Chance the Winds of Fortune by Laurie McBain

Author:Laurie McBain
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc
Published: 2015-08-23T16:00:00+00:00

Six

Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t.

—Shakespeare

“Hmmm, what do you say to this one, Teddie?” Kate asked thoughtfully. “‘A ministering angel shall my sister be.’ No”—she sighed in disappointment—“’tis too obvious, I fear. Ah!” she cried out suddenly. “Now this one is priceless. ’Tis quite brilliant, indeed. I must admit, I do astound myself at times.” She chuckled, dipping her quill pen into the crystal inkwell that was part of an elaborate silver inkstand.

Teddie Waltham sourly eyed her ladyship. The busy scratchings of her quill pen were beginning to get on his nerves, but at least it kept her occupied and out of mischief. Teddie was thankful for small favors.

Day after day, there she sat, poring over dusty books. Her sometimes unintelligible utterances varied between pleased cooings and half-muttered curses as she searched for the proper lines of poetry to torture and perplex her enemy at Camareigh. For almost two months now she had been playing her sadistic game, savoring her revenge, and Teddie could well imagine the duke’s reaction when yet another of her ladyship’s little missives arrived.

It had been fortunate that they had sent the kidnapped girl off to the colonies, for London, as well as every seacoast town and country village, had been flooded with broadsides and handbills describing the missing girl and offering a small fortune for information resulting in her safe return. He had been relieved, and at first thankful, to learn that he wasn’t a murderer, for the gent he’d shot—who was no less a personage than an earl—had staked a reward for information and/or apprehension of the persons unknown involved in the kidnapping of Lady Rhea Claire Dominick and the attempted murder of his own person.

It had caused him a bit of concern at first, as well as indignation, when he’d found himself described as “a seedy ruffian of middling size, coarse-featured, and wearing a nasty, red velvet coat.” Now, that had hurt, for a man had his pride regardless of what he was, and he’d always done his best, considering his straitened circumstances. Not to mention that the red velvet coat, so contemptuously described, had been one of his favorites. It had saddened him grievously to have to toss it into the river. Now Teddie stared in disgust at his plain brown cloth coat, thinking it did little to enhance his appearance.

“Do you know, Teddie, I think it is about time I breathed some fresh country air again,” Kate said, not noticing Waltham’s start of surprise. “Find someone to send this note, then I think we should start packing for our journey,” she told him, still unaware of his reluctance.

“Our journey?” he questioned doubtfully. “I’m quite content right here before the fire, m’lady.”

“I’m sure you are, but that is not the point. I think I have lulled Lucien into letting down his guard. He cannot live forever holed up at Camareigh. I could scarcely believe my eyes when we journeyed back there a fortnight ago and found the place armed like a fortress.

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