Page 59

“It will make for rather tedious reading, I’m afraid,” Ravenscroft drawled.

“Chandros will take the lion’s share of the blame for orchestrating a counterfeit scheme—Bellrose listed, naturally, as his rather sordid accomplice.

And thanks to Goldbourne’s charming habit of keeping incriminating receipts, Sidmouth managed to recover most of the false bonds before they wandered too far afield. ”

“And Lord Eldon? Will the Chancellor of the Exchequer survive the scandal of having a rat in his employ?” Xavier asked.

“He’ll be credited with uncovering the plot, of course,” Ravenscroft said smoothly.

“And in a few days’ time, when a conveniently placed second article exposes the connection to those so-called protestors, Lord Cavendish’s name will be laundered to a high shine.

As for Lord Vesey’s brother—well. Dueling is illegal, after all, and the law must pretend to care. ”

“He left for the Americas this morning,” Peregrine said from his place near the head of the table, idly swirling the wine in his glass. “Determined to build a fortune of his own. In the meantime, my townhouse is empty again—I've told my solicitor to be rid of it.”

His words reminded Charity of the time they had spent there.

The horrible memories swam to the forefront of her mind.

Of that man pulling a gun. Of the smell of blood in the air, the ringing of the gunshots.

She grabbed her glass of wine and took a fortifying sip, forcing her mind elsewhere.

The townhouse was also where Perry had taken her after he rescued her from certain death.

It was where they had ceased being enemies and began finding common ground.

“Your Grace,” Selina said, drawing Charity’s attention. “Is aught amiss? ”

Charity’s gaze drifted to the man across from her, his white-blond hair catching the candlelight like a flare in the dark.

“How can anything be amiss when for once we are all in the same room?” She rose gracefully, gathering her shawl.

“On that note, I propose we adjourn to the drawing room for coffee and port—if the gentlemen can bear the indignity of being joined by their female counterparts, that is.”

“We would be unforgivably foolish to deprive ourselves of your company for even a moment,” Ravenscroft replied, the very picture of polished gallantry.

Rising with fluid grace, he circled the table and extended his arm to Charity.

“If I might have the honour, Your Grace. Lord Fitzroy and Sir Nathaniel may sort themselves out with Lady Normanby. Ideally, without bloodshed.”

Charity shook her head at his boldness, amusement dancing in her eyes as she declined the offered arm.

“The imbalance is my fault, I’m afraid—a failure in my role as hostess.

But then, this was never meant to be a traditional dinner party.

” She turned toward the marchioness with a warm smile.

“I shall offer you my arm, and let the gentlemen lead the way for once. We women will excuse ourselves, just for a moment.”

Selina nodded her agreement, and Charity latched arms with the other woman, reminded of her debutante days when she and Grace would do the same.

Such innocence seemed years behind her. But when she spotted Peregrine striding ahead of them, she found she could not be upset by how all life had worked out.

Charity let the men pull ahead and then guided Selina to the nearby retiring room. “I apologise for the deception, but I wanted to see how you are.”

Selina glanced away, her hands running along the satin of her skirt. “Truly? Or in the polite fashion we ask when we have already decided ‘I’m well’ is the only acceptable answer?”

“If you are not well, I would rather know it. ”

“There is nothing for it but to rise and meet the morning,” the marchioness gave her a brittle smile. “Because I must pretend nothing has happened, and I cannot speak of it to anyone. But… I will say this much, Your Grace. These days, I better sympathise with your fear of small spaces.”

“You’re wrong,” Charity said softly, extending her hand.

“You can speak of it to me—if ever you choose to. I didn’t, with my dearest friend.

Not because I didn’t love her, but because I knew she wouldn’t understand what it had been like for me.

No matter how she tried, she couldn’t have.

And I would offer you the choice I never had. ”

Selina eyed Charity with newfound respect.

“I appreciate the offer, and perhaps one day I will take you up on it. It seems you have learned a few lessons I could take tutelage from about holding one's own. But not today. Today is for remembering that we have not let our enemies defeat us, and I don’t wish to grow maudlin.”

And so the women returned to the wide main hall of Atholl House, their fine skirts swishing along the marble floor, walking side by side until they found the men awaiting them in the drawing room.

Soon after, glasses of deep red port wine in hand, they arranged themselves across a seating area in the centre of the room.

Peregrine found his way to Charity’s side, joining her on an intimate sofa for two.

He leaned his leg against hers, and she savoured the warmth of him through her skirt.

The comfort to be had in such a simple touch.

Peregrine drew a breath, steadying himself, and began as they’d agreed. “Though this evening has been—remarkably—without incident, I fear our difficulties are far from over. Until my mother is caught, the danger remains, both to us and to the country. I ask for your help.”

Ravenscroft leaned toward Selina, eyes wide with theatrical concern. “Did I hear correctly? Peregrine Fitzroy just asked for help? Did something fall on his head during the fire?”

Perry gave a short laugh. “Fair enough, Maggie—I likely deserve that. But really, what does it say about my desperation that I’m asking you?

” His tone was light, but his gaze shifted, landing on Charity as he reached for her hand.

“I’ve been reminded more than once that doing everything alone is the surest way to fail.

And now, for the first time… I find I don’t want to. ”

“Where do we begin looking?” Thorne asked.

“We have glimpsed only the edge of whatever my mother is planning,” Peregrine said, his tone quiet but grim.

“Yes, she means to do England great harm, but I doubt it is merely for her own advancement. Someone, somewhere, is giving her shelter. And given the scale of her ambitions, I very much doubt her benefactor is a man of no consequence. If we can uncover who stands behind her, we may finally have a chance of bringing her down.”

“My sources placed her somewhere on the Continent,” Xavier said evenly. “There were whispers of her moving through more than one foreign court, though nothing concrete. I haven’t heard a word in weeks—which, I suspect, is no accident.”

“I’d wager she’s being sheltered by the court of one of the foreign delegations due to arrive next month,” Peregrine said. “The timing’s too convenient to ignore. She undermines the government, disgraces the Crown, and just in time, delegates arrive to witness England’s weakened footing.”

Charity gave Perry’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“Marian Fitzroy seeks to eliminate us because she recognises us as a threat. Each of us can be numbered among her enemies, holds particular skills, and more importantly, has access to conversations that rarely leave closed doors. We must use that access wisely and then come together to share what we learn.”

“And then what?” Selina asked, her brow arched. “We uncover her hiding place and hand it off to the Guard, as though that’s ever been enough to stop her?”

“Duke Chandros’s fanaticism has convinced me that a prison cell would be far too dangerous—for the rest of us,” Peregrine said quietly, looking at his lap.

“Marian Fitzroy needs to be stripped of every ally, dragged into the light as a traitor and a murderer, and left with no foothold. No name, no influence, no one to take her in again. And no chance to do more harm.”