Lady Unveiled - The Cuckold's Conspiracy (Daughters of Sin Book 5)

by Beverley Oakley

  “I certainly don’t mind Dorcas having a visitor, if that’s what you’re concerned about,” Kitty assured them, while her mind roamed over Dorcas’s various past associations. She was certain Mr. Prism was the only young man Dorcas had ever spoken of with any fondness, having finally escaped from her indenture at Mrs. Montgomery’s house of ill repute.

  “Dorcas, why don’t you turn the lamp up and organize a drink for everyone?” she suggested as she went to her favorite chair in the corner. Yes, she remembered now. Mr. Prism was the young man whose father had sent him to Mrs. Montgomery’s for his twenty-first birthday initiation. He and Dorcas had spent the night talking. Mostly about his father’s disreputable activities, she recalled, though perhaps about Dorcas too, though Dorcas was likely too bashful to have mentioned that part.

  Kitty slid another look toward them as she lowered herself into the lovely comfortable leather chair that would be hers no longer after tomorrow. Her interest in Dorcas and Mr. Prism was swept away momentarily by a pang for everything else she was about to lose. For two months, she’d never known such pure pleasure and delight.

  “Miss Bijou, I came here to tell Miss Dorcas something that I thought would be of interest and, possibly, importance to both herself and to you. First, might I preface this information with a few words on the enormous esteem in which I hold you, both as London’s most beautiful and accomplished actress, and as a most honorably intentioned employer who has helped Miss Dorcas so immeasurably in extricating herself from the appalling situation in which she found herself. And finally, on that note—but of no less importance—is the fact that I would like to say in front of you and Miss Dorcas that in no way am I prejudiced by Miss Dorcas’s past life which forced her into actions against her moral inclination. I, too, have spent most of my life forced into actions against my moral inclination, but I know that what is important is what one believes is right and true, and what is in one’s heart, for we are all too often indentured to masters who care nothing for right and wrong, and only for how to line their pockets with gold. And that is why I am here.”

  After the long pause that followed this incredible speech, Kitty finally said, feeling rather taken aback by such candor, “I am enormously gratified that you should make such an effort to reassure Dorcas of your esteem. I am flattered by your kind words, too.”

  “Miss Bijou, I came here neither to flatter nor to impress, but to impart important information.” He glanced at Dorcas, and the look they shared was so telling, Kitty’s previous gentle amusement was swept away by the realization that there was something more at play.

  Dorcas swayed closer, brushing against his arm and taking his hand in hers to give it a quick squeeze before she released it, saying in a hurried whisper, “Tell Miss Kitty ‘bout Lord Debenham…‘n Lord Silverton.”

  Shocked, Kitty sat back in her chair, indicating for the others to do the same.

  Lord Debenham? The last time she’d heard his name was in the company of Lissa, Araminta, and Mr. Tunley as Araminta had poured out her fears that Lord Debenham was searching for material to use for blackmail purposes. Material that might somehow implicate Araminta.

  But the idea that Silverton was somehow linked to Lord Debenham made no sense. Silverton deplored the man’s morals and behavior. He’d been doing his best to uncover information that would add to evidence of wrongdoing on Debenham’s part; evidence that would implicate him in the plot to assassinate Castlereagh.

  Her shock must have shown, for quickly Dorcas reassured her, “Mr. Prism don’t mean Lord Silverton’s bin linked ter anyfink bad. Yer remember them letters Mrs. Montgomery wanted me ter plant in ‘is study?” The girl blushed for, of course, it had been part of the terms of her release but had come to nothing after Dorcas had confessed virtually the moment she’d done the deed. “Lord Debenham were part o’ that only now ‘e’s tryin’ sumfink else.”

  “Oh,” Kitty said faintly. It was all she could manage right now as she took in the horrifying ramifications. If the ruthless viscount was continuing a vendetta against her darling Silverton, where might it end? Swallowing, she added, “I have no liking for Lord Debenham, but surely if Silverton has nothing to hide he has nothing to fear?” It was a foolish hope, she knew. It also bolstered her determination following her recent discussion in Ralph Tunley’s lodgings to do all she could to assist in bringing the villainous viscount to justice.

  That, she now knew, was what Lissa and Mr. Tunley were intent on doing, but if Kitty could help achieve an aim which in turn helped Lissa and Mr. Tunley to finally wed, so much the better.

  Grief lodged in Kitty’s throat. Lord Silverton could never be hers, she knew, but if Kitty couldn’t be happy with the man she loved, nothing would give her greater pleasure than seeing Lissa finally able to marry Mr. Tunley. Finding a way to apprehend Lord Debenham would go a long way toward achieving that.

  “Brandy, Mr. Prism? Thank you, Dorcas.” She settled back with the drink Dorcas handed her, taking a sip of the fiery liquid which she decided she’d need. “Now, please tell me what this is all about.”

  With a long, earnest look at Dorcas, Mr. Prism seated himself once more on the sofa beside her and proceeded to speak.

  “Miss Bijou, I am a clerk. My father’s desire has been to see us rise in the world, and I am the beneficiary of his noble aims. But his aims are all that are noble. I am the respectable front of his nefarious operations. He will go to any lengths to further add to the family coffers, and I have always—”

  “Yes, yes, thank you, Mr. Prism, but what exactly can you tell me about Lord Silverton?” Kitty’s heart thundered in her chest, and she barely dared hear the answer.

  Dorcas cleared her throat. “Miss Kitty, I fink I’d better begin by tellin’ yer ‘ow it come ‘bout that yer fine gennelmun were mentioned. Yer see, I were in the market buyin’ fish when I ‘eard me name bein’ called from a carriage wot ‘ad stopped nearby. When I went over, it were Mrs. Montgomery who said she ‘ad sumfink ter tell me ‘n would I come ter ’er establishment.”

  Kitty sent her a look of horror.

  “You surely didn’t, did you, Dorcas?’ Kitty asked, and Dorcas shook her head vehemently.

  “I said she could tell me wot it were there, ‘n so Mrs. Mongtomery told me that she could give me a lot o’ money if I told ‘er a few things that would be ‘elpful fer doin’ good.”

  “Mrs. Montgomery…doing good? I hope you didn’t believe her, Dorcas.”

  “’Course not. But then she said that as I ‘adn’t carried out properly ‘er instructions ‘bout them letters wot were s’posed to show up Lord Silverton fer the villain ‘e is, then she were goin’ ter ‘ave to get ‘er lawyer on ter me if I didn’t come back willing-like ‘n work fer ’er.” Dorcas looked thoroughly frightened at this and rubbed an eye with one fist. Mr. Prism slid his eyes across to her and patted her hand while a furious blush spread across his cheeks.

  Kitty was about to speak up in defense of Lord Silverton’s good character when Mr. Prism cleared his throat, and bringing back his straying hands to clasp them demurely in his lap said, “It so happened that in the greatest of coincidences, I was passing by, and I happened to see Miss Dorcas talking to Mrs. Montgomery. As I drew nearer, I heard Mrs. Montgomery telling Dorcas that Lord Silverton had come into possession of a necklace through illegal means which he’d given to his—”

  “Mistress? No, I’m not upset by the term, but by the falseness of the charge. Lord Silverton paid twice over for that necklace. It had belonged to Lady Debenham, but she’d given it to Mrs. Montgomery to pawn for her, I believe.” She clenched her fists and added fiercely, “Certainly, it was never stolen! Neither by me nor by Lord Silverton.”

  “We assuredly know that you and Lord Silverton are in no way blameworthy in this, being such pillars of respectability—”

  He reddened at this, and looked relieved when Dorcas interrupted. “It were eva so good to see Mr. Prism again, but I were fearful ashamed that ‘e’d think badl
y o’ me assumin’ I were still workin’ fer ‘er establishment.”

  “Nor would it have changed my opinion of you, Miss Dorcas,” he assured her vehemently. “I have been ill-used by my father. I know what it is to be forced to perform immoral acts against one’s good conscience, and so you and I are alike. Dorcas was forced against her will to do what made her soul shrivel inside her.” His eyes grew bright in his pallid face and he leaned forward. “But when I overheard what Mrs. Montgomery was saying to Dorcas, I realized that Dorcas and I could redress the balance because of what we know, and because we both want to work for what is right, and we both understand something of the evil network that operates at Mrs. Montgomery’s.”

  He paused to draw breath and Dorcas burst out, “I were talkin’ te me friend, Sal, wot’s one of Mrs. Montgomery’s girls—yer met ‘er once, Miss Kitty—‘n she told me that Lord Debenham pays ‘is favorites ter give ‘im information wot ‘e can use ter blackmail people fer money. She reckons it were Lord Debenham wot blackmailed Lord Calder, causin’ him ter take ‘is life.”

  Kitty remembered Silverton’s dismay at losing his friend, and his suspicions regarding the blackmailer.

  But while the insidious fear surrounding Mrs. Montgomery’s power seeped through her, so did the thought that she could help bring justice to Lord Debenham with the aid of these two before her. Each of them had some insight into Mrs. Montgomery’s evil empire or knew—more than most people—about Lord Debenham’s nefarious activities.

  She leaned forward excitedly. “Dorcas, Mr. Prism, I’m so glad you’re here. The three of us can make a change for good. We can work together to redress some of the wickedness we’ve seen but been unable to change.”

  Excitement began to churn inside her. Imagine if she, Kitty, could be known for something other than for her lack of respectability as an actress, or the unacknowledged illegitimate daughter, or the mistress of two of society’s most eligible bachelors. Imagine if, in her own right, Kitty could be known for bringing to justice a nemesis to society.

  “Are you telling me you’re here because you know something important? Something that really could go toward convicting Lord Debenham?”

  Mr. Prism and Dorcas nodded in unison, then Dorcas said, “There’s an engraved pewter box, yer see, that ‘e ‘as unda lock ‘n key. No one knows ‘bout it, but it contains all ‘is secrets.” She lowered her voice. “All o’ ‘em. And Sal, she reckons she knows ‘xactly where ‘e keeps it.”

  Chapter 17

  Araminta stared at the scrap of paper lying on the elegant round table in her private dressing room, and feared she was about to be sick. She’d been doing that a lot lately. Being sick, but the occasion now was nothing to do with the nausea that had plagued her each morning with regular monotony, and which she dreaded might be her worst nightmare—another child. Lord Debenham’s child. She contoured her slender waist and closed her eyes, reflecting on how recently her body was hers again. The body that drove men wild. She hadn’t intended ever to become pregnant again.

  Then she did another turn about the room, her hands clenched into fists, before returning to stare once more at the note. Perhaps she’d been mistaken in the way she’d read it the first time.

  Lady D. Your husband wants to know why you gave away your ruby and diamond necklace. Shall I tell him, or would you like to make a donation for my silence? Meet me at 5 o’clock inside the Western gate, Highgate Cemetery, with five hundred pounds.

  Araminta gripped the table, afraid she was going to faint. Who knew the story of the necklace?

  Kitty La Bijou, of course.

  A gust of wind down the chimney stirred the letter at the same time as a thought speared Araminta’s mind. Who else knew about the necklace? Well, the awful woman to whom Miss La Bijou had taken Araminta when she was giving birth.

  One of them must have sent the blackmail note. Araminta had been sure she’d pulled the wool over credulous Miss Bijou’s eyes, but that greasy creature—what was her name? Mrs. Mobbs—she must have told Miss Bijou. Could Miss Bijou be responsible for this? Swiftly she seized the letter and crumpled it in her hand and threw it at the fireplace.

  Jane appeared in the room at the very moment she let out her cry of frustration.

  “Can’t fit inter yer fav’rite gown fer this evenin’, m’lady?” Jane asked, unfazed by her mistress’s distress as she calmly picked up the piece of paper that had missed the blaze. She raised her eyebrows. “Or did someone write yer sumfink yer didn’t like?”

  “Go on, read it then! I know you’re dying to, and perhaps you can then tell me what I should do!” Hissing out a breath, Araminta began to stalk from one end of the room to the other while Jane held the paper up to the light.

  Fragmented multicolors made her vision swim. “I was so sure Debenham believed I’d pawned the necklace and there’d be no more questions. But someone wants to tell him the truth, don’t they?”

  “Are yer goin’ ter give ‘em the money?” Jane sat on a stool and began to roll up a pair of discarded stockings.

  “With what? I have no more pin money for this quarter.” Araminta ran her fingers through her hair before turning an imploring face toward her maid. “What should I do, Jane? Do you think the letter comes from Kitty La Bijou? Should I confront her? Tell her what ill will come to her if—”

  “Yer might consider ‘oney a better bet than vinegar, m’lady. Not that I reckon Miss Bijou ‘as anyfink to do wiv it. Nah…but she might know, though. Have yer thought about that, then? Why not go to ‘er sweet, like, ‘n ask her ter ‘elp yer? That’s wot I’d do. She ‘elped yer afore.”

  “You really don’t think she’s taking advantage of the situation? Of what she knows through helping me before?”

  Jane rolled her eyes. “Trouble is—if yer don’t mind me sayin’ m’lady—is that yer believe others fink the same as yer. Miss Bijou, it seems ter me, is a good sort ‘n would more likely ‘elp yer.”

  “Oh, Jane, what have I got to lose? Only everything if Debenham finds out.” Another wave of nausea threatened to swamp Araminta, only this time it wasn’t on account of her fear over the letter. No, it was purely physical, and as soon as Araminta had delivered up the contents of her stomach into the chamber pot, she threw herself onto the bed and burst into noisy tears.

  “Debenham has his revenge, truly he has, without slicing my throat!” she wailed as she clutched her stomach and hung her head over the edge of the bed.

  She opened her eyes at the cool dampness of a flannel dabbing at her temples and stared dolefully into her maid’s face.

  “You’re not looking at all sympathetic, like you ought, Jane,” she sniffed, “but truly, I don’t know what I’d do without you. You won’t leave me, will you? I know I’m perfectly horrid to you sometimes, but you will promise you’ll stay, regardless—won’t you?”

  “Well, no’ regardless, m’lady, fer that would give yer quite some license,” Jane acknowledged with a brief, wry grin. “But I ain’t goin’ nowhere in a ’urry. Not while Jem’s still got a place wiv ‘is Lordship.”

  “Yes, I did have to pull some strings about that considering Debenham was all for having Jem deported for stealing that letter, so you owe me a promise you’ll stay.”

  “Well, it weren’t proved beyond doubt that it were ’im, were it, since it were neva found in ‘is possession ‘n yer tried ter take it from ’im.”

  “No! You took it, Jane, and you gave it to Hetty.” Araminta suddenly remembered how aggrieved she was on this score. “You should have been deported, Jane, and maybe I’d have seen that you were, if I hadn’t intervened because I needed you more. Oh, but what am I going to do?”

  “About anuvver bairn? Well, reckon there ain’t nuffink yer can do. It’ll be like last time, only easier. Second babes are always easier ‘n yer first; well, it did come mighty quick so I reckon yer one of the lucky ones.”

  “Well, at least Debenham’s more likely to leave me alone for a while.” Araminta seized on this hopeful
ly while a raft of ideas crowded her mind. She could go to the country, and she and Teddy could…

  “Wot is it, m’lady?” Jane asked as Araminta let forth another wail, for she’d just thought of how soon her body would become bloated and hideous. Teddy would be disgusted. She had to act quickly and entrance him before that happened. Besides, he might be able to help her. Ralph Tunley had said the letter he had was insufficient to convict Debenham of anything, and that was some small relief. Maybe Araminta might find in Teddy an ally who would keep an ear out for whispers. Whispers that might implicate her husband in anything more underhand than his misdemeanors all those years ago now regarding the Castlereagh affair, and the nonsense over his supposedly radical leanings. Debenham didn’t have the energy to involve himself in political affairs. All he wanted was to gamble— and have enough money to get him out of financial difficulties.

  “I want you to send this note around to Lord Ludbridge, Jane,” Araminta said decisively, feeling a lot better as she scribbled a hasty missive which she handed to her maid.

  “And then I want you to lay out my new gold net evening gown. I’m going to the theater tonight.”

  “To see that Wildflower play?”

  “No, to see Miss La Bijou.”

  The late-afternoon sun slanted through the plane trees in the small park opposite the Beecham household, as Kitty said vehemently, “So you see, Lissa, I can help you, if you’ll only let me.”

  Lissa couldn’t get over the hope and enthusiasm on her sister’s face. Back home, Kitty had always been the wayward, frivolous younger sister whom Lissa had brushed off as simply not pulling her weight.

  Even just a couple of weeks ago, she’d bemoaned to Ralph about Kitty’s latest appalling transgression. First actress, then mistress to not just one gentleman of the ton, but two!

  Now Kitty was here in the garden opposite Lord Beecham’s townhouse, wearing a fashionable and becoming gown of Pomona green, telling Lissa how she should go about ensuring justice was done so that Ralph would get the promotion he so desired, which would enable him to marry Lissa. It was beyond anything!