His Scandalous Kiss: Secrets at Thorncliff Manor: 6 (24 page)

Nodding, Mary glanced toward the salon which appeared vacant. “May I have a private word with you?”

“Of course,” Lady Foxworth said.

“You are welcome to join us, Lady Duncaster,” Mary said as she looked to the countess. It was time she found out about the
Roman villa and the cave. Mary and Richard had kept it from her long enough and with what had just happened and what might
yet come, Mary didn’t want to risk leaving Thorncliff without Lady Duncaster knowing about its existence.

Lady Duncaster looked a little uncertain, but rather than excusing herself, she said, “If that is what you would like.”

As soon as they were all inside the salon, Mary closed the door. “Andrew is here,” she said without preamble while Lady Foxworth
and Lady Duncaster each claimed a seat. “Lord Carthright, that is. My brother.”

“But that is excellent news,” Lady Foxworth said. “It’s about time that he offers you his support, and by coming here as you
have asked him to do, he has clearly . . .” Her words trailed off the moment she met Mary’s eyes. “What is it, my dear?”

Lowering herself into a vacant armchair, Mary took a deep breath before saying, “As it turns out, he is already acquainted
with Mr. Heartly, though not in a good way.”

Lady Foxworth’s expression grew wary. She leaned back slowly in her seat and cast a fleeting look in Lady Duncaster’s direction
before asking, “What exactly do you mean?”

“It was Carthright’s fault that Mr. Heartly was captured by the French and tortured.” She then went on to relate what had
happened since Andrew’s arrival, including the conversation she’d just had with him. “I feel terrible about all of it but
I cannot possibly take my brother’s side in this. It simply is not right.”

“Especially not when one considers how grievously he has treated you these past couple of years,” Lady Foxworth muttered.
She did not elaborate, aware that Mary would know what she was referring to and unwilling to let Lady Duncaster in on that
little secret. Her expression was set in hard lines as she added, “Unfortunately, I can think of only one solution as far
as Carthright is concerned.”

“And what is that?” Mary asked.

“That depends on what Mr. Heartly plans to tell the public. If the truth is revealed, Carthright’s punishment will likely
be severe. After all, he lied to the king, receiving a title, land and a rather large fortune as a result.”

“Do you suppose he might hang for what he has done?” As angry as Mary was with her brother, she did not like the thought of
such a thing in the least.

“I do not know,” Lady Foxworth confessed.

“You must also consider the shame that he has brought upon your family due to his misguided actions,” Lady Duncaster said
sympathetically.

“Rest assured,” Lady Foxworth said, “I am aware of it. No matter the outcome of the duel tomorrow, I will deal with Carthright,
though my plan will require the assurance that Mr. Heartly will be willing to refrain from mentioning this matter again.”

“I cannot promise that,” Mary said. “Mr. Heartly and I did not part on the best of terms. Frankly, the thought of having to
face him again is not one that I relish.”

Lady Foxworth opened her mouth as if to speak, but Mary turned her attention on Lady Duncaster instead and quickly said, “There
is something that Mr. Heartly and I have been meaning to tell you for some time now, but one thing or another kept stopping
us from doing so.”

“And what is that?” Lady Duncaster asked. Tilting her head, she studied Mary with some degree of curiosity.

Knowing how mad her story would sound, Mary hesitated a moment before saying, “Are you aware that there is a cave on your
property?”

Surprise filled Lady Duncaster’s eyes. She shook her head. “Where?”

“To the right, beyond the far lawn. There is a slope there on the opposite side of the hedge. The entrance to the cave is
right below that, partially hidden from view by some rocks.”

“And you have been inside?” This question was asked by Lady Foxworth.

Mary nodded. “I have explored it quite extensively together with Mr. Heartly.”

Lady Foxworth frowned. “You are aware of how scandalous that sounds?”

Mary felt her cheeks grow warm. More so when she recalled the time she’d spent there in Richard’s company. The thought that
she would never feel his touch again was too unbearable to contemplate. “Which is part of the reason why we have not mentioned
it until now. But, I do think that you ought to be made aware of what we have found. You see it is not just a cave.”

“Then what is it?” Lady Duncaster asked, her expression increasingly curious.

“You may find this hard to believe, but there is a river inside the cave. There is even a boat.”

Lady Foxworth looked incredulous. “A boat?”

“Yes,” Mary said with a confident nod. “Mr. Heartly and I believe it may have provided Thorncliff with convenient and secret
access to the sea.” She allowed this piece of information to be absorbed before saying, “But that is not all either, for there
is also a tunnel.”

“A tunnel?” Lady Duncaster echoed.

“It leads to something quite splendid actually,” Mary told her. “To what appears to have once been a Roman villa.”

Lady Duncaster’s jaw dropped. “Surely not.”

“It looks as though it was buried with the intention of preserving the interior because the windows have been carefully sealed.
Furthermore, it is furnished in a more recent style and seems to have been used by your late husband’s father.”

Wide-eyed, Lady Duncaster stared at Mary in dismay. “You must have found something to convince you of this.”

“A notebook,” Mary said, “which according to Mr. Heartly, was written by his late grandfather.”

“Dear God!” Steadying herself against the chair on which she was seated, Lady Duncaster’s hand flew to her mouth. She held
herself completely still for a moment. Slowly, she lowered her hand to her lap. “This may be what my husband was looking for.
Have you had a chance to study the notebook?”

“To some degree,” Mary admitted. “It refers, in particular, to a great deal of effort made by the third Earl of Duncaster,
Mr. Heartly’s grandfather, the Duchess of Marveille, and one other person, to help French aristocrats during the time of the
revolution.”

“Astounding.” Shifting in her seat, Lady Duncaster looked toward the door. “Can you show me?”

“Of course,” Mary said. “There is an entrance to the villa via the tunnels that run beneath Thorncliff.”

Lady Foxworth stared at Mary. “I daresay you are turning out to be quite the adventurous sort.”

“I did not plan to be, I can assure you,” Mary told her aunt.

“Though it is tremendously fortunate that you are,” Lady Duncaster said, “or I might never have found out about my late father-in-law’s
covert operation. My husband always suspected that his father was up to something and spent the last years of his life trying
to uncover what it was. He never found any evidence though and I began to doubt that there was anything to it. Uncovering
this villa you speak of would certainly be a wonderful feat, though I would like to ask that you tell no one. The rumor that
there is treasure to be found at Thorncliff has existed for many years and . . . I do not like the idea of all my guests beginning
to hunt for it, as some would likely do if they were to hear about the villa.”

“Your secret is safe with me, Lady Duncaster.”

“And if you and Mr. Heartly manage to resolve your differences, perhaps the two of you can show me the villa together?”

“Perhaps,” Mary said even though she doubted such a thing would come to pass. It would all depend on how willing he was to
try and make things right between them. One thing was certain—even though he’d lashed out at her in anger, she still loved
him and could no longer think of any other man by her side. Perhaps the most important question then was whether or not she
could forgive him and whether or not he could accept her for being the sister of the man who’d once betrayed him.

Pacing the length of his bedchamber, Richard tried to forget the fact that the man he’d sworn to destroy was not only sharing
the same house as him, but that he was also the brother of the woman he’d fallen in love with.
Damnation!
He clenched his fists, ignoring whatever his brother was saying—something about finding a way in which to work it all out . . .
that everything would be all right eventually . . . not bloody likely!

“I have taken everything from Carthright,” Richard clipped. “Ironically, a lot of the money he allegedly owned had been gifted
to him by Lady Mary. She helped her brother thwart me while I continued to try and ruin him. How can you possibly suppose
that such a thing will be resolved in a favorable way?”

“What I do not understand is that you never mentioned Carthright to me or to Papa.” Spencer shrugged slightly. “I feel as
though I ought to take issue with that.”

Halting, Richard glared at him. “Don’t you dare.” Spencer responded by taking a sip of the brandy he’d been nursing as Richard
continued, “I have enough to deal with at the moment without worrying about you as well.”

“Fair enough,” Spencer agreed. He kept silent a moment before saying, “I am a little surprised that Carthright would choose
to challenge you though.”

“He feels the need to punish me for what I did to him.”

Spencer snorted. “As if you have not been punished enough already. In my opinion, he has turned the entire matter on its head.”

“I appreciate your support,” Richard said. Approaching the vacant armchair, he dropped onto the seat and leaned back with
a sigh. “And I am sorry that I did not mention any of this to you earlier, but I was worried that you might try and stop me
from doing what I felt was not only necessary, but well deserved.”

“You may be right.” Setting his glass aside, Spencer glanced over at Richard. “That said, I think I would have done something
similar, had I been in your shoes. Carthright does not deserve to be rewarded for his betrayal. Quite the contrary.”

Silence followed for a number of seconds while Richard gazed up at the ceiling. “The trouble is that I don’t quite know where
to go from here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am thinking of Lady Mary,” Richard confessed. Indeed, he’d been sorely pressed to think of anything else. “I have effectively
taken vengeance upon her brother. Even before I discovered their relationship I feared telling her about this because I worried
that she would judge me harshly for it. Now . . .” He shook his head. A strong feeling of hopelessness was beginning to wear
him down.

“You think she will be unable to forgive you?”

Tilting his head forward again, Richard looked at his brother. “Yes, Spencer. That is precisely what I think.”

“From what I gather, she is a romantic. Perhaps she would appreciate a token from you? A poem or maybe some flowers?”

“I have already sent her a peace offering,” Richard told his brother gruffly. He knew that Mary deserved an apology, but he
was beginning to wonder if his attempt at one had been good enough.

“And?”

Richard glared at him. “Do you think I would be sitting here talking to you if she had forgiven me?”

“Point taken.” A brief silence followed. Spencer drummed his fingers on the armrest. The clock ticked loudly on the mantel.

“What?” Richard finally asked.

Spencer tilted his head. “I noticed that she failed to put in an appearance at dinner. Give her time, Richard. If she cares
for you half as much as you care for her, then she will come to you sooner or later. I am confident of that.”

“Really?” Richard drew the palm of his hand across his face. “Carthright’s arrival took me completely by surprise. As a result,
I said some terrible things to her.”

Spencer nodded. “Your concern is understandable, I suppose. But before
you
decide what Lady Mary will think of you, perhaps you ought to ask her yourself.”

“She fled the room when she discovered what had happened.” The stricken look upon her face . . . he would never be able to
forget that. “And now I am to meet her brother at dawn.”

“A tricky business, to be sure. Especially if you win.”

Groaning, Richard picked up his own brandy and took a fortifying sip. “You make it sound as though losing might be an option.”
Shaking his head he set down his glass. “Pistols do not allow for the sort of sportsmanship one might enjoy with swords. I
cannot go easy on Carthright for the simple reason that I fear he will take advantage of it.”

“Just as long as you don’t kill him then.” The gravity of the situation was prevalent in Spencer’s tone and expression.

“And what if he kills
me
?”

“Is he that good a shot?”

Richard considered the question for a second before saying, “He may not be as precise as I am, but he is certainly good enough
to hit his mark, even at a distance of forty paces.”

“Then you must strike him first—a shot to his leg or perhaps his shoulder.”

“Naturally, I have considered that, though I doubt Lady Mary will approve.”

A frown crept across Spencer’s brow. “You think she would prefer it if you are the one who gets wounded?”

Richard expelled a deep breath. “I have no idea. But her loyalty toward her brother is undeniable.”

“I really think you ought to ask her if that is still the case after what she has just discovered about him.”

“Perhaps—”

A knock at the door cut Richard off. Eying Spencer, he got to his feet and crossed to it. He hadn’t been expecting anyone.
“Yes?” he inquired.

There was a brief hesitation, and then, “It is I, Mary.”

A warm shiver rolled through him at the sound of her voice. He glanced toward Spencer and found that he’d risen to his feet.
Pushing back the warning that Mary’s reputation was at stake by her being here, he opened the door and quickly ushered her
inside. Her eyes widened at the realization that they weren’t alone.

“I should leave,” Spencer said as he took a step forward. He tilted his head in Mary’s direction. “A pleasure, my lady.”