Page 34 of Saving a Scoundrel
“As if Lucius gave me a choice. After he told me about your list, I knew I must contribute.”
“Hart.” Lucius growled across the table.
Ellie swiveled in her seat to glare at Lucius. “You said you had not told anyone!”
“Well, Hart doesn’t count. I tell him everything. Don’t you tell Susanna and Charlotte everything?”
“Not everything,” Ellie grumbled. Charlotte didn’t even know about her list and Susanna didn’t know the details of it. The list was meant to be private. She took a large gulp of her wine. Maybe she could drown her embarrassment in the bubbles.
Lucius tugged on one of her curls and leaned in to speak low. “I didn’t tell him any of the last three. I swear.”
She slid him a sideways glance. He was far too charming with his green eyes filled with good humor and those full lips tipped up in a half-smile. Did he practice that look of contrition? Probably. Perhaps she could convince him tonight would be a perfect night to practice number eight.
“Miss Spencer, what else is on your list? Lucius did not tell me any of it,” Miss Middleton asked.
“Well, one of the items on the list is to investigate the mystery of these old letters Lucius’s sister Charlotte and I found last year tucked into some books at our local bookshop.”
“Love letters,” Lucius interjected.
Miss Middleton’s mouth formed a smallo. Ellie nodded. “Yes, and they were quite salacious. The couple had a love affair one summer. Unfortunately, the address page had been torn off. He signs the lettersLove, J.” She glanced down at her glass and realized she had drunk all the wine. She bit her lip; should she have more?
As if he could read her mind, Lucius grabbed the bottle and poured her another glass. “Your list said drink too much champagne, not a judicious amount of champagne. Have a bit more. I will watch over you tonight.”
Ellie smiled and took a sip, enjoying the way the wine started to make her feel warm and a bit fuzzy. “We found a clue. The crate of books had come from a bookshop here in London. Only when my friend and I went to the shop, the owner was quite grumpy and rude. He had this large ledger sitting on the counter that had information on who had sold the books to him, but he would not divulge the name of the family.”
“Hmmm, perhaps we could distract him somehow and then see for ourselves the name of the family,” Lucius offered.
“Wouldn’t that be wrong?” Ellie replied.
Hartwick took a sip of wine, his expression thoughtful. “The only time a family would sell books en masse from a private library is when someone dies or if they are hard up for funds. Libraries are expensive to build. It would have to be a family of great wealth, someone from the upper class.”
“True,” Miss Middleton concurred. “Perhaps someone we know even.”
Ellie sipped her wine. What the duke said made sense. “The letters make it clear the man was not of the same class as the lady he wrote to. He was writing a book and had a benefactor named Lady T to which he seemed beholden. Although one letter describes the time the lady came to visit him and his aunt at the seaside. Perhaps he was a gentleman but just not one with means?”
Lucius grimaced. “A second or third son, perhaps.”
Ellie slid her hand under the table to cover his; she squeezed it.
“Perhaps the lady was married and dallying with him?” Hartwick put forth.
She shook her head. “No, he speaks of marriage, asks her to wait for him.”
The duke harrumphed. He poured himself more wine.
Miss Middleton glanced sideways at him. She looked as though she would say something but instead turned back to Ellie and Lucius. “It sounds very romantic. I wish you good luck finding out the author of the letters or the recipient. Please let me know when you do.”
The waiter reappeared with a tray laden with paper-thin beef, bread, cheese, a half-dozen tarts, a whole chicken, and a small bowl of oranges.
Lucius grabbed a piece of bread and slathered it with butter before handing it to her. “Have something to eat, or the wine will go straight to your head.”
It already had, she thought. She leaned forward and took a bite from the piece of bread he offered. “Isn’t that the whole idea?”
Lucius set the bread down. Then he proceeded to fill a plate with a little bit of everything and set it in front of her. “Still eat. You’ll thank me in the morning.”
“Ooh, oranges! They are my favorite.” Miss Middleton plucked one from the bowl and began to peel it.
Ellie nibbled on bread and cheese while the conversation rolled around her. The duke was quite good-natured, and she could see why he and Lucius got along so well. Miss Middleton was charming and loved to tease the duke at every opportunity. Ellie had another glass of wine. The bubbles seemed to fill her head with a lovely lightness she’d never felt before. Everything seemed funny, and she wanted to dance along like a soap bubble in the breeze. Dance, that is definitely what she wanted to do.
