A Spy's Devotion (The Regency Spies of London #1)(20)

Nicholas would need to report to the War Office.

Miss Grey was leaning away from Edgerton. The man was obviously making her uncomfortable. And by the way her nose wrinkled, she could clearly smell the brandy on his breath.

During a sudden lull in the conversation, their host asked Nicholas, “How are your injuries healing?”

Almost everyone’s eyes were on him now.

“Thank you, I am improving.”

“How soon will you be returning to your regiment? The army doesn’t normally allow its soldiers to be away from service for long.”

“You are correct, sir.” He thought carefully about his answer. “I am still healing, but I’m sure to be sent back to the Peninsula soon. For tonight, it is very pleasant to be enjoying the sort of company I shall be deprived of when I am back with my troop. I had rather hoped I might hear some music.”

“Oh yes,” Miss Wilhern exclaimed. “Julia can play and the rest of us can dance.” She fastened her eyes on him.

His first thought was that Miss Grey would like to dance just as much as her cousin. At least Miss Grey sitting at the pianoforte would keep Edgerton from leaning too close to her and trying to have a private conversation with her, as he had been doing all night.

Miss Grey went to the instrument, and Nicholas could see that Miss Wilhern wished him to ask her to dance. He could hardly avoid it, so he did. The other young ladies were soon paired up, but Edgerton kept his seat—he was probably too inebriated to dance.

Nicholas danced once with each of the young ladies—all four of them—and then he sat next to Edgerton. The others soon sat as well, and someone asked Miss Grey to sing. Truly, her voice was one of the best he had ever heard.

He thought back to when she had seen him coming out of Wilhern’s study. Would she tell his secret? If Wilhern had ordered those men to steal the diary from Nicholas, the man might realize that Nicholas was looking for it. He couldn’t trust Miss Grey enough to confess what he was doing and ask her not to tell, so he simply had to hope that she wouldn’t expose him.

After Miss Grey sang, the party began to break up, and people started to say their good-byes to Mr. and Mrs. Wilhern. Nicholas would have been the first person out the door, but he wanted to be sure Edgerton did not try anything untoward with Miss Grey. But by that time, Edgerton was almost falling asleep standing up, so Nicholas was able to take him in hand, usher him out the door, and put him in his carriage without much protest.

In regard to his goals, the night had not been very successful. But perhaps Miss Grey would prove to be a better ally than he had imagined.





CHAPTER EIGHT


Julia wandered down to the drawing room the next morning to play the pianoforte, where she often did her best contemplating.

As she sat at the instrument and began to play, she again pondered why Mr. Langdon had been in her uncle’s study. Could it have had something to do with what she heard Mr. Edgerton and her uncle talking about at the ball a week ago? Something about a diary. His excuse of getting lost looking for the retiring room did not ring true.

Soon after, Mr. Edgerton had claimed her attention. She very much disliked speaking to anyone who had been drinking as much as he had, and she was aware that she should not allow herself to be caught alone with him. Mr. Langdon’s presence had made her feel a bit safer. He was so gentlemanly, she imagined he had noticed Mr. Edgerton’s inebriated state and was keeping watch.

Mr. Edgerton had told her, when no one else was listening, that he was not the destitute debtor that society’s rumors had proclaimed him. “I am in a very fair way, or soon will be, to marry and purchase my own estate.”

Could the reports of his gaming debts have been so inflated? Where could he have attained a fortune? Perhaps it was only the brandy making him say such things.

“Julia, may I speak with you a moment?”

Her uncle’s voice brought her back to the present, and she stopped playing. He stood in the doorway, his brows lowered in a way that made her heart skip two beats.

“Of course.”

“Come into the study with me.”

She rose from the pianoforte and preceded her uncle.

Uncle Wilhern motioned for her to sit opposite his usual chair. Julia sat and forced her hands to stay still in her lap. Her uncle stared at her, unblinking. Normally he occupied himself with business when he was home, and he wasn’t home that often. When they were residing in London, he spent a lot of time at his club, and when they were in the country, he was often shooting with a party of men, riding, or going to town on business.

Julia had always believed her uncle loved her in his own way. But had he ever felt any tender feelings for her, the kind a father would feel for a child? He never expressed any affection for her, but he paid little attention to his own daughter, and yet no one doubted that he loved Phoebe. He had taken Julia in, as his wife’s brother’s child, giving her all the advantages of a good education and good society. But now, observing him as he was observing her, she saw a coldness in his eyes that she never saw when he looked at Phoebe.

His stare remained hard as he stated, “It is my pleasure to tell you, Julia, that a gentleman has asked to marry you.”

Julia sat still, trying to absorb the meaning of his words. “No one has declared himself to me.” She swallowed. “Forgive me, Uncle, but I am astonished.”