Regency Romance: Duke’s Forbidden Love (The Fairbanks Series - Love & Hearts) (Historical Romance Fiction)

by Jessie Bennett

  With a few short, quick pen marks, he made some changes.

  He wore a satisfied smile when he exited the room, closing it with an almost silent click behind him. He crossed to the library door and swept in, making what he felt was a dramatic entrance fit for the stage.

  “I do believe a certain young man was interested in finding out about the theater.” He said, loudly, making his voice boom over the sound of the softly playing piano. Drake lifted his fingers from the keys in mid-play, lifting his eyebrows.

  “Shall we talk now?” he asked with a smile.

  “Yes, that would be appropriate. I will need to leave by 2 o’clock, which should give us enough time to go over the basics of how to become an actor. It’s one of the hardest jobs in the world, but it is certainly one that any actor would not want to be without.”

  Anna spoke up. “I think it is truly fascinating that someone can turn themselves into someone else and play the part so well that no one would know it was not truly them.”

  “I enjoy it very much.”

  Anna thought that perhaps his acting ability was what made her suspect he was a liar. It could very well be that he was playing a part, overwhelmingly so. He wanted her to marry him. She felt strongly he would take every measure he could to see that happened, whether it was what she wanted or not. It was what he wanted and that was all that mattered.

  “I did not know you were interested in the theater, Anna. We have not gone often.”

  Anna shook her head, looking at her father. “It is not I who is interested per se, Father, but Drake who has asked to talk to Duke Doughtery about it.”

  Her father nodded, but did not have a chance to reply before Ben interrupted.

  “And I am more than happy to impart some of my vast and superior knowledge of the finest art there is. I do love singing and painting. But the theater will always be my true passion. I don’t even need to take the lead part, though I must admit I do like to if it’s offered. Either way, I will do the part to the best of my ability.” He smiled at Anna. “I like getting the good parts where the guy falls in love with an unattainable woman, say a woman who is cold, frigid or married.”

  Anna laughed. “That’s quite a way to describe it!” She exclaimed.

  “I find that typically it is one of these topics that will draw in an audience.”

  “Like the Taming of the Shrew.” Drake supplied, ceasing his piano playing and moving to the couch to sit next to his mother. He stretched his legs wide and rested his bony elbows on them, making sure to push them out far enough that Ben would not get the impression he was wanted on the couch.

  “That is correct, young man. Just like the Taming of the Shrew.”

  “A lot of the plays I have read and heard about, whether they are Shakespeare or not, there’s always an insane lunatic, an unattainable girl and a hero.”

  “Yes, that is true.”

  “And which one are you, my lord?”

  “I would most likely relate to the insane one. And you would be the damsel in distress.”

  Anna tried to laugh. “I don’t know that I have ever been a damsel in distress, my lord. Perhaps the unattainable girl, as you have said.”

  “Yes, that sounds more like you, mother.” Drake said with a chuckle.

  Drake lifted his eyebrows and looked at Frank, who was watching the scene with a look of disapproval. “Thank you for inviting me for brunch today, my lord. I have had a pleasant time and feel I should take my leave of you now.”

  Frank stood up. “Thank you for coming, my lord.”

  Drake and Anna both stood up. They nodded at him as he bowed and went out the door.

  “I am not pleased, Anna.” Frank said as soon as the door closed when the Duke left the room. “I feel you were very disrespectful to the Duke. You must understand that he is the better choice. You cannot rely on Duke Watson.”

  “Because of his age?” Anna scowled at her father. “I disagree, father.”

  “We will discuss this later. I have business to attend to.”

  Anna watched him leave, sighing. She didn’t want to argue with her father. At the same time, she dreaded the thought of living the rest of her life with Duke Benjamin Doughtery. She would have to convince him that her love for Bryan was undeniable, that the two of them were meant to be together. She had never met anyone that she connected so well with. She didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to see what could be made of it.

  She wasn’t going to let something small like an age difference get in her way. No matter who she chose to spend her time with, there would be faults and flaws. Duke Doughtery was a talkative man and she did not particularly enjoy listening to the sound of his voice. At one time, she may have thought differently. Now that she had heard Bryan’s sultry, deep voice, it was all she ever wanted to hear.

  She was determined.

  She would be Duke Watson’s wife, if it was the last thing she ever did.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  DISCOVERING CORRUPTION

  DISCOVERING CORRUPTION

  The office was in disarray when Bryan walked in later that week. He went directly to his office and pushed open the door to see three of his board members standing around the room.

  “What is going on here, Lord Barron?”

  The older man held the highest position other than himself in the Watson Furniture company. He rounded the desk and handed a small stack of papers to Bryan. “Look at these, my lord. It will explain what is happening.”

  Bryan scanned the documents, doing silent calculations in his head as he read the financial information. When he reached the last document, he was shaking his head.

  “This is not possible.” He looked up at Lord Baron and then to the other two men in the room. “I say, this is not possible.”

  “The papers don’t lie, my lord. There can only be two explanations for this. Either you have been funneling money to his accounts or he has been stealing it under our noses.”

  Shock had rendered Bryan speechless and frozen in place. The documents he held seemed to claim that Anna’s father, Lord Frank Duprey, had been overcharging and under-spending, taking the money for himself.

  “Surely you do not suspect me of stealing money from my own company and sending it to someone else?”

  “No, my lord, we only knew that it was an explanation for this. There is no logical reason for you to do such a thing. It appears it is all Lord Duprey. I cannot fathom that he has become a thief, after all these years.”

  “I am also in shock. There has never been any indication that Lord Duprey had a bad character.”

  “This does not make sense. We have never seen anything like it. We are not the only company Lord Duprey works for. This morning, we have spoken with men with other companies he works with and none of them noticed any changes like this.” Lord Baron was also shaking his head. “The books have never looked like this before. Our accounts have always been straight.”

  “How long has this supposed fraud been going on?” Bryan asked.

  “It’s hard to tell. We would need to go back and audit all the books for the past several years. Lord Duprey has been working with us for years. We never would have suspected such a thing. Do you know the man? Is there any reason he would suddenly begin stealing money?”

  Bryan shook his head. “No…I…” he pulled in a deep breath. “I do not believe this. We must take action.”

  “I agree. But what do we do, my lord?”

  Bryan chewed on his lip for a moment, thinking. Should he go to Anna and talk to her about it? Should he confront her father face to face immediately?

  “I will go to the Duprey estate and have a talk with them. We will straighten this out. This must be a mistake.”

  “I don’t know how it could be, my lord. But I do hope we can get it straightened out because the company has taken quite a loss, per these papers.”

  Bryan was still shaking his head. “I will take care of this. I know there must be a logical explanation. I c
annot believe that Lord Duprey would do something like this.” He couldn’t help thinking of Anna and Drake. This kind of thing would devastate both. They loved the old man. He had a certain fondness for Lord Duprey himself and had always considered him to be an asset to the business, as well as an upstanding citizen.

  He waved his hand, indicating Lord Baron and the others should leave the room. They did so without speaking another word. He could tell by the looks on their faces they were concerned, also relieved that he was going to do something about it.

  Bryan rounded the desk and plopped himself in the seat, scooting both feet up under the chair and leaning forward. He held the papers in both hands, staring down at them in confusion.

  In all the years he’d been running the company and before that when his father was, Lord Duprey had never struck Bryan as the type of man who would steal from any of the companies he worked for. He sat thinking for a spell, gathering the courage to do what he knew he needed to do.

  Confront Lord Duprey, father of the woman in which he was falling in love.

  He pushed himself to his feet reluctantly. He passed through the door, stopping just on the other side where a young employee was standing gazing at a row of books on the bookshelf.

  “Gregory, do you know if Lord Duprey would be in his office or at home now?”

  The young man gave him a look of surprise. “No, my lord. I’d have no way of knowing that.”

  “Thank you anyway.” Bryan passed him by. He would go to the Duprey estate. If Anna was there and her father not, he would talk to her, get her advice about what to do.

  All the way to the estate, Bryan thought about how he would approach the topic to Anna. With all his heart, he hoped she would be there and would be willing to talk to him about this. He pictured her reacting several different ways, playing out the scenarios in his head while his horse trotted down the path.

  By the time he reached the Duprey land, his heart was pounding in his chest. It was doing that for several reasons. One was that he was about to see her beautiful face. The other was that there was a possibility she would be so incensed by the accusation against her father, she would refuse to ever see him again.

  He felt an ache in his chest at the thought.

  Soon he knew he would fall for good. When that happened, he would be unable to live without her. He would be so wrapped in her love, he would never let her go.

  He approached the mansion just as snowflakes began to touch down. They were expected. Bryan dismounted and handed the reins to the old man. The man bowed and Bryan bounded up the stairs two at a time.

  He used the knocker four times.

  “Hello, Duke Watson.” David opened the door and bowed slightly to him.

  “David,” Bryan walked in, stripping the gloves from his hands immediately and taking off his hat. “Tell me, is Lord Duprey home?”

  “I’m sorry, my lord. He is at the offices. He will not return for about an hour. Would you care to speak with Lady Anna?”

  His heart quaked. It was going to play out like one of the scenarios in his head, he was sure of it. But would it be one of the good ones or one of the bad ones?

  He was about to find out.

  “Yes, David, thank you.”

  “Of course, my lord. This way.”

  He waved two fingers in the air, turning to walk down the hall toward the great room. He opened the door once he was there and called into the room.

  “Duke Bryan Watson to see you, Lady Anna.”

  Bryan walked past David, taking long strides into the room. He stopped in place and stared at the beautiful Lady Anna. She had been sitting with her back to the door and when he was announced, she shot to her feet and spun around, making her long, loose red locks swing around her elegant neck and come to a rest softly swaying against her bosom. He could barely breathe.

  “My Lady.” He bowed low at the waist. “I did not mean to surprise you with my presence.”

  She was blushing a deep red. She dropped her eyes and clasped her hands in front of her.

  When she heard David announce Duke Watson, she thought she was going to have a heart attack. Such a distinct sense of pleasure flowed through her, she didn’t feel anything else. Her body lit up in chills. She wanted to stare at him for hours, take in his gorgeous features until she could see nothing else.

  When she was finally able to speak, she stumbled over her words. “It is all right, my lord. What…to what do I owe the honor of your presence?”

  He held out both hands toward her in a beseeching way and took several steps in her direction. “I am afraid it is with regret I have come to see you today. There has been an incident at WF that I am anxious to speak with you about.”

  “An incident?”

  “Yes, my lady. May we sit?”

  “Yes, of course, where are my manners?” She turned back around and held her hand out toward the chair opposite of her. She didn’t know if she would handle it well were he to sit next to her on the couch.

  “Thank you, my lady.” He sat but was restless, leaning forward to be closer to her.

  She could see how nervous he was. His eyes were moist, darting in one direction and then another. He clenched his hands together in front of him.

  “What is it, my lord? You seem very…very disturbed by something.”

  Bryan nodded. “Yes, there is a serious matter, I must discuss with you.”

  “Please feel free to do so at your discretion, my lord.” She nodded, encouraging him to continue.

  He paused. “This…this is a very delicate matter. I would like to know that you will not be angry with me for what I am about to say.”

  Anna’s breath caught in her lungs. What could the young Duke possibly have to say that would cause her to be angry? “How, my lord, am I to know whether I would become angry if I know not what it is about?”

  Bryan clenched his jaw. “All right. You see… well… there has been some…trouble concerning several accounts that your father handles for WF. They… some discrepancies have been found within the documents. Discrepancies that suggest your… father… has been taking the money from the accounts.”

  Anna was silent for a long minute. She turned what he had said over and over in her mind. She tried to decipher if she could believe such accusations. She pulled in a deep breath, staring into Bryan’s eyes. He was gazing back at her, unblinking.

  “Say something, my lady.” He whispered. “Please tell me what you think of this.”

  “I would certainly usually say this is impossible and an absurd notion. My father is not a thief.”

  “No, my lady. That is what I have always thought all these years. Even as a child, I knew to respect your father and the work he does. But now… well, there is evidence of the wrongdoing, my lady. I cannot dispute that.” As he spoke, he reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out the folded papers he had brought along to show her and Frank. “Please look at these.”

  She took them from him, a beautiful frown on her face. He loved the way her eyebrows pulled together and the corners of her soft red lips turned slightly down. There was nothing she couldn’t do that wouldn’t make him feel more love for her. She shook her head as she lifted the papers, one by one.

  “These mean very little to me, Bryan. I can be told what these numbers mean and understand but just looking at them myself doesn’t do me good. Tell me what I’m looking at.”

  He leaned forward and outlined several of the columns where names and numbers had been underlined. “These accounts are the ones we are concerned about. Look at the difference between these two numbers. One is the proper number, the other is a higher number that was written in by your father. The difference would put quite a lot of pounds in his pocket that should not be there.”

  “Lord Watson,” they heard from the doorway. “Are you accusing me of being a thief?”

  Both looked up from the papers to see Lord Duprey standing at the entrance to the room.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

&n
bsp; STANDING ACCUSED

  STANDING ACCUSED

  Bryan and Anna both shot to their feet, giving Frank wide-eyed looks of mixed nervousness and shame. Neither wanted to accuse the older man of wrongdoing. But the books showed it to be true. Even Anna could see the vast difference.

  For the life of her, she couldn’t recall an instance that would give her any kind of impression her father was a thieving kind of man. Looking at him now, it seemed even more impossible. He was a shorter man, with plump features and white hair he’d let grow to his shoulders. He wore prim glasses and always reminded Anna of the American Benjamin Franklin from Philadelphia. She’d seen a portrait of the man when she’d had the privilege of visiting the Queen ten years previous.

  He looked honest and intelligent. There was no way he would do such a thing.

  “F…father… we have been discussing some documents that… that Duke Watson has discovered in the company files. They… they appear to show…” She stopped and looked at Bryan. He glanced at her and then looked sheepishly at Frank Duprey.

  “Lord Duprey, far be it from me to accuse without merit. It’s just that this was brought to my attention this morning and it must be dealt with. Please look over these documents and tell me what you see, sir.”

  Frank approached in three quick, long strides. He took the papers from Anna’s hands and looked them over. He had the same reaction Bryan had. He stood scanning the numbers and shaking his head.

  “This makes no sense to me! I have no way of recalling if I wrote in these numbers, as I look at them all day every day. But this does appear to show that there is a large difference between the amounts I have been charging versus how much is actually spent.”

  “Yes, sir. You see why we are questioning it… where could the money have gone? Surely you… you haven’t been…”

  “No, sir.” Frank responded in a firm voice. “I have not been stealing from your company. I have…” He stopped abruptly, staring at the documents. “Did you notice this?”