Hugh’s heart ached for his mother. How lonely she must have been, living vicariously through letters. He cleared his throat. “Yes, that’s the place. But you needn’t worry; I haven’t engaged the widow’s services. I only go for the camaraderie and the card games,” Hugh said, although it wasn’t quite the truth. He hadn’t formally engaged the Black Widow of Whitehall’s services but knew the risk of being at her establishment. He was a man coming into possession of a large fortune, and she was a woman who made it her business to match the desperate, and oftentimes the disreputable, with the wealthy.
But society judged people too harshly, in his opinion. For years, his mother had been condemned as disreputable simply for following her heart. He didn’t believe in judging others without first hearing their side of the story.
“Do take care,” his mother said.
Hugh smiled. “You don’t have to worry about me, Mother. I am quite capable of looking after myself.”
“I know you are,” she said, but he could see that her mind had gone elsewhere. “Now off with you. You’re a young man, and you should go and enjoy yourself.”
“Are you certain you will be all right?”
“Quite certain,” she said, her tone now considerably lighter. “I feel much better already. In fact, I think I’ll write a letter to an old friend before I retire to bed. I’ve been meaning to call on her, and tomorrow will be the perfect day for us to meet.”
“That’s precisely what you should be doing. Enjoy having tea with friends instead of fretting about me and Papa. We’ll both be perfectly fine, I promise.” He kissed his mother on the forehead and whistled as he exited the house.
Chapter Three
The next day,as Lady Rose and Charlotte sat in the drawing room, Evans arrived and lowered a silver tray before his mistress.
“A letter has arrived for you, m’lady.”
Charlotte put down her copy ofPride and Prejudiceand watched as her mother opened the envelope, extracted the letter, and read.
“It’s from Mrs. Warsham.” Lady Rose lowered the letter. “She wants to meet this afternoon.”
“Already? I wasn’t aware you’d written to her yet,” Charlotte said.
“I haven’t. In fact, I was just sitting here contemplating what to say in my letter to her when this arrived.”
“Well, that’s a good thing. It means she must be having the same thoughts as you,” Charlotte said. “If the men are too stubborn to talk to each other and end this pointless feud, then the women must, just as Dr. Warren suggested.”
“Yes.” Lady Rose frowned at the letter. “It’s time we took control.”
“What is it, Mama? You look perturbed. Is there something else?”
“Only that the meeting place she has suggested is somewhat odd. The address is Cleveland Row, and it belongs to a woman who runs a notorious gaming den.”
Charlotte blinked. “I don’t understand. Why would Mrs. Warsham expect you to agree to meet at a gaming den?”
“She says that the owner, Mrs. Dove-Lyon, is an old acquaintance of hers, and I expect Mrs. Warsham would like her to act as some sort of advisor. She asserts that Mrs. Dove-Lyon is a highly respected and clever woman who has helped her with a problem before.”
“This all sounds very confusing, Mama. But I intend to come with you and find out what it is all about.”
“I won’t take you to a gaming den, Charlotte. If someone sees us, it could ruin your reputation before the season even begins.”
“Then we shall have to make sure no one sees us. We’ll take an unmarked carriage and cover our faces with veils—as though we were two women in mourning.” The image made Charlotte shudder, and she regretted her words the minute they’d escaped her lips. She’d painted the precise scenario both she and her mama dreaded and were trying to avoid. The entire point of this meeting was to keep their papa safe and to prevent having to drape themselves in mourning attire. “No, not mourning veils—I don’t know why that came to mind. What I mean to say is that it’s quite easy to hide one’s face behind a pretty bonnet veil. I have a dark green one in my wardrobe, and a deep purple one, too. That should suffice to obscure our features so as not to draw any unwanted attention.”
Lady Rose sighed. “I suppose that will have to do. I know full well that I won’t be able to dissuade you from coming. You’ve always been as protective of your papa as he has been of you.” She smiled, and Charlotte knew it gave her mama comfort that she cared so deeply about Papa’s wellbeing.
“Well—” Lady Rose stood up—“we’d best ready ourselves and go find out how four women can put an end to the madness of two men.”
When the carriagerolled to a stop on Cleveland Row, the nerves that had been collecting in Charlotte’s insides rose to a crescendo. She told herself that she had no reason to feel anxious; after all, her mama seemed to believe that Mrs. Warsham had called this meeting to help end the feud, not enflame it. Still, Charlotte could not escape the gnawing guilt and worry in the pit of her stomach. What if it all went wrong? What if Papa learned about the meeting and felt doubly betrayed?
As she stepped out of the carriage behind her mother, the door to a waiting carriage opened, and a slender woman, clad in an elegant, pale-green dress and a matching bonnet veil, stepped out and glided toward them.
“Julia, my dear,” the woman spoke in a low voice as she reached out and clasped Lady Rose’s hands in her own. “It’s so lovely to see you again. I thought it best if we all went inside together. But do let’s hurry. We don’t want to be seen loitering in front of a gaming den.” Then she glanced at Charlotte and paused. “Is this—”
“Yes, but let’s do our introductions inside,” Mama said, glancing around. “As you said, we don’t want to be spotted outside a notorious gaming den.”
