Darius went pale, an interestingly delicate shade. “I gave my word, ma’am.”
The lady threw back her head and howled with laughter. The diamonds in her hair glittered against the dead-white of her hair powder, adding vitality and life to the arrangement. “I will not hold you to it, sir. I know your—”
Darius exchanged a glance with Andrew, the alarm in his eyes a reflection of Andrew’s own.
Andrew gave an inward groan. She was astute, this woman. She would not have missed that instinctive exchange. “Some people have made excellent marriages when they share friendship and nothing else.”
Was this lady of the same inclination? Did she prefer her own sex? She was boldly good looking, but her attraction was most definitely feminine. Not that Andrew was any judge.
“Perhaps they do, but I do not marry for a different reason: I can never be sure the man courting me is not a clever fortune hunter.”
“Some men are extremely wealthy.”
“None of them are men I wish to marry.” She shrugged. “I am nearly thirty, sir, and I believe well on the shelf. Much to my relief. I will live my life as well as I can and leave my businesses to worthy candidates when the time comes. That is enough for me. It has to be.” A touch of wistfulness echoed in her last words, but Andrew would not question her. It was none of his business. Had she met someone? Someone she couldn’t marry? That put her in a similar situation to Andrew and Darius.
“I have seen what happens to heiresses who marry. They lose all their property and become nothing but the chattel of their husbands. I have no mind to see that happen to me. So I must forego that part of life. I am fortunate that I have the wherewithal to life in comfort and for society to continue to accept me.”
“Speaking of respectability, ma’am, should you not have another lady present? A companion?”
Miss Childers dismissed that notion with a wave of her fan. “A footman stands in the corridor. He has been with me since I was a child, and he will not betray my situation to anyone. And I know you will not. My current companion is a prosy bore. I am in the process of ridding myself of her.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, I will have to replace her, but I have someone in mind.” He sipped her brandy. “And that brings us back to the business in hand. We have spent too long in here already. People will talk, if we absent ourselves much longer.”
Here was a woman Andrew could admire. He was probably not the first person to think that, but one of the few who had absolutely no pretensions to her hand. And judging from what she had said, she knew why.
“I have a new enterprise in mind.” She met Andrew’s gaze and then flicked a glance at Darius. “I read the account of your defense of Lord Valentinian Shaw last year, sir, and you impressed me a great deal. I may need help in a new venture I’ve a mind to engage in, but it will not be primarily in estates and management. No, the concerns are more of the criminal variety. The Waltham Acts are a disgrace, a great injustice. You can escape the noose for murder or be hanged for stealing a penny loaf. I have a group of people ready to help me in this enterprise, but I need a legal adviser.”
“Indeed, ma’am?” His heart beat faster. “The enterprise you speak of?”
“Will remain covert. Under my control. But the evidence and the challenges will not. I would like you to act for us in court.”
He began to understand. Would he become part of the lady’s crusade? He could make a lot of enemies if she decided to force Parliament to reconsider the acts that were the basis of English justice. But yes, he’d seen certain things that had made his blood boil. “The best course is to take it case by case, at least at first. But you must aggregate them all and create a complete group that Parliament needs to take notice of.”
She nodded. “I would pay you a retaining fee, of course, but I would not expect you to work for me exclusively. This is nothing to do with the bank, but I do have other business concerning my property I would like to discuss with you.”
He held up a hand. “You don’t have to bribe me or pay me a retainer. I am with you, ma’am. I have seen enough in the courts to know that I would like to help with this work.” Oh, so now he was offering to work on a case-by-case basis? He hadn’t done that since he left Oxford.
Andrew did not miss her glance at the clock standing by the window.
“Why did you want me present, ma’am?” Darius asked.
“Because of your brother, and because I need someone like you to help. You are not the only gentleman of fashion I am asking to help me. Since you two are acquainted, I thought it best to see you both together. And the other matter. That concerns you, does it not?”
Dipping into her bosom, she drew out a piece of paper. The sight left Andrew unmoved. That, more than anything else, went a long way to convince him he would never allow another woman into his bed. If he could not get excited over this beauty, then women were just not for him.
And they never would be.
Darius rose in a smooth movement and took the paper. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “This man could cause the deaths of many people loyal to the crown if he is not stopped. He has a list that would put many people in danger. Your excuse might be the reason he is still in this country.”
She met his gaze, eventually nodding. “Thank you for trusting me. If I delay him further, he may become suspicious, so you will have to act quickly.”
“He has a contact, a man who is probably more dangerous than he is, and we want to catch him, too. This may help us.”
“Us?”
Darius shrugged. “Loyalists. My father knows about this matter.”
Her nod this time was gracious enough for a queen. “I trust your father implicitly. What will you do with this person?”
“I do not yet know. Tell my father his name, I suppose.”
“Act for yourself,” she advised. “Bring him back to London, and let the law deal with him. If he is a traitor, he will lose everything. Reputation, fortune, and any respect he might have garnered.”
With a rustle of her ample skirts, Miss Childers got to her feet. “I’ll say good evening, sirs. Please remain here for a short time before you leave. I shall go to my bedroom and from there to the ballroom. Needless to say, you have not seen me.”
Andrew rose and bowed, as did Darius, when she left.
He expelled a long breath he didn’t know he was holding.
“Well,” Darius said. “Here we are again.”
Chapter 8
Greedily, Darius took in the sight of the man he wanted more than any other. Lust roared through him, urging him to pull Andrew into his arms and kiss him senseless. To remove that oh-so-neat evening coat and waistcoat, to tear the crisp white shirt away and finally touch his bare skin. He shuddered with the need to take him.