Something Scandalous (23 page)

“Perhaps we should go to Gunter’s for some ices,” Sophie suggested.

“Ices! How is that going to help?” Elizabeth said. Had Sophie completely lost her mind?

“We need to get you out of the house. And something is telling me we need to go to Gunter’s.” Sophie gave her a weak smile and a little shrug.

Elizabeth waved her hand around her. “I did get out of my house. I came to your home. And the last thing I want to do is go out for ices.”

Sophie tilted her head back and sighed. “You need to be in public. You need to see that just because you discovered who your father is makes no difference. No one else knows.”

“Now you sound like Will,” Elizabeth mumbled. After waking this morning alone, she had sat in her room and thought about her future.

“Good, I personally like the man. He has a sound mind and I think he loves you,” Sophie said in a soft tone.

“It matters not.” Elizabeth realized this morning that she would have to leave the house. Whether she loved Will or not, she could not stay. She wasn’t one of them any longer.

“Of course it matters. Assuming you love him,” Sophie drawled. “You do, don’t you?”

Exasperation crept up her skin. “Yes, I love him.”

“Good, then we are off to the booksellers.”

Elizabeth blinked and shook her head. “I thought you wanted ices?”

Sophie pursed her lips and shook her head. “I was wrong. I must look for a book.”

Never in all the years that Elizabeth had known Sophie had she seen her friend in such an odd mood. As much as she had no need to go to the booksellers, Elizabeth decided she had better accompany Sophie today. There was just no telling what her friend might do.

“All right, we shall go find your book,” Elizabeth said.

“Very good,” Sophie said with a self-satisfied smile. “I shall order the carriage.”

As Sophie left to speak with her footman, Elizabeth sat in the chair, bemused. Sophie was up to something, Elizabeth determined. But she had no idea what.

Elizabeth had come over to talk about what happened last night, knowing she could trust Sophie with such a private subject. Not that Elizabeth had given Sophie the lurid details in the diaries. Only that they had discovered Elizabeth’s father. But Sophie had barely listened to her. Perhaps Elizabeth should have gone to Victoria for guidance. Although, Elizabeth had never been certain about Victoria. There was always an air of quiet mystery surrounding her friend.

None of that mattered any more. Tonight Elizabeth would pack her belongings and tomorrow she would move in with Sophie. Sophie’s aunt had agreed that she could stay with them and her small allowance would help offset the rising costs. Everything would be perfect.

Except she would not see Will any longer. And she would never kiss him again. And what if she was with child? Elizabeth rubbed her temples to keep the agonizing pain away. She had been such a fool to let him make love to her again last night. But if they hadn’t, she might never have found the diary. Still, the idea of having a child out of wedlock terrified her. She didn’t have the means to take care of a child on her own.

“Elizabeth, stop this nonsense right now. I know what you are thinking.”

“What are you speaking of?” Sophie could not know what Elizabeth was thinking. Could she? Perhaps her friend’s powers were stronger than Elizabeth ever realized.

Sophie glared at her. “You are not with child. You will not be out on the streets. You have friends who love you and will help you in any manner possible. So no more self-pity!”

Elizabeth almost laughed at Sophie’s angry tone. Never had her friend spoken in such a way to her. “Very well, Sophie. I shall have to trust you in this matter.”

“Yes, you shall at that,” Sophie said. “Now come along, the carriage awaits.”

“As you wish.” Perhaps Sophie could tell with her powers that everything would work out all right. Elizabeth wondered if Sophie knew for certain that she wasn’t with child. As much as she loved children, and would be pleased to have a baby when she married, having one now would be a disaster.

They traveled to the bookstore in relative silence. Elizabeth didn’t mind as she was still lost in her own thoughts. Will would not be pleased when she told him that she was leaving. It was her fault. She should have left as soon as he arrived. Then she never would have fallen in love with him. She never would have found those disgusting journals and discovered just how depraved her parents were.

But now she had to move forward. Decide on a path for her future. Something that would involve never seeing Will again. No matter how much that hurt. The future Duchess of Kendal could not be the daughter of a footman.

They finally arrived at the bookshop and climbed down from the carriage. “What book are you looking for, Sophie?”

Sophie paused. “I am not quite certain. I shall know when we enter the store.”

Elizabeth shook her head as frustration with her friend overcame her again. “I cannot help you if I do not know what you are looking for.”

“Help me? We are here to help you, not me,” Sophie said elusively.

“Help me with what?”

“Will, of course.” Sophie walked toward the store, leaving Elizabeth standing behind her with her mouth gaping.

She followed quickly behind Sophie as her friend walked around the store. “Over here,” she whispered to Elizabeth.

“Why are you whispering?”

Sophie put her finger to her lips to hush her. Elizabeth had no idea what they were doing sneaking around a bookshop but she followed her friend anyway.

Sophie stopped by a selection of poetry and pulled out a book. She inclined her head to let Elizabeth know to do the same. Elizabeth found a volume of sonnets and pretended to peruse it. As she did, voices carried from the stack of books on the other side of the shelves.

“Everything is set,” the woman said with confidence. “I sent him the note this afternoon.”

“Excellent, my dear. You will soon be the Duchess of Kendal,” the man said in a soft tone.

Elizabeth reached for the shelf in support. Who was on the other side of the bookshelf? She attempted to glance through the spaces but could only see a blue gown that looked slightly outdated.

“Do you honestly think this will work, Father?”

“Abigail, remember, he must believe you defied me by coming to England. He must believe you love him and this was all your idea. If he ever discovers the truth, he will never marry you and all our plans will be for naught.”

“I understand, Father. Everything will go exactly as we planned. He will marry me and I will become the duchess.”

Abigail. The Abigail?
The woman he loved and begged to defy her father by marrying him? She was in London. And obviously planning to marry Will.

There was no chance of that happening. Elizabeth started to move toward the aisle when Sophie stopped her.

“Not now,” Sophie whispered.

“What do you mean, not now?” Elizabeth frantically tried to pull her arm out of Sophie’s grip.

“They are leaving. Will must make the decision, Elizabeth.”

“You heard them. They are planning to trap him.” Elizabeth finally broke free and strode to the aisle just in time to see them leave. “I have to stop them.”

“Do you?”

She turned back to Sophie. “What do you mean? I must warn Will that she is coming. And she lied about defying her father.”

“Indeed?”

Elizabeth hated it when Sophie arched one brow at her in such a condescending manner. It made her feel like a naughty child. “Of course I do.”

“Is it not his decision to make?”

Slowly they walked out of the store, having bought nothing. “I don’t understand.”

“Has he told you he loves you?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “No,” she admitted.

“If he is still in love with Abigail, shouldn’t he be allowed to make his own decisions?”

“But it would be a dreadful mistake, Sophie. There is something iniquitous about what they are planning.”

“Perhaps,” Sophie drawled. “It should still be his decision, not yours.”

“I cannot believe you are saying this to me!” Elizabeth climbed up into the carriage. “You are the one who told me to seduce him.”

Sophie had the grace to blush. “At the time, I never imagined the woman would come to London to chase after him.”

“But she doesn’t love him.”

“From the conversation, I would have to agree,” Sophie said. “But you don’t know if he loves you, either.”

Elizabeth didn’t know if Will loved her. He acted as if he did. He held her when she needed comfort and helped her find the diaries. If breaking a desk during intercourse could be called helping. Still, he could have asked her to leave as soon as he arrived, and he hadn’t. He must have some feelings for her.

And even if he didn’t love her, he should not be stuck with a conniving little witch for a bride. He needed to learn the truth about Abigail.

“Sophie, I think I need someone else’s help with this.”

Sophie’s mouth drew downward. “Who?”

“Lord Somerton. He can find out what they are up to and then I can tell Will the truth.”

Sophie groaned. “Very well. When we return home, I shall send him a note.”

“No,” Elizabeth said. “We must go to his home now.”

“We cannot do that.”

“Either you come with me or I shall do it by myself.”

“All right.” Sophie glanced out the window and mumbled, “He is going to hate this.”

Anthony fell back against the pillows, breathing hard. The woman next to him appeared to be falling asleep already. That was not about to happen.

“Wake up,” he said, shaking her shoulder. What the devil was her name again? “Annette, wake up.”

The blonde blinked her eyes slowly at him and then leisurely licked her lips. Her attempts to entice him would not work this time. He’d had his pleasure, and now it was time for her to leave.

A knock sounded on his door. “Lord Somerton, there are two ladies here to see you.”

“Hell, Busby. I already have one in here.”

“They don’t appear to be that sort of lady, milord.”

Annette sat up. “What did he mean by that?”

“Annette, get dressed and Busby will see that you are delivered to your home.” Anthony threw off the coverlet and grabbed his trousers. “Who the bloody hell is calling on me at this time of day?”

He glanced over at his clock to see it was only three in the afternoon. “It had better be important, and not two old ladies looking for charitable donations.”

“Somerton,” Annette whined prettily. “Can’t I stay here and wait for you to be done? Then we could take another go at it.”

“Go home.” He left the room before she could argue with him. He hadn’t even bothered with his neckcloth. Maybe his inappropriate attire will scare the ladies off.

“Where are they?” he asked once he reached the bottom step.

“In the receiving salon, milord.”

“Take Mrs. Haddon home.”

“Yes, sir.”

Anthony walked into the salon as casually as he could when all he wanted to do was wring someone’s neck. He noticed Sophie sitting in the floral chair and his anger rose to a boiling point.

“You are the reason I am out of bed this afternoon? I happened to have a lovely woman up there with me.”

A small gasp from the couch brought his attention to Lady Elizabeth.
Damn.
“Excuse me, Lady Elizabeth. I did not realize you were here.”

“Lord Somerton, Miss Reynard is only here because of me,” she said in a timid voice.

He glared back at Sophie, who merely smirked at him. “And why are you here?”

“I need your help.”

He was bloody sick of helping people. “What do you need?”

Lady Elizabeth quickly explained her need as her cheeks reddened with every word. He did like the woman, and thought she would make Kendal a good wife. Why would he doubt it? Sophie was always right about her matches.

“Very well, Lady Elizabeth,” he said slowly. “I will do my best. But it could take a few days to get all the information you may require.
If
I can discover their true intent at all.”

“I understand, Lord Somerton. I shall pray that you find the information quickly. I am not sure how long we have before she tries to see him.”

“Elizabeth, go out to the carriage. I will join you in a moment. I need a word in private with Lord Somerton,” Sophie said with a smile.

“Of course,” Elizabeth replied, eying them both carefully.

Anthony waited for the door to close before attacking Sophie. “Why did you bring her here?” he demanded.

“I did not bring her here. She insisted we come to your house to make this request. I tried to stop her.”

Sophie stood and paced the room. “I do not like this development. I had everything under control.”

Anthony laughed caustically. “You mean you didn’t
see
them coming?”

“No,” Sophie bit out. “I never thought Abigail would come all this way. Out of the blue today, I realized something was happening. Luckily, I was able to sense that Elizabeth and I needed to go to the bookshop. Why is Abigail here?”

“Perhaps if you didn’t sense this until today, you are losing your powers,” he said with a smirk.

She narrowed her eyes on him until he tensed. “You had best hope I haven’t lost my powers, or you will never get the name you are seeking.”

Damn her for making him wait this long already. All he needed was one girl’s name. How hard could that be? “Why didn’t you sense them?”

Sophie paced the small room with a worried frown. “I wish I knew.” She suddenly stopped and looked at him with a slight smile. “Perhaps it is because the duke really doesn’t love Abigail, so her presence here is meaningless.”

“And if he does love her?”

“Then all may be lost.”

Bloody hell, he would never get that girl’s name.

Will paced the study from his desk to the fireplace and back. What would he say to Abigail? How could he tell her that she had wasted her time and money, and quite possibly ruined her reputation by chasing after him? He didn’t love her any longer.

He loved Elizabeth and wanted to marry her.

But the idea of hurting Abigail was killing him. He’d waited years for her to come to her senses and defy her father. She would never want to stay in England with him. Perhaps if she had come over weeks ago, before he became involved with Elizabeth, things might have been different. But he was thankful she hadn’t. Otherwise, he might never have fallen so deeply in love with Elizabeth.

He didn’t know how to tell Abigail that he didn’t love her. Had he ever? He sank into a chair closer to the fireplace. Had he ever loved Abigail? Or was she simply something he thought he wanted. Marrying her would have given him the excuse to stay in America and not face his duties in England. If she had defied her father, then he would have been forced to do the same and reject the title.

After returning to England, and seeing the possibilities for changes he could make, he started to enjoy the place. But it was Elizabeth that helped him see all those things. She made London feel like home to him.

He could not give it up. And he would not marry Abigail. He would put her on the first ship heading back to America.

A knock sounded from the outside of his door. “Yes?”

Kenneth walked inside. “Your Grace, there is a lady here to see you.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “She came without a chaperone or maid. Should I tell her you are not at home?”

“No, Kenneth. I believe it is an old friend from America. I will see her in the small salon. Bring refreshments.” Like a bottle of whisky for him.

As the footman left, Will rose from his seat and adjusted his cravat. Where was Elizabeth when he needed her support? He walked to the door. Breaking a woman’s heart was not an easy thing to do.

The stroll down the hall to the small salon seemed endless today. The dread in his heart slowed him to a snail’s pace. He needed to get this over with now.

He stood at the threshold and stared at her. She hadn’t noticed his presence yet. Her blond hair was swept up into a loose chignon, and she held a green velvet bonnet in her lap. He must have made some small noise because she suddenly turned her head to look at him. Her sparkling blue eyes filled with tears as she sat there gazing at him.

“Will!” She quickly launched herself into his arms. Backing away, she apologized softly, “I am dreadfully sorry. That was very wrong of me.”

“Abigail, how are you?”

“Wonderful now,” she said with a sigh.

“Have a seat and we shall have tea,” Will said. He waited for Abigail to take her chair, and then moved to the chair across from her.

Abigail poured tea while Will watched her every move. Her hands trembled as if nervous around him, something she’d never been before. She handed him a teacup with a weak smile.

“So, Abigail, how did you arrive in London?” he asked to make conversation and put her more at ease.

“I sold my grandmother’s necklace for passage,” she replied, then sipped her tea. “I had just enough money for the trip and a night or two in London. I hoped you would help me find other accommodations until we can be married.”

Married. She had not even waited for him to bring up the subject. “I will make sure you are taken care of,” he said softly.

“Oh, Will, I have missed you terribly,” she said stiffly.

“Abigail, what changed your mind about defying your father and coming over here?”

She smiled at him. “I missed you. I met Josiah Harwood and immediately knew he was not the right man for me.”

Will sat back and sipped his tea. “Why not? I knew Josiah in Virginia. He is a good man.”

“Oh, Will,” she said coyly. “He is so much older than I.”

“He is thirty, Abigail. Only two years older than me.”

“But he seems much older than that. His hair is almost all gray. And he already has two children from his first marriage. And he owns a farm, Will.”

What was it that seemed different about her? It was almost as if her conversation was scripted. “While I don’t have the gray hair, I do still have seven siblings to care for, and I own four estates.”

“Yes, estates,” Abigail commented. “With servants.”

So that was it. Josiah did not have enough money for her. Although, her father had enough money and would have assisted them if needed. Something didn’t seem right. Could she possibly have planned this all along? Had she been rejecting his offers of marriage until he actually inherited the title?

No, that made no sense. If that had been the case, she would have agreed to marry him before he left for England. He had written to her about the trip five months before he left. She had plenty of time to let him know she wanted to marry him and come along with him.

“Tell me more about your estates, Will.”

Will glanced over at Abigail and could have sworn there was a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes. “I really don’t know too much about the estates yet. Elizabeth thought it best if we stayed in London for the Season before venturing off to the country.”

Abigail’s blue eyes widened. “Elizabeth?”

“She is—”

“Standing right here, Will.”

Will turned his head to the doorway where Elizabeth stood with her arms folded over her chest and a look of fury burning in her eyes.

“Elizabeth, come in,” he offered. “Meet Abigail.”

Elizabeth smiled tightly while her heart raced in her chest. Now she had no time to discover what they were up to. She had to come up with a plan. She could never let Will marry that deceitful Abigail.

“I am sorry,” Abigail said slowly, “how do you two know each other?”

“I am his cousin. The former duke’s daughter.” She said the lie easily.

“Oh, I see,” Abigail said in a relieved tone. She leaned back against the chair and smiled at Elizabeth.

“Do you?” Elizabeth asked, using her haughtiest voice.

Abigail blinked as if she realized her mistake.

Seeing the look in Will’s eyes, Elizabeth wondered again how he felt about Abigail. Perhaps she should leave the room and let them talk. But she didn’t want to see him hurt by Abigail again.

“Abigail, back to our conversation,” Will said, “why did you wait five years to defy your father? You had the perfect opportunity when I was leaving for London with the children. I would have married you before we left. I would have paid your passage so you wouldn’t have been forced to sell your grandmother’s pendant.”

Abigail blinked as if holding back tears. “I did not realize how much I loved you until you were gone.”

“Oh, for pity sake, he’d been in Canada for five years,” Elizabeth mumbled. She looked away as both Will and Abigail glanced over at her.

“Are you all right, Elizabeth?” Will asked softly.

“Perfectly fine,” she bit out.

Will appeared to be suppressing a smile. “Abigail, we have been apart for five years. Why this sudden rush of feelings?”

Abigail looked away as her face turned white. “I have always loved you, Will. But the idea of marrying Josiah made me realize just how strong those feelings were. I realized that I could not live without you.”

Elizabeth bit her tongue so as not to interfere with their conversation. All the while, her anger rose. She wanted to scoff at Abigail and chase her from this house. But that was for Will to decide, not her.

“Why did you write that letter to me stating you agreed with your father to marry Josiah?” Will asked.

“Oh, Will,” she cried. “My father made me write that letter. He sat at the table next to me and forced me to write every word. I had no choice.”

Oh, dear God, Elizabeth thought. Will was starting to believe the charlatan. “Why did you not send a second letter, written in private, of course, explaining the situation?”

“Elizabeth,” Will warned. “This is my business.”

“Yes, Will,” Abigail complained. “Why is she here for our private conversation?”

“That is enough, Abigail. Elizabeth is my cousin, and as such, she has a right to be here.”

Abigail narrowed her gaze on Elizabeth. “It seems a little inappropriate, if you ask me.”

“I do not think anyone asked you.” Elizabeth wanted to reach over and strangle the woman.

Abigail stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. “Will, I believe our conversation is finished as long as she is in the room.”

Will shook his head. “Elizabeth, leave us. I will speak with you when we are done.”

Abigail sent Elizabeth a smug smile. “Now we can plan our wedding, Will.”

Wedding! Elizabeth’s head spun. She couldn’t let him marry Abigail. There had to be some way she could stop them. The comment sent Elizabeth over a great precipice, and the words tumbled out before she could stop them.

“Will, you cannot marry her. I am with child.” Elizabeth clapped her hand over her mouth. How could she have said that?

“What!” Will exclaimed, rising from his chair and staring at her.

“Will! You did…that…with her!” Abigail shrieked.

“Elizabeth, go up to your room. We will talk in a little while. I must speak with Abigail.” Will slowly sat back into his chair.

“Will!” Abigail exclaimed again.

“Sit down, Abigail.”

Elizabeth walked out of the room with leaden feet. How could she have blurted out such a lie? She would not know for weeks if she was with child. What made her say such a thing?

She sat on her bed and noticed the diaries still on her nightstand. They had both forgotten to hide them again. As she sat there staring at those books, Elizabeth’s mind wandered back to what her mother had done. She had manipulated that footman to get what she wanted.

Elizabeth cringed as she grabbed the diary off the table and opened it up again. She scanned through the entries and found numerous examples of her mother using sex to get what she wanted. She had wanted to refurbish the house in Hampshire, so she agreed to let the duke watch her have sexual congress with another man. When she wanted a new oil painting for the great hall in Kendal, she agreed to have sex with the duke and four other men at the same time.

The entries only served to sadden Elizabeth. Her mother must have hated what she had done. But as Elizabeth continued to read, she could find no entries showing her mother’s feelings about it. On one day, her mother expressed how much she enjoyed a visit from Lord H because he was so much bigger than the duke. Perhaps her mother hadn’t minded at all.

Elizabeth put the book down and thought about her own actions. Guilt filled her as she remembered being flirtatious with Will in order to continue to stay in this house. Then there was that dreadful thought that she had first made love in the music room to get him to stay in England. Had that been the reason she had done such a thing?

No. She could not be as manipulative as her mother. But if that was the case, why had she blurted out that she was with child? Perhaps she did it only to keep Will from marrying Abigail, but it was still manipulation.

Sophie had told her that he had to make the decision regarding Abigail, but Elizabeth refused to listen. She sank deep into her pillows and let her tears fall. She had done it to control the situation to get what she wanted. Just like her mother.

But Elizabeth knew she couldn’t let Abigail marry Will. The woman had deliberately lied to him. Elizabeth pounded the pillow in frustration.

None of it mattered any longer. After all she had done to get her way, and then discovering who her father was, she could never marry Will. He deserved far better than a woman who used her wiles to get something out of him. Her heart ached with the love she had for him.

She wanted to be the one to show him the importance of being duke. She had wanted to be the one to celebrate a victory in Parliament with him. Or visit the tenants with him.

Or watch his face when he saw his heir for the first time.

Now, because of her actions, and the actions of her mother, Elizabeth would never have those things. Instead, she would go live with Sophie until she could determine a path for her future. A bleak future, indeed.

“You were actually with that…that woman!” Abigail exclaimed once Elizabeth left the room.

“Yes,” Will answered honestly. He did not care if Abigail learned the truth. With Elizabeth’s pregnancy, they would have to be married as quickly as possible. Abigail knew no one in London, so she would not be gossiping.

“I cannot believe it. She must have tricked you into her bed.”

“Why would she have to do such a thing?”

Disbelief showed on her face. “She has red hair…and freckles!”

And was one of the most beautiful women Will had ever known. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Oh, Will, she enticed you into her bed so she could become the next duchess,” Abigail said with a slight sob. “She wanted to take you away from me.”

“Abigail, nothing happened until after you sent me that note stating you were going to marry Josiah. I had been completely faithful to you for all those years, waiting for you to realize how much I loved you.”

“Then you do still love me.” Abigail brushed away a tear. “Then everything will be fine. You can pay her money to have the baby in the country, or even in another country. I am sure we can make up a lie for her, such as she is a widow—”

“Abigail, no.” Will could not believe the woman he thought he once loved would be so heartless.

“What do you mean, no?”

“I am not about to give Elizabeth money to go have my child alone.”

Abigail shook her head with a pitiful look upon her face. “Will, you do not even know that baby is yours.”

Will clenched his fists. “Yes, I do know.”

“Oh,” she whispered.

“I am sorry, Abigail. But I am marrying Elizabeth.” Will stood and held his hand out to her. “I will see to your passage back to Virginia.”

“I cannot return. I will be a laughingstock. I have ruined all chances of a decent marriage.”

“No, you have not. People will understand that I married another,” Will replied.

Abigail thrust his hand away from her and stood. “You are a fool, William Atherton. That woman is just trying to become your duchess. She has no love for you.”