Page 24 of A Lady's Wicked Revenge
Step one: delay Uncle James’ plans somehow, whatever they may be.
This one had seemed as sensible as anything to Diana, enough so that she realised she had already been pursuing this step for some time, albeit in a haphazard, poorly planned way. Even if he did not need her consent to betroth her to any man of his choosing, she did not have to make it easy for him.
She could feign illness, perhaps, or scream bloody murder in front of any prospective suitors to drive them away, though Leah had impressed on her the importance of saving any shouting matches for the last resort so as not to provoke Uncle James into rash action.Whatever it takes, she thought with her teeth gritted,I will make him fight tooth and nail to get me to acquiesce to his wishes.
Unfortunately, the second step proved to be a bit trickier to get her mind around, though it seemed just as sensible as the first.
Step two: collect any information you can about Uncle James and his dealings.
Diana trudged numbly down the corridor, ignoring the looks or pleasantries she elicited in the members of the household staff who passed her way. In all the days she had been under Sir James’ care, she had rarely known him to be careless with his business dealings and certainly not with anything related to her position.
She had spotted an iron chest in his study, one that she assumed held all the man’s important papers, and for all his braggadocio and posturing, James Leeson was remarkably closemouthed about the nature of his business affairs … at least, in Diana’s earshot. He closed the door to his study whenever he was entertaining one of his slimy colleagues and had irately shushed her anytime Diana had enquired after the status of her legal documents or her parents’ will.
How in heaven’s name am I to learn anything about what Uncle James is doing if I am shut out of all his business?
As fortune would have it, the answer came to Diana while she was en route to retiring to her room. Climbing the steps of the back staircase, she heard low-pitched echoes that sounded almost like human speech. She looked around herself fearfully, unsure if she was being watched or spoken to, but all she could detect was a faint, sour aroma of tobacco and sweat. After a moment, she realised the sound was coming down from the top of the staircase. Pausing to listen more closely, Diana found that she could soon recognize distinct words among the susurrus.
“… business last month. I’ll thank you not to bring it up again, in my presence or elsewhere.”
That is Uncle James’ voice, beyond a doubt!thought Diana with a rush of excitement. Looking upward and trying to piece together a mental map of the confounding old house, she guessed that though she tended to take the grand stairs upstairs whenever she was summoned to see Uncle James, his study must be right at the top of this servants’ staircase.
She cupped an ear and inclined her head towards the source of the noise, but whoever was speaking to Uncle James had a softer voice, and his reply was nothing more than a distant rumble. Uncle James, on the other hand, was now raising his voice in anger as he was so wont to do.
“Of course I bloody well wish you’d leave the country! But we both know that’s the worst thing you can do right now. Especially as I may need you again.”
Whatever he’s speaking about, he sounds positively frantic.Diana’s eyes narrowed, her mind racing at what could affect such a state in the man.Sounds like bloody business, whatever it is. If only I could hear the other side of the conversation …She crept up the stairs as silently as she could, past the landing that led to the corridor beside her room, moving on her hands and knees to keep her shoes from squeaking on the polished stone.
“… of my sight, Bertrand. Not after your drink, I tell you—right now, this instant. Don’t come around here again until I send for you, or I’ll hire someone else next time, and for two jobs instead of one.”
There was a soft click of glass, then footsteps. They sounded not more than twenty yards away, just above her head and down the hall. Diana froze, her blood shot through with ice. When she heard the scratch of oak and the soft squeal of metal hinges, she waited no longer, flying down the stairs and sailing into her room as she pushed open her door and closed it behind her in one fluid motion.
Diana threw herself into her freshly made bed, curling up and facing the wall to feign sleep, though it struck her as a ridiculously childish manoeuvre.Did Uncle James hear me? Did the man he was talking to – that Bertrand? They must have done; I was too careless, came too close!
She dared not open her mouth to breathe, though her heart was pounding hard enough she feared she might burst. Finally, after an eternity passed, and Diana heard nothing but the rumble of her heart, she lay back in the bed and breathed deeply in relief.
I have my answer, then,she thought as she gazed up at the ceiling—on the other side of which was the floor of her abhorrent guardian’s study, she decided.Delay his plans and gather information by listening at his study whenever possible.
Thanks to Leah and a little luck, she had her plan of action. Now all she needed was the resolve to carry it out … and the strength of will to steady the thundering of her heartbeat.
Chapter 11
Feathers of Another Bird
By all rights, it should have been one of the happiest days Diana Hann could have hoped for. The weather was bright and fair, the air warm but not uncomfortable. For the first time in more than a month, she had been allowed out into the world and away from the oppressive atmosphere of the Leeson house. And here, amid the thrilling, unapologetic life of Spitalfields Market, Diana felt herself reassured by the sights and sounds and smells of other human beings going about their own tumultuous lives.
There was just one problem.
“Here, ah, Miss Hann. That is, if you would just slow your pace for a moment, I—excuse me, sir, pardon me—Miss Hann?”
“Wait there, Miss Diana, we’re coming! Lord have mercy, Mister Dunn, my old bones don’t move as good as they used to.
Diana closed her eyes and drew in a breath.If I keep my eyes closed, I can imagine I am here all by myself, if only for one precious second.
“Ah, there you are,” said Gerard Dunn, stumbling as he reached Diana through the throng of Londoners. His dun-coloured hair was a tangled mess, and he was out of breath even though Diana had not succeeded in getting more than thirty yards away from him. “I’m sorry, I, uh … I don’t know how we got separated, Miss Hann. Are you all—that is, don’t fear, ah, Miss Hann. I’m here right beside you.”
“Thank goodness. For a moment, I thought I had lost you. How terrible that would have been,” Diana grumbled in a deadpan voice.
“I must say, I’ll have to have a word with Sir James,” Missus Fessler huffed, smoothing her skirts. “I’m getting too old for athletics like this, chaperone or no.”
