Lord Pendrake called on Beth the next morning. He appeared in the parlour, cheeks flushed charmingly with exertion and a dashing grin on his face, as he brandished a carved cane in one hand and a well-worn top hat in the other.
"Good morning, Lady Elizabeth," he proclaimed from the doorway, bowing deeply at her. Over his shoulder, Beth saw Mr Grayson nod at her as he disappeared to locate one of her brothers. They were alone for only a second before a footman quickly inserted himself into the room, standing flush against the wall with a carefully neutral expression.
He straightened with no apparent knowledge of the goings on of her servants. "How do you do today?"
"Very well, Lord Pendrake. And you?"
"All the better for having seen you!"
Beth laughed lightly, shaking her head. She'd never had a man flirt with her so boldly, and she wasn't quite sure how to respond.
He just smiled. "Shall we go for a walk?"
Matthew appeared in the doorway behind him, tugging a black riding glove over his hand. "Yes, you should! David here can act as chaperone." He raised an eyebrow at the footman.
The young man nodded. "Of course, sir."
Beth scowled at her brother. "I believe he was asking me, Matt." Her expression turned sweet for Lord Pendrake. "I'd like that very much."
The Germaine Estate had been in the Humphrey family for generations and was passed from their father to Simon upon his demise, along with the title of Duke. As old as it was, the property was remarkably well preserved. And the gardens, maintained by a full staff, were particularly spectacular.
Beth felt a small bubble of pride well up in her chest as they walked down the gravel pathways and she recalled her numerous hours spent discussing layouts and designs with the gardeners. They'd discussed everything from which plants would thrive best in the weather conditions, to the optimal orientation for the swing bench to avoid the summer glare.
"You look quite content here," Lord Pendrake observed after a while.
She brushed a wisp of hair out of her face, tucking in behind one ear as she smiled. "I am. I helped design some of the updated sections, so every new bloom brings its own joy."
He stopped beside a rose bush, pointing at it with eyebrows raised. "Did you plant this?"
"No, no," she laughed, "I confess I placed only one or two plants in the earth myself. I helped... organise everything." He had laughed with her, but now he appeared slightly confused. Beth moved forward, waiting until he fell into step beside her to explain. "I have a couple of particularly intelligent siblings who have taught me that the best ideas will never eventuate without a little bit of planning." She thought mostly of Vincent, but had no doubt Phil would join him as she matured. "And that's the part I enjoy; finding the people with the ideas, bringing them together, and just... well, listening." She shrugged. "I suppose it sounds silly, now that I've said it aloud."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shrug as well. "All the best things are silly."
Beth was mildly affronted by that – she'd hoped he'd say it all made perfect sense and wasn't silly at all – but she successfully kept the frown from forming.
"I myself prefer chance, fate, however you call it. I love when things come together with no planning, like the perfect roll of the dice or hand of cards."
Now that sounded silly to Beth, but she only nodded. "You'd not mentioned that you enjoy games of chance. How is your luck?"
A wave of tension rolled through his shoulders, and after a moment he turned a rather intense gaze to her. "I'm feeling absurdly lucky at the moment," he said softly.
Beth could only smile.
.
Lord Pendrake called every morning for the rest of the week. They strolled the gardens, chatting harmlessly about their friends and families, and pointing out some of the particularly pretty flowers that had begun to bloom. In the afternoons Beth would return to John's room, reading a wide variety of materials, but usually ending with a few verses of nautical poetry. And then finally, at the evening meal, Beth would recount her conversations with Lord William Pendrake in vivid detail to her brothers. They, in turn, fluctuated between irritation at the long-winded stories and self-satisfaction that they had put a potential husband in their sister's path.
As Beth and Lord Pendrake finished their stroll on the fourth morning, circling back to the front of the house, another figure could be seen riding up along the drive. Beth raised a hand to shield her eyes, though she was in no doubt as to who the man was.
Her companion looked at her, his brow furrowed for perhaps the first time in their aquaintance. "Are you expecting company?"
She nodded. "We are. Lord Thomas Thorne has come for lunch." She didn't feel the need to add that it had been at his own invitation.
Thomas drew his horse to a stop not far from them, practically vaulting off the animal before striding over to Beth. He left the reins knotted around the pommel of his saddle, but the horse seemed content to stand and catch its breath. His eyes didn't waver from Beth's as he neared, and he bent in an exaggerated bow, offering his hand. She couldn't help but laugh at his eccentricity, allowing him to take her hand and press a chaste kiss to the back. From his bent position, he looked up at her, face shielded from Lord Pendrake by the brim of his hat, and winked.
Beside her, Pendrake squirmed. Beth tugged her hand back from Thomas, rolling her eyes at his antics, and made the introductions. She thought their handshake looked a little too firm.
"Lady Beth, I am absolutely famished," Thomas announced, ignoring the other man almost entirely. "I hope you had not forgotten my visit?"
"No, indeed, Lord Thorne-" he interjected, insisting she call him Thomas, and she thought she saw Pendrake's fists tighten at his sides. She sent Thorne a quelling look, which he ignored. "The cook has prepared a veritable feast." She supposed she couldn't be too mad at Thomas – she was being just as silly. She found Lord Pendrake's jealousy – if that was indeed why he was behaving so oddly – quite flattering.
"Oh, I am glad." He leant in slightly, lowering his tone. "I myself have been counting down the days until I saw you again."
The question of whether or not Lord Thomas Thorne was romantically interested in her was very clearly answered by his outrageous flirtation: he was not. Beth was nothing but relieved. If anything, Thomas was beginning to feel like another brother to her.
He turned suddenly towards Lord Pendrake. "Shall I ask the footman to fetch your horse, Lord Pandlake?"
The other man's face twitched, but he ignored the jibe, facing Beth. "Thank you for another excellent morning, Lady Elizabeth. I hope to see you again soon." He bowed, but stalked off before Beth had time to rise from her curtsey.
Thomas grinned at her. "I think he's jealous!"
She shook her head at him, though she too was smiling. She took the arm he offered and let him escort her inside. "You should be nice, Lord Thomas. That man could be my future husband."
His eyebrows rose as they reached the front door, and he gently unlooped her arm from his to let her enter first. "Him? He seems so... dull."
"You met him for all of 5 minutes!" Beth was almost offended, not on Lord Pendrake's behalf, but just that someone could think so little of a man who'd caught her interest.
Thomas just shrugged. "That's almost as long as I've spent with your family, and I'm confident none of you are dull."
She couldn't stop her smile. "Yes well... even a broken clock is right twice a day."
.
The lunch went surprisingly well, given it was with a man they barely knew. Thomas Thorne was, as expected, a quick-witted, wry man who had a habit of saying inappropriate things purely because they were inappropriate. Beth supposed he reminded her of Matt, though his light-heartedness seemed to come less naturally than her brother's. He was more prone to analysis, watching their reactions to what he said quite carefully. Perhaps he was more like Vincent.
When the final plates were cleared, Thomas leant back in his chair, swirling his glass of water in one hand. Across the table, Vincent sighed, drawing the room's attention to him. He gestured at the staff to leave them.
"So... Do..." He took a quick sip of his own drink. "What have you decided? Are we trustworthy?"
Beth blinked in surprise and looked towards their guest, but he didn't look alarmed or embarrassed. Instead he looked rather pleased. He grinned at Vincent.
"I think you just might be." His expression dimmed. "Even I think there are some things that shouldn't be said in front of children, despite how mature your young sister appears."
Simon had arranged for Phil to spend the day with their Aunt Jemima, and Beth wondered if that was just a coincidence. She roused from that thought to find the five men in the room staring at her, and she frowned defensively.
"I'm staying." She tried to keep her expression firm, without descending into a pout.
Simon nodded, still looking slightly concerned, whilst Matt rolled his eyes and sipped his port. Vincent and Thomas both seemed unsurprised by her decision. It was only Bart who frowned.
"He will not mince his words for your sake, Beth," he cautioned.
She bristled, trying to remember that he was attempting to protect her, not insult her. She felt petulant, but she turned away from him, focussing her gaze on Thomas once again. "Please continue, Lord Thomas."
He winked at her and obeyed. "I've been trying to determine how John could have obtained one of my father's rings," he lifted his empty hand to stop some of the excited expressions that were forming, "and before I raise anyone's hopes I'm sorry to say that I still have no idea. But there are still some things about my family that I think you should know.
"My father – Lord Edward Thorne, Duke of Thorne – is a selfish, manipulative ass. My elder brother Henry is his heir and likeness in every way. My mother... well, she may have been kind in her youth, but years spent in the Duke's shadow and beneath his fist drove any kind of light from her eyes. Mercifully, she's been dead for almost a decade."
Beth was determined not to react, but she had no control over the blood that drained from her face. Thomas almost sounded amused, and the contrast with his awful words had the hairs on her arms standing on end.
The man raked his hair back, casting a glance around the room as if to evaluate his audience. "Last week I mentioned that I've found no bastards older than me and my brother. I also implied that I do not think this is by accident, but I know the duke's character well enough to know that his philandering would not have begun after his marriage to our mother." His hand moved from his hair to his jaw, wiping at the look of disgust that had taken form on his face. "Which leads me to believe that he's capable of even worse than I've given him credit for."
Vincent leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "If... How... You think your father killed any contenders for the dukedom?"
Beth wasn't the only one who was surprised by his blunt question; there was an audible intake of breath from almost everyone in the room.
Thomas made an indecisive noise. "Or orchestrated their deaths, yes." He emitted a snort of humourless laughter. "The only compliment I will ever pay the man is that he is smart. Devilishly so. The Dukedom may have been in the Thorne family for generations, but the fortune was all but non-existent by the time he inherited. He was a second son who spent his youth building business and trade connections, and upon his brother's death he restored wealth to the estate. A man like that does not risk dirtying his hands with murder."
The word hung heavily in the air until Bart spoke. "And you think this relates to John?"
The other man shrugged. "I'm afraid I genuinely don't know."
"Then why tell us all that?"
Thomas's smile turned suddenly mischievous. "I wanted you to fully understand the Lords Thorne before I introduced my plan." He reached into his jacket pocket, withdrawing a cream envelope and giving it a gentle wiggle. He rose, stretching across the table to offer it to Beth.
The eyes in the room watched her as she took it, cracking the seal. She scanned the contents quickly. "An invitation to..." She looked up abruptly. "A ball at the Thorne Estate?"
The man was practically bouncing in his chair. "What say you we poke the beast?"