on his shoulder, Poppy forced him to face her. “What’s going on in that head of yours, husband?”
“A bit of a scheme is all.”
Aurora narrowed her eyes and rubbed her palms together. “What kind of scheme?”
Unfolding from the chaise, Mercy rose up to her full height and went to Faith by the window. “Come sit and let’s figure this out.” She wrapped her arm around Faith’s shoulders and coaxed her back to the grouping of seats set up for conversation.
Sitting on the chaise with Mercy, Faith sighed. “What did you have in mind, Rhys?”
“Well, Poppy tells me that the best way to judge a man’s character is to see how he treats servants and animals,” Rhys said.
Poppy grinned wide. “I had no idea you were even listening to me back before we liked each other.”
The two had been at odds for years before they fell in love. Looking at them now, one would think they had always been together.
He kissed Poppy’s cheek. “I always listen, my love.”
Faith couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “What Poppy said is true. A man who is cruel to people in his employ, or animals, is not to be trusted.”
“It’s important to know if he has a temper as well.” Aurora’s previous playfulness was gone.
Mercy said, “A temper merely means he is passionate. It is whether that temper is violent and out of his control that is important.”
Aurora nodded. “Agreed.”
Stroking his chin, Rhys considered the qualifications. “A gentleman is trained to hide many things in public. If you want to find out the kind of man he really is, you will have to be alone with him and put him in a difficult situation. Are you willing to go that far, Faith?”
It was outrageous to spend time alone with a man, no matter the situation. To not have a chaperone would ruin her reputation. However, marrying a man whose character was a mystery was far more dangerous, as Aurora had shown them all. Desperate for some way to resolve the matter, Faith asked, “How do we get Nicholas to go along with this?”
“He won’t,” Rhys said. “We would have to trick him and trap him somewhere.”
“Good Lord,” Poppy screeched. “You were incensed by the idea of spying on him only last spring, and now you want to lure him into a trap?”
“I don’t see how else Faith will be able to find out what she wants to know.” Rhys stood and rubbed his chin while pacing the rug.
Aurora tapped her fingers on her knee. “Do you think Mr. Arafa might be of some help?”
“Would he help?” Mercy’s eyes were wide behind her spectacles.
Rhys considered it.
Poppy said, “He might. He admires Faith and thinks her a good match for his friend. Also, he feels bad for having told Nicholas about our spying. He didn’t expect him to react so intensely.”
“Poppy and I will go and speak to him and see what he thinks.” Rhys returned to his seat. “You’ll need to find an animal of some kind to test him with.”
Mercy clapped. “The downstairs maid, Kathy, just brought in a stray puppy. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind your taking over his care.”
“That dog is a menace,” Aurora said.
A wicked smile lit Mercy’s face. “He’ll be perfect to test that anger we talked about too.”
Faith hadn’t heard about the puppy. “I will go and speak to Kathy after tea and meet the puppy.”
“This is madness.” Faith must have lost her mind to even consider spending time alone with Nicholas.
Rhys shrugged. “If you think it goes too far, Faith, then we’ll forget the entire thing.”
“I can’t live with the current status of things,” Faith said. “I need to know if calling off is the right thing to do rather than the only thing to do.”
Poppy nodded. “So what we need is a location away from town that we can lure Nick into, and if you are there alone, he would be ungentlemanly to leave you stranded.”
“Stranded!” Aurora stood. “You mean we are just going to leave Faith at some strange location and hope the Duke of Breckenridge is a gentleman? We can’t just take it on goodwill that he will stay and protect her. He might take her virtue and leave her with no protection. What do we know about him beyond our suspicion that he is a spy?”
Shaking her head, Poppy sat on the edge of her seat. “I don’t think so. He is a reasonable man. He was very cordial to Rhys and me when we went to see him after our spying incident was discovered. He wasn’t happy with us, but he let us in and spoke to us. He was kind, and I dare say, even friendly.”
Rhys nodded. “I’m not sure I would have been so gracious in his shoes.”
“But does that mean he won’t take advantage of a woman alone in the country?” Aurora wrapped her arms around her middle.
“He does not strike me as a man who would want a woman who was not willing.” Rhys’s cheeks and neck pinked.
Faith couldn’t blame him for being embarrassed when speaking about such a subject with four women. She was certain her own face was berry red. “I’m willing to take the chance. He may have secrets, he may even be working for the government, but I don’t believe him a monster, Aurora.”
Mercy drew a breath and pulled herself to her full seated height. “Then that’s settled. We go on with the madness of finding a country house where we can strand Faith and His Grace for a set period of time. The rest will be up to you, Faith.”
A foreboding knot settled in the pit of Faith’s stomach. “I think it is the only way to satisfy my sense of right and wrong with regard to Nicholas.”
Aurora sat and leaned back against the cushion. “If you are sure, you have my full support, Faith. Should I call for more tea or have we had enough for today?”
“I can’t drink another cup.” Poppy curled into Rhys’s side.
“We should be getting home.” Rhys smiled at his wife.
Faith said, “One last thing, and it’s regarding Mr. Arafa.”
“What about him?” Rhys narrowed his gaze.
Nicholas said something about his being lonely here in England. I thought perhaps when we entertain here at West Lane, we might be inclined to invite him. I like him, and Poppy and Rhys have become good friends with him.
“I have no objections.” Aurora smiled. “You three have spoken so much about him and I’ve only met him once. I would like to get to know him better.”
Poppy frowned. “I was disgusted with the others at the dinner
