The Season

twenty-two

He watched the Essex countryside 'roll past beyond the carriage window. He had been traveling all night — seething with anger.

He had lost everything. all because of that brat. His French partners had broken contact with him. Stopped using his services. It was only a matter of time before they came for him; he knew too much — their identities, their plans, their location.

The girls had to be dealt with. He would not be bested by a gaggle of irritating children.

He knew, without question, that they had been searching the study of Blackmoor House. They had been looking for the same thing he had been looking for — information that could lead to his capture and the capture of his contacts. Information that would see them all hanged.

While he was certain the girls hadn't found anything — after all, if he had failed to find the evidence designed to incriminate him, he was sure that three silly girls playing at investigators could do no better — but now he was concerned about Blackmoor's suspicions being raised.

He was growing more desperate. Everything he had worked for was lost. He could not risk losing his life as well. The ridiculous young earl was proving to be no sort of threat; he was just as much of a lapdog as his father had been. But those girls... they had to be silenced. Starting with that meddling Worthington chit, who seemed fearless. If anything happened to her, it would devastate the earl.

He smiled darkly, willing the horses forward.

Alex woke, stretching luxuriously, keenly aware of the sun high in the sky, marking the lateness of the hour. Outside her chamber, she could hear two maids chattering as they moved down the hall way, clearing away any stray dust that might take away from the imposing stature of the manor. One laughed, the sound tinkling through the door, and Alex felt a jolt of happiness at the sound.

Of course, it would have been difficult to dampen her mood on this particular morning, after such a wonderful night shared with Blackmoor. Her Blackmoor. She smiled to herself as a wave of eagerness coursed through her. She wondered if she'd missed the chance to see him at breakfast, if he was still in the house, if she could catch him before he left on whatever excursion her brothers had likely cooked up to avoid the arrival of her parents' guests. She threw back the covers and bounded from the bed, pulling the bell for Eliza.

She was deep in her wardrobe, poring through clothes, when the knock sounded on her door. She called out, "Enter!" expecting Eliza. Instead, Ella and Vivi entered, then stopped short just inside the room, surprised by the scene they had disturbed.

Vivi spoke first, unable to keep the curiosity from her tone. "Begging your pardon, whatever are you doing?"

Alex stepped back, exclaiming, "Oh! Thank goodness! I don't have any idea what to wear! You have to help me. What should I wear to make me look" —she waved her hand in the air as she searched for the word — "beautiful? The green walking dress? The lavender day dress? Something else? Help!"

"Whatever for? When have you ever been concerned with fashion?" Ella asked, unable to keep the confusion from her tone.

Vivi understood immediately. "Ella, you really can be dense at times." She walked toward Alex, pushing her way into the wardrobe beside her. "Looking to impress Blackmoor, are we?"

Alex blushed prettily, peeking around a cream-colored evening gown. "Yes. How did you know?"

"You've hardly been the model of discretion," Vivi pointed out.

Alex held up a turquoise-colored riding habit for Vivi and Ella to consider. "Am I that obvious?"

"Only to those who know you best," Ella said, wrinkling her nose and shaking her head at the dress and pointing, instead, to the buttercup-colored Empire walking dress that Vivi was holding. "That one."

Within minutes, Alex was dressed and the three girls had made their way to the terrace of the manor, where they joined the duchess and Will, who were seated under a large linen canopy, out of the sun. As soon as they dropped into the chairs set out for them, Alex announced, "I'm famished!"

The duchess reached for a nearby teapot and poured her daughter a cup of tea while continuing to list the tasks she needed to complete prior to the arrival of several early guests that afternoon. "I'm still not entirely sure how to arrange all the rooms — I thought I had it all complete, then realized that I placed Lady Twizzleton and Lord Vauxwel in adjoining rooms. That won't do." She placed two biscuits on the saucer and passed the makeshift breakfast to her youngest child.

"Why can't you just move one of them to an unused room?" Will queried.

"My dear boy, there aren't any unused rooms."

"Mother!" Alex exclaimed around a mouth filled with biscuit. "Whatever do you mean, there aren't any rooms? There are twenty-three bedchambers in this house."

"Twenty-four, actually. It seems the party has grown in size."

"It certainly has! How many young, eligible men did you invite?" Alex's exasperation showed.

"Not as many as I would have liked," the duchess replied. Will snickered, only to stop immediately when she explained, "I had to invite eligible young ladies as well... and their parents, of course."

Alex smiled sweetly at her brother. "Of course. Ah, sweet justice. You have to deal with girls and mothers."

Will scowled. "At least I'm not the only eligible male in attendance."

"To that end, where are Nick and Kit and Blackmoor?" Alex queried, attempting to sound casual.

"Christopher and Nicholas are still abed," the duchess replied, shaking her head. "I'm sending their valets to wake them in a quarter of an hour if they fail to emerge on their own. As for Blackmoor, he was up very early to go back to Sewell hall and check on some estate affairs. I expect him back before this evening's dinner."

"Indeed," Will agreed, "Blackmoor swore he'd not leave me to face the wolves alone."

Alex sipped her tea to cover her disappointment that she wouldn't see Blackmoor until the evening. She had been hoping to spend some part of the day with him — she would have settled for seeing him at a distance. She sighed quietly into her teacup, wondering if he would come back sooner rather than later to see her.

Her brother gave her a wry look. "I feel exactly the same way," he said sympathetically, clearly thinking that she was accepting her fate as the unmarried daughter of an inveterate matchmaker.

Alex understood his meaning and smiled to herself, amused by his misinterpretation. "Somehow, I doubt that."

"Well, both of you will have to endeavor to overcome your disappointment," the duchess said distractedly, looking down at the list in her hand. "Eleanor, Vivian, do you girls mind my moving you to the adjoining rooms? That way, I can put Lord Vauxwel between Gavin's uncle and Lord and Lady Waring, and Lady Twizzleton next to the Stanhopes."

Alex's head snapped up at her mother's words. She met Ella's gaze to confirm that she'd heard correctly. Ella nodded mutely.

"Mother, did you say Lucian Sewell will be here?"

"Indeed, I did. I know he's an odd man, but I couldn't very well invite Blackmoor and leave him off the list. especially since he's been such a help since the earl's death."

Vivi coughed to cover her innate response to the duchess's words. Alex, a chill running down her spine, spoke, choosing her words carefully. "Of course. I was merely surprised. When do you expect him to arrive?"

"My understanding is that they are on their way presently and should be here not long before dinner."

"They?" Ella blurted out.

"He and Baron Montgrave. They seem to be very close. I thought it might make Lucian more comfortable."

"I'm sure you did," Alex replied, her voice strained.

"Girls?" Her mother spoke, looking from Vivi to Ella. "You don't mind having adjoining rooms, do you?"

Ella shook her head as Vivi answered, "Not at all, Your Grace. We would be happy to share."

"Excellent. I'm off to make those changes, then." The duchess stood, then turned back to her children. "Do not go far, you two. And do not let your brothers disappear, should you see them. I may well require your combined assistance. In fact, William —" He groaned, knowing that he was about to be assigned a task. "Why don't you go and wake them?"

"I shall go as soon as I have finished reading this article." He nodded toward the paper he'd been trying to read. Seeming to accept that compromise, the duchess turned on her heel and exited the terrace into the house.

Alex watched her go, then turned to Will, buried in his newspaper. Cautiously, she asked, "Will, how do you feel about Blackmoor's uncle?"

"Strange fellow, but harmless," he said, distracted. "I suppose I understand why Mother invited him, but I find it very odd that he would attend. As helpful as the uncle has been, Blackmoor is thoroughly able to see to his duties himself by now. I think it's time for him to return to his prior life."

"Indeed," Ella said, meeting Alex's eye.

With a shake of the newsprint, Will closed the paper, folded it to its original position, and placed it on the table in front of him. Raising himself up to his full, looming height, he offered a short bow to the girls and spoke, taking two more biscuits from the tray. "I suppose I ought to raise the miscreants. Be warned... when we return, they shall devour everything in sight." Garnering a smile from the three friends, he entered the house to find his brothers.

Alex snatched another biscuit off the tea tray herself, nodding her agreement with Will's prediction. She needed to eat her fill before Nick and Kit arrived, or she'd have no chance of leaving this particular meal full.

Once Will was out of earshot, she spoke quietly to her friends. "Lucian Sewell and the Baron Montgrave are on their way here? I would guarantee they aren't coming because of my mother's reputation as a hostess."

"Likely not," Vivi said. "I think that when Blackmoor returns from the hall, we should sit our fathers down and discuss our next steps."

"Agreed."

Ella nodded, then pulled a familiar volume from her reticule, saying, "Well, I can cross one next step off of our list. I spent much of last evening reading A History of Essex. And guess what I discovered."

"What?" Alex leaned forward, hoping for a major revelation.

"Absolutely nothing. Aside from the fact that Essex has a thoroughly uninteresting history." She placed the book on the table between them.

Alex lifted the book and ran her fingers over the embossed letters on its cover. "I gave the earl's copy back to Blackmoor. Where did this copy come from?"

"Your father's library. It's incredible to me that there isn't a house in the county that doesn't have a copy of this exhaustively boring book. Even more so that the earl would have used it for his last missive."

"Perhaps it had something to do with his love of the land," Vivi suggested.

Ella shook her head. "Perhaps, but it simply seems too random. There has to be a reason he chose this book."

The two girls continued their hypothesizing as Alex turned the book over and over in her hands, reviewing the last few days in her mind, trying to remember everything she could about the book and where they had found it. Ella was right. This was not random. Yes, it had been luck that they had found it... but it was no accident that caused the earl to choose that book to carry his final words. What was special about a book that could be found everywhere?

Ella's voice echoed in her mind, There isn't a house in the county that doesn't have a copy. As the words turned over in her brain, she remembered Gavin saying the same thing — Every household in the county must own a copy.

"That's it!" Alex exclaimed, her voice filled with astonishment. She looked up at her friends, both of whom were wide-eyed. "The earl didn't choose the book because it was so close to his heart. He chose it because every house has a copy! It's not the volume in London that has the information. There must be a second copy at Sewell hall!"

The words came in a flood of anxiety. The book held the information that would damn Montgrave and Lucian Sewell and save Blackmoor. She had to get to it — and to Blackmoor — before anyone else did. With the men set to arrive that evening, before dinner, she had only a few hours to do so. She stood from the table, so quickly that she toppled her teacup, leaving Vivi to right it for her. "I have to find Blackmoor. Now." Ella stood. "We will help you."

Alex shook her head. "No. This, I have to do alone. I don't know what will be in that book but, whatever it is, it is bound to upset him. He has to face that without an audience." She clasped Ella's hands, looking from her to Vivi. "Help me by keeping my mother off the scent? Again?"

"Because we were so excellent at doing so the last time," Ella pointed out wryly.

Alex smiled quickly, already moving toward the steps that led down into the gardens. "Thank you! I shall be back soon — with Blackmoor in tow."

They watched her go, rushing through the garden and down the long, sandy path, which led through a field of bright yellow cowslips that separated the Stafford and Sewell lands. "She’ll be ruined if she's not careful," Ella said.

"Nonsense. He'd wed her in a heartbeat if he thought she'd have him," Vivi replied. Quite.

A half an hour later, Will, who had been waylaid on his walk back from waking his brothers, rejoined them. He picked up his newspaper and bowed low to the girls, saying, "I'm afraid I must take my official leave. It seems a carriage has broken an axle on the main road and it fall s to me to play rescuer."

"We shall miss your company, my lord," Vivi offered with a smile.

"And I yours," he returned. "My brothers will be down shortly, however, to entertain you until they are required to entertain the early guests."

"Are there guests here already?" Ella asked, curious.

"Indeed. The Baron Montgrave has arrived, but he has plans to visit Sewell hall this afternoon, he says."

Vivi's sharp intake of breath was followed by Ella's quick response, "Why the hall?"

Will, who was pulling on his calfskin gloves and clearly distracted by the task he was about to undertake, shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I do not know. I imagine because Sewell has arrived early as well."

Both girls shot up from their seats at his words, the concern in their expressions shocking Will from his preoccupation. He asked sharply, "What is it?"

"I think we had better speak to your father," Vivi said, fear in her voice.