Secrets In Savannah (Phantom Knights) (14 page)

“Guinevere—”

“Jack,” came
Leo’s voice from the foyer a second before he appeared at the door.

Guinevere
snapped her book shut, sitting up. “Is it George?”

Leo was
scowling, and when a young blonde woman stepped around him, I understood why.

“Charlotte? How
are you here? Is Bess in the foyer?” I asked as I rose to go greet my sister.
Why she and Sam would bring Charlotte on their wedding trip was not important,
but it was a dashed nuisance. Charlotte, no matter her enthusiasm, was too
impetuous to prove helpful in a battle.

Charlotte came
tripping toward me and rose up to kiss my cheek. When she stepped back, her
smile faded. “Why, Jack, from your sour expression I would almost believe that
you are not pleased to see me, and I know that cannot be true.” Charlotte saw
Guinevere and flew into a passion. There was the impetuous part at work. “Is
the gossip true then? You have married
her
?”

“
She
has a name,”
Guinevere said as she stood beside me.

Charlotte’s lips
pursed in evident distaste.

“Where are Sam
and Bess?”

Charlotte flitted
over to the chair as she removed her bonnet, and I felt the first strands of
dread.

“Leo? Is my
sister here?” I asked hesitantly.

Leo shook his
head once. “She has come alone.”

Charlotte spun
around with her hands on her hips. “I had to!” She snapped her mouth shut then
inhaled a deep breath. When she opened her mouth again, it was to cast me a
dazzling smile. I was wholly unaffected. “If it is true that you have married
this—Guinevere—then I apologize, but you must see that I only wanted to help.”

Tears glistened
in her eyes, so I turned to Guinevere. “Will you give us a moment?”

Guinevere eyed
Charlotte with contempt, but she agreed, leaving the room with Leo. Once the
door was shut, I demanded to be told the truth.

“They were going
to leave me behind! My own brother.”

“Char, surely
you understand why. They were going on their wedding trip.”

“Yes,” she
retorted with vehemence, “to Savannah, the place that Uncle George is taking
that girl. I am not an infant, Jack. I know what is afoot, and they mean to
leave me out.”

“Did you at
least tell them where you had gone?” I asked, feeling a mixture of annoyance at
her audacity and understanding at her desire to be a part. She had been trained
to be a Phantom and had been on a few missions only when it had been taken from
her. I knew better than most that the life of a Phantom was not easily
released.

She sniffed and
shrugged a defiant shoulder. “I left a note.” She grabbed my hands, holding
them imploringly. “Can I stay, Jack? Please. I knew that if anyone understood
my need to help, it would be you. Please.”

As much as I
wanted to put her back on a boat to Charleston, I could not do it. Her spirit
reminded me of Bess when we were younger. Charlotte had stayed beside me while
I recovered from Lucas shooting me. She went so far as to refuse to go to
parties just so that I would have someone to talk to during my confinement. I
owed her a debt.

Sam and Bess
would be in Savannah within a week, so all that I needed to do was to see that
she came to no harm until then.

“You may stay.”

She shrieked and
threw herself against me as the door opened.

Guinevere and
Hannah stood upon the threshold, neither looking amused.

Pulling
Charlotte’s hands from my coat, I placed my arm around her shoulders and led
her to Hannah. “Charlotte is to remain with us for the week. Charlotte Mason,
allow me to present Mrs. Hannah Lamont. She will be your companion while you
are here.”

Hannah smirked,
and Charlotte frowned. “I do not require a nursemaid, Jack!”

“Oh-ho, a fine
thanks that is,” Hannah said. She stepped forward, standing nearly eye level
with Charlotte. “Count your good fortunes, child, for if it were up to us,” she
motioned between herself and Guinevere, “you would be on the first boat back
from whence you came and no mistake.”

“So I do.” Char
turned her back on Hannah, taking my arm and leading me toward the fireplace.
“I cannot believe this slander against Uncle George. He would never harm any
person. Surely you know that, Jack.”

“He is not the
same man that you know, Char. He has indeed taken Guinevere’s sister. He told
us so.”

Charlotte
sighed. “Then you should know that I met a man aboard the ship who was charged
with procuring lodgings for a large party. They are to occupy an Inn called the
Pirates House in two days’ time.”

Guinevere and
Hannah looked as if they did not believe her, but I did. It was just such a
place that George would stay because it would be the last place people would
search for someone of his mien.

“What shall we
do first?” Charlotte asked.

“After such a fatiguing
journey, you should rest, child. Jack, Guinevere, and I have a party to attend,
but I am sure that Mrs. Short shall send you up some broth to your chamber.”

“A party! How
fortuitous that I thought to bring my best frock.” Charlotte eyed Hannah as one
would a bug. “I do so hope that you can arrange hair like a proper maid, but I
shall not hold my breath.” Charlotte floated out of the room, and I swallowed
my desire to laugh as Guinevere and Hannah turned on me.

“Have you lost
all of your good sense?” Hannah demanded. “The child will ruin all, mark my
words.” Hannah took Guinevere’s arm and swept her from the room.

Leo leaned
against the door with his arms crossed and a slight amused rise to his brows.

“I am quite
certain that when the good Lord created patience he did so because he had dealt
with women,” I mused.

“Indeed.”

òòò

Guinevere had
not been lying when she said she would have to see what she could sew to wear
to the party. As she had not planned on attending any parties, she had not
brought any suitable dresses. When Hannah told me, because Guinevere never
would, I had sent Hannah out to find the most suitable gown she could. Expense
did not matter. I wanted Guinevere to be the best dressed woman at the party.
As she came down the stairs that evening, Hannah had exceeded my wishes.

Ivory lace
covered her gown in delicate artwork and complimented her auburn hair that was
atop her head with a glittering diamond pin nestled in the curls. I knew that I
had never seen a more angelic looking woman. I also knew that if she did not
agree to marry me soon, I would quite possibly do something to entrap her. With
Guinevere’s audacity, it would have to be something extreme.

Stepping nearer,
I spoke for her ears alone. “I struggle for the right words to describe your
beauty, for what I wish to say cannot be spoken before company.”

Instead of
blushing, she smiled. “Then we are in the same predicament.” My brows rose so
high they hurt. She laughed. “I cannot find the proper words to thank you,
Jack, for all of this.”

“I can think of
seven words that you could say,” I informed her, leaning next to her ear. “Yes,
Jack, I will marry you tonight.”

“Would it
extricate us from the duty of attending this party?” she asked and I assured
her that it would. She appeared to contemplate it, and I found myself holding
my breath.

It was Charlotte
who interrupted, saying that we had to set out, or we would be late. Hannah and
Guinevere followed her out the door, the latter looking rather disappointed. I
knew I had her; it was only a matter of time.

The drive was
short, only around to the other side of the square. As I escorted them into the
house, we were the first of the guests to arrive and as we walked toward Mrs.
Stanton, I pressed Guinevere’s hand reassuringly. I was determined that the old
woman’s opinion of my bride would be changed, and Hannah had done wonders in
helping my goal.

Mrs. Stanton and
Dudley, who was dressed with precision and elegance, were standing in a parlor
as we walked in.

Mrs. Stanton greeted
me heartily, and when her eyes glanced over Guinevere then moved to Hannah only
to immediately flip back to Guinevere, I inwardly cheered. One for the Martins!

“Well, well,”
she said then gave me a look that could only be described as roguish. “Your
wife does clean up well. Dressed like this, I can see why you married her.
Lovely.”

“Thank you,
ma’am,” Guinevere said sweetly before holding her hand out to Dudley.

As he bowed over
it, I heard what he said to her. “I am glad that you and Jack married. He
deserves to be happy.” Dudley then added, “Oh, and you do as well I am sure.
Did not mean to imply that I wished you were not happy. Don’t wish anyone to be
unhappy. Well, possibly some merchants. Robbers are what some of them are. I
met this one who wanted to charge me three times the price for a particular
waistcoat because he said it was imported silk. Imported my heel. Made in
Delaware more like. Well I told him that he could take his waistcoat and—”

“Dud, have you
met Miss Mason?” I interrupted before he could say more. “Allow me to present
Miss Charlotte Mason, the sister of Bess’s husband.”

“Oh, by Jove.
Yes, indeed. Miss Mason, you honor our humble abode with your loveliness.” Dud
bowed over her hand in his usual flourish and Char giggled. I left her to Dud’s
charms as more guests were arriving.

Mrs. Stanton
instructed us where to stand beside her so that we could be introduced to all
of her guests. We met some thirty or so persons and with each one I was
searching their eyes and faces for recognition, but none came except
for  Andrew
.

When Mrs.
Stanton dismissed us from our posts, I immediately went for the champagne,
giving a glass to Guinevere before drinking mine down in one try.

Charlotte’s enthusiasm
over seeing her cousin and Andrew had caused the beginning of an ache in my
head. It grew to a tumultuous throb when Anne Crawford asked Charlotte to stand
up with her at the wedding in two days.

Hannah and I
alternated staying close to Charlotte and Guinevere. Guinevere did not need us
to protect her, but we felt safer with one of us watching over her should one
of the guests not be whom they presented themselves as.

Throughout the
evening, Guinevere conducted herself with modesty and consideration for others.

When Dud
approached me, I left Guinevere to Hannah and moved apart to speak with him
while Char was with Mrs. Stanton.

“I was surprised
to hear that you had moved from Philadelphia.”

“Ah, yes,” Dud
said before taking a sip from his glass. “It was a difficult decision for me
but after,” he paused and his contemptuous gaze bore into the back of Andrew’s
head as his voice lowered, “the scandal, I found that city to hold too many
painful memories.”

As much as I
wanted to believe Dud’s sincerity, I could not. Dud and Hannah had been at an
Inn together. They were involved, and it was more probable that it was the end
of that which drove Dud from the city.

If Dudley cared
for her enough to flee the city after her, what was standing in the way of his
making her more than a passing fancy? And why did Dud feel that he had to hide
his feelings toward her?

“It did turn out
well for Bess in the end. I think you would like Sam, and you should see his
book room. Two stories full of books,” I said, watching his face closely.

He smiled in
earnest. “I wish them all the happiness in the world. Bess deserves it.”

Dudley and I
spoke about a few more friends from Philadelphia, but my gaze hardly left
Guinevere.

She was
surrounded by a group of young women close to her age. Their smiles were not
quite genuine, and when they kept glancing at me, I asked Dudley if his mother
knew about my fortune. He looked rather guiltily at me as he told me that she
got it out of him. It was not his fault, as I told him, but I could see that
all of Mrs. Stanton’s friends were aware. Guinevere looked as if she was about
to say something cutting, so I began making my way to her side.

“There you are,”
Mrs. Stanton said as she stepped in my path. “Your Miss Mason is quite the
social darling. She does not know a stranger. I understand that your sister and
her husband are to arrive soon. We must arrange another such occasion to
celebrate her marriage.”

“Perhaps—” I
tried to say, but she interrupted with a rap of her fan against my arm.

“Yes, I know of
Dudley’s past ardor for your sister, but my dearest darling is such a kind boy.
He never thinks ill of anyone.”

Except
merchants. “I am sure that my sister would enjoy that, but she would not want
you to put yourself to so much bother on her account. She and Sam will be
staying at the plantation so perhaps a small dinner out there would be more
appropriate for their wedding trip. My sister and my wife shall call upon you
to arrange it.”