Eight for Losing, One for Loving (Wicked Sons #9)

Chapter 4

Dearest Matilda,

I think it’s finally happened. Violetta did not come home after her outing with Leo. I think that nephew of yours has finally come to his senses and run off with her! How he persuaded her into it, I cannot imagine. Well, I can , obviously, but that Vi agreed is something else. Still, he’s such a handsome fellow she was never going to hold out forever. I confess I would have capitulated to his advances the first time he flashed that wicked smile my way. Oh, I’m so excited. Also, I had the most peculiar message from Vi by telegraph this evening. Some story about Mau being kidnapped, as if I should believe such a thing. Why she thought she needed to make up a bizarre story, I do not know, but I suppose one does not wish to announce an elopement over a telegram. The news would be all over the city by morning. I wonder if they shall go to Greta Green. How romantic it would be. Of course there will be a dreadful scandal, not that I care a button for that, though Luke will not be pleased. I confess I have not told him the whole… I shall be in a deal of trouble, no doubt, when he discovers it. Never mind. I must give Leo the chance he needs without his soon to be father-in-law barging in and spoiling things.

Keep fingers and toes crossed for me, Tilda. I shall keep you posted.

―Excerpt of a letter from The Right Hon’ble Kitty Baxter, The Countess of Trevick, to her friend The Most Hon’ble Matilda Barrington, The Marchioness of Montagu.

24 th June 1850, somewhere northeast of Biggleswade.

Tadlow was a tiny village on the river and Leo’s spirits sank as they arrived in the centre by the parish church, for they were no nearer to finding Mau. There had been a magnificent sunset that had lightened both their hearts while it endured, for it had been a thing of great beauty, streaking the sky with great swathes of vibrant pink and startling orange. It would be full dark in little more than half an hour, however, though there was a bright waxing moon that promised not to leave them entirely plunged into gloom. No one he’d asked had seen a farmer carrying two men, one tall, one short, in his cart, and now anyone with a grain of sense had gone indoors for dinner. This was utterly pointless. He could hardly stop at every house and cottage after dark and demand if anyone had his cat. Worse, he had likely ruined Violetta and, whilst he was all for marrying her to get her out of a fix, he very much doubted his luck was about to improve.

“Look there,” Vi said, and Leo turned towards her, seeing her white-gloved hand as a ghostly shape in the rapidly dimming light. “There’s the vicar. Perhaps he might know if there were any such desperate fellows in the neighbourhood, the kind that might ransom a cat.”

“Well, it’s worth a try,” Leo admitted. “Though I don’t know how I’m going to explain you away.”

“Tell him I’m your wife,” Vi said with a shrug.

“You want me to lie to a man of God?” Leo said, raising his eyebrows.

“Well, you were ready enough to do it to an innkeeper,” she replied, tart as ever. “Don’t tell me you’re coming over all principled now.”

“Are you suggesting I’m unprincipled?” he demanded indignantly.

“I don’t know,” she said, putting a finger to her lips and affecting an innocently quizzical expression. “What might have put such a thought in my head?”

Despite himself and the dire nature of their predicament, Leo gave a bark of laughter. “And you had the nerve to say Tilly was a dreadful girl. You are the queen of dreadful girls, Vi. No, the empress. You are far too regal to be a mere queen.”

“Ridiculous man,” Vi said, but without heat.

Leo thought she looked quite pleased by his words. “Come, then, lady wife. Let us tell the poor vicar a tissue of lies that will likely come back to bite us at some point soon.”

“Yes, let's,” Vi said placidly, accepting Leo’s hand and stepping down from the tilbury.

She took his arm and Leo felt a sudden, urgent desire for the ruse to be true. He was worried sick about Mau but comforted himself that any kidnapper with an ounce of sense knew it was in their interest to keep their victim hale and hearty if they wanted their money. The only thing that truly distracted him from his anxiety, however, was Vi’s calm and no-nonsense presence on the seat beside him. Not that he felt calm. Not in the least. Between desperation to have his friend back with him and the tantalising idea that he might really share a bedroom with Vi tonight, he was all on edge. That his plans might be best served by not being entirely a gentleman was one that he was having a good deal of trouble putting to one side.

“Excuse me! I beg your pardon, Reverend?”

Leo brought his unruly musings to a halt and returned his attention to Vi, who was hailing the vicar.

“Good evening, sir, madam. How might I be of service to you?” the vicar asked. He was standing by the door to the church, clearly about to close it and make his way home.

“We’re sorry to trouble you, sir,” Leo said politely. “And I’m afraid you will think it a very odd thing, but we need to ask your advice.”

“Well, I’m rather fond of odd things,” the vicar said with a crooked smile that showed large tombstone teeth in the front. He was a largish man, a little on the portly side, with thinning white hair and glasses and an air of bonhomie that immediately made Leo feel more relaxed. “Not that asking a vicar for advice is such an odd thing,” he added with a chuckle before looking between them with sudden concern.

“Oh, of course, it is a sensible thing indeed to ask your advice,” Vi said hurriedly, clearly anxious about what the man was thinking. “It’s more the nature of the advice that is a little… out of the ordinary.”

The vicar looked intrigued. “Well, how thrilling. Might I invite you to come to the vicarage and take a little sherry with me? I usually have one at this hour. It’s just a few steps away, over the road there.”

“That would be most kind of you,” Leo agreed, wanting nothing more than to find Mau, but the man seemed a good sort and it wouldn’t do to offend him. Moreover, the idea of sitting on a seat that didn’t move for a short while was more than appealing. It had been a warm day, and the night was muggy still. He was hot, sweaty and dusty, and in dire need of a bath and his dinner. Not so long ago, he’d have thought nothing about a race from one end of one county to the other end of another, lasting several days over terrible roads. The idea of such a thing now was in no way tempting.

“Must be getting old,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head as they followed the vicar.

“Sorry?” Vi asked, looking up at him.

“Nothing,” he said with a sigh.

“He seems like a very nice man, I’m sure he’ll help us,” Vi said, squeezing his arm.

Leo nodded. “He does, and I’m sure he will. If he can.”

They were let inside a small, thatched cottage with many beams that Leo had to duck low to navigate. Vi looked around the cosy vicarage with approval. Whoever the reverend’s housekeeper was, assuming he wasn’t married, she did a splendid job.

“I’m afraid Mrs Chalmers, my housekeeper, has taken herself off for the night,” the vicar said, answering her question for her. “Or you’d be pressed to eat a ‘little something’ that more closely resembled a four-course meal. As it’s just me, would sherry and a plate of sugar biscuits suffice? Or I could run to a hot cup of tea?” he added, though Vi thought he looked a little uncertain about this last.

“Sherry would be splendid,” she agreed at once. “And sugar biscuits are just the thing. We’ve had a rather long day, I’m afraid.”

“Excellent,” he said, with obvious relief. “Oh, and do sit down. Where are my manners? What a shocking fellow I am, to be sure.”

“Indeed, you are most kind to be so hospitable at this hour of the evening,” Vi said soothingly, as the reverend poured the sherry.

He handed her the first glass. “There you are, Mrs—good heavens! I forgot the introductions. Dear me. Mrs Chalmers would be most disappointed in me. Don’t tell her,” he added in an anxious whisper.

“We shan’t, and we are to blame, I’m sure,” Vi told him.

He beamed at her and held out his hand. “The Reverend Harbottle at your service, madam.”

Vi opened her mouth and then closed it again, suddenly aware she would need to lie. She looked desperately at Leo, who raised one eyebrow.

Devil take him!

“Mrs Hunt -ington,” she said, adding the extra syllables in a rush as she belatedly realised she couldn’t possibly use his real name.

“Charmed,” the reverend Harbottle said, offering his hand to Leo, who shook it warmly. “And your drink, Mr Huntington.”

“Thank you.”

Having settled himself down with his own sherry, the reverend looked between them with an air of great expectation. “Now then, about this very odd thing you wished to ask me about.”

“My cat has been abducted,” Leo said baldly.

Vi glared at him, not thinking this was the best way to introduce the topic but it was too late now. The reverend stared at him, obviously reassessing his opinion of them as sensible people and wondering where they’d escaped from.

“Forgive my husband,” Vi said quickly, before Leo could make things worse. “It’s a rather silly story, I know, but the thing is, Mau is a rather… unusual cat. That is to say… he’s rare,” she added.

“Rare?” the vicar said with interest. “As in, valuable?”

“Indeed,” Vi said, glad he’d caught on so quickly. For they could not explain how well-known Mau was among the ton —and apparently with anyone who read the scandal sheets. She only hoped the vicar did not keep up with fashionable gossip. “He’s very rare, and extremely valuable.”

“Mau?” the vicar mused, tugging at his ear thoughtfully. “Sounds Egyptian.”

“It is!” Vi cut in. “He’s an Egyptian… err… Water…” She floundered, the only word coming to mind being spaniel which clearly wouldn’t do.

“An Egyptian Water Sphinx,” Leo said, and with such utter confidence that it was all Vi could do to keep her countenance. As it was, she could not look at him.

“You don’t say,” the vicar said, clearly fascinated. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Well, you wouldn’t have,” Vi said with a touch of hysteria.

“Because he’s terribly rare,” Leo added. “We don’t care in the least about his value, however, for he is a much beloved pet, and we are desperate to get him back. The thing is, we were out walking him in Hyde Park—”

“Walking him… the cat… in Hyde Park,” the vicar said doubtfully. For whilst he was prepared to believe in an Egyptian Water Sphinx, this part of the story seemed a little dubious.

Leo nodded. “He’s more like a dog than a cat, you see. Follows me everywhere. Of course, the villains who took him must have known this. They swiped him from under my very nose—something I shall never forgive myself for,” he added, and Vi knew every word he spoke this time was entirely true. “We gave chase but lost them at Potters Bar, where they caught a train. We’ve been stopping at every station since and finally discovered they got off at Biggleswade. I spoke to witnesses who suggested they headed this way, but it’s late and the few people about had seen nothing of them.”

“So we wondered,” Vi carried on hopefully. “If perhaps you might know of anyone in your parish who—”

“—who might abduct an Egyptian Water Sphinx,” the vicar finished.

“Quite so.” Vi gave him an encouraging smile, and the vicar sat back in his seat, contemplating the question.

“Well,” he said thoughtfully. “The kind of people who would be involved in such a despicable act are not often the sort who come to church, but…” he said, leaving the one word hanging there as he helped himself to another biscuit and chewed with a pensive expression.

“But?” Leo pressed, too anxious to let the fellow cogitate for long.

“Might I request you leave the question with me and return in the morning?” the vicar asked them with an apologetic smile. “The thing is, I do have a suspect or two in mind, but I should like to do a little, er… investigating before I go throwing accusations of kidnapping about or should that be catnapping?” he added reflectively.

Leo opened his mouth to protest, and Vi poked him. He closed it again, glaring at her, and Vi felt a sudden thrill of something she refused to name at the prospect of spending a night in the same bedroom as Leo. A blush crept up the back of her neck and into her cheeks and she feigned fascination with the tiny glass that held what remained of her sherry rather than look at him any longer.

“Of course, Reverend,” Leo said politely, resignation in his voice. “I am grateful indeed for your help. I confess I had hoped to have Mau back before nightfall, but I cannot expect miracles, I suppose.”

“Don’t lose heart, young man,” the vicar said cheerfully. “If they have taken the poor creature for ransom, one supposes they will keep him fed and watered. If there’s anything I can do to help you in your quest, I shall do it.”

“You are most kind, and if your help leads to the return of my cat, I can promise you a generous donation to your church fund,” Leo said with his most charming smile.

The vicar beamed at him. “Oh! Bless you! We desperately need a new roof so such a thing would indeed be miraculous from my point of view. I confess, I’ve been worrying about it, for Tadlow is such a small place and the people don’t have funds enough for such donations. There’s talk of moving me on,” he added sadly. “I shall retire if they suggest it. I’m too old to start over.”

“Then perhaps we can help each other,” Vi said hopefully. She knew Leo was a generous man and, if Mau was returned to him and Reverend Harbottle was instrumental in that happening, she did not doubt he would pay for the church’s new roof.

“God truly does work in mysterious ways,” the vicar mused as he bade them goodnight and escorted them to the door.

“Let’s hope so,” Leo muttered under his breath.

“If you need lodgings for the night, might I suggest the Queen’s Head in Wrestlingworth? My sister is the landlady there, so if you say Archibald sent you, I’m sure you’ll be well looked after. She’s a fine cook and keeps a clean, orderly place.”

“Thank you for the recommendation,” Leo replied, shaking the man’s hand. “Shall we come here in the morning?”

“No, no. Sit tight and wait for me at the Queen’s Head, for I don’t know how long it will take me to stick my nose about the place and see if anything smells off,” the vicar said confidentially.

He waved them goodbye with a cheerful smile and Vi turned to Leo as Norton climbed back onto his seat and they trotted away.

“I think he’s looking forward to playing detective,” she said ruefully.

Leo said nothing, and once again the prickling sense of unease crept over her skin.

“Are you still cross with me?” she ventured, after another five minutes passed in uncomfortable silence.

“Mad as fire,” he replied succinctly.

Vi swallowed. “Really, Leo. We’re grown up. So long as no one finds out, I really don’t see why you must be so missish about it.”

He shot her a volcanic look that made her wish she’d held her tongue.

“Missish?” he repeated, a hard note to his voice that boded ill. “I’m worrying about ruining you, Vi, for I know damned well you’ll still not accept me as a husband, no matter if the entire world thought you were my mistress.”

“We’re in the back end of beyond. A tiny village. Who is likely to see us?” she protested. “And I trust you to behave like a gentleman.”

“Oh, you do, do you? You’ve forced me to do the complete opposite of that by allowing you along on this farcical jaunt and refusing to be sensible and go home. I’ve treated you like I would a mistress by allowing you to remain at my side, not like a young lady in need of my protection. Why stop now?”

“Why indeed?” Vi retorted, her temper flaring as it always did when Leo vexed her. “Perhaps you treat your mistresses like sensible, intelligent women who know their own mind instead of like a silly child who needs constant chaperoning and watching over in case she does something foolish. That being the case, please continue.”

Leo’s eyes glittered, his handsome features silvered in the moonlight. He looked away from her, his jaw set, his profile the kind that ought to be stamped on a coin, for he looked like a prince or a monarch, all stiff pride and arrogance. “If you want me to treat you as my mistress, I shall be sure to do so, Vi,” he said, a dangerous note to his voice that set all the hairs on the back of her neck prickling, her blood thrumming in her veins.

Vi opened her mouth to demand exactly what he meant by that but thought better of it. Instead, she considered what it might like to be Leo’s mistress. The glamorous creature she had once seen had certainly seemed pleased with herself. The phrase ‘cat that got the cream’ had lingered in Vi’s mind for days afterwards whenever she had recalled the chance encounter. She had recalled it too, though she had refused to acknowledge why the woman had bothered her so. Leo was a grown man, and even a sheltered young woman knew that men had needs which they were entitled to indulge so long as they were discreet about it.

Vi was not exactly sheltered, an impossible state when brought up by the indomitable Kitty. Her adopted mama was a woman who loved life, and loved her husband passionately, and had no qualms in discussing subjects which other ladies of her station would have thought quite beyond the pale. Vi knew very well what happened in the bedroom, and she knew too that there was pleasure for a woman as well as a man, if the man was a skilled and generous lover. If she were being honest, she was dreadfully curious about what such pleasures felt like and admitted to more than an occasional pang of longing that she would never know the touch of a man’s hand, a passionate embrace, or kisses that made one giddy with longing. Mama had been enthusiastic about the raptures of a happy marriage, but then one only had to see Mama and Papa in the same room to know that they were still head over ears in love with each other.

Vi did not believe she could have that with Leo. He cared for her, that was true, she could even believe he loved her, in his own haphazard way, but it wasn’t the kind of love she could put her trust in. She had too much evidence to suggest his attention span was short, and he bored easily. At best, she believed she would see little of him. At worst, she feared jealousy and misery would plague her whenever she discovered he had taken a new mistress. She could not live like that. But perhaps if Leo really could be brought to treat her as his mistress, just for one night, she might know what physical love felt like. So long as he knew it was just for one night, that they would never be more than friends, she could not be accused of using him or leading him on, could she? Leo would be kind and generous, she knew, and she had no doubt of his skills in the bedroom. Sadly, she had heard gossip enough to suggest he was not lacking in that department, another event which had given her weeks of sleepless nights and unwelcome, unsettling dreams. Of course, he would be impossible afterwards. He would feel it his ‘duty’ to marry her after he had ruined her so entirely, but she would simply have to refuse him. He could not bully her into accepting him, after all, and Vi knew she was every bit as stubborn as he was.

There was the question of a child. It was a risk indeed, but Mama had assured her there were ways of mitigating the risk. Vi was aware of some, and felt certain Leo would know them all intimately. She glanced sideways at him, heat burning in her cheeks at the idea she might really take him into her bed tonight. For a moment, she wondered what it might feel like to touch what lay beneath the exquisitely cut clothes he wore, wondered what that hard, athletic body might feel like against her own.

She must have made a small sound, for he turned, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her.

“Have you come to your senses?” he asked curiously. “Ready to admit you’ve been foolish and ought to have gone home like I told you?”

Vi swallowed, forcing herself to hold his gaze. “Not precisely,” she replied, licking her lips nervously. His gaze shot to the movement and lingered on her mouth, giving her an odd, hot sensation low in her belly. Interesting. His gaze returned to hers and his eyes narrowed.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said crossly.

Smiling a little to herself, Vi bit her lip and wondered if her courage would hold out when they got to the inn.