The Devilish Duke, page 12
She vaguely mumbled some agreement. She was feeling rather off kilter with the recent events of the evening and definitely needed to regain her balance.
“I will advise my man of affairs to start the preparations immediately,” Devlin said as he walked over to where she stood and steered her toward the door.
“What preparations?”
“Our wedding,” he gently reminded. “I would like to get it over and done with as soon as possible. Definitely within the month.”
Sophie shook her head vigorously. “That simply will not work.” The man was mad to think it would.
“Why the devil not?”
“You are aware that my aunt has been trying to marry me off for years, are you not?” Sophie rather thought every single person in Society knew that fact.
“Yes. I assume she will be delighted with this new development then, won’t she?”
She rolled her eyes. “You have no idea. However, there is no way she will relinquish the planning of my wedding to your man of affairs without a monstrous fight.”
“I had planned for us to marry quickly and without fuss.” He scratched gently at his chin, a bit of confusion in his expression.
She stopped short. “Why such a rush? What aren’t you telling me?”
Devlin waved his hand in the air, as if to be rid of her concerns. “The quicker we are married, the quicker you get your hands on the orphanage and my funds, and the quicker I can continue on with my business project.”
“If we are married in a month, there will be a great deal of gossip insinuating that you have compromised me.”
“When you do not show in the next couple of months, that gossip will be laid to rest.”
The man had an answer for everything. “But what if I do fall pregnant straight away?”
“So eager already?”
Sophie felt like hitting him. “It is a very real possibility, considering you want heirs.”
“Yes. But there is no need for us to have children immediately.”
“So I do not have to share your bed straight away?” She didn’t know if she was relieved or disappointed.
“I did not say that,” he countered, his voice as rich as honey as his glance dropped leisurely across her bosom before returning to her face. “There are ways to prevent conception whilst still sharing a bed.”
“It is a moot point anyhow,” she said. “We need to post marriage banns and acquire a marriage license, which will take a great deal longer than one month.”
“I already have a special license.”
She simply gawked at him, completely flabbergasted. “How is that possible? I only just agreed this evening.”
Sophie felt like the biggest fool imaginable. Of course he already had a special license. He never did anything without a carefully laid plan, and he knew just what carrot to have dangled in front of her to have ensured a positive agreement. “How long have you been planning this scheme of yours for?”
He had the grace to look slightly abashed. “I only procured the license yesterday.”
“Only yesterday?” She could not help but sound highly skeptical.
“Do not act all affronted. I am a man of business, and acquiring the license was simply a matter of forethought. If you had said no, then the license would have simply been thrown out. As you did me the great honor of agreeing, it will come in handy.”
He had no idea what he was in for. “If you think my aunt will gladly accept my marrying in one month’s time, you have sorely underestimated her obstinacy and my own.”
Chapter Thirteen
Sophie carefully crept down the staircase to the foyer and breathed in a sigh of relief; her aunt was still abed. Thank goodness. The last thing she felt like doing right then was breaking the news about her impending engagement. Particularly not after all of the times she had vowed to her aunt that she would never marry.
It was odd to think she was now engaged, when only yesterday it had been the furthest thing from her mind.
“Excuse me, Lady Sophie?”
With a start, she swiveled in the direction of the voice, exhaling in relief upon seeing Stokes. “My goodness, you gave me a fright.”
“My apologies, Lady Sophie. However, I must inform you that you have a visitor in the sitting room.”
“Who is visiting at this hour, Stokes?”
His face wrinkled in worry. “A young female, who claims to bring dire news about an ex-orphan of Grey Street.”
Jane. She felt a tremor go through her at the thought of her friend meeting with trouble or even violence.
“I advised her that it was too early and most inappropriate for her to call upon yourself, but as it involved the Orphanage, I thought you would wish to see her once you rose,” he continued.
“You are correct, Stokes,” she replied.
“The new footman suggested he stay in the room to keep an eye on the girl and ensure no valuables go missing, which I thought a very good idea.”
“Thank you, Stokes.” Sophie crossed the entrance hall toward the sitting room. Walking through the doors, she saw a young woman sitting on the settee looking highly ill at ease, the new footman watching her suspiciously.
The girl, who would have only been in her early twenties, was sitting on the lounge, her gaze darting nervously around the room. She jumped up upon Sophie’s approach and curtseyed. “Thank you for seeing me, my lady.”
Sophie regarded the girl, who was currently staring up at her through thick lashes, a considering yet guarded expression in the brown depths. She was wearing a serviceable but somewhat threadbare black gown that was clearly a few sizes too big, and her dark hair was pulled back haphazardly.
Sophie walked over to the girl and gestured to the settee. “Please do sit down again.”
The young woman quickly sat and folded her hands in her lap.
Sophie took a seat across from her and smiled softly. “Now, please tell me how I can assist. Stokes mentioned you had some dire news of an ex-Grey Street orphan?”
The girl carefully regarded Sophie for a moment before speaking. “My name is Tina, and I worked as a maid alongside Jane Thompson at the Crowley Manor. She told me to come and see you if anything was wrong.”
So her instincts had been correct. “I have just sent a letter to Jane.” Sophie frowned. “I hope nothing is amiss?” She felt her heart drop at the very thought.
“I ain’t entirely sure.”
Tilting her head to the side, Sophie couldn’t help but feel confused. “Well, why have you come to see me then?”
Tina took in a shaky breath before blurting out, “Jane’s disappeared.”
A tightness gripped Sophie’s chest. “What exactly do you mean?”
“I fear something dreadful has happened to her.” Tina bit her lip. “She was so scared the night she packed her belongings and fled.”
“I think you had best tell me exactly what has happened, step by step, from the beginning,” Sophie directed her, swallowing her dismay.
“Well,” the girl began, “the Crowleys were hosting another one of their house parties at their country estate, and Jane and I were part of the city servants that were taken there to help out.” She stopped and took a breath. “On the first night of the festivities, Jane ran past me, awful upset. So I followed her to the room we shared and saw her madly stuffing her belongings in a bag, as if the Devil were after her.”
Tina began to wring her hands in her lap, a look of acute fear drenched in her eyes. Sophie walked over to the side table and poured her a glass of water. She returned and handed it to the girl, who took it and drank a healthy swallow.
“What happened then?” Sophie prompted her as she took the now-drained glass from the girl’s hand.
“Jane looked real terrified,” Tina continued. “I asked her what was wrong, but all she would say was she had to leave immediately. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen none to me. Then as she was about to go, she told me she wrote you a letter explaining things and that if anything happened to her, I should come and see you.” The woman continued to chew on her lip and smoothed her hands down her faded gown. “I don’t know if anything has happened to her or not, but seeing as she’s been gone over a fortnight now and no one has heard from her, I thought I better check and see if you knew if she was okay.”
A terrible sense of foreboding crept up Sophie’s spine. She’d been so worried, and now her worst fears seemed to be coming true. “I have certainly received no letter from her thus far.” In fact, she had not actually been receiving any letters lately, which was somewhat unusual. She looked up at the footman. “Benlow, would you please fetch Stokes for me?”
He bowed earnestly and left the room.
“Did Jane say anything else to you?”
Tina’s eyes quickly darted away from Sophie’s. The girl hesitated for a heartbeat. “The only other thing she said was that the Devil had finally found her.”
Sophie narrowed her eyes, certain Tina was not telling her everything.
“Excuse me, Lady Sophie?” Stokes spoke from the doorway. “You sent for me?”
“I did,” Sophie replied. “Please do stay there,” she directed him before quickly rising and walking over to where he was standing. “Have I received any letters in the post today?” she whispered up to him.
His brow furrowed. “I believe so,” he whispered back. “I placed them on your writing desk in the library. Shall I fetch them?”
She nodded her head. “Yes, but before you do, have I been receiving any mail in the last week or two?”
He looked confused. “Somewhat less than usual, my lady, but yes, you’ve been getting mail, which has been placed on your desk every morning as per normal.”
Sophie frowned, mentally cataloguing how many days had gone by since she’d picked anything up off the small silver plate where the butler generally placed her letters. “Something is definitely afoot, Stokes, as there have been no letters left on my desk for quite some time.”
A look of worry crossed his eyes. “I will investigate immediately.” He bowed before turning and striding down the hall.
She returned to the sofa across from Tina and sat down. “Have you spoken with anyone else who may know why Jane left?”
Tina shook her head. “No one seems to know why. She caused quite a stir leaving when she did, right in the middle of the house party. Why, Mrs. Finnegan, the housekeeper, was mighty put out to be down a house maid. We still haven’t heard the end of her complaints over the matter.”
“But why would Jane pack up and leave? And in the evening, too. It makes little sense.”
“Everyone thinks she must have run off with some bloke,” Tina said. “Don’t know, maybe she did. Maybe I’m making too big a deal over nothing.”
“Excuse me, my lady?” Stokes interrupted as he walked toward Sophie, looking highly disconcerted. He bent down and lowered his voice. “I am afraid your letters from today are missing, too. I am making enquiries with the staff. I will get to the bottom of this.”
Who on earth would be stealing her letters? And how awful to have possibly missed one that could explain where Jane was at that very moment. “Do let me know what you discover.”
“Of course,” he affirmed before bowing and swiftly departing from the room.
Sophie waited until he was well out the door before returning her attention to Tina, who was watching her carefully.
“When are the Crowleys having their next house party?”
“They have one every month, so I daresay in another fortnight.”
“Very well,” Sophie said. “I will begin to make some enquiries myself about the matter, immediately.”
“I didn’t mean for you to go to any trouble,” the girl said. “I’m sure Jane is safe somewhere, and I probably shouldn’t have even bothered you with such a matter.”
“Of course you should have come,” Sophie told her. “Do not worry, Tina. I will do all I can to help find Jane.”
Tina gulped. “Please don’t mention me to anyone. If the Crowleys knew I’d visited you, I’d be given notice immediately.”
“Do not worry,” Sophie replied. “I will speak with the Crowleys and investigate her disappearance without mention of you at all.”
She felt a chill of apprehension run down her spine at the thought that Jane was in danger. As Tina swiftly departed, refusing the servant escort back to the Crowleys’ that Sophie offered, Sophie sighed to herself. Something must have been dreadfully wrong for Jane to flee in the middle of the night. What on earth was going on?
It made no sense that Jane would run, particularly not in the countryside with nowhere to go. The idea she had done so with a man Sophie placed little credence in, as Jane was not that sort of girl. No, only something horrid would have made her run from a well-paying position. The chill turned into a deep cold that seemed to penetrate her very bones.
She would discover the truth of the matter, of that she was determined. And she now also had to find out what had happened to her missing mail.
Chapter Fourteen
“I like her, you know.”
Devlin looked up from the paper he had been reading and across the breakfast table to where Nicholas was sitting. “I assume you are talking about Lady Sophie?”
“Yeah, of course.” The boy stuffed another piece of bacon into his mouth. “It was funny when she was telling you off.”
He grunted. “I am glad you thought so.”
“She’s a good sort, hey?” Nicholas continued. “I noticed you thought so.”
Devlin spluttered on his coffee. “A good sort? Do you even know what that means?”
“Means she’s pretty and nice.” Earnest innocence radiated through the boy’s expression. For one who had essentially been brought up surrounded by sailors, he was still just a child.
“That she is. I believe she is to collect you soon for your day at the Orphanage.”
“Orphanage?” Nicholas exclaimed. “No one said nothing ’bout no orphanage.”
Devlin picked up a spoon and tapped it against the hard-boiled egg that sat in a delicate silver egg cup next to his plate. “That’s what Grey Street is.”
“Then I ain’t going.”
“Why not?” Devlin lowered his spoon without taking a bite.
“Because she might leave me there is why!” Nicholas declared as he stood up, scraping the chair against the floor in the process.
“Do not be absurd.” Devlin took a sip of coffee. “Of course she will not leave you there.”
“Yes she will, ’cause that’s what orphanages are for!” The little boy’s eyes were nearly the size of the saucer under his coffee cup. “I won’t go, I tell ya.”
“Sit down and eat your breakfast,” Devlin commanded, giving the boy a pointed look as he reopened his paper.
Reluctantly, Nicholas sat down, a scowl on his little face. “I ain’t going,” he mumbled as he picked up his fork and moved the eggs on his plate from side to side.
“You will go, and that is the end of it.” He turned back to the paper and recommenced reading.
The sound of sniffling slowly penetrated the peace and quiet of the breakfast room. Devlin sighed, lowering his paper once more so he could pinpoint its origin. Which happened to be Nicholas, of course, with large tear drops rolling down his cheeks. “Why on earth are you crying?”
“I ain’t crying,” Nicholas blurted out, quickly wiping away his tears with the right sleeve of his jacket.
After shaking out his paper, he folded it, placing it back on the table. “Then what are you upset about? I have told you Sophie will not leave you at the orphanage.”
He hiccupped. “But Mrs. Smith was always saying if I kept being bad, she’d take me to the orphanage and leave me there forever, seeing as I ain’t got no parents.”
Devlin stifled a curse. “Your former governess was lying to you, Nicholas. You are my ward, and this is your home now. I would never allow anyone to leave you in an orphanage.”
The boy said nothing for a moment, seemingly weighing up the truth in Devlin’s words. “Ya promise?”
He looked into the little boy’s eyes, eyes which were mirror images of his late father’s, who had been a good friend to Devlin, too. He realized that perhaps he did need to spend a bit more time with the boy. It was the least he could do in John’s memory. “I promise.”
Nicholas paused a moment, seemingly to assess the promise. “I suppose Sophie did say we were going to be a family, hey?”
“Yes, she did,” he agreed, picking up the paper once again.
“So why are you still here this morning? You don’t normally have breakfast with me.”
He stifled a grunt and put the paper back onto the table. He was obviously not going to get a chance to look at the stock market while at the breakfast table with a curious seven year old. Besides, he did actually enjoy his conversations with Nicholas, who with his odd upbringing and unconventional way of looking at things amused Devlin to no end. “I’ve decided that I need to spend more time with you. Your father was a great mentor to me while I was learning the shipping trade. I would be honored to stand in his stead, and though I know I could never replace him, I hope to give you some of the guidance and warmth he showed me. So, from now on, whenever possible, we shall have breakfast together.”
Thoughtful deliberation took place behind the boy’s gaze. “I thought it was ’cause Sophie’s coming.”
The fact that she was collecting Nicholas after breakfast had absolutely no bearing whatsoever on his decision to stay home later than he normally did. Though perhaps her influence was already having a positive effect over him? Obviously, he’d known that marriage to Sophie would help him be more effective in creating a home for Nicholas.
“Your Grace?” His butler Jenkins called from the door. “Lady Sophie Wolcott is at the front entrance to collect the young sir. Shall I ask her to wait?”
“I’ll go get her,” Nicholas yelled enthusiastically, pushing himself out of his chair and launching himself toward the doorway.
Devlin shook his head in amusement and addressed Jenkins. “Perhaps you should follow and ensure he does not knock down any china in his mad rush to escort Lady Sophie.”
