Page 86 of Wicked Rivals
“I haven’t looked, my lord.” Linley was studying the boots intently, rubbing far harder on them than was necessary. Charles came over and gripped the young man’s hands to stop him.
“Easy, boy, you’ll rub holes in the leather. Why don’t you run downstairs and fetch something to eat? I know you forget most of the time. So off with you. I’m sure the cook will have leftover tarts from tonight’s dinner.” He patted Linley’s shoulder, and with a reluctant smile, the boy stood and set the boots aside and left the room.
Charles scanned the room, then searched his drawers. Still no watch. It would be nice if at least one good thing happened to him today, but that didn’t seem to be his fate. With a frustrated sigh, he threw himself down upon the bed. Something hard jabbed into his shoulder blades where he landed. He rolled over and moved the pillow back an inch to find a gleaming gold pocket watch.
At first he felt relief, but that soon changed. “This isn’t mine. And it isn’t working…” He was about to put it on the small table beside his bed when he froze. Something about this seemed familiar.
A memory of the night that he and Avery took Audrey Sheridan out on the town to start teaching her some of Avery’s trade in spy work flashed through him like quicksilver.Avery at the quiet little pub table where they wouldn’t be disturbed, holding out a strange device that looked like a pocket watch…but it wasn’t. Audrey’s eyes gleaming with keen interest as she reached for it and opened it. A simple clock face was displayed until Avery pressed the latch a second time and a false bottom opened. Audrey turned the piece over and noticed the opposite side had a circular pattern of strange symbols and letters.
“What is it?” she asked.
“A cipher decoder. A select few of us use them to decode letters. They are quite rare. The ring of symbols can be adjusted to match new letters. At the top of any correspondence we will match one letter and symbol in the top corner and once you have this you can mimic the matching pattern and decode the entire letter.”
Charles pressed the latch and the false bottom appeared. “What in the blazes…” How had a cipher decoder ended up in his bedchamber? And more importantly, who had left it here? He hastily tucked the watch into his dresser drawer beneath some neatly folded shirts. That was a mystery he would have to solve once Rafe was better. Ashton would be too worried about his brother to focus on this new mystery.
Still…
Charles stared at the drawer, a sense of dread building inside him. Something didn’t feel right about any of this.
*****
Something was definitely not right.
Rosalind stood in the center of Ashton’s empty bedchamber. It surprised her that she was bothered by his absence. She should have enjoyed the quiet, and yet she longed for his intense gaze and the way he made her feel as if she were the only person in the world.
That was one thing she hadn’t realized she would enjoy, being the sole focus of a man’s attention. Perhaps it was because he was genuinely interested in her and had no wish to hurt or use her—he just wanted her. With Ashton, the world seemed to halt and it was just the two of them, even when they were quarreling.
After his departure in the middle of dinner, she’d assumed he’d gone to see to his brother but would likely return. Then Charles had made his apologies, as had Lady Lennox shortly after dinner was over. Given their worried looks before they’d left, Rosalind had sensed something was wrong but wasn’t in a position to pry. She’d refused to change out of her clothes and sent Claire to bed so that she might wait up for him. She jumped when the chamber door opened, but it was only Ashton’s valet.
“My apologies, Your Ladyship.”
“It’s all right, Lowell. Where is Lord Lennox?”
The young valet’s expression was somber. “Tending to his brother. He’s taken ill with the grippe. The doctor told His Lordship we aren’t to be in Mr. Rafe’s room because of concerns the illness could spread. His Lordship is seeing to his brother himself. I was told to bring him some clothes, but I am not supposed to open the door.”
Lowell’s hands shook as he collected a few items. It was obvious the young man was terrified. She straightened her shoulders, and with a little nod to herself she made a decision to help him.
Rosalind approached him and held out her hands. “Allow me to take them, Mr. Lowell.”
“But—”
“It will be fine. Lord Lennox won’t know you didn’t leave them. I’m soft-footed when I need to be.” She lifted her skirts and showed him a slippered foot. “Now, let me have those. Which way is Rafe’s room?” She collected the clothes and received her directions before she left Lowell to tidy up the chamber.
Following the instructions from the valet, she found Rafe’s room and set the clothes upon the floor outside the door. Then she knocked and rushed to the nearest alcove, hiding behind a marble statue of a half-naked nymph fleeing the arms of the god Zeus.
The door opened and Ashton appeared, his face pale as he collected the clothing and disappeared back inside. She was loath to admit it, but she was worried for him and for his brother, even if he was a damned highwayman. She knew enough of foolish brothers to know that when you loved one, you could not lose him without breaking your heart. And in some ways, she had lost three. She didn’t wish that pain on Ashton.
Perhaps by the morning all would be well. She crept back down the hall, her heart sinking. Even though she despised what Rafe had done, she did not truly wish him ill. She had shot him, after all. Some might call the matter settled. And she certainly did not wish to see Ashton suffer by watching his brother endure such a harsh illness.
I wish there was more I could do.
“What are you doing, Lady Melbourne?” Lord Lonsdale’s voice made her jump. He stepped out of a doorway, holding a glass of brandy. His hair was tousled and his waistcoat was gone.
“I brought Ashton some clothes. He’s taking care of his brother. Have you heard?” she asked.
Charles nodded. “Influenza. Can be a nasty business. Rafe’s too stubborn to let himself get worse. I have faith that he’ll pull through.”
The words sounded hollow and forced, making the silence between them that much more uncomfortable.
