A Lady's Scandalous Secret: Tales From Seldon Park, #23

By Bethany M. Sefchick

Terrified of men from a young age, Lady Tabitha Maxwell has hidden in the shadows nearly all of her life.  Tabby has since grown beyond that fear, but she still prefers the safety the darkness offers, especially since she has no wish to do as her father commands and marry her reprobate cousin.  Her anonymity has also allowed her to cultivate a very successful – and extremely secret – career as the notorious gossip columnist, Lady A.

 

Lord Joshua Bradford, the second son of the Marquess of Nye, is in something of a bind.  A former navy man, Josh has been summoned home after his wastrel brother, Giles, perishes in a duel, leaving Josh as the heir.  Now, Josh is in need of a wife – quickly – since it is quite possible Giles already sired an heir with an unsuitable woman.  The task of finding a bride, however, would be a good deal easier if Josh could convince Lady A to cease writing about him in her infernal column.

 

One night, Josh discovers Tabby's secret and threatens to expose her.  If he reveals the truth about Lady A, he can stop the rumors and finally find a proper wife.  However, doing so will cost Tabby everything and leave her an outcast, something he isn't certain he desires.  Does Josh remain silent about what he knows, reveal the truth, or can he make a deal with the notoriously skittish Tabby and force her to find him a suitable bride so that they can both have what they most desire?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bethany M. Sefchick
• Release date: Jul 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393427421

Bethany M. Sefchick

Making her home in the mountains of central Pennsylvania, Bethany Sefchick lives with her husband, Ed, and a plethora of Betta fish that she’s constantly finding new ways to entertain. In addition to writing, Bethany owns a jewelry company, Easily Distracted Designs. It should be noted that the owner of the titular Selon Park - one Lord Nicholas Rosemont, the Duke of Candlewood, a.k.a. "The Bloody Duke" - first appeared in her mind when she was eighteen years old and had no idea what to make of him, or of his slightly snarky smile.  She has been attempting to dislodge him ever since - with absolutely no success. When not penning romance novels or creating sparkly treasures, she enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, and lavishing attention on any stray cats who happen to be hanging around. She always enjoys hearing from her fans at: [e-mail]

Book preview

Prologue

Crestfell Abby

Essex

July 1803

Tabby tugged as hard as she could on the metal cuff and chain that bound her wrist to the iron bar.  She needed to get away before Tommy returned.  He was going to hurt her worse than he already had.  She might have only been nine years old, but she knew when she was in danger.  Now was one of those times.

When she had gone out to play in Grandfather’s hedgerows that morning, she had never imagined that her cousin might want to hurt her.  Well, she thought he might, but Papa said that was only in her imagination.  Grandfather, on the other hand, told her to be careful, but Tabby didn’t think Tommy would really hurt her.  After all, he was her cousin.  Even if she didn’t like him very much.

Still, Tommy was seven years older than she was and frightened her most of the time.  Among other things, Tabby didn’t like the way he looked at her.  Like he wanted to hurt her but wouldn’t.  She avoided him as much as she could, but sometimes, on days like today when it was so warm that absolutely everyone on the estate was outside, that was difficult.  

Still, Tabby had thought she was being careful.  She knew she had to be right now, particularly since Tommy was in a bad mood.  Tabby’s grandfather, the duke, had yelled at Tommy earlier that day for indulging in all manner of bad behavior well below his station.  Papa had been in Grandfather’s study for the meeting too, but it was Grandfather who had yelled the loudest.  That was never a good sign.  He said that he would not sanction anything between Tommy and Tabby if Tommy didn’t start behaving like a gentleman and prove that he was worthy of a future duke’s daughter.  He said that he still might not anyway as he didn’t like the look of the entire situation.

Tabby didn’t know what that meant.  Well, not all of it, anyway.  She understood that Papa and Tommy’s father wanted Tommy and Tabby to get married one day, even though she didn’t really like that idea.  Grandfather didn’t like that idea much either and often said that Tommy was lazy and didn’t want to work to improve his station in life.

Unlike her family, Tommy’s family didn’t have much money and were only distantly related to the Maxwell line, according to her grandfather, and had been living off Averill for too long.  Tabby had a general idea of what that meant, and it did seem as if Tommy was always around, even when he probably should have been in school like her other cousins.  Those cousins didn’t have any money either, but they still went away to places like Eton before coming back and having long meetings with Grandfather before going to other family estates.

Why didn’t Tommy didn’t go away to school?  Or go to some other estate?  After all, Grandfather owned nearly ten estates across England and two in Scotland.  Tabby had no idea, but she didn’t think the reason had anything to do with money.

At least not if what Grandfather said was true, and what Grandfather said usually was true.  He was also the one who made the rules around here.  After all, he was the duke, and dukes had power that other men didn’t.  At least as far as Tabby understood things.

That was why when Tabby said she didn’t want to play with Tommy, Grandfather made certain she didn’t have to go near him, no matter what Papa said.  Tabby knew that Papa wanted Tabby to like Tommy, probably because he wanted them to get married, but she just didn’t.  Tommy didn’t even like to play with the same things she did.  Certainly not her dolls.  Actually, she didn’t know of any toys that Tommy liked to play with.

Tabby did know that her cousin liked playing with knives and fire, though.  He also hurt animals.  She had told Grandfather as much just the other day.  Maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned anything since she was trying to avoid Tommy, but the memory of what she had seen in the field the previous week stuck in her mind and made her want to cry.  So, she had done the only thing she knew might stop him from doing it again.

She told her grandfather.

He was the duke, and he could fix anything.  Including Tommy.  She hoped.

Tommy had avoided her after that.  Tabby had thought maybe he was embarrassed enough by the scolding that he wouldn’t do such things again.  She also assumed he would be too afraid to look at her because he was ashamed at being caught.  She should have known better.  If he had no problems killing an animal, he probably wouldn’t have any problem hurting the girl who had snitched on him.

Again, Tabby was young, but she was smart.  Everyone said so.  She should have known better, though she had been more careful recently.  At least until today.

The lure of Mama’s remote rose garden, with its follies and fountains, had been tempting Tabby all morning as she played in the hedgerows.  As the morning had worn on toward afternoon with no sign of Tommy anywhere, Tabby had thought she was safe enough to go for a walk in that direction.

She hadn’t been.

Tommy had tackled her from behind the moment she was out of sight of the manor house.  Even now, she felt the hard press of his bigger, stronger body against her weaker one, and it made her want to shake with fear.  She had kicked and screamed, but it hadn’t done any good.  He was a lot bigger and a lot stronger than her, and before she had known what was happening, he had hauled her off to the old summerhouse that no one used any longer since Papa had built Mama a new one closer to the house.

Tabby had screamed as loud as she could, but no one had seemed to hear her.  No one except Tommy that is.

He’d laughed at her as she kicked and screamed and tried to get away, even after he chained her to an old pipe that had once provided heat to the summerhouse.  He laughed as he used a knife to trace a path from her forehead down along her ear and to her cheek, and she felt the blood begin to trickle down her face. 

He had laughed harder as he ripped her dress to shreds with that same blood-covered knife and put his hands in places he shouldn’t have.  Places that would horrify her mother if she ever found out.  Then, when he’d finished groping her, he’d placed his fingers inside of her deeply, causing blood to come from inside of her somehow.  When he was finished, he promised that when he returned that night, his cock would take the place of his finger.  That what he had done just now had taken proof of her innocence but not her innocence itself.

She didn’t know what that meant, but she knew it was bad.  Bad in a way that nothing had ever been bad before.

After he fucked her properly, he said, she would be his, and he wouldn’t have to worry about money or position or anything any longer because he would own Tabby.  She would be his.  He told her that he would be in charge of her body and her soul.  She would be his property, and when the time came?  She would give him children because he would stick his cock in her all the time.  Then he could be the duke since her brother was dead, and Mama couldn’t have any more children.  Then he could do whatever he wanted, just like Grandfather did.

That thought made Tabby sick inside.  She didn’t know a lot about the way her body functioned.  She was a proper young lady, after all, but she knew enough that if Tommy did stick his cock in her?  Even once?  She would be ruined.  Or worse.  More than she probably already was.  She wasn’t certain fingers counted, but she knew that cocks did.  She’d heard her grandmother whispering about that very thing last month when a young village girl had allowed a boy between her legs and gotten her with child.

That frightened Tabby more than anything.  Babies were for old women.  They weren’t for young girls like Tabby.

She wasn’t about to let that happen.

So, Tabby had struggled and screamed as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky.  She had tugged on the chain and cuff until her wrist was scraped raw, and it began to bleed as her face had, though that bleeding had slowed a bit.  Though she used a piece of her shredded dress to stop the worst of the bleeding at her writs, now, as night approached, the fabric was soaked through.  The damaged skin of her wrist had peeled away in some places and hung loose in others.  That was bad, too.

Again, Tabby didn’t know a lot about her body, but she knew that if a person lost too much blood, they could die.  How much blood had she lost?  She didn’t know, but a part of her wondered if she was getting close to dying.  She was thirsty, and she felt weak.  Her body ached.  More than that, she felt dirty and ashamed.  She knew what had happened was Tommy’s fault.  Not hers.  And yet, she had tattled on him first about the animals, so maybe she was to blame – at least in part.

And through it all, her wrist continued to bleed until the metal cuff was slick with blood, as was the floor and a large part of Tabby’s arm.

There was a part of Tabby that wondered if, when Tommy returned, he would still want her.  She wanted to think not, but she wasn’t stupid.  He had plans for her.  He had her chained up here for a reason, and it wasn’t because he was planning to let her go or not touch her again.

He would be coming back soon.  The sun was starting to set.

Tabby still wasn’t certain why no one had missed her, not even Mama and Papa, but they obviously hadn’t.  If they had?  Someone would have found her by now.  Or maybe not.  No one came here any longer.  Even if they knew she was missing, would they think to look here?  Especially with darkness falling?

She doubted it.

Tabby was still trying to decide what to do when she heard the sound of footsteps outside.  Not just one set but many.  There was a part of her that was afraid to cry out.  What if it was Tommy?  Then, she heard the gruff, gravelly voice of her beloved grandfather.  If he were here, he would save her.

Grandfather!  Tabby screamed at the top of her lungs, but she knew she barely made any noise.  Her voice was gone from screaming all afternoon.  What if he didn’t hear her?  What if he and the others left without finding her and Tommy came back?  What if he put his cock inside of her?  What then?  She couldn’t let that happen.

So, with all of the strength she had, Tabby lifted her arms coated in her own blood and shoved hard at a nearby table, but it wasn’t enough to make it budge.

Crawling on her knees, Tabby got as close to the table as she could and kicked at it.  Though it didn’t topple over, she did manage to knock over an oil lamp, and she watched with satisfaction as it rolled to the edge of the table, paused, and then finally fell to the floor with a loud crash.

Glass sprayed everywhere, but Tabby didn’t notice the small shards as they cut into her skin.  Instead, all she could hear was her grandfather calling her name and the sound of a key in the lock.  Then, the room was flooded with light, and she could see a wall of shadows looming large behind her grandfather who was the first through the door, lantern in hand.

Tabby heard the gasps from the shadow figures as they looked at her lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, her body exposed beneath the scraps of her dress.  She saw the flashes of pity in their eyes as they looked at her.  But more than anything, she felt the strong, firm arms of her grandfather as he held her while a footman carrying an ax began smashing at the pipe that held her chained to the wall.

She was safe.  For now.  Grandfather was here.  He wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt her.

My precious Tabby, he cooed as he passed her off to Kingston, her grandfather’s new, and exceedingly young, assistant.  He’d been a footman before, the son of a maid, and Tabby rather liked him because he was kind and always took time to play silly games with her.  You’re safe now.  No one will ever hurt you again.

However, a bit of movement at the back of the group caught Tabby’s eye, and she saw Tommy struggling in a footman’s grasp.  He was reaching for her and saying something, but she couldn’t make out the words.  Someone else said something, and there was the sound of wood connecting with flesh.  She heard Tommy gasp and knew it was Grandfather’s cane.  Though where he had hit Tommy was anyone’s guess.

Turning her head, Tabby burrowed into the crook of Kingston’s arm, grateful when he stroked the back of her head like the child she no longer was.  She was safe – for now.  But what happened when Grandfather was gone?  When Kingston was gone?  Because she had a feeling that Tommy would outlive both of them, and he would most likely want revenge.

Chapter One

A London ballroom

October 1820

A sliver of moonlight shone through the row of French doors lining the ballroom wall as the clouds in the sky above slid silently by, forcing Tabby to retreat further into the shadows.  She didn’t want to be seen.  She couldn’t be seen.  Not tonight and not any night that came after this one, either.

She wanted to be seen, though, or at least a part of her did, particularly as she watched the couples spin and twirl around the ballroom, their faces cast in shadow in the dim light of the enormous room.  She just couldn’t take the risk.

Perhaps attending Lady Ridgefield’s semi-annual dark masquerade hadn’t been a good idea, but then it wasn’t as if she had a choice.  No, she was Lady Tabitha Maxwell, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Averill, and she had a responsibility to attend – at least according to her father.  Especially as she was already on the shelf and well on her way to being a spinster.

Too old, he had said.  Too cold.  Too remote.  Too shrewish.

Too afraid of men.

Well, she was afraid of men.  She would concede her father that point, though she contended that she had every reason to be.

He, on the other hand, wanted to see her married as quickly as possible, preferably to the man he had chosen for her.  She had refused, and he couldn’t force her to wed, much to his annoyance.  Thus, they were at an impasse, but eventually, one of them would have to win.  Tabby had a feeling she knew which one of them it would be, unfortunately.

Absently, she fiddled with the large golden cuff bracelet on her right wrist as she watched the couples continue to spin and dip their way around the room.  They were all performing a modified waltz, and while it was hardly scandalous, there was something sensual about the way the couples moved, their bodies half-hidden in shadow while they remained anonymous behind their masks.

Deeper shadows of purple and midnight blue cloaked the room, providing secret nooks for assignations and places for couples to hide while they stole a kiss or two.  All in perfect anonymity – except from her curious eyes.

Tabby had been hiding in the shadows for so long that it was almost as if she had become a part of them.  Every night since her disastrous first season, she had chosen the dark corners and shadowy hallways to hide in so that she wouldn’t be seen.  So that no man would approach her or talk to her and she could hide away in safety until it was time to go home,

In order to pass the time in the darkness, she watched.  She observed and, more importantly, she remembered.  Now, she was an expert at identifying which rake was having an affair with which married lady.  She could tell what young couples suited and which did not.  She could tell when a gentleman was in love with a woman he couldn’t have, and she could see at a mere glance what young lady was headed for trouble if she allowed her emotions and her recklessness to lead the way.

It was simply too bad there wasn’t a market for what Tabby learned.  Well, there was, but it was hardly an appropriate occupation for someone like her.  After all, daughters of dukes did not become gossip columnists.  Especially if they wished to continue attending Society events.

For Tabby, such an exclusion would be reason enough to take up the occupation – so she didn’t have to set foot in a place like this ever again.  Except that she was certain her mother would develop the vapors, and her father might have a heart incident if she even suggested such a thing.  Still, Tabby was certain she would be better at such an occupation than any of the others who currently held that position.

After all, there was quite a lot to be learned from the shadows.  Especially on a night like tonight where the darkness gave people a freedom they did not otherwise enjoy.

Not that she should be noticing such things or even be here in the first place.  This was hardly an appropriate setting for a young woman.  Except that Tabby wasn’t young any longer.  She was old, far past the age of a blushing, giggling debutante.  More to the point, this was the perfect place for a man to approach her – a woman known for her fear and her coldness in the light but unknown in the shadows.  Here, in the dark, she could be anyone.

Unfortunately, she would also be easy prey for men like the one her father had chosen for her.  Here, in the darkness?  If she screamed?  Would anyone hear her?  Would anyone even care?  Tabby doubted it, particularly since her parents had disappeared shortly after they had arrived.

The only man who would have cared was her beloved grandfather, the late duke, but he had been gone six years past now.  Her father was the duke these days, and his view of protecting Tabby was vastly different than what her grandfather’s had been.

Thankfully, Tabby still had Kingston and had mostly inherited him when her grandfather had passed away.  Though he was older now, Kingston was still her faithful companion and had been ever since that long-ago night at the summerhouse back at Crestfell Abby.  He was here somewhere, and though she couldn’t see him, he would be watching.  Even in the darkness, he knew where she was.  He always did.  He was also the only reason she could tolerate attending these events.

Wherever Tabby went, Kingston went.  That was understood when an invitation was issued to Tabby and her parents.  He would be discreet and as invisible as possible, but the man who was more friend and bodyguard than servant these days would also be in attendance as well.  It was not a negotiable point.

That angered her father, of course, though Kingston’s presence was not a matter that was up for debate.  According to Grandfather’s will, Kingston was to serve as Tabby’s companion, bodyguard, and protector until such time as it was no longer necessary.  Meaning when she finally wed.  Which would have been yesterday had her father been able to have his way.  However, Grandfather’s will also included a list of unacceptable gentlemen.  Her father’s favorite choice was at the top of that particular list.

So, for that reason, Kingston remained by Tabby’s side.

No one refused him entry, of course.  After all, having the Duke of Averill and his family attend a hostess’s event could make her entire Season.  More to the point, given Kingston’s enormous size, no one would dare refuse him out of sheer fear of bodily injury either.

There was comfort with him by her side, Tabby silently acknowledged.  Except at the moment, she couldn’t see him.  In the darkness, she couldn’t make out his familiar form.  Had something happened to him?  Oh, she hoped not!  What would she do without him?

Your watchdog has been persuaded to leave you in my care for a few moments so that we might speak.

Tabby stiffened as she felt an imposing male presence approach her from behind, but she didn’t run or cry out.  Rather, she gathered what courage she had built up over the last few years and continued to look straight out into the darkness.  This conversation would likely take every bit of courage she had, but she was willing to forge ahead.  She also didn’t think this man, in particular, would harm her.  For the moment, she was safe enough.

Lord Candlewood, I can’t imagine what you could wish to discuss with me.  I am hardly someone of note, your grace.

Tabby heard the humor in his voice when he chuckled, and she relaxed a fraction.  If he had meant to hurt her, he would have done so already, and, from what she had observed, while he enjoyed inflicting pain on occasion, he did not harm innocents.

How did you know it was me, my dear?  He seemed genuinely curious.

Logical deduction formed after long periods of observation.  She resisted the urge to twist her bracelet, knowing he would take that as the sign of fear that it was.  It would take someone very powerful and very threatening to convince Kingston to leave my side.  Therefore, I had to surmise that whoever did so was of great importance and title.  More to the point, it would also have to be someone who could intimidate him, and those people are few and far between.  Kingston is not a man to shirk his duty.  She shrugged.  As you were in attendance tonight and you are one of the few people everyone in England fears, you were the logical conclusion.

When the duke laughed again, Tabby relaxed a bit more.  She had been right.  This man was toying with her.  He didn’t want to hurt her.  Besides, anyone with eyes knew that he was infatuated with his new wife, Lady Eliza Deaver, now Lady Eliza Rosemont, the Duchess of Candlewood.  The man had only had eyes for her since the moment she made her come out several years before – and perhaps even before that if some rumors were to be believed.

Well done, Miss Maxwell.  Well done, indeed.

Thank you.  Tabby had no idea what else might be appropriate to say just then.  Situations such as these had not been covered at her finishing school.

She felt the duke shift behind her, and when he tugged on her arm, she stepped back into the darkness with him.  Together, they passed through a silken curtain and then through a door and into a hallway.  When he closed and locked the door behind him, Tabby didn’t even flinch.

Odd, but she didn’t feel afraid with this man.  Normally, when a man approached her, she would cower in fear, but not with the Bloody Duke.  She should fear him.  Everyone else did.  Everyone else except for her, it seemed.  Perhaps she was mad, as had been suggested on more than one occasion.  That would explain a great deal.

Please turn to face me so that we might talk, he requested as he lit a single candle.  I find I much prefer to negotiate when both parties are making eye contact.

Doing as requested, Tabby stifled a gasp when she took in the man before her.  He was, in a word, enormous.  Much more so than he appeared at a distance.  Then again, most men appeared large to her.  Though she was hardly a petite woman, there were still traces of fear from her past that remained within her, making men, any man actually, seem more imposing than they were.

What can I do for you, your grace?  He hadn’t bowed to her, so Tabby skipped the niceties of a curtesy as well.  This seemed to be more of a business transaction of some sort though she still couldn’t imagine why he had sought her out.

How much do you know about my, ah, activities? he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

For a moment, Tabby considered her answer carefully.  In truth, she knew a great deal.  That was what happened when one hid in the shadows, after all.

I know enough and probably a good deal more than I should, she finally replied.  She didn’t want to give too much away.  You are some sort of spy that does unorthodox work for the Crown, likely for your own reasons and probably because you enjoy the challenge.  I say your own reasons because what you do does not seem to have any rhyme or reason.  Rather, you seem to do things and meddle in affairs for your own enjoyment.

He smiled at that. Clever girl.  More so than I had even anticipated.  Yes, you will do nicely.

Do nicely for what? she asked, frowning.  Perhaps she shouldn’t be so abrupt, but just then, she didn’t think she had any choice.

Direct as well.  I can appreciate that, particularly in a woman.  His smile grew wider.  Yes, you are perfect.

That comment brought Tabby up short.  She had never been referred to as perfect a day in her life.  I’m afraid I don’t understand, your grace.

"You have heard of the gossip sheet Society Tales and the infamous Lady X?  Well, of course you have.  Who hasn’t?  He didn’t bother to wait for her to reply.  As I’m sure you also know, Lady X has vanished, and the paper itself has shut down."

Tabby nodded.  "I was aware of that.  I am also aware that a new paper, The Town Tattler, has become quite popular in the Tales’ absence.  The featured column is written by a Madame C, I believe."

It is.  The duke nodded absently as if going over something in his mind.  However, Madame C, who happens to be a trusted friend, is about to depart London very soon and, well, to be blunt, the paper needs a new gossip columnist.  As do I.

It was on the tip of Tabby’s tongue to question why the duke was so interested in a gossip rag and the woman who wrote its most popular column.  Then she remembered that she was speaking to the Bloody Duke and held her tongue instead.  Go on, your grace.  I am listening.

"You see, Madame C is simply the name given to the column’s author.  She is in charge of collecting the gossip provided by a rather extensive network of women, some young and others not so young, selecting the most appropriate on-dits, and then publishing them daily."  The duke smiled, and Tabby swore she could see fangs where his canine teeth should be.  

Tabby nodded.  This is fascinating, your grace.  Please.  Go on.  Because it was fascinating to her, even if it would be improper to admit such a thing.

This woman?  She also occasionally does favors for me by including tidbits of information in her column that are essential to my work and the work of the Crown.  Ideally, she would publish several columns a day, but thus far, the woman is infuriatingly slow and will not give in to my, er, requests for such things.  No matter how important that information might be.  I have never asked the woman to harm someone’s reputation or to lie.  Every word she writes is true unless it is a lie to protect an innocent who cannot defend themselves.  The duke paused again and licked at those overly large teeth.  She must also be discreet.  A shadow, if you will.  She must also be comfortable in the darkness.

For a long while, Tabby said nothing as she mulled over what the duke had just said.  Essentially, he was talking about planting news stories, at least to a degree.  It didn’t seem very ethical.  Then again, as they were speaking about social gossip and not reporting on criminal activities, was it really so bad?  More to the point, he was talking about protecting innocents who had no voice.  For her, such an enterprise held a great deal of appeal.  After all, she’d had no voice once, and it had nearly cost her everything.

I believe I understand, your grace.  I also believe I now understand why you have come to me with this.  Really, Tabby did.  Otherwise, why approach her, a woman that hid in the shadows?  In order to do your job successfully, you require access to this column and the woman who writes it.

More than just access, he corrected.  I need to trust the woman I place in charge.  I also need a woman with a keen sense of observation and a strong moral compass.  Again, I would never ask her to lie, but I would ask her to occasionally include or exclude facts in order to protect the innocent who have no other defense for themselves.  I have never harmed the innocent, Miss Maxwell, and I have no intention of starting to do so now.

It wasn’t lost on Tabby the way the duke took ownership of this paper.  As if it was his own, personal gossip rag.  Which it very well might have been for all she knew.

Am I to assume you have a candidate in mind for the position?  Tabby wasn’t being coy, but if the duke was suggesting what she thought he was, he would need to understand going in that she was not some meek and mild chit who would roll over and play dead.  She would lie to protect but never to hurt.  She would also hold her ground on that issue.  She might be afraid of a great deal, but Tabby wasn’t weak.  Not in the slightest.

She had been once.  Never again.

I do.  The duke smiled at her sweetly, though the effect was a bit more predatory than anything else.  Let me be blunt, Miss Maxwell.  I need someone that I can trust who is also very good at collecting gossip.  More than that, I need someone who knows what is worth reporting and what is not, and who, as I have already said, has a moral center.  The same sort that many accuse me of lacking.  I also need someone who is at home in the shadows and not afraid to embrace her position within that world of darkness.

Tabby nodded.  And you believe that person is me.

"I know it is you, the duke corrected.  You are not the only person who watches from the shadows, Lady Tabby.  He smiled again when he saw her shock at his use of her nickname.  I am a spy, after all."

Point taken, your grace.  She paused.  Say I agree to your proposition.  What do I get in return?  There is a risk for any woman of my position in such a venture, don’t you agree?

The duke nodded.  A great risk, actually, particularly if you are discovered.

I would be ruined.  Tabby was many things, but she wasn’t completely ruined, thank all that was good.  Though really, it was a fine line that she preferred not to think about too often.

You would be, he agreed.  Which is why I offer the woman in that position the full protection of myself and my network of spies.  Your secret will be safe.  No one will ever know.  And if, by some chance, you are discovered?  I will make certain that no harm comes to you.  All blame will lay elsewhere.

Tabby thought that over for a moment.  It is still a risk, and I am not known as a bold lady, your grace.

This time when the duke smiled, his smile did reach his eyes, and his entire face changed.  He seemed kinder somehow.  As if he understood her fears.

In your case, my dear Miss Maxwell, I anticipated that you might say something similar, so I came prepared to sweeten the deal, as it were.  Though I would also add that you are bolder than you believe.  Still, I think what I can offer you will be more than enough incentive.

What can you offer me, your grace?  Tabby couldn’t imagine this man had anything she needed or wanted.

I know about Lord Havens.

At the mention of Tommy, Tabby went still.  How?

I am a spy.  The duke said those words very matter of factly, and yet there was still kindness in his voice.  As if perhaps he did understand.  I also know of the conflict between your father and your late grandfather over your future.  That was how I knew to approach Kingston as I did.  He paused.  That man is loyal to you to a fault, my dear.  I’ve never seen the like.

I trust him with my life.  For Tabby, it really was that simple.  She did not trust any other man as deeply or as completely as she trusted her bodyguard.  No, her friend.  Her best friend, actually.

Again, the duke nodded in understanding.  If you accept my offer, I guarantee your father will not pressure you to make a choice you fear.  I promise you that.  I will make certain you have a very large degree of freedom as well, even though it will cost me some precious secrets to arrange the matter to our liking.  Still, I will do so gladly if that is what it takes to convince you to agree to my proposal.  More than that?  I think that with this opportunity, you will find your voice and your strength, the very things you have been denied for so long.

In a few sentences, somehow, the Bloody Duke had been able to drive right to the heart of Tabby’s every secretly held desire.  No more pressure from her father.  She could go to events that she chose.  She could finally claim something for herself.  She could ignore Tommy.  For now, anyway.  She would be free.  Or as free as a young lady in Society could be.

The offer was tempting.  Oh, so tempting.  But there was still a risk.  Was it a risk she was willing to take?  She thought it might be.

I can tell you are considering my offer.  The duke looked smug, but then Tabby supposed he had a right.  He was very good at this sort of thing, after all.

I am, she admitted, but I ask you, your grace, why me?  We do not know each other.

We do not, he conceded, but like me?  You are a watcher.  You knew about my affection for Lady Eliza long before I claimed her for my own, did you not?

Tabby thought about prevaricating but decided such a move would not be wise.  Not with this man.  I did.  It was evident, at least to me, that you have always been infatuated with her.  Perhaps even before her debut in Society, as your families have long been connected in some regards.

And you, my dear, are alone in that knowledge, save for myself.  The duke bowed his head.  Eliza is my heart, and I would do anything for her.  She has been since I drew my first breath, I think.

But no one knew that, Tabby finished for him.  At least not before you wed her so unexpectedly.

The duke shrugged.  Only someone who watches as I do would have known.  His eyes turned dark, and she knew she had pushed him as far as she would be able.  What do you say to my proposal, Lady Tabby?  Yes or no?

Tabby licked her lips.  She should say no.  She should refuse this ridiculous proposal.  She should cry for help and bring Kingston running.  And yet she did none of those things.

Because this was a chance for her to be more than she was.  This was a chance to taste a life she would never otherwise have.  Because Tabby was never going to enter Society with an eye toward marriage.  Not with her father’s demands hanging over her.

She would never be the belle of the ball or go for ices at Gunter’s.  She would not stroll or ride along Rotten Row at the fashionable hour or visit a dark walk at Vauxhall with a suitor.  She would never flirt in a theater box or take in a garden tea with a suitor panting after her.  Those doors were closed to her and had been for years now.  But with the duke’s proposal?  She could glance into those worlds, peer into parts of Society where she would never venture because doing so carried too much risk.

In the end, for a woman like Tabby who still yearned for the things she could not have, such an offer was too much temptation to resist.

Just to be clear, your grace, I despise the name Madame C, Tabby replied tartly, her lips twitching to hide a smile.  She sounds like an old maid.

That made the duke laugh, and suddenly, Tabby could see what Eliza likely did when she looked at Lord Candlewood.  The duke was a good man.  He simply hid it very well.

She was meant to be a harlot!  Fortunately, the duke sounded more amused than anything by her accusation.

Yes, well, your new columnist will be a lady.  I shall accept nothing less.  Tabby stuck her nose in the air for good measure, for the first time feeling a little like the flirtatious debutante she had never been.

This wasn’t flirting.  They both knew that.  It was teasing, and it felt…good, and once again, Tabby wanted to cry for what she had lost.  Still, she would not let the tears fall.  Not now.

Does that mean you accept?  The duke appeared rather hopeful.

Tabby stuck out her hand and, for the first time in years, willingly touched a man who was not Kingston or that she was not related to in any fashion.  I accept, your grace.  Now, simply tell me what I need to do.

He laughed again at her words and would probably have attracted attention had he not blown out the candle and plunged them back into the shadows so that they wouldn’t be seen speaking.

That was fine with Tabby.  She had lived her life in the shadows.  She was comfortable here.  She felt safe here.  Now, with the Bloody Duke’s help, she might also be able to carve out a life for herself in these same welcoming shadows.

Chapter Two

Early May 1821

London

Town Tattler

(Late Afternoon Edition)

Though the Season is winding down, dear readers, I cannot

Reviews for A Lady's Scandalous Secret

[Leena Aluru · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Its different. I hated Joshua but finally he redeems himself . Tabby is definitely a strong heroine. What is truly tiresome is the innumerable repetitions . Maybe she could have just shortened the boom.

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