do the meeting when it’s your own wedding so near at hand.” She and Xavier, however, still had six months of betrothal—and both seemed to be enjoying every moment.
