Page 58 of Beauty and the Rake
“I hope this meets with your expectations,” he said lowly.
She flashed him a grin and looked down at her folded hands. “You know it does.”
For the next hour they discussed their wedding day. Roxanne needed for her belongings to be moved from Jameson House, no later than the day before their nuptials. She would keep what she needed to prepare herself the following morning. Following the wedding breakfast, the couple would make the short drive to their home.
Graham revealed he had the afternoon through the following day planned out for them and he wasn’t about to reveal to Roxanne what the plans were. He knew that would bother her, and she did her utmost best not to let any emotion show.
“I guess that’s everything and that I ought to return home.”
He stood to his full height and helped her from her chair. “I’ll have the carriage brought around.”
“You don’t have to accompany me. There are probably things that need your attention here.”
“Trying to get rid of me so soon?” he quipped.
“Of course not.”
It was a short ride to Jameson House. Once they entered the house, the butler greeted them. “His Grace is in the drawing room with a guest.”
“Who is it?” Roxanne asked. She did not know anyone who would call this late in the afternoon.
“A Mr. Crenshaw.”
Roxanne’s gaze jumped to Graham. “Isn’t that who came to see you earlier?”
“It is.”
She nodded to the butler and turned and walked to the staircase that would lead them to the drawing room. With Graham close by her, they entered the room. Towards the far end of the room she found her brother in deep conversation with Mr. Crenshaw.
Arthur raised his head at the sound of them walking across the hard wood floor. “Sister. Hawksbury. You’ve met our guest, Mr. Crenshaw?”
“Yes,” Graham responded, taking Crenshaw’s hand in his to shake. “He called on me earlier. Is he trying to convince you to buy this second ship?”
Arthur took a sip of whiskey and nodded. “He made no mention of calling on you. And yes, he’s driving a hard bargain for the sale of this second ship.”
Roxanne, who’d made sure she sat down near Crenshaw, leaned forward in her chair. “Mr. Crenshaw, I feel as thoughI know you from sometime in the past. Your name is just too familiar.”
Arthur spoke up. “Father and Mother were going to India with his father.”
“That’s where I’ve heard it. How could I forget?”
“I have always found it amazing that our parents’ remains were never found. What of your father and the other guests?”
Crenshaw shifted his weight in his chair. “Your parents were the only guests that journeyed on that train. My father did make it and right now he’s living in India.”
Something wasn’t right, and Roxanne could feel it in her bones. He was lying. There was something off in just the small amount of information he’d given her. He was uncomfortable and fidgeted; more importantly, he wouldn’t look her in the face. Instead, he averted his gaze.
“I imagine it’s a fascinating place. Our parents certainly thought so. This was to have been their second journey there.” She watched him through hooded eyes, to see what his response would be.
Nothing was different. He was still hesitant in his answers. She would discuss this with Arthur and Graham in greater detail once Crenshaw left. The man was hiding something, and they needed to be prepared and ready when they began looking into his background.
“India’s like no other country. It’s a world all its own.”
“It sounds like it might be.”
Deciding she had perhaps said too much in front of Mr. Crenshaw, Roxanne stood and smoothed her skirts with her hands. “If you gentlemen will excuse me, I need to check on a few things.”
Hands were shaken, good afternoons said, and she turned and walked out of the room. There really wasn’t anything she had to do, but interrogating her brother’s guest seeminglywas not well received by either Arthur or Graham. For the time being, she would make herself scarce by going to her bedchamber. She had a couple of letters she needed to respond to. That would take some time. Maybe after that, Mr. Crenshaw would be gone and she could rejoin her brother and Graham. She wanted them to discuss this with her. It wasn’t something that could be ignored. Crenshaw knew more than he was letting on, and they needed to get to the root of it. They also didn’t need to be purchasing any ships from him until they knew everything there was to know.
