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The next afternoon, Lockhart scrunched the missive in his hand in rage. Since he married Grace, she had received no threats, and the gossip had withered away.
Until today.
Thankfully, Grace’s maid had had the sense to bring him the letter before Grace saw it. The letter taunted Grace and was clever enough to include a message to him. He pounded his fist against the window frame in his study, rattling the glass. There must be a way to catch the culprit threatening his wife, but every clue had been a falsehood.
“How did the letter arrive?” Cameron asked from across the study.
Lockhart stalked back to his desk and threw the letter down. “Lucy was unclear. She said someone slid the letter under the door while Grace took her bath. The maid swore she didn’t see the missive when she walked into the bedchamber. She first noticed it when she laid out Grace’s clothes. Either someone is clever enough to saunter through our home with confidence or one of our servants aids the bastard.”
“Then we must set a trap to flush them out.”
“We must do so with haste. Whoever is helping must be desperate. Are any servants suffering from hardship?”
Cameron shook his head. “None that we discovered after the first two letters.”
“We need a plan to catch who betrays us.”
Cameron held out his hand. “Let me read the letter again.”
Lockhart handed the missive over to Cameron. He paced back and forth in front of his desk while Cameron perused the letter, searching for clues to help them lay a trap. They must catch who had betrayed them before Grace learned about the letter. Secrets were scarce in his household. Whether good or bad, news traveled fast. If her maid didn’t confess to finding the letter, somebody else would let it slip.
Not only would the letter frighten Grace but it would also convince her she had ruined his family by becoming his wife. His peers had accepted her, and she received invitations to accompany his mother to special events. Now this twist would break her spirits again.
“I have an idea,” Cameron stated, tossing the letter back onto the desk.
Lockhart cocked his eyebrow. “What does it involve?”
“You must show Grace the letter.”
Lockhart growled. “Absolutely not.”
“Do you want to end this torment?”
“More than anything.”
Cameron moved to pour them each a glass of whiskey. “Then hear me out. You must make Grace aware of the letter. So whoever delivered it can send news to our villain about how upset Grace became when she read the letter. Once the servants learn about the shocking content of the letter, they will spread the gossip. This will prompt who betrayed us to leave and relay the news. Then I will follow and catch whoever is tormenting Grace and her friends.”
Lockhart threw back his drink. “I will join you.”
Cameron nodded in agreement. He wouldn’t be able to keep his brother away from the chase. He only hoped he could stop Calum from murdering whoever was foolhardy enough to threaten the ladies under the protection of his brother, Lord Courtland, and Lord Somerville. Somerville being a duke, no less. The power Somerville held would make any man quiver. Somerville would destroy anyone who threatened the governesses.
He had never seen his brother unhinged to this degree. And he and his siblings had given Calum more than enough grief throughout the years to irritate him beyond reason. However, the love Calum held for his wife showed the lengths he would brave to protect Grace.
“You must call Grace to your study. After she reads the letter, I will express to the servants the travesty Grace continues to suffer from. The news will travel among the other servants. While you share the letter with Grace, I will speak to Mother to have the children eat dinner in the nursery. During dinner, we will discuss the letter, revealing more information. Once we finish the meal, we will pretend to retire and wait for the betrayer to make their move.”
Lockhart raked his hand through his hair in agitation. “Does she have to read the letter in its entirety?”
“Yes. Her emotions must be real.” Cameron sighed. “I do not want to see Grace upset either. If there was another option, I would not hesitate in a heartbeat. But we must end this madness.”
Lockhart understood his brother’s reasoning but wished there was another alternative besides hurting Grace. However, once his wife learned he had kept the letter from her, she would be in a fine fit. They had promised never to keep secrets from one another. Grace must understand his reaction was to protect her. It was his core purpose as her husband, besides loving her. No matter how he twisted his excuses, he should’ve shared this with her. Damn. But he never wanted to watch uncertainty pouring from her sparkling blue eyes.
He strode to the door. “Douglas, please ask my wife to join me.”
Cameron followed him to the door. “I will speak with Mother.”
Lockhart nodded. He stood in the open doorway, waiting for Grace to appear. He knew Douglas would find her in the nursery, overseeing the children’s studies. The tutor had arrived this past week, and she hadn’t been pleased with the man’s direction. So, in her effort to protect the children, she stayed close by, interrupting whenever the tutor didn’t act within her standards. If he considered her stubborn as a governess, she was even more so as his wife. Also, she had him so wrapped around her finger that he agreed with every decision she made.
Lockhart heard her footsteps hurrying down the staircase and forced a smile on his face. However, he couldn’t fool his wife. Her eyebrows puckered together in concern, and a frown settled on her face in confusion. When he parted from her after breakfast, he had teased her with a kiss that left her breathless, then promised to find her throughout the day to steal more. This was not how he intended to spend his time with her.
Grace fluttered her fingers across his false smile. “What happened?”
Lockhart pulled her into his embrace, brushing a kiss across her temple. “Cannot a husband seek his wife out?”
“If he was the one seeking, yes. However, he did not seek but summoned his wife to his dungeon.”
Lockhart forced out a laugh. “Dungeon?”
Grace shrugged. “It was how I referred to your study when I was your governess.”
Calum led Grace to the sofa near the windows. He kept the doors open so anyone walking by would hear her distress. He hated anyone to see his wife as a victim, but it was a necessity. Once he settled her on the sofa, he gathered the letter and returned to her. He sat next to her, drawing her to his side. Calum wanted to protect her in any way possible.
“Why are you so worried?” Grace attempted to learn what bothered her husband.
“Because I must show you something that will upset you. I wish to carry this burden myself, but Cameron has advised me otherwise.”
Grace glanced at the letter clutched in Calum’s hand. “I received another letter.”
“Aye.”
She held out her hand, and with reluctance, Calum handed it over. While it warmed her heart that her husband wanted to protect her, he should never have hidden it from her. Her hands shook in fear of reading the slanderous words. Just when she had found her footing as Calum’s wife and settled into their new life together, someone wanted to destroy it. Calum tightened his hold around her shoulders, trying to carry her burden. She spread the paper out, smoothing it from Calum’s destruction.
Lady Lockhart,
I would offer my congratulations, but ‘tis a union I find no joy in. Yet again you astound me with how you led Lord Lockhart on one merry chase after another. At least, he no longer has to worry if his brother beds you too. Or does he? Very clever of you to wait at the border for him to catch you. But if you had to trap one, it might as well have been the brother who held the title. Will your firstborn be his or his brother’s bastard? At least half of your baby’s bloodline will be pure. ‘Tis a shame its mother is so lowborn.
Since you have settled with such elegance in society, I thought I would move on to your next friend. However, I changed my mind once I learned how every matron who paid their respects to your elopement snubbed you in your own midst. A fact I found amusing, but then I learned about the various invitations you have received. All because you won them over with your gracious charm.
But then that was how you won your way into Lord Lockhart’s bed. I figured the gentleman had more common sense than to allow his governess to trap him with her so-called charms. However, any man becomes a fool when the wrong lady spreads her thighs for him. Your husband included.
Such a shame the Lockhart family will find themselves on the edge of society once I whisper about how your scandalous marriage came to be. Soon invitations will cease to exist, and your husband will no longer hold the clout he once strutted around town with.
My warning to you in this letter is for you to ensure your other friends remember their place in the hierarchy of society. If you cannot convince them never to aim higher, then I will make it impossible for you to ever hold your head high.
Not even your husband will be able to save you from becoming a pariah.
Your worst enemy.
Grace’s hands trembled as she dropped the letter in her lap, unaware of the tears streaming along her cheeks. The impact of the horrid words echoed in the silent room. She didn’t understand who she had crossed for them to want to destroy her to this degree. Of course, they had escaped to Scotland because they defended Sara against Lord Baldridge’s advances in a humiliating display. But Lord Courtland had uncovered there was no connection between Lord Baldridge and the threatening letters the ladies had received.
Had he been mistaken? Was Lord Baldridge behind wanting to humiliate Grace since he hadn’t been able to destroy Vivian? The intensity of the threats had increased between Vivian and Grace. If Flora and Sara dared to find the same happiness for themselves, Grace feared the mysterious culprit would seek to destroy them all.
Lockhart tugged out his handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from Grace’s cheeks. “’Tis why I kept the letter hidden.”
Grace crinkled the letter in her fist. “I do not know whether to kiss you for wanting to protect me or stomp my foot with indignation for keeping secrets from me.”
“I would prefer either over your silence.”
Grace brushed her lips against Calum’s in a desperate plea for reassurance. “Thank you for being my protector.” She pulled away and rose, turning her back on him and stalking away. Then she turned back and stomped her foot with her hands on her hips. “But how dare you keep a letter from me that affects me so profoundly? I had every right to learn of this latest threat. Not for you and your brother to plan an attack without my knowledge. What would have happened if someone caught me unaware and you were nowhere around to protect me?”
Calum pulled Grace’s hands off her hips and uncurled her fingers from their fists. He tugged her onto his lap. “I erred in my judgment, and for that, I hope you can forgive me. You are my wife, the love of my life, and I will do everything within my power to secure your safety and happiness. Even if it keeps you unaware of imminent danger. I will always protect you. You are the other half of my soul to love, honor, and protect to the very end.”
Grace cupped Calum’s cheeks. “You can protect me with your life, my love, but you cannot hide me from the evil that lurks in our midst. I would rather confront this threat by your side than cower like the bastard intends for me to do.”
Calum released his breath. “I tried to prevent this, but Cameron held the same opinion as you.”
“I always thought Cameron was wise beyond his flirtatious charm.”
Calum growled. “I dislike hearing the mention of my brother’s flirtations coming from my wife’s lips.”
“Cease trying to distract me from your plans.”
Calum drew her closer, hoping she understood his motives. When Grace laid her head on his shoulder, she showed him she trusted him to find a resolution to the threat before them.
“Cameron’s plan is to lay a trap so we can catch the servant who betrayed us. We believe they will relay the effects of the threatening letter to the culprit if you play on your grief and display the right touch of torment. And when they do, Cameron and I will follow to catch them in the act,” Calum explained.
Grace frowned. “Do you believe someone in this household would betray your family? Every servant shows their devotion by dedicating their service to every one of us.”
Calum smiled at how Grace referred to herself as part of his family with the simple word of us. Then he frowned because it was the very reason the threats continued against her. She had become part of them long before she became his wife. He might have been blind to the connection, refusing to admit the love he held for her. However, the person behind the letters had seen the effect Grace held over his family all along.
He never thought the threats Grace and her friends received held the impact of a dangerous vendetta other than a vengeful peer of the aristocracy not wanting outsiders of a lower rank to taint the pristine image of the peerage. However, the danger was more than they had ever imagined. Whoever threatened Grace and her friends foremost intended to protect themselves above all else. One girl held the key to destroy the very pedestal the enemy held themselves on. But which girl?
Before he could voice his opinion, his mother rushed into the study, with Cameron following behind her. She rushed over, and Grace tried to rise, but Calum kept his hold firmly around her. He refused to allow her to leave his side until he felt confident of her safety.
“Calum, release me,” Grace muttered lowly.
“Never.”
She pushed against his chest to make her point, but he ignored the gesture, drawing her against him even more. “Sit still, my love. I need to discuss an idea with everyone.” He pointed at his brother. “Close the door.”
“I thought...”
Calum shook his head for him to stay silent and motioned toward the door. Cameron closed the door and settled in an armchair across from them. Only then did Calum loosen his hold around Grace, but he still kept her close.
“Cameron told me about the letter and your plans,” Lady Lockhart began.
“We need to rethink our strategy. There is a twist we have missed that might alter how we should proceed.”
Cameron sat forward in the chair. “What?”
“Grace and her friends have been the target of false rumors since they made themselves noticed amongst the ton with their act of defiance against a lord who assumed it was within his right to take advantage of an innocent miss. Since then, they have become victims of someone’s vengeful dominance. While we thought their reasoning was because of how they embarrassed Lord Baldridge, it might result from someone protecting themselves. One girl holds the power to destroy the villain’s standing in society unbeknownst to them.”
Grace’s eyebrows puckered. “I do not understand.”
“The person threatening you and your friends holds much at stake if anyone discusses the history of their past, even in an innocent manner,” Calum explained.
“Then why threaten every governess?” Lady Lockhart asked.
“Because in doing so, he does not draw attention to himself, which would reveal the secrets he fights to keep covered,” Cameron mused.
Calum nodded. “Exactly.”
“But I hold no secrets that would destroy anyone. Nor do I believe my family has kept any from me,” Grace admitted.
“Which explains the desperation in the letter you received today. The letters ceased for Lady Courtland after her marriage because she was a member of the peerage and was no longer a threat. With our marriage, we showed how your position in society meant nothing to prevent us from being together. It hit too close to the reason behind the threats. Whoever is sending those letters has had a similar incident in their life that would destroy them. This leads me to consider the threats in the letter today. You are not the key to destroying their present status, but one of your friends may be.”
Grace clutched Calum’s suit coat. “Who?”
“Unfortunately, it leaves either Miss Grant or Miss Abbott as the target for the villain’s cruelty. I do not wish for them to endure any fear, but we must attempt to draw the villain out,” Calum stated.
Grace shook her head. “No. I refuse to subject my friends to any danger.”
“What of our plan for this evening?” Cameron asked.
“I fear it will only send the culprit into hiding. We must taunt him at his own game.”
“How so?” Lady Lockhart questioned.
“Can you organize a dinner party for this weekend? I wish to celebrate our marriage with a few close friends. We will invite Grace’s friends and their employers, as well as Lord and Lady Courtland. Also, a few of our peers. A mixture of those who object to our marriage and those who support us. It would surely draw out the culprit to make his next move. And when he does, we will be diligent in catching him.”
“If it is a him,” Grace murmured.
Calum pressed a kiss near her temple. “Very true.”
They were unsure of who tormented the ladies. While the clues pointed to a man’s vindictiveness, it could very well be a woman capable of such spiteful words. Either way, they would uncover who stood behind the clever attempts to scandalize Grace and her friends with false rumors.
And then bring them to their demise.