Yesterday

My dearest Juliana,

I am very sorry that I have worried you. It was not my intention. Some information on the deaths of my father and your family has surfaced. A letter was written to me not long before I received your last letter. Do forgive me for the abrupt and careless letter I sent you. I have been thinking about you so that it is almost indecent, and here I am the rakehell. No matter the rubbish my mother and her friends have been telling you, I am not the fiend they say I am. It seems you are the one woman I can’t live without. I don’t want to lose that. I would like you to wait until after I write again for you to make an appearance at Dunsbury Grange. I know you are stubborn and want to come right away, but things are not in a place for a visitor—not to mention the possibility of my mother, as well.

Your devoted servant,

Marcus

* * *

Juliana, draped over the chaise in her sitting room, was reading the newest Jane Austen novel when Maddy opened the door. She was holding a letter from Marcus.

“My lady, His Grace wrote another letter to you.”

“I see that, Maddy. Thank you. You may leave.”

She read the words that Marcus had passionately written to her. She was surprised to read his father had anything to do with her parents. It didn’t make sense to her, but many things didn’t make sense since the accident. She tried to remember, but the ensuing migraine forced her to close her eyes.

“My lady…! The dinner bell has rung. Your cousin and uncle have been expecting you.”

“Tell them I have a migraine and I am unable to make it down. Maddy, I need you to send someone to Dunsbury Grange. I am in dreadful need of His Grace,” Juliana said.

“Yes, my lady. I will do what you have asked of me. Are you sure about His Grace, though?” Maddy asked.

“Yes, Maddy. I am so horribly ill. I think that memories are trying to come back, and it hurts so badly. He needs to be here.”

“Very well, my lady. I will have Samuel ride to Dunsbury Abbey as soon as he is able.”

“Thank you, Maddy. Can you send for the doctor now?”

* * *

Marcus was out in the stables when the messenger arrived with the news of Juliana’s condition. Aaron and Jacob had not shown up yet and the horses were still in a precarious state. There was too much left undone at the Abbey for him to leave right now. But, then, what if Juliana was truly ill? He couldn’t live with himself if something were to happen to her. On the other hand, what if something happened here? He still had to go through his father’s correspondence from the time before he died. Maybe a short trip to town wouldn’t hurt? He would have to wait for the others to arrive before deciding anything.

Marcus told the messenger that he would be in town for a day or two to be at Juliana’s bedside. He then went into what had been his father’s study. The room had not been touched since the man died. The dust was thick, the air hard to breathe. The desk was left as if its owner would soon return.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. All the account books had been taken to his study, which was adjacent to his private rooms. Searching for his father’s most private correspondences would be an obstacle he wasn’t prepared for. He hated the thought of finding something that might incriminate him in something treasonous.

He started looking through the old oak desk that he remembered hiding behind while waiting for his father to find him. The memories rushed back in a wave of familiarity. He remembered his father writing in big bold letters. They weren’t the same letters he’d learned in his lessons. Maybe it was code.

His father had been a Rake, though it was never talked about. He had found his father’s coded journal several days before and read it through. These letters were something else entirely. After reading his father’s journal, he’s recognized right away that it wasn’t the same code as what was in the journal.

Damn and blast!

As his mind filled with endless possibilities, he heard a scratch.

“Come!”

“Your Grace, Lords Blackridge and Elderstone have arrived. Where would you like me to take them?”

“Don’t worry, Jenkins. It seems they followed you. Please order some tea.”

“Marcus, something a little stronger might be more advisable,” said Jacob.

“Not with the work we have to do,” Marcus said as he handed Jacob the letter he received about the mystery.

“We need to sort through my father’s old correspondences to see if we can find a connection. It isn’t just my safety at stake here. If it was, I wouldn’t have asked you both here. I could use your underground connections in Whitehall.”

“Marcus, this seems a bit over our heads. Have you thought about involving the War Department?” asked Aaron.

“It has crossed my mind, but, at this point, I have nothing to tell them. The letter is very vague. I have written vaguely to Juliana about it, but I didn’t want to get into it. Last thing I need is for all of her memories to come rushing back at once, causing lasting damage.”

“That may have already happened, Marcus. Your mother is worried about Juliana. She hasn’t been herself, and the girl hasn’t been seen at any parties in the last few days. What happens if what you wrote has done the one thing you were trying to delay?”

“I never thought of that…” Marcus thought out loud.

* * *

Basil Hatfield was glad that Juliana had gone with the duchess. He didn’t want her to be forced into the mess he had created. His brother had left an estate that Basil had no idea how to run. He was sitting in his study. He had no sense of business. The estate was slowly going into ruin, but he hadn’t the heart or desire to tell his niece since she had a duke by his cravat.

The only problem he saw was Henrietta Blackstone. She was living off him now that the duchess was the acting chaperone. The woman was a menace, but they had a single cause to fight over—his brother’s personal papers.

A knock broke the silence. Jones opened the door and stepped into the room.

“Sir, I don’t mean to interrupt, but the doctor has been wanting to talk with you. Shall I bring him here or to the sitting room? Also, shall I have Miss Henrietta join you?” “Yes, to both questions, Jones. Thank you.”

Shit! Basil thought as Jones stepped out of the room. All he needed was a sign of serious illness to shift the attention off Juliana and onto him. He cursed his bad luck as he went to join the doctor and Henrietta in the sitting room.