“I have never known you to lie to your parents. What will you tell them when they demand the truth of the matter?”
She snapped her fingers. “And that is the brilliant nature of my plan! I will tell the truth and deny that he ever visited my chamber. Papa cannot approach him and ask him to do the honorable thing. The man is innocent. The only way would be to work to stop the rumors, and though Papa is influential…the power of idle tongues is far superior. So I get what I want without really embroiling myself with any libertine!” She cast her friend a mirthful look. “Admit it…I am wickedly brilliant.”
“Yes… you are,” Nicolas murmured to himself with amusement and a pulse of fascination. “Clever indeed.”
“Good God,” David muttered. “Do you mean to say this lady is not known to you? That she deliberately used the reputation you have fostered over the years to achieve her own villainous end?”
Nicolas smiled. “Hardly villainous. Shrewd.”
“You sound as if you admire her ridiculous plan.”
“I cannot tell what I am feeling.”
They watched as she and her friend looped their hands and strolled toward the eastern section of the lawns, their heads bent close together in conversation.
“This is a disaster,” David said. “Surely you see that.”
A warning tingle tightened the back of Nicolas’s neck. In the distance, she released her friend to twirl, lifting her face to the sky. Her expression was that of one who had gained some sort of victory…freedom. That expression revealed a longing that was painful to witness.
What do you long for, my brave little minx? “How little do you know,” he said softly.
“Her life is now in danger,” David said tightly. “Do you see it as clearly as I do?”
“Perhaps.” He truly did not want to think about the far-reaching implications of her ruse. He had resolutely concentrated on seeking justice for Arianna, even at the cost of pursuing a family for himself. No distraction had been allowed. He had been ruthless, exacting, and disciplined.
And he had seen results. One of the men responsible for her death had been brought to justice, and another two were on the hook; he only needed to reel them in. He had aimed his vengeance where it would do the most damage: their reputations and wealth. Nicholas played the snake…the devil in their midst, without these idle sons of society understanding the true nature of the man they had let close.
He felt a stir of discomfort, too deep and unreachable from within him to properly understand its existence. But of one thing he was certain. This lady…this audacious woman who had been bold enough to use him for her end, he owed her nothing.
David slapped his hand against the bark of the tree. “There is no ‘perhaps’ about it. Did you not get the note Rhys sent you?”
Rhys Tremayne, the recently minted Viscount Montrose, was amongst the few men Nicolas called friend. Rhys was rumored to be part owner of a gambling hell, The Asylum, in the bowels of London. The man was a purveyor of secrets and dealt with the peddling of information on the black market. He had sent a note to Nicolas only a week ago, with a warning to be vigilant. “Yes, I got it.”
“Rhys said a gentleman walked into The Asylum…a man whose identity was hidden, and he asked one question—what is your weakness. That says everything.” David scowled. “You must admit the duke’s suspicions have been aroused. What if he was the one asking after your downfall?”
James Wembley, the Duke of Farringdon—the dragon of Arianna’s nightmare. Nicolas had already started his campaign to ruin the duke for his part in her pain, and the man was indeed suspicious.
David sighed most aggrievedly. “I feel as if you are not listening to me. If it is the duke, he cannot kill you; you are the Marquess of Rothbury. You may act like a feckless wastrel, but you have money and powerful connections. How would he dare? But your weakness would be the golden goose. And she…that damn silly chit, just announced to the world that you like and want her. Sweet Christ.”
Nicolas tumbled it over in his head, ruthlessly analyzing the facts from all angles. “There is nothing to be done about it. We can only leave her to her own devices, then watch and see what happens.”
David aimed at him a contemplative stare. “Perhaps you should work to dispel the rumors.”