Page 17 of The Wallflower Ruse

Cecil, Restive, and Davis disappeared into an office to make plans, whilst Dorothea showed Lucinda to the spare bedchamber and shut the door. It was a small, cozy room with chintz curtains and a view of the mews. “I’d best explain, hadn’t I?” Dorothea said.

“Yes, please,” Lucinda said. “Did you really do, er, spying work for your father?” It was hard to imagine a diamond of the first water also acting as a spy—although Dorothea was not your ordinary beauty. Naturally somewhat shy, but too beautiful to even pretend to be a wallflower, she had resorted to a chilly demeanor with her many suitors.

“Nothing so dashing,” Dorothea said. “I merely attended meetings where various reforms were discussed. To add credence, I supported related charities—which I was happy to do anyway and still do. It wasn’t really dangerous—a footman always accompanied me, and one of my father’s men attended incognito to keep an eye on me in case I fell in love with a handsome reformer.” She rolled her eyes. “Cecil was one of my minders, although I didn’t get to know him properly until later.”

“I suppose that’s why Mother disapproves of you. She doesn’t believe in reform.”

“Nor does mine. She only put up with my marrying Cecil because he’s the heir to an earldom.”

It seemed strange that a future earl was involved in espionage, but perhaps his income was small, at least until he inherited. In any event, it would be impolite to pry, so Lucinda didn’t.

“Now I attend similar meetings but in more fashionable circles as a way of continuing my role,” Dorothea said, “although now that I’m increasing, I shan’t do so much longer. Restive attends the same meetings from time to time but pretends to have no interest in anything but flirting with women whose views suggest they are less than proper. As far as we know, no one suspects him of ulterior motives—of the spying sort, that is.”

It seemed even stranger that Lord Restive was involved in espionage, too. Lucinda found it almost impossible to reconcile the two sides of Restive in her mind—the libertine and the government agent. She felt obliged to respect the government agent, but she despised the vile seducer.

Dorothea’s maid came to help Lucinda try on several changes of clothing: gowns for day and evening, one for riding, and even a rose-colored ball gown. To Lucinda’s protests at this generosity, Dorothea said, “I shan’t need them for a good while. I may not even fit them after the baby is born.”

“You’re not even showing yet,” Lucinda retorted.

Dorothea smoothed her dress over her belly, to show a small bump. “Yes, I am. Don’t fuss, Lucy. You’re going to need appropriate clothing, and I can provide it.”

Appropriate for what? Lucinda wondered. She didn’t plan to go out in society whilst here. She couldn’t possibly stay with Dorothea for more than a week or two. Whatever Cecil Hale wished her to do wouldn’t take long. She had to find a way to support herself.

The maid did up the ties on a deep blue round gown and turned Lucinda gently toward the mirror. “It suits you ever so well, miss,” she said. “Brings out the blue in your eyes. I’ll add a lace ruffle to adjust for your height, and it will be perfect.”

“It’s not insipid sprigged muslin like your mother would make you wear,” Dorothea said, as the maid gathered up the dresses and left the room to make the alterations. “She’s frightfully old-fashioned. You’re of age now, not a miss out of the schoolroom. I’m so glad you’re here.”

“You won’t be when my mother arrives in town, as she surely will,” Lucinda said, “unless she’s too mortified by Susannah’s elopement. I can only hope. But if she finds out who brought me to town, she will come hotfoot to trap me into marrying him.”

“I know what it’s like to have a matchmaking mother,” Dorothea said. “I shan’t let her drag you away. Besides, we need you here! What fun to have our own code expert.”

“Yes, but I can’t impose on you for long. Can you perhaps recommend me as governess for a respectable family?” For which occupation none of Dorothea’s lovely gowns would do.

“I daresay, but...surely you don’t really want to be a governess,” Dorothea said.

“No, but it would only be until I come into my inheritance. After that, I think I would enjoy being a teacher in a progressive sort of girls’ school, or a tutor for young boys. I can teach mathematics, as well as Latin and Greek.”

“How clever of you, darling, but for now, Cecil will pay you—as much as you would get as a governess, and far more interesting work.”

“He’ll pay me? Truly?”

“Of course. People who work well with codes are few and far between. Sometimes Cecil codes or decodes several messages in a day. Not long after we married, my father took him out of covert activities and put him into administration. Now he is known to work for the government—unlike Restive, who we hope is seen only as Cecil’s longtime friend. Restive can decode too, but it’s not his forte.”

Lucilla suppressed a snort at that. The whole world knew about Restive’s forte.

“If you stay with me,” Dorothea said, “your mama will have no cause for complaint, and she won’t be able to trap you, no matter how hard she tries.”

How wonderful, thought Lucinda, to have a little money of her own to cover necessities! “She’ll insist that I stay with her. We’ll have to make up an excuse for me to remain here.”

“Let’s tell her you are my companion,” Dorothea said. “Or no—my assistant, as she will not like the notion that her daughter has stooped to becoming a paid companion.”

“Sooner or later, I’m going to become a teacher,” Lucinda said, “and she won’t like that, either. Your assistant in what way?”

Dorothea waved an airy hand. “To do with my charities. Orphanages, schools for the poor, and so forth.”

“Mother won’t approve of that,” Lucinda said. “Well, she doesn’t object to orphanages, but she believes educating the poor is dangerous.”

Dorothea tsked. “Not educating them is even more dangerous. Anyone who has studied history knows that change is inevitable. We can only control the means of change, hopefully by making it peaceful, or at least less violent. That’s our mission—Cecil’s and mine, and Restive’s and Davis’s, and now yours.”