Gentleman's Guide 01 - His Impetuous Debutante (29 page)

“
What do you know,
Kendrick?”

“
Nothing.”

“
I don’t believe either of
you. What do you say, gentlemen?” He turned to his
friends.

“
I think they know
plenty.” Noah stepped forward.

“
Lord Felding, we know
nothing of his whereabouts,” Kendrick swore and threw his hands up
in defense. “We don’t want anything to do with him.”

“
Why is that?” Richard
asked.

“
He is mad. That is why,”
Herbert spit.

“
What makes you say that?”
Noah asked. Tension filled the air. Here was a possible lead,
finally.

“
He is ruined. Lost
everything in bad investments and gaming. We stopped making him
loans.”

“
So he is now
desperate?”

“
More than desperate,”
Herbert stated.

“
How so?” Taylor asked;
sick dread began to fill him.

“
He tried to marry an
heiress a few years back. When she refused, he beat
her.”

“
It has to be him,” Parker
muttered.

“
Would he be desperate
enough to do anything so I don’t fulfill my obligations as outlined
in the will?”

The two men shared looks.

“
You do believe it,”
Taylor answered the question himself with a cold voice after
scrutinizing the men.

“
It is possible, Taylor,”
Kendrick finally admitted.

“
And neither one of you
bothered to mention the possibility to me,” he bit out,
disgusted.

“
It isn’t as if we are a
close family,” Herbert argued back.

“
Besides, we don’t know
who stands to inherit. Could be one of us.” Kendrick
shrugged.

His unconcerned attitude pushed Taylor
over the edge. Before anyone knew what was happening, all the pent
up anger and frustration came to the surface. He knocked Kendrick
out cold and left him lying on the floor of the library.

“
Do you have anything to
offer, Herbert?” Taylor turned on the other cousin, who quickly
took a step back.

“
No. I don’t know where
Boris is. I suspect he is keeping low, waiting for your birthday.
You have to admit, all is lost to you now.”

“
You are so sure?” Taylor
gave him a mocking grin.

“
Even if you were to
return to that woman you married tonight, I doubt she could bring a
child into the world in time.”

“
You might just be
surprised.” Taylor poured himself a drink. If Boris was lying low,
then maybe all of this had been for nothing. Turning, he approached
his cousin again. “When is the last time you saw Boris?”

“
Last June.”

“
Where?”

Herbert began to relax a bit. “Now
that is the oddest thing. He was coming out of a bookstore. Boris
was never one to read.”

The room was suddenly still and the
friends exchanged looks. “Do you by chance know what book he
purchased?”

“
No idea. But he seemed in
a good mood and said something like ‘soon all would be
his.’”

It wasn’t enough evidence to have him
arrested, but it was enough evidence to convince Taylor that his
gut already told him.

“
You never saw him after
that?”

“
Just once, a few days
later. He was leaving town and wanted to check on his plans. That
is all he said.”

Taylor turned toward his friends. “He
is the one. He has been keeping an eye on me. I will bet everything
I own that he killed the others and attempted to kill
Phoebe.”

“
Did he have the power to
get inside your household though?” Martin asked.

“
Apparently he found a
way. Or he arranged for Mr. and Mrs. Sedgwick to become my
servants.”

“
Sedgwick?” Herbert
asked.

“
Yes. The wife was a maid
in my household and her husband worked in the stables. Why? Are
they familiar to you?”

“
Boris used them to steal
for him. He used to set them up in rich households, where she would
pocket pretty and expensive items. I haven’t heard of them in
years.”

“
That is because they were
living in my household,” Taylor raged, feeling like a fool. He had
hired these people. He might as well have invited them to do their
worst.

“
They are gone, I
hope.”

“
Yes. They disappeared
right after my wife was given something to make her lose the child
she carried. They failed.”

“
Your wife is still with
child?”

“
Does it
matter?”

“
Not to me so much. But if
Boris finds out, she could be in grave danger.”

“
I am already very much
aware of that fact.”

The two men were dismissed as the dawn
was streaking the sky. Martin and Janine would keep them as
permanent house guests at their estate until Taylor reached his
birthday. With guards surrounding them, there was not a chance they
could get word to their other cousin.

Before the friends departed, Taylor
gave Noah a package. “Please give this to my wife when you see
her.”

*

The next afternoon, Taylor arrived on
Olivia’s doorstep to escort her to a private picnic. There he
explained everything that had transpired. “I’ve sent word to my
investigators that they only need to find Boris now and to
concentrate on the towns around my home and Phoebe’s. I don’t think
he would want to go too far. Not until after my
birthday.”

“
I hope he is found soon.
I am tiring of London,”

“
I just want to return to
my wife,” Taylor grumbled.

“
It seems all we ever do
is talk about Patrick or Phoebe. Society would be shocked if they
could hear us.”

Taylor laughed. “Besides, I know you
intend on returning to stay with your cousin and it wouldn’t do to
have my wife and mistress in the same house. That would be beyond
the pale.”

They attended a grand ball that
evening, with the room filled to capacity. He was contemplating
keeping up the ruse with Olivia or just saying the hell with it and
returning to Phoebe and sticking by her side.

Investigators had been little help so
far. He didn’t know where Boris was. The time had passed for him to
meet the deadline so, why was he here.

Taylor stood with Olivia not too far
away from the same young women Phoebe had invited to the country
gathering, just last spring, in hopes of finding a husband among
his friends.

Since the beginning of the Little
Season, they hadn’t even bothered to acknowledge his existence,
leaving no doubt with whom they sided. Noah was talking with the
group of young ladies and Taylor could overhear the
conversation.

“
My sister is dealing with
the situation well,” Noah assured Lady Bettina. “She wishes to
remain in the country until the gossip dies down.”

“
Is she planning on
divorcing him?” Lady Violet demanded.

“
I have no idea,” Noah
answered, a strained smile on his lips Taylor recognized all too
well. His friend needed an escape. “However, I will support her in
whatever decision she makes.”

“
Well, I would certainly
move heaven and earth to be rid of that scoundrel.” Lady Bettina
sneered in Taylor’s direction.

“
Phoebe hasn’t made up her
mind. Only that she wanted some quiet time to reflect. She probably
has no idea of his actions.”

“
Oh, she knows.” Lady
Corinna nodded with confidence.

“
I seriously doubt she can
know everything as she hasn’t ventured into town. I certainly
haven’t apprised her of his behavior,” Noah added with just enough
disgust.

“
Well, we have,” Lady
Bettina assured him. “We made sure she knew what he was up to and
have written her on a regular basis.”

“
Am I to assume you
provided her with complete details?” Noah asked through clenched
teeth.

“
Of course,” Lady Corinna
answered. “Especially after that weekend.” She leaned in to
whisper. “It is one thing to wonder about a mistress and quite
another to openly go away with her for the weekend.”

Taylor groaned. He had hoped that
piece of news hadn’t reached his wife before he had a chance to
explain. Then again, Phoebe knew the supposed mistress was her own
cousin. Surely she would realize. No, he was worrying for
nothing.

“
Well, if you will excuse
me, ladies, I must be going.”

“
But it is early yet, Lord
Felding.”

“
I have already stayed
longer than planned. I planned on leaving for home this
evening.”

Taylor picked up on his comment and
risked a glance over at his brother-in-law. Noah was worried.
Taylor became worried as well. Olivia glanced at him
anxiously.

“
Surely you can wait until
tomorrow?” Lady Bettina pouted.

“
Unfortunately, no. I have
a meeting I must attend and am already running hours behind. Good
night, ladies.”

Within fifteen minutes Taylor and
Olivia also left. He dropped Olivia off at her home and risked
something he hadn’t done since their falling out at White’s - he
went to Noah’s Townhouse. He crept along the back wall, climbed
over it and landed in the garden. As he approached the door, Noah’s
voice came from the dark. “That didn’t take long.”

Taylor turned immediately. “Noah, you
don’t think Phoebe is beginning to believe the stories.”

“
They are true, aren’t
they?”

“
Yes, but you know better
than anyone what the truth is,” Taylor argued as they entered the
house.

“
Yes, but I am afraid she
may be doubting.”

“
Why? What do you
know?”

“
I stopped by home the
other day, after returning from another party in the country. I
heard her before we ever spoke.”

“
What do you
mean?”

“
She was playing, behind
locked doors. She was playing Beethoven and Hayden.”

“
What does that mean?”
Taylor was almost afraid to ask.

“
It means she was angry as
hell and frustrated. The timing coincides with, by my estimation,
the letter informing her of your weekend adventure.”

Taylor raked his hands through his
hair and began to pace. “She knows who Olivia is. She should have
been able to put everything together.”

“
That is what I assumed,
but I want to get home as soon as possible in case she is under any
wrong impressions.”

“
Surely your mother has
assured her of the truth.” Taylor could only hope.

“
Victoria says that Phoebe
refuses to discuss the situation.”

Taylor sank into a chair, putting his
face into his hands. “If we assumed too much, if she doesn’t make
the connection, my God, what must she be thinking and feeling? She
probably hates me, leaving her alone in the country, carrying my
child while she thinks I am carrying on with some woman here.” He
stood and began to pace. “Perhaps I should go. I know who it is I
am looking for now, and I just won’t leave her side. I should have
done that in the first place. That is it. I am leaving. As soon as
I can pack a few things, I will be leaving with you.” Mind made up,
he headed for the door.

“
Stop. We don’t know
anything for sure. You could rush home and find her only upset at
the circumstances and not you. It would ruin
everything.”

“
How can I just sit here
and wait?”

“
You won’t be. You’ll be
trying to find Boris. You know as well as I do that as long as you
keep your distance, Phoebe is safe. She doesn’t leave the house, so
her condition will not be suspected.”

“
Has it ever occurred to
you that he may be stalking her right now, while we play in
London?”

“
Yes, it has, but you have
placed people among the staff and on the grounds. Nobody has
reported anything suspicious. Besides, I don’t plan on leaving
again, until this is over. If she does believe the worst, you will
make her see reason when all this is over, if I have not been
successful. It is your only choice at the moment.”

Taylor studied him. Noah was right and
he knew it. But Taylor wanted to be with his wife. How many weeks
had passed? Eight or nine. Too many. “Do not hesitate to get word
to me if you begin to think I should return.”

“I won’t,” Noah assured him and let
him out the back way.

*

Noah arrived the next afternoon.
Phoebe had been standing at the window brooding, wishing to go out
and enjoy the sunshine. But no, she was confined. A prisoner in her
own home because of her condition. One would think she had the
plague. As soon as she saw Noah pull up, Phoebe didn’t stop to
think. So thrilled to see him, praying she would discover she was
only living a nightmare, she ran from the room. She dashed through
the door and down the steps and into his arms as soon as he stepped
from the carriage.