The Christmas Countess. Adrienne Basso

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СКАЧАТЬ for dinner.”

      “Harmless fun,” he countered. “Besides, it makes her happy.”

      “Perhaps.” Charlotte lowered her gaze, which annoyed him, because with her expressive eyes hidden, Cameron had no way of telling what she was really thinking.

      “Hurry, Aunt Charlotte. I need you.”

      Lily’s voice, filled with childish excitement, carried down from above stairs. Cameron watched his sister open her mouth, then suddenly shut it.

      “I suppose it would not be an effective lesson to lecture Lily about the inappropriate and unladylike behavior of shouting by yelling back at her to stop screaming,” Charlotte remarked with a self-deprecating grin. “I believe I shall simply tell her that is something Jane Grolier would never do.”

      “Brilliant.”

      Charlotte looked over her shoulder at him and grinned, then slowly, carefully climbed the stairs. When she disappeared from view, the earl stepped across the hallway to his private study, pleased to find his secretary, Robert Baines, still hard at work. The older man put down his pen and started to stand when the earl entered the room, but Cameron waved him back into his seat.

      “I have reviewed the reports and the earning statements for the textile mill in Lancashire, my lord,” the secretary said. “My notes are in the margin, if you wish to read and discuss it now.”

      “It can wait.”

      Feeling too agitated to sit, Cameron paced behind his desk. “I have a far more urgent and delicate matter I wish you to attend to at once.”

      Baines lifted his pen and shifted the clutter on his desk, searching for a fresh sheet of paper.

      “I need background information on two people, a brother and sister. Daniel Tremaine and Rebecca Tremaine, respectively.”

      The secretary peered down at the parchment and carefully wrote a few notations. “Do you wish me to hire a Bow Street man?”

      “No,” Cameron said quietly, torn between his need to find the information quickly and the equally important need to keep this matter very quiet. At this point there were only three living people who knew the truth about Lily—himself, Daniel and Rebecca.

      The last thing he wanted was a Bow Street man sniffing around this situation. Secrets were far easier to keep with fewer individuals knowing them. “I want you to handle this personally, Baines.”

      “What precisely do you wish to know about this pair?” the secretary asked.

      “Tremaine is a businessman—a successful one, from what I gather. I want to know where his fortune came from, where and how he made it, and what precisely he has been doing for the past six years.” Cameron leaned against the edge of his desk. “As for the sister, I want as many details as you can find about her family history, where she grew up, where she lives currently, who she has associated with, that sort of thing. Also, if there are any scandals about either of them, widely known or otherwise.”

      The secretary jotted down a few more notes, then glanced up. “If I may ask, are you considering hiring Miss Tremaine for a household position?”

      “Not exactly.” Cameron furrowed his brow. “I need the information as soon as possible, but discretion is key in this matter, Baines. I do not want you to arouse any suspicions when making these inquiries and above all, I want no one to know of my interest. Do you understand?”

      “You may count on me, my lord.” The secretary gathered up his papers and turned for the door. “If you will excuse me, I will start working immediately on this matter.”

      Cameron nodded. Baines had been in his employ for nearly ten years and had always done his job with professional discretion. His loyal service was yet another indicator that hiring skilled, competent people and paying them a generous salary was the best way to conduct business. Short of doing it himself, Cameron knew Baines was the right person to handle this most delicate matter.

      Once alone, the earl tried to settle down and read the mill report that Baines had left, but it was a useless endeavor. His eyes saw and read the words, but his brain did not comprehend the sentences.

      Instead, he replayed his meeting with Tremaine over and over in his mind, trying to decide the best way to move forward. For a few moments, Cameron toyed with the idea of buying the pair off, but if Tremaine were as successful as the earl suspected, money would hold no appeal.

      Disgusted, he resumed pacing, then realized he was clenching his hands so hard that his fingers were growing numb. This was ridiculous. He needed a plan. The information Baines would uncover would be useful, but the earl knew from the conversation at the club today that no matter what was discovered, the Tremaines would not easily go away.

      He had agreed to give them an answer by Friday, but Cameron was hardly ready to allow this woman to meet Lily. No, she must first meet him and somehow convince him to allow a brief introduction to his daughter. His daughter. Perhaps it was possible to intimidate Miss Tremaine sufficiently so she would drop the notion of meeting the little girl altogether? Or maybe he could find another means to dissuade her interest?

      A smile lit his face as an idea formed in his mind. There were few society events of note at this time of year, since many of the members of the haut ton had left London for their country estates. Those who stayed behind would be planning Christmas celebrations, but any holiday events would not take place for several weeks.

      Yet he was sure with careful planning he could scare up a sizeable crowd for a society dinner party. His mother would enjoy the opportunity to entertain. Perhaps even Charlotte might be persuaded to join them.

      But more importantly, a social evening would mask the true intent of meeting Miss Rebecca Tremaine and, if he were very lucky, intimidate her with his wealth, power and position at the same time. Scaring her off would quickly end this problem to his satisfaction. Feeling far more in control now that he had a reasonable course of action to follow, Cameron stormed from the room to search for his mother, eager to set his plan into motion.

      Her new satin evening slippers were silent on the stone steps as Rebecca climbed to the front door of the Earl of Hampton’s town home. With each step she took, she clung tightly to her brother’s arm, her fingers flexing with nerves. Daniel lifted the brass knocker, but before he could bang it, the door swung open.

      “Sir, Madame.”

      “Good evening. Mr. Daniel Tremaine and his sister, Miss Rebecca Tremaine. We are expected.”

      The expressionless butler bowed, then stood aside to allow them entrance to the vast foyer. Servants rushed forward to take their outer garments; a footman wearing a powdered white wig, dressed in black and gold livery, stood at the ready, waiting to escort them upstairs.

      “I thought you said this was to be a casual dinner party,” Rebecca whispered to her brother.

      “That was how the invitation was worded.” Daniel snorted. “I suspect part of this might be meant to impress or more likely intimidate us. Then again, the nobility never need much of an excuse to showcase their wealth and waste their money.”

      “Daniel, please.”

      Rebecca placed her hand on her brother’s forearm. She knew well her brother’s opinion of the majority СКАЧАТЬ