Page 6

“Now,” Dante went on instead, “I’m sure you didn’t come all this way just to banter with me, especially this early in the day. So, tell me, what is so important as to bring you to barging into my bedchamber at this wretched hour?”

Twenty minutes later, seated in Dante’s study with a fire crackling at their feet and a silver pot of steaming coffee between them, Rolfe versed Dante about his visit with the king.

Dante leaned his head back in his chair while his valet, Penhurst, saw to the ritual of the shaving of his master’s chin.

“So,” Rolfe finished, “what more can you offer to share with me about the Lady Cassia Montefort?”

“Ah, yes, Whitehall’s own Lady Winter . Let me think.

She recently turned five-and-twenty, a bit longer in the tooth than most of the unwed ladies of the court, but far wiser as well.

She grew up in the court so the girl knows what she is about.

With her maturity she seems to have acquired an innate skill at holding her own among the more challenging of Whitehall’s personalities.

I’ve noticed she doesn’t smile. She tends to keep to herself.

She seems rather fond of repairing to the gardens with a book when no one else is around.

As I understand it, she stands to inherit a dower’s portion somewhere around twenty thousand at the demise of the marquess.

That is, of course, if she is not charged with his murder. ”

Rolfe took this all in. “An attractive sum. In and of itself motive enough for ridding herself of her father. No doubt she has many eager swains clamoring after her hand.”

“Aye, that she has, but, oddly, she hasn’t shown an interest in a single one of them. Has set one after the other down with the skill of a practiced tactician.”

Rolfe frowned at that bit of information. “No doubt, like so many of the other ladies at court, refusing to lower herself to anyone lower than a marquess.”

“You liken her, of course, to our dear Daphne. She’s married now, you know.”

Daphne.

There had been a time when just hearing the sound of that name would spring Rolfe’s pulse to life. He’d once thought the sun rose and fell upon her. Now it only brought the stale and bitter taste of regret. Funny how time and a change in scenery had a way of making things look vastly clearer.

“Why should it be of any consequence to me that Daphne has married? Was there ever any doubt that she would hold out and one day net the prize she so desired?”

The prize she believed I, a mere viscount, would never be.

The words went unspoken but were nonetheless clear.

Dante motioned Penhurst away at the rawness he still recognized in his friend’s voice. “Deuce take it, Rolfe, I’m sorry. I only meant ...”

“I know what you meant, Dante. Forget it. Daphne is history to me now. Ancient history. And I am all the better for her not having accepted me. It would seem, however, that Lady Cassia is comparable to Daphne in one respect, in refusing to lower herself to the lesser ranks of society. At her age, I should think she should at least begin entertaining the thought of settling on one of them before her time on the marriageable shelf runs out.”

Dante took a sip of his coffee. “One would think so, but that is not the way of it with Lady Cassia, Rolfe. I’ve heard tell she has had offers from as high up the social scale as a young woman could hope for.

And her advanced age —as you call it—is by no means a hindrance.

With age comes experience or so they say.

No, there is something else to it. It is as if she wants nothing to do with the institution of marriage at all.

I can’t speak from personal experience with the lady, but I have heard it said that if ever it were possible for ice to flow through a woman’s veins, it would be so in hers.

Hence the nickname, Lady Winter . One stare from her will freeze a man in his tracks, but she is so damned beautiful, it almost hurts just to behold her.

As untouchable and as blindingly cold as the winter sun. ”

Rolfe considered this, a picture already forming in his mind’s eye. “What do you know of the murder of her father?”

Dante stood, crossed the room to the washbowl and splashed the remaining shaving lather from his face.

“As you might have already guessed, it has caused quite a stir in court circles,” he said into his drying cloth.

He tossed it aside. “Anything of this magnitude naturally would, especially something as intriguing as murder. Seagrave was a man who held a modest amount of power in the government and it seems scandal has never been far from the family’s path.

As I hear it Seagrave had married himself to a very young court beauty back in the reign of the previous king.

It was an arranged marriage, made for monetary reasons, of course.

Nothing new amongst the aristocracy, but there were rumors that Seagrave was not the most indulgent of husbands.

He is reported to have beaten his young wife. ”

“So he was a bastard,” Rolfe said. “But why else does the Montefort name ring so familiar to me?”

“Most probably from our dealings during the war. His holdings have been on the rise in recent years. Some say his fortune goes well beyond the figure I mentioned. It will be interesting to see just what the marquess left behind. I have heard that during the wars, Seagrave was one of those who set his flag in the field of whomever was ahead at the time. A turncoat when it best befitted him. Somehow he managed to avoid involvement with the Protectorate and was appointed to a position at court soon after the Restoration.”

“So I assume his wife, Lady Cassia’s mother, is still at Whitehall?”

Dante shook his head. “Seagrave’s wife—Lady Judith, I believe was her name—died late last year in childbed.

Given the very public lack of affection she had for her husband, it was quite obviously a breeding not by the marquess.

You see, the marchioness had also made a name for herself among the members of the court, though not one that was spoken of in polite circles.

‘The Whore of Whitehall,’ and from what one hears, fittingly so.

Filled any bed that would help her to climb through the rank and file of Whitehall’s notables. ”

“And you mean to tell me this lady never warmed your bed?”

Dante chuckled. “Hard to believe, isn’t it? Truthfully the lady was far too manipulative for my tastes. I watched her. She was like a leech bleeding many a man dry and all the while making her actions a public spectacle. It was rather humiliating for poor Seagrave.”

“I should say. And the child she died birthing,” Rolfe went on, “I would guess now it is with whoever was the father?”

“No one knows for certain just who the father of the child was; there were so many possibilities. The unfortunate thing only survived a few hours after the birth and subsequent death of the mother. Lady Cassia was immediately removed from court by Lord Seagrave. Since she is yet unmarried, the marquess made it immediately known he was searching for a husband for his daughter.” He paused, then added, “For the right price, of course.”

“Of course. Still, despite the scandal of the mother, Lady Cassia, being an heiress and comely as well would have no doubt attracted many offers.”

“Aye, that she did, but refused them one and all. I’ve watched her, too, Rolfe, and it is almost as if it is all some sort of game to her.

Her dances are always taken by a number of gentlemen, any one of them a comparable match, but should any of the poor idiots show the slightest bit more than a passing interest, Lady Winter turns to ice before their eyes. ”

Rolfe ventured, “If it is not because she seeks a better match, then could it be because she is mistress to the king?”

Dante grinned. “Ah, you have already done some fishing, I see.”

“A case of like mother, like daughter?”

“I have heard the rumor that Lady Cassia is one of the many who frequent the king’s bed, but I cannot be certain of its veracity.

Unlike her mother, King Charles is the only name Lady Cassia can in any way be tied to, and I think this above all else had kept her father from forcing her into a marriage.

That said, whenever the lady is with the king, his attentions are more brotherly than anything else.

Still, I’ve never heard of her denying the rumor and it is no secret that Lady Cassia will sometimes spend hours in privacy with the king.

Odder still is that she remains outstandingly and publicly devoted to his wife, Queen Catherine.

The lady is quite the enigma. As you know, anyone whose behavior is the slightest bit unconventional is certain to cause suspicion among the court. ”

Rolfe sat back in his chair, wishing he had something stronger than coffee to drink as he reflected on his friend’s words.

To have had pluck enough to have survived the scandal of her mother was an accomplishment itself.

Most—in fact, all—of the ladies he had ever encountered at Whitehall would have melted away into social oblivion if faced with a similar situation. But not so this one.

Lady Cassia almost mocked society and its standards, welcoming no less than the king himself to her bed while befriending his own wife.

Rolfe was suddenly looking forward to meeting her.

“One more thing. Do you believe she killed her father?”

Dante took a moment before responding. “The evidence does seem to support it. I’m told she was found locked inside the room with the marquess’ body, a knife stuck in his neck, his blood on her hands, amid signs of a struggle.

I have heard that the servants confirm this was not the first such struggle between them.

It would seem Lady Cassia could be the only logical suspect, yet she remains at liberty, due, no doubt, to the intervention of the king.

Still, to look at her, Rolfe, you would never think her capable of such an act.

She has this look about her. I cannot describe it in words.

There is something about her that stands out.

A vulnerability. And yet, somehow, despite her parents’ obviously scandalous marriage, she has managed to acquire the social graces to become the example of a properly bred young lady. It is more than passing strange.”

Rolfe drew a breath. “This assignment should prove, at the very least, interesting.”

“Be careful, Rolfe. The lady could be dangerous.”

Rolfe chuckled. “I never thought the day would come that I would hear you of all people calling any woman dangerous.”

Dante finished off the rest of his coffee. “Am I to guess that you would like me to look into the matter further?”

“You always were perceptive, Dante. You must tell no one other than me what, if anything, you do find out.”

“And where will I find you when I have anything for you?”

“You won’t—find me, I mean. I will find you.” Rolfe stood. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I am in sorry need of a washbowl and a change of clothing before I head off to meet the intriguing Lady Cassia.”

Dante grinned. “Penhurst is at your disposal, my friend. Meanwhile, I will begin making immediate inquiries.”

Rolfe shook Dante’s hand. “I am indebted to you for your help already.”

“I have merely shared that which is common knowledge at court.”

“Still, had I asked about in court circles, I would have been told nothing but a prejudiced version of what you have just told me. I needed information, not gossip, and certainly not the opinions of those at court. It’s good to know one can always count on one’s friends.”

Dante stood and started walking with Rolfe toward the door.

“We’ve been through hell and back together, my friend.

From Oxford and on through the years of Cromwell, it’s been the three of us—you, Hadrian, and I—always there to watch out for each other’s backs.

Hadrian, the elder, was ever the leader.

You were the fighter who saw wrong and had to right it, or risk life and limb trying.

And me,” he added, smiling devilishly, “I would simply charm the ladies left behind.”

Rolfe couldn’t help but laugh.

“Speaking of which,” Dante went on, “I received a message from Hadrian yesterday informing me that he and Mara have just arrived in the city with the family.”

“The family?”

“Aye. There is young Robert, and their daughter, Edana—Dana, I believe they call her. And now there is to be a third.”

Rolfe shook his head, smiling. “Wasn’t Hadrian the one who used to say he’d never make the mistake of procreating and continuing the doomed St. Aubyn line?

Truthfully, though, I’m happy for him. I’m amazed the two of them managed to stay wed.

But, then, Hadrian’s no idiot. He knows a good thing when he sees it, even if she did make him look the fool at the beginning.

Give them my regards for me, won’t you?”

“You won’t be staying in the city long enough to see them then?”

Rolfe stopped just outside the door. “I would say it is a fair guess that as soon as I freshen up and find Lady Cassia Montefort, I will be occupied as far away from court and the city as I possibly can be for some time.”