Page 79 of His Wife, the Spy
“You got newsprint on my gloves,” Fiona groused. “Mrs. Linden will have to scrub them twice as hard.”
“You could wash them yourself.” He swept his eyes down the menu. “The sunshine was pleasant, I thought.”
“I’d rather not seeScandalized Socialite Seduces Marquessas tomorrow’s gossip headline.” She flicked a glance toward Charlotte. “I quite like Annabel, you know.”
Jasper winked at her. “So do I.”
The server came to take their order. Lemon for Fiona, and vanilla for Jasper.
“I’m glad to hear it, but your domestic bliss is cheating me out of ballroom gossip. Do you two do nothing but stay at home?”
“We just returned from Ramsbury.”
Fiona paused for a moment, nibbling her lip. “How are things?”
“You’ve spoken with Mother?” Her nod gave him permission to drop his guard. “Nothing much has changed since.”
He’d received one letter from Kit, but the message had only been about the progress in Wales. Claudette had charmed Gareth’s family, and their reconciliation had unified the Welsh constabulary’s pursuit of Collins.
Annabel had stopped paying Kit’s wages.
The pay had begun as a salve to his conscience. Kit hadn’t wanted it, but Jasper could think of nothing else to do for a man who insisted on walking through every door first, who droppedeverything on a whim, and spent his time in unsavory crowds doing little but hiding in the dark.
Their ices arrived, and Jasper tucked into his. He didn’t particularly like vanilla, but there had been too many other choices, and his head was beginning to ache.
“This can’t be easy for him either,” Fiona said.
Jasper had been overwhelmed when he took his father’s title, and he’d been prepared for it since birth. Kit had been at his side, watching everything as an outsider, keeping his inheritance a secret while being employed by his cousin. “I’m sure it isn’t, but he hasn’t asked for help.”
Jasper had been paying his cousin to be his friend.
“I’m glad we could see each other today,” Fiona said. “Father is sending me to Paris again.”
What scrape had she gotten into now? “I thought Mrs. Linden was keeping you out of trouble.”
“I am keeping myself out of trouble, thank you. She is there as my guardian angel.” Though Fiona’s tone was light, she was fiddling with her ice as it melted. “He’s decided I should go back out next Season. A visit with Mr. Worth is the first step.”
“Fi.” He resisted covering her hand with his. Charlotte would be too happy to spread a rumor neither Fiona nor Annabel needed. Instead, he waited for her gaze to meet his.
The doubt he saw there touched the same spot Jane and Johanna found. He wanted to do more to the man that had hurt her than simply break his nose. “You’ll be the star of every ball.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Not a diamond?”
“Diamonds are overrated.” He said it loud enough for Charlotte to hear. “Annabel says so.”
His skin prickled. He glanced from Fiona to Raines and caught the young man staring again. Just like he stared at his cards before folding.
When he had something to hide.
Chapter Nineteen
“Thank you foraccepting my invitation.” Annabel felt nothing like a marchioness while entertaining her first guest, but she did her best to channel Lady Lambourn as she served coffee.
“I was pleased to receive it.” Jocelyn Fletcher added cream and sugar to her cup. “How was your visit to the country?”
Annabel tapped her biscuit against her saucer, debating how to begin, or whether to begin at all. She and Jasper had agreed not to share the details of their visit, but several things concerned her, and she suspected Jocelyn could help.
“We encountered highwaymen on the road to Ramsbury.” Just saying the words made her bones shake at the memory of firing the pistol.
