Page 47 of Masquerading with the Duke
But of course, he did.
‘Ladies.’ He removed his hat and gave them an exaggerated bow that Martina knew was intended as a slight. ‘What a pleasure.’
‘I wish we could say the same,’ Martina replied in an icy tone.
‘My, but you have ideas above your station,’ Redrow replied in a voice that oozed sarcasm and didn’t completely conceal his fury. Presumably he wasn’t accustomed to women of her tender years standing up to him. ‘Someone needs to bring you down to size.’ His gaze lingered insolently upon her body. Martina felt Ariana stirring at her side, ready to spring to her aid, no doubt, but Martina needed no help. It was important that she deal with the presumptive braggart herself, and was spurred on by his outrageous assumption that she should be afraid of him—or worse, that she owed him some sort of deference. ‘You cannot hide indefinitely.’
‘You have an inflated opinion of your own importance if you think I am afraid of you.’ Martina spoke with her head held high, loud enough for the curious villagers who had paused to listen to the exchange to easily hear the words and the tone in which they were spoken. ‘Come, Ariana, there is nothing for us here.’
Martina gave Redrow a contemptuous look, turned away from him and had the satisfaction of hearing Redrow let out an angry hiss. She noticed several onlookers give her a nod of approval and knew that the subject of a glorified maid cutting a man of Redrow’s stature would become the talk of the taproom in no time at all. Redrow would discover that he had overplayed his hand, since no one would take his side against any member of the duke’s household. Given that he was so anxious to keep up the connection with the duke, she was surprised that he had shown a brief glimpse of his real character.
‘You enjoyed that, I think,’ Ariana said as they walked on without a backward glance. ‘But have a care. There’s something about Redrow. I can’t say precisely what it is, but I learned to take the measure of men from all walks of life when we were still in Spain. Redrow is not accustomed to being gainsaid.’
‘Perhaps, but I will not be intimidated by him and it’s important to me that he should know it. Besides, there is nothing he can do to harm me,’ Martina replied with more conviction than she actually felt. Perhaps it had been unwise to put him down quite so publicly, she now conceded, but by golly it had felt good!
‘And we shall not spoil our day by thinking any more about him,’ Ariana replied. ‘Here we are.’ Ariana pushed open the door to the modiste’s establishment. ‘Now, let us occupy ourselves with a more agreeable pastime.’
They spent the next hour poring over fabric samples and designs for gowns in the latest styles. Martina tried to enjoy the moment, but the interlude with Redrow had soured her mood and she could not have said afterwards what decisions they had reached. The fact that he had spoken to her with such vitriolic contempt in front of Ariana had worried her more than she was prepared to admit. Redrow was normally the epitome of gentlemanly behaviour when he had an audience.
‘Can our gowns really be made in less than a week?’ Martina asked as they left the premises.
‘Oh, I am absolutely sure of it. Mrs Hartshaw has only just taken over these premises and is keen to prove herself—especially to anyone connected to the duchess. They will be ready, never you fear.’
Martina nodded absently, still deeply disturbed by Redrow’s presumptuous behaviour. She decided against accompanying Ariana when she mentioned calling at the vicarage with a message from the duchess.
‘I will go back and wait with the carriage,’ she said.
‘Are you sure, dearest?’
Martina knew that her sister must be thinking that Redrow might still be lurking and hastened to reassure her. ‘Perfectly sure. I have a slight headache,’ she lied, ‘and the vicar’s wife is bound to make it ten times worse with the snide comments she cannot seem to help making about all Catholics being heretics.’
‘She does rather run on, I suppose, but I have learned to block her out. All right, my love, I shall not be above ten minutes. Besides, your waiting for me will give me a legitimate excuse not to linger.’
The girls parted company and Martina walked back alone towards the tavern; a lady with a point to prove. She smiled at a little girl playing with a puppy and at two boys with enough energy to splash one another, giggling infectiously beneath the indulgent eye of the women gathered around the pump.
She strolled on, idly wondering if Redrow was still in the taproom or whether the disapproval of the locals had driven him away. Before she reached that establishment a flash of colour in a side alley caught her eye. A deep green coat. Redrow had been wearing green. It had to be him. He was in conversation with another man, but why was they skulking at the side of a building?
Martina’s curiosity got the better of her. With her heart beating disproportionately fast, she continued walking but took the next turning on the left and then turned left again, aware that her route would bring her to the spot at the back of the building, the side wall of which Redrow was leaning against. She would probably be able to hear what was being said, if they were not talking in whispers, and perhaps even observe whom he was speaking with.
She wouldn’t be seen, unless the two men separated and one of them returned to the main street by reversing the circuitous route she had just taken. But Martina couldn’t worry about that now. This was an opportunity to catch Redrow out in something underhand and she wasn’t about to pass it up.
This was a public street, she reminded herself, albeit seldom used since it was a dead end, and she had every right to loiter in it if she felt so inclined. She inched towards the corner of the building and chanced a quick glance around its edge. Both men had their backs to her and were in animated conversation. She recognised both Redrow and the man with him. The same man she had seen in his own gardens.
Jared’s brother.
‘I didn’t get a chance to make a proper search,’ said a voice that sounded similar to Jared’s but was not his. ‘I was watched like a hawk the entire time and he keeps all his papers locked away in his library. Anyone would think I was a damned criminal.’
‘Your brother never left you alone?’ Redrow’s voice had developed a cynical edge. ‘I find that hard to believe.’
‘Believe what you damned well like. I told you, we are not on the best of terms and he doesn’t trust me.’
‘Then this is your opportunity to get your revenge.’
‘His man is more protective than a guard dog. Speaking of which, he left his dog behind when he went out last night and the damned cur never stopped growling at me.’
‘He went out and you didn’t take advantage?’ She could hear the scorn in Redrow’s voice. ‘You are proving to be more of a liability than a help, and you’re certainly not worth the blunt you’ve already extracted from me.’ Redrow let out a long sigh. ‘Where did your brother go, just as a matter of interest?’
‘To Winchester Park, rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty.’
