“Yes, one who looks exceedingly like myself. Even Lord Debenham remarked upon it, though he’d not look twice at me, dressed as I am now.” She seemed to be concentrating on her own clearly tumultuous thoughts rather than registering his shock. Tentatively, she added, glancing up at him, “You see, Mr. Tunley, I did not mention it before, as it seemed of no consequence at the time.” She dropped her gaze, as if overcome suddenly by shame and Ralph wished he could put out his hand and offer what bolstering courage he could. But it was possible they were being watched. He was always conscious of being watched, with an employer like Debenham.
She took an audible breath, then raised her eyes, appealingly. “I am ashamed to tell you this, but I want you to know the truth. It won’t make you think any better of me because, after all, a bastard is a bastard, whoever her father happens to be. But my half-sister is Miss Araminta Partington.”
“Miss Partington is your sister?”
“My half-sister, for Lord Partington is my father, and he has two natural-born daughters. He abandoned my mother on the eve of their nuptials to marry the bride his parents had chosen for him. Nevertheless, during the intervening years, he’s spent most of his time with my mother, as if in fact they were married. I also have a brother and sister, with another one on the way.”
She sighed, adding softly, “Another one to share my shame, and to have to make its way in the world with no status. But as I was saying...” She returned briskly to the subject at hand. “It was my half-sister, Miss Araminta Partington, who lent me the dress I wore to the garden party, and, as I said, she contacted me, unexpectedly, and asked me to accompany her on this visit.”
“To visit my employer’s valet? Good Lord, why? She’s a...lady!”
“Precisely.” Miss Hazlett smiled. “This is the extraordinary thing. Apparently Miss Partington believes this young man...the valet, Jem...is in possession of a letter written by Sir Aubrey’s late wife, which implicates one of the men—Sir Aubrey or Lord Debenham—in the attempted assassination of Lord Castlereagh.”
Ralph could not have been more astonished. He gripped the wrought iron fence though his concern was entirely for the lovely young woman opposite him. If it hadn’t been, he’d have gripped her, but it was quite possible Cosmo Lamont might choose that moment to take his daily constitutional and appear around the corner.
A week ago, this same lovely creature was like a beautiful butterfly beating her wings against the nebulous periphery of his life, a mere governess and he a simple clerk. There was nothing to bring them together. Then suddenly she was rubbing shoulders with the ton. Now she was growing ever closer to his decidedly wicked employer.
“My belief is,” she went on, “that my half-sister wants to discover the contents of this letter so she can focus her attention on the gentleman whose reputation is not smeared by it. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say that if this letter exists, Lord Debenham may have a very good reason for not wanting it in the public domain.”
“You are a sharp young lady.” Ralph could well countenance the possibility of Lord Debenham being involved in shady dealings, perhaps even Lord Castlereagh’s attempted assignation, though the thought had never occurred to him before, for it was Sir Aubrey’s reputation that had been so damaged. But then it was also true that Sir Aubrey’s late wife was Lord Debenham’s cousin. And lover, it was suggested. There may well be more to it than Debenham had relayed to the world but such a sordid affair should under no circumstances involve his precious Miss Hazlett.
He was afraid for her.
“You cannot accompany Miss Partington on such a mission,” he added firmly. “It may be a trap. You can have no idea what kind of man Lord Debenham is. Ruthless and cruel. He’ll not differentiate between a villain whose interests run counter to his own or a defenseless female such as yourself.” Impulsively he gripped her hand and was jolted by the connection that ran between them as strongly as if the bond were the warmth of their bodies joined as one.
This was too much. How could he breach the divide that yawned between them without harming Miss Hazlett or her reputation? If he was unable to offer marriage, he was unable to offer anything.
He felt her yield a moment before she pulled back, practicality once again the order of the day. “I will go, though I do not feel comfortable going alone without telling anyone, which is why I’m telling you. I merely wanted your advice on what I should do if the letter indeed exists.”
“But you can’t go!” The idea was preposterous.
“Why?”
“I’ve told you. It’s not safe. Lord Debenham is a...debaucher.”
“My half-sister is meeting his valet, not His Lordship.”
“Then she no doubt will induce him to give her the letter. My advice is that you at least glean the contents of the letter before it changes hands. Then tell me and we can decide from there.”
“I knew I could count on your support.” She reached out quickly and, with both hands, gave his a squeeze.
“I still wish you would not go. It could be dangerous.”
“I feel obligated. Also, Araminta is the kind of spoiled young lady who is quite likely to flounce off in high dudgeon if I refused. She’d never lend me another gown again.” She smiled. “But the truth is, if there were something important in that letter pertaining to Lord Debenham, it could assist you, Mr. Tunley.”
He shook his head, thinking how sweet she looked when she nibbled her lower lip as was clearly her wont when she was worried. “I cannot imagine how your sister knows of such a letter? One that, I gather, must be supposedly incriminating? I’ve certainly heard nothing, and I work for the blackguard.”
“The misses Partingtons’ lady’s maid, Jane, is sweetheart to Lord Debenham’s valet. Jem told Jane that Lord Debenham took the letter out of Sir Aubrey’s dead wife’s hands to use in case he needed it. Jane, I believe, then told her mistresses.”
“But this must have happened years ago. And Jem has only just now decided to reveal the existence of the letter, only he’s not sure if it incriminates Debenham or Sir Aubrey?”
Lissa shrugged. “I have no interest in either gentleman, but I do have an interest in being useful to you. And to Miss Araminta, though from a less altruistic point of view. She’s a cunning piece, but I don’t believe she’s as clever as I.”
Ralph chuckled. “Not many young ladies are, I’d wager. Well, I suppose there can be no harm in seeing Jem,” he conceded. “He should not have taken a letter that didn’t belong to him—if indeed it exists—but I can see why Jem wanted to shore up his position. Lord Debenham is a cruel employer. Fortunately, he doesn’t beat me.”
Miss Hazlett’s pretty mouth opened, then she frowned. “It all sounds rather grubby. Imagine, the two men fighting over the same poor lady who took her own life. But who am I to judge what is sordid, being
what I am?”