Page 29 of The Truth Serum (My Lady’s Potions #2)

N ate sat in Monsieur Joguet’s library, a place that he’d just thoroughly searched to good results.

He now knew that the man was indeed trying to join in the illegal trade of guns to France.

He found notations about it in the man’s dairy, as well as mentions of several meetings with BC, who might or might not be Baron Courbis.

But he had no definite proof beyond a desire to join in the smuggling operation.

Which meant he was not the originator of the scheme. Just an opportunist wanting to cash in.

And while Nate kept searching for the identity of BC, he’d tarried too long. Madame and Monsieur had returned home early from the theater and caught him red-handed.

Well, not so much red-handed as hand on bared thigh. Because Madame’s maid Frid had been willing to sacrifice her reputation to help the English fight Napoleon. She’d let him in the house and the library so he hadn’t had to break in. And she was there when the master and mistress returned home.

If the couple had just gone to bed, Nate could have snuck out. Unfortunately, Monsieur did not. He went straight for his library which meant Nate had to put Frid on the settee and his hands on her body, all while promising to make it worth her while.

Now he sat on that very same settee, his ribs throbbing while the hypocritical ass Monsieur Joguet lectured him on moral rectitude. Frid had been taken away by Madame, no doubt to receive her own lecture and wheedling questions about whether Nate was useable in her own games.

Thankfully, he knew Frid would remain stalwart.

He’d have to make good on his promise to her.

He prayed that Foreign Office would help in that regard.

They sometimes covered the cost of bribes, especially since he’d gotten good information tonight.

All he needed to do now was sit through Monsieur’s tirade until he could slink away like a common lecher.

Which was when Monsieur surprised him. Believing that Nate hadn’t a feather to fly with, he sent a message to Ras demanding an answer to this terrible situation.

The man must be in desperate straits to be so bold.

So now Ras was further embroiled in Nate’s messy life.

And Nate was obliged to once again act the part of a feckless womanizing ass.

Lord, he was getting tired of this particular role.

Maybe it was time to consider Benedict’s offer.

Or maybe he needed to be done with this half in/half out of society situation for a more direct, concrete role anywhere outside of England.

Though, given the way his ribs felt right now, he’d rather not have to crawl through ditches or duck through enemy camps to do it.

Nate sat, his thoughts not on whatever Monsieur was saying, when the knocker sounded. Monsieur immediately opened it, his tone quickly changing from pompous to obsequious. Which meant Ras had arrived. A moment later, the library door opened and…

Oh hell. It wasn’t just Ras. He’d brought Kynthea and Becca as well.

He stared at Becca, his mouth slack in shock. She appeared pale but composed. Why the hell was she here?

Anger and embarrassment flooded him, and he shot Ras a furious look. The duke simply shrugged. Apparently, it was his right as a best friend to bring whatever audience he wanted to Nate’s humiliation. Good God.

Meanwhile, Becca crossed to him. He knew she was scanning him from head to toe, and he did his best to erase any trace of pain in his expression. Yes, he’d been pushing his ribs. Yes, they ached. But he did not require any medical intervention beyond rest.

“Are you hurt?” she asked in a low voice.

“I’m fine. You don’t belong here.”

“Neither do you, but here you are.”

He couldn’t argue that, but he was still angry at her presence. It was humiliating enough without her bearing witness. “Just go. You and Kynthea both. Ras and I can handle it.”

“Hmmm,” she said, as she abruptly poked his hurt ribs.

“Ouch!” he cried, as he flinched away.

“You should be lying down.”

God, how he wished he could. But there were affairs of the nation at stake here.

“Becca, please, just stay out of it.”

She looked at him, her gaze heavy, and then she said the strangest thing. “I was an idiot. I believe you.” She quickly ran her hand over his. “I’m sorry.” Then she turned and backed away, joining Kynthea to stand to the side while Monsieur launched into his performance.

Nate gaped at her. What did she believe? What did she know? There were so many possibilities, not all of them good. But at least she knew something, right? She saw some part of him that was real, maybe?

That shouldn’t make him want to launch across the room to take her into his arms. He was still angry at her for dismissing him yesterday. And yet, the more he stared at her, the more he wanted her.

Until Monsieur cut across his field of vision.

“You ladies should not be here. We men must handle this act horrible !” He pronounced the last bit in emphatic French.

Ras stepped forward, his tone calm though his gaze seemed troubled. “Just what has occurred here? Does someone need medical attention?”

“No,” Nate said on a groan.

“Maybe my lady’s maid?” Monsieur stressed. “She was attacked by this vermin!”

“Attacked?” Nate said, his brow arching. “It was her idea.” That was the truth, though he knew it sounded like a peevish boy’s excuse. He’d wanted to hide in the servants’ stairway and take his chances on escape. It probably wouldn’t have worked, but he’d been willing to risk it.

“Of course you would say that,” Monsieur muttered. He turned to Ras. “And now you and I must figure out what to do about this mess.”

Understandably, Ras was completely at a loss. “What to do? Is the woman harmed?”

“No,” Nate said.

“Oui! Yes, she is! She is overwrought. She is crying. She is—”

“Where?” interrupted Becca. “Where is the girl? She must say if this was her idea.”

Monsieur shook his head with a very loud tsk, tsk . “You English think that all foreign girls want your attention. I tell you—”

“I have some experience with distraught girls,” Becca interrupted. “I can speak carefully with her.”

A girl? Heidi Frid was in her forties and was no wilting child. Of course, an older woman could be overpowered. But in this case, she had been the one who had pulled him on top of her.

“No! No!” Monsieur cried. “My wife takes care of her.”

Actually, his wife was probably interrogating Frid to see if there was an opportunity to exploit here.

This was a very transactional household from top to bottom.

He just hoped that Heidi’s loyalties to the cause against Napoleon—and the coin Benedict provided—outweighed whatever Madame was offering.

Meanwhile, Becca folded her hands in front of her skirt. “So this is a liaison, monsieur. Nothing more, nothing less. I fail to see why it is a mess horrible .” She exactly mimicked his French words.

“What if she is pregnant? What will she do then?”

“She’s not,” Nate grumbled.

“You do not know that!” Monsieur cried. “Either way, her good name is destroyed. There must be recompense.” He looked straight at Becca. “Surely you understand that, mademoiselle. Especially after the baron’s actions the other night.”

Becca frowned at the man. “Fletcher told me you thought it funny. That you laughed at my outrage because gentlemen in their cups cannot be held accountable for their actions. Did my brother lie?”

There seemed to be an extra amount of tension in her words, but Nate couldn’t pursue the topic. Not with Monsieur blustering as he waved his hands about.

“No, no! He exaggerates my words. The baron suffers for his actions, I am sure. The embarrassment is profound, yes?”

She arched her brow. “So we should let Lord Nathaniel’s embarrassment be profound, yes?”

Good lord, the woman was brilliant. She was neatly twisting Monsieur’s words around to get Nate off the hook.

Unfortunately, Nate didn’t want to get off the hook just yet.

If he did, he would have already sauntered away.

He would never have let Monsieur call for Ras.

Still, he felt a surge of pride at her defense of him.

But he couldn’t let it stand.

“Becca,” he said gently. “Please, let it go. Take Kynthea and—”

“Yes, yes,” Monsieur agreed. “The ladies should go.”

Meanwhile, Ras had crossed to Nate’s side. While Monsieur was busy trying to convince the women to depart, the duke spoke in a low whisper.

“What do you want me to do here?”

“He wants to extort money from you.”

“I’d guessed as much.”

“Let him. But demand to be part of the investment.”

That was a big leap, not explained in the short words that Nate whispered. But Ras was a smart man. Hopefully, he would catch on.

Ras started to pull away, but Nate grabbed his arm.

“Find out who BC is,” he whispered.

A flicker of understanding, then Ras abruptly straightened.

“Enough,” he bellowed, his tone effectively stopping all conversation.

The man knew how to use his ducal voice when he wanted.

He turned to Monsieur. “What would end this situation quickly?” He lifted his nose as if the room itself smelled. “Quietly.”

“Ah well,” Monsieur began. “There must be a penalty, otherwise these situations will continue. A forfeit. There are medical expenses. A possible child.” He threw up his hands. “Such difficult costs to hide.”

Becca sniffed. “I can see to the girl. I can determine if a doctor is needed.”

“No, no! We prefer our own doctors,” Monsieur declared.

Meanwhile, Ras was folding his arms. “You are squeezing a stone, Monsieur Joguet. Lord Nathaniel hasn’t a penny—”

“That is why I called you. You and Lord Nathaniel are the closest of friends, yes? He lives in your house. If your friend is sullied, then you will be covered in mud as well.”

Ras sniffed. “You overestimate the level of my friendship with him.”

“Do I? Your fiancée might think differently,” he said gesturing at Kynthea. “Perhaps she does not want to marry a man covered in mud.”

Kynthea rolled her eyes. “Ras knows where my heart lies.”

With her fiancé, obviously. And the look that the engaged couple shared sent a twist of envy through Nate’s heart. He was happy that Ras had found a perfect love in Kynthea. If only Nate could find such a future as well. But one glance at Becca’s irritated expression killed any hope of that.

She might believe him about his novel writing, but that was a far cry from being understanding about him tupping a maid. Even if he hadn’t really been doing it.

“You want money,” Ras growled. “Bring the maid here and I shall give it directly to her.”

“No, no!” monsieur huffed. “I shall take care of her expenses.”

“Really?” Ras drawled. “How?”

Monsieur put on a haughty air. “I shall invest it. For her future child.”

What a stupid lie. It was simple extortion.

Pay Monsieur money to keep silent about this situation, as if anyone would care that Nate had seduced a maid.

But Ras was known to be uptight about his reputation, and so the Frenchman was taking the shot.

But with the women there, he was trying to be coy about it.

Meanwhile, Ras shifted his expression. Surprise, surprise. The man knew how to look sneaky.

“Invest it how?” he asked.

“What?”

Ras stepped forward, his voice low. “I know you have a scheme, and I’ll bet you need more capitol. I have money, but only if I can play as well.”

It was a bold move, but a believable one.

After all, Ras was quiet about his financial affairs.

He was reputed to have money, but no one exactly knew where it came from.

Nate knew it was from good management of the ducal estates, but not everyone believed that.

And Monsieur likely assumed that everyone was as greedy as he was.

Meanwhile, the Frenchman cut up stiff. “Non! I will not.”

Ras nodded. “Then I will not. Nate will have to suffer the consequences of his own stupidity.”

Nate winced. Why did his friend have to put it that way? And in front of the women. But Nate was playing the part of an idiot, so he grumbled something incoherent before slumping in his seat.

Ouch. That hurt his ribs. He really needed to get out of here soon.

“Come along, Nate,” Ras said as he headed to Nate’s side, but he was stopped by Monsieur.

“How much?” the man said under his breath.

Ras paused. “How much do you need?”

“Not so much,” Monsieur said. “But the payment is good.”

“How good?”

The two men inched to the side of the room closer to Nate, no doubt to hide their transaction from the delicate women.

Nate concurred, though not for the reasons they probably thought.

He knew from experience that women could be more intelligent and devious than men.

There was no need to shield the fairer sex from anything.

But Nate had no desire to embroil the women any more than they already were. Which was when Becca suddenly had enough. After a significant glance at Nate—which he couldn’t read—she spun on her heel and walked out of the room. A second later, Kynthea joined her.

That was enough to alarm Ras, who looked up from his discussion with Monsieur, but Nate was already getting to his feet.

“I’ll stop them,” he said, praying he could. There was no way he would let them wander around this house of vipers alone. God only knew what scheme Madame was cooking up. And what she would do to turn two na?ve women into her assets.