Naveau looked at me for a moment longer, stark anger in his eyes. But he was not foolish enough to argue with James Denis. He bowed coolly then strode past me and out of the room.
A lackey in the hall closed the door behind him. Silence fell. The pugilists returned to their stances by the windows. Denis folded his hands on top of his desk and said nothing.
"You must have known I would never give that paper back to him," I said.
Denis inclined his head. "I suspected so, yes."
"Then why did you ask me to find it? Not to placate Naveau, surely."
"It was a test, of sorts."
"A test? And I failed?"
"No," Denis said. "You passed."
I lifted my brows.
"I wished to see where your loyalties lay," he said. "And what you would do for them. You are a man of great loyalty, even when it conflicts with your heart."
I stared at him, not a little annoyed. "I am pleased I could provide you with entertainment."
"No, you are not." He regarded me a moment longer. "Was there something else?"
I hesitated, my fingers brushing my engraved name on my walking stick. "My wife." A familiar lump rose in my throat. "Did she ever marry her French officer?"
"Never officially. I believe they find it easier to let others simply assume them man and wife. Mrs. Lacey has had four other children with this Frenchman, as a matter of fact."
"Good Lord." So, Carlotta had found family and happiness at last. I continued, my lips tight, "If I dissolve the marriage with her, they will no doubt be pleased."
"You will likewise be free," Denis said.
I knew that he could help me, that he waited for me to ask him to help. James Denis could no doubt reach out and scoop up my wife, pay the money to get me a divorce or annulment, and land her in France again to marry her Frenchman.
He could, and he would. But I was not yet certain I was ready.
Denis nodded, as though knowing my thoughts. "Good afternoon, Captain. My carriage will return you home."
I left him, still tempted and uncertain. I knew that one day soon, I would return to him, hat in hand, and ask for his help. He knew it, too.
I turned away without telling him goodbye, and his butler led me out.
I did not return home but asked Denis's coachman to leave me in South Audley Street. Lady Breckenridge's drawing room this afternoon was filled with highborn ladies, wits and dandies, and a poet and an artist.
They'd heard that Mr. Bennington had been arrested for murder, and wasn't that dashed odd? Poor Claire Bennington, they said, but then, her husband had always been a queer chap that no one knew much about. Best she put him behind her as quickly as possible.
Lady Breckenridge smiled at me from across the room. She lounged in a peach silk gown that bared her shoulders, and smoke from her cigarillo wreathed her face. A decadent lady, she liked her sensual pleasures, but she had heart.
When I at last was able to speak to her, she leaned to me and whispered, "Stay behind."
I obeyed. As the callers drifted away, I lingered, shaking hands with the wits and dandies who were trying to become closer to the great Grenville.
Finally, the last guest went away, and Lady Breckenridge and I were alone.
"Let us adjourn upstairs," she said. "This room reeks of perfume. Lady Hartley does like exotic scent, and there's nothing for it that we all must be drenched in it by the time she leaves."
So saying, she ascended to the next floor and to her private boudoir. Barnstable, after his inquiries about the state of my bad leg and rejoicing how quickly my bruises had gone away, brought us coffee and brandy and then left us alone.
I told Lady Breckenridge about Bennington's examination and the fact that Brandon had gone home.
"Thank heavens," she said, pouring a large dollop of brandy into my coffee. "Poor Mrs. Brandon. How awful for her. It will not be easy for her to forgive him."
"No. But she loves him enough to do it."
Lady Breckenridge's brows arched. "Love and loyalty in marriage. What an odd idea."
I smiled over my coffee cup. "Rather old-fashioned."
We drank in companionable silence.
"This summer I will spend time at my father's estate in Oxfordshire," Lady Breckenridge said presently. "It is a beautiful place, and the gardens are quite grand. People pay a shilling on Thursdays to look at them."
"Do they, indeed?"
"I am going to be so bold as to ask you to visit. For a fortnight, perhaps. My mother would approve of you."
"Of a penniless captain who cannot even be a captain any longer?"
"My mother is a true blue blood. She cares nothing for money. Or at least, she does not now that her only daughter is provided for. She can retreat into lofty ideals. She does it very well." Lady Breckenridge smiled, the affection in her eyes outweighing her acerbic words.
"I would be honored to accept such an invitation."
"Good," she said.
I set down my cup, and rose. Lady Breckenridge looked surprised. "Goodness, are you going already?"
"No." I reached down, took her cup from her, and put it on the table beside her. Then I closed my hands on hers and raised her to her feet.
"Donata," I said. "I want never to be less than honest with you. You once guessed that I had been married, and you assumed me a widower. The truth is that I am still married."
Lady Breckenridge's eyes widened. I went on quickly. "Fifteen years ago, Mrs. Lacey deserted me. I have not seen her since. I recently discovered that she lives in a village in France with her lover." I tightened my grip. "I want to find her and dissolve the marriage if I can. And after I have done what I need to set her free, I would like to ask leave to court you."
Lady Breckenridge said nothing. Any other woman might have been overwhelmed by what I'd just told her, or grown furious, or burst into tears. But I knew that Lady Breckenridge would forgive honesty far more quickly than she'd accept pleasing lies. She was resilient, this lady.
"I have no idea how to make pretty lover's speeches," I said when the silence had stretched. "Not like your poets."
"Poetry can be tedious. Too many words to say a simple thing." She studied me a moment longer, the pressure of her fingers warm on mine. "Very well, Captain. I give you leave."
Something stirred in my heart. I leaned down and brushed her lips with a soft kiss.
When I made to pull away, to take my leave, she held on to my hands. "Stay," she said.
We looked at each other a moment longer.
"Very well," I replied, and did so.