"WELL, I MUST admit, that was quite riveting."
Vivienne turned her gaze towards the Captain, "Huh?"
"I was speaking about the play, Lady Vivienne," he clarified.
"Oh yes, it was excellent." she replied, absentmindedly.
She was telling the truth, for the most part. Vivienne had been enthralled by the play. The story was compelling, and she felt the emotions the actors were portraying. The stage called to her in a way she thought was not possible before tonight. She could see herself in another life wanting to visit the theatre everyday to explore new stories.
Only everything had spun on its axis once James left. She had not been able to focus on the stage or the storyline anymore. Instead, she spent time worrying as to what happened to the duke and why he looked so troubled before his departure. James was rarely fazed; it must have been quite the ordeal for the worry to become apparent on his face.
They exited the private box and Vivienne nearly stumbled into Lady Cobham headfirst.
"Pardon me," the lady said, as Captain Gronow picked up the fan that had fallen from her grasps.
She surprisingly thanked the captain, before her gaze turned to Vivienne.
"Good evening, Lady Cobham," Vivienne said politely.
Lady Cobham gave her a small smile as she took in the pair of them. "Did you enjoy the play?" she asked.
"Very much so," Vivienne said quickly. "If you'll excuse us, we must be off now."
They exchanged nods and left each others company. Vivienne was not aware of where she headed, only that she clutched onto Captain Gronow's elbow as he led her through the crowded theatre. She sighed in relief as they finally made their way outside to the line of carriages waiting.
"This way," the captain led her to a modest carriage near the end of the line.
Vivienne slipped in, with the captain following behind her. She noted the interior of the carriage was not quite as plush as the ducal carriage. It was not covered in a luxurious fabric, nor did it boast intricate designs inside. However, it was not as terrible as some of the hackneys she had seen. Captain Gronow rapped his fingers on the roof of the carriage, and they began moving.
They were silent for a while until Captain Gronow spoke. "I hope you enjoyed the evening my lady."
"Very much so," Vivienne replied.
The captain smiled, "I am glad to hear that."
There was silence once more, a contrast to the atmosphere before. Vivienne looked up to see the captain fidgeting with his pocket watch. "I must be honest with you Lady Vivienne. I will be returning back to service very soon."
"Oh," Vivienne said softly. She was surprised to find that she was disappointed by the news. The captain had been kind to her, reducing the loneliness she often felt in ballrooms and other soirées across London.
He cleared his throat, "That is why, Lady Vivienne—may I call you by your Christian name?"
She gave another nod and he smiled at her, his moustache twinkling. "Then you must call me Rees."
Vivienne brought a gloved hand to her lips to stop herself from giggling. She had not known that his name was Rees, it made him seem much too normal.
He took her gloved hand and Vivienne inhaled sharply, as an uncomfortable feeling grew within her. She looked outside the carriage, removing her hands gently from his grasp before clasping them together. The last thing Vivienne wanted to do was offend him. There was no escape in such a small space, so she was forced to listen to his words.
"Vivienne, I must confess that spending these last few weeks with you, I am sure you can tell that I have formed quite an affection towards you."
Heat crawled at the back of Vivienne's neck as she avoided his gaze.
"I was hoping to ask you for your hand in marriage. I hope you do not take offense in my asking you before approaching the duke."
"I—" she looked up at him hopelessly, immensely grateful that the captain had not spoken to James before her. She did not know how the duke would react.
The captain was a kind man, and she should have accepted but she was holding herself back. All because of the duke. While she enjoyed the captain—Rees company, her body didn't light up the same way it did with James. The carriage stopped and Vivienne still had not given him an answer.
As if noticing her hesitation Rees' face fell. "I don't expect you to give me an answer tonight, my lady. But I could just ask you to think it over? We wouldn't have a rich life, but I would provide for you as any gentleman would."
Vivienne saw the sincerity in his gaze, and so she nodded, before fleeing the carriage. She had many decisions to make, and they were pressing in on her faster than she had expected.
***
James' fingers hovered over the black pieces as he calculated his next move. He didn't know how or when it had begun, but it seemed that Vivienne and him were playing chess with each other. James did not know when she snuck into his study, for he had not seen her once, but he saw the white pieces moving. At first, he thought he imagined it, but when he moved his black pawn, the next day, a white knight had been moved. And so back and forth they went.
He still had not spoken to her after their time alone in the carriage, and she remained quite during the meals they did have together. If his aunt picked up on the strange emotions between the two of them, she did not comment.
"Your Grace, Lord Westmorland has arrived."
James set the piece back down and turned to Preston, "Let him into my study."
His butler bowed, pouring two glasses of brandy before leaving. Finally, the earl had decided to accept James' invitation. The door to his study opened and Westmorland stepped in, his left hand clutching the silver cane tightly.
"Westmoreland," James said in greeting and pointed to the chair in front of him, "Do have a seat. Preston, ensure that we are not disturbed."
The earl settled in, and Preston bowed before shutting the door of the study with a soft click. He watched as the Earl took in the surroundings. "It's quite a nice study," he said conversationally, accepting the glass James gave him.
James looked briefly around the room, "I suppose it is. Although I cannot take credit for that. It was my father's study, and I haven't made many additions to it since his death."
Westmorland nodded, taking a sip of his drink. "You summoned, and I arrived," he said flatly, his voice betraying the displeasure in being summoned by James.
James nodded and settled back into his chair. His eyes flickered to the man in front of him. "Our last conversation got cut off quite quickly. I must admit, I was under the impression that you might show up at White's, but it seems as though you are quite a hard man to catch."
"I do still work for the military on occasion," Westmorland said tightly. "If this is about my niece Lennox, I told you everything I know that day. Frankly, there isn't much left to be done."
James leaned back, he had almost expected the earl to say such things and so he had come prepared. Pulling the document from the side of his drawers, he extended it to the Earl.
"What is this?" The earl asked, accepting the document in his hand.
"The betrothal contract, you may wish not to get involved, but I do believe that you will find the terms very fascinating."
He watched as the Earl read through the contract, his face turning a deeper shade of red by the minute. When he was done, he slammed the document on the table, clanging the other items on James' desk. "This is preposterous. Denbury manor? That is the ancestral home of our family. My brother might have been foxed or a complete lunatic to sign this. I will contest this in court," he said angrily.
James latched on to the Earl's anger, seeing it as a rare opportunity to carry out his plan. "I am in agreement; however, I wish to know more about the previous Earl and his family." He did not yet reveal that they had found Lady Selina. Right now, James wanted to get as much information as he could on why the previous earl had been killed.
"Lennox—"
"If you cannot tell me about the earl, then what about his wife, the countess?"
The Earl sighed, and James saw the release of anger, as it turned to acceptance, and a tinge of sorrow. "She died while giving birth to Selina," there was a bitter laugh. "My brother must have turned quite insane after that. That is the only explanation as to why he signed the betrothal contract in the first place."
"You were not there?" James asked carefully.
The Earl shook his head. "I was in the army, fighting in France, against Napoleon and his army," he pointed towards his cane. "That is how I came about being injured. Once I was no longer fit for duty, Wellington sent me back."
He was the second son; it would make sense that the Earl had not stayed with his brother. "Was Countess Westmorland alive when you returned back to England?"
He saw the look of brief hesitation upon the Earl's face. "No, I received news of her death while I was still serving. I mostly stayed in London while my brother resided in Somerset with Selina."
"And then he died soon after your arrival, correct?"
Westmorland stiffed, "I did not realize this was an inquiry. As I have said before, I have done all I can to find Lady Selina, but she must be dead. That is the only explanation. Therefore, the betrothal contract is null, and my solicitor will make sure of that."
James sighed and leaned back, "Ah, you might be wrong on that front. You did not do your due diligence Westmorland—"
The door to his study opened as Gilford reached them, his breath heavy and panting. Preston stood close behind him, "My apologies Your Grace. I told Mr. Gilford that you were busy, but he seemed to be quite proficient in letting himself in," the last few words were rushed and said in a surprising tone of annoyance.
James waved his hand towards the butler, "Leave us," he said firmly.
There was only one reason as to why Gilford himself would come to his Mayfair house. Westmoreland looked curiously towards the Bow Street Runner but didn't say anything.
Once Gilford caught his breath, his eyes met James'. "She's gone."
***
James looked around the room—it was barren. It seemed that everything of value was gone from the house. All the dresses and jewelry he had purchased for Lady Selina were gone. There was not a single trace of her. James tensed as he heard the footsteps. He cleared his throat, tone dark, "Anything from the servants?"
Gilford shook his head. "The maids only noticed when they opened the door to the bedroom and Lady Selina—"
"Do not utter that name," James said coldly.
Gilford looked reprimanded but he nodded, "She was missing. Along with everything valuable you had purchased in the last few weeks."
James wanted to collapse in the chair. Unbelievable, they had been swindled, through and through. He turned back to the Bow Street Runner. "How is this possible Gilford? When I hired you, I was assured that you were the best. To be duped by her, it is pathetic."
"I—I was so sure it was her," Gilford said, his voice uncharacteristically weak. "Her appearance matched the descriptions that the servants provided. She also knew enough about the Westmoreland story, everything lined up. It made sense," he pleaded.
James huffed and began pacing. There was no excuse.
"I found this when I swept the study earlier," Gilford said, handing him a piece of paper.
James took it from him and began to read.
Your Grace,
I cannot do this any longer. You have treated me kindly, but I must confess, I am not this Lady Selina, you wish me to be. I am the daughter of a bastard lord, sent to France with my mother. When she found out about the search of Lady Selina, we came up with this plan. You see, my father passed and any funding we were receiving dried up. I did what I could to survive Your Grace. It was a dream to live these last few weeks lavishly and explore all that London has to offer. But I always knew that I could never enter society, nobody would accept me. It is my hope that you find the true Lady Selina one day. Once again, I apologize for everything.
-Sophia
James crumpled the letter into his fingers tightly before dropping it to the ground.
Impossible.
He had just been about to introduce Lady Selina, no Sophia to the Earl. It was clear that a disaster had been averted. His foolishness would have been made known to Westmoreland and perhaps the rest of the London society as well.
Looking around the empty room, he fixed his gaze onto Gilford. "I will no longer be requiring your services," he said coolly, leaving the room before the Bow Street Runner could respond. The man had failed him and there was not much left to say. If there was one thing about James, he did not give second chances.
------------------
Like many of you predicated, it was a false 'Lady Selina'. James is lucky that he was interrupted before telling Westmorland. What do we think about Captain Grownow's proposal? Should Vivienne accept?