Later, riding home in the carriage with her brother, Adeline closed her eyes and basked in the glow of happiness from the evening. After dinner, they played charades, and she laughed more than she had in ages. George was such a card, posturing and playing up in front of Verity Mapleson. Kingsbury had sat next to Adeline and entertained her with asides and wildly wrong guesses as people took their turns.
“You looked to be having fun with Kingsbury tonight.” George interrupted her thoughts.
Adeline opened her eyes and met her brother’s assessing gaze. “He is very entertaining,” she said.
“I’m not sure why he is really in town, but if the rumors are true… Well, I just wanted to tell you that I think he is a great chap.”
Adeline smiled at George’s roundabout approval of Kingsbury as a suitor. The marquess was certainly a flirt, but he would probably be that way with any dinner partner. She would admit that his attention had been flattering. Perhaps there were romantic possibilities in their interactions. She would simply have to keep collecting data, and knew precisely what sort of data should be collected next. How did one entice a man to kiss you?
Chapter Ten
“George, you mustknow that these pieces are no bounty found randomly at a dig.” Adeline kept her voice low. “These are priceless items kept in pristine condition. They belong in a museum.”
George frowned as they waited in the front hall for their parents to come downstairs. He stepped closer to her. “Addy, Father has expressly asked me to help set up an auction to sell the items as soon as possible. He needs the money. Who cares about some musty old Greek artifacts? Think about it this way, if he can sell them for a pretty penny, he will be less likely to pressure you to marry quickly.”
That gave Adeline a small pause. She was still cross that she was the one to be sold off when George was the older sibling. He should be picking out a wealthy bride to solve their problems.
Still, her conscience rankled. “These items were most likely stolen. You must have realized this, too. You both could get into a lot of trouble for having them, let alone selling them.”
“Why do you think they are stolen? Father said they were part of the shipment. He invested in the voyage. This was his payment.”
“George, are you being deliberately obtuse? When you invest in a commercial venture you make your investment back in the profit of the goods sold. You don’t get paid in random artifacts. These items are ancient; they belong in a museum.”
Her brother looked affronted. “You don’t know everything, Addy. Just let me handle Father.” His expression softened, and he patted her arm. “Things aren’t so bad. We still have income from the estate. Which is plenty to live comfortably.” Adeline caught his quiet mutter as he turned toward the stairs. “If I could only keep Father from throwing it all away at the tables.”
She twisted her white satin gloves in her hands. George did his best to mitigate their father’s bad behaviors, but she feared that he did not understand how truly awful Father was. Her eyes had been opened to the terrible things he was capable of, and she worried that this newest ploy would ruin both men.
“My dear, you look lovely in that shade of pink,” her mother said as she descended the stairs. “Doesn’t she look lovely, Roger?”
Adeline’s father nodded. “Yes, dear.” He hardly spared Adeline a glance, but she didn’t mind. If he didn’t pay attention to her, he wouldn’t fuss about her spectacles. She slid on her gloves, and her mother helped her with the buttons. “You look lovely as well, Mother. The jade green is beautiful.”
“Thank you, dear. I am looking forward to an evening out.”
Her father tugged on his cravat and then pulled out a handkerchief to blot his brow. “Shall we go?” he said testily.
Two footmen hurried forward with their wraps, and soon, the four of them were climbing into the carriage. Her father glanced around, apprehension written across his features, as George helped their mother into the carriage. Adeline observed him carefully as she settled in across from her mother. Her father’s eyes darted to the square before he climbed in behind George. As he sat across from her, she could see sweat beading across his forehead. Was he feeling ill?
Her mother must have noticed as well because she patted his hand. “Are you feeling well, dear?”
His eyes snapped back to his wife. “Yes, fine. I am glad you are feeling up to accompanying us tonight.”
“I am also happy. Now I won’t have to spend the whole evening watching over this one.” George elbowed Adeline gently in the side with a grin.
Her mother sent her brother a reproving look.
“Just kidding, pet.”
Adeline sent George a glare, but mostly for show. He really was a good brother. From across the carriage, her mother smiled indulgently at the two of them. Adeline couldn’t help but notice her father take out his handkerchief again and mop his brow while he stared out the window. Where were his thoughts tonight?
She stayed quiet the rest of the ride to the Jansons’ grand townhome in Berkeley Square as her mother and brother chatted animatedly. Perhaps she should tell George about the threats she overheard the thugs give her father. She wrung her hands. She wasn’t one to believe in intangibles like intuition, but nevertheless, a sinking sense of anxiety over the upcoming evening sat sour in her stomach.
*
Malcolm did asinstructed and kept to the card room at the Janson fete. He watched Lord Rawlings, who sat across the room, drinking brandy like it was water at a vingt-et-un table. The big square room held eight gaming tables filled with men avoiding the dancing and womenfolk in the ballroom. Malcolm wished the opposite. Flirting with Lady Amberley would be much more pleasant than choking on cigar smoke and pretending to laugh at the ribald jokes told by the three other men at his table. At his turn, Malcolm laid down a pair of aces. All the men at his table groaned. “Sorry, gentlemen. Guess luck is with me tonight.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lord Rawlings rise and move toward the doors that led back to the main corridor. Malcolm scooped up his winnings. “Think I’ll leave the game while my luck is holding.”
He pocketed the coins and left the room a few minutes behind Lord Rawlings. He cast a glance in both directions. Blast, his timing was off, and he couldn’t see Rawlings anywhere. This was precisely why he would make a terrible intelligence officer. After one more look around, he headed back toward the ballroom instead.
