She kept her voice low. “It must have something to do with the time they were in the army together.”
Bolton’s fingers drummed a tattoo on the table. “Laia, we are not supposed to arrive in Berwick until the third of June, is that correct?”
“Yes.” She held her cup as if ready to take a drink. “If we are early, there must be a reason. Mama never leaves Wiltshire before the stated date.”
Giles whispered to Thalia. “I take it you traveled from Wiltshire to here without the duke’s knowledge?”
Not wanting to interrupt Bolton’s ruminations, she nodded.
“So, what could happen to change that date?” he mused.
“Berwick could have somehow met Thalia and decided he wanted her to arrive earlier.” Meg frowned. “Could he have for some reason gone to Wiltshire?”
He shook his head. “I have no holdings in the area.”
“But you do have shipping interests,” Giles said.
Looking suddenly alert, Berwick nodded.
“And”—Thalia continued the thought—“even if they are not in Bristol, could a ship have been forced to go into the port, making it imperative that you travel to there?”
“Yes.” The duke nodded again. “Yes, I could, and the reason need not matter.”
“In that case, you could have asked to stay at Melbrough for the night on your way to the Great North Road.”
“Indeed, that could have occurred. It is common knowledge that Melbrough and I are friends.” Berwick glanced at Giles. “If you change your mind, my boy, I have a mind to take the lady off your hands.”
Giles narrowed his eyes and actually growled. Thalia put a hand over her mouth to smother her laughter, but her family did not bother to hide their mirth.
“I take it you don’t like the idea?” Berwick was clearly fighting not to laugh.
“I do not.” Giles slipped his arm around her, pulling her close. “I will thank you for sending me to her.”
“I was glad to do it.” The older man’s expression softened. “I wish for you the grand passion I had with Elizabeth.”
“Shall we get on with the plan?” Bolton asked, although he did not wait for an answer. “So, Berwick was at Melbrough and met Thalia.” Guy’s brows lowered. “We have been here for almost two weeks. It’s roughly five or six days from Wiltshire to Berwick-upon-Tweed. If he met her during her first week, then we could arrive at almost any time.”
“And Catherine would agree to visit Berwick early because it would please Somerset,” Meg said.
“Does it matter that no one wrote Somerset telling him of the change in plan?” Euphrosyne glanced around the table.
“Not if she wrote a letter that didn’t get sent.” Uncle Melbrough shrugged apologetically. “I must have forgotten to frank it, and it is still on my desk.”
Bolton nodded slowly. “Berwick, you must write Somerset immediately and send it by messenger. Does anyone know where he is at present?”
“He will be in Leicestershire,” Laia said.
“Then that won’t work.” Bolton tapped his fingers on the table again. “He could arrive before we do.”
“What if,” Giles said, “we just go to Whiteadder and Berwick writes Somerset from there?”
“Of course,” Bolton said. “I wonder that I didn’t think of it.”
“You have forgotten about the settlement agreements.” Hawksworth looked at Berwick. “Did you receive them before you left?”
“I did, and I brought them with me.”
“Very well, I’ll review them, and we’ll have my secretary draft the new agreements with Kendal’s name and change your information to his.”
Euphrosyne shook her head. “That will not work. His secretary, Belling, reads everything Somerset signs and would easily spot the differences.”
“Drat.” Bolton rubbed one cheek. “How do we get rid of Belling long enough for Somerset to sign the agreements?”
“I really hate to ruin what seems to be an excellent plan in the making,” Uncle Melbrough said, “but is that quite legal? I believe Somerset could repudiate the contract when he discovered he’d been duped.”
“But would he?” Aunt asked. “He is very proud, and if it ever got out that he had signed the documents without reading them, well . . .”
Hawksworth prepared another bite before speaking. “It’s worth the risk. With the wedding taking place in Scotland, Thalia will be legally wed, and that’s what is important.”
Her uncle nodded. “Then how do we rid ourselves of Belling?”
The suggestions ranged from finding a woman to waylay the man—making Thalia blush—to joking suggestions of poison.
Berwick chuckled. “You are a bloodthirsty group. Remind me not to get in your black books.”
Finally, Giles asked, “Does he travel with the duke?”
Euphrosyne shook her head. “No, Somerset prefers to travel alone.”
“Then we can find a way to cause his carriage to break down and delay him for a day or two.” He looked around the table, and everyone nodded.
Guy glanced at Hawksworth. “We shall need to locate him and make the accident occur.”
He grinned wickedly. “That will be no problem at all.”
Thalia wondered how her brother planned to make it happen, but decided not to ask. She had a more pressing question. “When can Kendal and I marry?”
Bolton stared in her direction, but not at her. “In five days, if we can depart tomorrow.”
