‘You will be disgraced,’ John said, obviously worried. His attention wavered and Ben took his queen on the next move.
‘When I am, you must distance yourself from me,’ Ben said, though his heart ached at the thought. They’d had precious little time together before Cottsmoor died. Now he would lose the future he had hoped for and any chance to make amends for the past. But there was no alternative. ‘I want no stain on your reputation, because of my past behaviour.’
‘Do not worry about me,’ John said, taking a bishop. ‘If Cottsmoor taught me anything, it is that I am far above scandal, even when I am at the centre of it. Pay attention to the game, Ben. Check.’
Ben laughed in surprise and searched the board for his next move. ‘I do not know why I worry about you. You have obviously learned to take care of yourself without my help.’
‘But I appreciate that you do,’ the boy said quietly. ‘And I will not allow you to keep your distance to protect me. I have few friends. I cannot afford to lose you.’
‘Thank you, John.’ He smiled and tipped over his king. ‘I see mate in three. An excellent game.’
Pleased, the young Duke nodded. ‘Another?’
Ben began to set up the board again. ‘You must give me a chance to recover my pride.’ As if that was necessary. When he was with the boy, pride seemed to swell inside him like a lump in his throat that sometimes made it difficult to speak. He coughed to clear the roughness from the next words. ‘This time, I will take white, since you are near to my equal. But that is no surprise. Your father was an excellent chess player as well.’
‘Yes, he is,’ John said. ‘Yes, he is.’
Chapter Twenty-One
The trip to Cottsmoor took most of the day, what with stops for changes of horses and refreshment. The maid she had brought with her dozed silently in the seat opposite for most of the journey, for she knew well enough not to question the purpose of the trip.
Before she’d left, Amy had gone to her sister’s room, shaking her awake. ‘Belle. There is something I must tell you.’
The sleepy blonde head rose from the pillow to look at her.
‘I need to go somewhere, just for a day or two.’
‘You are leaving me alone?’ She was instantly awake, staring at Amy in terror.
‘Not alone, dear. Your maid will still be with you. And, of course, you can trust Mr Lovell.’
Belle shook her head at this, as though she’d rather do anything in the world other than that.
Amy squeezed her hand. ‘Do not be afraid of him. I am going on this journey because he and I discussed your future and how unhappy you are.’
‘You told him?’ At this, Belle looked even more frightened.
‘He understands. And we have found something that will help.’
Belle’s eyes went wide. ‘Are you going to tell Father? He will be angry.’
‘Not yet. When I get back from my trip, in a day, or perhaps two, I will go to him and explain. In the meantime, you must stay here. You must keep my secret until then.’
‘A secret?’ Belle smiled.
‘A good secret.’ Amy did her best to smile. ‘Now go back to sleep. I will see you again, very soon.’
It had been a lie. There was nothing good about the truths she was going to uncover. What she knew so far was sordid enough. If, as he had hinted, the rest was worse, she did not know if she wanted to hear it.
But the story was fascinating as well. There had been no pride in taking money to do what he had done. But it explained why his current credo was excellence in all things. He had made himself into the man he’d wanted to be and had never looked back.
Now she was entering the sleepy village of Cottsmoor, a place as far as she could imagine from the life that Benjamin Lovell aspired to. It took only a single enquiry at the local inn to learn that Mrs Lovell still lived in a small, rose-covered cottage on the edge of town.
Amy stared out of the carriage window at it, amazed. It was a pleasant little house with a nicely kept garden and a fresh coat of paint on the green front door. Compared to the house she had just left, it seemed so tiny. Though Ben did not spend lavishly, he certainly had the money to spare something for the woman who birthed him.
But neither did it appear that she lived in the poverty he’d hinted at. Perhaps there had been discreet gifts so that she could live in comfort and safety, even though he was not there to care for her.
She got out of the carriage and went up the neatly swept path, then rang the bell and waited.
A maid opened for her, who took only one curious glance at the Summoner carriage before offering refreshment and directing her to sit in the parlour to await the lady of the house.