Vivi and Alex shared a surprised look. "How do you suggest we do that?" Vivi asked.
"I feel quite certain that, between us, we will be able to devise a plan. Once we discover what the earl knew, we will take it to our fathers — and Blackmoor, of course — and prove that Alex was right."
Alex smiled to herself. "I do like the sound of showing Gavin that I was right." She paused before asking, "Does it make me a bad person that I feel that way only in part because it will help to avenge the earl's death? The other part of me simply wants Gavin to see that I am, indeed, right."
Vivi shook her head and said matter-of-factly, "Absolutely not. His behavior was unkind and unpleasant. I would be worried if there weren't a small part of you that wanted to show him that you are right."
"Which brings us to the next question," Ella pointed out.
"Which is?" Alex was beginning to feel better about the entire evening.
"What was the kiss like?"
Alex thought for a moment, searching for the right word. Then, with a soft smile, she said, "It was wonderful. He was wonderful. The moment was..."
"Wonderful?" Vivi interjected with a laugh.
Alex grinned at her. "Quite." The smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. "But now he's furious with me. I doubt he's reveling in the wonder of the moment."
"Oh, I don't know," Vivi said supportively. "It seems that when something is that wonderful, it's hard to forget it. You're not thrilled with his behavior right now and you remember how fabulous it was."
"True," Alex replied on a sigh.
"Be careful, Alexandra, you're beginning to sound like the type of young lady who wants all those things typical young females want," Ella said with warning in her voice, her nose wrinkled, "marriage, children, a house in Surrey."
"What's wrong with wanting marriage and children?" Vivi asked. "I want those things. Not Surrey," she said with a raised finger, "but the rest."
"True, but with you, it's different. You're pining after The One." Ella said the last with an exaggerated swoon, which Vivi ignored.
"Well, maybe Blackmoor is Alex's One."
Ella turned an incredulous look on Alex. "Really?"
They both turned questioning looks on Alex, who thought for a moment before speaking. Was Gavin The One! Could she imagine spending the rest of her life with him? Certainly, his mere presence set her heart racing. When he flashed one of his private, conspiratorial grins, she wanted to stop whatever she was doing and just bask in the glow of his attention. And, if that wasn't enough, she couldn't imagine living a day without him in her life. Obviously, considering the events of the season, there was something between them. But was he The One? Did that person even exist? Shouldn't it be easier to communicate with The One? Shouldn't she understand him better? Shouldn't she be able to articulate what she wanted from him? When it came right down to it, she couldn't say what she wanted from Gavin Sewell, Eighth Earl of Blackmoor, except to say she wanted him with her. For now. And maybe forever.
Turning to her friends, she said simply, "I don't know. However, I would like to find out."
The three girls talked late into the night, eventually falling asleep on the bed long after the ball below ended and all the guests went home.
Alex had never been so happy to have her friends with her than she was that evening — they made the whole, horrible night seem tolerable. She knew without a doubt that, together, they would make this confusing, devastating situation right.
nineteen
Last night, everything had been so clear. His plans had been so well laid out, so perfect, so clean. He had returned home from the Worthington Ball to change clothes, planning to find young Blackmoor quickly and finally finish that which he should have finished long ago. As he changed out of his formal attire, he had imagined what it would feel like to eliminate the boy. How free and invigorated he would feel knowing that another high-and-mighty Blackmoor was gone from the earth. For moments, he had been giddy with laughter — eager to kill again. He'd allowed himself a few moments to fantasize about the manner in which he would dispose of the brat.
And then, everything had changed. A messenger had arrived at breakneck speed, barely able to breathe from the exertion. He had known before reading the missive that his plans for the evening were changed. Sadly, he would have to wait to exact his punishment on another Blackmoor, but the messenger had brought news of an unacceptable turn of events — one that must be rectified with all deliberate speed. He could not contain the hint of excitement that he felt in his new task — even though it increased a hundredfold his risk of being discovered. No matter. Here was his chance to prove his allegiance.
As always, he threw the note into the fire, watching the edges of the paper char and curl in the heat. He watched the lines of ink turn from black to brown and eventually become consumed by the flames. Long after the paper disintegrated, he remembered the message.
There was a girl in the orangery find her.
He was going to enjoy this.
The next morning, Alex awoke to bright sunlight and the sound of fervent whispering. For a few seconds, she lingered in that moment between sleeping and waking when everything seems hazy and comfortable — until the memory of the previous evening's events came crashing down on her and she had an intense desire to throw the covers over her head and never leave her bed.
Instead, she rolled over and spied the source of the whispering. Vivi and Ella were sitting cross-legged on the chaise, facing each other, the tea tray next to them laden with a steaming pot, pastries, and jams. Vivi nibbled on a scone, nodding as Ella waved her hands in the air wildly to emphasize her hushed point.
"What are you two up to?" Alex said sleepily, sitting up. They both turned to her with broad smiles. "Oh, excellent! You are awake!" Ella exclaimed.
"How are you feeling?" Vivi asked, pouring a cup of tea for her friend.
Alex stretched broadly, reaching out to accept the tea and biscuit Vivi brought to her. "What are you two plotting?"
"To be fair," Vivi said with a pointed look at Ella, "only one of us is plotting."
"Mmm. I see that. And what mischief have you devised for us, Lady Eleanor?"
"Not mischief so much as detective work," replied Ella.
"Ah. Of course."
"My theory is this: If we cannot prove Lucian's role in the plot to kill the earl, we can at least uncover the information that led to his death. Perhaps that in turn will lead us to the entire plot against the Crown! At the very least, it will prove to Blackmoor that he was wrong not to believe you."
"There's only one problem with that," Alex said.
"Only one?" Vivi interjected, earning a black look from Ella.
"Well, only one big one. If the War Office, Bow Street, and Blackmoor himself have not been able to find this information, why on earth would we be able to?"
"Ah... the voice of reason awakes," Vivi said with a smile.
"I’ll tell you why. Because we have" — Ella ticked off the qualities on her fingers as she spoke them — "cleverness, a fresh eye for the problem, curiosity, superior instinct — as proven by my hunch that Montgrave was involved from the beginning — and —" She paused dramatically. "— the most important thing of all."
"Which is?" Alex asked.
"Desire to prove that we can," she added, with a measure of fantasy in her voice. "And think of the coup when they realize that three young women did something that a battalion of men could not."
At that moment, a knock came at the door and the duchess entered with all the poise befitting her position. She was wearing a day dress of rich purple satin and looked as though she had been up and fresh for hours, despite the fact that she'd hosted one of the greatest balls in London history the evening before. Stopping a few paces into the room, she looked suspiciously from one girl to the next, leveling each with a cool, blue gaze before finally speaking to her daughter. "Alexandra, I trust you are feeling better?"