Oh, great. How sensible.
“A noble cause.” Jacob held Cora’s hand with a devotion that would strike as genuine to the untrained eye. “Every woman should feel safe in our civilised city. Although I shall remind you that Mrs. Sterling didn’t run a women’s shelter but a kidnapping organisation.”
The flare of burning anger caused Cora to bristle. How dare he?
“A kidnapping organisation?” Lady Kingsley echoed.
Jacob nodded solemnly. “Mrs. Sterling made women disappear, taking them away from their families, children, and husbands. Forged documents, quiet escapes from England, and other illegal activities. Allegedly.”
Lady Kingsley muttered her surprise. “I had no idea.”
Jacob continued. “Mrs. Sterling never stopped to ponder if those women wanted to leave their husbands or not, or if the women she helped were criminals or not. The women, who asked for Mrs. Sterling’s help, vanished into of thin air. That’s the reason her establishment was closed after she refused to tell where the missing women ended up.”
“Because Mrs. Sterling was protecting those women,” Cora said. “She helped women, who were abused by their husbands, to leave.”
“Leave?” He narrowed his gaze to a slit. “Marriages are sacred. Mrs. Sterling had no authority to break the holy unions between two people.”
Cora glared at him, her body a bundle of repressed anger.
“Today, our morals are disappearing. I wish there were more gentlemen like you, Roxbury,” Lady Kingsley said.
I wish not. Cora removed her hand from her husband’s grip as quickly as she could. “Yes, Jacob is quite a rare gentleman.” And she used the term ‘gentleman’ with sarcasm. “Perhaps that’s why he’s special. We don’t want to have too many men with his talent, otherwise he’d become one of the many.”
The lady frowned. “I’m afraid I’m not following, Lady Roxbury.”
But Jacob was. He shot Cora a glare of pure hatred, and once again, she marvelled at the fact he could manipulate his expressions and hide his true emotions so well.
“Nothing of importance, my lady,” Jacob said. “My wife likes to jest.”
“Well.” Lady Kingsley tugged at her velvet sash. “We should go to the great hall for the auction to begin. We have some wonderful paintings to show and sell to the highest bidder.” She fell silent as footsteps approached.
Jacob’s charming features transformed again when he glanced behind him. Cora turned around and exhaled in relief. Wrapped in a tailored dark coat, Ethan entered the museum, followed by a small group of men.
“Lord Stark.” Lady Kingsley gave a polite bow of her head. “Thank you for coming.”
Ethan focused his emerald gaze on Cora as he turned to Lady Kingsley. Even after his gaze left her, she felt his intense stare straight into her heart. He bared her soul with one look, and the sensation wasn’t exactly pleasant because she didn’t want him to see the ugly parts of her.
“Lady Kingsley, Lady Roxbury.” Ethan bowed, removing his tall hat and freeing his thick black hair. He took a moment before acknowledging Jacob’s presence with a brusque nod andan arched eyebrow. “Roxbury.” He did nothing to hide the hostility in his tone.
Jacob instead offered a deep bow in submission and cowering a little as if Ethan had been hostile to him for no reason. “Stark, what a pleasure to see you here.”
“Please introduce me to your friends, Lord Stark,” Lady Kingsley said, glancing behind the marquess.
“My lady, this is my dear friend, Mr. Finn Purnell, detective at Scotland Yard.” Ethan stretched out an arm towards a dark-haired man.
Mr. Purnell limped forwards. A thud resounded when his right leg hit the floor, and he missed two fingers in one hand. “Lady Kingsley, Lady Roxbury.” He hesitated before addressing Jacob. “Lord Roxbury.”
There was another man with a scar crossing his face and splitting his nose in two, and another had a black eye patch strapped to his face.
Ethan gestured at the man without an eye. “And my lady, may I present Mr. Fraser?—”
“Oh, please, Stark,” Jacob said, flourishing a hand. “Do you really expect us to welcome such an odd party?”
“What do you mean?” Ethan said at the same time as Lady Kingsley said, “What’s your objection, Roxbury?”
“My lady.” Jacob turned towards Lady Kingsley all sweetness and smiles. Cora might vomit. “You invited the most prominent ladies and lords to tonight’s auction, and Lord Stark had the audacity to come here with common soldiers who seem straight out of a circus.”
Cora gasped, touching her chest. “Jacob, please,” she muttered, her request honest. “These soldiers fought for the empire.”
