Duke of Midnight (Maiden Lane #6)(68)
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

“Oh, thank you, my dear.” The older lady immediately sat beside Phoebe, forcing Artemis to take Mrs. Jellett’s other side. “I was just telling Artemis that we all missed her when she left the house party in such a rush.”

“But she left with me,” Phoebe said sweetly. “So if Artemis was in a rush, I suppose I was as well.”

Mrs. Jellett looked a trifle put out by this simple statement before her expression smoothed over and she leaned forward. “But then, Phoebe dear, you didn’t wander off with a bachelor gentleman into the woods before you left.” She tittered with horrible gaiety. “We did so wonder, Miss Greaves, what you might have been doing with His Grace out there in the woods.”

“As I said before, His Grace was merely looking at a bird I’d spotted.” Artemis was careful to keep her voice even.

“Indeed? Why, I wish I were as daring as you, Miss Greaves! No wonder he immediately installed you in his town house.”

“Actually, Artemis is acting as my lady’s companion,” Phoebe said quietly.

Mrs. Jellett patted her hand. “Yes, dear. I’m sure she is.”

Artemis inhaled, but Phoebe was quicker than she. “I think we’ll take a turn about the garden. If you’ll excuse us, ma’am?”

She stood and Artemis hastily offered her arm. They were quiet as Artemis led her down one of the less crowded paths, until Artemis spoke. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t you dare apologize,” Phoebe said fiercely. “Spiteful old witch. I don’t know how she can stand herself. I’m just sorry that helping me has laid you open to such gossip.”

Artemis looked away, her throat closing in guilt. Soon—very soon, if Mrs. Jellett’s attitude was any indication—her secret with Maximus would be revealed. She’d known from the start that there was no way to keep it for long, but she hadn’t guessed it would happen so abruptly. She was about to enter a different level of society.

One reserved for ladies who had fallen.

Chapter Seventeen

Lin had never liked serpents and the one in her hands was very big, but she gripped it firmly nonetheless, for she knew it was her beloved brother, Tam. The serpent reared back and sunk its awful fangs into the soft flesh of her arm, yet still Lin held him fast. The Herla King turned his head, staring at her with hollow eyes, his attention finally torn from the hunt.

Then Tam turned into a burning coal.…

—from The Legend of the Herla King

John Alderney was a thin man with wide blue eyes and a nervous blink that seemed to be made worse by the presence of the Duke of Wakefield in his London sitting room.

“I’ve sent for tea,” Alderney said, beginning to lower himself to a chair before popping back up again. “That’s all right, isn’t it? Tea? Or… or there’s brandy about somewhere, I think.” He peered around his little sitting room as if expecting the brandy to appear of its own accord. “French, of course, but then I suppose most brandy is.”

He blinked rapidly at Maximus.

Maximus fought back a sigh and sat. “It’s ten of the clock.”

“Oh, er?”

They were both saved by the arrival of the tea. An awestruck maid stared at Maximus the entire time she was pouring, and he couldn’t help but think it was a miracle she didn’t spill the tea on the carpet. She backed from the room, revealing as she opened the sitting room door a bevy of servants and Alderney’s pink little wife gawking in the hallway before reluctantly closing it.

Clutching a steaming cup in both hands seemed to settle Alderney enough that he was at least able to sit and form a coherent thought. “Quite the honor, of course—don’t have dukes comin’ to visit before noon all that often—and I can’t say enough how… how grateful we are, but I… I was wonderin’…”

But that seemed to be as far as Alderney’s courage took him. He broke off to gulp half his dish of tea and then winced as he apparently burned his mouth.

Maximus took the emerald pendant from his waistcoat pocket and put it on the table between them. “I’m told that this used to belong to you. Where did you get it?”

Alderney’s mouth dropped open. He blinked several times, staring at Maximus as if he expected some further explanation, and when none was forthcoming, at last stretched out his arm to pick up the pendant.

Maximus growled.

Alderney snatched back his hand. “I… er… what?”

Maximus took a breath and deliberately let it out slowly to try and release some of the tension in his body—a move that seemed to alarm Alderney. “Do you remember this pendant?”

Alderney wrinkled his nose. “Ah… n-no?”

“It would’ve been some years ago,” Maximus said, holding his patience with both hands. “Thirteen years or so.”

Alderney calculated, his lips moving silently, and then suddenly brightened. “Oh, Harrow! That’s where I was thirteen years ago. Pater hadn’t the money himself, of course, but Cousin Robert was kind enough to send me. Jolly place, Harrow. Met quite a lot of fine fellows there. Food wasn’t what you might call elegant, but there was lots of it and I remember a sausage that was simply…” Alderney looked up at this point and must’ve read something on Maximus’s face that alarmed him for he started. “Oh, er, but that’s perhaps not what you want to know?”

Maximus sighed. “Lord Kilbourne said that he had this pendant from you.”

“Kilbourne…” Alderney laughed, high and nervous. “But everyone knows the man’s mad. Had an attack of some kind and killed three fellows.” Alderney shuddered. “I heard that one man’s head was nearly severed from his body. Bloody. Never would’ve thought it of Kilbourne. Seemed a nice enough fellow at school. Remember he once ate an entire eel pie. Not something you see every day, I can tell you that. The eel pies were quite large at Harrow and usually—”

“So you did know Kilbourne at Harrow?” Maximus asked to clarify.

“Why, yes, he was in my house,” Alderney said at once. “But there were many other quite sane fellows in my house as well. Lord Plimpton, for instance. Quite a bigwig in Parliament now, as I understand. Though”—Alderney’s brow knit on a thought—“he wasn’t a very nice fellow at school. Used to gobble rare beefsteak with his mouth half open.” Alderney shuddered. “Surprised he didn’t turn out to be a bloody raving madman, now that I think of it. But there you are: can’t predict these things apparently. Perhaps it was all that eel pie.”