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“I am not comfortable with the arrangement.” He tugged at the hem of his waistcoat. “It is much too soon, and you know nothing about him.”
Then thank goodness this is all but a bit of fiction spun for entertainment.“Who are we to say that what the heart wants is wrong?” She lightly bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.
“The fact he is part of thetonis not enough to endear him into my good graces,” Philip continued in all his pompous glory as if he were her keeper.
Belle huffed. “I don’t believe any of this is your decision.” She had played along when Hawk had announced the scandalous proposition because it was fun and smacked of adventure. Additionally, she had been flattered Hawk had wished to protect her without even knowing her well. Was Philip a threat, though? That remained to be seen. At this point, it was merely a feeling, but since she’d never spent time with him, there was nothing to found the notion.
“It is if you intend to remain on Ravenscroft land.” He cocked a shaggy eyebrow. “Mr. Montague is a rather scraggly, shifty fellow.”
“That is not my impression of him at all.” In fact, Hawk was all too handsome and that put her into a constant state of distraction, but what continually drew her to him was the mystery surrounding him. He always had an air of adventure or intrigue about him, as if he was the keeper of many secrets and all of them were fantastic.
Yet what sort of personwashe? Since they weren’t truly engaged, did she wish to discover that? Perhaps she did, for he was uncommonly interesting.
“Don’t be a fool.” The sound of Philip’s voice wrenched her from the musings. “He knows Laurence left you well set up for the future. It’s the coin he wants; not you.”
Belle snorted. “Honestly, we have never discussed money, but Hawk doesn’t strike me as a man who chases fortunes.” Howdidthe man make a living? From the hints he’d given, he was involved with the Home Office, but she didn’t know how.
Perhaps he would share that today.
“For all your experience, you are quite naïve.” Philip clicked his tongue. “He is a third son, which means he is a man of no consequence. A wastrel, perhaps, and a womanizer. You would do well to break it off and let me run him off the property as soon as you can.”
Why was he so intent on removing Hawk from Ravenscroft land? That in and of itself was suspect, but she caught herself before she could roll her eyes heavenward. “You are spending an inordinate amount of time poking into my business. Why don’t you mind yours before seeking to rectify mine?”
“What does that mean?”
How could he be so thick? “You have been a negligent landowner for five years. It is time for you to attend to your duties and title. I will do what I wish, the same as I have without your interference or bossing.” While his mouth opened and closed like a caught trout, she edged around him. “If you will excuse me? I have an errand out this afternoon. When I return, there are plans for the ball I need to attend.”
Then she left the drawing room and practically pelted along the corridor toward the stairs before her brother-in-law could recall her.
Twenty minutes later and clad in her cloak, Belle reached the bend on the lane. Immediately, the tenseness in her muscles receded. Hawk waited for her, just as he’d promised to do. His presence was solidly reassuring as he stood there with the bottom of his greatcoat flapping in the chilly breeze.
“I’m glad you didn’t change your mind,” she said but feared the wind might have snatched the words away. Oddly enough, she was glad to see him. “In fact, I’m grateful Philip wasn’t able to toss you off the property.”
“Thus, another reason for the bit of Drury Lane play acting.” The breeze raked through his black hair beneath his top hat. “Shall we get to it, then?” He offered her his arm, bent at the elbow. “And might I remind you that everything I tell you today stays with you.”
“Of course.” She slipped her gloved hand into the crook of his arm, and soon enough, he set them on their way in the opposite direction of the manor house. “Is this confirmation that you are truly a spy working for the Home Office?” Excitement buzzed at the base of her spine. Finally, she would have the truth!
“I am.” Scents of Bay rum, lime, and leather wafted to her nose on the breeze. It was a pleasant change from the ever-present rain. “And I have been for a good ten years.”
“Here on British soil?”
“I go wherever they send me.” Hawk stared straight ahead, but his profile gave nothing away of his thoughts on that matter. “However, for the past several months, I have been in England. Some of that time was spent in London, but the other portion I used for reconnaissance of this estate.”
“Whyever for?” She shot him a look of surprise. “There is nothing here but farmland and woods.”
“To understand that, I must first tell you a story.”
“Will I enjoy it?”
“Who can say, but it is the foundation for why I am here.” He glanced at her and there was the light of mischief in his eyes. “During the war, Napoleon ordered some of his troops to pillage and thieve their way through castles, palaces, and other wealthy noble’s homes of the areas that he’d conquered. They collected anything and everything of value. The silver was melted down and used for balls and other artillery.”
“Not only is that invasive, but it’s appalling.” She had never heard those rumors before.
“Indeed, but war is naught but a business opportunity for those willing to take the risk, so here we are.” A trace of bitterness clung to his words. “There were also quite a bit of British gold sovereigns missing during this time. To date, they have never been found. The investigation into the theft remains unsolved. So then we come to the Battle of Waterloo.”
“The last major battle of the war.”
“Yes, but it was actually the battle that ushered in the end of the war.” They walked a good deal down the lane before he spoke again. “Throughout the war, a Lord Applewaite had become the premier art and antiquities dealer in London.”
