Twenty-seven

Hunter

Though I had no intention of leaving my wife's side the entire evening, when I received a note from Zachary during the musicale asking me to join him in the Penington library, I hastened in case it might be urgent. Still, I found it odd that Lucas, who sat three rows ahead of me, did not receive the same message and sat completely content by his wife's side listening to a woman sing La Prise de Toulon by Pleyel.

"I shall return shortly," I whispered in Gwendolyn's ear and received an inhale of her sweet lilac scent. Her favorite flower, if I'm not mistaken. When she smiled my way, I could not help but grin and reflect on the afternoon we shared at the abbey ruins.

It took everything I had not to laugh out loud when Gwendolyn read Julia's poem. I forced myself into complete composure and ignorance, but inside my spirit vaulted to unearthly heights.

I had read the poem the moment I received it at our home several days ago. Alone in my bedchamber, I allowed myself a good laugh. Lady Julia offered quite a witty side with her intimate poem, and I looked forward to seeing how Gwendolyn might react. Though her cheeks colored, and I was certain her heart thumped twice as fast from the rise and fall of her chest, she controlled her features superbly. When I took my place on the steps to read, not one word actually penetrated my thoughts. I spent every single moment sneaking glances her way and enjoying every second of watching her paint.

However, nothing in this world prepared me for the image that I saw when it came time to leave. Though she claimed her painting remained unfinished, I was stunned into silence when I saw it. The haunting beauty of the ruins had, in fact, provided remarkable inspiration and her talent evidenced how unequaled she was.

While staring at her work, my silence must've made her nervous, for she stuttered when she spoke. "D—do you not like it?"

I gaped in awe. "It's breathtaking, Gwendolyn," I whispered with a hallowed reverence. And I knew in that moment, she had burrowed inside my heart.

Now, walking down the corridor away from my wife, I grumbled over the fact that I risked leaving her with Captain Bently who had arrived late and now stood against the back wall. I was certain I would return to find him warming my seat. I frowned and strode toward a footman who pointed out the correct door to the library. Why was Zach being so clandestine? Of course, when it came to Lord Zachary Collins, lately, all his behavior could be deemed unusual. Maybe he learned something new about Jaxon and wanted to speak of it privately.

"Zach…" I entered the dimly lit room. "You had best have a suitable reason to tear me from my lovely bride's side." Glancing around I didn't see him, however, the hair on the back of my neck tingled when I spied a woman in the corner with a dark veil over her face. A maid stood nearby but kept her head lowered.

"What in the blazes?" I tried to wrap my head around this. "Where's Lord Zachary?"

"The note is from me." The woman lifted her veil. "Forgive me for my subterfuge, but it was necessary, Lord Devon."

"Lady Braxton?" I choked out. Straightaway, I peered around to see if this was a ploy to endanger my standing or my marriage.

"Pardon me, my lady, but this is highly inappropriate, and I must take my leave." I bowed and stepped backwards when she reached out with a subtle cry.

"Please, Lord Devon, please listen to me."

"I shouldn't be here." My heart pounded in my chest. I knew it only took one person to see us together and, after Josiah's involvement with her and his subsequent death, rumors would abound. I could not take the chance of hurting Gwendolyn. My heart fell hard this afternoon.

"I promise I have taken precautions. My maid gave the note to the footman. Only Lady Penington is aware, and she has sworn her secrecy, for she is a dear friend. No one will see us together, you have my word."

I glanced toward her maid, but Lady Braxton read my face. "Do not fear. My fate is her own. She will not say a word."

"Why go to these lengths to speak to me?"

"Because your father refuses to."

"My father refuses to what?"

"To see me." She lifted a handkerchief to dab at her swollen eyes. It appeared as though she suffered considerably.

"Just so," I retorted in a harsh whisper. "Do you not realize it is because of your choices and behavior that led to Josiah's death?" I knew the woman could not be that dense. "I hold Josiah entirely accountable for his misdeeds, but you must recognize your role in all of this."

"Certainly, I do." She sniffled into her handkerchief.

"Then cease and desist, my lady. Return to your husband and be loyal."

She whimpered and reached out, seemingly to keep me from departing. "He has turned me out. Both of us." She waved her hand toward her maid.

"I regret to hear that," I said, though I wasn't surprised. Society standards allowed a gentleman to have a mistress, but for his wife, the practice remained forbidden unless her husband approved. "I wish you improved circumstances, but I must go."

"I'm with child," she whispered.

I froze in place. Only one reason led her to share such intimate details… and with me particularly.

I turned and faced her slowly. "Who is the father?"

She bit her lip and swallowed hard.

"Who?" My demand came more forcefully.

"Josiah."

I breathed through my nose. I knew this before she even said it. "How can you be certain?"

"The earl and I…" she hesitated. "We have not joined since our wedding night."

"How far are you into your confinement?" I couldn't help but look down at her waist and though she layered it well, it seemed slightly swollen.

"I believe five months."

My jaw tightened. She must've already known she carried Josiah's child when he was killed.

"My husband knows it's not his, which is why he is seeking to annul our marriage and sever any association with me or the child."

"But you consummated your marriage."

"He says otherwise and has a great deal of influence on his side."

"Well, it certainly didn't help when you claimed you'd never bed him."

She buried her head in her gloved hands and cried.

I was not one to take pleasure in such a scene and glanced toward the door anxiously. The consequences of us being discovered this way, regardless of the reason, would ruin me and ruin the progress I had gained with my wife. "Where is your family in all of this?"

She wiped her eyes. "They, too, refuse to acknowledge me."

I rubbed the back of my neck. She deserved consequences for her actions, but not to this degree of severity. She carried Josiah's child, and we must be her last resort.

"Damn him," I growled. "Damn you both."

"I loved him!" She reached out and grabbed my coat sleeve. "I could not help it. I was in love with him."

"You and a dozen other women." I had not meant to be cruel.

She continued weeping. "Yes, I'm quite aware. But I still loved him."

I shook my head, frustrated with the conundrum I faced. There was no possible way I could speak with Gwendolyn about it. It would crush her. I had only recently felt that we were making progress in our relationship and if she learned that the man she loved had fathered a child with the very woman who brought forth his death, it might destroy her. What would Josiah have done? Would he have cared for Lady Braxton and the child, despite his marriage to Gwendolyn? Would he have tried to see her still? My blood boiled.

"I have no one else to turn to, my lord."

"Your friends surely would help. Lady Penington, for example."

She shook her head. "No one can risk my husband's reach."

"And you believe I am the one to withstand him?"

"I have no one and this child bears the blood of your family."

I knew this, yet I wouldn't be truthful if I didn't admit my temptation to send her away. Only my conscience would not allow it. How was I to manage this without keeping the greatest of secrets? If someone were to hear of this and assume I fathered the child, there would be no recovering from this. Gwendolyn and I would never survive the scandal.

"Do you have access to transportation?"

"Yes, I have been given the use of the earl's coach for the next two days. He also released my maid, Henrietta, and provided a small stipend."

"How gracious of him," I retorted. Though I couldn't truly fault the man, he had been betrayed and publicly humiliated after all.

I stepped over to the desk in the dimly lit room, retrieved a stylus, and uncorked the ink. On a quarter sheet of vellum, I wrote the specifics of a locality, one of the empty tenant homes of Gottling Hall. On a second sheet, I wrote a letter to Mary Gentry, the wife of Mr. Gentry, the estate manager. In the letter, I requested she see to this woman's needs. I also asked for strict silence over the matter. Fortunately, my father left Gottling to the marquess… or me , so he would not concern himself with the newest tenant.

"I will see that you are escorted to the country, but I must counsel with my parents."

"Oh no," she cried and reached out again. "Your father, he…"

My eyebrows pinched together. "He what?"

"He knows."

"I beg your pardon?" I choked for the second time in these few minutes.

"He is aware and has forbidden me from contacting him further."

"He knows the child is Josiah's?"

She nodded. An ache formed in the pit of my stomach. Regardless of propriety, a child's life was at stake. His flesh and blood.

"Why did you still come to me?" I lifted the single candle from the candlestick and dripped the wax on the folded parchment, sealing it, then before it fully hardened, I pressed my family ring into it. The impression confirmed I authored the missive.

"Because Josiah loved you," she whispered. "He spoke often of how he wished he behaved more like you. Honorable and good."

I observed her carefully. She exhibited no signs of deception throughout our conversation. She was indeed pregnant with Josiah's child, my nephew or niece. Though despite the traditional way of things, if the child were a boy and not born a by-blow , he would be the heir to the dukedom and not me. For some reason, that sounded refreshingly freeing, but nothing could come of it. Father would never acknowledge an illegitimate child in the family. Perhaps my mother would, I'm not sure she could ever deny a grandchild.

"Where are you staying tonight?"

"The Porch House."

I rubbed my jaw. "How did you know to send the message to me from Lord Zachary Collins?"

"I learned of your friendship from Lady Penington. Please forgive me for the deception."

I sighed. "It is he who I will ask to be your escort. If he agrees, he will meet you in the morning. Know that I trust this man above all others, and you will be safe in his care."

She grabbed both my hands. "Thank you, Lord Devon. Thank you for your kindness."

I released her hold. "You must know that this situation cannot be discussed with anyone other than myself and Lord Zachary."

She nodded and turned to her maid, who nodded as well.

"Do not even share this plan with Lady Penington. It's no longer her affair."

She lifted her handkerchief to her eyes.

"Now, remain in here for several minutes and make sure no one sees you departing."

I handed her the missives and tugged on my cravat. This was going to be a heavy burden to carry, but I would not, absolutely could not , allow Gwendolyn to know of this additional betrayal. News of a child between the man she had loved and his lover could very well be her undoing.

Checking the corridor for any signs of movement, I stepped out and strode toward the main entry. Everyone remained inside the ballroom where the musicale continued uninterrupted. Upon entering the room, I was both surprised and relieved that my seat remained vacant and I resumed my place next to my lovely bride, only I could not look in her direction. I feared she could read my expression and know something was amiss. I couldn't risk it.

The time it took for the evening to end was torture. Any other time I would have basked in Gwendolyn's presence and wished the night to never end, but tonight, I only wanted it to be over and, if I truly had my wish… that Gwendolyn and I had missed the event all together. When my wife finally caught my eye, she appeared concerned and when she smiled, I knew it to be her false one.

Deuce.

I took a breath to steady my nerves. Gwendolyn slipped an arm through mine as we stood and clapped at the conclusion. "Are you well?" she whispered, leaning close to me.

"Indeed." I patted her hand. "Have you seen Collins?"

Her forehead wrinkled. I had failed to convince her all was well enough. She pointed to Zach in a far corner. Had I seen him before the message arrived, I would not have left at all, but then, would Lady Baxter have been so desperate she would have shown up at my townhome? I cringed at the thought, then silently thanked her for not taking that approach, but it still did not solve my current predicament. I needed to get her out of London soon and without the knowledge of my father or Gwendolyn.

Lucas and Helena joined us. While the women engaged in small talk, I leaned in and whispered to Luke. "I must speak with you and Zach privately. Will you retrieve him and meet me in the library?" It was safe to assume Lady Braxton had departed by now.

He nodded and excused himself from the women.

Gwendolyn flashed me an odd look. "Are you certain you're alright, Hunter?" Her voice trembled slightly, and I could tell that I had alarmed her. Bringing her gloved hand to my lips, I kissed it softly. "Nothing to concern yourself over, love. I need to see Zach and Luke on business. Stay here with Helena and I will be brief. I will be back at your side in no time at all." I smiled, hoping this would ease her fears. She didn't return my smile.

Stepping away, I met the men in the library. Confirming that we were indeed alone and that Lady Braxton no longer lingered inside, I broke the dreadful news. Of course, the information was equal measures of surprising and unsurprising.

"Why are you risking anything for her?" Zach asked a completely logical question.

"She wasn't lying, Collins. She carries Josiah's child. An innocent child. What do you think a desperate woman might do if she has nowhere to turn?"

Lucas nodded. "You are doing the right thing, Matthews, despite the risk."

Zach crossed his arms over his chest. "What can I do?"

"I am only asking this of you, Zach. Would you please escort her to Gottling Hall? I have no doubt Mrs. Gentry will care for her from there." I wiped a layer of sweat from my nose. "But you must first arrange for the coach to carry her only as far as Maidenhead, then send it back to Lord Baxter. He cannot know her final destination. While he claims to have wiped his hands of her, revenge is powerful. He must know nothing. Put her in a rented coach the rest of the way to Gottling and escort her from there. I can't have Lord Braxton's servants take note of anything."

"Of course, Hunter. It's a solid plan." He slapped my shoulder.

"She's staying at the Porch House and is awaiting your arrival in the morning. It's far enough outside of London that the gossipmongers shouldn't have anything to report on, but just in case, keep a vigilant eye. I will come to Gottling myself by midafternoon."

Zachary shook my hand. "I'll take my leave and await an update."

"Thank you, Zach. I am indebted to you."

Once he departed, Luke approached the sideboard and poured a glass of port and handed it to me. "Have you told Gwendolyn?"

"No." I shook my head. "This only occurred barely an hour ago."

"But you do plan to tell her, correct?"

Swallowing the contents in one gulp, I mumbled, "I can't, Luke. I've only gotten this far without Josiah's shadow hanging over us. This could unravel all that progress. Think about it, Walsh. The man she was supposed to marry, and probably loved, died in a duel over his mistress; and that woman is carrying his child."

Lucas' eyes widened. "I see how that may be the case, but…" he sighed heavily. "She's your wife, Hunter. Not Josiah's. She should know. And she should hear it from you."

He was right. I just didn't know how or when I would possess enough strength to tell her.