Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle (265 page)

Fourteen

the end,

elected to say nothing. Valerian

had returned late, barely in time for supper, out of sorts over a retaining wall in the ravine garden that had collapsed. day of hard labour had hardly made a dent in the damage done to the eroding hillside.

Valerian's bad mood aside,

reasoned

she'd be better off waiting until she had proof of something before she brought the subject up. 0th-erwise, she'd have to confess her interest in the topic stemmed directly from the potentially spurious letter Lucien had sent. Knowing how Valerian felt about Lucien, she felt it best to leave Lucien's letter out of the situation. If she wanted to investigate Lucien's concerns, she needed to do it under her own power.

let B

carry the dinner conversa-

tion. He was animated about a meeting with an inventor by the name of William

'He's

created a method for inserting a strand of yarn into rope fuses that makes the fuse more predictable.'

Scott

Beldon paused long enough to take a sip of wine.

'The funny thing is, Phil, he's from your area. He lives in

outside Cambourne. He's just

here on a visit with friends. You should meet him, help him get established. Can you imagine what this might mean for promoting mining safety?'

Of course she could imagine it. The tubes of reeds currently used as fuses for blasting were erratic. On several occasions they were known to go off too early, and on other occasions they went off after a long delay. Either way, men were hurt or by

the faulty fuses. 'I should like to meet him,'

said noncommittally.

Tonight, her mind had difficulty concentrating on business, her thoughts already occupied by Lucien's disturbing letter. Every time she looked down the table at Valerian, the thoughts kept creeping in. Had he committed treason? She knew very little of what he'd done in the diplomatic service of his country.

This was difficult territory to navigate. He was a man of honour. His sacrifice for her family's greater good proved her initial instincts about him had not been wrong. However, she also understood that he valued honour above all things, including her opinion and her desires and his own.

From what she knew of her own experiences in political London, loyalty to one's country or party often conflicted with one's sense of honour. It was entirely possible that what Valerian viewed as the honourable path had, at some point, become a treasonous path. That particular juxtaposition concerned her gravely.

186

The Viscount Claims His Bride

Before now, she'd always imagined traitors to be deceitful spies out to make a quick pound for selling out

country. She was starting to see where that interpretation might be a bit limited in its scope. If the charges proved to be founded, how would the public see it? Would they share the same latitude she was willing to give or would they paint Valerian with a traditional traitor's brush? More than his reputation would be tarred. She knew very well the price for treason. Being a peer would not protect him.

She shuddered at the last, drawing a strange glance

Beldon. 'It's just a chill from the sorbet,'

she said lightly, forcing her mind to push away such dire thoughts.

She was putting a very big cart before the horse with her suppositions and conclusions. She had taken the afternoon and discreetly searched the house, looking for any information that might help her understand Valerian's post and service. But she'd found nothing. She couldn't even find the place called Negush on any of the four maps of Europe Valerian possessed.

'Are you sure you're all right?' Valerian asked, too.

'Yes, both of you are old mother hens,' she teased and dipped her spoon into the sorbet to prove it.

Convinced, Valerian and Beldon returned to their conversation about Bickford's fuse. 'Invention is one thing,' Valerian was saying, 'production is another. It won't matter how incredible an invention is if it can't be produced in quantities.'

Beldon waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.