A Lady Never Tells(139)

When the sisters went down to supper that evening, they were surprised to find that the earl had graciously invited Sam Treadwell to stay for dinner. Before they proceeded to the dining room, Sam went straight to Rose and engaged her in a hushed, earnest conversation. From her sister’s heightened color and frequent smiles, Mary assumed that the young man was presenting his case well.

The meal itself passed in the usual way until the time came for the women to retire. Normally Charlotte would have risen to signal their departure, but tonight she remained in her seat, as the Bascombes had asked her to, and it was Mary who spoke.

“We thought we would remain here while you gentlemen have your port.”

For a long moment, the three Englishmen simply gazed at her uncomprehendingly. Sam Treadwell, down the table, smothered a grin and began to examine his utensils with the same care Cousin Charlotte was using.

“I beg your pardon,” the earl said in a level tone.#p#分页标题#e#

“I said—” Mary began, a trifle louder.

“Yes, yes, I realize what you said.” The earl started to say more, then turned toward the servants, who were still clearing the table, their movements having slowed down considerably in the past few minutes. “That’s all, Bostwick. You can do this later.”

“Would you care for your port, sir?”

Stewkesbury shook his head. “I have the feeling I’m going to need a clear head.” When the servants had left, he turned back to the Bascombes. “Now, what are you up to?”

“We are not trying to break a sacred tradition,” Mary assured him. “We wish to talk in private, and this seemed the best time. You are all three here, and the servants leave you to your port and cigars.” She continued in a cajoling manner, “You can still have your port and cigars; we don’t mind. We just want to tell you about our plan.”

The earl sighed. “All right. Tell me about your ‘plan.’”

“We all agree that we’re tired of being watched all the time and never being able to go anywhere. So the best thing to do is to capture this man who’s after Rose.”

“I have made some attempt to do just that,” the earl offered mildly.

“I know, and we appreciate it. But the best way to capture him is to set a trap.”

“Are you saying what I think you are?” Stewkesbury’s brows sailed upward.

“We’re saying that we want to lure him out of hiding. We intend to spring a trap on him. And we will be the bait.”

“Impossible.” The earl shoved back from the table and stood up.

Royce glanced at his stepbrother. “You should have let Bostwick bring the port.”

“Do you honestly think I would use my cousins to trap a villain?” Stewkesbury went on, ignoring Royce.

“If you will but think about it, you will see that it is the sensible thing to do,” Mary argued. “It isn’t as if he’s going to shoot us. He wants to kidnap Rose.”

“A minor inconvenience,” Royce suggested.

“And we aren’t suggesting that we face him ourselves,” Mary plowed ahead. “Your men can be waiting, ready to pounce on him when he shows his hand.”

“It’s entirely too dangerous.” Oliver shook his head.

“The only alternative is to hang about here for the rest of our lives, waiting for this man to show his face again!” Camellia protested. “What if he’s already gone, and we’re just sitting here looking like fools?”

“What we’re doing now makes no sense,” Mary went on. “Your protection is keeping him away, which means he won’t be captured. But you can’t protect us always. He’s bound to pounce at some point—but you won’t know when and where, and you won’t be able to set everything up so you can capture him.”

“We’ve talked about a trap, of course,” Royce told them. “But it was clear it wouldn’t work.”

“Why is that?”

He looked at her without answering, and Mary could not keep from grinning. “I’ll tell you why, since I have a pretty good idea. It wouldn’t work because you were talking about the three of you pretending to be us or something else that wouldn’t fool a three-year-old. The only thing that will deceive him is if we are the ones who set the trap.”

“Cousins …” Fitz took up the argument, smiling in his most charming way. “You are terribly brave; no one is questioning that. But think how Stewkesbury would feel—how all of us would feel—if something went wrong and you were injured.”#p#分页标题#e#