The Duke Conspiracy (27 page)

“No, I am not, my dear,” Alex explained
rather condescendingly much to Rose's disgust. His snide smile made
her palm itch to slap his face again, but she managed to keep it
firmly at her side.

****

Alex saw her clench her hands and had to
exert an effort over his features to keep a grin from breaking over
his face.
The lovely young woman is so easy to goad if you
know
her well enough.
He could see that the situation
between the Smythes and Wrenthams was going to have to be
straightened out as soon as possible, because there was no way he
was going to be able to stand by and watch this treasure be married
off to someone else. He would learn to live with her managing ways.
He now knew the quiet girl he had envisioned as his wife would bore
him to tears. And while he missed his brother, the circumstances of
his death did not need to dictate Alex's own future. Chastising
himself that such thoughts were not at all helpful at the moment,
he shoved the idea from his mind for the time being and returned to
the subject at hand.

Realizing it would not do to have her stomp
off in a huff as they still needed to work together amicably to
clear up the Broderick situation, Alex tried for a placating tone.
“You were, of course, correct in stating that the Prince Regent
holds the highest office of authority,” Alex began, placing slight
emphasis on the word
office
. “But as you also said, much of
his power has been curtailed. The man who wields the most authority
is actually the Prime Minister.”

Alex could see Rose's eyes widening in
surprise as he began his explanation and had to bite back his
amusement. It was clear that he had been paying attention to his
lessons in school and had been working hard in the government over
the past few years. He had never had interests like this when they
had been friends.

She finally waved him to silence. With a
sweet, conciliatory smile upon her lips she offered an apology.
“Your Grace, I am sorry for calling you ridiculous. Clearly you
know much more than you ever let on. But please recall that I am
fairly well educated in these matters as well. We are wasting our
precious time by standing here debating the politics of the
situation. It matters naught. The fact is, your very speech reveals
even more why Broderick would be wanting to control you. As the
Duke of Wrentham you are, by birth, highly placed in our
government's affairs. And by the words you just spoke you displayed
a degree of knowledge and involvement that make you dangerous to
anyone not on the same side as you.”

Alex blinked at her in surprise. Rose's lips
twitched with her amusement, and she was clearly taken aback to see
his answering grin.

“How can you find this funny?” she asked with
confusion.

“Another perspective is always so helpful,”
he explained rather vaguely. Now it was his turn to wave for
silence as he could see that Rose was about to launch into speech.
“You were absolutely right—we must not waste any time. We really
need to ensure that we are not seen together. I fear that Broderick
may have taken notice of you and I do not want you in harm's way.
It would be most helpful if we could ascertain what
exactly
he is after. Do you think he wants to be Prime Minister or some
such position, or is he after something more specific?”

“Men that seek power are so often after both
more power
and
something specific,” Rose answered pensively.
“In Broderick's case I have never taken the time to try to figure
out the workings of his mind, but in Vienna he was involved in
fouling up the land divisions. I am uncertain how that benefits
him, but you can be sure it does somehow, whether someone was
paying him handsomely or if the land in question was his. Now there
are to be more negotiations taking place in Paris shortly. My
father is about to depart.”

“Your father is leaving town,” Alex repeated
in surprise. “But that shall leave you without protection.”

Rose blinked at the duke with surprise,
clearly unsure how to respond to his remark. “I do not know whether
I should remind you that I do not require protection or to explain
that my father's absence will not leave me unprotected,” she said
with a small laugh. She then looked around at where they were and
Alex could see she was remembering what had transpired between
them. A tide of warm color rose in her cheeks. “Well, maybe I do
need protection,” she conceded with another small laugh. “But my
father's presence or absence will not make much difference in that
regard.” Seeing the arguments written on Alex's face she continued,
placating, “My brother is to arrive in Town on the morrow, so I
shall still have a male family member about, have no fear.”

Remembering her brother as a towheaded little
boy did not reassure the duke as to his friend's safety. “Your
brother is a boy, Rosamund, what good will he be?”

“Time does march on, Your Grace. He is just
about to turn nineteen. He has finished his schooling and he has
even been on the Grand Tour for some time. It is hard to imagine,
but he is practically a man.”

They shared an amused smile before Rose
continued. “Once again, we have strayed from our topic. I do
declare, Your Grace, we are rather useless at this. It would seem
we could fritter the day away mumbling nonsense at each other and
we shall have nothing accomplished. I must be leaving shortly or my
absence will be remarked upon. Do tell me if you can think of
anything we ought to be doing.”

Alex grinned at his companion and then
wrinkled his brow. “You are right, it does seem like we could
easily spend the day together.”

Rose grew flustered. “That is not what I was
trying to say, Your Grace,” she insisted with discomfort.

“I know, I know,” Alex soothed. “I was merely
funning you. Now, do you have any ideas? Do you think it might be
best to put a bug in your father's ear at this point? It would seem
that neither of us is fully equipped to thwart the knight in
whatever nefarious plot he might have. If it does have something to
do with the treaties being negotiated in Paris, since neither you
nor I are going, there is nothing we can do to stop him.”

Rose chewed her lip as she thought on his
words, oblivious to the intent expression descending upon the
duke's face as he watched her, licking his own lips hungrily. He
tried to wipe all expression from his face as her attention
returned to him.

“Are you quite all right, Your Grace?” she
asked solicitously. “You look a trifle unwell.”

“I am perfectly fine, thank you for asking,”
he declared with aplomb. “What have you decided?”

“I think you are quite correct. We do need my
father involved now, there is no avoiding it. But this might be the
last time we can talk.”

Alex found the earnest look she cast his way
to be utterly endearing and felt his heart swell with emotion that
he made every effort to keep within bounds as she continued.

“It is quite possible that I shall be
banished to our estate if I cannot find the perfectly correct words
to convey the seriousness of the matter to my father. Even if I do
find the right words, if I have to tell him of our involvement,
that will most likely still be the outcome. Or mayhap he will take
me with him to Paris, although he no doubt is fully aware that that
would be a reward, not a punishment,” she mused with a grin.

When Alex made to protest she waved away his
concerns. “Do not trouble yourself, Your Grace. I cannot say that I
am truly attached to this Season business. It does not suit my
disposition to be placed on the market for matrimonial bidding. As
you yourself have remarked, I am not the biddable sort of girl most
noblemen want to take as their wife, and I so wish to be useful. I
will be perfectly happy to go back to the country, or better yet,
to head off to Paris with my father. I am not averse to the idea of
marriage—it is just that the silliness of catching a husband drives
me mad. Perhaps my father will marry me off to the nearest
statesman and that will suit us all perfectly well.”

Alex could see that her wobbling smile did
not quite reach her eyes, but there was nothing he could do as she
bolstered her spirits and plowed on bravely. “I am not telling you
this to make you feel sorry for me, Your Grace. I am just wanting
to warn you that you might be on your own to deal with Broderick if
I do get banished. And in the event that his schemes do not involve
Paris, you shall have to be vigilant to thwart him. I know you do
not enjoy this sort of shenanigans so you must be sure to enlist
whatever help you might need. If I am well away from the situation,
you need not fear for my reputation, so it is not as necessary to
keep matters secret.”

****

“You look so tragic right at this moment,
Rosie. I cannot believe that you are as unmoved by the thought of
banishment as you say.”

Alex's concern caused the tear she was
valiantly trying to suppress to spill over and slide slowly down
her cheek. “I truly would not mind going back to the country,” she
explained as she brushed the offending moisture impatiently away.
“I just wish I could be around to finish this thing. I am the one
who uncovered the problem. I would dearly love to be around to see
its resolution.”

“Well then do not borrow trouble, my dear,”
Alex declared with confidence. “I do believe you are a sufficiently
resourceful girl that you will be able to tell Lord Smythe about
this without getting yourself banished. Have you thought about what
you will say? Think it through and if you would like you could even
practice on me, I could play the role of your father.”

If it had been the duke's intention to make
Rose's mood lighten, he did the exactly right thing as she burst
into a fit of giggles that was difficult for her to control.

“Oh Alex, you are a complete hand,” she
declared after she managed to get her mirth within bounds. “I do
not think I could remain serious if you were to try to pretend to
be my father, but I do appreciate your suggestion. And you are
absolutely correct—if I think on it enough I should be able to
muddle my way through. My main concern, even more than the fear of
banishment, is to ensure that my father takes this threat seriously
and does not merely dismiss it because of your involvement. It
might be best if I leave you out completely. This would ensure I
get to stay in London to keep an eye on the scoundrel if he does
not head to Paris, and would also keep my father focused on the
problem. If I can skip over certain details without Papa noticing,
I just might be able to pull it off.” She concluded this statement
with a cheeky grin.

Alex returned her grin cheerfully. “You were
always good at pulling the wool over everyone's eyes when you were
a slip of a girl, I am perfectly sure that you are even better at
it now than you ever were. If anyone can get Lord Smythe to miss a
detail or two, it is you.”

“But your statement reminds me that my father
scarcely ever misses a detail, so I shall have to be alert and
diligent.” She paused for a moment, deep in thought. “All right,
Your Grace, I really must go. This is the best course of action we
can take at this point. I will do my utmost to get a message to you
as to my father's reaction, whatever the outcome. If he has
anything helpful to share I will endeavor to pass it on to you as
discreetly as possible, even if I have to leave town.” On an
impulse, she grabbed for Alex's hand. “Promise me you will be
careful, Alex. Broderick can be a very dangerous man. Do not do
anything foolish, and enlist whatever help you might need.”

He must have felt the slight tremble in her
hand despite her brave words because Alex squeezed her hand between
both of his. “I promise you, little one. I will take care of myself
and keep that upstart from causing any trouble for our beloved
country. Now you promise me that you will take care of yourself. I
know your parents love you and would never harm you, but they are
not completely rational when it comes to the subject of Wrenthams.
You have repeatedly expressed concern over my hatred of double
dealings, but in this case I absolve you of any need for guilt. Lie
if you must. I would dearly love to have you remain my partner in
this particular endeavor.”

Rose pulled back in surprise, gratified by
his concern, but chagrined over his words. “Your Grace, I could
never lie outright to my papa. I would like to avoid mentioning any
explanation of our particular involvement, but if I cannot avoid
it, I will not lie about it. That is where I draw the line in my
life of spying.”

She could not quite decipher the flicker of
emotions that crossed Alex's face, but Rose felt another wave of
goose bumps rise on her flesh as she thought he was about to kiss
her again. She took a step back from him, he allowed her to pull
her hand from his grasp, and the moment passed.

Alex summed up their conversation with his
conclusion. “Very well, Miss Rose. I will trust your judgment and
await word from you. I promise to remain vigilant regardless of
what transpires between you and your father. And I will wish you
luck,” he finalized with another wide grin.

Rose appreciated his lightening of the mood.
She was glad their interlude was about to finish. His presence had
been unsettling to her the last few times they encountered one
another but this time, with that kiss at the beginning, it was
nearly more than she could handle. She was grateful that they had
managed to have a coherent conversation despite the swirling
emotions she was experiencing, but she was also glad their time
together was coming to an end. It would not do for her to fall in
love with the Duke of Wrentham, she scolded herself for what felt
like the millionth time, as she hurriedly took her leave of him and
gathered her things.