Page 72 of An Honorable Deception
Well. That soundedexactlylike a woman in love. Theywere all the time trying to arrange a marriage with someone else.
“I’ll note the complaint.” Yates jogged up the steps. “But the establishment would like to point out that no part of that plan was my idea.”
Xavier didn’t move. He stood where he’d been, hands slung in his pockets, face serious. “All joking aside—I know I’m not ... one of you. But what Iamis willing to risk my life if it will safeguard hers. And I have resources at my disposal that I’m officially putting at yours.”
See? This was why he liked him. It was a dratted inconvenience to his temper, not being able to stay angry with the people making his life difficult. “You’re a good man, Xavier.”
His lips barely quirked up. “Could you say that a bit louder? In the drawing room? Perhaps followed by the phrase ‘And Lady Alethia would be lucky to have you’?”
He smiled, but it wasn’t any brighter than Xavier’s. “Do you love her?” Was it a fair question to ask a rival? Perhaps not.
And X neither shook it off nor gave a quick, easily dismissed answer. He set his jaw. He looked off into the distance. And he sighed. “I feel as though for the last ten years, I’ve been trying to find someone who made me pause. Does that make sense? Someone who, when they weren’t there, made the world dim. Who brightened it when she appeared. Ten years of searching, and no one has ever done that. Not until her. The thought of someone trying to kill her, to snuff that light from the world for good...” He blinked. Shook his head. “This isn’t a game for me, Yates. This is the only thing in my life that has ever mattered.”
Well, leopard stripes. Now he felt like a cad for interfering when his thoughts were only about could-be and someday-maybe. He sighed, too, and motioned with his head for thedoor. “Come on, then. You might as well be officially deputized.”
The spark of light that entered his eyes was more than a little gratifying. “Itisthe Imposters, isn’t it? I wasn’t certain before, but with this case...”
“You’ve guessed it.” He’d known the risk when Xavier came along. But he’d already proven his discretion, as he’d graciously pointed out when he invited himself to the Tower to see Alethia.
“You saved my sister from agreeing to what would have been a disastrous marriage.”
“I know.” He grinned. “I’d say you owe me one, but your father paid us rather handsomely for that.”
Xavier grinned back. “Do I get any of the cards?”
“Don’t press your luck, old boy.” He glanced around the foyer but didn’t see or hear anyone in the ground-floor rooms. “Upstairs, then.”
Marigold’s and Gemma’s voices pulled him in the right direction, and when he stepped inside the drawing room, he saw Lavinia and Merrit were with them too. Neither Alethia nor her mother were, but that was probably for the best, for now. He waved Xavier in and pulled the door closed behind him. “I’ve created a deputy. Hope no one minds. Hedidoffer us full use of his life and resources.”
Merritt grinned from her chair. “Finally. Good to have you aboard, X.”
Marigold gave an exaggerated sigh. “My, how crowded it’s getting. I remember when it was the four of us. We scarcely fit in the room now, and we couldn’t even pry Graham out of the library.”
Yates perked up at that. Graham being so committed to the library usually meant very handy architectural work underway. “Has he found us a location?”
“I think so.” Gemma turned on her desk chair to face the rest of them. “Although this being Graham, all I could get out of him thus far were a few grunts and a vacant expression.”
“That level of focus usually results in a dependable entrance and exit strategy within an hour,” he said for the benefit of their two new members, who hadn’t yet witnessed Graham’s architectural genius firsthand.
He hadn’t really looked Lavinia’s way yet, but she caught his eye when she took a seat. Partially because she had an envelope in her hands.
Marigold noticed it too. “Well, then. Meeting officially called to order, and I elect that we dispense with other niceties and let Lavinia tell us how her plan went. We know, obviously, that Gemma wrote her article and wired it to theLondon Ladies Journal. Were you able to play it out more or less as she wrote it?”
Lavinia nodded. But she didn’t look victorious—just tired. “Lord X reserved us the perfect table in a tearoom, where plenty of people could see me from behind in the shawl, and the earrings were visible. But no one saw my face.”
“And handily enough, my parents were having a small final rout before they leave Town next week, which was easy for us to stage for an evening appearance. My cousin is the presumed friend she’d been traveling with, and my parents are still, so far as anyone knows, hosting them both at their home.” Xavier chose a chair near to Merritt’s and sat, stretching his legs out in front of him. “By the time we left Town this morning, the gossip had already made the rounds, and Lady A’s reappearance was even noted in one of the dailies. Though,” he said with a grin toward Gemma, “certainlynotthe detailed scoop G. M. Parker’s article will provide tomorrow.”
“But the most important piece fell into place as we weregetting ready to leave.” Lavinia held the envelope up. “Lucy snatched this from the Hastingses’ morning post and ran it over to me.”
“Because apparently I can’t be trusted to go throughmy own family’spost, but I’m not the sort to be offended.” Xavier folded his hands over his stomach.
Everyone smiled, but then silence fell. All eyes on Lavinia. Her eyes on the rectangle of white in her lap.
She looked like she was only half-present, like the rest of her was somewhere else. When Marigold cleared her throat, Lavinia didn’t so much as look up—she just held out the envelope.
Marigold took it, and no doubt she meant to read it out loud, but Yates wasn’t inclined to wait for that. He moved to stand behind her chair so he could read over her shoulder.
The seal had already been broken—no surprise, if Lavinia knew this was the final piece she’d been hoping for. Marigold pulled out a single sheet of paper and unfolded it.
