Lady Evan Wins the Day, The Cousins Book Two (Rough Draft)

Chapter Seventeen

Inside the stables, the air was warmer than the gray, cloudy outdoors. Rosalind moved from stall to stall, stroking the nose of each equine contained within. She couldn't resist glancing towards the wide open doors every couple of seconds, expecting at any moment to see her husband come riding up.

Some time passed before she heard Evan's voice call out for a groom. Breathing a sigh of relief, and not entirely sure why she had been anxious, Rosalind hurried to the front of the stables. She was in time to see her husband dismount and hand the reins over to a waiting groom.

"Evan!" she said, hurrying forward.

Surprise on his face, Evan faced her. "Rosalind, what are you doing out here?" he asked. "Is everything well?"

"I was waiting for you," Rosalind said, linking her arm with his. "Can you walk with me? Something has happened."

"What do you mean? Are you well?"

Firmly, Rosalind drew him away from the ears of the men at work. She guided her husband towards the gardens. "I'm fine. Unsettled and angry, but fine. Evan, John Rowley sent a letter to my maid and paid her to share information about me."

"What?"

In as few words as possible, Rosalind explained about the letter, its contents, and how she had deduced her maid had been Mr. Rowley's accomplice. Evan's face grew redder and redder until she fancied she could see steam coming from his ears.

"This is outside of enough! It is about time someone taught that man a lesson!"

"Evan, please," Rosalind said, putting her hand on his arm. "You must calm down and think! Now we know who has been the source of the rumors, and we know what his goal is. We can use this information to our benefit if we do not lose our heads."

"Lose my head? What am I supposed to do when I learn an unscrupulous toad of a man has designs to ruin my wife's reputation or extort money out of her? I'm of a mind to meet him at dawn and put an end to him once and for all."

Alarmed, Rosalind sucked in her breath. "You cannot mean that!"

Evan scowled at the horizon. "I do. Any honorable man would agree I am in the right."

"This is exactly what I mean by losing your head," Rosalind said, her frustration growing. "You know dueling is against the law. And what would you do if you did shoot him? You'd have to flee the country!"

"Only if he died. And I haven't decided whether I would allow him to live or not."

"And what do you think will happen to my reputation then?" Rosalind asked, horrified at her husband's words. "Evan, think for a moment. You might think you are defending my honor, but you would only make things worse."

Her husband shook his head. "It seems every plan I make would only make things worse."

Stepping closer, Rosalind leaned against him. "I know. We just have to think of something." She paused. "Mr. Williams has suggested we consult a lawyer on the matter. One your family has not used before, who will be concerned with our interests."

"You spoke to Will about this?" Shock filled Evan's voice. "I thought you wanted to keep this quiet."

"I found myself in his company when I was still angry about Ingram. Since he has traveled and seen more of the world, I thought he would be able to give us some perspective on the matter. Besides, he would not gossip about our affairs any more than Emily would."

"True," Evan said reluctantly. "Will is right. Now that Rowley has made his move, we know how the chessboard is set up. Legal advice will be invaluable now." He paused for a moment. "And I think we should return to London as soon as possible, even if you do hate it."

Somehow, Rosalind wasn't surprised by the statement. "I don't necessarily hate it. I don't enjoy many of the social events, it's true, but that is not all to life in London," she said sincerely.