The Shocking Secret of a Guest at the Wedding (Millworth Manor) (29 page)

She smiled tightly. “I don’t care.”

“Don’t be absurd, of course you do.” He scoffed. “Your public acceptance of my resurrection would go a long way toward alleviating any suspicion regarding my story as to where I have been these last years as well as convince my mother I am worthy of trust. After all, if Lady Theodosia Winslow puts her faith in me, my mother can do no less. She would certainly loosen her grips on the family purse strings if she knew you were to be her new daughter-in-law.”

“Then it would appear the next time you go to your grave you will be unwed and penniless.”

He laughed. “I have missed your wit, Theodosia. But I have no intention of returning to the grave anytime soon. Indeed, I plan to live a long and happy life with my beloved wife by my side.”

“I wish her all the best. I, however, have no intention of becoming your wife.”

“Intentions often change with circumstances or necessity, my dear. And here’s where it gets really interesting.” He leaned forward and met her gaze. “I have in my possession documents that clearly show the depth of your father’s involvement in our ill-fated venture. They paint him in the poorest of lights. Should those be made public, his name and reputation will be destroyed. As will yours, your mother’s, and that of the relative who inherited your father’s title. Anyone even distantly related to you will be ruined. And this little hobby of yours, yes, my dear, I have heard about that.” What might have been genuine admiration shone in his eyes. “It’s quite enterprising of you especially as the world seems convinced you don’t need the money. That endeavor will be at an end.” He smiled and settled back on the sofa. “Of course as your future husband it would be in my best interest to make certain such documents never see the light of day.”

Her stomach churned and she struggled to keep her tone level. “I can’t imagine that anything that would incriminate my father wouldn’t point a finger at you as well.”

“Come now, surely you don’t think I would be that stupid. Actually, my evidence makes me look fairly good. Oh certainly, I might appear a bit of a fool, taken in by the duplicity of an older man, the father of the woman I love but no worse than that.” He smiled. “It wouldn’t take much you know. Documents delivered anonymously to the right official. Or perhaps a whisper into an eager reporter’s ear. Even if nothing came of it, gossip and rumor alone would be enough to destroy everyone you care about.”

She narrowed her eyes. He was right of course. The scandal would be enormous. Her father’s name would be dragged through the mud and everyone else in the family along with it. Her mother would never survive the disgrace. She did not deserve this, nor did Simon. There had to be some way to escape Cyril’s clutches.

“I’ll consider it.” She rose to her feet.

“Consider it?” He chuckled and stood. “My darling, Theodosia, I’m afraid you misunderstand. There is nothing to consider. You have very little choice.”

He was right, at least for now. What she really needed was time to come up with a plan.

“I refuse to ruin Christmas and a New Year’s Eve gala my fiancé’s family is planning with the kind of gossip that ending our engagement will cause.” She thought for a moment. “However, I will break it off with him on the day after.”

“I’m afraid I can’t agree to that.” He shook his head. “Mother is growing impatient and I am perilously low on funds. We have kept my reappearance circumspect thus far but Mother would like to announce to friends and family and the rest of the world the resurrection of her lost son on Christmas Day. I want you by my side when she does so.”

“On Christmas?” She stared at him. Christmas was a scant nine days away.

“It seems appropriate given it isn’t every day one returns from the dead.”

He had her exactly where he wanted her, at least for now. Helpless rage swept through her and her fists tightened by her sides.

“As I have no choice.” She shrugged. “Fine.”

He studied her closely and she resisted the urge to squirm. “Do keep in mind that, should you renege on our agreement, I would not hesitate to do whatever is necessary to remove Mr. Channing from your life.”

“Am I to take that as a threat?”

He smiled. “Yes.”

“Very well then. I do not expect to see you again until Christmas.” She nodded at the door. “Good day.”

“Now, now, Theodosia.” Without warning, he grabbed her and yanked her into his arms. “I love it when you try to act as if you don’t want me as much as I want you.”

She clenched her teeth and ignored the frisson of fear that skated up her spine. “Release me at once.”

“You were always very good at saying no when you meant yes. You liked it, you liked this.” He tightened his hold and murmured against her neck. “And you will like it again.”

She pushed against him but he was surprisingly strong for a dead man. “I wouldn’t wager on it, Cyril.”

“Nor would I.” Mother’s cool tone rang from the doorway. “I suggest you unhand my daughter at once.”

“Lady Sallwick.” Cyril released Teddy in the unhurried manner of a man who knew he had the upper hand. “How delightful to see you again.”

“You’re looking well, given your death,” Mother said pleasantly. “Now would you like to explain why you were grappling my daughter.”

He slanted an annoyed glance at Teddy, then returned his attention to her mother. “My apologies, Lady Sallwick, I was simply overcome with joy at being reunited with my beloved. You understand.”

“I understand far more than you imagine, Mr. Goddard.”

“Lord Nottwood, if you please.”

“Very well, Lord Nottwood.” Mother’s eyes narrowed. “Now, get out of my house.”

“Come, come, is that any way to talk to the man who is going to marry your daughter?”

Mother didn’t allow so much of a flicker of surprise to show on her face but then she had said she’d be listening at the door. “It’s the way I speak to the man who ruined my husband and, quite frankly, I thought I was being more than civil.”

“This is not the welcome I expected from you.” Cyril shook his head in a disappointed manner. “You used to like me. You were delighted when I asked Theodosia to marry me.”

“Well, I’m not known for my cleverness, Lord Nottwood. Ask anyone.” Mother smiled sweetly. Too sweetly and Teddy wondered exactly where her pistol was.

“Good day, Cyril,” Teddy said firmly.

“Until Christmas then.” He smiled. “And afterward, we shall plan our wedding. Mother will enjoy that. I think a grand affair is called for as befits our union. Good day, ladies.” Cyril nodded and took his leave.

Mother stepped to the doorway and waited until Jacobs saw him out. She closed the parlor door and leaned her back against it. “I am so sorry, Theodosia. This is my fault.” She shook her head. “I encouraged that man. I had no idea.”

“It’s as much my fault as it is yours.” Although most of the blame could be laid at her father’s feet. “I have always considered myself intelligent but apparently in this matter I was sadly lacking.”

“I won’t let you marry him.” Mother straightened. “I would rather face ruin than allow that.”

“Oh, I have no intention of marrying him.”

Mother ignored her and paced. “We could sell the house. That would give us enough money to leave London, leave England altogether. Oh, we’ll certainly have to continue to be frugal but we could travel the world or start a new—”

“Mother,” Teddy said sharply. “I said I will not marry him but I might have to be his fiancée. At least until I can find a way out of this.”

“What if there isn’t a way out?”

“There must be.” Teddy paced in opposition to her mother’s steps. “Did Father tell you anything that might be helpful?”

“Nothing that I can recall, he was always rather vague about details, and it was four years ago.” She paused. “You know, your father never disposed of anything. He was something of a collector, although of nothing in particular. There might—”

A knock sounded at the door and it opened before they could respond. Jacobs blocked the opening as if he was trying to keep someone out. “I am sorry to interrupt you, my lady, but—”

Dee pushed her way passed him. “I told you this was no time for formalities. This is obviously a crisis!”

Mother’s eyes widened. “Good day, Delilah. How pleasant to see you again.”

“Lady Sallwick.” Dee nodded at Mother, her gaze shifting between the two women. “It is a crisis, isn’t it?”

Teddy and her mother traded glances.

“Crisis?” Mother said innocently. “Why, Delilah dear, we have no idea what you mean.”

“I mean I just saw Teddy’s fiancé, her
dead
fiancé not her current,
living
fiancé, leave this house not five minutes ago.” Dee glared. “I should think the fact that a dead man was here, apparently alive and well, would certainly be a crisis given the villainous nature of this particular dead man.”

“She knows, Mother.” Teddy sighed.

Mother winced. “About everything?”

“Most of it, I suspect,” Dee said.

Teddy nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

“Obviously, Delilah, you are excellent at keeping confidences,” Mother said. “I thank you for that.”

“Think nothing of it.” Dee waved off the thanks. “Teddy has kept more than a few secrets for me. Now, tell me everything. Why is he alive and what does he want?”

“It appears Mr. Goddard—Lord Nottwood—thought it best if the world considered him dead to avoid legal consequences of the scheme he had embroiled my husband in.”

“And what he wants now . . .” Teddy blew a long breath. “Is me.”

Dee’s eyes widened. “You? What do you mean?”

“He wants me to resume our engagement. He thinks it will give him respectability, especially with his mother who apparently controls the family fortune.”

“Yes, I can see that.” Dee nodded. “Then this is what had you so worried last night. Jack was concerned—”

“You can’t tell him about this,” Teddy said sharply.

Dee’s brow furrowed. “Why not?”

“Because he’ll want to help. He’ll want to be my hero. He’s very endearing that way but I neither need that nor can I allow it.” Teddy shook her head. “Cyril is dangerous and if I don’t do what he asks he’ll expose documents that detail Father’s less than legitimate activities. I don’t want Jack involved.”

“And Nottwood threatened Mr. Channing,” Mother said in an ominous manner.

Dee stared, then scoffed. “You can’t possibly be serious.”

“I tend not to doubt a threat coming from a man ruthless enough to let his own family think he is dead for four years!” Teddy glared. “Do you think I’m being overly cautious?”

“Yes, well, when you put it that way, probably not.” Dee thought for a moment. “You need a plan. Everything always goes much better when you have a plan.”

“I realize that.” Teddy’s jaw tightened. “I simply don’t have one.”

“Well then, it’s a good thing I’m here. I have always been excellent when it comes to plans.” Dee pulled off her cloak and hat and tossed them onto a chair. “Now then, you said Nottwood has documents?”

Teddy nodded.

“Documents . . .” Her mother’s brow furrowed in thought. “Papers.” Her eyes widened. “There is a trunk in the attic with all the papers from your father’s library, everything in his desks, at the abbey and here.”

“And it would seem to me . . .” The idea formed as Teddy spoke the words. “Cyril couldn’t possibly expose Father if he was threatened with exposure himself. If there is something in those papers of Father’s . . .”

“You could blackmail him!” Delight sounded in Dee’s voice.

Mother frowned. “I am not fond of the word
blackmail.
”

Dee stared. “But surely you can see how your blackmail makes his blackmail useless?”

“Oh, I’m not opposed to the practice of it, I simply don’t like the word. I much prefer . . .” Mother smiled. “Retribution.”

Dee glanced at her friend. “I don’t believe I have ever seen this side of your mother.”

“No one has, dear.” Mother smiled and called for Jacobs to have the trunk brought down from the attic.

Jacobs was quicker than expected and in no time at all the trunk was opened in the parlor. It was filled nearly to the top with assorted papers, documents, and correspondence.

Dee looked at the trunk skeptically. “Do either of you have any idea what we’re looking for?”

“Something to do with stocks, perhaps,” Mother murmured.

“That’s at least a place to start,” Teddy said with far more confidence than she felt.

The women started pulling papers out of the trunk and within a few minutes decided it would be best to stack everything into piles according to topic and then go through it one stack at a time. A few minutes after that, they realized the project was entirely too large for the small table in the parlor and moved to the dining room table. Mother remembered a cache of correspondence she’d seen in a bureau drawer and went to fetch it. And a few minutes later, Dee sank back into a chair with a sigh. “It seems to me, this would be easier if we had any idea what we were looking for.”

“Just keep looking,” Teddy murmured, her eyes beginning to blur. As much as she knew this didn’t have to be accomplished today, the sooner they found something, the sooner she would be rid of Cyril once and for all. Especially as she couldn’t rely on death to do that for her.

“You know,” Dee said in an offhand manner, “on occasion, when I have what is for the most part an excellent plan, I find I need help of a more specialized sort. An expert, perhaps, something of that nature. In this particular case, I think someone with financial knowledge—”

“No!” Teddy snapped.

“Someone who is well versed in monetary matters—”

“Absolutely not!”

“Someone who might have a hereditary background in bank—”

“Delilah Hargate, if you so much as breathe a single word about any of this to Jack, I will never forgive you.” Teddy glared. “I don’t want him near this. It’s bad enough that Mother and I are involved. I don’t doubt that Cyril is dangerous but more so to Jack than to us. Besides, if this all goes horribly wrong, the scandal will be enormous. I don’t think the future Earl of Briston should be embroiled in scandal of a financial nature especially given his connections to a prominent American bank. Do you understand?”