Laurel chuckled. “He’s some kind of cousin to Lady Julia and very fond of her. If he’s unavailable, I’m sure we can find another leading cleric or two. The clerics would be useful in clearing your reputation, because if influential members of the Church believe you were unjustly accused, most of the rest of society will agree. This would help you retain custody of Christopher.”

“I surely hope so!” Kendra considered. “Much of Denshire’s rage is because he wants the money left to me in trust by my grandfather. He’s made several unsuccessful legal attempts to claim the funds and my lawyers could attest to that. Would having one of my lawyers attend be useful? It would prove how low Denshire’s motives are.”

“That would surely be helpful,” Kirkland agreed.

Kendra looked over to Lucas. “What do you think?”

“It would certainly be an interesting evening for anyone whose life doesn’t weigh in the balance!” His brows furrowed. “People are unpredictable, and Denshire more than most. I don’t think I mentioned that he seems to have advanced syphilis?”

Kirkland gave a low whistle. “That goes a long way to explaining his unreasonable behavior.”

“It doesn’t make him any less dangerous. Rather the opposite.” Lucas returned Kendra’s glance. “Such an event might help your cause and is unlikely to make your situation worse. Given the elaborate fraud Denshire created to destroy you and your marriage, perhaps it’s appropriate to create an equally elaborate trap to expose his crimes.”

“How long do you think it will take to arrange the event?” Kendra asked.

Laurel considered. “Two to three weeks? That would fall at the height of the season so our exclusive gathering will be much talked about.”

“The doors of the ballroom should have capable gentlemen standing guard to prevent any of the guilty from leaving early,” Lucas said. “I’ll volunteer for that duty.”

Kirkland gave a dangerous smile. “So will I.”

Once again, Kendra was amazed at how lucky she was to have such friends and allies, and she owed it all to Lucas. “With luck, Christopher will be safely out of Denshire’s grasp by then. I look forward to meeting your Lady Agnes, Lord Kirkland.”

“I’m sure you’ll like her. You’re both very direct females.” He stood and offered a farewell smile. “Until tomorrow afternoon then.”

Kendra rose also. Now to persuade her son to go away to another school.

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 24

Kendra waited until after lunchtime the next day to tell her son that the headmistress of a school was coming to meet him that afternoon. His small face screwed up at the news. “Why can’t I stay here with you? I like it here!”

“This is a lovely place to stay,” Kendra agreed. “But it’s not our home. You need to be somewhere outside of London, where it’s safe.”