Meredith’s stomach clenched in a knot and her vision blurred as a wave of cold fear washed over her. Someone had savagely and violently ripped the parasol to shreds, then deliberately left it here for her to find.
“Harper mentioned you were looking for me earlier. Is there something we need to discuss?”
Trevor looked up as his father sauntered into his private sitting room. He shuffled the papers crowding the table where he sat, more for effect than organization. He had been trying to read them for over an hour, with little success. The profits of his country estate were the last thing on his mind.
Upon returning home from the racecourse, Meredith had gone to her room to rest. After her initial outburst of distress, she had said nothing else about her mangled parasol, dismissing the notion as a childish prank.
Trevor did not know if that was a good or bad sign. He only knew the sight of such a personal article of Meredith’s viciously destroyed nearly beyond recognition disturbed him greatly, enough so that he welcomed an opportunity to discuss the incident with his father. The marquess’s lips twitched. Fear made strange allies.
“I am glad to see you,” Trevor said. “Please, sit down.”
“You are glad to see me?” The older man hesitated. “I never thought I’d hear you say those words unless there was a gun pointed at your chest.” The duke pulled up a chair and sat facing him across the table. “What is wrong?”
“ ’Tis Meredith. I took her to a horse race this afternoon, and she had a most unsettling experience.”
“Did you run into one of your mistresses?” The duke snorted. “A wife can find that to be a rather lowering occurrence.”
Why must he always think the worst of me?Though he wanted nothing more than to hotly refute the statement, Trevor held his tongue. He had been a less than perfect husband thus far. The duke’s scorn was not entirely misplaced.
“Not that it is any of your business, sir, but I have given up my mistresses.”
“Frequenting the brothels, then? Whores can be less tedious in the long run, yet even the best houses have women who carry diseases. I hope you are careful.”
“I have not set foot inside a brothel in years.” Trevor sighed. It appeared this conversation was going to be far more difficult than he feared. “ ’Tis only because of my concern for my wife that I will allow you to insult me, sir. Yet I warn you even I have limits.”
“All right, all right. We shall save the discussion of your flaws for another time.” The duke tapped his fingers impatiently on the table. “What happened to Meredith?”
Thankfully the older man listened attentively while Trevor described the incident.
“Horse racing attracts all sorts of characters,” the duke said. “This could be the jealous reaction of a rival owner whose horse lost to yours, or a disgruntled gambler who placed a wager on one of the animals that Rascal beat. Or it could just be some youthful mischief.”
Trevor shook his head. He had already considered and discarded many of the same possibilities. “There was something very deliberate about this act, something almost personal. It was as if this individual wanted to taunt Meredith, to specifically frighten her.”
“Did he succeed?”
“Though she insists otherwise, I believe she was frightened. Very frightened.”
The duke clucked his disapproval. “She is a stubborn woman, with a will of iron. It would take a great deal to rattle Lady Meredith.”
Trevor could find no words to protest. “Though I have tried very hard to be logical about all of this, I cannot shake aside the feeling she is in danger.”
“Danger?” The duke did not appear to put much stock in that theory. “Are you certain? I think it might be something else entirely. When you speak of her, you have the look of a possessive man—or a smitten boy. I cannot decide which.”
“ ’Tis neither,” Trevor insisted adamantly. Perhaps too adamantly. Tempering his tone, he continued, “I am concerned my wife may very well be facing some sort of threat to her person.”
The duke’s gaze told Trevor his father was not convinced. “What are you going to do about it?”
Trevor leaned forward eagerly. He had given this much thought. “I believe it would be wise to hire some men to keep an eye on her, to make sure she comes to no harm.”
“I suppose that could be arranged.” The duke rubbed his chin. “It might also be a good idea to tell Harper, so he can alert the other male servants. Best to have all eyes alert to the possibility of any mishaps.”
The marquess let out a breath of relief. Life went so much smoother when his father was in agreement with him. “That is a good suggestion. I also think we should not tell Meredith about this just yet. There is no need to frighten her more, especially if it all comes to nothing.”
The duke grimaced. “You realize, of course, there are some places where these bodyguards cannot go without attracting considerable attention. We plan to attend the theater tomorrow evening. Since you are so worried, it might be wise for you to join us.”
Trevor considered the request carefully. “I shall arrive at the family box before the curtain rises.”
“I am sure it will be a delightful surprise for Meredith.”
