The grin returned to Lord Hamilton’s face. “And have you enjoyed this afternoon’s fashionable hour, Lord Franks?”
Robert lifted one shoulder in a half shrug, not wanting to let the gentleman’s needling to get at him. “It has been decent enough,” he said, all too aware of the sharp look that was then sent his way by Miss Hemmingway. “I have been learning about the Anning family and I must admit to being somewhat intrigued by them.”
“I should very much like to go to their curiosity shop,” Miss Hemmingway added, a slightly wistful tone to her voice, “but it is in Dover and I do not think it likely that my brother or
my dear mother would accompany me there.”
Lord Hamilton laughed aloud at this, but Robert himself did not find anything of significance to laugh at. He felt almost offended on Miss Hemmingway’s behalf, even though there was no reason for him to be so. Lord Hamilton continued to chuckle at this remark from his sister, pulling out a handkerchief in order to wipe his eyes.
Robert froze. There was something on the handkerchief that caught his eye. Continuing to watch as closely as he could, he saw a gold crest there, half folded over as Lord Hamilton continued to dab at his eyes. His chest tightened, his stomach began to roil—and then the handkerchief was put back in its place and all as it should be.
“Lord Franks?”
He jerked, realizing that Miss Hemmingway had asked him something but that he had no answered.
“My mother has beckoned me,” Miss Hemmingway said, which he was certain was now for the second time. “Might we walk together?”
Reaching across with his free hand, he patted her fingers for a moment, feeling the urge to speak directly to Lord Hamilton growing within him—but he knew he could not. To demand that Lord Hamilton show him the handkerchief, so that he himself could be certain that this was the very same symbol that had been taken from the man, was not something he could do. Clearing his throat, he looked at Lord Hamilton, who was watching them both with an easy expression, and knew precisely what he had to do.
“Might I have your permission to call on your sister, Lord Hamilton?” he asked, feeling the way Miss Hemmingway’s fingers tightened on his arm. “OR should I ask your mother instead?” He lifted his chin just a notch, seeing the faint glimmer of surprise in Lord Hamilton’s eyes. Had he expected there to be no true interest in Miss Hemmingway? Or was there something about his reaction that said how little he thought of his sister?
“But….but of course,” Lord Hamilton murmured, looking towards Miss Hemmingway rather than at Robert himself. “That is good of you to ask, Lord Franks, if I may say so.”
Robert shrugged, not wanting Miss Hemmingway to think that he would align himself in any way with the view and the opinions of her brother. “I think it is only right that I go about things properly,” he answered, reminding himself that it was not truly Miss Hemmingway’s company that he sought but rather the chance to find out whether or not that emblem had been the one on Lord Hamilton’s handkerchief. “I thank you for your permission, Lord Hamilton.” He dipped his head and turned around, taking Miss Hemmingway with him so that they might continue walking forward together, even if it now appeared that they were walking away from Lady Hamilton instead of towards her.
There was a pronounced silence for some moments.
“You intend to call on me?”
Miss Hemmingway’s voice was thin and a slight look of suspicion was in her eyes. Robert felt himself turned inside out, fearing that she already knew the reason for the furthering of his intentions.
“I do, yes,” he told her, seeing the suspicion in her eyes beginning to fade. “Is that surprising to you?”
She did not answer for a long moment, and guilt struck hard at his heart.
“I am glad of it, that is all,” she said, eventually. “I look forward to your visit, Lord Franks, whenever that may be.”
He cleared his throat, turning back towards the direction of her mother, who was now watching them both with a beady eye. “Shall we say tomorrow afternoon?” he asked, feeling how Miss Hemmingway tensed a little. “I would be glad to call on you then for a short time.”
“I thank you,” came the reply. “That would be quite lovely.” Letting go of his arm, she smiled at him, now only a few steps away from her mother. “Until tomorrow then, Lord Franks.”
“Until tomorrow,” he replied, bowing his head and quickly taking his leave before his guilt overwhelmed him and crushed his heart. With firm, sure steps, he hurried towards the entrance of the park, wanting to escape just as quickly as h could. Coming out to the park had not been as poor a decision as he had first thought, it seemed. However, to see Lord Hamilton with the emblem had astonished him entirely, for he had never once thought Lord Hamilton to be anything more than a gentleman of the realm, who had very little interest in anything other than gambling, drinking and playing cards. That, of course, was his first mistake. He knew all too well that there were many gentlemen of the beau monde who were involved in inciting acts against the Crown. Some did it because they were unhappy with the Act of Parliament that had brought in the Prince as Regent, whilst others did so because they wanted to see England weak. But Lord Hamilton, who was often rather brash and certainly very inclined towards speaking his mind, just as often as he pleased, certainly did not seem to be the sort of gentleman who might have something to hide. But he had been wrong before and it would not be wise to ignore what he had seen in Lord Hamilton’s hand.
Lifting his chin, Robert pushed aside the feeling of guilt that came with the knowledge that he had only a flicker of interest in Miss Hemmingway—and certainly not enough for him to merit his now evidently firm attention. He had asked to call on her simply so that he would have an excuse to see Lord Hamilton or to look about his house in as surreptitious a manner as possible. He might have to continue to do so for some time, if there was anything of interest in Lord Hamilton’s home, which he knew would mean that he would have to lead Miss Hemmingway on. That was something he did not relish but there was a requirement for him to do so at the present time and that was all he had to focus on.
His spirits a little lifted, Robert made his way back towards his townhouse, glad that he had decided to walk rather than to take his carriage. Finally, he had a flicker of hope that he might be able to make something of this otherwise rather difficult puzzle, that he might be able to discover the truth about the man who had shot his pistol through Lord Watt’s drawing room window. Finally, there was a small thread for him to pull and Robert intended to do precisely that.
Chapter Four
“And you say he is to call on you?”
Carolyn smiled wryly at her friend’s astonishment. “Yes, Bridgette,” she answered, without even a hint of anger at the astonishment in her friend’s voice. “Yes, he is to call upon me very soon. Within the hour, I think.” Leaning forward, she took her friend’s hand and patted it. “Which is why I am most grateful for your presence, given that Mama was quite determined to be entirely absent this afternoon.”
“You are most welcome,” Lady Callander replied, with a quick smile. “I know a little of Lord Franks’ reputation, although I do not think I have ever been acquainted with him. From what I know, he has an excellent character and is not at all inclined towards lascivious or cruel behavior. That speaks well of him, at least.”
Carolyn nodded, recalling the conversation she had enjoyed with Lord Franks only yesterday. After her excursion to the park, Carolyn had felt herself grow rather excited about the impending visit from Lord Franks. She had informed her mother of it, only for her mother to let out an exclamation of alarm and state, quite firmly, that a mere Baron—and a Scottish Baron at that—would never do for Carolyn. After all, Carolyn was the daughter and now the sister of a Viscount and, at the very least, she ought to be pursing someone of similar rank.
Carolyn had not given a moment’s thought to Lord Franks’ title. She had only thought about his company and conversation, remembering the interest in his eyes as she had spoken to him of all the things that she loved. His willingness to listen to her and his clear desire to know her a little better sent thrills of excitement all through her. She had never had a gentleman seeking to call upon her before, never once had a gentleman show any sort of interest in that regard, and she certainly was not going to let her mother’s determination to prevent the meeting from happening. Her brother was also, unfortunately, absent, but Carolyn had solved her dilemma by asking Lady Callander to call so that she would have both a chaperone and a maid present in the room when the time came for Lord Hamilton to appear.