“I haven’t forgotten,” he tossed over his shoulder.
Alone again, she considered her predicament. There had to be a way to delay all of them—Christopher, Welton, and Eddington. Her brain was still sleep fuzzy, but given the proper amount of time and clear thought, she knew there had to be a way to position the three men to assist her. They all had something she wanted, and if she was clever, she could see her ends met.
With this in mind, Maria spent the morning lost in thought, absentmindedly completing the steps required to prepare herself for Eddington’s visit.
She dressed careful y in a creamcolored day gown and settled a fichu over her shoulders to disguise her bandages. By the time the earl was announced, she had settled upon a temporary plan. She felt confident enough in her idea to have him shown into her lower parlor rather than her study, where she usual y conducted business.
“Good morning to you, my lord,” she said with exaggerated civility.
“My lady.” He bowed. Dressed in fawn-colored breeches and a dark green jacket, he cut quite a dashing figure. Every inch the lauded rakehel , he winked at her before settling in the pale blue settee on the other side of the low table.
“Tea?” she inquired.
“Yes, thank you.”
She was deliberately casual and unaffected in her preparation of the beverage, her hands moving with deliberate gracefulness. Twice she glanced aside at him with a secretive smile. The returning indulgent curve to his lips told her he knew her game, but stil wished to play.
“You are a vision this morning,” he murmured as he accepted the cup and saucer from her.
“I know.”
Eddington laughed, his handsome features softening from their usual predatory alertness. He hid it well with his heavy-lidded gaze, but she knew his kind.
“A joy to meet a woman without artifice,” he said.
“I took pains to appeal to you, my lord. I would not live up to my reputation if I failed to know when I was most attractive.”
“Do you wish to bed me, then?” Both brows raised. “Insatiability is also something I admire.”
Maria laughed. “I’ve quite enough men in my life at the moment, thank you. Stil , women’s wiles are a powerful tool, yes?”
His voice lowered. “Especial y when they are wielded by a woman as seductive as you.”
“I’ve reached a decision regarding your proposal,” she said, her tone clipped to signal the end of their banter and the beginning of business.
The earl smiled against the rim of his cup. “Excel ent.”
“It will cost you more than the removal of Welton and the agency from my life.”
“Oh?” His gaze narrowed.
“Much more,” she warned.
“How much more?” he demanded gruffly.
She waved her hand carelessly and smiled. “I refuse to discuss monetary matters with anyone other than my solicitor. I find it quite vulgar and oftentimes unpleasant. I will give you his direction and you can settle my accounts with him.”
Eddington set his cup down with undue care. “Coin?” He blew out his breath. He was an intel igent man. He knew she would be expensive.
“Perhaps I do not think St. John is worth that much.”
“You have one witness, if he is even stil alive. If not, you have nothing. Except for me.”
“You will testify against him?” Eddington asked, his alertness intensifying.
She nodded.
“What about the deaths of Dayton and Winter?”
“What about them?”
“You are the prime suspect.”
Maria smiled. “Perhaps I did murder them, my lord. Perhaps not. I give you leave to prove it, one way or the other.”
“How can I know if you are trustworthy or not?”
“There is no way to know that. Just as I cannot know whether this is merely an elaborate ruse designed to implicate me in the deaths of my husbands.” She shrugged. “You said I was a risk you were will ing to take. If you’ve changed your mind, you may leave.”
He considered her for a long moment. “I cannot tel whether you are a demon disguised as a temptress, or a victim of those around you.”
“I ask myself the same every day, my lord. I suspect I am a little of both.” She rose to her feet, forcing him to rise as Well. “If you find the answer with any certainty, please let me know.”
The earl rounded the table and came to a halt before her. He stood close, too close. He meant to intimidate her with his greater height and physical strength, but she wasn’t cowed. In their association, she held the power. He had nothing without her. Only conjecture, with no way to penetrate St.
John’s defenses.
“Tread lightly,” Eddington warned, his voice low and fil ed with danger. “I leave Town this evening and will be gone a fortnight, but I will know what you do.”
“Of course.”
A few moments after the earl departed, Maria rose and moved to her study, where she penned a missive to Welton and sent it off. A knock came to the open study door, and she smiled as Simon entered.
“You look like a cat with cream,” he said.
“I have convinced Eddington to fund my search for Amelia.”
He arched a dark brow. “You told him?”
“No.” She grinned.
Walking toward her, Simon sank into one of the two chairs before the large desk. “Eddington wants the same information as Welton. Who do you intend to share it with?”
She blew out her breath. “I haven’t yet decided. If I tel Eddington, he might help me with Welton and then I could find Amelia. But Christopher would hang.”
“Christopher, is it?” he asked tightly.
“If I tel Welton,” she continued as if he had said nothing, “he will attempt to extort either St. John or whoever else may have been involved. I would be no further ahead than I am now, but St. John would live. Of course, St. John might then dispatch Welton and save himself the annoyance. Having become somewhat acquainted with the pirate, I can say for certain that Welton has overstepped himself this time.”
“Or you could tel St. John about Welton and Eddington in return for help with finding Amelia,” Simon suggested. She knew how much it cost him to say such a thing, to admit that St. John could help her in a way that he himself had been unable to. It was a testament of his affection for her that he would set aside his masculine pride to see her happy.
“I thought of that.” Maria stood and went to him, cupping his face in her hands and kissing his forehead in gratitude. “But until I know the reason why he was released and what role he intends for me to play, I cannot trust him.”
Simon tugged her gently into his lap. “So what will we do now?”
“I have sent for Welton. I intend to tel him that I am retreating on holiday. I need to heal, and it’s time to make inquiries outside of London. We have the funds to expand our search. Truly the best course for us would be to find Amelia before I have to make a decision. Having her in my possession will change everything.”
He nodded. “I will see to the necessary preparations.”
“How long has this been going on?” Christopher asked curtly.
“A few weeks,” Philip replied, pushing up his spectacles. “I learned of the situation this afternoon and promptly brought it to your attention.”
Leaning his hip against his study desk, Christopher crossed his arms and inhaled deeply before replying. “Why wasn’t I told about this immediately?”
“The lander felt that he could handle the matter.”
“When a rival gang encroaches on my territory, I will handle it. By God, you give them an inch and they will take the entire length of the shore.”
A knock came to the door and Christopher bade them to enter. When he saw his valet, he said, “We leave in a few hours and will be gone for a fortnight at least.”
“Yes, sir.” The servant bowed and retreated.
“May I accompany you?” Philip asked. He stood a few feet away, his stance tal and proud as Christopher had taught him when he was a boy.
Christopher shook his head. “Gang wars are bloody and not for spectators. Your skil lies with the brain in your skul , not with your sword arm. I will not risk you merely to satisfy your curiosity.”
“You are far cleverer than I, and your loss would be felt more keenly. Why risk yourself when you have men who could see to the matter with similar results?”
“They cannot see to it.” Christopher straightened and retrieved his coat from where it hung over the back of a chair. “This is not simply about prime coastal space. This is about me and mine. They want both. Until I confront them, they will not back down. Why do you think my enemies haven’t shot me dead? Unless they best me face-to-face, they cannot truly take the reins. Their power would always be in question.”
“Damned if that isn’t primitive,” Philip muttered.
Snorting, Christopher shrugged into his coat. “Humans are animals, after all .”
“Do you ever contemplate leaving this life?” the young man asked, his head canted to the side. “You’ve coin aplenty.”
Christopher paused and stared at his protégé. “What would I do with myself?”
“Marry. Raise a family.”
“Never.” He fluffed the lace at his neck and wrists. “The only way out of this livelihood is death. If it wasn’t me they were after, it would be those closest to me. If your end aim is to be a family man, move along now, young Philip. The deeper entrenched you become, the further away that goal will be.”
Philip followed him out to the foyer. “Where are you going now?”
“I must bid Lady Winter fareWell.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, they struck Christopher wrong. Always in times like this he acknowledged the possibility of his demise. He had safeguards in place to protect the members of his household, which all owed him to leap into the fray with the gusto of a man who accepted death.