He could be a rake if he hesitates when a young lady makes a simple request.
MISS HONORA TRUTH’S WORDS OF WISDOM AND WARNING ABOUT RAKES, SCOUNDRELS, ROGUES, AND LIBERTINES
It seemed as if every carriage in London was on the same street as Rath’s. His driver was inching the horses and landau along with the usual occasional jolts, bumps, and sudden stops. The many shouts from frustrated people up and down the long stream of conveyances did little to speed up the process.
Rath had forgotten there would be an end of winter carnival in Hyde Park later in the day. Everyone must have left their houses at the same time in the hope of getting to the park early enough to stake out a prime place to enjoy the afternoon and evening with family and friends. Not that Rath was minding the slower pace today. The longer-than-normal ride from his solicitor’s office to St. James gave him more time to study the papers in his hand before arriving at Miss Fast’s house.
Shuffling through the loose pages, Rath’s eyes kept capturing the same information time and time again. Mr. William Buckland was a highly intelligent and well-learned man. Noted for being a clergyman, a fossil hunter, and a geologist. He’d recently been elected a fellow into the Royal Society. That was no small accomplishment. Rath was sure it had been a boost to his reputation and his rapid rise to prominence in his chosen fields of study, because he had the Prince’s ear. Thereby, the Regent’s monetary support as well. But the main thing that caught Rath’s attention—the man was also a bachelor.
The probe into Mr. Herbert Wentfield’s life had been an entirely different story. And that was odd.
It was perplexing to Rath why Miss Fast wanted to know so much about the two men. Why did Mr. Buckland’s obsession with diggings in the earth for scientific purposes in order to prove historical facts, or to look for animal bones and fossils interest her? Not to mention all the explorations he’d conducted and the honors he’d been given because of them.
Rath hit his knee with the stack of papers. Was she interested in making a match with either of the men? That thought didn’t sit well with him.
And if she had such notions, what was she thinking to send Rath a note asking that he obtain any and all information possible for her on Mr. Buckland and Mr. Wentfield? Did she consider Rath her personal secretary to do her bidding on gentlemen she might be interested in for marriage just because he was her guardian?
He blew out a grunted laugh. That was precisely what he was supposed to do. And he had. If making a match with either of these men was her consideration, didn’t she know Buckland was too old for her? He was probably closer to four score than three. He did wonder how she knew about the unknown Wentfield when Rath’s solicitor couldn’t find out anything about him.
Rath started out not even responding to her unusual and cheeky request of him. Nevertheless, in the end, his responsibility to her and no small amount of curiosity had gotten the best of him. After a couple of days stewing about her note and rereading it numerous times, he’d had his solicitor find all the articles available that had been written about Buckland and the ones the man himself had written. And then Rath had to read the damned stuff to make sure it was appropriate for her to see. He couldn’t allow her to be inquiring about someone who might have led a life completely unsuitable for her to read about. Rath certainly wouldn’t want an innocent young lady reading about his own life.
Though it wasn’t a natural inclination for young ladies, Miss Fast had admitted she liked to till the ground around the flowers and cut the blooms rather than just walk in the garden and enjoy the beauty. Maybe it wasn’t unusual she’d be interested in someone who liked to dig deep below the earth’s surface for ancient carcasses. After all, she’d lived in a house with boys and followed them around until the day she moved to Mr. Olingworth’s. He could see her cousins had great influence in her life. And not in a bad way.
Once Rath had gotten over his reluctance to do so, he’d done what she asked, and now she was going to do the same. And tell him why she’d wanted the details on these men’s lives and work.
There was another reason he’d wanted to get the facts on Buckland and Westfield, though it took a while for him to admit it to himself. Being Marlena’s guardian had given him a challenge unlike any he’d ever accepted before. Over the years of his youth and beyond there had been many dares and gambles from friends and foes alike. Every one he’d met, and most of them he’d won.
The most stimulating had come from his father. For as long as Rath could remember, he knew he’d be a duke one day and in charge of lands, companies, people, and wealth. But it wasn’t until his father had challenged him to be proficient in all the inner workings of the entailed property’s businesses after he left Oxford that he’d set his mind to learning about them all.
And he had.
Rath caught on quickly as he and his father traveled the estates, met the tenants, and surveyed the lands. Often his father had praised him for his intuition, cleverness, and financial skills in all the ventures that kept the estates prosperous. Learning the holdings of the farmlands and the mining companies had pleased his father. The knowledge of all that was easy for Rath to absorb but managing his neckcloth, his time, and his social pursuits was not.
That was where he and his father had parted ways and no amount of challenge could change Rath’s mind. He cared little for high fashion and it showed. No amount of pleading from his father had convinced him to keep his neckcloth properly tied or his coat and waistcoat matching. As soon as Rath was old enough to do so, he’d refused to have a valet dress him or have starch in his collar. Rath wanted to be comfortable, not trussed up like a dandy attending his first ball. His father had never forgiven him for that lax attitude in his clothing, or for the fact that he’d chosen the life of a rake over a gentleman.
At the time, Rath was too eager to taste what was afforded to him. He was only interested in what gave him pleasure and not what his father demanded. Rath felt a sense of peace that his father knew, even though he lingered for months with a broken body after being thrown from a horse, before he died that Rath could manage the dukedom well whether or not his neckcloth was properly tied.
Looking out the carriage window, he tapped the papers against his leg for the second time. Right now, his challenge was the responsibility of taking care of Marlena. It wasn’t coming as easy to him as learning about his estates. Women were capricious. Estates were not. But looking after Miss Fast was giving him an unexpected and immense sense of pleasure.
When the carriage finally stopped at Marlena’s house, Rath stepped out into the bright sunlight of a cool afternoon with the ends of the sheets of vellum and newsprint fluttering in his hand. He started up the stone path but his steps slowed as he noticed the patches of blue sky. Without really thinking about it, he changed direction from the front door and headed around the corner to the back of the house.
Tut heard his approach and raced to the fence barking. The little dog made it to the wooden gate before Rath. Just as he’d suspected, Marlena was in the garden wearing her straw hat. A wine-colored shawl was spread over her slender shoulders and knotted perfectly between her breasts. Tut continued to jump on the fence and bark until Miss Fast made it over to unlock the gate.
Stepping inside, Rath swiped off his hat and shoved it under his arm as he reached down to pet the excited dog. He looked up at Marlena and said, “Good afternoon, Miss Fast.”
“Your Grace,” she answered with a curtsy.
Oh, yes. She was as lovely as the first day he saw her. Maybe even more so. Usually he’d rather a young lady not wear a hat or bonnet to cover her hair, but with Marlena, the hat seemed to flaunt how stunning she was.
“I thought I’d find you out here on this sunny afternoon,” he said while Tut danced on his hind legs, begging for more attention.
“Much preferable to being inside. And it is the warmest day we’ve had in quite a few months.”
Her gaze strayed to the papers he held in his hand. He sensed by the gleam in her eyes she was anxious to know what he had. That left him even more intrigued than he was before. If they were so important to her, they were important to him, too.
“Actually,” she continued, “I should have said it’s wonderful for me to be outside. I know you prefer to be indoors so we can go into the drawing room. I’ll have Mrs. Doddle make some tea. We’ll leave Tut outside so he’ll stop jumping on you.”
“I’m good out here, Miss Fast,” he said, giving the head of the small dog another friendly pat. “And Tut isn’t bothering me.”
“Tut, behave,” she admonished. The dog looked at her and gave her a quarreling bark. “Go,” she said and pointed toward the back of the garden. Tut wagged his tail and looked at her but didn’t move.
Marlena turned her attention back to Rath. “He’s not well trained. My fault, I have to admit. If you’ll stop showing him attention, I’m sure he’ll leave you alone and go find a grasshopper to chase or something to sniff in the grass.”
“I don’t mind a welcoming dog or a watchdog.”
“He’s certainly both,” she answered, always willing to talk about Tut. “I’m indebted to Justine for allowing me to accept him from a child on the street who was trying to give him away. He’s brought me immense pleasure since I’ve been in London.”
“That was kind of her.”
“Tell me,” Marlena said, “were you able to find some information for me?”
Nothing like getting right to the point of the matter. Rath couldn’t help himself. He had to grin. She was polite enough to ask and not assume what he held was for her.
“You were very specific in your note to me, Miss Fast. Any and all information, you directed.”
She moistened her lips nervously. “Yes, I believe I said that, but I hope it didn’t sound like a demand.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to deny it, but then he knew she’d want the truth, so he said, “It did.”
“I didn’t mean my words how you read them. It was a request.”
Her eyes were caressing his face, and Rath was taking in the way she was appealing to him. He didn’t mind her fighting spirit. It was fascinating and he even encouraged it, but he wanted her to look at him with her softer side, too.
He held up the papers. “And it was accomplished.”
“Thank you. That’s wonderful. I’m most grateful to you.”
Marlena held out her hand to him. Her eagerness to get the material intrigued him more than it should. He’d had no plans of getting wrapped up in his ward’s life until he met her. Now she was all he could think about. He had to know what her interest was in the famed Buckland and the unknown Wentfield.
Rath’s grip tightened on the pages he held by his side and his arm didn’t move. “I’m afraid I need more information from you before I can give you these, Miss Fast.”
It was slight but she lifted her chin and stiffened. “What do you mean?”
He rolled the sheets, pushed aside his cloak, and then stuffed them into the side pocket of his coat. “To begin with,” he said without any hint of annoyance, “I’d like to know why you thought to use me as your researcher, and ask me to gather this information for you.”
“You’re my guardian,” she answered without equivocation.
He couldn’t argue with that. “But not your personal secretary.”
“No, of course not. I never thought—I mean it would be very difficult for me to do it myself. I needed your help.”
His stomach tightened. She needed him. That washed over him as soothing as watching the sun melt into the water in the late afternoon. But he couldn’t let those feelings disturb his inquiry.
“Why is that? All of this is available to anyone willing to look through old issues of newsprint, journals, and pamphlets.”
“Yes, that’s true, I’m sure. But rarely am I allowed to go anywhere without Justine.”
“So you wouldn’t want her to see this?” He touched his side where the papers were.
“I wouldn’t. Not because it’s something inappropriate. If I made her privy to the fact I wanted the articles on the men, she would want to know why.”
He could only assume that if she didn’t want Justine to know why she wanted the information, she probably wouldn’t want him to know, either. So why ask him to do it? That only made him more determined not to leave until he found out.
“It might not be a bad idea if she knows,” Rath added.
“I’m not sure she would have allowed me to go about getting the information even if I had told her why I needed it. She doesn’t always place value on the same things I do. I thought to avoid any confrontation with her about this. Since you are my guardian, I decided to ask you to do it for me.”
She was unbelievable. “And you didn’t think I’d want to know why you required this?”
She pulled on the edges of her shawl and tightened it around her. “Not really. It was, as you said, a simple thing to get and maybe not even interesting to most.”
Rath felt a twitch between his shoulder blades. He wondered again if she might have designs on the men. That irritated him, and made him ask, “Did it dawn on you that I might have more important things to do with my time than chase down gentlemen for you? Such as taking care of problems and issues that arise with my lands, tenants, and businesses. Meetings with members of Parliament who are forever seeking my favor as well as my advice and a host of other things.”
“Including a card game or two, several rounds of billiards I’m sure, and a few tankards of ale at White’s or some other club that is happy to have your membership no doubt,” she said tartly.
Oh, she was quick and tempting beyond what he thought possible. Rath folded his arms across his chest and smiled. He liked that she refused to be intimidated by him.
“That, too,” he agreed.
“And truth be told,” she added, obviously not enjoying the conversation as much as he was, “I never expected you would go searching for the particulars yourself but have someone do it for you.”
Which is exactly what he did. “What is your reason for wanting this information?”
She remained silent. The breeze blew through his hair and fluttered the ribbons under her chin. She pushed her hat farther up her forehead, and a golden-red strand of hair fell from underneath it. The sun made it shimmer as if it were winking at him, enticing him to touch it.
Without thinking, he asked, “Are you interested in making a match between yourself and Buckland or Wentfield?”
“What?” she gasped. “That’s absurd. Of course not. I’ve never met either man. They could both be married for all I know about them.”
The passion in her voice and expression of denial on her face told him she was being truthful. Her answer pleased him and he asked, “Then why?”
Rath received only silence from her again, but he could tell she was thinking seriously. But what about? Was she thinking to continue eluding his questions or saying less than the truth?
“If you don’t tell me, Miss Fast, I can refuse to give you the information. I saw the gleam in your eyes. You’re most eager to get your hands on these articles.”
“I am. Why would I ask for it otherwise, Your Grace?” She inhaled a long deep breath and then folded her arms across her chest. “I suppose there’s no reason I can’t tell you, except for the fact it’s not my story to divulge. But if I make you aware of this problem, you must promise to stay quiet about it.”
That surprised him. “I must stay quiet about it?” That word, must, didn’t sit well with Rath. “You certainly demand a lot for someone who is at my mercy.”
“Perhaps that’s because you are a troublesome guardian and I must strive to continually be a step ahead of you.”
She had more pluck than the King’s army, but he supposed she’d have to have been strong to have followed five boys around a country estate before the age of ten. “I do appreciate the fact you don’t mind your words when you are talking to me. Apparently, Mr. Olingworth never asked you any questions about the things you wanted him to obtain for you.”
“He trusted me.”
Rath nodded. “So do I, but I’m also curious. Perhaps we would work well together on this if you were only trying to stay equal with me rather than ahead of me.”
She tapped her foot, Tut wandered away, and Rath waited. He didn’t mind that she was taking her time to think it over. It not only showed courage, but showed strength and intelligence, too. And it showed him she was a lady to be regarded for her abilities.
“All right,” she finally said, her eyebrows furrowing. “I want to know what Mr. Buckland and Mr. Wentfield have to say about Megalosaurus eggs.”
“What in the hell—” fire, he finished silently, as Marlena’s brows shot up in surprise.