When Mabel glanced up and caught sight of Gabby, Gabby let go of the lead and Lady Macbeth took it in her head to join the unruly boys dashing about with one another. The ploy worked. Huntley took off after her.
Lady Macbeth was an excellent dog. Gabby would pit her against Lady Dankworth’s well-dressed pugs any day of the week. She hurried over to Mabel. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “But my husband refused to be left behind. Be at Portman Square in two hours, dear. We shall have everything worked out.”
“Gabriella. This mongrel is most disobedient,” Huntley said in a huff of exasperation.
“Don’t you dare speak of Lady Macbeth in that tone. You shall hurt her feelings. She is quite sensitive.” With a quick wink at Mabel, Gabby rescued Lady Macbeth from him.
Mabel let out a shocked laugh.
“You likely needed the exercise, my lord,” Gabby said. She dropped a kiss on the dog’s nose and set her on the ground, keeping a firm clasp on the lead.
Huntley took her arm in a possessive hold and guided them down the path away from the rambunctious children.
Gabby didn’t dare glance back to see if Mabel was watching. She would just have to trust that Mabel would meet her in two hours.
Eleven
Dear Rebecca. I await on tenterhooks. Use whatever means at your fingertips. We cannot fail at this late stage. Yrs. Gabby
James’s wife was up to something, and that something threatened her very pretty neck. The merry chase she’d set him on showed how innately clever she was. He was renowned for his abilities in observation, so not much escaped his notice. The way she’d manufactured the situation to speak to the young girl sitting at the fountain showed exactly how quickly inventive she could be.
If he wasn’t careful, Gabriella would have him tied in knots.
She’d certainly wasted no time in approaching the girl. The conversation appeared deceivingly unintentional, but his instincts told him differently, leaving him with a multitude of questions. The girl was young, and her manner of dress was not of their class. So, what need had Gabby to speak with her, and what could his wife possibly have to say? The conversation had been short.
Now that he was completely awake, he could see that the meeting had been a planned event. Her rush to get him out of her bed and her chamber became all too obvious. Again, why?
“Did you have a nice visit?” he asked her.
She stumbled forward and he steadied her. “Pardon?”
“The young woman. It’s clear enough that you were here to meet her. Were you able to convey your message? By the bye, releasing Lady Macbeth was quite the crafty stratagem. I commend you, my lady.”
Gabriella had recovered her steps and the composure of her voice. “Thank you, my lord. I’ll have you know I was the queen of clever subterfuge at Miss Greensley’s School for Young Ladies of Quality.” A vital fact that would behest him to not forget.
“Hmm. I believe I should like to hear more of your time at such a school.”
She shot him an impish grin that sent a burst of lust through him. “Don’t let my brother hear you say such a thing.”
“Oh? The Duke of Ryleigh was not a fan, then?”
Her laughter was as light as the bubbles in his champagne flute the night before. “Not in the least.”
“It couldn’t have been that bad,” James said under his breath.
“Most of my antics Sebastian blamed on Rebecca.”
“His wife?” Every word out of her mouth sent little fissions of current through him.
“We were the dearest of friends during our days at Miss Greensley’s.”
“Go on,” he said more slowly, not at all certain he wished to hear more yet unable to resist. It wasn’t as if he’d considered the possibility of her being somewhat delinquent. And the fact that their courtship was near silent, well, this he had to hear. Especially considering the duchess’s fighting actions when she’d been tossed in that abandoned warehouse alongside him. She’d literally saved his life.
“Let’s see.” She tapped her chin. “There was the time we were caught picking the lock on the spirits cabinet in Miss Greensley’s private quarters.”
He was aghast. “You didn’t.” Young women were not capable…
She wrinkled her nose, appearing to see some distant picture. “In all fairness it was Rebecca who got caught. She was attempting to put the bottle back.”
