Tenacious Trents 02 - A Perfect Gentleman (30 page)

Matthew sat back in his chair, pleasantly
full and sipped the tea as Grace’s words rang in his head.
It is
better if it is forgotten.
As if it were even possible to
forget that moment when their lips met, her body against his, her
breast cupped in his hand. He shifted in his seat, grateful the
table hid his growing desire. Perhaps it was best to put it from
his mind at the moment, but he would never forget.

The meal had helped clear some of the fog
from his brain and Mrs. Thomas was a wonderful cook and he hoped he
could engage her services in the future. After all, she had cooked
for the Coopers since the accident so there was no reason why she
could not continue with the same employment.

Everyone had finished eating but nobody moved
from their seat. It had been a late night, especially for
Grace.

The silence was disturbed by knocking on the
front door. Mrs. Thomas stood before anyone could react and left to
answer. A moment later she was back in the room, followed by
Jordan.

“What did you do, Matt?”

Matthew straightened. “What do you mean? I
haven’t done anything.”

He laughed. “Well, according to Mrs.
Montgomery, that isn’t the case.”

Matthew glanced across the table at Grace.
Her cheeks were turning a lovely shade of pink. “She has
embellished an innocent situation.”

“Then you didn’t spend the night in Miss
Cooper’s room.”

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas gasped and Matthew looked
at them. “Miss Cooper had a nightmare and was frightened. I slept
in the chair in front of the fire.” He turned and glared at Jordan.
“And, the door was wide open all night.”

They nodded as if that explained everything
and went back to drinking their tea. Well, at least not everyone
thought lowly of him and Miss Cooper.

“I told you the woman was mistaken. This is
Matt. Father’s perfect gentleman and vicar.”

John walked in behind Jordan with Elizabeth
on his arm. Great, his entire bloody family was here. Well, half of
them anyway.

Matthew stood and walked to his brothers. “I
thought you were going to see Elizabeth’s grandfather and then be
off to Scotland.”

John glanced behind Matthew and seemed to
take in the room. “Our plans changed. The friend I was seeking is
no longer there.

“I am sorry to hear,” Matthew said. “Do you
know where your friend traveled to?” They all needed to know where
Adele and Julia were, especially if they thought to travel to
London. John needed to stop them before they ruined the lives of
Rose and Madeline. After all, it was Adele who chose to leave. What
right did she have to return only to disrupt everyone’s lives?

“No, but I hope to catch up to them when I do
learn.”

Jordan took a seat at the table and Mrs.
Thomas poured him a cup of tea. “John and Elizabeth were visiting
when that lad came for me.” This time Jordan glanced at the
occupants in the room. “Has something happened to Mr. Cooper?”

“He is recovering,” Grace answered before
Matthew could.

“Then why the urgency?”

“There was an attempt on Miss Cooper’s life
last night.

Both John and Elizabeth stiffened and looked
at each other. They shared a look but Matthew couldn’t read
anything into it.

“What happened,” John asked.

Matthew quickly explained. John and Elizabeth
both nodded and kept looking about the room, into the foyer.
Matthew wasn’t certain what to make of it because it wasn’t as if
they were being nosy and snooping, but checking windows and
such.

“I need someone to keep an eye on the family
and the house. And, I need to find someone to fix the back
door.”

“I can fix the door,” Mr. Thomas offered.

“I would be very grateful,” Grace thanked
him.

At least that was one thing off of his
mind.

“Why would someone want to kill Mr. Cooper
and then try to kill Miss Cooper?” Jordan asked. “I find it hard to
believe Stillwaite would go to such extremes, but he is the only
one who would have anything to gain.”

Matthew didn’t answer. It was not his place
to tell the truth behind Mr. Cooper’s fall. It was a private family
matter, though he and the Thomas’ knew. “I am more concerned with
who would wish to do Miss Cooper harm,” Matthew finally stated. “We
are not certain it is the same person.”

“It would be odd that two separate people are
trying to do them harm,” Jordan insisted.

As much as he would like to enlighten his
brother, Matthew would not do that.

“You may tell them,” Miss Cooper said after a
moment, her voice low.

“I don’t think that is necessary.”

“You asked your brother here to help, did you
not?” Her eyes bore into hers.

“Yes,” Matthew answered after a moment. He
knew he could not protect the family alone and it had been his
intention to simply ask Jordan to stay with Grace while he hired
staff and guards. But he wasn’t even sure who he could trust. What
if he hired the very person who had broken in here last night?
Grace looked to Jordan, then John and lastly Elizabeth. “I just ask
that you never breathe a word of what Vicar Trent tells you.”

They nodded and looked to Matthew.

“Let’s clear the table,” Grace announced and
began gathering dishes. Mrs. Thomas did the same. “Why don’t you go
to the library and you can explain to your family.”

“I’ll see about fixing the door.” Mr. Thomas
walked off into the kitchen.

“I’ll bring tea in a moment,” Mrs. Thomas
offered.

It was as if none of them could leave the
room quick enough.

“What is going on, Matt?” Jordan asked when
they were in the hall.

He led them into the library and closed the
door. Once his brothers and Elizabeth were settled he relayed the
truth behind Mr. Cooper’s fall and all the details he could recall
up until this morning. “I originally thought it could have been
Stillwaite or one of the suitors who tried to kill Mr. Cooper.”

“But suitors would gain nothing in the demise
of Miss Cooper,” Elizabeth insisted.

“Exactly,” John agreed.

“And the only person who would gain anything
by Miss Cooper’s death is her uncle,” Jordan surmised.

“Those were my thoughts, but the man I
encountered in her bedchamber was younger. Or at least he moved as
a much younger man would.”

“Perhaps Stillwaite hired someone.” Elizabeth
suggested.

Matthew didn’t know the answer and simply
shook his head. “I need to hire guards and a staff. Miss Cooper
cannot go on without anyone else in the house except her father and
a valet.”

“No you don’t,” John answered.

“Yes, I do,” Matthew insisted. “Who is going
to protect her and I can’t be here all of the time. Already Mrs.
Montgomery has shredded her reputation with her vicious tongue. I
can’t remain here a third night or Miss Cooper’s reputation will
never recover.”

“Who would you hire?” Jordan asked.

“That is the problem. I have not lived here
long enough to know who to trust.”

“You know us,” Elizabeth smiled at him.

It was kind of Elizabeth to want to help but
the most she could do was act as a chaperone. “Thank you, but I
need someone who can protect Miss Cooper.”

Elizabeth turned to John. “I believe your
brother just insulted me.”

John chuckled and lifted the back of her hand
to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “He simply doesn’t know you
the way I do.”

Yet another woman he did not understand.
Though he certainly hadn’t meant to insult her, Matthew wasn’t
certain how he had.

John continued to hold his wife’s hand and
let it rest in the space between them on the settee. “As you have
shared your secret, I will share mine and Elizabeth’s.”

Jordan and Matthew both leaned forward. What
could they possibly tell them that nobody could know? Was Elizabeth
increasing? They had certainly been married long enough for that
occurrence to happen, but if that were the case, it wouldn’t remain
a secret long.

“Why do you think I was on the Continent?”
John asked.

“Gallivanting and avoiding buying a
commission,” Jordan chuckled.

“Would you be surprised if I told you I
worked for the Home Office?”

It took a moment for his words to sink in.
“What exactly were you doing?”

“For the most part working in the stables at
Tuileries and gathering information about Napoleon and the French
and passing anything pertinent on.”

Matthew looked between Elizabeth and John and
back again. His brother was serious.

“Did father know?” Jordan asked.

“Not until I returned. I was able to tell him
right before he died.”

“You were a spy?” Matthew asked for
clarification.

“As was I,” Elizabeth interjected.

“I thought you were a widow living in the
south of France until my brother stumbled across you.” Jordan said.
“Are you telling us that isn’t true either?”

It was hard enough to believe his brother had
been working as a spy, but Elizabeth? She was a gently bred lady.
Her grandfather was the Duke of Danby and her father a vicar.

She smiled at the look of confusion on his
face. “I was a maid. I had the opportunity to search Napoleon’s
office, often, and passed onto John any information I
gathered.”

Both John and Matthew fell back into their
chairs at the same time.

John laughed. “I do love telling people. The
look of utter astonishment is always enjoyable.”

“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed. “But if we tell many
more people, it won’t remain a secret and we still work for the
Home Office.”

“You didn’t quit when you were married?”
Matthew couldn’t believe John would allow his wife to remain in
such dangerous work.

“We can’t return to France right now.” She
shrugged. “There are things we can do in England, for the
moment.”

“I am still not sure how you can help Miss
Cooper,” Matthew said after a few moments.

This time Elizabeth laughed. “One can’t be a
spy without being able to know how to protect oneself.”

“Or know how to shoot, fight, maim or even
kill,” John added.

“We can search without anyone knowing we were
there,” Elizabeth continued. “I know the weakness in this home
already.”

Matthew looked around the room.

“If I wished to break in, I already know how
I would go about doing so and you would never know.”

The thought that this home was so vulnerable
sent a chill up Matthew’s spine.

“Trust me, Matt.” John leaned forward. “You
don’t need guards you simply need me and Elizabeth.”

“You don’t need servants either,” Elizabeth
added.

“Someone has to cook, and help with the
house.”

Elizabeth grinned. “I will.”

“You?”

“I started off in the kitchens at the palace
and worked my way up to maid.” She shrugged. “Besides, it is better
if you don’t have others in the house since you don’t know who
tried to kill Miss Cooper.”

“You have a caller, Miss Cooper.”

Grace glanced up from her chair beside her
father’s bed to find Mrs. Thomas in the doorway. “Who is it?”
Please don’t let it be Richards, Thorn or Draker.

“Lord Crew.”

Relief shot through her body and she jumped
from her seat. “Thank goodness.”

She rushed out of the room to find him in the
parlor with Vicar Trent and his brothers and sister-in-law.

He stood when she entered. “How is your
father?”

“He will recover.”

“There hasn’t been a hearing yet, has
there?”

“No.” She quickly assured him. “Lord Brachton
wanted to wait.”

“I will have a word with that young man as
soon as I leave here.”

“That won’t be necessary.” She glanced up to
find the man they were just speaking of standing in the door.

Grace quickly came to her feet. “Lord
Brachton, welcome.”

He sauntered into the room and bowed before
her. “I was sorry to hear about your father. Did I hear correctly
that he is recovering?”

“Yes.”

“Good. For his sake and yours.”

“Please, have a seat. I will ring for more
tea.”

Lord Brachton nodded to the occupants in the
room and settled into a chair beside the settee where Mr. and Mrs.
Trent sat. Everyone already seemed to know each other so Grace
didn’t bother with introductions.

“What would you tell me, Crew, if there were
a hearing?”

“That despite his inability to talk, Mr.
Cooper is of sound mind.”

Brachton nodded. “I suspected as much.”

Grace turned to him, a bit surprised. “You
did.”

“I’ve known Vicar Trent too long. Had he been
concerned about your father’s mental capabilities he would have let
me know without hurting you in the process.”

Relief flowed through her.

“But Stillwaite isn’t about to give up. He
visited me this morning demanding that a hearing be held
immediately.”