Page 77 of Wicked Rivals
“And a black sky sometimes doesn’t rain at all,” Linley agreed.
“Why don’t you give me a hand with polishing the silver?” The footman gestured to the silver cabinet, holding a set of keys.
Linley followed the man and waited for him to open the cabinet door. The footman glanced about, searching the hall for other servants, then leaned close to Linley.
“I’ve sent word about the wedding between Lennox and Lady Melbourne.”
“Good. I’ve not yet had a chance to.” Linley slipped a piece of paper into the other man’s hand. “Could you see this gets posted for me?”
The footman tucked the letter away. “I’ll see it done.”
“Thank you.” Linley feigned interest in the silver spoons a moment longer before he spoke. “I should return to Lord Lonsdale.”
He left the footman and headed back up the stairs into the main hall. Now that he’d delivered his report he could pursue his next objective.
Linley came to the room where Lady Melbourne was residing with Lennox. The chamber would be empty, he hoped. Just before he touched the knob, the door opened and a little girl scrambled out, her face red and her little giggles undeniably sweet.
“Shoo! You shouldn’t be in there!” Linley chastised, but he couldn’t help but laugh as he watched the giggling child race down the corridor. Once Linley was assured that no one else was in the hall, he turned the latch and slipped inside. Lennox’s bedroom was large and masculine, yet the tastes were clearly refined, like Lonsdale’s.
A small dresser drew Linley’s attention. He rifled through the drawers, finding dresses, undergarments and other items which belonged to Lady Melbourne, but no evidence of what he’d been charged to find—an object that could decode messages. It had been so important that Daniel Sheffield had broken the code of silence to contact her, albeit indirectly.
Tom had been told they’d searched Lady Melbourne’s residence and turned up nothing. Therefore, it stood to reason that she had brought it with her, and Tom was in the best position to find out.
As he searched the last drawer of a small table beside the bed, his fingers brushed something cool and circular. He clutched it and raised it up in the light. A pocket watch. Sheffield had said the cipher would resemble a watch, but inside it would have symbols and letters rather than a watch face. He popped the lid open.
Linley’s heart sank. No decoder, just a common pocket watch. He dropped it back into the drawer and faced the room, trying to decide what else to search.
Digging around the bedding and through Lennox’s clothes, Linley huffed in disappointment. He checked every place he could think of but found nothing.Curses!Waverly would be furious. The thought made him feel faint. A sound outside the door made him jump.
Darting behind the door, which had started to open, he held his breath. A chambermaid entered, carrying a bucket and a cloth sling with firewood logs. While her back was to him, Linley ducked around the open door and out into the corridor again. He would have to try again tomorrow.
He trotted up the main stairs and headed for his master’s chambers. Lonsdale was inside, facing the fire in his room, elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the flames. He rolled a glass of brandy between his palms and didn’t turn around as Linley approached.
“There you are, lad. I’m having the worst fit of the blue devils. I don’t suppose you’d care to go a round or two with me in Ashton’s leisure room?”
“Boxing?” Linley clarified.
“Yes, what do you think? I’ve been idle for too long and need to be occupied.” Charles turned around in his seat, hope shining in his eyes.
Linley found himself nodding. He always preferred to have Charles happy and smiling when he could manage it. It kept him from asking questions.
“Excellent. Let me show you the way.” Charles finished his brandy and set it on the mantle before heading to the door. He seemed as comfortable in Lennox’s townhouse as in his own.
“Do you know where it is, my lord?” Linley asked.
“Oh, I’ve been coming here since I was eighteen. Often we in the League would gather at one member’s house while on holiday. Saved us from having dreadful relations trying to marry us off over and over. But those days seem to be coming to an end.”
Charles led Linley on a tour through the elegant, sunny halls. Linley was so rarely able to appreciate beauty. Even when he seemed to be relaxed, his mind was on his mission, wary of potential threats. But now he could steal glimpses of how the rich and titled lived.
An ache formed deep in his chest as he thought back to his life before his master, when he’d been a child in a happy household, his mother a lady’s maid to a beloved countess. Life had been full of joy then. Every room was filled with light and laughter. And then it was gone.
Lennox House reminded him of those happier times. The servants were welcoming, and with the tenant farm children running about, it was full of the sounds of love and family. It was nice to have the little scamps underfoot.
The ache in his chest grew for little Katherine, his baby sister he’d left back in London at Charles’s home. It was hard to leave her for so long, even if she was well cared for. In some ways, Katherine was all he had left of his life before.
Charles stopped in front of an open room. There was a space for fencing and equipment hanging on the wall. There was also a boxing ring on the floor outlined in white paint on the wood. Charles stopped by the ring and removed his waistcoat and hung it on a peg by the fencing foils. He rolled up his sleeves, exposing his tanned, muscled forearms.
“Well, come on, lad. Take that cap off and let’s go.”
