part0012

A s Caro arranged her hair, trying her best to tame the mop of curls, Evie noticed her frowning. “Is something wrong, Caro?”

Her maid gave a small shake of her head only to then nod. “I might be wrong, but earlier, as I was coming along the corridor and making my way to your room, I thought I saw Tom down the opposite end… coming out of His Grace’s room.” She shook her head again. “I must have imagined it.” Stepping back, Caro inspected her work.

The Devil is in the detail, Evie thought…

Tom had suggested they needed to prepare for the unexpected. He’d also recommended being as vague as possible. However, in this instance, Evie didn’t think she would be able to get away with anything but the truth.

She knew she could trust Caro to be discreet. But would her maid understand and… play along?

Lines of distinction existed because they made everyone’s life that much easier. Without boundaries and the accompanying rules, no one would know how to behave.

Rolling her eyes heavenward, she wondered if she had just heard echoes of her granny in her mind. To be fair to her grandmother, she had made several new adjustments to better fit into the new century. Overall, however, her heart remained true to the previous era.

If they were to make a success of this charade, she supposed Caro would need to be in on the secret too.

Evie cleared her throat. “Well, as a matter of fact…” Scooping in a breath, Evie gave Caro an abbreviated version of the events which had taken place since… Well, since she’d set off from America.

When she finished relating her story, Evie urged, “Caro, you’ll need to blink and breathe.”

“Oh… Oh, my. I’m speechless. I mean, everyone downstairs has been buzzing with the news about the shooting but now you say Tom has taken command of the situation because your grandmother secretly hired him as your personal bodyguard. ”

“That’s about the gist of it,” Evie agreed and stood up to inspect her reflection in the mirror, smiling as she cast an appreciative glance over her silk and satin evening gown.

She had abandoned her favorite shade of pale green for a rich shade of dazzling bronze with black beading and black embroidery. Admiring the column of sheer elegance, Evie turned and looked over her shoulder to study the effect of the low-cut V shape.

Having one’s back to someone in a crowded room was never an excuse to skimp and the designer had done a splendid job, highlighting the edges with an intricate diamond shaped pattern made from black beads sewn into the satin trim.

Resuming her seat at the dressing table, she watched Caro select a necklace. She held it against Evie’s neck so Evie could decide if she liked it or not.

“Yes, that will do.” When the long strand of black pearls fell into place, Evie tilted her head and watched Caro pin a diamante dragonfly brooch. Deciding she already had enough adornments, she selected a small black feather for her hair attached to a narrow headband.

With a gentle dab of perfume on her wrists, Evie rose to her feet and turned her attention to slipping her long gloves on.

When she heard a light knock at her door, Evie said, “That’ll be him. ”

“Him? You mean, Tom. Here… in your room?”

Evie tried to play down the situation which, under any other circumstance, would have been deemed scandalous. “We needed to rendezvous for a…” She tried to recall the term Tom had used. “Oh, yes. A briefing session. He will be joining us for dinner and, as you can imagine, there are certain expectations. Rules to adhere to. If he is to remain incognito, Tom will need to play the role of gentleman to the hilt. He cannot put a foot wrong.”

Caro blinked rapidly.

“You should open the door now and let him in before someone catches him hovering outside my room.”

“Yes, milady.” Caro hurried to the door and, grabbing hold of Tom’s arm, pulled him inside only to then step back, her eyes wide, her expression beyond surprised.

“Well,” Evie exclaimed. “You certainly clean up nicely.”

Dressed in formal evening wear consisting of a black fitted jacket with long ‘swallow’ tails in the back, a white vest, trousers with silk stripes on the sides and a white bow tie, Tom Winchester had transformed himself from the country squire look she’d seen earlier to the picture-perfect image of a titled gentleman. A Sir, a Lord… A Viscount. Even the title of a Duke would suit him just fine, Evie thought .

“I take it I pass muster, ma’am.”

Evie swallowed. “Yes, you most certainly do.” It took some doing to tear her intrigued attention away from him. “Right… Well. Let’s see.” Evie drew in a long breath. “For starters, you mustn’t call me ma’am.”

His eyebrow lifted slightly.

Yes, she knew it would be a miracle if he managed to get through five minutes before reverting to old habits. After all, it had taken Evie more than two months to break him of the habit of calling her Lady Woodridge.

“Remind me again, are we to be related or did we decide on a long-standing friendship?” she asked, suddenly wondering which would be safest.

“Friends, I think,” he said. “I know many of your family members, but I might be caught out. As friends, I can lay claim to knowing some of your immediate family. Your mother and grandmother as well as your brother.”

“Yes, that makes sense,” Evie agreed. “So… you must call me…”

Evie shook her head. “No, certainly not. My mother always calls me that when I’ve landed myself into trouble.”

The edge of his lip quirked up. “Evie.”

“Try not to sound so surprised.”

He tried it again. To his credit, it only took a dozen tries for Evie to claim satisfaction when, in fact, she had simply enjoyed hearing her name on his lips.

“You have the Duke’s permission to address him as ‘Bicky’. That will simplify matters.” Being on such an uneven social scale, it would have been an unforgivable breech of protocol, but Bicky had always been a good sport.

Caro raised both eyebrows. “On intimate terms with His Grace… the Duke of Hetherington?”

“Yes, Caro.” Evie pointed to the ceiling. “See, it hasn’t collapsed on us and I’m sure the earth is still spinning.” Turning back to Tom, she continued, “There are several house guests attending tonight’s dinner.”

He nodded. “Bicky already ran through them with me.”

Of course, he had. How remiss of her, Evie thought, her mental tone mocking. “So, if I say Charlotte, you’ll know I mean…”

“Lady Chambers, married to Lord Chambers. Matthew to his friends.”

Evie prompted, “And you will address him as…”

“The first time, I will address him as Lord Chambers. From therein, it will be my lord or, if he gives me leave, Chambers.”

By the end of the evening, Evie suspected Tom would be invited to refer to him as Matthew. No doubt about it.

Feeling an impish need to trip him up, Evie shot out, “Gloriana.”

“You mean, Lady Gloriana, the Duke’s… or rather, Bicky’s cousin. She is married to the younger son of the Earl of Aspendale.” Tom’s eyes filled with mirth. “Do you think she will inherit the Dowager Duchess’s pearls?”

Well, well. Bicky had been thorough.

“Yes, I can see you’ll do very well. But if you happen to get tangled up, fall back on my lady or my lord.”

Tom smiled. “Unless I happen to be talking with Mr. Mark Harper, heir to his cousin, the Earl of Chatterlain. In which case, I’ll refer to him as Harper.” He shrugged. “Or Mark.”

Feeling almost superfluous, Evie clasped her hands and twiddled her thumbs. “Now, we must find you a suitable profession.”

Tom nodded. “That has been taken care of.”

He nodded again. “I did well enough in the oil fields to never have to work another day in my life.”

Evie wavered for a moment. He had sounded so convincing, she had no trouble believing him. “Tell me more.” She knew the others were bound to ask questions. After all, most of them… well, all of them had inherited their money. The concept of actually making it by striking it lucky would be beyond their comprehension.

Evie tapped her chin and revised her opinion as she remembered there had been some lucky titled landowners who’d struck it lucky with coal…

Slipping a hand into his pocket he said, “Back in 1914, I started out as a wildcatter in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Soon after, I purchased my first drilling rights.” He gave her a winning smile. “The rest is far too… oily to go into. Needless to say, I struck oil.”

“I should add, your brother has been instrumental in assisting me with my investments.”

“He has?” For a moment, Evie forgot they were creating a credible story to tell the others. Frowning, she ran through every possible situation he might encounter in the drawing room. “Oh, remind me again why you’re on such familiar terms with Bicky.”

“The war. We met briefly at the Battle of the Somme. The arduous experience has created many long-lasting friendships.”

“Yet, he never mentioned you,” Evie said testily.

“I think you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who willingly brings up the subject of the war and, if they do, the references will be very vague. We all prefer to put those dark years behind us.”

Evie felt a shiver run up and down her spine .

To her surprise, he added, “After serving under British command, I then joined the American Expeditionary Forces staying with them until the end of the war.”

“Fine. Now… Table manners.”

He grinned. “Luckily, I have been feeding myself for as long as I can remember.” She must have looked uncertain because Tom went on to add, “I promise I will keep my elbows off the table and refrain from talking with my mouth full.”

“I didn’t mean to imply you have sloppy manners. Only that… There is a delicate balance. Conversation is kept light, casual… amiable but lively. Of course, I’m sure you can manage all that.” Feeling slightly on edge, Evie persevered. “After dinner, the ladies will withdraw to the drawing room, leaving the gentleman to smoke their cigars and drink their port. I’ve never been privy to the conversations that go on, so I’m afraid you’ll be on your own.”

“I believe I will be capable of holding my end of it without embarrassing you… Evie.”

“What if someone brings up the subject of investments?”

“I would most likely mention your brother’s exemplary handling of my investments. Let’s assume it won’t come up since the English don’t really care to talk about money. But I will be prepared without going overboard with details or aspiring to pretentions I don’t possess. While independently wealthy, I’m still at heart a wildcatter.” He shrugged. “Still slightly rough around the edges and quite proud of it. It will fit with their idea of a self-made American millionaire.”

Caro leaned in and asked in a soft murmur, “What exactly is a wildcatter?”

“A prospector,” Evie murmured back. “They usually sink oil wells but they also participate in risky business ventures.” Which would fit in nicely with her earlier remarks to Bicky regarding wealthy Americans and their willingness to take risks.

“What if someone suggests dancing?” Caro asked.

Tom gave them both a brisk smile.

Evie suspected he would have no trouble whisking her around a ballroom. “I doubt that will happen. Eventually, I believe we will tackle the subject of today’s shooting. That should take care of conversation for the rest of the evening. We will all be much too preoccupied with suppositions to even consider the idea of dancing.” Evie stopped. She only ever prattled on when she felt flustered. And she definitely felt out of sorts. Not in a dispirited way but rather…

Evie fiddled with her bracelet. Pressing her fingers against her wrist, she felt her pulse racing. “Right… Well. I believe we now have ev erything sorted out.”

“Not quite,” Tom said.

“Oh? What else is there to discuss?”

“I actually feel I should warn you,” he said.

Pressing her hand to her heart, Evie asked, “Warn me? About what?”

“My intention to discreetly question the guests.”

Evie yelped, “Whatever for?”

“I assume they all knew you were coming here.”

She gave a reluctant nod.

“I’d like to know if they mentioned it to anyone else.” Before she could object, he added, “Someone took a shot at you, not once but twice. That took some premeditation.” He took a step toward her. “Someone planned it with meticulous precision.”

Unable to contain her shock, she burst out, “Are you suggesting the Duke of Hetherington’s guests are being held under suspicion?”