Chapter 8

8

The next day,Calliope descended the stairs of Sumhall into a bright morning. Grosvenor Street was lined with elegant Georgian town houses, their red brick facades accented with white Portland stone, and their sash windows gleamed as they caught the sun’s light.

The street itself was bustling with activity as tradesmen and servants began their daily tasks. Coal merchants delivered their wares to the kitchens of the grand homes, their horses’ hooves clopping rhythmically against the cobblestones. A milkmaid in a neat white apron balanced a pail of fresh milk on her shoulder. In the well-tended gardens behind the town houses, the air was full with the scent of roses and lavender. Leaves rustled and birds sang.

Fashionably dressed ladies and gentlemen emerged from their homes, perhaps to embark on a leisurely stroll in Hyde Park or attend a morning social event. The ladies were dressed in their finest muslin gowns. Their bonnets, adorned with silk ribbons and fresh flowers, fluttered in the soft breeze. The gentlemen were resplendent in their tailored waistcoats, well-cut breeches, and shining Hessian boots.

But all that splendor and beauty of the summer morning didn’t compare to how her stomach squeezed in excitement at the sight of the simple gig in front of the house and the dashing gentleman in his navy uniform waiting for her.

Now that Calliope and Nathaniel were engaged, they were allowed to appear alone in public, even though they still needed to ride in an open gig to ensure propriety. This meant they could go to the Admiralty together.

As she descended the stairs, he hopped down from the driver’s seat. The gig had seen better days, with black paint chipping off the shiny doors and cracked wood peering through. The Kelford coat of arms was in need of a good layer of gilt paint. As Nathaniel stood before her, tall and handsome, her heart pounded hard in her chest. He was so breathtaking in his uniform. All tall and broad-shouldered. Long blond hair. Turquoise eyes. Golden skin…

The devil himself couldn’t look more handsome.

“Lady Calliope,” he said with a wicked grin. “Still no umbrella, I see.”

She hid her smile while biting her lip. “I guess it’s hard to find something that didn’t exist in the first place.”

“Hm,” he said as he looked her over with male appreciation. “I do think you need to wear more things that are invisible.”

Her face lit up to the roots of her hair, and a wave of heat rushed through her. She stood speechless, unable to find a single word of reply. There was a heat in his gaze, but she knew better than to think he really wanted her. Most likely, this was some sort of a jest, some reference to her sexuality that she didn’t understand.

Embarrassment chained her from head to toe. How could she ever share his bed and try to conceive his heir when the only thing she knew of men was how embarrassing they considered her? How filthy it was for a young girl to explore and think about what went on between a man and a woman in bed?

And that she was wrong to enjoy that prospect at all?

“Pardon me,” said a voice next to her, and she turned around.

The wind cutting her heated cheeks like razors, she looked at a young courier standing before her with a rectangular box.

“Is this Sumhall Place?” he asked.

“It is,” Calliope replied.

“There’s a delivery for Lady Calliope Seaton. I should get this to the butler.”

“I’m Lady Calliope,” she said, glad of a distraction, trying to calm her ragged breath. “You may give this to me.”

It was, of course, unheard of for unmarried ladies to get their own correspondence without a chaperone or a butler having made sure it was safe first. But she was already here. And she didn’t think highly of that rule, anyway.

The courier glanced at her, then at Nathaniel.

“You may give it to the lady,” said Nathaniel with authority in his voice, and an awareness ran through Calliope.

The young man nodded and handed it to Calliope. When he left, she opened the lid of the box and gasped from a horrid stench that came from within. There was a dry bouquet of flowers with the stems rotting. Next to them lay a note.

“Heavens,” she said, through the stench. “It must have stayed rotting in the water for days.”

Nathaniel took the box from her hands. “Do not touch it.”

With her gloved hands, she reached out and tried to take the box back, but he evaded her.

“Kelford, you’re overreacting!” she said with an outraged chuckle. “There’s a note addressed to me, and I must see it!”

“It’s dangerous, Calliope.” A pleasant sort of jolt went through her at how he forgot her formal address and called her just by her given name. “I will open it.”

Setting the warmth in her chest aside, she glared at him. “No. It’s for me, and you have no right.”

She put her gloved hand into the box and tried to snatch the note when Nathaniel quickly moved it aside and once again out of her reach. He grasped the note and put the box onto the driver’s seat of his gig.

“Nathaniel!” she cried out.

And only then realized that, just like him, she hadn’t used his official name, the one by which she should address him.

Swiftly, he opened the note and read it, paling. Calliope craned her neck.

In a sharp, masculine hand, it said, Lady Calliope. You must stop digging, for your own good.

Unease washed over Calliope in a sleek, cold wave. “Does it say who it is from?”

Nathaniel snatched the card away. “No. And if you think I will let you keep investigating, you’re sorely mistaken.”

She glowered. “What? Your help in this investigation was the whole reason for this. For us.” She gestured between them.

“I do not care. Clearly, as I suspected, there’s someone who doesn’t want your brother to be found, and they know you’re digging. You must stop. I’m not taking you to the Admiralty anymore. You’re to stay away.”

Outrage hit her like a slap, and she took two steps to the gig and laid her hands on the handles and her foot on the step. “No. That is not an option. We agreed. You cannot forbid me anything.”

“Calliope!”

She climbed onto the driver’s seat and took the reins. “I will not let a silly note and a bunch of dry flowers stop me from saving my brother’s life!”

“Calliope.” He looked around. “You must get down from that gig this minute. Your investigation is over.”

Important-looking ladies and gentlemen who passed by cast curious glances at them.

“Get in,” she said. “The investigation is just beginning.”

It was actually quite endearing that he was so afraid for her. But she wasn’t the wallflower he thought she was.

Nathaniel stood with his expression murderous, his fists clenching and unclenching, his turquoise eyes blazing. “I am starting to regret being engaged to you.”

She knew he was angry, but that hurt and sent a stab of embarrassment through her. “I’m not too happy about it, either.”

He took one step closer and put his hand on the handle. “Do you even understand what they can do to you?” There was something so deep and broken in his voice that she blinked, staring at him. “They could kill you and I—”

His voice cracked, and something in his face collapsed as he looked down. He breathed for a moment, then visibly collected himself and met her gaze again. “People like that kill women, men, anyone who stands in their way. And I may not be there to protect you.”

Calliope blinked, worry churning in her gut. “Look, Nathaniel, I know you’re a navy officer, and protective instincts are in your nature, but I assure you, I know what I’m doing. You’re not giving me enough credit. Our priority should be to act swiftly and locate Spencer.”

He stared at her for a long time, then finally nodded. “All right. But under one condition.”

“Another condition?”

He climbed up next to her. “We have to expedite the wedding.”

She raised her eyebrows. “How much faster can we marry? It’s already in three weeks!”

“First, I need an heir and time is not on my side.” He looked her over in such a way that heat washed through her. “And second, I can protect you better. Someone wants to stop you from investigating.”

“But they won’t.”

“That’s why I must be at your side. As a husband, that is exactly what I’ll be able to do. Protect you day and night.”

She whipped the reins, and the horse walked forward.

As the floor of the gig moved under her feet, she sighed. “All right. But you’re the one who has to talk to my brother.”