‘Yes, thank you,’ she replied. ‘And it was kind of you to send Mrs Forbes to keep me company.’
Robert frowned, as if he wasn’t sure whether she was being facetious or not. She looked him straight in the eyes to convince him she was sincere and he relaxed. It was partly true in any case, she thought. His relative Mrs Forbes had been acting as her gaoler and wasn’t what anyone would call stimulating company. However, without her the months of incarceration would have seemed even longer.
‘She tells me you’ve been a model of propriety.’ Robert steepled his fingers together and looked at her over the top. His dark, deep-set eyes were fixed on her from under shaggy brows, his gaze penetrating in a way Jess found most uncomfortable. ‘Make sure you continue to behave here in Gothenburg.’
Jess nodded again. She didn’t trust herself to speak in case she gave her true feelings away.
‘Just a word of warning. I believe everyone has forgotten all about your ill-advised attachment to young Mr Adelsten last year. Still, it might be wise if you don’t seek him out.’
‘I have no intention of doing that,’ Jess answered, without looking at him this time, since it was precisely what she had planned.
Karl Adelsten’s ardent courtship of her had come to an abrupt end on the day he had gone to ask Robert for her hand in marriage. This puzzled her and she wanted to know what had made him change his mind so suddenly. It was obvious it had something to do with Robert. What exactly had he said to the young man? The more she thought about it, the more she suspected Robert had an ulterior motive in wanting her to stay unwed.
She recalled her conversation with him at the time of her banishment. It was etched into her memory, word for word.
‘There was a young man here this afternoon, asking to marry you,’ Robert had said. ‘I sent him away, I’m afraid. Most unsuitable.’
‘What do you mean, unsuitable?’ Jess had felt her spirits plummet and disappointment made her blurt out, ‘That’s not true. I want to marry Karl. I love him!’ Hearing herself saying the words out loud for the first time, Jess was suddenly unsure. She did love him, didn’t she? And he had said he loved her.
‘Pah, love,’ Robert waved his hand dismissively as if such a thing didn’t exist. He smiled. ‘A youthful fancy, that has nothing to do with the matter. No, marriage is a serious business, as I’m sure you know. In any case, the boy is too poor.’
‘Surely not? He’s a nobleman.’
‘I happen to know that Mr Adelsten’s father is in financial difficulties, noble lineage or not. Trust me, there are better fish in the sea.’
‘Not here in Gothenburg. In fact, nowhere in the whole of Sweden.’ Jess clenched her jaw and suppressed the angry words she wanted to hurl at her stepfather. How could he be so blind? Karl was perfect in every way. His family had been prominent in the area for generations. Why couldn’t Robert see the advantages of that?
‘Nonsense,’ he said. ‘Besides, you should be marrying a foreigner like yourself, not a local. It’s what your mother would prefer.’
Jess frowned. It was true that her father had been Dutch, but the family moved to Sweden when Jess was just a baby. She had never lived anywhere else and didn’t feel like an outsider, even though she spoke both Dutch and English in addition to the native tongue. And Robert himself had been here some ten years now. He’d even taken on Swedish nationality, although she knew that was probably only because it was expedient from a business point of view.
‘Mother has never mentioned anything about that to me. I thought she just wanted me to marry well, and Karl is the third suitor you’ve sent packing in as many years.’
Jess could feel the frustration swirling inside her. She’d been glad when the other two young men were refused, since she had no interest in either of them. But Karl was a different matter. He made her feel desirable, beautiful even, despite knowing herself to be only passably pretty at best. Her white-blonde hair and clear grey eyes didn’t draw anyone’s attention. Nor did her small stature or a figure which was pleasing but nothing out of the ordinary. And yet Karl had pursued her with a single-minded determination that persuaded her of his sincerity.
He was also practically her last hope. She was nearly twenty and if Robert refused any more suitors on her behalf, she was afraid they would stop asking and she would end up an old spinster.
She decided to try a different tack. ‘Surely marrying into a noble Swedish family is better than a Dutch or Scottish merchant’s son whether he’s rich or not? Think of the connections, the commercial possibilities.’
Robert shook his head. ‘I doubt he’d be of much use in that respect. And we wouldn’t want to hand over your dowry to just anyone. High-born people like that simply spend money, without any thought for the future. They have no business acumen whatsoever and no idea how to earn money. Ask him. I’m sure he’ll tell you he’s not interested in such things.’
Jess narrowed her eyes at him, thinking furiously. She sensed there was more to this matter than met the eye. Her father had educated her beyond what was normal for a girl and she was far from stupid. Lately, she had begun to suspect Robert was trying to keep her under his thumb for as long as possible. There was only one reason why he should want to do that – by keeping hold of her share of the business he could use it for his own ends. Was he investing her money in ventures that would never benefit her?
He had no right.
‘Isn’t that a moot point though?’ she dared to ask. ‘When I marry, my dowry will consist of most of the business. I know, because Father told me I would inherit everything. If my future husband has no interest in such things, he can always sell it.’
Robert looked surprised. ‘I’m afraid you’re mistaken. Your father’s will said nothing of the kind. He left everything to your mother and since I’m now her husband, her assets have naturally passed to me. There was an instruction she should pay your future husband a dowry of three thousand silver daler. Of course I’ll honour your father’s wishes in that regard, but I can assure you such a sum isn’t large enough to support the kind of lifestyle Mr Adelsten is used to.’
Shocked to the core, Jess stared at Robert in disbelief. She shook her head slowly and tried to assimilate his words. It simply didn’t make sense. ‘That can’t be,’ she murmured. ‘That’s not at all what Father told me. Are you sure you had the right will?’
Robert regarded her calmly. ‘There was only one, as far as I know. It was legal, signed by your father and witnessed. Whatever he may have told you, we have to follow his written wishes. They take precedence over any foolish promises made.’
‘Could I have a look at the will, please?’
Robert stiffened, obviously not pleased by her persistence. ‘That won’t be possible. It was retained by the magistrate, after it was proven. I doubt he’d still have it after all this time.’
Jess was far from convinced, but realised she had no proof of any wrong-doing, just a niggling sense of unease. The way she had been banished soon afterwards, despite fighting tooth and nail to be allowed to stay in Gothenburg, only made her even more suspicious. Robert had claimed she was being sent to the country to heal her broken heart, but Jess knew that was just a convenient excuse.
Now, a year later, she still couldn’t shake the feeling of having been duped. Her father had said she was to receive everything except a ten percent share already owned by Robert. Although as a woman she couldn’t run the business herself, he had taught her enough to be able to oversee whoever she employed.
‘I wouldn’t want you to be cheated,’ he’d said. ‘You have to be the one making the decisions.’
They both knew very well that Jess’ mother Katrijna would never be able to cope with such a burden. Why then should he suddenly have changed his mind and bequeathed the company to her? It was most unlike him.
No, Robert was up to something and she was determined to find out what that was. For her father’s sake as well as her own. She could read between the lines, however, and re
cognised the threat implied in her stepfather’s words. If she didn’t do as she was told, she would be punished again.
‘Very well, you may go then,’ he said. ‘I hope you’ve learned your lesson. Men will declare their love for you one minute, then change their mind the next. It’s the way of the world.’
‘Oh, yes. I have definitely learned my lesson. I’ll guard my heart in future.’ And my thoughts, especially from you.
She walked out of the study with her head held high and closed the door behind her as quietly as she could. She suppressed the urge to slam it hard instead.
Insufferable man, she thought. Well, she would show him. He might think he had the upper hand, but she wasn’t beaten yet.
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Never Too Late Page 12
