Colonel Fitzwilliam's Dilemma (27 page)

“What are you talking about, Cox?” Joshua asked, slamming down his tankard. “I might not want to marry Anne but you can’t just try and palm her off onto a stranger.”

“Just trying to be of service.”

“Hmm.” Joshua staggered to his feet, giving every impression of being in his cups when in fact he was icily sober. “We had best get back to Pemberley. It’s almost dinner time.”

“So it is.” Cox stood up and shook Sheffield’s hand. Joshua couldn’t bring himself to do the same. “Nice meeting you, Sheffield, and good luck with your business. We might meet again if you’re here for a while. Fitzwilliam seems to find his way in here most nights to drown his sorrows and someone has to make sure he gets back to Pemberley in one piece.”

Joshua and Cox walked away, leaving Sheffield in a pensive frame of mind.

“Well done, Cox,” Joshua said when they reached the mews and reclaimed their horses. “You sowed the seed perfectly.”

“What will happen now?”

“Sheffield will ask more questions about Pemberley and Lady Catherine. Everyone here will tell him the same thing. That Rosings is as grand as Pemberley and he will discover that everything we told him is true. You know how every tiny detail connected to the Darcy family is the equivalent of folklore around these parts. He had his eye on Millie, and she will certainly set him straight.”

They mounted up and trotted down the village street side by side. It was a fine evening. A lot of people were out for a stroll, smiling indulgently at children with energy to burn who enjoyed a rough and tumble at the side of the road. Fitzwilliam acknowledged one or two people he recognised as they made their way back.

“All we can hope for now,” Joshua added, “is that Mrs. Sheffield plays her part right.”

***

The next morning Joshua waited impatiently for Celia to join him in their usual place. When their appointed time came and went, and there was no sign of her, he became anxious that something had gone wrong. Perhaps Sheffield had somehow coerced her into parting with her property. He was at the point of making his way to Briar Hall, no longer caring if he exposed himself to Sheffield, when she ran breathlessly into the clearing. She was bareheaded, her face flushed and her eyes huge and luminous. To Joshua she had never looked lovelier, but he could see she was distressed, and his resolve not to actually touch her in an inappropriate manner did not survive the first minute. He opened his arms and she flung herself into them.

“Sorry, he was late arriving.”

“That is probably my fault. We managed to get him intoxicated.”

“Ah, that explains it. He didn’t look quite as debonair as usual.”

“Was it so very bad?” he asked, brushing his lips across the top of her head when he felt her entire body tremble.

“I hate being in the same room with that man,” she cried passionately. “I always feel the need to wash after speaking with him. There is just something predatory about him that makes me shudder. He reminds me of a wild animal on the prowl.”

“A very apt description.”

Joshua forced himself to release his hold on her. “Tell me what he said and how you responded. I need to know it all.”

“I asked to see the will and he had the original in his coat pocket. I got the impression he always carries it with him.”

“Which is exceedingly foolish of him but typical of his arrogance.”

“He was at his most charming and persuasive, suggesting there was no reason why we shouldn’t share the property.” Celia tossed her head and sniffed. “He made it clear without actually saying so, that was not all he expected to share.”

Joshua was filled with a murderous rage but quelled it with difficulty. As a soldier he knew very well that rational decisions could not be made when one allowed passion to overcome reason. “I hope you told him you planned to have the will authenticated.”

“Certainly I did and he wasn’t at all pleased to hear it. He said it could take months, all but implying he didn’t have months to wait.”

“You think he has pressing debts?”

She wrinkled her nose. “He usually does. He enjoys playing cards but doesn’t always win. Anyway, he was not impressed by my procrastination and went to a lot of trouble to try and talk me around. I told him I had no desire to share my house with him and that his attempts to try and take it from me had caused me to lose all respect for him. Not that I had any in the first place, but still.”

“You did well.” He broke his resolve for a second time by reaching out and gently touching her face. “But now it is over. You can leave the rest to me and need never see him again.”

“What happened at the inn last night?”

They walked together, her hand on his arm as he told her.

“Cox and I will return this evening and I have every expectation of getting him to admit the will is a forgery. He is desperate for easy money, will have asked about Anne and found out what I told him, or rather what Cox told him about her situation, is true.” Joshua allowed himself a prolonged glance at her lovely profile, dying a little inside when he recalled his decision not to press her into matrimony. To walk away and leave her to live her life on her own terms would be like tearing out his own heart with a blunt spoon. But he would do it because it was the right, the honourable thing to do. He should never have allowed himself to get carried away by thoughts of what could never be. “I have met men like him before. He will not be able to resist.”

She sighed. “You make it all sound so straightforward.”

“There isn’t any reason why it should not be.” Joshua patted her hand. “Anyway, tonight will tell.”

“And will you let me know as soon as you possibly can? I shall be in a fervour of expectation.”

“I promise to send word immediately.”

“Will you not come yourself?”

Joshua avoided making an answer, unwilling to commit himself to a promise he could not afford to keep. His resolve was not that strong. He escorted her back to the house but declined her invitation to go inside. He had no wish to explain his presence to Lady Briar. He had every wish to prolong his time with Celia but what would be the point? His mind was made up. He raised her hand to his lips, kissed the back of it and bade her
adieu
. He sensed her confused gaze boring into his back as he strode away to the position where he had left his horse but didn’t look back. He couldn’t allow her to see his expression, which he suspected was as bleak and desolate as his empty heart.

Joshua had just spent the last moments he would allow himself to be alone with the only woman he would ever love.

***

Joshua and Cox arrived earlier at the Lambton Inn that evening and Sheffield wasn’t yet in the tap room. Millie sent Cox a cheerful wink, implying Sheffield had asked all the questions they predicted he would and received the right answers. Confident Sheffield would appear, they took their tankards to a table by the window and waited. They heard booted feet clumping down the wooden stairs a short time later and Sheffield came into the taproom. Joshua pretended not to see him and continued to stare into his ale.

“Let him come to us,” he told Cox.

Sure enough, he did precisely that. Raising a hand in greeting, he pulled out a chair at their table without being invited to do so.

“Evening,” Sheffield said, looking and sounding a little less chipper than he had the previous day. “Mind if I join you?”

Joshua merely shrugged. Cox was more forthcoming. “By all means,” he said. “How did your business go today?”

Sheffield grunted. “Damned woman thinks she can lead me a merry dance and get away with it. Why the devil can’t women just do as they’re told and leave the thinking to us men, as they are supposed to?”

“See,” Cox said. “I told you Sheffield and Miss de Bourgh would be a perfect match. She would never dare to answer back.”

“Miss de Bourgh, Miss de Bourgh,” Joshua growled, scowling at the world in general. “I came here to get away from the sound of her name for an hour or two.”

“Is she really that biddable?” Sheffield asked.

“Oh aye. Brought up to be seen and not heard,” Cox replied. “You would think, what with her being such a grand heiress, she would be high and mighty but the truth is she hardly opens her mouth.”

“She sounds too good to be true.” Sheffield shook his head. “You’re a few farthings short of a guinea, Fitzwilliam, and don’t know when you’re well off.”

“His latest plan if you can believe it, is to propose to his lady love and ask her to live on a colonel’s pay,” Cox said, looking totally disgusted. “She would be a damned fool to even consider it. She can do much better than that but Fitzwilliam won’t listen to a word I tell him.”

“Money ain’t everything,” Joshua replied.

Cox rolled his eyes but made no comment.

“It is when you don’t have any,” Sheffield said. “You can take my word for that.”

“Darcy will give me a helping hand,” Joshua mumbled.

“Are you really serious about passing the heiress up?” Sheffield said, tucking into his second tankard of ale in ten minutes.

Joshua shrugged.

“You can take it from me that he is,” Cox said. “I know him when he makes up his mind about something. Wild horses couldn’t change it.”

“Then I don’t suppose you could arrange for me to accidentally meet the lady. I might be able to help you out by turning her head.”

“Hardly.”

“It is possible I suppose,” Cox said in a pensive tone. “Nothing to stop you inviting Sheffield to Pemberley for dinner, Fitzwilliam. I’m sure Mrs. Darcy won’t mind. You know how fond she is of you, for some obscure reason.”

“It will never work,” Joshua said. “Miss de Bourgh would never go against her mother’s wishes.”

“Care to take a wager on that?” Sheffield asked smugly, proving Celia’s point about his penchant for gambling. “I have a way with the ladies. Besides, if I do manage to pull it off I’d make it worth your while, Fitzwilliam. Give you enough for you to keep your lady in style.”

“You don’t have much of a way with the lady you came up here to deal with, by all accounts.” Sheffield scowled at Joshua’s words but said nothing. “Talking of which, you can’t even think about pursuing Miss de Bourgh if you’re in dispute over this other property. Lady Catherine would cut her daughter off without a penny if she thought you were a-party to any questionable transactions, especially if there’s a lady involved.”

Sheffield was quiet for a long time. Joshua’s nerves were on edge, but he forced himself to remain quiet and let the man sup his ale while he thought things through. Cox opened his mouth to break the silence but Joshua kicked his shin and he quickly closed it again.

“Perdition, Mrs. Sheffield has left me with no choice.” Sheffield’s expression filled with rage. “I don’t have time on my side, or I would—”

“But if you have genuine claim to the property, why would you give that up on the off chance that you might be able to woo Miss de Bourgh? I assume you have debts, who doesn’t? But I dare say your creditors would be prepared to wait if they knew you have expectations.” Cox scratched his chin. “This sudden desire to pursue a lady you’ve never met sounds a bit tenuous to me.”

“Stupidest idea I ever heard,” Joshua grumbled.

“Damned strong this ale.” Millie’s rum measures were obviously generous this evening and Sheffield was already slurring his words. “Truth to tell, I don’t actually have a legitimate claim to the estate.” Joshua tensed. There he’d said it, just like that. Cox had heard him. So too had Millie, who loitered directly behind their table. “My brother intended to change his will but didn’t get around to doing so before he died. Didn’t seem right that the cold bitch he was married to should get it all when I had toiled hard to get us to the point we were at. I’ll admit I cut a few corners to get us there but taking chances is what I do best. My brother was cut from a different cloth and never would have had the nerve to do what I did. Come to that, he never would have had anything if it weren’t for me driving him on and keeping a steady nerve when all he could do was bleat about what might go wrong.” Sheffield leaned back in his chair and scratched his thigh. “The way I see it, God helps them as helps themselves. Anyway, Albert ain’t no great loss, truth to tell. He died trying to save some damned useless slaves.” He rolled his eyes in disgust. “What a fool!”

“If he was such a lost cause, how did he became a plantation owner rather than you?” Joshua asked.

“Ah well now, that was merely an accident of birth. He got all the help to get started simply because he was older than me and our father’s favourite.” Sheffield focused a glower on his tankard which was again almost empty. “He was also better at routine than me, I’ll give him that. Order, method and prudence were his bywords. Me? I like to get something started, which I did by pointing out the opportunities in Jamaica to Albert. He never would have taken the plunge if I hadn’t been there to hold his hand. So the man owed me. No question about it.” He ground his jaw. “And I aim to collect, one way or another.”

The man was deranged, which made him dangerous and unpredictable. A cold chill worked its way through Joshua’s body. He relaxed when he reminded himself that they had caught him out. He had condemned himself with his own words, and there was no further damage he could do to Celia or her property.

“Sounds as though you deserve something,” Cox agreed.

And he’s about to get it, Joshua thought with satisfaction. Unfortunately for him, it will not be what he expected.

“Damned right I do,” Sheffield slurred.

“How did you come by a will?” Cox asked.

“I had someone in Jamaica forge it for me, along with a partnership agreement. It looks genuine and I figured she would believe it was. It fooled my brother’s own solicitor, but the damned woman just won’t lie down and accept it.” Sheffield jutted his chin. “I really didn’t think she would make so much fuss, and truth be told I’m too hard pressed to wait on the off chance that she might feed me a few crumbs.” He sat forward and leaned both forearms on the table, suddenly appearing disconcertingly alert and sober. “So, when can I meet the lovely Miss de Bourgh?”

“That won’t be possible,” Joshua said, standing and pulling himself up to his full height.