Always True to Her (Emerson Book 2) (3 page)

She couldn’t believe Cedric was guilty of what the
man – Lord James – had accused him of doing. Her brother had his faults, but
he was not dishonorable. She’d been surprised when he’d told her he was going
to America, but he’d been excited by the prospect of starting over in a land
where no one knew him. She’d admired him for it. She’d even envied him a
bit. It was exactly the type of freedom she’d always wanted but been denied.

But such was the lot of ladies.

At three and twenty, she was a decade younger than
her brother and did not know him well. But she could not believe him guilty of
the allegations Lord James had levied against him. Grandmama had certainly not
lent them any credence, though her father hadn’t defended Cedric as much as he
might have. But then, Papa hadn’t been himself since before her brother had
left.

Irene entered the study to find her father
conferring with his mother. “Who was that man?” she asked. Then she gasped
when she saw her father’s grey face. “Papa, are you unwell?”

“Your father is perfectly fine,” said the dowager
dismissively. “And that man was naught but an extortionist. He wants to
extract money from this family and has threatened to take Ainsworth to court.
That’s just like an Emerson. The old Earl of Ridgeway was a scoundrel and the
new one is even worse.”

Irene did not know much about either the former earl
or the current one. While she’d made her debut some five years earlier, she
disliked the social whirl and tried to avoid it as much as possible. She’d
heard rumors that the current Earl of Ridgeway had been searching for an
heiress, but had then married a governess. That had been a source of great
amusement in the
ton
, but Irene rather thought many of the ladies’ acidic
comments were prompted by their disappointment that the Earl of Ridgeway was no
longer in the market for a countess. For her part, she thought it must have
been a love match since from what she’d heard – not that she paid attention to
gossip – the earl had truly needed the money.

Irene only wished she would find someone to love her
that much. She had a nice dowry, which her grandmother had said would help
offset the lamentable fact that she was taller than was fashionable. She’d
been courted by a dozen gentlemen over the years, but she’d never felt the
spark that could lead to love. And she was determined not to marry without it.

Irene had little use for titles – not that it
mattered what her thoughts were on the subject. The dowager viscountess was
determined that Irene marry as well as possible. Of course, her grandmother
and she had very different definitions of what would constitute marrying well.
The dowager would not accept anyone lower than an earl, with the possible
exception of a second son of a marquess or duke if the heir was a bit sickly,
prone to drunken dueling or had the habit of siring only daughters.

The man also had to be plump in the pocket, which
was one of the reasons Irene had been kept away from the Earl of Ridgeway when
he’d been on the hunt for a bride.

Her family’s fortune was sizable, though not
vulgarly so. Of course, she had often noted that people generally found fault only
with other people’s money and not their own. Cedric was her father’s heir.
And it was Papa’s largess that enabled her brother to enjoy his prolonged stay
in America. Cedric’s departure had been rather unexpected, given their father’s
declining health. But when she’d asked about it, her grandmother had simply
said it was none of her concern what her brother chose to do. He was the heir;
she was merely his sister.

Grandmama could be rather cutting in her comments.

Irene was about to return to her room, when her
father cried out and clutched his chest. His face was ashen and he was having
trouble breathing. “Carter!” she called out. “Send for Papa’s physician
directly.” She went to her father, who was now perspiring profusely. She took
his hand. “Please, Papa, calm yourself.”

He pulled his hand from her. “Cedric. It’s all
because of Cedric.”

“The situation will soon be sorted,” she said. “I
know it will.

“Ainsworth, get a hold of yourself,” said the
dowager, who did not appear overly alarmed. “The servants will think you have
taken ill.”

“He has, Grandmama. One look at him should tell you
that.”

The dowager regarded Irene with an icy stare. “I
can tell a great deal from one look. And I know what I’ve seen this day. Your
father is too weak-willed to stand up to a scoundrel. That is why we now have
these theatrics. I shall be in my rooms. Report to me if the physician has anything
of interest to say.”

With that, the old woman walked away. Her cane
tapping the floor as she went.

James was angry, though he should have expected the
lack of cooperation from Ainsworth. Cedric was, after all, a thief. Should it
be that big of a surprise that his father would not want to admit it? There
was also the possibility that Cedric’s lack of morals and disdain for the law
had been learned at home. The dowager viscountess had certainly sided with her
grandson quickly enough.

It looked like any hope for a quick resolution was
gone. It was time to meet with the solicitor Nicholas had recommended. James
pulled Anna’s bonnet, coat and scarf closer about her. He was still carrying
her. London streets were too busy – too dangerous – to risk her safety.
Perhaps he would let her walk when they were in the park or on one of the
quieter streets of Mayfair. But not now. Because at the moment, he needed a
hack to take them to Covent Garden. And that certainly wasn’t a good place for
her to walk about on her own.

The drive through the city was slow, giving James
too much time to dwell on the events at Ainsworth’s house. Anna was quiet,
occupying herself by looking out the window. She smiled at him and he was
reminded that he was a very fortunate man.

Nicholas had warned James that his solicitor’s
office was in an area that was only somewhat respectable. As the hack drew up
and James saw a prostitute negotiating with a client in a doorway, he wondered
how his brother had ever come to do business with a solicitor in this
neighborhood. James wished there had been an alternative to bringing Anna, but
there was naught for it now but to pull her closer to him – she certainly
wasn’t walking here – and make his way toward the building he sought. He held
his daughter in his left arm, while his right hand was in his pocket, grasping
a pistol. He also had three knives on his person, a precaution he’d adopted
shortly after arriving in America.

He entered the building, which smelled like mildew, trash
and the sweat of some very nervous men. The stairwell was dark and narrow. He
began to wonder more and more about this solicitor Nick had recommended. Then
he wondered about Nick.

He entered the office of Geoffrey Olson, Esquire and
was surprised to find a woman at the desk in the small reception area. She had
bright red hair and more face paint than eight opera dancers combined. There
was a small room to the right with two or three clerks, and a private office to
the left.

“’ere to see Mr. Olson, are ye love?” she asked.
She smiled at Anna. “Yer a pretty girl, ain’t ye?”

Anna looked at the woman solemnly.

James surveyed the small room, wondering if the
interior office was being robbed and this woman was the look-out. “I am here
to see Mr. Olson, but I do not have an appointment. However, the Earl of
Layton sent me.”

“Don’t know no Earl of Layton,” said the woman with
a shrug. “In any sort of way. ‘Course I ain’t Mr. Olson’s secretary or
nothin’. I’m just waiting ‘ere ‘til ‘e gets back from the docks wiv me
ticket. Goin’ to Philadelphia, I am, to start a new life. Thought I’d see if
I was good at anythin’ besides whorin’.” She looked James up and down.
Twice. “’Course I’m awful good at whorin’.”

“As they say, anything worth doing is worth doing
well,” murmured James, hoping Anna’s knowledge of English did not include any
variation of the word “whore.” “Do you know when Mr. Olson will return?”

“I reckon ‘e’ll return as soon as ‘e’s back. Sure I
can’t do anythin’ fer ye? There’s some books yer little girl can look through
whilst I do it.”

“Thank you, no. She and I will simply sit in these
chairs.”

James unbundled his daughter, then helped her into a
chair. She was looking around, taking everything in. She was a remarkably
perceptive girl. Or at least he assumed she was. She observed everything,
though she commented on little. He often wondered what she thought about
things.

He really wanted to know what she thought about him.

The door to the outer office opened and a short,
balding man in his middle thirties entered. The sleeves of his greatcoat were
a bit too long and patched on both of the elbows. He wore no hat, but had an
abundance of scarves around his neck. He had a vague look about him and James
wondered what crime this man was accused of to require the services of a
solicitor. Then the man pulled out a packet.

“Good news, Miss Shaw!” he said to the woman at the
desk. “I was able to obtain passage for you on the next ship. It departs on
the morning tide. Will you be ready to leave by then?” He gave the woman the
packet, as well as what appeared to be coins in a handkerchief.

Miss Shaw put the packet aside and counted the
coins. Her expression showed she was impressed with the total. “What’s this
fer?”

“While your passage is
gratis
and you’ll be
welcome at the Philadelphia mission, there may be expenses in America that come
up in the meantime. Though I do caution you to spend your coins wisely. I
would not want you to fall into your old ways.”

“Me neither,” said Miss Shaw sincerely. “But was
this out of yer own pocket? Because I can’t take it if it is. Ye need it
almost as much as I do. Unless ye wanted me to work it off? Ye know, as a farewell
to the trade? Tell ye the truth, it might be kind of fun.” She winked at
him. And at James.

“No, no thank you, Miss Shaw,” said the man blushing
to his balding head, as he glanced at James and Anna. “The money is part of
the endowment set up by Lady Henry Kellington and her sister-in-law the Marchioness
of Riverton. Please use it in good health.”

“I will at that,” said Miss Shaw as she gathered her
things. “That bloke and ‘is little girl wants to see ye. Says ‘e was sent by
the Earl of Layton.”

The man turned to them. James, who’d become an expert
at sizing up people, realized this man with the vague mannerisms was extremely
perceptive. He seemed to take in a great deal of information with just one
glance. And James wasn’t sure if he’d been found wanting.

But then the man smiled at Anna. “Welcome to my
office, my dear. I believe you are a long way from home. Would you both
please step into my inner office, my lord?” Then he turned back to Miss Shaw.
“Do you have a safe place to stay tonight? I would not want your old employer
to find you.”

“Already got it covered, Mr. Olson,” said Miss Shaw
as she sashayed out from behind the desk. “If ye ever get to Philadelphia, be
sure to look me up. Same goes to ye,” she said to James. Then she kissed Mr.
Olson on the cheek and left.

Without a word of explanation, Olson ushered James
and Anna into his crowded, dusty office. There were books everywhere, but
Olson cleared off two chairs for them to sit in.

“Now, my lord, please tell me why you have come.”

“I am James Emerson, brother to the Earl of
Ridgeway. I am also friends with Layton.” The other man gave no indication
whether he knew of their true relationship, though James suspected he did. “My
daughter Anna and I have recently arrived from America, though we hope to return
shortly, pending the resolution of a land dispute.”

“I take it this dispute is the reason you have come
to see me?”

“Yes, though I may not have the funds to pay you.”

Olson studied him for a moment. “We can discuss my
fees later. But now I would like to hear about this land dispute.”

James told him the story while Olson took copious
notes, occasionally asking for clarification. When James was done, Olson
looked over his pages, then leaned back in the chair and ran his hand over his face.
“Do you know how difficult it will be to prove this before a magistrate? You
might have to take this to the House of Lords or, rather, the Earl of Ridgeway
would. I have never met your brother, though I know Layton fairly well. He
would have an uphill battle, to say the least. Forgive me for saying so, but I
believe your late father did enough to anger his peers that most would take
this opportunity to deny his son, regardless of the merits of your case. Even judging
this on the merits, it comes down to your word against his. A rather
precarious war to wage.”

“Are you doubting my word, sir?”

Olson appraised him for a moment before speaking.
“No. As a matter of fact I believe you. And not just because I trust Layton –
which I do. I fancy myself to be a fairly good judge of character. Miss Shaw,
for instance. You may have seen her as merely…” Here, he looked at Anna and
smiled. “….a businesswoman. I see her as a businesswoman who wishes to change
and start her life anew. It will be hard for her and she may well slip from
time to time, but I believe Miss Shaw will make it in the end.”

“But you’ll never know for certain.”

“True. Though the foundation I work with in
Philadelphia sends word of their successes, as well as their few failures. I
expect I’ll learn what happens to Miss Shaw. I do not predict her future based
on her past. And I do not trust a peer simply because of his lineage. It’s
usually quite the opposite. But there is something about you, Lord James, that
makes me think you are telling the truth. Quite frankly it doesn’t hurt that
you’re obviously such a devoted father. However, the fact that you’re in the
right does not mean you’ll prevail. Is there any way to corroborate your
story, other than the papers you brought with you? Was there a witness to any
of your business dealings?”

“I did have a notary witness my agreement to have
Cedric manage the land while I was away.”

“Excellent. Where is he?”

“Unfortunately, I do not know. He had said he was
returning to England within three months, but I do not know if he has already
done so.”

“Then our first bit of business will be to track him
down.”

“You’re willing to take my case?”

“I’m afraid I have a weakness for lost causes and
unwinnable cases.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better.”

“It was not meant to. Shall we discuss my fee?”

James’s heart fell. “Unfortunately, I do not have
much to give you. Layton lent us his carriage and is allowing us to stay at
his town house. If I get my land back, I could pay you a hefty fee. But in
the meantime….”

“In the meantime, I would have nothing. Yes, I
suspected as much.” He looked at Anna again and nodded to the girl. “I will
hire a Runner to see if I can find your notary. Then we shall go from there.
In the meantime, I fear I have another appointment. If you learn anything, you
will let me know?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. And when I have news I’ll send word to
the earl’s. It was a pleasure meeting you and the delightful Miss Emerson,
Lord James.”

James rose to shake the man’s hand. “Thank you for
taking my case.”

“It may all be for naught. But I will do my best.”

Somehow James had the feeling that this rumpled
man’s best was very good, indeed. It was the most hopeful he’d felt since
arriving in London.