Page 98 of Dare to Love a Duke
“I can and I will,” Tom said. “We will go there now. This very moment.”
“Now?” Brookhurst frowned.
“Yes, this very moment.” Tom pointed at Brookhurst’s footman. “Distribute the address of the place to whomever desires it. We’ll form a caravan. Then, the truth will be discovered.”
The duke narrowed his eyes, as if trying to find the flaw in Tom’s plan. Finally he said, “As you like. You and I shall go together.” Brookhurst made a show of opening the door to his carriage. “It would be my pleasure and privilege to transport you there myself.”
He climbed into his carriage.
Tom glanced at Blakemere. The moment had arrived, everything moving as it was supposed to.
His friend nodded. In a trice, Blakemere had gotten into his own waiting carriage and driven off. Meanwhile, other MPs had been given the address of the Orchid Club—no doubt pretending that they didn’t already know where it was located—and were climbing into their own vehicles to witness what promised to be a spectacle.
“I await your pleasure,” Brookhurst called smugly.
After nodding at Greyland and the others, Tom took a breath, then got into the duke’s carriage.
“I was concerned that today was going to be tedious,” Brookhurst said as they drove toward Bloomsbury. “Clearly, I was mistaken.”
Tom said nothing, lest he show his hand too early. Now there was nothing to do but wait.
Chapter 24
House available to let—commodious lodgings with four bedrooms and two spacious parlors located within Clerkenwell and within a short distance from Sadler’s Wells. Excellent kitchen. Serious enquiries welcome.
Though the property sounded a bit small as a location for the new club, Lucia used a pencil to circle the advertisement. The longer it took to find a site for the next establishment, tentatively named The Lily Club, the longer her staff would be out of work, and the greater the amount of time before Lucia could establish her girls’ home.
The amount collected by the staff would cover a deposit as well as several months’ rent. It was a good start, provided she found a location quickly.
Noises from the traffic outside echoed up into the warren of tiny rooms in which she sat. Kitty and Elspeth had taken Liam out for some air—admittedly in shorter supply here in Spitalfields than in Bloomsbury.
The next chapter in her life beckoned, but summoning excitement for it proved a challenge. Moving her body, heavy with loss, proved a barely surmountable obstacle. Finding enthusiasm felt too great an endeavor. The world became distant and gray, a shadow of itself, and, drained of life, she could only watch.
It had been far, far too long since she’d last seen Tom.
She had to find a way to move on. Shehadto. And yet the prospect of being without him leeched away all pleasure.
Hopefully, he’d found a way to weather the scandal. But if he did, she would never know. And that not knowing—just as she’d never again know his smiles, his wit, the warmth of his gaze—formed a grievous injury that could not heal.
A knock sounded at the door, and she surfaced from her grim thoughts. She stood, shook out her skirts, and went to see who it was.
Standing before her was a footman in gold and scarlet livery. A liveried servant wasn’t often seen in Spitalfields, and she didn’t recognize the colors of his uniform.
His posture impeccable, he held out a square of folded paper. “Madam.”
She took it from him and read.
My love,
A carriage awaits you downstairs. In it, you will find my friend the Earl of Blakemere. I ask that you accompany him. The gamble you and I take could secure our future happiness, so I ask you to trust me.
Your servant, &c.
T.
For several moments, Lucia could only stare at Tom’s note. The wisest thing would be to refuse and stay here, hiding in her rooms. Caring for him had already cost her so much.
I ask you to trust me.
