Chapter Ten

B essie Dove-Lyon read the missive a second time and crumpled it in her hand. "Hudson shall head the list of those who shall never cross this threshold again!" She rose from her seat, walked over to the door, yanked it open, and waved the foolscap in her wolf's face.

Titan raised one eyebrow. "I take it that is the missive concerning Hudson."

"I cannot believe I have ever banned someone for disagreeing with any of my rules when this"—she held up the note in her hand—" this , is unconscionable, despicable, beyond maddening. How dare he try to ruin a woman's name after she has already been labeled a hellion and sought me out as matchmaker!"

Titan wisely waited for her to finish.

"Who in the bloody hell does he think he is, to blithely enter a wager in White's betting book? His contemporaries, all those who live off their family name and title, swilling brandy, doing nothing more important than playing a hand or two of cards and postulating about things they have no notion of! Least of all what it takes to put oneself in the line of fire, lead a cavalry charge, or stand on the gun deck of a ship and give the command to fire!"

"Aye, Mrs. Dove-Lyon," Titan answered calmly. "They know naught of it…any of it. They could never begin to understand the courage their younger brothers displayed when they bought their colors or, lacking the coin, enlisted in His Majesty's military forces."

She inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. "Words are meaningless unless backed with action."

"Aye. What will you have me do?"

"Who among my wolves is a crack shot?"

"Snug and Philostrate. Neither one ever misses, be it with a pistol or rifle."

"Excellent. Tell the men I need a word with them."

Titan frowned at his employer. "You cannot mean to send just two men—especially Philostrate, who never speaks. You know Hudson will hedge his bets and have a handful of sharpshooters hiding in and around the field at Chalk Farm."

"Viscount Moreland will undoubtedly send a few of the seamen who were skulking around when he entered the Lyon's Den the night he met his destiny. I am quite certain he will contact Captain Coventry, who will send men."

"A valid point. Snug isn't as young as he used to be, though his aim is true. Philostrate never misses a shot and is a good man to have at your back, but he unnerves people the way he refuses to speak. He could fall afoul of the Watch for that reason alone."

"I shall include that in my reply to the viscount. I will always do all in my power to protect my wolf pack, Titan."

He met and held her gaze. "You have done more for us than any of those who have made promises regarding our half pay, pension, and grieving families, and never made good on them. I'm forever in your debt."

"You know that I will always honor those who have served in the military."

He bowed to her. Satisfied her men would rise to the occasion and lend their aid at dawn, she penned a missive to Viscount Moreland.

Captain Coventry greeted Masterson, a former colonel in Wellington's Fighting Fifth, and Hennessey, a former lieutenant in the Royal Marines.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, men. I have a dawn assignment for you."

Hennessey asked, "Who has been called upon to defend his wife's good name this time, Earl Lippincott or Viscount Chattsworth?"

"Neither," Coventry answered.

"Who's back are we protecting?" Masterson asked.

"A fellow naval officer forced to retire after the same battle that landlocked me," Coventry told them, "Lieutenant Lord Alec Quinton—as of a fortnight ago, the newly minted Earl Stansbury."

Hennessey nodded. "Is he the same lieutenant with the wooden leg who bested an arrogant peer with an attitude bigger than his title in the Lyon's Den?"

"Aye," Coventry replied, "in a feat of skill that not only tested his strength and endurance, but his fear of heights."

Masterson and Hennessey shared a glance before Masterson said, "It would be an honor."

"Aye," Hennessey agreed.

"Moreland is the earl's second, and Lieutenant Sampson will be the attending physician," Coventry added.

"The baron will likely have men in position before Stansbury and Moreland arrive," the colonel grumbled.

"Your duty is to arrive ahead of time and ferret out the blackguards before Stansbury and Moreland arrive," Coventry told the men.

"Anything else we need to know?"

"Aye," the captain replied. "Perkins and Grant, two seamen who served under Moreland, and whom you both have met, will be there."

"Is that all?" Hennessey asked.

Coventry slowly smiled. "Apparently the Black Widow of Whitehall contacted Moreland to advise she is sending two of her wolves, Snug and Philostrate, on behalf of Moreland and Stansbury… Both are crack shots. She asks that we keep an eye on Philostrate. Apparently you cannot miss him—he's a large man, never speaks."

"What about Snug?" Masterson asked.

"He's older and doesn't get around as quickly as he used to, but his aim is true."

Hennessey grinned. "Good to know. It appears the new Earl Stansbury has an eclectic group of friends."

"Aye," Coventry agreed. "I would venture to say that the earl will gain a few more friends after the duel. Oh, by the by, the earl is to be married at eleven o'clock in the morning. It would be best if he were not recovering from a lead ball to the back."

Masterson agreed.

"You can count on us," Hennessey told the captain.

"I will…and so will the earl's bride-to-be."

Masterson asked, "She knows about the duel?"

Coventry shook his head. "I do not believe so, but in my experience with Moreland, and the Duke of Wyndmere's family… Their wives always find out and show up at the worst possible moment. Be on your guard."

"Aye, captain, you can count on us," Hennessey assured him.

Coventry did not bother to tell his men that Bayfield and Tremayne would be standing guard at the front and rear entrances to Moreland's town house to keep the viscount's wife from following her husband. King had already replied to Coventry's urgent request to have two of his men guarding Lady Catherine and her family…and, if need be, to prevent her ladyship from attending the duel.

If everything went according to the plans Coventry and Moreland devised, the women they sought to protect would sleep peacefully through the night and arise well after dawn.