One Night Scandal (4 page)
When the men slowly rose to join their wives in the salon, Nicholas placed a hand on Somerton’s arm. Somerton replied with an arched brow and a smirk.
“Go ahead,” Somerton said to the others. “I need to speak with Nicholas about something in private.”
“Thank you,” Nicholas said, once the other three had left. “I know you can find things others are unable to find.”
“Just tell me what you want, Nicholas,” Somerton said impatiently.
Nicholas pulled a diamond earring out of his jacket pocket. “I need to discover to whom this belongs.”
He snatched the earring out of Nicholas’s hand. Somerton frowned as he examined it. Staring at the earring, he said, “So I believe your trip was far better than you had informed us.”
“It was only one night in Venice. I don’t even know her name. She told me her name but I doubt she spoke the truth.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t tell her my real name.”
Somerton shrugged. “There are no identifying marks on the earring.”
“Is there anything you can do?”
Somerton went silent for a moment as if in deep thought. With a grimace, he said, “Take it to Miss Reynard. She might be able to give you some information.”
“Bloody hell! Not you too.”
Somerton smirked and shook his head. “She is also a medium. She has assisted me numerous times when I worked for Ainsworth.”
“You think she can tell me who owns this earring?” Nicholas held out his hand for the earring.
“Oh, I think she will know exactly who owns the earring.” Somerton scraped back his chair and rose. “Excuse me.”
Nicholas nodded. Instead of immediately joining the group, he stared at the earring wondering once more where Sophia was at that very moment.
Sophie heard Hendricks open the front door and she wondered who was here so early. None of her clients arrived before noon and it was only ten. Hearing the hard footfalls, she knew who was here and the idea of seeing her half brother lightened her mood tremendously.
But the closer he came to the small parlor where she sat, the more she felt his dark mood. Something was wrong.
He stopped at the threshold before walking into the room and slamming the door behind him. “Ancroft?”
Sophie’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t possibly know! “What are you talking about, Anthony?”
His fury came closer to her. “Ancroft! You slept with him in Venice.”
“He knows?” she whispered. “He knows it was me?”
“No, he doesn’t know it was you. He believes he slept with some Italian woman who wouldn’t give him her real name.” Somerton put his hands on the arms of her chair and leaned in closer. “How could you have slept with him?”
She knew his tactic was to frighten her, but that was the last thing she needed at this point. Fear of discovery had been biting on her heels since she left Venice.
“I did not know it was him,” she mumbled. “I had no idea it was Ancroft until after . . .”
He growled and turned away from her. “You let him touch you when you didn’t even know who he was?”
“And I suppose you have never done such a thing,” Sophie said in a sarcastic tone.
“It’s different for a man.”
“Oh, so all those women you had sex with must have already known you then, isn’t that right?”
He turned back and glared at her. “This is not about me. Besides, none of those ladies were my sister.”
“Are you certain?” When she least expected it, the bitterness of their father’s promiscuity returned. There was no telling how many other bastards of his were living in London.
“Anthony, Ancroft saved my life.” She held up her hand to stop his interruption. “I did not sleep with him because of that. I thought he was the man for me.”
“What do you mean, thought?”
She explained about seeing Nicholas when she thought about her future and love after falling into the canal. “But since I left Venice, I haven’t been able to see him again for me. Maybe I was wrong. I honestly don’t know.”
“So you let him seduce you because you thought he was supposed to become your husband?”
She nodded. “When he came into the room and sat on the bed where I was laying . . . I could not look away. I wanted him to . . . kiss me. I have been around numerous charming men, Anthony, but I had never felt such a powerful attraction.”
She blinked and looked away, knowing he would not understand. She scarcely believed it herself.
He finally sat down in the chair across from her and looked down at his hands. “I understand, Sophie. It was always like that with Victoria. No other woman, only her.”
“Anthony, I thought I was giving myself to a man who would become my husband at some point. And I was comfortable with that. I had no idea it was Ancroft. If I had, I would have left before he touched me.”
“Why?”
“He would find out about my past. Once he learned who I was he would never want to marry me.” She laughed scornfully at her situation.
“How did you find out it was Ancroft?” he asked softly. “Or did you just
know
?”
know
?”
“No, I didn’t know it was him. I found him very difficult to read. I wrote him a note, thanking him for saving my life and telling him where he could contact me.” Her voice caught. “Then I noticed a worn letter on his desk. I picked it up and read it.” She closed her eyes, remembering the strong emotions on that paper. “The letter was from Jennette.”
“You understand that I have to confront him about it. Call him out if necessary.”
Sophie laughed. “You do not have to do any such thing. The only people who know you are my brother are family members. How would it look to Ancroft if you’re defending my honor?”
“It is not your choice to make, Sophie. If he doesn’t propose to you, then I will call him out for ruining you.”
“I am far from ruined, Anthony.”
“Are you with child?”
“No,” she answered honestly. She thanked God for that small blessing she’d received on the return trip. She knew how to prevent a pregnancy and had done nothing that night, assuming he would be the man to marry her.
“It changes nothing. Your honor has been tarnished. It is up to me to make certain Nicholas does the right thing.”
“There is no right thing to do, Anthony. I’m a bastard. No one cares about my honor.” Her anger rose with his good intentions.
“I do.” He tilted his head and smirked. “I suppose I can always bring this situation to Father’s attention.”
“As if he would care what I do.” Sophie shook her head. “As long as I don’t mention his name to anyone, he pays me no notice.”
Somerton leaned back against his seat. “But you are forgetting that Ancroft will be duke someday. Our father might be extremely interested in bragging rights that his daughter caught a duke.”
“Don’t you dare,” she warned, pointing a finger at him. “Besides, we both know it would not matter. He could never claim me as his at this point. Think of the repercussions. Please, just stay out of my life.”
“It’s far too late for that, Sophie.”
She closed her eyes and swallowed down the emotions choking her. There was only one way to stop him, but she wondered if he would believe her threat. “If you go to Father, I shall tell everyone about your mother.”
No one in the
ton
knew that his mother ran the most fashionable brothel in Mayfair. Everyone believed she’d died years ago, which was what his father had told the world. If it ever came out, Anthony and his family would be disgraced. He stared at her until she opened her eyes and almost gasped at the fury on his face.
ton
knew that his mother ran the most fashionable brothel in Mayfair. Everyone believed she’d died years ago, which was what his father had told the world. If it ever came out, Anthony and his family would be disgraced. He stared at her until she opened her eyes and almost gasped at the fury on his face.
“Very well, then,” he said.
But one thing bothered her about her brother’s interference in her life. “Anthony, how did you find out?”
“It appears you forgot something in his bed.”
Thinking back to that night, she remembered getting out of the tub and drying off. She was completely naked under the coverlet. “I do not think that is possible.”
“An earring, perhaps? One that I bought for your birthday last year.”
She covered her mouth. When she’d arrived back at the rooms she and her mother had leased, she removed one earring but assumed she must have lost the other in the canal. It never occurred to her that it might have fallen out in his bed.
“He has my earring,” she mumbled.
“Yes.”
Sophie bit down on her lip, wondering what to do. She loved those earrings, not because they were diamonds, but because her brother had given them to her. And now Nicholas had one. How could one night have caused so many problems?
“I heard your
aunt
decided to stay in Italy. Is that correct?”
aunt
decided to stay in Italy. Is that correct?”
Sophie closed her eyes against the sudden stab of pain. For several years, her mother had been acting as her aunt and chaperone when it suited her. “Mother decided a certain Italian count was too sweet to resist. She stayed behind to become his mistress. So I am without a chaperone for the moment.”
Anthony muttered a curse. “Would you like me to hire a companion for you? Someone who can help keep your reputation safe.”
“No. It’s not the first time she has left. She will come running back home in a month or two when the count tires of her. And for now, I would prefer to be alone.” She hated being alone but preferred the silent house to having a stranger with her.
“Very well. But I want you to hire a few additional footmen. I want at least two at the front door besides Hendricks. He is far too old for keeping out a determined man.”
She knew he meant Nicholas, but Sophie doubted he would be that determined to see her again. She had been nothing but a brief affair amongst the many in his checkered past. Still, there was no point in arguing with Anthony on her safety, not when he did it out of love. “Yes, Anthony.”
He started to stand and then sat back down. “Nicholas is an honorable man, Sophie. Once he finds you there is every likelihood he will offer for you.”
She shook her head. “It does not matter, Anthony. I am not the right one for him. And he is not the right man for me.”
He looked at her and shook his head. “Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
“Very well,” he said with a sigh. “But be warned he will be calling on you soon.”
Sophie shot to her feet. “You told him!”
“No. Your friends were encouraging him to call on you to help him find a wife.”
She laughed. “I get very few men as clients. Most believe I am nothing but a charlatan being paid by some ambitious mama.”
Anthony smirked. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about there. He wanted to know if I could find out anything about the owner of the earring. I told him that you could use your powers to help him.” Anthony rose and walked toward the door. He paused at the threshold and turned to her with a smirk. “So, what you do is up to you.”
Sophie watched her brother leave as sadness darkened her heart. There wasn’t a thing she could do. Nicholas was a mistake, nothing more. And she would have to do her best to avoid him.
Chapter 4
Nicholas reached the top step of Miss Reynard’s home for the third time this week. Each day he’d arrived, her butler told him that Miss Reynard would see him tomorrow. Well, not today. She would see him even if he had to force himself past her butler and footmen.
“Welcome back, Lord Ancroft,” her butler said as he opened the door.
“And will she see me today, Mr. Hendricks?”
The butler attempted to hide his smile. “I shall see if she is at home.”
Once again, Nicholas was shown to a small receiving parlor in the front of the house. Instead of sitting in the same pale green chair he’d sat the previous days, he paced the room. He stopped and noticed the oil painting of a small cottage that reminded him of Banning’s cottage. Nicholas looked at the artist’s signature and shook his head. He should have known one of Jennette’s paintings would hang in her friend’s home.
“My lord, Miss Reynard would be pleased to see you this evening at eight. Unless you have other plans.”
“Eight?” He walked closer to the gray-haired butler. “Tell me, Mr. Hendricks, do you believe she will actually see me then?”
Hendricks nodded and handed him a note. “This is from her.”
Nicholas scanned the letter. She apologized for putting him off but other clients had already been scheduled. She promised she would see him tonight.
“Very well, then,” Nicholas said, pocketing the note. “Tell her if she does not allow me entrance this evening, I
will
see her anyway.”
will
see her anyway.”
“I will give her your message.” Hendricks walked to the front door and opened it for him. “We shall see you at eight, my lord.”
Nicholas left the house and returned to his own home. He walked up to the nursery to find Emma and her governess reviewing history lessons. His daughter looked up at him and her brown eyes twinkled.
“Papa!” Without waiting for her governess to excuse her from the lesson, she raced to him with her arms open wide.
“Emma,” he said with a smile as he hugged his little girl. “You act as if you haven’t seen me in weeks.”
“I didn’t see you at breakfast,” she said with a wide smile. “I always miss you when I don’t see you.”
Feeling the warmth of her embrace made him forget everything else in his life. More and more, he realized his daughter needed a mother. A good mother. One who would love Emma despite the fact that she’d been born on the wrong side of the blankets.
“Now,” he said, breaking away from her. “What are you learning about today?” He walked toward the table where the governess stood. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Griffon.”
She curtsied quickly. “Good afternoon, my lord.”
“I hope I haven’t disturbed you.”
“No, sir. You are always welcome in the classroom.”
“Has she been studying?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. She is quite intelligent.”
“Very good.” He looked down at the grammar paper on the table. “So if she is doing as well as you say it wouldn’t harm her education too much if I stole her away for an ice at Gunter’s.”
Mrs. Griffon smiled over at Emma. “I believe it would be just indeed, my lord. She has been putting in much effort at learning Latin.”
“Excellent.” Nicholas hired Mrs. Griffon because she had no qualms with giving Emma a superior education. He wanted his intelligent daughter to have the best education possible. He held out his arm for his daughter. “Shall we?”
Her bright smile filled him with love. “Yes, Papa!”
By the time they arrived at Gunter’s, carriages lined Berkeley Square. The waiter took their order as they sat in the phaeton enjoying the unusually warm April afternoon. Nicholas watched the people as they ate or waited for their ices. As he glanced over at two ladies seated in one carriage, he recognized Lady Somerton. But the other woman held his attention. She had dark hair and an oval face, and smiled back at something Lady Somerton had said.
Nicholas shook his head. It was not her. Sophia was in Italy not London. Still, he couldn’t look away. The lady in question turned her head and stared directly at him. Even from the distance of several carriages, he could see the look of shock on her face. Before he could even move, their carriage rolled away.
He was not imagining things. It had been her. His Sophia. If Emma hadn’t been with him, he would have chased after the coach to discover where she resided. Instead, he must wait and then call on Lady Somerton to get his answers. He wondered if Sophia was visiting London to find him. Perhaps she’d found herself with child and needed to inform him.
But how would she know Lady Somerton?
As soon as Emma finished her lemon ice, he drove her home then circled around to Somerton’s home on Duke Street. The butler left him in the parlor to wait for Lady Somerton.
“Lord Ancroft?”
He glanced up to see Victoria standing at the doorway with a look of confusion on her face. “Lady Somerton, you look lovely today.”
“Thank you,” she replied, taking a step into the room. “Did you wish to speak with me? Somerton is at White’s.”
“I did wish to talk to you for just a moment, if you please.”
She walked to a chair and sat. “Would you like me to order tea?”
“No, this should not take more than a moment or two.” He cleared his throat. “I was at Gunter’s today and noticed you sitting a few carriages away.”
“Yes, I was there with a friend.”
He nodded. “Yes, I came to inquire on your friend. Why is she in London?”
She tilted her head. “She lives here, my lord.”
Sophia lives in London. God, she must have left Italy because she found out she was with child. “Would you give me her address? It is imperative that I speak with her.”
She smiled at him. “Oh, how wonderful that you are taking our advice. Miss Reynard will find you just the right woman.”
“Miss Reynard? What does this have to do with her?”
Victoria drew back. “That is whom I was with today, my lord. Sophie and I have been friends for years.”
“Sophie?” Why didn’t he know her name was Sophie? “Has Miss Reynard been traveling lately? She looks very much like a woman I saw, but did not have a chance to meet, in Venice.”
“Why yes, she was in Venice only weeks ago.”
“Thank you, Lady Somerton.” He stood to leave.
“Don’t you want her address?”
“I have it,” he answered with a smile. And at eight this evening, he planned on meeting Sophia again.
Sophie breathed in deeply as she adjusted her turban. She added kohl to darken her eyelids and lend her a far more mysterious appearance. After a dash of rouge on her cheeks and lips, she glanced in the mirror and barely recognized herself. With all this and a very dimly lit room, he would never recognize her. Everything would work out perfectly.
After turning him away for days, she had to see him. If she was being truthful with herself, she wanted to see him. She just didn’t want him to discover her. All she had to do was provide him with a reasonable explanation why the woman who owned the earring did not want to be found. She would see him and then he would leave her alone forever.
Forever.
It sounded like a very long time. She clenched her fists in frustration. What was wrong with her? Ever since meeting him she’d been morose. Making love with him in Venice meant nothing to him and should mean nothing to her, too.
If only that were true.
Even today when she noticed him at Gunter’s, she had wanted to get closer to him. She assumed the young girl in the carriage had been his daughter. The sight of him had shocked her. He looked different, harder and more arrogant. And yet, she still wanted him. Closing her eyes, she could picture him without his clothing. She could feel the sensation of his hard hands gently caressing her body. Still taste the warmth of his kisses.
This lusting after him had to stop. Nothing good could come of it. Determined to put her amorous feelings out of her mind, she walked down the steps.
“Good evening, Hendricks,” she said as she reached the last step. “Please bring Lord Ancroft into the study when he arrives. Do not make him wait.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Strolling into her study, she extinguished all but three candles. With the fire in the fireplace burning down, the room was just dark enough that he would not be able to make out her features. The clock struck eight and a knot tightened in her belly. She had everything planned. If she did not get off course, this meeting would not take long and then he would leave her alone.
A loud knock on the front door started her heart beating rapidly. She could do this, she told herself. Hearing male voices speaking in low tones sent a tiny shiver down her back. He would not recognize her. She forced air into her lungs and blew a long breath out.
“Lord Ancroft, ma’am.”
She looked over at him. With the light from the hall behind him, she could barely make out his handsome face. Not that she needed to remember what he looked like. His appearance was etched in her mind as clearly as the night she first saw him.
“Good evening, my lord,” she replied unevenly as she rose from her seat. “I have been expecting you.”
“I am sure you have,” he said, strolling into the room.
Hendricks looked over at her, and she nodded at the unasked question. Leaving the room quietly, he closed the door.
“Please have a seat across from me at the table.” Sophie returned to her chair.
“I was told you might be able to assist me in finding someone.” Nicholas took the seat across from her.
“Perhaps,” she answered vaguely. “What do you want from me?”
His full lips moved upward. “I have an earring and would like to locate its owner.”
“My intuition is not always perfect, but many times I can read the emotions left on an item.”
“I see.”
“Why do you want to find this person?”
“I would like to know that she is all right. I would like to know more about her. When we met, she did not give me much information about herself.”
Sophie looked down at her hands. “Sometimes people need to keep secrets, my lord. As such, I may not be able to read everything and give you the answers you are looking for.”
“I’d heard you were the best,” he commented.
Ignoring his comment, she said, “Let me see the item.”
He held out her earring until she grabbed it from him. Somehow, she had to get him to leave the earring here with her.
“Do you see anything?” he pried.
Sophie closed her eyes and actually concentrated on the earring. Once again, she saw nothing. In her mind’s eye, she should have seen all that occurred between them. But other than that one night in Venice, she’d never clearly seen or read anything regarding her future.
“Well?” he asked with a little impatience tracing through his voice.
She had to tell him something. “You met in Italy . . . I see water all around . . . Venice, I believe.”
“Yes.”
She wondered why she heard humor in his reply. “Yes, Venice. She was injured when wearing the earring . . . but you saved her.” For a little dramatic effect, she added, “Oh, my.”
“What is it?”
“You were lovers,” she whispered.
“Yes, we were.”
Sophie’s muscles tensed at the seductive sound of his voice. Sitting across the table from him with her eyes shuttered, she remembered everything they had done that night. This had to stop before she blurted out the truth of her identity.
“She does not wish to be found.”
“What?” he said roughly.
“She believes it was a mistake. Therefore, I cannot get any further information from the earring.” She opened her eyes but avoided his piercing gaze. Handing him the earring, she softly said, “I am sorry.”
“Are you?” he whispered as his eyes narrowed.
She frowned and looked down at the table to evade his prying stare. “I wish I could help you. But there is nothing left to say.” She cleared her throat and looked longingly at the earring her brother had given her. “If you would like, I shall keep the earring and try again later when no one is around. Sometimes the uninterrupted silence helps me concentrate.”
“Ah,” he said, leaning back slightly in his chair. He snatched the earring from her open hand. “I do not think I can part with it yet. Sentimental value, you see.”
“Oh.” Disappointment washed over her until she realized his keeping the earring meant he must care . . . at least slightly. She tamped down the exciting idea. While it was a thrilling sentiment, it did not matter if he cared for her. She was too far below his station.
Perhaps Somerton could pilfer the earring from him. She so wanted her earring returned.
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