Gwinnie passed the letter to her grandmother.
His grandmother snorted after reading the letter and dropped it on a side table. “Rubbish,” she said. She sat down on the other side of Lady Darkford. “No originality, no plans, just threats. Trite. So trite, unimaginative,” she said as she took Lady Darkford’s hands in hers. “Do not let it worry you for a moment.”
“But—”
His grandmother shook her head. “There is no ‘but.’ You have friends and allies. Know this,” she emphasized, squeezing Lady Darkford’s hands between hers. “Mr. Martin said you would be safer in the country, that it will be easier to protect you there. London is too full of rascals who will commit crimes for pennies. We are sending members of our staff with you.”
His grandmother looked up at him. “Lakehurst, we need you, Gwinnie, and Lady Darkford to leave as soon as it might be arranged. Today, if possible, with as little fuss as possible.”
“I have no luggage,” protested Lady Darkford.
“We will send the maids back to the Darkford townhouse to pack. I’ll send a note to the Tidemarks advising them you will be staying with us until it is time to leave. Which will be the truth, I just won’t tell them when that time will be.”
Lady Darkford laughed a little, her eyes glistening. “Then if we are all to travel together, I insist you call me Cassie, as my family does.”
“Yes!” enthused Gwinnie.
“Capital idea!” said the Duchess. “You will be much more comfortable traveling together without the weight of a formal title on your tongue all the time. And you will be family when Ann and Ellinbourne wed.”
Lakehurst smiled and nodded. “I suggest we send the traveling chaise ahead today; if anyone asks, the stable hands can say it went out for minor repairs before the journey.”
“And it will be interesting to see if anyone does ask,” said the Duchess drily.
“Indeed. The ladies can go for a drive in Gwinnie’s curricle and I will go for a ride separately. We will meet at the Piebald Stallion coaching inn and they can transfer to the chaise there.”
“Clever,” the Duchess said, nodding.
“It’s like something out of one of his novels!” Gwinnie suggested, bouncing with excitement.
“I don’t know! This is all happening so fast!” Cassandra protested.
“This will be fun!” enthused the Duchess. “You will see. I do miss Aidan though, he is so good at arranging things quickly.”
“We depended on him for far too long,” Lakehurst reminded her.
“Yes, I think we were missing out,” the Duchess said. She smiled brightly. “I do so love a good prank, and my dear Lady Darkford, we will be pranking your villains in a most satisfying way.”
Lakehurst and Gwinnie laughed at their grandmother’s statement.
“When the maids have packed the luggage at the Darkford townhouse, we will have a coach collect them and meet you at the Piebald Stallion.”
“What about Dulcie and Alex’s things?”
“We will send the footman, Stephen, with the maids. I know he can drive a carriage. He will bring the curricle back with the nursemaid, her bags, and Alex’s luggage.”
“He might actually enjoy the opportunity,” Lakehurst observed. He’d seen the footman giving the nursemaid a few extra glances when they arrived.
“Lady Darkford and I will go talk to the maids discretely, for they will need to pack as well.”
“I’ll speak to those in the stable. There are a couple of men there I know we can trust.”
The Duchess laughed. “Those that always helped me with my pranks in the past,” she said ruefully. “I shall meet with the butler and the housekeeper. They will know how to handle the rest of the staff.”
The Duchess clapped her hands together, pleased with the planning. She turned to Lady Darkford. “You are in excellent hands with the Nowlton family. Never you worry.—Now, everyone, let’s go to our assigned tasks,” the Duchess said, rising to her feet. “This is the most fun I’ve had since the house party at Versely Park.”
“Fun!” protested Lakehurst. “You had a murder there!”
She waved her hand dismissively as she walked toward the door. “That was not as interesting as getting Ann and Ellinbourne together. That was a coup,” she declared as she left the parlor.
