Whirlwind Wedding

Austin asked.

'As certain as I can be without actually looking through mountains of ships' passenger logs.' When Austin frowned, Miles quickly added, 'Which is exactly what I shall do once I reach London. But until then, I can only relate what Countess Penbroke told me. We engaged in a lengthy chat last evening, one that nearly resulted in my losing an eye to the hazard she'd dressed her head with. Look here.' He pointed to a small scratch on his temple. 'I'm probably scarred for life.'

'I never said this mission wasn't without certain dangers,' Austin said blandly.

'Downright fraught with danger if you ask me,' Miles muttered. 'But while I fetched Lady Penbroke numerous cups of punch and dodged her feathers, she told me, quite emphatically, that this is her niece's first visit to England. I believe Lady Penbroke's exact words were 'And it's about damn time.''

'Do you know how long Miss Matthews is planning to stay?'

'When I asked Lady Penbroke, she fixed a steely look on me and informed me that as the gel had barely just arrived she'd not made any plans to send her back to America.'

'What about her family?'

'Her parents are both deceased. Her mother, Lady Penbroke's sister, died eight years ago. The father passed away two years ago.'

'Any brothers or sisters?'

'No.'

Austin raised his brows. 'What did she do after her father died? She can't be much older than twenty. Surely she didn't live alone.'

'She is two and twenty. I came away with the impression that Miss Matthews's father left her comfortable, but far from wealthy. She settled her father's affairs, then moved in with distant relations on her father's side who lived in the same town. Apparently these relatives have a daughter close in age to Miss Matthews and they're great friends.'

'Did you find out anything else?'

Miles nodded. 'When Miss Matthews sailed to England she arrived with a hired traveling companion named Mrs. Loretta Thomkins. They parted company when the ship docked. Lady Penbroke understood that Mrs. Thomkins planned to remain in London with family. If that is the case, she won't be difficult to locate.'

'Excellent. Thank you, Miles.'

'You're welcome, but you owe me a boon. Several, in fact.'

'Based on your tone, I'm not sure I want to know why.'

'I asked so many questions about her niece, I believe Lady Penbroke entertains the notion that I fancy the chit.'

Austin stilled. 'Indeed? I imagine you promptly disabused her of that notion.'

Miles shrugged and flicked a bit of lint from his sleeve. 'Not exactly. Before speaking to Lady Penbroke, I brought up Miss Matthews to several well-connected ladies. The mere mention of her name induced giggles, twitters, and eye rolling. If Lady Penbroke spreads the word that I've shown interest in her niece, perhaps some of the twittering will stop. Miss Matthews strikes me as a nice young woman who does not deserve to be cast out. In fact, now that I think of it, she's really quite lovely, don't you agree?'

'I hadn't particularly noticed.'

Miles's brows almost disappeared into his hairline. 'You? Not notice an attractive female? Are you ill? Feverish?'

'No.' Damn it, when did Miles become such a blasted pest?

'Well, allow me to enlighten you. What Miss Matthews lacks in social graces, she more than makes up for with her lovely face, smooth complexion, and dimpling smile. Her beauty is quiet, understated requiring a second look before it can be fully appreciated. While fashionable society decrees her height unfashionable, I find it fascinating.' He tapped his chin with two fingers, his expression thoughtful. 'I wonder what it would be like to kiss such a tall woman… especially one with a lush mouth like Miss Matthews possesses. Her lips are really quite extraordinary-'

'Miles.'

'Yes?'

Austin ordered his clenched muscles to relax. 'You've wandered off the subject.'

Miles's face bore a mask of pure innocence. 'I thought we were discussing Miss Matthews.'

'We were. It's simply not necessary to mention her… attributes.'

A gleam sparkled in Miles's eyes. 'Ah. So you did notice.'

'Notice what?'

'Her… attributes.'

Determined to put an end to this conversation, Austin said 'I'm not blind Miles. Miss Matthews is, as you say, lovely. I do not intend to let that sway or influence me in my search for information.' He fixed a penetrating stare on his friend. 'I trust you will not allow it to, either.'

'Certainly not. I am not the one who is interested in the woman.'

'I am not interested in her.'

'Indeed?' Chuckling, Miles rose, crossed the Axmin-ster rug, then laid a hand on Austin's shoulder. 'You have me traipsing about the kingdom gathering information about her for reasons that you've yet to share with me although you must realize I'm burning with curiosity, and you looked positively grim when I waxed poetic about her remarkable lips.'

'I'm sure I looked nothing of the sort.'

'Grim,' Miles repeated 'and ready to toss me out on my very elegantly attired posterior.'

To Austin's annoyance, heat crept up his neck. Before he could reply, Miles said 'You look like a volcano on the verge of eruption. How very… interesting. And on that note, I shall depart for London. I'll report back as soon as I've discovered anything of interest.' He crossed the room, but paused at the door. 'Good luck with Miss Matthews, Austin. I've a feeling you're going to need it.'

Chapter 5

Austin spent most of the afternoon ensconced in his study, going over the accounts of his Cornwall estate. Unfortunately, his mind was not focused on the task and the rows of numbers kept running together, refusing to add up properly. His brain churned with questions. Was it possible that the blackmailer had some connection to the Frenchman Gaspard? Or perhaps the blackmailer was Gaspard. He strongly suspected so, and if so, he was most likely in England hi which case Austin hoped his Bow Street Runner would locate him. Contact me again, you bastard. I look forward to finding you. You plan to write me again in London after July first-but perhaps I'll find you first. He wanted this settled and the threat to his family over. And he needed to figure out how Miss Matthews fit into the equation.

In need of a reprieve, he stretched and walked to the windows. Gazing down on the lawns, he saw Caroline and Miss Matthews frolicking with Gadzooks and three other kittens whom he believed were Egad, Balderdash, and Fiddlesticks-although it was sometimes difficult to tell the beasts apart. It was quite possible they were Damn It All, Bloody Hell, and Blow My Dickey.

Shaking his head he realized that if Miss Matthews and Caroline were going to entertain themselves with the cats, he'd have to warn Mortlin to adjust the beasts' names.

He opened the window a crack, and feminine giggles drifted up to him. Tenderness seeped through him at Caroline's sweet laughter. It was a sound he had missed for many months after William's death. His gaze settled on Miss Matthews and his heart seemed to skip a beat. A dimpling smile wreathed her face and bright sunlight shimmered on her glorious hair. She looked young, carefree, innocent, and impossibly lovely.

And she'd made his sister laugh.

A rush of gratitude warmed him, catching him off guard. He needed to remember that Miss Matthews was obviously more than she appeared. Yes, she'd amused Caroline, but what else might she be telling his sister?