CHAPTER EIGHT
“I would like to walk in the gardens this morning, Vidal, if you will tell me how to get there, as I must take Nipper outside,” Grace said when she saw the butler coming toward her as she left her room with the little dog in her arms.
She had woken early, just as the sun began to rise, and slipped out of Nick’s bed, leaving him sleeping. Her eyes lingered on his large slumbering form before she made herself walk to her room.
“Of course; please follow me, my Lady.”
She followed Vidal’s straight back down two flights of stairs and thought of Harry. Had he spent a cold terrifying night whilst she lay in Nick’s arms? Guilt came thick and fast. Surely she should have been out there looking for him, doing something, anything, as he would for her were their positions reversed.
Nick had made her forget and that was wrong, as she owed Harry so much that she could never hope to repay him.
“The gardens are through there, my Lady.” Vidal indicated a set of French doors. “It is cold at such an early hour; should I fetch your coat?”
“No, thank you, Vidal, I have my shawl, and shall return shortly for breakfast.”
Yesterday’s rain had softened the ground and the gray skies threatened more, however Grace was sure she could take her walk before it did so. Putting Nipper down on the grass, she watched him lower his nose, then hurry off to the right. He would explore and she would think. She walked, enjoying the solitude while she tried to make sense of the turmoil inside her head. She was used to that; time to herself, even when living with Harry, sometimes they had not spoken for hours. Other days he’d gone out in the morning and not returned till evening, and Grace had enjoyed those times, happy with her own company.
The hedges were tall, making the gardens private. She found a pond and a small fountain, rows of flowers and several statues. It was pretty and peaceful, and Grace thought that when she was sure that Harry was home safe, she may spend some time out here, especially when she wanted solitude to read her books.
“Oh Harry, where are you?” Grace walked away from the house and down a slight hill, letting the cool air settle around her. Nipper would appear suddenly, before disappearing to explore another part of the gardens, his tail standing upright as he investigated the foreign terrain.
She let her thoughts drift to last night, to what she and Nick had shared. He would be that to her now; Nick, not my Lord, even if she called him the latter still to his face. Grace was not foolish enough to believe he felt anything for her, and that what they had shared was anything more than he had shared with other women, but to her… to her it had been magical. And that was what happened when the only experience you had with a man was with a tall handsome earl who had literally made her melt under his touch.
But perhaps he had felt something when he’d held her, because Grace had believed he would want her to return to her own bed, yet he had not, instead holding her pressed to his chest though the night.
“Grace?”
He was coming toward her, his large feet making tracks on the damp grass, and Grace thought it grossly unfair that he looked as he did with such little effort on his part. He was dressed immaculately once more, his hair curling over his collar. He looked as if someone should paint him so ladies could study the beauty of his face and form each and every day, while she…. Grace sighed, looking down at her dress. She was a mess. Her dress was yesterdays, her slippers worn, and hair still loose and uncombed. Lord, why had she too not taken time to tidy herself? Beth had been right when she’d inferred that Grace was a fashion disaster. Suddenly, for the first time in her life, she wanted to wear one of her new dresses and have her hair styled. She did not want to analyze why, only knew that today Grace was embarrassed to be seen as she was, when yesterday she had not cared.
~ * ~
When Nick had opened his eyes and found Grace gone, he’d risen, washed, dressed, and gone to her rooms. He had no idea why he needed to see her, only that he did, and now. She was his wife, he reasoned, and distressed about her cousin, so it should be he, her husband, who comforted her.
She hadn’t been in her room though, and it had been Vidal who told him that Grace was outside walking about in the cool morning air with her dog.
She hadn’t seen him approach, but he’d seen her, and it was then that he realized Grace had begun to crumble the foundations he’d built his life on. Seeing her, walking about lost in thought in that old dress with a blue shawl around her shoulders, and her long golden hair trailing in tangles down her spine, he felt something move in his chest. How was that possible, when just a few days ago he’d felt nothing for her?
Last night she’d responded to him like no other. Her beautiful body had ignited so much passion inside him that he’d been mindless with need to take her once more.
And she’s my wife, Nick thought, feeling a smile growing on his face. He swallowed it as she looked up and saw him.
“My Lord.” She lowered her head and curtseyed as he approached, and he saw the uncertainty in her eyes. No doubt the color that filled her cheeks was because she too was remembering the intimate acts they had shared last night.
“Nick,” he said as he lifted her chin until their eyes met. “Why did you leave my bed?”
She was beautiful out here, surrounded by the colors of the garden. Her beauty was not in her clothes or the style of her hair, but in the delicate contours of her face framed by her black curls.
“I should not have stayed in your bed after… It is not right to do so, my Lord.”
“Who told you it is not right for a wife to share her husband’s bed after they have made love, or indeed through the night?”
She frowned as she thought about the answer to that question once more. “I had to bring Nipper outside also.”
Nick looked over her head, and saw a flash of white before it disappeared under a hedge.
“He seems happy out here exploring.”
“Yes. My cousin’s garden is not as big as this, so he has a lot of grass to inspect.”
Nick watched her face cloud as she mentioned her cousin.
“Have you any word on Harry, my Lord?”
“Nick,” he said, deciding not to pursue the question about her staying in his bed for now. But he would later, when she lay beneath him, because Grace was a passionate woman and he would be spending a great deal of time in bed with her, exploring that side of her nature. But she was also, like he, a person unused to sharing her feelings.
“Come, we will eat our morning meal, then see what news there is on your cousin. I shall have someone bring Nipper in when he has finished his business.”
He took her hand in his and led her back inside. She didn’t speak, just followed. Once in the breakfast parlor, he sat her in a chair and told Vidal to bring some tea.
“A letter has arrived, Lord Attwood.”
“Thank you, Vidal.” Nick took the missive from his butler.
“Who is Gallant?”
Nick looked at Grace as she spoke, but her eyes were on the letter in his hands.
“Forgive me for reading to whom your letter was addressed, but the word is written in large black letters and caught my eye,” she added.
“Marcus, one of the Lords of Night Street, gave us names when we were children,” he said.
“Names?”
“Nick names that only we would know to call each other. We use them when we are investigating.”
He watched her as she thought about what he’d said. “And he gave you Gallant?”
“Yes.”
“A very handsome name for a young boy.”
“I thought so at the time,” Nick said as he opened the note and read the words. “I need to go and meet with the others, Grace, but the place I am to go is not somewhere I wish for you to be seen, will you stay here until I return?”
“I would rather come with you.”
“No, I do not want you there, so I would ask you to trust me to return to you as soon as I have news on Harry.”
“It will be hard to wait.”
“It will, but I must insist you stay here, Grace. Can you promise me that you will do that? There is obviously danger out there, and I did not speak of it last night, but it is our belief that you will be the next person these people come after, as you are the one who can translate these papers quickly. Criminals do not usually like to wait if there is another option.”
“And you believe Harry was taken to complete the work?”
“It is one theory,” Nick cautioned. But privately he, like his friends, believed it the right one.
“Then I shall do as you bid, and remain here until you return, but please do not be long.”
“I will send word if I cannot return soon.”
Nick and Grace ate in silence, and then he rose to leave, and Grace did the same. She followed him from the room and down to where Vidal waited with his hat and gloves.
“Please take care, Nick.”
Pulling on his gloves, he looked into her worried face.
“I have been doing this kind of investigating for a long time, Grace. I assure you I am safe.” He cupped her cheek. “Don’t worry.”
“But I will, unlike yesterday when I did not realize I should.”
He kissed her softly. “I think that makes sense, but we will delve into that statement later, for now I must leave.”
~ * ~
The London season was in full swing, but as the hour was still early the streets were not overly busy. Nick rode his horse past vendors setting up for the day and others on their way to a day’s employment. Walking into the Night Street premises a short while later, he found his friends seated around the table.
“This Mr. Zavorski is bad news, Nick,” Leo said around a yawn. “His name is actually Boleslav, and he’s involved in many underhand dealings with some of the criminal elements of London. One of our informants said he thinks the papers your wife was translating are actually instructions for a series of thefts here in London. Supposedly, Boleslav heard about them and then had his men steal them. He then went to Harrington and Grace for the translation.”
“However, before they could be completed, they were once again stolen,” Jacob added.
“So you think whoever took Harrington is the person who stole the copies, and therefore must be Russian, as they were partially translated,” Nick said, taking a chair.
“That’s our conclusion. Now we just need to narrow down the location in Moorgate.” Marcus reached for the teapot to refill his cup, before adding sugar.
“How is the countess, Nick?”
“She’s scared, Jacob. Harrington means a great deal to her, as he took her in after her parents died at a young age.”
“He can’t have been that old himself, surely?”
“No, he was obviously still a young man, therefore it was a pretty selfless act if you think about it,” Nick added. He’d thought a lot about this since Grace had told him what her cousin had done. “His life would have changed drastically with a young girl living in his household.”
Leo whistled softly. “I’m starting to think I may have misjudged both your wife and Harrington.”
“How so?” Nick questioned him.
“I found out yesterday that Harrington has money, he just doesn’t flaunt it.”
“You had him investigated, Leo?”
“You married his cousin, and I wanted to know what you were getting into.” Leo was unrepentant.
“And?”
“Harrington has money, but both he and his cousin lived a modest life.”
“You have to admit she is hardly an arbiter of fashion, Nick,” Marcus added. “It is easy to think they did not have much to fly with.”
“Her charm is that she has no side. Grace is just Grace; she wants nothing from anyone, least of all me,” Nick said softly, realizing that what he’d said was true. She was unpretentious.
“Oh, so she is now charming. You’re certainly singing a different tune now.”
“Yes, Jacob.” Nick looked at his friends. “I am.”
Marcus sighed. “And I understand that now she is to hold our secrets, also.”
“She is,” Nick said. “And she will hold them close.”
~ * ~
Grace spent the morning meeting with the servants and discussing meals with Cook, hoping this would distract her from her cousin’s plight.
“Your maid wished me to inform you that your new purchases have arrived, my Lady.”
“Thank you, Vidal, and as we are finished here, I shall go and inspect them.” Leaving the housekeeper, Grace hurried to her rooms. At least if she was busy, she could keep the panic inside her at bay; but as soon as she stopped her fears for Harry and Nick compounded.
Opening the door to her rooms, she found Bessie with a wide smile on her face.
“Oh, my Lady, these are beautiful!” She held a dress up for Grace to inspect. “Would you like to put one on?”
Grace looked at the cream muslin dress. The bodice was fitted and the sleeves delicately puffed and pulled in with a cream satin ribbon, which also banded beneath the bodice. Small cream roses were embroidered all over the dress and the hem fell in soft folds to the floor. She had never longed to wear such a dress before, and felt shallow for doing so now, considering that Harry was still out there somewhere waiting to be rescued.
“Yes, thank you, Bessie.”
Looking in the mirror minutes later, Grace instantly saw the change in herself that the dress had created. She had not believed such a simple thing like a different piece of clothing could make her look… well, almost pretty.
“I shall brush your hair and put it in a simple style, my Lady.”
Grace let her maid do as she wished while she let her eyes roam around her room. Looking at the bed, she thought about what she and Nick had shared last night in his. Her feelings for him were growing every time she saw him, and that confused her.
“Bother.”
“My Lady?”
“‘Tis nothing.” Grace had not realized she’d spoken out loud. But the truth was that she did care about Nick now, she just wasn’t sure in what capacity and why, after only one night of harmony with the man. Harmony, it sounded such a pathetic word for what they’d shared. Grace had felt as if Nick touched her soul last night, such was the intensity of what they shared.
Bother.
“I am finished, my Lady.”
Her hair was now loosely bundled on top of her head, with a few ringlets teased free to settle on her shoulders, and Bessie had woven cream satin ribbons into a band, which she wore around her head so the ends trailed down her neck.
“Oh,” was all Grace could manage as she studied her reflection.
“You look very pretty, my Lady.”
She actually did, Grace realized.
“Thank you, Bessie. My hair looks lovely,” she said before leaving the room once more. Restless, Grace made her way to the gardens and found a stick to throw for her dog. She paced along the high stone wall at the bottom of the grass, and smiled at the gardener bent over a bed of flowers.
“Good day,” she said, and he doffed his hat.
She walked until she found the open gate. Peeking through, she saw a black carriage in the small lane that ran behind the property. It was as she pulled back that she felt someone approach her from behind. She turned to see whom it was and felt an arm band around her waist. Her feet were suddenly lifted off the ground.
“I have her!”
Grace fought, but whoever held her was strong. She screamed as loudly as she could, but he kept hurrying toward the carriage. She heard Nipper barking furiously and then she felt the hands around her loosen. Suddenly, she was on her feet.
“He’s biting me!”
Grace ran as she heard a volley of Russian, screaming for Nipper to follow. She picked up her skirts and hurried up the hill. The man had stopped howling in pain, which told her the dog had released him. She saw a little white streak run past her and was relieved to see her hero was all right.
“Vidal!” Grace started screaming the butler’s name as she neared the house, and in seconds two maids, a footman, and Vidal had run out the French doors and were coming toward her.
“My Lady, what has happened?”
“A man tried to grab me, Vidal,” Grace gasped. “The gate at the bottom of the garden was open and when I looked through he did so from behind.”
“Get George and go and look, Thomas,” Vidal told the footman. “Bring tea for Lady Attwood,” he then ordered the maids. “Come now, my Lady, we must get you inside.”
Grace realized she was shaking as Vidal held out his arm toward her, asking her permission to assist her.
“I-I will be all right, Vidal, thank you.” She patted the sleeve of his jacket before bending to pick up Nipper and cuddling him close. “He saved me,” she added. “The man had me and Nipper bit his leg, I think, which forced him to release me.”
“Then he will receive a large bone from the kitchens for his efforts, my Lady. I will see to this myself.”
Vidal talked to her and patted Nipper’s head as they walked, his arm touching her spine gently when she stumbled, until finally they had reached her rooms. Once inside, she sat in one of the chairs and started to shiver. The butler placed a blanket over her knees and lit the fire.
“I shall take Nipper to the kitchens now and summon your maid, my Lady. I shall return soon with your tea, if you will be all right here alone until then.”
“Of course, and thank you so much, Vidal, for everything.”
He bowed, gave her a gentle smile and then left. It was only as the door closed that Grace allowed herself to put her head in her hands and give way to the terror that still gripped her.
She didn’t weep, that wasn’t her way, but she shook and her breathing was labored. Inhaling a deep gulp of air, she attempted to bring it under control before Vidal returned.
“Grace, dear God, Vidal just told me what happened!” Nick burst into the room and came to her side. “Are you all right? What happened?”
“Harry?” Grace had to know about her cousin first.
“He is safe and unhurt. Leo is bringing him here now.”
“Thank God,” Grace said as she was being lifted into Nick’s arms. He then sat with her on his lap. “Where did you find him?”
“It is enough that he is safe; now you need to tell me what happened to you.” He held her close, her head pressed into his chest, his arms around her. “Everything, from the minute you walked outside to running back to the house.”
She did, talking quickly until she’d told him all she remembered.
“And they were speaking Russian, Grace, you’re sure of this?”
“Y-yes.” She still felt shaky, and remembering the events did not help that.
“It’s all right, I won’t let anyone touch you again,” he soothed, and Grace felt his lips in her hair.
“It was them wasn’t it, Nick? Those men that took Harry just tried to take me, didn’t they?”
“It’s likely.”
She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes.
“It has to be, there can’t be two lots of Russian-speaking men pursuing translators.”
“Yes.” He ran his eyes over her face, before moving down her body. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
“How can you think of my clothes at a time like this?” Grace couldn’t believe he’d said that.
“You’re safe, as is your cousin, and if I let myself give rein to the anger that is inside me it would benefit neither of us, and you do look beautiful,” he added.
She brushed his words aside and tried to rise, but his arms held her still.
“You’re still trembling,” he said the words into her hair. “Sit and let me hold you.”
“You want to hold me?” Grace could feel his body around hers, warming her, making her feel safe.
“Very much.”
Her chin was lifted and then he was kissing her, his lips soft and seeking. It was a gentle kiss, but one that in seconds had her body on fire.
“I don’t understand this,” Grace whispered against lips. “Any of it.”
“Don’t think too hard about it, Grace, just feel,” He ran a finger around the neckline of her dress. “I promise that the Russians will not get near you or your cousin again, so have no fear there.”
Her head was filled with him and so many thoughts that swirled around and around. So as he kissed her, she did as he said and simply felt. When Vidal knocked on the door they were both breathless.
“Your cousin has arrived, my Lady.”
“Excellent, we shall come down at once,” Nick said through the door, before he lifted Grace off his lap and placed her on her feet.
She hurried to the door with Nick on her heels and down the stairs.
“I have placed him in the west parlor, my Lady,” Vidal said when she reached the bottom floor.
“Food, please, Vidal, and have a room readied for Lord Harrington,” Nick said from behind her.
The door was open and she heard male voices as she hurried through.
“Harry!” He stood as she came toward him and held out his arms.
“It’s all right, cousin.” He hugged her hard, and she wrapped her arms around his body and held him close.
“Lord Attwood,” Harry said when he had released Grace. He held out his hand to Nick, who took it immediately. “Thank you for rescuing me.”
“I am glad you are unharmed, Lord Harrington. Do you feel up to telling us what happened?”
Nick urged Grace into a seat and took the one beside her, while Leo sat in one of the other chairs.
Grace watched her cousin pace. He was tired, his eyes bloodshot, but he seemed all right otherwise.
“They realized soon after they had taken me that it was actually Grace they wanted, but decided to hold me until they could capture her.”
“They tried today.” Beside her, Nick growled the words. “But Nipper rescued her.”
Harry smiled. “Brave little dog, that one.”
He did not have much to tell them, only that he was held by two men. “And neither of them was Mr. Zavorski,” Harry added.
“His name is Boleslav,” Nick added. “He is not a very pleasant man, Lord Harrington, and my friends and I have found out many bad things about him, so it is fair to say I am glad we were able to get you away from him, and that my wife is not in his clutches. It seems that whoever took the translations that Grace was working on was disposed of by Boleslav, and then he kidnapped you to finish them.”
Grace felt the tension in her husband. “He killed a man?” She whispered.
“We believe so, yes.”
“But what was on those papers?”
“Our information is that they were instructions for a series of robberies that were written in some kind of code.”
“God good,” Harry said.
“But how will we stop him from trying again, Nick?”
“There are other translators in London, but as you have started and are now aware that they are more than just words, our fear is that it is you he will continue to target, as you know much about him.” This came from Lord Vereton, who until then had been silently watching them converse.
“Therefore, we think it is best that both you and my wife leave London, Lord Harrington,” Nick added. “I have a hunting box, tucked on a quiet piece of countryside that we shall stay in until these men are caught.”
“What!” Grace looked at him. “But I don’t want to leave London.”
“Why not? I will come with you, as will your cousin and dog,” Nick reasoned. “It is for the best, Grace. There, I will be able to protect you better, while Leo, Jacob, and Marcus, along with some other men, find Boleslav.”
“Capital,” Harry said loudly. “I love the idea of a trip to the country, Grace.”
“You will come with us?” She looked up at Nick, who was watching her closely.
“Of course. Did you believe I would send you alone, or with someone else to watch over you?”
She had thought that actually, but did not say the words. “All right, as long as we are all going, then I see no reason to refuse.”
“I would have simply carried you had you not agreed,” her husband then said, his eyes steady on her face.
“Capital,” Harry said again, and Grace had the feeling that her cousin realized there was now more than animosity between her and Nick, and was more than happy about that fact.
Plans were made and they were to leave early the next morning. Lord Vereton took Harry to his house to collect his things, and then they all were to stay at the Attwood townhouse. Grace retired early, after their evening meal, leaving Nick and Leo, as the marquis insisted she now call him, to discuss everything. Harry had long since found his bed, tired from his ordeal.
After a bath, Grace climbed into her bed yawning. It had been a trying few days, but tonight she would sleep knowing that Harry was safe and under the same roof as she and Nick. The fire cast a soft glow around her room, and she felt her eyelids grow heavy.
Would Nick seek her bed tonight? She hoped he did, as she wished to sleep wrapped in his arms, warm and safe. Grace let herself drift to sleep with the memory of last night in her head.
Something roused her, a noise in her room. “Nick?” She pushed herself into a sitting position.
“No, Lady Attwood, and if you wish for your husband and cousin to remain unharmed you will come quietly.”
The man Nick had called Boleslav now stood beside her bed, and in his hand was a pistol.
“You have caused me much trouble, Lady Attwood, but it will end tonight. Now get out of bed slowly and walk to the windows.”
“I am in my nightdress!” Grace hissed. “Surely I must be allowed to dress?”
“There is no time, as your husband could enter at any moment.”
Throwing back the covers, Grace grabbed the shawl she had thrown over the foot of the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders before pushing her feet into slippers.
“Now move to the windows as I have said, Lady Attwood.”
He was too big for her to think about overpowering, plus he had a gun, and unfortunately Nipper had chosen to remain downstairs with Nick, so he would make no noise to alert anyone as to what was happening.
“Am I to jump?” Grace said when she reached the windows and threw them open.
“There is a rope. You will climb down and my men will be waiting.”
It is three stories,” Grace gasped.
“My men will catch you should you fall.” These words were accompanied by a prod in the back by the gun. “Now hurry please, I have no wish to meet your husband or his large friend.”
Lifting her skirts, Grace stepped onto the ledge and looked over. It was dark below but she saw three men, and the rope that was attached to the small balcony. A cool wind brushed over her and Grace thought furiously of what her next move should be. She had no wish for Nick to come running into the room and Boleslav to shoot him, yet she did not want to go with the man. Something told her he would not let her go, even when she had done as he wished.
“Move.” She was prodded again, so she swung her leg over the edge and gripped the rope in her hands. She was not even sure she could do this; climb down and not fall. Was she strong enough to hold her weight?
“There are knots, they will help you down, and I shall follow.”
Grace started slowly, clinging to the rope every time she moved lower. Her hands burned, as did her thighs, but she was making progress, and focused solely on reaching the bottom. Everything else, she shut out of her mind. Once she was at the bottom she would find a way to alert Nick, for now she had to concentrate on not breaking her neck.
“Move!”
“I’m tired,” Grace snapped at the man above her. “My hands hurt, and as I have never done such a thing before, you must allow me time to get down.”
“We do not have time, now move, Lady Attwood.”
She did as he asked, every muscle in her body aching from holding her weight.
“Let go now, my men will catch you.”
“Certainly not!” Grace said, but her hands lost their grip and she fell. Hands caught her, and then she was placed gently on her feet. Her shawl was handed to her, and she took it with hands that shook.
“Get her to the carriage,” Mr. Boleslav said as he landed on his feet beside her seconds later.
Grace was then lifted and thrown over a shoulder before she could try to flee, and as her windows faced the gardens, they were soon running down the hill toward the gate at the bottom.