Merely the Groom (Free Fellows League 2)

“Gillian?” Jarrod queried. “When did she become Gillian?”

“When he agreed to marry her,” Sussex retorted. “That generally entitles him to call her by name.”

“The point,” Colin continued, ignoring the interruption, “is that Miss Davies told her father that the man she married—one Colin Fox—was a clandestine agent working for our government against Bonaparte.”

“And Fox’s trail led to Colonel Grant’s door, because what he’d told her was the absolute truth.” Jarrod slapped his forehead with the heel of his hand. “Have we been so careless a charlatan can follow in our footsteps?”

“No,” Sussex and Colin answered in unison.

“We haven’t been careless. If we had, I wouldn’t be here today. I’d be lying in an Edinburgh close with any number of unpleasant puncture wounds and my throat sliced from ear to ear for good measure, and he’d be working to accomplish his mission.”

“Which is?” Jarrod demanded.

Colin frowned. “I don’t know. Yet. But I mean to find out.” And somehow Gillian is the key.

Sussex lifted the brandy decanter and offered some to Jarrod and Colin before refilling his glass. “Of all the names in England from which to choose, he chose the one he knew you had assumed. That tells me that he meant to make you responsible. He meant to lay all of his crimes at your door.”

“He meant to use me by laying all of his crimes at my door,” Colin said. “Because that was one way to slow my progress and prevent me from discovering what he was really about. I don’t intend to let that happen. I mean to uncover his mission.”

“Was eloping with Miss Davies simply a diversion?” Colin glared at Jarrod.

“No,” he replied. “It was part of the plan. I don’t know whose plan. But she was a pawn in someone else’s game. And the game isn’t over.” He stood up and began to pace.

“He’s right,” Griff said. “And just because our impostor is lying low doesn’t mean his work is done. There is more here than meets the eye. This isn’t about taking advantage of unsuspecting young ladies for monetary gain. There’s a more ambitious plan afoot. And we must discover what it is.”

“But sacrificing yourself to protect the members of the League is going above and beyond the call of duty, Colin.” Jarrod was awed and repelled by the idea.

“You would do the same if the impostor had used your alias instead of mine.” It was the truth, and Jarrod knew it, but he didn’t like having Colin remind him of it.

“What about your Free Fellows vows?” Sussex asked. “We shall give our first loyalty and our undying friendship to England and our brothers and fellow members of the

Free Fellows League,” Colin quoted the tenth item in the Free Fellows league charter. “I’m doing what I think is best in an effort to fulfill that vow.”

“So, you’re marrying the baron’s daughter.”

“That’s the sum of it, Jarrod. I’m marrying the baron’s daughter tomorrow morning. And because I’ve not yet reached my thirtieth year, I owed each of you five hundred pounds.”

“Which you’ve paid in full.” Jarrod shook his head. “Still, I can’t help thinking there must be another way out of this quandary.”

“This is the best way out of this quandary,” Colin said. “I’ll sacrifice a little personal freedom, but I’m gaining more than I’m losing.”

Griff managed a smile. “If I know Lord Davies, you’re gaining a fortune along with your lovely bride.”

“That’s correct,” Colin said. “I’ve been a poor viscount all my life. I’m prepared to give being a rich viscount a try. I believe it will suit me much better.” He gave the other Free Fellows a lopsided grin. “And it’s not as if I have much of a personal life, anyway. I accepted Lord Davies’s blackmail because it would solve a great many problems for all of us. Believe me, this is the best way. For her. For me. For our families and for the Free Fellows.”

“When will the wedding take place?” Griff asked. “Tomorrow morning at ten at Lord Davies’s town house. The announcement will appear in tomorrow’s edition of the Morning Chronicle and the Times. A wedding breakfast will follow.”

“Have you told Lord and Lady McElreath?” Griff asked.

“Not yet,” Colin replied. “I plan to tell them later this evening when I go to collect the Grantham jewelry.”

Jarrod, Sussex, and Griff exchanged meaningful glances. There had been some disturbing rumors over the past few months regarding the disposition of the McElreath and Grantham family jewels. Colin hadn’t said anything, but he had to have heard that his father had been pawning the most impressive pieces of the collections.

Colin intercepted the exchange. “I’m aware of the rumors. And the truth is that I don’t know if my mother still has the Grantham jewelry. Unfortunately, the only way to find out, at this late date, is to ask her.”

“Do you think they’ll attend the ceremony?” Jarrod asked, suddenly worried that Colin would have no one to stand up for him or represent his side of the family at the wedding. Members of the Free Fellows League eschewed weddings as a general principle and custom dictated that the close bachelor friends of the groom avoid them in practice.

“My mother will,” Colin answered. “My father’s presence at my nuptials is less certain.”