25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

M elior rubbed her hands together inside her muff. The drive back to London was not nearly as cold as the one she'd made a month ago, what with Miss Harris sharing a lap robe with her, but there was something chilling in the reason for their return. Mr. Fairchild's forward behavior had been extremely disconcerting, but knowing he had been hired to do so changed the whole experience in her mind.

Miss Harris shifted and something flew across the interior of the carriage smacking a sleeping Mr. Roberts in the face. He sat up straight and blinked in confusion. Miss Harris gazed out the window as if nothing had happened. Melior locked eyes with Nathaniel. Laughter and a bit of mischief showed in their green depths.

Mr. Roberts picked up the wadded-up glove. "Is this why you wanted me to travel with you, Javenia, so you could lob your gloves at me?"

"I did not ask you to accompany us. It would have been far more comfortable if you'd have ridden your horse. Besides, how do you know those are my gloves? Perhaps they are Lady Stanford's."

Melior blinked at her in surprise. "Me?"

"You are supposed to play along," Miss Harris whispered.

Both Nathaniel and Mr. Roberts laughed.

Mr. Roberts tossed the gloves back. "Next time, alert your scapegoat of their part before you enact your planned assault."

Miss Harris huffed. "Lady Stanford will catch on quickly enough with her amount of intelligence. We ladies must stick together."

Melior grinned. "Very true. But if I am to be your comrade in arms, might we dispense with titles?"

"Yes, indeed. As you already know my parents saddled me with the atrocious name of Javenia."

"I think it lovely and unique."

Javenia tipped her head. "Unique. That is a much more palatable way of saying odd, but at least I was not forced to go by a name as presumptuous as Algenon."

Mr. Roberts laughed. "Yes, but at least my name shortens nicely to something acceptable. What should we call you? Jav, Veni, Ya?"

"Those jokes are ancient, Algenon . Have you not found any new things to twit me about?"

"Oh, I have plenty, but your name never gets old to me."

Melior noticed the odd inflection at the end of Mr. Roberts's remark. There was a certain amount of endearment in it. It seemed that even though the pair were always at odds with each other, there was no malice in it. In truth, she would wager they enjoyed their continual banter.

"But if we are to be dispensing with titles, perhaps, Lady Stanford, you would be willing to also use my given… ah… nickname?"

Javenia leaned forward, her arms on her lap. "Yes, but if you ever want to irritate him, do call him Algenon."

He glared at her, but Javenia only laughed.

When the carriage finally rolled down the cobblestone streets of London, Melior found she had warmed considerably, but perhaps that had to do with the amount of laughter that had filled the carriage as Javenia had regaled her with stories of Nathaniel and Al's misadventures. The two had exacted their own revenge by sharing Javenia's part in most of the larks.

All the time she had known Nathaniel, Al, and John, she had always seen them as a group with Eddie, but it seemed the three men had been particular friends with Javenia far longer than either Eddie or Melior had known them.

"Will you also be staying with us, Al?" Nathaniel asked. "Or will you be off to your rented rooms as usual?"

"I would much rather have the comfort of your house if Melior here will play chaperone to the feral creature across from me. I would not want her father to accuse me of any untoward behavior."

"Feral?" Javenia hissed.

"Like a cat." Al smirked.

Javenia guffawed. "Fair enough."

The coach pulled up to a small townhome off of Broad Street. It was not the most fashionable part of Town, but it was clean and presentable, which was more than Melior could say for most of London.

The housekeeper showed Javenia to her room, and Al already knowing his way around, made his way to his. Melior turned to Nathaniel in the entry hall, expecting him to lead the way to her room. He pulled at his collar with a finger, loosening his cravat so it hung awkwardly.

A footman entered carrying Melior's trunk. "Where do you want I should put this?"

The butler looked to Nathaniel for the answer.

Melior watched the exchange noting the bit of perspiration on Nathaniel's upper lip. What was he not telling her?

"The main room," he finally said.

Main room?

Gently he grasped her upper arm and moved her toward the stairs. "I am sorry, Melior. I can sleep somewhere else if you wish me to, but this house only has the three rooms upstairs."

She did not stop but ascended the stairs with the grace of a queen, for fear the servants would see her surprise.

Nathaniel cleared his throat. "I had not considered it until we stepped inside. I should not have offered a room to Al. There is a sofa in the connected sitting room. I could stretch out there, or perhaps I could sleep in the study. Then again, that might look odd to the servants, but if I lock the door—"

She pulled him to a stop in the hall. "Nate," she said firmly, bringing his chatter to a halt with the shortened name. "It is fine."

He stared at her. "Are you certain?"

"Yes. You gave me your word as a gentleman, and that is enough."

His stiff posture relaxed, but a new strain pulled at his eyes. It looked almost like a grimace. Was there something repulsive about sharing a bed with her?

It was going to be a long, long week if last night was any indication. Nathaniel rubbed the back of his neck as he paced. He'd waited in his study until he was certain Melior would be asleep before making his way to bed, but she had been wide awake and they had talked late into the night about their plans for the next few days.

He'd hoped that the very ordinary conversation would help him relax, but instead he'd been more alert than ever by the time Melior drifted off to sleep. So he'd stared at her, memorizing how the dim glow of firelight that peeked through the bed curtains played across her sculpted cheekbones.

It was a picture that not even the light of day could wash away. She was so beautiful, and as he had noted before, it was not only her exterior. Her ready smile and willingness to play along with Javenia's larks were a testament of the playful and happy girl he'd once known.

"You are going to wear a hole in the rug with all that pacing," Eddie said from the doorway.

Nathaniel stopped. "I think I am falling in love with your sister," he blurted out.

"About time you figured that out," Eddie said, flopping into one of the large wingback chairs.

"What does that mean?"

"Look, even though you married her a month ago, we all saw the way your eyes followed her whenever she was in a room. And although John prides himself on keeping secrets, you and I both know he talks in his sleep."

"He did not."

"He did, back at Harrow and again when we were at Cambridge. We all knew, Nate; we simply did not want you to know we knew."

Nathaniel sat down hard in the other wingback chair and ran a hand through his hair.

"Come now," Eddie said. "It is not that bad. You married her, did you not? Now all that is left is to help her fall in love with you."

"You say that like it's a simple walk in the park."

"It cannot be that hard, can it? A few flowers, some pretty compliments, and voila, she's yours."

"Have you ever tried to win a woman's regard?"

"Heavens no."

"Yes, well, it shows. Best not to offer advice until you have a little more experience yourself."

Herbertson, Nathaniel's Town butler, entered carrying a silver salver. "Your post, sir."

"Thank you. Has Mr. Roberts returned?"

"Yes, sir."

Nathaniel waited for the stodgy little man to continue, but he said nothing. "Well, where is he, man?"

"In the front sitting room with the ladies."

Al had left to attend visits with the promise that he would bring the latest gossip. Nathaniel had been anxiously waiting all morning, hoping the news would give them an idea of where to start with their sleuthing. Left only to ponder his feelings for Melior, he'd nearly gone mad, and yet Al had gone to the ladies first. Did the man have no compassion for his suffering?

Nathaniel let out his breath in a whoosh. Pull yourself together, Stanford, he thought . If there was one thing he'd gathered from Eddie's unhelpful advice, it was that he was making more out of the situation than it warranted. Love would come in time. At least, he hoped it would.

Javenia and Melior were listening intently to Al when he and Eddie entered the front parlor. Their rapt attention meant whatever Al had discovered might be useful in finding their underhanded devil.

"But that cannot be," Melior said. "Why would Lord Caraway have any interest in Edith? I thought you said he had been courting Lady Jane."

"That is just it," Al said. "He has been seen with both ladies, and Lady Agatha as well."

Melior's face scrunched up in confusion. "So is he intent on one of them, or is he simply playing the part of an obliging gentleman?"

"I am inclined to think the latter. He is quite young to be searching for a wife. Perhaps he is doing what other gentlemen of his age do, and simply enjoying his time in Society."

Nathaniel settled himself next to Melior on the settee. "Which means he may have worried you were a threat to his freedom."

Her gaze settled on him, her mouth slightly open. She searched his face and her skin visibly paled. "And what makes you think I would be a threat?"

"I did not say you were a threat, only that Lord Caraway could have employed Mr. Fairchild to dissuade you from your interest."

"But he was paid to… to…"

Al held up his hand. "It may not have been monetarily. In his drunken boast he only said he was compensated."

"So we came to Town for nothing."

"No," Al said. "He was still put up to the task; we are only uncertain of what type of compensation he received."

Melior wrung her hands together. Nathaniel placed an arm on the back of the settee hoping to curl it around her and give a little comfort, but she jumped.

"So you think I was a threat," she said accusingly. "And you think Mr. Fairchild's admission was only the boasting of an inebriated man."

Al's head jerked back, confusion coloring his face. Eddie opened his mouth to refute the claim, but Nathanial beat him to it.

"That is not what we are saying at all," he insisted, pulling his arm away.

"Yes, but you both think Lord Caraway wanted to get rid of me. That I was somehow a burden." She shot to her feet. "Excuse me gentlemen, but I shall take my distasteful self off to retire for the afternoon."

They all blinked at her as she rushed from the room.

"What was that all about?" Javenia asked.

Al shrugged and Nathaniel shook his head. "I do not rightly know. She is always so collected."

The clock in the room struck noon and they waited as it chimed, each seemingly lost in their thoughts. Nathaniel ran a hand along the blue and white brocade material of the settee, analyzing Melior's reaction.

When the last chime died away, Eddie rose. "I had not realized the hour. I would love to stay, but I promised to meet with my uncle today. Do Excuse me."

After he left, Al asked, "Are not Lady Edith and Lady Agatha Melior's dearest friends?"

"They were," Nathaniel said. "But since our marriage I do not believe either have reached out to her once, not even to offer congratulations."

"Is it possible one of them may have had designs on Lord Caraway?"

"Perhaps, but Melior is more inclined to think Lady Jane caused all this mischief and I believe she is right."

Javenia leaned forward. "I do not think Algenon is eliminating Lady Jane from the suspects, only that having three ladies competing for Lord Caraway's attention means we cannot discount any of them, including Lord Caraway."

"So what do we do next?"

"Next, you go comfort your wife and find out what is bothering her." She tipped her head toward the door.

Nathaniel frowned. "But we need to make plans."

"Which we will do," Al said. "But I am with Javenia on this. Melior is hurting, and if I know women like I think I do, she may be transferring Lord Caraway's lack of devotion to you."

"Why me?"

Javenia glanced at Al and he nodded. "Because the important people in her life have cast her out. Her parents, Lord Caraway, her friends. You now occupy the space all three left in her life. She needs you to be steady and understanding, to provide the stability she's lost."

"You know, if I did not know any better, I would think you two actually know quite a bit about successful relationships."

Javenia snickered. "Me, yes. Algenon has now shared the extent of his knowledge and will go back to being a barbarian who flirts with every lady that crosses his path."

Al huffed. "I would like to see you understand men half as well as I understand women. You act as if a few insults should endear a gentleman to you forever."

"No, just you."

"Ha!" Al's eyes danced with enjoyment.

Why these two found pleasure in pecking at one another was beyond Nathaniel, but he decided to take their advice and rose from his seat.

"I shall let you two argue your own merits in peace. It seems I need to see to my wife."

"Good man," Al said, rising and clapping him on the back. "I wish you luck. Remember, patience is key."

Javenia's face screwed up as if she'd tasted something sour and he knew she'd have plenty to say about Al's lack of patience, but Nathaniel left before the two could engage in their merry verbal dance. Melior was hurting and he did not know why. He only hoped she'd be willing to open up and let him into her world.