Duchess Material

Fourteen

A s Phoebe stepped into another corridor dimly lit by wall sconces, Will let out a huff behind her. “And what exactly is your plan?”

“Explore every room in this house to make sure Alice isn’t here.”

It wasn’t very efficient, but Phoebe didn’t know what else to do. Ever since Mr. Cartwright had first mentioned this Maude woman, Phoebe couldn’t shake the feeling that she held the answer to Alice’s disappearance.

Will was quiet for a long moment. “And if she is?”

Phoebe gritted her teeth. “Then we get her out.”

They reached the end of the corridor, which led to a flight of stairs. Phoebe had made it up the first step when the sound of a door shutting came from the floor above, followed by multiple pairs of footsteps and the murmur of voices. Phoebe turned to Will as the group headed closer toward the stairs. There was nowhere else to go and they would be spotted in the corridor.

“Do you mind?” Will asked.

Phoebe shook her head. She didn’t exactly know what he intended to do, but there wasn’t time to talk about it. She just had to trust him.

As the group began their descent, Will led her to a shadowed corner near the stairs and pressed her against the wall. He drew her veil away from her shoulder, making sure her face was still covered. Then, without another word, he nuzzled into the crook of her neck. Phoebe gasped at the sensation of his rough beard rubbing against her bare skin. He began to pull back, but she brought a hand to the nape of his neck and held him there.

She actually had intended to keep her promise to him and stay at home this evening. Between school and planning the bazaar, she had been more tired than usual. But while she was going over some details with her mother that afternoon, Freddie had stopped by and made a point of mentioning the latest gossip surrounding Will:

Everyone thought he would have proposed to Lady Gwen by now. I heard he even forgot about plans they had made to ride in Hyde Park. She waited for him for over an hour, poor thing. Wasn’t he here that day?

Phoebe had ignored her mother’s gaze burning into the side of her head and made some vague reply. But afterward, she had gone to Freddie’s room and asked to borrow something to wear. Freddie, bless her, hadn’t pestered her with too many questions, though she did make Phoebe promise to tell her everything tomorrow.

But as Will’s lips tentatively grazed her collarbone, Phoebe wasn’t so sure she could keep that promise. She let out another gasp and arched her back. Will responded by pressing his hips against hers. His hand then briefly cupped her bottom before sliding down her thigh and stopping under her knee to lift her leg up, just like the couple in the entryway. The dress was at least an inch too short, given that it was her sister’s, but that suddenly seemed an advantage, along with the extra room in the bodice.

“Oh God,” she rasped at the sensation this position created. Now she understood why the woman in the hall had been so enthusiastic.

The voices suddenly grew louder and Phoebe froze. She had completely forgotten why they had started this in the first place. Will paused too, his breath heavy and warm on her skin as what sounded like three men descended the stairs directly behind them.

“Capital place Fairbanks has created here,” one man said.

Will’s shoulders tensed beneath her fingers. Could they mean Lord Fairbanks? Her brain felt sluggish but she tried to focus on the conversation.

“Yes,” another agreed. “As I understand it, he intends to open more across the city.”

“Only if he can pass that bill of his and raze the competition.”

“He will,” the first man said confidently. “He always finds a way.”

“Not without the support of Ellis though.”

The other man laughed. “Fairbanks doesn’t seem worried. The duke always comes to heel.”

Now it was Phoebe’s turn to tense. Will still hadn’t moved. The first man began to say more, but they caught his attention. “Ah, what have we here?”

Will turned his face away. “Move along,” he said gruffly.

Phoebe held her breath, but the men only laughed. “Sorry, chap. Didn’t mean to interrupt. As you were.”

They laughed again and continued on, their voices slowly fading as they filed down the corridor. Will let out a sigh and sagged against her, but just as her arms came around him, he straightened and tore his mask off.

Phoebe swallowed at the thunderous expression on his face. “That bastard,” he muttered. “That lying, scheming, hypocritical bastard.”

“I’m so sorry.” Phoebe reached for him, but he shrugged away.

“I need to know what the hell this place is and exactly how he is involved,” he said. Then he let out a dark laugh. “‘Come to heel,’ my arse. I’ll show him what kind of dog he’s trained.”

Phoebe threw back her veil. “ Will ,” she hissed, but he had already started up the stairs. Phoebe scrambled after him before they lost their cover entirely. “You’re going to get caught.”

Once he reached the landing, he prowled down the hall toward the nearest door.

“Good,” he snapped. “Then perhaps I’ll get some answers.”

She grabbed his hand just as he began to turn the knob. “Look at me,” she demanded. Will reluctantly met her eyes. She could see the anger there, as well as the hurt. “I know you’re upset, but that isn’t why we came here.”

“You don’t know what that man has done for me. I always felt so damned indebted to him. And all this time…” Will shook his head stubbornly. “You don’t understand.”

Phoebe’s grip gentled. “Then help me to.”

When he met her eyes again, the guilt in his gaze was so startling she nearly stepped back. “I’ve been so stupid, Phoebe.”

But before she could respond, the door swung open to reveal none other than the infamous Maude glaring at the two of them.

“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Crispin and Mr. Agincourt,” she mocked. “Have you come to take France or just disrupt my evening?” As Will and Phoebe exchanged a look, Maude let out an exasperated sigh. “Come in. Now. ”

Phoebe hesitantly passed Maude and entered a small sitting room that was decorated just as opulently as the room below, but in shades of pale peach and gold. Across the room, a partially open door provided a glimpse of a similarly decorated bedroom.

Phoebe turned to Maude, who was dressed to match her surroundings in a gauzy blush tea gown barely suitable for company—though perhaps that depended on who the company was. “Are these your chambers?”

The woman had been busy eyeing her outfit and immediately snapped her gaze back to her face. “Only when I’m here.”

Phoebe nodded and walked closer to the bedroom. A fire was lit in the hearth and a cream-colored silk dressing gown was draped across the bed.

She looked back over her shoulder. “Is this where you entertain your… your clients?”

Maude’s eyes went cold. “I think I much preferred you with the mustache,” she said to Phoebe before addressing Will. “And you without the beard.”

Will touched his cheek self-consciously. “I think it suits him quite well,” Phoebe said, feeling defensive on his behalf. “And I can’t say I don’t miss wearing trousers.”

Maude began to smile, then stopped herself. “Enough chitchat. Why are you following me? And before you answer, keep in mind that you aren’t very good liars,” she added.

Phoebe exchanged another look with Will and he nodded his head slightly. If they wanted to get anything out of this ordeal, they would have to tell this woman something. “I’m looking for Alice Clarke.”

Maude visibly flinched before her eyes turned to ice. “Why,” she barked. It was a warning more than a question, but this woman knew something, and Phoebe wouldn’t leave here until she got some answers.

“I am a friend who is interested in her well-being.”

Maude let out a snide laugh. “Is that so? A lot of good you’ve done her.”

Phoebe took a step forward. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Phoebe…” Will murmured as he pulled her back, not that Maude seemed the least bit intimidated.

She gave Phoebe a considering look. “You’re that teacher, aren’t you. Miss Arlington—”

“Atkinson—”

“Whatever. The one giving her a lot of fancy ideas ,” Maude returned, her words dripping with disapproval.

“Alice is smart. I want to help her.”

Maude let out a laugh. “Right. Well, teaching her to read Shakespeare isn’t going to pay the rent or put food on the table.”

Phoebe winced. It was a fair enough point. One she had heard before. But she wasn’t here to debate the merits of the humanities. “I know that, but secretarial work is a real possibility for her. She only needs to complete a course. If I could just—”

Maude shook her head. “Alice didn’t have time for that.”

“How do you know her?” Will asked with a narrowed gaze.

But she was not cowed by his tone and merely lifted her chin. “I have a reputation in the neighborhood for my connections. She came to me asking for work, so I found her a position as a maid in a fine house. A safe one,” she added with a knowing look. “Only a widow and her daughter there.”

With no husband to create trouble for a young maid.

“That’s a fine story, but I want proof,” Phoebe insisted. “And I won’t leave until I know she isn’t… isn’t—”

“Selling herself?” Maude let out a bitter laugh. “No, don’t worry. She hasn’t stooped to my level. And I’ll make sure she never has to.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“Save your words,” Maude snapped. “I know what you lot think about women like me. But it’s easy to judge when you’ve never been in my place. And I’m not interested in your pity either. Your school is all well and good for the girls with families that can help them, but Alice needs to be practical.”

Phoebe sighed and brushed a hand over her face. “I just don’t understand why she didn’t tell anyone she was leaving. Could you at least give me her address so I can write to her?”

Maude maintained her steely expression. “She needs to focus on her work.”

“Surely she can handle the occasional letter,” Will put in.

“That isn’t for you to decide.” Maude then gestured to Phoebe. “You stick to keeping this lady of yours out of trouble.”

“We’re friends,” Will said just as Phoebe bit out, “I’m not his lady.”

Maude’s face filled with unexpected mirth and she held up her hands. “Right. My mistake.”

Before Phoebe could clarify their relationship, someone rattled the doorknob.

A muffled voice came from the other side. “Why the devil is this locked? Maudie?”

“Oh fantastic,” Maude grumbled. “You two need to leave. Now .” Then she raised her voice and addressed the person on the other side of the door. “Just a minute!”

“That’s Fairbanks, isn’t it,” Will barked. “Let him in so I can give him a piece of my mind.”

Maude shot him an odd look as Phoebe tugged on his sleeve. As much as she wanted to see Will take the earl to task, she much preferred to not be discovered in a den of iniquity this evening.

He glanced back at her and his thunderous expression vanished. “Sorry.” Then he addressed Maude. “Is there somewhere we can hide?”

“Try the closet.” She gestured toward a door on the other side of the room then gave Will an assessing look. “It will be a tight fit with the two of you in there, though. I’ll get him out of here as fast as I can.”

They scurried over to the closet and Will let out a grumble as he opened the door.

It really was very small.

“You go first,” Phoebe suggested.

Will had to crouch down just to fit, which meant the only space left for her was between his legs. She took a steadying breath and entered, leaving the door open just a sliver. Phoebe’s back was to Will’s front and the heat radiating off his body mingled with the woodsy scent of his cologne, invading her senses. He was hunched so far over, he could embrace her if he wished. Phoebe was filled with the urge to press against him, to feel his strong arms around her once more. Her heart thundered in her chest as she leaned back just a little, but Will reacted as if he had touched hot coals and straightened so quickly he bumped his head on the closet’s low ceiling.

Well, so much for that.

“Are you all right?” Phoebe had to force the question through her clenched jaw.

“Yes,” Will said testily before muttering a curse. “I’m fine.”

Then she bent down to peer through the slight crack in the door and ignore how dangerously close their bodies still were. But apparently that wasn’t enough for Will and he continued shifting behind her, trying to create as much space as possible.

“Will you stop moving ?” she hissed after a moment. “I promise I won’t touch you again.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Outside, Maude opened the door to her room and a distinguished-looking man with salt-and-pepper hair immediately strolled in. Lord Fairbanks, Phoebe presumed.

“Why was your door locked?” he demanded.

Maude’s entire demeanor changed upon the earl’s entrance. She batted her eyelashes and gave a careless shrug. “I forgot. Force of habit, I guess. Still getting used to this place.”

The earl stepped closer and gave her a look of such blatant, naked interest that it made Phoebe’s skin crawl. “That’s a pretty gown. Is it new?”

Maude beamed with pride as she did a little turn. “I bought it just yesterday down at Harvey Nicks. Paid for it all by myself.”

A corner of the earl’s mouth turned up, but the smile was closer to a sneer. “What a resourceful little madam you are,” he murmured as he reached out and rubbed the fabric of her skirt between his thumb and forefinger. Even Phoebe could see her flinch. The earl then pulled her against him and moved to kiss Maude’s neck.

“John,” she whispered and leaned away. “You promised…”

He pulled back but his grip tightened around her waist. “And so did you,” he replied darkly.

Maude turned her head to the side. “You can’t blame me for that.”

“Only because I can’t prove it,” he replied in a silky tone edged with venom. Then his manner suddenly lightened as he released her and clapped his hands together. “I’d nearly forgotten why I came up here in the first place.” Phoebe and Maude both released a breath. “Lord Harcourt is downstairs. You remember him, don’t you? He was in Paris when we—”

“Yes, I remember,” Maude replied wearily as she slumped into a chair.

The earl gave her an expectant look. “Well, he’s asked for you.”

Maude stilled for a moment. “I’m not here to do that,” she said with some of her earlier bravado, but it couldn’t hide the tremble in her words. “It wasn’t part of our arrangement.”

The earl nodded as if mulling over her words and casually walked toward her. “Yes, I know, Maudie. But I don’t really care. I need his support on a vote and this is his price: another evening in your enchanting company, but without my participation this time.”

Phoebe managed to swallow as she grasped what, exactly, had happened in Paris, then felt ashamed by her own naivete. But Will had warned her about what went on in places like these.

Maude began to object, but he grabbed her by the chin and brought her to her feet. “You can buy as many gowns at Harvey Nicks as you damn well please, but that won’t change a thing about you. Ever. You were born in the gutter, and you will die there. This is just a pleasant stop along the way. And until then you will do whatever it is I ask of you. Unless you want to meet your maker a little bit sooner.”

Maude managed to nod even in his tight grip and the earl flashed her an unnerving smile that turned Phoebe’s stomach. “That’s my good girl.”

He then shoved her back down in the chair and looked at his reflection in the mirror by the fireplace. “You have five minutes to come downstairs, or else I’m sending someone up after you,” he said calmly as he fixed his perfectly groomed hair. “And they won’t be as nice about it as me.”

The earl then swept out of the room. After a moment, Maude got up and locked the door.

“It’s safe now,” she called to them as she sank back into the chair.

Phoebe burst out of the closet and rushed to her side. “Are you all right?” Before Maude could respond, she pulled a blanket off the sofa and draped it around the woman’s shoulders. “Here, you’re shivering.”

But Maude shrugged it off. “I’m fine,” she snapped.

“Come with us,” Phoebe said impulsively. “We can keep you safe.”

As her bright blue eyes met Phoebe’s, she seemed to consider it for a brief moment, but then her gaze shuttered. “Just—just go.” Then she turned to Will and shot him a fierce look. “And for God’s sake, don’t let her come back here. The earl is a powerful man with even more powerful friends. And they won’t like having anyone interfere with their plans.”

Will seemed to consider revealing his own identity, but the urgency in her voice must have given him pause. “Understood,” he said with a nod, then turned to Phoebe. “Come on. I think we’ve taken up enough of this lady’s time.”

Though Maude had regained some of her earlier bluster, Phoebe still didn’t like the idea of leaving her here. “If you ever change your mind—”

Maude gave her a bland look. “I’ll be fine, Miss Atkinson. It isn’t anything I haven’t done before,” she added, but her matter-of-fact tone couldn’t hide the hollow look in her eyes.

Will then took Phoebe by the elbow and led her toward the door. Since neither of them had any desire to return downstairs, Maude directed them to the servants’ staircase at the end of the hall that would bring them to the mews behind the house. They exited the building without incident and climbed into Will’s waiting carriage.

Maude’s resigned expression in the face of the earl’s callous cruelty would haunt Phoebe for a long, long time. She knew such things occurred with distressing regularity—one only needed to open a London paper to learn of all the horrible ways people treated each other—but seeing it with her own eyes, and feeling so helpless in the moment, was unfamiliar.

“Phoebe.” Will’s voice cut through her desperate thoughts. She met his eyes in the low light of the carriage. “It will be all right.”

She couldn’t help laughing at the certainty in his voice. “For whom?”

Will’s lips thinned in a grimace, but he didn’t answer. Phoebe looked out the window as the shadowy city passed by. “I suspect Maude and Alice have a relationship,” she began, desperate to focus on a problem she at least had a chance of solving. “Something more than what she let on. She said that Alice came to her looking for work. But then why did Mr. Cartwright see her coming by the flat more than once? And why did she know so much about me if they were only neighborhood acquaintances?”

Will nodded slowly as he mulled this over. “It’s certainly possible. But would that relate to Alice’s disappearance?”

Phoebe let out a sigh and leaned her head back against the seat. “I don’t know. But why bother to lie about it if it didn’t matter?”

Will was silent for a moment. “Well, whatever it is, Maude will never tell you. That much seems clear. I doubt the Inquisition could pry the truth from such a tenacious woman.”

Phoebe smiled a little. “I suppose she would have to be to survive in her world. I doubt I could.”

Will narrowed his eyes slightly. “It almost sounds like you admire her.”

“Perhaps I do, in a way. And she certainly made a good point about the school.” Will shot her a questioning look. “We give these girls the kind of education we received, thinking it’s part of some noble endeavor on our part. But their lives are so very different. What’s the point of reading Shakespeare if you still can’t find work?”

“Then do something about it,” Will said. “But don’t discount the work you’re doing in the meantime. Things like literature, music, and art should be for everyone. Not everything has to be commodified.”

“That sounds dangerously close to the teachings of Karl Marx, Your Grace,” Phoebe said with a wry smile.

Will laughed. “Yes, well, I haven’t entirely forgotten my more radical beliefs.”

“I still remember the time you came to dinner and got into an argument with Father about the importance of men in positions of power publicly supporting workers’ rights across industries.”

The subtext being men like him.

Phoebe had long considered that evening to be an intellectual and physical awakening of sorts—and was one of the reasons why she had found his new life so distasteful. But oh how she had clung to the memory of a valiant young Will leaning across the table to meet Father’s wall of condescension head-on with his razor-sharp insight.

The upper classes are only able to accumulate extreme wealth because there are so many others who earn far less. It isn’t the natural order of things. It is the product of a deliberate system.

“There is no one quite so self-important as a young man who has just discovered a political theory,” he said with a groan.

“No, you were wonderful,” Phoebe insisted. “And what you were saying was true. You taught him something that night.” Will let out a dismissive huff, but Phoebe would not relent. “You did. He won’t invest in companies that don’t allow their workers to unionize. Not all of the workers choose to, of course, but he makes it clear that if management hamper any attempts he will pull his funding.”

Will looked dumbfounded. “Oh. Well, I’m very glad to hear that. Thank you for telling me,” he added with a modest dip of his head that Phoebe could feel all the way down to her bones. God help her if he kept behaving this way.

As if on cue, Will gave her a penetrating look. “And yet, I got the impression that things are strained between you.”

Phoebe let out a sigh. “They are, but that isn’t anything new. He’s never approved of my occupation. Thinks I’m wasting my time teaching when I could be helping him and Alex make more money.”

Will’s smile was rueful. “It’s not just that, you know. Your sister can be quite egalitarian in regard to the businesses she chooses to fund.”

Phoebe managed a reluctant nod. “Yes, I’ve heard it many times over: ‘It’s all about the idea.’ But it’s a business, not a charity, so they only invest in things that will turn a tidy profit.”

“Fair point,” Will acknowledged. “And you would rather they invested in schemes that improved society in some way?”

Phoebe shrugged. “Not exclusively. I understand the need to generate a profit. But it would be nice if they considered more than the monetary value of a project in their assessment.”

Will appeared to mull this over. “Have you said this to your father? Or Alex?”

“No,” Phoebe replied as the corner of her mouth curved up. “I’ve only just put it together here talking with you.”

Though the memory of his kisses and caresses would stay with her until the day she died, it was these little moments that she treasured most.

Will returned her smile. “Perhaps you should.”

A fierce bolt of longing tore through her and she had to turn away from him to regain her composure.

“I actually haven’t even seen my father since he returned from New York,” she began. “He’s been busy squiring his new American friends around London. I think Alex is upset about it, though of course it’s hard to tell.”

Will snorted a laugh. “She is human, you know. Despite her efforts to appear otherwise.”

Phoebe hesitated. “I suspect I hurt her quite badly as well, actually.”

“Is this about your quarrel?”

Phoebe nodded. “I made some accusations about her and Father that weren’t very fair,” she said with a sigh. “I suppose I was being a little self-righteous.”

“We all have our faults. It’s what we do once they’re pointed out to us that matters.”

“Well put, Your Grace,” Phoebe teased. Will rolled his eyes but there was no hiding the mirth in them. “What are you going to do about Lord Fairbanks?” she asked after a moment.

Will frowned in thought. “I’m not sure. Drafting a competing bill feels far too little now. He should be exposed as the hypocrite he is.”

“As much as I agree with you,” Phoebe began, “will it matter if he is surrounded by men who share the same secrets? ‘Do as I say, not as I do,’ etcetera.”

“Perhaps not.” Will rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully. “But people like that can be quick to turn on each other at the first hint of blood in the water.”

Phoebe leaned forward and placed her hand on his. “Then we must make sure you have an awfully big knife.”