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Chapter Twenty-Three
Bertram watched as the Duke of Wellington interrogated Letty. He could feel her nervousness from across the desk and would have given anything to reach out and squeeze her hand. With their earlier conversation interrupted, he had no way of knowing her state of mind.
Does she think I hesitated because I cannot give her what she needs?
He looked from Letty to Wellington, wondering if hecouldgive her what she needed. What would he do if Wellington decided to have her arrested and charged as a spy? Would he stand back and watch?
His eyes rested on her hands, folded neatly in her lap. There was a slight tremble to them. He stood up and crossed to the bar where he picked up a glass and poured some sherry into it. He walked over to her and handed it over. “Drink.”
She looked gratefully up at him before taking the glass and sipping slowly. Wellington huffed impatiently. “You were saying you spoke last with your superior when he gave you this assignment?”
“Yes.” She sipped again, coughing a little, hand rising to close against her throat. Bertram stood next to her chair, watching her intently, trying to let her know that he was here, on her side, come what may.
“And you have no idea who the assailants are?”
“I know that the assassin gave me a description of two men, one very tall and the other small. I believe I heard them speak in L-lady Perrin’s garden. If I see them, or hear them again, I believe I would know who they are.”
Wellington raised his eyes to Bertram who looked back with a quirked eyebrow. “Well then, we shall give you the opportunity to hear them again.”
“I beg your pardon, Your Grace?” Her confusion was just as palpable as Bertram felt.
Wellington drew in a sharp breath, his eyes still on Bertram. “Your…affection…for the girl is quite apparent, Thybaut. So this is what I propose—an engagement party. You invite every single person of any standing in the community so that Miss Strange here will have an opportunity to identify the pair—if indeed they are still around.”
Letty shot to her feet, face pale with shock. “What? No! You cannot do that to His Grace! Aside from the very obvious danger you put him in by asking him to open his home to every stranger in a five-mile vicinity, you cannot force him to marry me to achieve your ends.”
Wellington smiled, giving Bertram a smug look. “I really must congratulate you. It would seem that she cares for you quite a bit. Not a word uttered of concern on her own behalf but righteous anger on yours. We would all wish to be so beloved.”
Beside him, Bertram heard Letty choke on air even as his own skin heated despite his best efforts. “I…” he could not remember ever having been at such a loss for words.
Wellington smiled. “Now, it’s been a long day and I would like to have an opportunity to refresh myself while you discuss the details of your engagement. If you will have your man show me to my rooms?”
Bertram jerked into motion, flustered as he opened the door and stuck his head out, catching sight of Jenson no more than six feet away. “Are the Duke’s rooms ready?” he asked the footman.
Jenson stood to attention. “Yes, Your Grace.”
“Would you be so kind as to escort him there, please?”
Jenson bowed stiffly, correctly. “Of course Your Grace, it would be my pleasure.”
Bertram turned back to look at Wellington who nodded to both him and Letty before striding out of the room with not a care in the world, as if he had not just completely disrupted both their lives. The door closed quietly behind him and Bertram turned to Letty.
“Well…he is quite a man. His reputation is much deserved,” she said.
Bertram raised an eyebrow. “Reputation? What reputation is that?”
“That he is diabolical.”
Bertram threw back his head and laughed long and hard. Then he walked over to Letty, pulling her chair aside and gesturing for her to sit. He reached for the other chair facing his desk and pulled it closer before seating himself before her.
“While he may be diabolical, I think that he is not wrong. Since you came into my home, you’ve saved my life at least twice, my son adores the ground you walk on for good reason…you have opened up my heart and my world in ways I never could have imagined. I have been thinking about doing this very thing for a while. I just did not know how we managed with,” he waved his hand about to indicate the complications of their relationship, “everything.”
Letty pursed her lips, but her normally pale cheeks were glowing with color. “Truly?”
He met her eyes, willing her to see into his soul as he nodded. “Truly.”
Her mouth trembled, and she lowered her lashes, hiding her eyes.
He bent his head to try and meet her eyes. “Letty?”
