Wicked Proposition (27 page)

Lord Iverleigh was horrified to discover he now
had two small boys under his care when Chumley had written. He had
insisted they be brought from Ireland immediately. The boy’s
welfare and Chumley’s investigation had kept him away nearly six
weeks.

Chumley arrived back to disclose all he had
learned. Gabriel had insisted he continue his investigation. That
was not why he was seeking out Lord Iverleigh today. Chumley had
news of Catherine he wished to discuss.

Lady Iverleigh went into deep mourning to learn
her father was now dead. She met with Chumley during her
confinement during her pregnancy. The Countess claimed she received
no letters from home, and knew nothing of her sister and brother’s
circumstances. Chumley got his first look at Gabriel’s wife and
detested her on sight. He knew she lied, but he had no proof.

Edward Thornton vehemently denied any knowledge
of his former assistant’s handling of the situation. When Lord
Iverleigh confronted him, he claimed he knew nothing about the dire
situation in Ireland. He also claimed he received no letters from
Lord Dunleavy’s eldest daughter. His position in London at the time
allowed reasonable explanation such an oversight was perpetrated by
Sullivan alone.

Chumley waited until Gabriel was seated to
launch into a full report. His news was grim on such a festive
evening.

“I fear what I have to tell you isn’t very good
news, my lord,” the tiny man began, frowning as he rubbed his
forehead. “It appears I discovered nothing very useful about your
wife, and more than I wished to of other matters while in
Ireland.”

“Chumley, have a drink,” Gabriel encouraged with
an amused grin. “You look like you need it.”

Chumley accepted a brandy and sighed as he
sipped it appreciatively. “Nicholas promised me a bottle of this.
Where is he? I would think he would be here. He was most eager to
hear my final report.”

“He has been busy outfitting his ship,” Gabriel
explained. “My guess is he will be late joining us.”

Chumley nodded and sat back upon the pile of
ledgers, frowning darkly now. “What I discovered these many months
leads me to believe your former barrister is an imposter, my lord.
That is why I returned to Ireland to investigate the matter more
thoroughly. Edward Thornton died nearly two years ago, and was
bedridden a year before that. I believe the man you believe to be
Thornton is his former assistant, Thomas Sullivan.”

Gabriel leaned forward in shock, saying nothing
as Chumley went on.

“Sullivan ran the firm while his employer was
bedridden, and handled all the business transacted. Thornton could
not have known what he was up to, I imagine.” Chumley saw Gabriel
grow increasingly still.

“Sullivan was instrumental in Lord Dunleavy and
several other gentlemen to become acquainted with a man named James
Tolliver, a known con artist,” Chumley explained as he sipped his
drink thoughtfully. “These men all took out loans to join in on a
business venture they believed backed by Thornton, but in reality,
it was Sullivan who put the deal in place. He used Tolliver and a
woman posing as his daughter to secure the investments. Then when
the bankers called in their notes, Tolliver was blamed for the
missing funds. Lord Dunleavy and his wife arrived in Dublin at that
time suspecting the theft. It is my thought the Earl might have
stumbled onto Sullivan’s scheme.”

Gabriel paled to realize the man he hired as his
barrister might have been instrumental in Lord and Lady Dunleavy’s
deaths.

“Lord Dunleavy and his wife were killed the same
day they confronted Sullivan at Thornton’s offices. He was
destroying files before he was leaving town, according to a clerk I
interviewed there. They never made it home. There is also the
matter of the missing funds. The investor’s money was never
recovered when Tolliver was arrested.”

“You spoke to the authorities, of course, in
regard to my wife’s family?”

“A band of thieves working those roads were
blamed for it, but I suspect Sullivan had a hand in it, my lord.
Dunleavy must have been onto his scheme. It is too much of a
coincidence.”

“What of my eldest ward? Have you learned
anymore of who is responsible for her death?” Gabriel asked
bleakly.

“Nothing I can prove. She was quite tenacious in
trying to contact you, my lord, in regard to the matter of your
guardianship of her and her brothers,” Chumley replied sadly. “The
land agent at Dunleavy Hall said Sullivan handled all of that
correspondence. She decided to set out for London to find you
herself when her letters went unanswered for nearly six months. I
do not believe Sullivan wanted her to contact you at all, for she
could have exposed him.”

“And she too, was killed upon the roadway?”

“Yes, she never made it to the ship that day.
Sullivan handled her passage as well. She never arrived, my
lord.”

Gabriel considered this news somberly, feeling
more than responsible.

“Tolliver was hung before I could get in to
speak with him,” Chumley said sourly. “His jailers claimed the man
said Sullivan stole the money all the way to the scaffold.”

“Tolliver’s accomplice was never found?”

“Madeline Sinclair is her name,” Chumley
supplied helpfully. “She sailed to London the same day your ward
was killed. Her passage was also paid for by Sullivan.”

“She is in London? We must find her! She is a
witness to Sullivan’s crimes.”

Myron sighed and the grim look in his eyes gave
Gabriel pause.

“What is it?”

“The description I was given by the ship’s
captain of Madeline Sinclair is quite similar to your missing
lady’s, my lord. I suspect Catherine is, in fact, Madeline
Sinclair. I think she came to London to seek out Sullivan after
Tolliver was arrested for his crimes. Her disappearance troubles me
greatly,” Chumley confided and shook his head. “The girl was either
extorting Sullivan to keep silent of his true identity, or she was
in on the scheme from the start. I have not gotten to the bottom of
it yet.”

Gabriel sat stunned. He didn’t know what to make
of Chumley’s assessment. His dark eyes narrowed to think the woman
who had been his mistress for months was involved in such dangerous
dealings. His heart refused to believe it, but the evidence was
damning.

“This Sinclair woman, what do you know of
her?”

Chumley hesitated. “She is wanted in Dublin for
a whole list of crimes, too many to recount. Tolliver swore she was
innocent of this before his death, but the authorities have labeled
her as his accomplice. There is still the matter of the missing
money. Tolliver went to his death and it was never recovered.”

Gabriel didn’t want to think about the nagging
suspicions he had. He had wondered how Catherine had come up with
such a large sum of money to leave him. Was it possible she had
posed as his mistress merely to pursue Sullivan?

Then there was the matter of the mysterious
woman who stayed with his wife bearing the same last name. He was
grim as he faced the irrefutable evidence against Catherine.

“Have you learned anything new about Catherine’s
whereabouts since your return?”

Chumley looked weary as he set down his glass.
“A woman fitting her description was seen at your bank, my lord.
She tried to cash a fraudulent bank draft while she lived here.
There have been others since she left you. These dates and times
are recorded in my report. They were forged of course. It was your
account she attempted to withdraw the funds from.”

Gabriel felt the last bit of his control snap
under this news, feeling every inch a fool now. He didn’t want to
believe it, but he could no longer deny the truth. The pain in his
chest grew unbearable to think the woman he loved was a common
criminal.

“I think you must consider that the woman you
had living here for a time was Madeline Sinclair,” Chumley said and
looked none too happy to have reached that conclusion. “I am sorry.
I hoped to find her under different circumstances.”

“Where is she?”

“She has rented rooms down near the waterfront.
I wished to inform you before I sent for the magistrate to arrest
her,” Chumley offered.

“I will handle Miss Sinclair for now,” Gabriel
said coldly as he rose from his chair. His dark eyes filled with a
menacing look.

“As you wish, my lord,” Chumley replied.

Gabriel had finally determined who she was, but
he still had so many unanswered questions. Everything he knew of
her rebelled to think she was this con artist.

“Say nothing of this to the magistrate until I
find her, Chumley.”

“What do you intend to do now, my lord?” Chumley
asked nervously. “You must realize Miss Sinclair might be the only
witness left alive who can prove Sullivan’s guilt? She might be in
danger as well. We cannot know her true involvement.”

Gabriel was shaking inwardly in rage. To think
the woman he had begun to think he loved was responsible for such
reprehensible crimes caused him considerable anguish. His dark eyes
went black with fury.

“We will find her, Chumley. She will pay for
what she has done,” he said coldly.

###

Nicholas refused to believe it. He felt
Tieghan’s eyes boring into him while Chumley and Gabriel detailed
the report. In his gut, he knew Catherine was innocent of all that
was suggested she was guilty of. He trusted those instincts now. He
was annoyed Gabriel had professed to love her and was now so easily
swayed and convinced of her guilt. Nicholas stubbornly said
nothing, even when he knew he should.

Tieghan was eyeing him with amusement as he was
forced to maintain he had seen no sign of Catherine approaching
Thornton or Lady Iverleigh while he followed her. Nicholas lied of
it, and knew it didn’t bode well. He made no mention of his proof.
Guilt ate at him to think she had played him for a fool as
well.

“If she is in danger of this Sullivan, then why
does she stay in London? If what you think is true, wouldn’t she be
on the run from the man?” Nicholas pointed out and shook his head,
remembering how scared she had been when she fled Thornton’s office
that day. “It makes no sense why she would stay. Sullivan would
kill her as he did all the others. What did she have to gain by
coming to London at all?”

“Money is a powerful motivator, Nicholas,”
Chumley argued and shifted on the stack of books. “She has tried
twice to cash fraudulent drafts at Lord Iverleigh’s bank on both of
those dates. I think we must conclude the girl is here to extort
Sullivan for her share of the money they stole in Dublin. I am told
the amount taken was significant.”

“Why not just have Sullivan arrested and be done
with it?” Nicholas asked wearily as he ran a weary hand through his
hair, frustrated all three of the other occupants in the room
seemed so sure of Catherine’s guilt.

“We have no proof he has done anything but
impersonate his former employer,” Chumley pointed out. “He may go
to prison for fraud, but he would not hang for his crimes against
Lord Iverleigh’s wife’s family.”

“What of her?” Nicholas asked suddenly, his blue
gaze flaring. “She must have known Thornton was an imposter! How is
it she was not aware of what Sullivan was doing all this time he
was here? Is she not a more likely accomplice?”

“To my knowledge, my wife has not sought out
Edward since he arrived in London,” Gabriel replied and shrugged.
“She was rather angry the man worked for me now, and had few nice
things to say about him. She has also had no contact with her
family since our marriage. It is doubtful she knows what Sullivan
has been up to.”

Nicholas was unwilling to believe Catherine was
the same woman they now discussed with open contempt, believing her
to be this calculating adventuress. He knew the truth, and could
say nothing in her defense.

“Why do we not just watch her now and see where
it leads?” Nicholas suggested.

“If she is the only witness to Sullivan’s
crimes, we must find her and bring her in at once,” Chumley
replied. “We risk him killing her if we leave her out in the open
with no protection.”

Nicholas was determined to find her first and
said nothing. Tieghan’s eyes continued to bore into him, making him
gnash his teeth.

“Tieghan and I are headed back to the ship
tonight,” he said quietly. “We will stop at these rented rooms. I
will send word if we find her.”

“Very well,” Gabriel replied and eyed his friend
in relief. “Do not let her out of your sight, my friend. I would
very much like to get to the bottom of this for my ward’s
sakes.”

Nicholas and Tieghan took their leave then.
Tieghan could hardly contain his disgust as they rode down to the
docks.

“Nicholas, if you told Iverleigh the truth all
of this might have already been resolved,” the man reminded him
sharply.

Nicholas glared at Tieghan, knowing he could
hardly argue with him now. He was guilty. He had allowed her to
slip through their hands then, just to get her into his bed
later.

“Do not remind me of what an idiot I have been,
Tieghan,” Nicholas snapped. “I already know this is my fault!”

“If we find her, what will you do?” Tieghan
prodded.

Nicholas didn’t answer him. He didn’t know what
he would do. He loved her that much was true. One thing he refused
to do was give her back to Gabriel. His friend was too enraged to
think clearly. The thought of keeping her hidden while he got to
the bottom of the matter came to mind, and he grinned. Tieghan
cursed.

###

Nicholas and Tieghan stole up the backstairs of
the tavern where Catherine was said to be staying. He approached
the door to her room grimly. He tried the door and found it
locked.

Tieghan smiled and came forward. He deftly
picked the lock and they entered.