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Jack stretched and glanced over at the small clock on the table next to the bed. It wasn’t even seven in the morning and yet he was awake as usual. He rolled over to stare at the beautiful woman still in his bed. He had done exactly the opposite of what he was supposed to do on this case. Now he was falling in love with a woman who might have had some hand in her husbands’ deaths. A part of him didn’t want to believe that was possible, but she admitted her duplicity with meeting the duke in the bookstore.
You’re a fucking idiot, Jack.
She had every motive for killing her husbands—abuse with her first husband, lack of love with all three, and most importantly money. Even one of those should have put her at the top of the list, but she had all three. Did his damned heart care? No. All he saw was a woman who defended those whom she loved, who gave up her freedom for them. A woman who wanted everything she could no longer have, and it was that thought that made him think she wasn’t a killer.
There was no good reason to kill Stanhope. By all her accounts, he was deeply in love with her and she had admitted she might have come to love him. He could have given her everything, including children as he had proven that ability with his first wife. There was no reason for her to murder him. It made no sense. If she was being honest with him.
It was that slight bit of doubt that concerned him.
He eased off the bed and dressed quickly. He wanted to review his file on her before he spoke with Fairchild this morning. As he walked downstairs, Bentley glanced up at him from the corridor.
“Good morning, sir. Do you need a carriage this morning?”
“Not yet, Bentley. Could you have some tea and toast sent into the study please.”
“Of course, sir. Should I tell the maids not to make up your room yet?” he asked softly.
“Tell them to wait until noon. I shall have the lady home by then.”
Bentley nodded and walked down the hall toward the steps of the kitchen.
Jack walked into the study and unlocked the one drawer that he used for his personal papers. He had to get this case finished so he could get down to Devon before the new babe was born. He’d been there for the birth of both girls and helped his brother get through the awful waiting and agony of labor. He only hoped Neville would be there for him...if the time came.
He pulled out the file he’d created on the case and added a few notes from what he’d learned last night. Something just didn’t make sense. Three men had died while married to the same woman and yet, something deep inside him rejected the idea that she was involved. Yet, all three men’s coroner’s report cited the smell of garlic on the men, one indicator of arsenic poisoning.
But what if someone else had done the killing for her?
“Sir,” Bentley said from the doorway. “There is a Mr. Roberts here to see you on urgent business. I told him to return later but he insists he see you now.”
Roberts? He wondered how long Roberts had worked for Tessa. Could the butler be involved? Jack put his file back into the drawer and said, “Show him in.”
“Yes, sir.”
He locked the drawer and tucked the key back into his waistcoat pocket then pretended to look at the bills on the desk.
“Mr. Roberts, sir.”
Jack looked up from the bills. “Mr. Roberts, please come in.”
“Thank you for seeing me, sir.” Roberts walked to the chair on the opposite side of the large mahogany desk. “I am dreadfully sorry for interrupting you at this early hour.”
“I assume this must be very important, then.” Jack leaned back and studied the older man. He put the butler in his mid-to-late forties. He had probably been in service most of his life based on his position now.
“Yes, sir. We, I mean the servants at the house, are all dreadfully concerned about Lady Stanhope. Tripp, the driver of her carriage said he was informed that you would see her home because she was ill. Her poor maid is most distraught thinking something horrible has happened to her. I came by to see if you had any information.”
“Mr. Roberts, I assure you Lady Stanhope is safe and sound. She had a bit too much wine last night and was taken ill by her overindulging. I brought her here because my cook has an excellent remedy for such things. Last I checked, she was still sleeping.”
“In your bed, no doubt,” he said under his breath.
“And is that your concern, Roberts?” he asked sharply.
“Yes, sir, it is,” he said vehemently. “I am her butler and care deeply for her, as do all her servants. After all she’s been through, we don’t want to see her hurt again.”
Did he care enough to kill for her? Could the butler have killed all three husbands on her command? “Tell me, Roberts, how long have you been in her employ?”
“Only since his lordship passed. I have worked for the Stanhope family since I was fourteen.”
So much for that theory. “Why didn’t you go to the current lordship’s employ then?”
Roberts face darkened. “That bastard would have turned me out, sir. A cheaper man you will never meet. Lady Stanhope offered me the position so I decided to stay. We all love her dearly. She has a kind heart and treats us very well.”
“Yes, she does have a soft heart.” She was exactly the type of woman he wanted in his life. Jack tapped his finger against his desk. “Do you believe she could have anything to do with the deaths of her husbands?”
“No, sir. As I told the investigators at the time, Lady Stanhope was in love with the earl. And he loved her beyond reason.” Roberts tilted his head and stared at him. “You are investigating this again?”
He had no doubts about Roberts’ comments. “I am but it goes no further than this room. She cannot know until this is resolved.”
“Do you believe she had anything to do with his lordship’s death?”
“Actually, I don’t know. She had more to lose by his passing.” Jack looked down at his desk. “Although I can’t say the same for her other husbands.”
“What do you mean? Langley died in bed with his mistress and Dereham died on the way home from his mistress in a carriage accident. There was no indication that either man had been murdered. The only reason people became suspicion after his lordship’s death was that he was found in his bed on a day he normally would have been up riding.”
“Some people are speculating that she had a hand in her first and second husbands’ deaths, though I personally doubt Dereham’s accident was anything more than that. But Langley was abusive toward her.”
Roberts’ face went white. “I had no idea. What can I do to help, sir?
Should he involve a devoted servant? Roberts might just want to protect her, but at this point Jack had no other leads. “Is there anyone in her employ that has been with her since her first marriage?”
“You should speak with Anne, her maid. Anne has been with her since Langley.”
“Thank you again, sir. I shall need your assistance with that though.”
“Come by tomorrow. Lady Stanhope visits with her sisters then so Anne will be free.”
“Thank you.” Jack rose to show him that their meeting was over. “Please make certain that no one on your staff speaks of her being with me last night.”
Roberts stood and crossed his arms over his chest. “Only if you give me your word that you will do your best to prove her innocence.”
“I shall at that.” And if that were the case, he would have to determine if any of the men were actually murdered and if so, by whom.
“Very good, sir.”
Once Roberts left, Jack knew he had to get Tessa home. After asking for a tray to be sent up, he walked upstairs and into his bedchamber. She was still sleeping on her side and the coverlet down low enough that one rounded breast was displayed for his lascivious gaze. His cock stirred but he had no time for such pleasures right now. Instead, he walked to the bed and kissed her cheek.
“Time to wake up,” he whispered.
She hoarsely said, “Not yet.”
“It is almost nine. We need to get you home.”
She stole a quick glance at him and then closed her eyes again before wrapping her arms around his neck, bringing him fully down on the bed with her. “Not yet.” She kissed him softly. “I want to stay in bed all day with you.”
His cock reacted to her words even though his brain knew better. There was only one way to stop this, much as he wanted to continue. “I have already had a visit from Mr. Roberts who was most concerned about your whereabouts. He said your maid was quite upset.”
She pulled away and opened her eyes. “Roberts was here. Oh dear God, he knows I stayed the night here. What will he think of me?” She pushed the coverlet off and raced for her clothing still on the floor from last night.
“I told him you had imbibed a bit too much and my cook knew of a wonderful cure for it.”
She laughed in a coarse tone. “You don’t actually think he believed that, do you?”
Considering he was quite certain that Roberts was a very intelligent man, Jack assumed the butler knew what they were up to last night. “He accepted my word.”
She shook her head. “You are far too trusting.”
Too trusting? Why would she say such a thing unless she was still hiding something from him? Had she been playing him all along? “Perhaps I am,” he admitted. And perhaps he needed to get his head out of his arse and figure out who killed Lord Stanhope.
A light knock rapped at the door. “I had breakfast brought up for you,” he said as he walked to the door. He took the tray from the footman and placed it on the table. “Have some tea before you leave.”
She took the tea and turned her back to him. “I need your help. I can’t lace my stays on my own.”
After assisting her with her undergarments and dress, he sat down at the table and finally sipped his tea. “Do you have plans for this evening?”
“Yes.” She sipped her tea and took a bite of toast before continuing. “I am dining with the duke tonight.”
The duke...again. “Oh?” he tried to ask calmly even though jealousy lit through him with the idea of her dining with him again. Especially after admitting how she plotted to meet him.
“Yes, he invited my family to dinner. We used to do it much more often but with both Louisa and Emma out it is difficult to find the time.”
“I see.” At least she wouldn’t be alone with him.
“I should be home by midnight,” she whispered into her tea. Her cheeks flushed as if embarrassed by the statement.
And he will be there by half past. He smiled over at her with a brief nod.
“Jack, how will I leave without everyone seeing me?”
“I will make the arrangements.” He rose to get his plan in place. “Stay here until I come to get you.”
“As you wish.”
Ten minutes later, he walked back into the room. “Everything is set, so we should be off.”
“We?” she asked.
“I shall see you home.” He held out his arm for her and then escorted her to the waiting carriage. Jack had made sure there were no maids or footmen about the main part of the house before they came downstairs. Only his driver would see them.
Once they were inside the carriage, he noticed her high color. “What is wrong?”
“It is terribly shameful to have to walk into my home wearing the same clothing I wore when I left yesterday.”
“No one will notice and your servants all believe you were too ill to return home last night.”
“Of course.” She glanced out the window as they drove toward her home. As the carriage stopped, she said, “Please do not get out with me.”
“As you wish.” He took her hand and kissed softly. “Until tonight.”
She nodded and then waited for her footman to open the door for her. “Good day, then.”
“Good day, Tessa.” The carriage rolled off to his next stop. Jack opened the small drawer beneath the seats and pulled out his file. He knew this meeting would not go well but he had to state his case to Fairchild.
An hour later, Jack realized he had significantly underestimated Fairchild’s reaction.
“You bloody fool. You let that witch entrance you until you believe every word that comes out of her lying mouth.” Fairchild paced the small office space. “Where is the evidence, Jack? Stanhope is done waiting and wants an answer in the next week or he’s taking this to Bow Street.”
“Let him, Fairchild. There is no evidence that she had anything to do with her husband’s death.”
“What about the other two? Are you keeping something from me?” Fairchild stopped and stared down at him. “Do you have any evidence that points to her killing them?”
“Nothing positive.”
“Aha! But you know something. Tell me.”
“I know Langley was abusing her. And neither Langley or Dereham wished to give up their mistresses even though Tes...Lady Stanhope is far more beautiful than either mistress.”
Fairchild barked a laugh. “And how do you know that?”
“She is remarked upon as one of the most beautiful women of the ton. Besides, I’ve seen Dereham’s opera singer.”
“What else do you know?” Fairchild’s intense brown eyes bore into him.
Jack closed his eyes. “I know that it was not her mother’s idea to marry a wealthy man. It was her idea after her father died and left them penniless.”
Fairchild laughed loudly. “That is what she told you?”
There was something about his scornful laugh that made Jack worry. “Yes, why?”
He reached down and pulled out a paper then tossed toward Jack. “Because while you were busy fucking the bitch, Richfield discovered this piece of information.”
Jack scanned the document. “She already told me that she was originally from Cornwall.”
“Keep reading.”
The next paragraph made his stomach roil. “Bloody hell.”
“So she didn’t tell you that her dead father is actually rotting in debtor’s prison in Cornwall?”