The Shocking Secret of a Guest at the Wedding (Millworth Manor) (25 page)

“Because I didn’t tell you about a fiancée I didn’t actually have?”

“Something like that.”

“You are the most confusing, irrational woman I have ever met.”

For a long moment she didn’t say a word, then she smiled. “Thank you, Jack.”

Four days later,
The residence of Viscountess Hargate, Delilah . . .

 

 

 

If Teddy had known how thoroughly delightful it would be to have a fake fiancé whose sole purpose was to show the world how utterly perfect they were for each other, she would have acquired one years ago. Jack was so good in the role, even she had a hard time remembering it was all a show for his family. Admittedly, both of them had more than a twinge of guilt at their deceit but it couldn’t be helped. And of course it would end with the New Year. Exactly as she wanted it. Still, she would miss him. Miss the way he laughed, and the way she would catch her breath at some of the things he would say and even how he delighted in annoying her.

Teddy sat at the desk in Dee’s parlor and finished the list of final details to be seen to for Mrs. Hendrickson’s party tonight. She’d returned to London yesterday and as much as she loved Millworth, it was something of a relief to be back in London. There was an air of equal parts anticipation and apprehension hanging over the manor what with not knowing exactly when Jack’s mother and his dear friend Miss Merryweather would arrive. Camille had been thoroughly chastised by both Dee and Lady Briston for her failure to find out in which London hotel the ladies were staying.

Lady Briston had sprung into action in a flurry of nervous energy, directing the manor staff in the cleaning and polishing of everything from doorknobs to chandeliers. She said she had no intention of allowing her sister-in-law and the mother of the man who would one day inherit the house to see it looking anything other than its very best. Colonel Channing’s preparations were more personal in nature and Teddy had noticed his hair trimmed as well as a visit to his tailor. Jack, on the other hand, was cool and calm and even slightly amused by all the fuss. It was rather soothing to see him so at ease. His nature was much more complicated than she had suspected.

Voices sounded from the front entry and she replaced her pen in its holder. Her heart sped up. She hadn’t expected Jack so soon but he had said he would be coming in to London while she was there because he couldn’t bear the thought of being away from her for long. Of course, he said it in front of his family. Even so, there was something in his eyes that was quite—

“There you are.” Her mother swept into the room with her usual aplomb but something seemed oddly off. “I’m so glad you’ve come back to London. We have a great deal to discuss.”

“And here I thought you had come to assist me with the plans for Mrs. Hendrickson’s party.”

“Goodness, Theodosia, you don’t need my help.” She scoffed but that too struck Teddy as half-hearted. “You never have.”

She studied her mother carefully. “What’s wrong, Mother? You’re never out and about at this time of the morning.”

Indecision washed across her mother’s face coupled with something that might well have been fear, then she clasped her hands together in front of her and drew a deep breath. “Is there something you’ve been meaning to tell me?”

“Not that I can think of,” Teddy said slowly.

“About your fiancé perhaps?”

Good Lord, she knew. That was that then. Still, experience had taught her never to make assumptions when it came to her mother. “About Jack? Nothing comes to mind. The man is really something of an open—”

“Not that fiancé.”

Teddy narrowed her eyes. “What fiancé are you talking about?”

“This came to the house.” Mother held out a letter, her hand trembling slightly.

Teddy stood and crossed the room to take the letter from her mother. The handwriting on the envelope was vaguely familiar but she couldn’t place it.

“It was addressed to me but it concerns you.” Mother paused. “It was slipped under the door late last night or early this morning, Jacobs didn’t know. Something about it struck me as, well, wrong even before I opened it.”

Teddy stared. Her mother was decidedly uneasy. It was not at all like her.

“Read it.”

“Very well.” Teddy opened the envelope and pulled out a single sheet. She read the first line and sucked in a hard breath. “This is impossible.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Teddy looked at her mother. “But he’s dead.”

“Not as dead as one might have hoped.” She paused. “You’re not pleased by news of his resurrection then?”

“Dear Lord, no!”

“Thank God.” Mother wrung her hands together. “Go on, finish it.”

Teddy scanned the brief note. “It’s nice of him to apologize for being alive although I daresay he didn’t mean it as an apology.” She looked at her mother. “It says he will pay a call on me the day after tomorrow.”

“You can imagine how shocked I was to receive this.” Mother turned and paced. “The man’s supposed to be dead. If one can’t count on the dead staying dead, one can’t count on anything in this life.”

“This makes no sense.” Teddy studied the letter. “Cyril was lost at sea when his ship sank. But obviously, he wasn’t on the ship he was supposed to be on.”

“Or he was found.” Her mother shook her head. “I don’t understand. Why would he let the world believe he was dead? How could he have done this to his family? To you? Especially coming right on the heels of your father’s death.”

To escape the consequences of his actions.
Teddy chose her words with care. “Perhaps he saw no other choice.”

“Understandable, I suppose. The man was not as he appeared. Of course, I had no idea until . . . He and your father . . .” Mother drew a deep breath. “How much do you know about your father’s financial interests?”

Teddy stared. “How much do
you
know?”

“More than I wish.” She sank down onto the sofa and gestured for Teddy to join her. “I didn’t know anything at all until a few days before he died. It was the stress, you know, that killed him.”

Teddy nodded.

“Your father was a charming man but not overly clever when it came to matters of money. I don’t know all the details, I’ve never been good with numbers or money either, aside from the spending of it. In that, your father and I were well matched.” She paused to pull her thoughts together. “He invested heavily in an enterprise, the name escapes me. What was it?” She thought for a moment. “The Argentine Atlantic Trading Company, that was it. It was involved in development of some South American country—primarily Argentina I think but I’m not sure. It was Cyril who brought the company to his notice, around the same time he started calling on you.”

“Yes, of course,” Teddy murmured.

“At first, your father’s investments proved to be quite lucrative but returns diminished rather quickly. When your father questioned what was happening, he was told this was simply the market adjusting itself.”

Teddy frowned. “What does that mean?”

“I have no idea. I suspect neither did your father. Nonetheless, he was made a member of the company’s board of directors and, unfortunately, increased his investments. To show his confidence in the venture, he said.”

“So, even though this wasn’t proving profitable, he put more money into it?”

“I said he wasn’t good with numbers. Which was not your father’s greatest fault.”

Although, given the circumstances, it did seem a rather significant fault. “Then what was?”

“He trusted far too easily. He believed what he was told without question. He never imagined others would deliberately lie to him. As it turned out, that was his, and our, undoing.” Mother sighed. “In an effort to make up for what he had lost, he took to gaming more than usual. He’d always been a bit of a gambler, you know, but even in his youth, he was never serious about it. He never gambled more than he could afford to lose and through the years won as much as he lost. It was an amusing game to him, an innocent enough pastime, nothing more than that. At least until that last year. I was blissfully unaware of any of this until shortly before his death although it was obvious to me that he was greatly worried. He tried to deny it but eventually he told me everything. How he’d lost our entire fortune, his involvement with the trading company, and the gambling. And then . . .” She blew a long breath.

“Then, amidst charges of bribery and corruption and fraud, an official investigation began and Father feared he would go to prison,” Teddy said bluntly.

Her mother’s gaze snapped to hers. “You knew?”

“Not until after he died.”

“I never wanted you to know about any of this. I had no idea the kind of man Cyril was. When your father confessed everything, I planned to urge you to break it off with him but then your father died and Cyril left and, well,
died
and it seemed the less said the better. How did you find out?”

“I overheard Cyril talking to another man the day we buried Father. I didn’t see the other man but I heard . . .” Her jaw tightened. “I heard enough. Everything really. How Cyril had not only encouraged Father’s initial investments, but kept him putting his funds into the company. It was Cyril who introduced him, and accompanied him, to those high-stakes games of chance where Father was obviously out of his depth. I didn’t know anything about the gambling at all until then.”

“Yes, well, your father was nothing if not discreet.” Mother’s brow furrowed. “It was desperation that drove him, I think. The hope that with one more spin of the dice or turn of a card he would recoup his investment losses. Obviously, he didn’t and you know as well as I how far in debt he was at the end. Why, we didn’t fully realize how dreadful it was until nearly a year after he died.”

“From what I heard, it was obvious Cyril was deeply involved in this trading company and could well go to prison, depending on the outcome of the investigation.” Teddy paused to gather those unpleasant memories. “I confronted him of course.”

Mother smiled wryly. “I’d expect no less of you.”

Teddy’s brow rose. “Was that a compliment?”

“Very much so. You have the sort of courage I’ve never had. You confront problems head-on. I much prefer to sweep them under the rug and ignore them in the hope that they will take care of themselves or disappear.” Mother nodded. “Go on.”

“Cyril tried to deny it, all of it, but I refused to accept what I could now see were lies. But then one doesn’t expect the younger brother of a viscount to be involved in something dishonest. He had an honorable reputation after all. And he was very convincing. But . . .” She shuddered. “There was something about the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice . . .” She drew a deep breath. “He was a desperate man, Mother, at least at the end, and I think he’d do whatever he thought necessary to protect himself.”

“Up to and including pretending he was dead.”

“So it would seem. I still can’t believe I never noticed.”

“Some men are quite good at hiding their true nature.”

“Apparently.” Teddy shrugged. “Upon reflection, there were hints here and there, an odd moment on occasion, tiny irregularities in something he said or the look in his eye that should have struck me as troubling but . . .” She smiled at her mother. “I ignored them.”

“My apologies,” Mother murmured.

“Naturally, I broke it off with him. He urged me to reconsider or at least wait until he had returned from his trip to Argentina. If you recall, he was scheduled to leave a few days after Father’s funeral.”

Mother nodded.

“He claimed his trip might well clear up everything. I didn’t believe him. I had overheard entirely too much and had, at last, put all those little pieces together that I had tried very hard not to see. Then of course, his ship was reportedly lost at sea.”

“And you and his family received solicitous telegrams from the trading company informing you of his death.”

“I don’t know what other names might have been connected to all this but I had some discreet inquiries made after Cyril’s death. Or alleged death now, I suppose. The company simply disappeared so the investigation was at an end.” Teddy shook her head. “It seemed with both Father and Cyril dead, the authorities had no thread of inquiry to follow.”

“Your father was barely past his fifty-second year,” Mother said quietly. “But his heart couldn’t take the threat of scandal and prison and all that went with it. His father died in much the same way at very nearly the same age. I suppose it was only a matter of time really.” She studied her hands in her lap. “I know it sounds dreadful, it is dreadful, but it did seem the timing of his death was somewhat fortuitous. I have never quite forgiven myself for thinking that.”

“I felt the same way about Cyril’s death.”

“Ah, but you didn’t love Cyril, did you?”

“I thought I did but . . .” Teddy shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”

“Your father was the one true love of my life.” Her mother stared unseeing, as if looking back over the years. “But he never would have survived prison or disgrace. The scandal alone would have destroyed him. He wasn’t nearly as strong as he appeared. I think, as long as I had him, I could have survived anything. Without him . . .”

Teddy stared. She couldn’t remember ever having shared such intimate confidences with her mother before.

“I’m glad you found yours.” Her mother’s gaze met hers.

“My what?”

“Your one true love.”

“You mean Jack?”

“Of course I mean Jack. And I am sorry about my efforts to throw Simon at you but . . .” She shook her head. “Poverty is a dreadful thing, Theodosia, and I thank God we were able to avoid it. I am well aware that is not to my credit. If you were not as clever as you are, we would have had to sell the house and we would be begging Simon or some other distant relation to take pity on us. Now, however . . .” Mother squared her shoulders. “You are to be the next Countess of Briston and your future is assured.”

This was probably not the best time to mention to her mother that her engagement wasn’t real or confide her own plans for her future. No,
their
future.