Going to his bedchamber was probably meant to be the simplest of the tasks ahead of him, but was actually a significant obstacle. Mary and Robert hadn’t been there that day. His brother-in-law had no way of knowing that inside those walls, his father had told him about Claire’s accident and death. And he remembered all too well what it felt like to retch on the floor as the weight of his father’s words consumed him.
But Carver just nodded and began to walk toward the door.
Robert spoke again before Carver had left the room. “Oh, and Kensworth! For goodness' sake, whatever arrangement you have with Miss Bellows, do not call it off until after the ball and you are back in London.” Carver froze. “The doctor said these first few months of Mary’s pregnancy are the most fragile. She needs to stay stress free.”
He turned sharply on his heels and faced Robert. “What do you know about Miss Bellows?”
Robert smiled indulgently, smoothing some of the lines Carver had noticed earlier. “Nothing. But I’ve played cards with you enough to know when you’re bluffing on a bad hand.”
“Confound you, Robert, I’m devilishly good at cards,” said Carver, smiling.
Robert just laughed. “But not as good as I am. I don’t know what sort of wool you’re trying to pull over everyone’s eyes, nor do I wish to. In fact, I’ll insist that you not tell me.”
Carver’s shoulders sunk. He needed to tell someone. “You’re not even a little curious?”
“Of course I am. But I also couldn’t keep a secret from your sister even if my life was hanging in the balance. And I have a feeling that whatever is going on with Miss Bellows needs to be kept in confidence. I’ll not have anything disturbing Mary’s peace this week.”
Carver shoved a hand through his hair and groaned. “You have no idea what a fix you’re putting me in.” How the devil was he supposed to keep her around a full week? And did that mean he had to tell her the truth? For some reason, he felt bad about the idea of stringing her along further. Even if she was a scheming thief.
“No, you got yourself in whatever fix this is all on your own,” said Robert. “But I give you my word that I’ll help you out of it just as soon as we are past the duke’s birthday ball and Mary is safely back home.”
Was he insane? Carver couldn’t keep Daphney around to attend his father’s ball, full of family and friends. And besides, he needed her to go back to London. He was starting to not entirely trust himself to not develop feelings for the woman. Those eyes called to him with every look.
“Could I not just say that she was called home on some urgent business?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because Mary will know. She will smell a secret and then will rip and tear at me until I tell her everything I know. She’s bloody good at extracting information. And the doctor was very clear that Mary should avoid any added stress during these early tender weeks. As wary as she is about Miss Bellows, seeing you engaged to a woman who makes your eyes sparkle has gone a long way to alleviate her anxieties.”
His eyes sparkled? Not the most masculine reflection.
Robert added, “I want to do everything I can to make sure this pregnancy goes as smoothly for Mary as possible. Even if that means shackling your leg to poor Miss Bellows.”
Carver’s eyes widened. “You’re not going to actually make me marry Daphney, are you?”
“I didn’t realize your voice could get that high. But no—of course not. Just get throu
gh the ball and wait until my family and I return home. Then you can write to her that the engagement didn’t work out.” Robert’s eyes held a threat. “But not until we are further along in the pregnancy.” He was far more successful with the threatening look than Carver had ever been.
Carver wasn’t entirely sure about the plan. He had to admit, the idea of Daphney staying a little longer oddly relieved him. But if he was going to keep the beautiful scammer around, he was going to do it on his terms, and that meant he first needed to find out who the devil she was.
“At the risk of sounding like a petulant child, you won't tell my father, will you?”
If he knew his father at all, the moment he learned of Carver’s subterfuge, he would procure a special license within the day. Criminal or not, he would expect Carver to have treated Daphney with more respect. And…perhaps he should have.
“As long as you get through this week without any more shenanigans, I’ll keep your secret,” said Robert before pausing and drawing his brows together as if he suddenly became aware of something. “Carver—should I be concerned on Miss Bellows’ behalf? She doesn’t exactly have anyone here to protect her.”
Carver fought the scoff threatening to burst from his mouth. “You needn’t worry over that. Miss Bellows is quite safe with me. And more than that…I have a strong feeling that she can take care of herself.”
Chapter 12
After pushing open one of the large double doors leading inside the stable, Rose began to wonder if she had been foolish to not bring a candle.
Once inside the stables, the heavy smell of horse and hay filled her senses, but she could not so much as see the hand in front of her face. There had to be a lantern somewhere nearby. She stood still for a moment waiting until her eyes had adjusted to the darkness—then hopefully she would be able to see enough to find a lantern. Saddling a horse in the dark in an unfamiliar place would be difficult, but not impossible. She knew because she had done it at least a dozen times, if not more.
When Uncle Felix had found her all those years ago, one of the first scams he had her run was as a new stable boy. She had already been pretending to be a boy the first two years after Papa died. And then she met Uncle Felix and started learning everything about scamming and stealing from him. Somehow he knew she wasn’t a boy right away—but still, he found it impressive that no one else had detected her femininity during those two years. Since it was so easy to get her hired on as a stable boy in wealthy households, Uncle Felix included it in a few of their scams.