Page 49 of The Seductive Love of a Lady
Drew and Peter looked at the butler who had opened the door.
‘There is a woman downstairs, Lord Brooke, who is asking to speak to you. She came to the servants’ door with a letter for you, but she will not pass it on to anyone but yourself, sir.’
Beyond Brooke’s butler they heard quick steps. The woman, who was swamped by a voluminous cloak, was no longer downstairs but rushing past the butler into the room. She threw the hood back.
Pembroke’s wife.
Her hand lifted from beneath the folds of the cloak.
Drew set down his glass and stood, facing the possibility that she had hidden a pistol beneath the cloak.
Peter moved too, preparing to make her drop whatever weapon she held.
But the thing her hand revealed was paper.
A letter.
‘I am not here to cause harm, Lord Framlington. Mary told us the truth of this ridiculous tale. John and I have been searching for you, to ask you to travel back with us. Mary is living with us, she wants you there. You will be safer away from London. She would have come to London herself but John and I thought it better that she stayed away. I promised to bring you back. Will you come with us?’
Drew stared at her. The Duchess of Pembroke had come through the servants’ entrance to offer him help. She had no reason to help him.
‘This letter is from Mary.’ She held it out for him to take.
He accepted the letter, his heart hammering.
My dearest Andrew,
I am sorry I did not believe you. I believe you now. Come, come quickly. John will take you out of London and bring you here, where you will be safe.
Mary, your devoted wife.
Will you forgive me for my lack of faith?
He looked up at the Duchess. ‘Where is she?’
‘At Pembroke Place, not far from London, it is John’s principal estate. The house and grounds are extensive. No one will be able to attack you there. You will have time and privacy to resolve these matters with Mary.’
‘Is Lord Marlow there also?’
‘No, Lord and Lady Marlow have gone to their own estate.’
Your devoted wife.
Does she love me still?
He covered his mouth with his hand and rubbed his chin.
‘Mary will be distraught if you do not come. I promised.’ Determination glinted in her eyes.
‘Where is the Duke? Why are you here and not him?’
‘He is waiting a hundred yards away, in an unmarked carriage. John has asked for you everywhere. I said no one is telling him the truth because they think he means harm. I told him I had more chance of persuading Lord Brooke to speak.’
‘If I go out there, will I receive a bullet in my chest?’
The Duchess glanced at the letter in his hand. ‘Would Mary lie to you? I told you the truth; John and I want you to come for Mary’s sake. Mary left you because she overheard a conversation between you and Lord Brooke about a property you purchased for another woman. John’s aunt believed you were with a mistress in a draper’s warehouse.
‘Mary now understands that was your sister. If you are guilty of anything, it is of not telling Mary what you have been doing. She did not leave you for lack of love. She has been inconsolable.’
