Page 41 of Tamed By a Duke
"Not to me, per se," Montague sighed, "But his name has, unfortunately, been linked several times with the lovely Lady Julia."
"The same Lady Julia who fled at the very sight of you, just last night?"
"Yes."
"The same Lady Julia who is—in your father's eyes at least—the last woman you should consider setting your cap at?"
"That's the one," Montague replied irritably, unimpressed by Hugh pouring a cold bucket of reality over the flames of his infatuation.
"And what of fair Rosaline?" Hugh pressed; for just last week Montague had been waxing lyrical about the beautiful courtesan.
"Who?"
Lud. Hugh stifled a sigh; if Lady Julia had managed to knock the very thought of Rosaline from Montague's mind, then he was lost to sense completely.
Thankfully Orsino, who had been staring thoughtfully out the window for the entirety of their exchange, returned to the land of the living to offer a distraction.
"What type of trouble do you think Miss Drew is in?" he queried, only five minutes late in his reply. Quite the delay for a man supposed to have lightning quick reflexes, Hugh thought with a smile.
"I don't quite know," Hugh confessed, "I fear that she has mixed herself up with some radical group, who are pressing her for funding. Why else would she pawn her jewels? She has no need for money—her father has accounts set up in every shop, and his credit is good."
"I doubt that Miss Drew would be silly enough to embroil herself with criminals," Orsino soothed, "There must be another reason."
But what?
Hugh had nearly had the truth from her last night, before Deveraux had come barrelling into them. He paused for a moment, as he reflected on Charlotte's reaction to her former beau. She had been unable to speak, so frightened was she of his presence. Was it possible that Deveraux had something to do with all this?
Hugh ran through a list of ways that Deveraux might be involved in Charlotte's troubles, but found that none made sense. The only idea which held any merit, was that Deveraux might be blackmailing Charlotte. But he quickly dismissed the idea as he recalled that Deveraux had—according to his mother—married a very wealthy American heiress. Besides, what secrets could the man have to bribe Charlotte with?
"I fear that I will never find the reason, unless I engage in subterfuge," Hugh decided with a sigh.
"You could just ask her outright?" Montague offered, rather unhelpfully.
"I have tried that," Hugh replied testily, "But she was unwilling to confide in me. No, a little old-fashioned espionage is what's required."
"If you're certain..."
Hugh shot Montague a quelling glare; of course he was certain. He needed to ensure that Charlotte was safe, even if he had to do so against her wishes. That he was slightly hurt at her reticence was of no matter, he just needed to ensure her safety.
"Well, gentlemen," Hugh said, pushing his empty tumbler away from him, "I'd best be off."
"I thought you weren't running down Bond Street until two?" Montague grinned, earning himself a glare from Hugh.
"I thought you weren't listening," he countered, as he rose to a stand.
"We're always listening," Orsino replied, with a languid smile, "If you want a reply, I'm afraid you'll have to offer something worthy of one."
"And if you want Miss Havisham," Hugh retorted, "I'm afraid that you will have to try more action and less staring mournfully out of windows. Good-day men."
Hugh swept from the table toward the door, with Orsino's blustering following in his wake.
"I do not want Miss Havisham," Hugh heard him grumble, as the door closed behind him.
The gentleman doth protest too much, methinks, Hugh thought, with the insight of a man who had also fought against his heart's desire for too long. But no more; he would find out what Miss Drew was about, and then he would make her his wife.
Good, old-fashioned espionage, for Hugh at least, usually involved instigating himself into certain social circles to try and decipher if a traitor lurked in their midst. Mostly, these circles were aristocratic, for Whitehall had taken note of the methods of King Louis'Secret du Roiand had deduced that men were most likely to blab to those they considered their peers.
Occasionally, Hugh attended meetings and gatherings of a less noble nature—such as the one at which he had first spotted Charlotte—but mostly, his targets were the peerage.
