A Lady of Letters (15 page)

Augusta was not quite sure she followed her parent's logic, but decided arguing was useless. No doubt neither her mother nor the Earl would shrink at the prospect of using physical force, if need be. With a weary sigh, she straightened the papers on her desk and rose. "Oh, very well."

Lady Durfee looked down her nose at the simple slate grey muslin day dress that her daughter chose to work in, its unadorned long sleeves bearing several smudges of ink at the cuffs, and gave a slight shudder. "Pray, go upstairs and change. And make it quick. You would not want to keep His Lordship waiting."

Like fish she didn't. However, a short time later she appeared in the drawing room, attired more properly, if not fashionably, for the outing.

Sheffield rose. "How gracious of you to accept my invitation, Miss Hadley," he said smoothly on noting the jut of her jaw.

Augusta bit back a retort on seeing the look on her mother's face. "How kind of you to offer, my lord," she replied through gritted teeth.

There was a flash of amusement in his eyes as he offered her his arm. She had no choice but to take it. They proceeded in silence out of the townhouse to where the Earl's small tiger was struggling manfully to keep the spirited team of matched greys in check. Once settled in the driver's seat, Sheffield gave them their head and the phaeton sprung forward at a good clip.

Augusta made a point of not meeting his gaze, though from out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but notice the discreet patch of sticking plaster on his brow peeking out from under the thick raven locks. It prompted her to finally speak up. "I should have thought you would have stayed home in bed today, sir, after what happened last night."

"Ah, well, since it was empty save for myself, there seemed little reason."

There was an audible intake of breath. "Are we going to have another pointless conversation where we end up hurling insults at one another?" she demanded.

Sheffield guided the high strung team through the entrance to the park with consummate skill. "I should hope not, Miss Hadley, for we have far more important things to discuss."

She didn't answer.

The Earl drove on through the normal crush to a less crowded path before slowing the horses to a sedate walk. "As I was saying, before we were so rudely interrupted last night," he continued, "I think it might make sense for us to be forthright with each other."

"I am willing to listen to your explanation, my lord."

He muttered something under his breath.

"What was that? I am always interested in expanding my vocabulary."

"I think it is stretched quite far enough as it is," he growled. His hands tightened on the reins. "Dash it all, you are truly the most stubborn, willful, provoking chit I have ever encountered—"

"I thought we were not going to indulge in such childish fits of pique, sir."

His jaw clamped shut.

"Now let's get down to business. Are you going to tell me what you were up to in that study? If not, then let us not waste each other's time and drive me home at once."

For a moment she thought he was going to urge his team into a dead gallop. Instead, a reluctant smile toyed on his lips. "I have to admit it is rather refreshing to be around a female who is not coy about what she wants."

"Lord Sheffield, I am not the least interested in your preferences regarding a lady's deportment!"

"That's quite obvious." His hand came up before she could snap out another retort. "Very well, very well. I don't suppose I have any other choice. Er, do I?"

Her scowl answered that question.

"I thought not." He cleared his throat. "Recently, I have come to suspect that a certain gentleman is involved in some very unsavory doings. I was attempting to, er, verify my suspicions when you appeared and caused things to go awry."

"Me! You were the one clumsy enough to fall and cause such a racket as to raise the dead—" She stopped in mid-sentence. "How did you come to be suspicious of the gentleman in the first place?"

"That's not important. What matters right now is what you were doing there. I've been forthcoming, Miss Hadley. Will you be the same?"

Augusta stared down at her lap where her hands were balled together into a tight fist. After a considerable silence, she let out a sigh. "I am looking into a... crime committed against one of our tenants at home." That was close enough to the truth, she decided, without revealing the whole.

"A crime? Why haven't you simply gone to the authorities?"

"Because the authorities don't give a fig for a lowly tenant, in case you haven't noticed! But then again, you've probably been too busy with other pursuits to have a care for how those less fortunate live."

He flushed slightly, but didn't respond to her harsh words. Instead he asked quietly, "Can't you voice your concerns to... some male member of your family?"

"My father is away indefinitely in Vienna and my brother is dead!" She sought to control the tremor in her voice. "I'm the only one who can help."

Sheffield was silent for a moment. "Did you learn anything definite from the papers you took?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "There are certain accountings which look rather incriminating to me, but the way they are written, it would be hard to say they are conclusive evidence."

"Would you let me have a look at them?"

She hesitated.

His jaw tightened and he felt a sudden flare of anger at having his offer of help spurned by yet another person whose opinion he cared about. "I see," he said with some asperity as he made ready to turn the phaeton around. "It seems that in addition to being stubborn, willful and provoking you are also opinionated, unbending and unwilling to accept that you may be wrong about anything. Come, I will take you home."

Augusta‘s hand reached out to stay the reins. "Lord Sheffield, why is it you are taking an interest in all of this? Why are you offering to help me?"

"Why ask? You do not wish to hear aught but what may reinforce your own smug assumptions."

She was startled to hear the raw edge in his voice, as if she had scraped some vulnerable spot. "I... that is, if I have truly been so blind and stupid, then I deserve your scorn, sir."

His head jerked around in some surprise.

"Please accept my apology, " she went on in a near whisper. "I suppose you are right and I have been just as guilty as those I rail at. I shall try not to be so quick to judge in the future." She drew in a breath. "But you must understand that my reluctance to discuss this matter stems not from any disrespect for you sir, but from a desire not to expose anyone but myself to whatever danger there might be. Since I believe the person responsible for these crimes is a gentleman of some rank, I am well aware that I must be very, very careful who knows of my suspicions—any misstep or slip of the tongue could ruin all efforts to bring about justice, and perhaps even put those who have helped me at risk."

"I am glad to see you show that much sense at least. However you may rest assured I can take care of myself." The Earl's tone was still a bit strained, but rigid set of his features had softened somewhat. "Who else knows about what you are up to?"

"I've spoken only to my sister and Jamison about it." That, she told herself, was not actually a lie. Though she had decided to reveal certain things to the Earl, her correspondence with Tinder she meant to keep secret from anyone.

"I suggest you keep it that way. You are quite right in believing that this is no mere game." He regarded her intently. "You know, it seems to me there is a possibility that, for whatever the reasons, we are in pursuit of the same man. It might be to both our advantages not to be at daggers drawn and to share our information."

Augusta's lips compressed in a tight line, then she made what she hoped was not a foolish decision. "If you are coming to the Turnbridge's ball tonight, I shall bring the papers."

"Thank you, Miss Hadley," he said quietly.

Some others words sounded under her breath.

"What was that?"

"I said, I hope I shall not live to regret this," she said in a louder voice.

The corners of Sheffield's mouth twitched upward. "May the Good Lord turn me into a goddamn son of a poxed whore if I give you any such cause."

Augusta scanned the crowded room yet again, wondering whether the Earl had succumbed to seconds thoughts about the whole matter, when a low voice sounded close by her ear. She started, nearly spilled the contents of her glass.

"I took the precaution of approaching from the rear," said the earl with a chuckle.

"Coward," she replied, though there was little sting to the word.

He nodded toward the open double set of doors. "Shall we take a stroll?"

"As long as this time we stay well out of range of any falling projectiles."

"I'll not argue with you over that. I would prefer that the precious few parts of my anatomy still unscarred to remain that way."

Though resolved to say nothing that might be considered provoking, Augusta couldn't help but murmur, "I'm sure to you they are precious indeed."

He only chuckled again, low and so close to her ear that she could feel the warmth of his breath on the nape of her neck. "Why shame on you, Miss Hadley. Are you thinking improper thoughts?"

It was she who was put to a violent blush.

He guided her out the doors and down a graveled path toward the center of the garden. "By the way," he continued, seeming to take no notice of her flaming face. "I seem to recall having failed to thank you for last night. My headache might have been a great deal more severe had you not acted so quickly."

"If you had been left with any head at all."

"Yes, well, that is one of my parts that I would like to see stay attached where it is, even if you do not seem to think it contains anything of value within it."

"I... I thought we were going to try to avoid provoking each other."

"Ah, but I cannot help finding you... most provocative, Miss Hadley."

"Lord Sheffield—" she began

He held up a gloved hand. "Pray, don't fly up into the boughs. I am just teasing you." As they came to a wrought iron bench framed on three sides by a tall boxwood hedge, he paused. "It appears we might have a bit of privacy here."

Augusta was intensely aware of the heat from his muscled thigh as he took a seat beside her. Good Lord, she chided herself, what was wrong with her that she was blushing and stuttering and making a fool of herself like some flighty schoolroom miss? She opened her reticule with a decided snap and began to rummage through its contents.