Lady Unveiled (Daughters of Sin 5)

Lord Beecham and Lady Julia always sat together on the sofa opposite the fireplace, but they were quieter than they used to be.

When they did speak, Lissa strained her ears to catch every word, but usually they spoke of dull, pedestrian matters.

Until one evening she was rewarded as Lady Julia gave a gusty sigh and said in a low voice, “Mr. Cranborne lost a large sum of money to Archie last night.”

“So the score is evened since the night of the spiders, eh?” Lord Beecham chuckled, but Lady Julia became agitated.

“Archie is greedy. He says that’s barely evened the score because Lord Partington forced him into an impossible wager a little over a year ago when he lost two thousand pounds. Mr. Cranborne won’t pay up again. He’s only the heir and doesn’t have that kind of money. And then what will happen?”

Fascinated, Lissa lowered her head and pricked up her ears even more. Although she’d made no secret of her presence, it seemed they’d forgotten she was there. She was slightly obscured from their view by way of the seating arrangement, but now she was careful to make no noise.

“I wish Debenham were dead!”

The words had resonated at the same time as a resounding chord had signaled Lucinda’s finale, but Lissa had not mistaken what she’d heard.

Instantly, she saw Lord Beecham’s head twist around to glance at Lissa at the very moment Lucinda announced, “Not a single mistake, Lady Julia. I’ve worked hard as you’ve exhorted me to.”

Lord Beecham’s attention was diverted; he quickly instructed Lucinda to play another piece, and then Lissa heard him mutter, “Don’t we all, but I beseech you to never espouse such sentiments in public, my dear. These are dangerous times. He’s a dangerous man.”

“Surely he has enough enemies that someone will give him what he deserves.” She dabbed at her eyes with a small square of linen. “Oh Beechy, I’m so afraid. If Debenham continues to put pressure on Archie what will become of me? Archie’s happy this week because he’s a thousand pounds plumper in the pocket, but what about next week? What about the future?”

Lord Beecham appeared to deliberate. Then he touched his lips to Lady Julia’s brow and murmured, “Matters are in hand, my love. Don’t you concern yourself with Debenham. I’ll say no more, but rest assured that he will b

e taken care of.”

“He will be taken care of!” Those were his exact words.

Excitedly, Lissa paced the kitchen of Mrs. Nipkins’s tiny parlor while Ralph lounged against the scrubbed wooden table. He scratched his chin and said soothingly, “Men often try to sound full of bravado to impress their true loves when they have no intention of doing anything remotely brave. I’m guilty of that. Why, you’ve been relying on me for more than a year to follow through with something brave or notable in order to rescue you from your life of drudgery. I’ve failed dismally.”

“Don’t say such things, Ralph!” Lissa flew across the kitchen and into his arms. “You are patient and clever. That’s far more admirable than being brash and foolishly bold. But you really don’t think Lord Beecham is planning to do away with Lord Debenham?”

“Would you be relieved if I said no?”

Lissa considered the matter. “I want Lord Debenham to make a mistake so that you can be responsible for bringing him to justice. He’s an extortionist whose demands have led to the death of more than one, and we’re all but certain he was directly involved in the attempt on Lord Castlereagh’s life with the help of several associates. Surely evidence can be found.”

Ralph shrugged. “I fear we may wait in vain for a long time. It’s hardly likely that either Beecham is going to bump off Debenham, or that Debenham keeps a neat pile of incriminating evidence in a carefully locked box that would be the answer to all our frustrations.”

Kitty wasn’t sure how she might find a means to orchestrate a tete-a-tete with Lord Debenham that would involve returning to his townhouse, thus presenting her with an opportunity to rummage through his study.

So she was relieved when she breezed into her dressing room at the end of the night’s performance to find him seated like a sleek bird of prey upon a striped gilt chair by her dressing table.

“Magnificent performance!” he said, presenting her with another bouquet of roses.

“Why, that must be the third night in a row you’ve seen me perform!” Kitty fluttered her eyelashes as she swept past him to seat herself in front of her looking glass. She removed the paste ear drops, then unbound her hair from the pearl-encrusted binding which held it in neat order upon the crown of her head. It cascaded in a tumble of curls, and she heard Debenham gasp, though she ignored him as she tried to reach behind to undo the top button of her gown.

“Allow me!” Debenham was on his feet in an instant, his bony fingers deftly undoing the top pearl button.

Coyly, Kitty moved away. “I have my dresser to help me, my lord.”

“But she is not here.”

“I simply need to call for her and she will attend me.”

“Why inconvenience her when you have someone as willing as I on hand?”

“Because I have a reputation to uphold. No man in this theater or anywhere else has seen beyond what is respectable under the circumstances.”

“Except Lords Nash and Silverton,” Debenham supplied slyly.