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

by Jessie Bennett

  “Lady Anna has something to tell you, my lord.” Bryan went around the desk and sat in his chair. Frank Duprey had moved to the second high-backed velvet cushioned chair in front of the desk and was seated there, looking pensive. He turned to look curiously at his daughter. She sat in the other chair and faced him.

  “Father, when Duke Doughtery came to visit earlier in the week, he was not with us the entire time. I suspect he went into your study and did something to cause this situation. I am not familiar with your business papers. Therefore, I would not know what he could possibly have done. However, he is familiar with your business. Since it is his money that is also affected, he would know what papers to look for and what to do to them to create this havoc.”

  Her father blinked a few times, a blank expression on his face as he absorbed what she’d said. She could see him going through the Duke’s visit in his memory. She hoped he would consider that the man he had been working with throughout the years and the one who had consistently asked for her hand in marriage could have deceived him in such a way.”

  “Why would the Duke wish to harm me? Duke Watson and I have discussed something to this affect earlier today. I simply cannot believe that he would concoct such a scheme to take me out of the picture. I have done no harm to the man.”

  “Father, you have to look at it from two different perspectives. If the Duke is indeed guilty of scheming to have you imprisoned or your reputation tarnished at the very least; he must have done so for one of two reasons. Either he wants you out of the picture, assuming I would be forced to marry him as a disgraced woman. Or he fears Duke Watson will change your mind before he can marry me.”

  Her father shook his head. “This is all too unbelievable. It does not seem possible that this man I have known for most of my life could wish harm on anyone else for any reason, let alone a woman.”

  “Was it not you yourself who told me that Duke Doughtery was not the best of businessmen and that you often hesitated to work with his accounts?”

  Frank nodded yes. “In business matters, the man could be a dunce at times. But not in personal dealings. He always seemed a fair, if not dimwitted and a bit egocentric.”

  “I think you have described him very well.” Bryan nodded. “I have gone over his accounts in my books and have noticed a pattern of inconsistency with him. At times, he would have money for business ventures up front. Other times he would fall behind on payments in one way or another. His accounts are very haphazard.”

  Anna looked at Frank. “Father, do you still have any old ledgers that belong to the accounts of Watson Furniture or Duke Doughtery’s business?”

  He looked at her for a moment before nodding. “I believe I do.”

  “Perhaps there is some way to connect him to this.”

  “How? What could we possibly find?”

  Anna took determined steps toward the door. “I don’t know, father. I have a feeling we won’t know what we’re looking for until we find it. There must be some way to prove you did not do this.”

  “Ride with me in my carriage. I have fast horses.” Bryan led them out the door and down the hallway. Anna hurried along behind him, wishing he wasn’t taking such long strides.

  “My lord,” she gasped, hurrying to keep up with him. “You are so tall, you do not realize how much faster you walk.”

  Bryan swung around, causing her to skid to a quick stop directly behind him. He grinned down at her. She almost expected him to grab her and pull her to him again. Her heart raced at the prospect. But he just gave her an adoring look and turned away. He slowed his pace when he began to walk, making it to the door first and pushing it open for her.

  “After you, my lady.”

  “Thank you, my lord.”

  She gave him back the adoring look he’d given her earlier as she passed him by. She sensed him close to her and could feel his eyes on her as she walked past.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  GOING THROUGH THE RECORDS

  GOING THROUGH THE RECORDS

  The three of them searched through the old records Frank had kept of past business dealings until they found the ones they were looking for. Bryan was impressed with the older man’s record keeping. He led them through his study to the far-right corner, where a set of small stairs led them up to a small second floor balcony. There was a large writing desk there. No papers were scattered over its surface. There was a small decorated black cup with pens jutting from it, the feathers of all colors making it look like an artificial plant. One beautifully shaped inkwell sat to the furthest right side of the desk. Several drawers lined the back side of the open top.

  Bryan recognized it immediately.

  It had been one of the prized pieces of their company, a desk he had picked up in the Netherlands. He ran one hand down the side of it, smiling. “You have done a remarkable job keeping this desk looking new, Lord Duprey. Bravo.”

  “Thank you, Your Grace. I enjoy looking at it and owning it. It is a treasure to me.”

  “I remember when I acquired this piece in the Netherlands. It might interest you to know that this particular desk was originally owned by someone right here in Fairbanks.”

  Frank’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that so?”

  “It is indeed. His name is Lord Montgomery. He lives in the Netherlands where I got this from. He was moving some of his finest pieces out of his home there and wanted to do some bargaining.”

  “I have heard of him.” Lady Anna spoke up. “He is the one who donates much of his time caring for his ill wife and giving to those in need. He has been very generous over the years, he and his brother Abraham. They have made quite the name for themselves.”

  “Yes, he is very generous with his time.” Bryan agreed, pleased that he had this knowledge in common with her. “They are both good men. I have worked with them both.”

  “Do you know what it was that caused his wife’s illness?” Anna looked at her father, who shook his head. “I know you don’t know father, I was going to tell you. When Lord Montgomery and the Princess met on a boat, the Princess ended up poisoned by her servants! It was Lord Montgomery who saved her life! It was a remarkable story!”

  “I believe I did hear something about that, now that you mention it.” Frank nodded at his daughter. “You have jogged my memory, dear. It was quite fascinating to think that our servants could so easily harm us and we so blindly trust them.”

  “I don’t know if that’s quite true, my lord.” Bryan said, shaking his head. “I am fully aware of the nature of humans. Anyone can be tempted and few can be trusted. That is why it is wise to keep your enemies nearby, so you can watch their every move.”

  “Wouldn’t that mean a lot of deception on your part, my lord?” Anna asked. He looked at her. She blushed, feeling the warmth of his gaze on her.

  “In some cases, yes. But only when a nefarious character has given reason for it.”

  “That justifies the deception?”

  Bryan looked at her quizzically, as if he wasn’t sure how to respond to her question. “I believe it does.” He said. She nodded and he felt a sense of relief.

  “I agree with you. Each individual case must be judged on its own merits.” She said.

  “Much as I would like to find fault with your reasoning,” Frank said, going to the large, long set of wooden shelves pushed up against the wall. He scanned the small tags on the bottom of each upright stack of papers, bound together with coils of thin rope. “I cannot. I have these accounts in alphabetical order, by the name of the company. Duke Doughtery is near the top shelf somewhere, as his name is early in the alphabet. I have only been working with him for the past five years or so.”

  Bryan looked surprised. “I didn’t know that. I assumed you had been working with him all the years that you’ve known him.”

  Frank glanced back at him, shaking his head. “No, I have been acquainted with Duke Doughtery because my wife shared a cousin with him. I knew him socially much better than professionally. I hea
rd many stories of his deals gone bad. I never regarded him as a bad sort, just not very intuitive when it comes to business.” He looked back toward the shelf, running his eyes over the stacks of paper. Anna and Bryan approached, standing on both sides of him, looking up at the stacks of papers.

  “My lord, you have been in business for many years, haven’t you?”

  “Indeed, I have. These documents go back only about thirty years. The rest have been stored in trunks in the attic. It is a sad day when I need to go back that far to look up any type of records. It is a great relief to me that Duke Doughtery’s file is short and current. We shouldn’t have a lot of trouble …. He cut himself off mid-sentence, reached up and pulled down a stack of flattened documents, held together with a thin rope. “Here it is.”

  “Is this just from the last year?” Bryan took the stack from him.

  “Yes, this is the last year or so. Maybe two. I would have moved some of the previous years to another place. I think this will be enough to see if we can spot a pattern here, or something to prove I have not and have never taken any money from any accounts.”

  Bryan ran his eyes over the many files. “You have been in business a long time. You have kept detailed records of your transactions over the years. I fail to see how anyone can believe that only now would you become greedy. Such a thing would have been noticed before now, I feel positive.”

  “I agree.” Anna spoke up. Bryan looked at her with a smile that said “of course you do.” She smiled back.

  Frank caught them looking at each other and shook his head, taking a few more stacks down from the shelves.

  “If you feel it necessary, my lord,” he said, turning back to the desk, and dropping the stacks on its surface. “we can also go through some of the other accounts I have been controlling for the last several years.”

  “If we find it necessary,” Bryan replied. “As for myself, I do not see the need to open up any records other than the ones pertaining to this particular case. Lady Anna, would you agree with that?”

  She nodded. “I would agree with that.”

  “I will leave these here just in case we need them.” Lord Duprey set one plump hand down on the stacks.

  The three spent the next two hours going over the old records having to do with Lord Duprey and Duke Doughtery, focusing specifically on anything that also involved the Watson Furniture Company. Anna didn’t pretend to know what she was looking for and would often ask questions that drew awkward and sometimes funny reactions from the men. After a few attempts at understanding the ins and outs of it all, she took a step back and let them discuss it. She knew women who had a head for figures and numbers. She was not one of them and did not pretend to be.

  As she stood back away from them, she noticed that as they poured over the books, they seemed to drift further apart from each other with each passing moment. When there was a substantial gap in between them, she noticed the tones of voices they were using with each other. She couldn’t make out what their words meant when they talked about debits and credits, but it seemed the discrepancies were only from the one set of books that had come out earlier in the week.

  “I simply cannot believe this could be done by such a gentleman.” Frank still sounded surprised. It annoyed Anna. She frowned. Why was he having such a hard time believing the Duke would do whatever he wanted to try to get his way?

  “The only way the numbers could have been changed is if you have a second set of records hidden somewhere.” Bryan sounded angry. “Do you have that second set of account books, Lord Duprey? Do you have hidden bank accounts that you are keeping from us?”

  Anna stared at Bryan in shock. How could he be so brutal? “My lord!” She exclaimed. He turned his eyes to her and for a moment, she saw regret in his eyes, the love that he had for her burning brightly at the same time.

  “These are questions that must be asked, my lady!” He exclaimed in defense of himself. “I must have straight answers, so that I am able to defend my position with the board of counsel at Watson Furniture. Do you not think they will ask these questions, as well?”

  “They might,” she admitted. “But that is no reason to brow-beat my father with such force.”

  “I am not brow-beating anyone. I simply must ask these questions to hold the proper parties accountable for their actions.”

  “Are you saying that my father is the one who…”

  “I’m saying no such thing.” Bryan shook his head, apparently done with her. He looked at her father. The simple move of his eyes made Anna want to burst into tears. She felt as though he had taken his love away from her. His deep frown made him look even more appealing to her. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold him close to her. “Frank, tell me where you have hidden the other set of books.”

  Frank looked at Bryan in disbelief, his eyes wide, his jaw slack. “My lord! I have no other hidden account books. I have not been stealing from anyone!”

  “Do you have bank accounts outside of Fairfield that hold the money? Are you defrauding your clients, Lord Duprey?”

  Frank looked as if he might cry. Anna felt the heat of her anger spread through her body. She narrowed her eyes and scowled at Bryan, the pain of seeing the man she loved brutally question her father. She dared not speak up again. Bryan had no reason to listen to her other than his feelings for her. It didn’t seem that was going to make much of a difference this time around. “My lord! Please believe me, I am not taking this money! I have no bank accounts you are unaware of. I have not been committing this crime, my lord!”

  Anna cried out in disgust and turned to the stairs, which she went swiftly down, holding up her skirts as she went. She brushed out the door, not caring whether Bryan was upset with her for leaving or not. He had no call to turn on her father that way. She would have hoped that at least his love for her would have swayed his view in some way.

  She tried not to be angry. She tried to look at it from his point of view. He was a very young Duke, had traveled the world and dealt with all types of people. There could be no doubt that he might feel betrayed by her father.

  Just as she reached the door, she felt a hand brush against her hair. She turned and saw the Bryan had followed her. He was reaching out for her, a look of guilt and regret on his face. Behind him, her father stood in the doorway of his study, watching as Bryan went after his daughter.

  She returned her eyes to Bryan’s, letting herself fall into his eyes. The pain was sharper when she was looking straight at him. Tears welled up in her eyes.

  She turned, yanked open the door and stomped out.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  HIDDEN LOVE

  HIDDEN LOVE

  “Lady Anna, please do not leave!” She heard Bryan call out behind her. She was halfway across the porch. She halted in place, but did not turn around. If she had to consider his gorgeous eyes knowing that he thought her father was a thief. Her heart might finish breaking in half. She felt his presence behind her, the warmth of his body flowing through the air between them, connecting them somehow. She lowered her head and looked to the side, waiting for him to touch her.

  When he did, her body exploded in chills. He put his strong hands on her arms and pressed himself against her back, burying his face in her hair so that he could speak in her ear.

  “Lady Anna. It was not my intention to upset you. I wanted an honest reaction from your father. In business, I have learned that if you make an unexpected move in business, you can derive the truth from the reactions of others. If your father had reacted with anger and excuses, I would have had to assume he was guilty. I would investigate further from that standpoint. But, Lord Duprey reacted with surprise and hurt, not fear or anger. Please, Lady Anna, let me apologize for hurting you. I should not have done that in front of you. It was never my intention to hurt you. Please know that I would do anything in my power to keep you from getting hurt throughout the rest of your life.”

  “Those are such nice words,” Anna replied in a soft wh
isper, forcing him to draw even closer to hear her. “Alas, they fall on deafened ears.”

  He squeezed her shoulders. “No, my lady, do not say such things. We must be a team. We must fight for us, support each other in the things we do.”

  “My lord, these would also be my words to you. It is my father you are questioning as though he were a criminal. My father is not a criminal, my lord. He is not!”

  She stiffened in his hands, making him want to wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. She tried to pull away from him, but he tightened his grip on her arms almost to the painful point. He released the grip as soon as she cringed.

  “I am sorry, Lady Anna.” He breathed against her neck. “Please forgive me, if I hurt you. It was not my intent.”

  “You do not mean to hurt me and yet you do.” As soon as she said it, she regretted it. She turned around before he could let go and melted into his arms. He held her against his chest.

  “My lady, I do not believe your father is a criminal. I believe he is innocent. We will find a way to make this go away.”

  “You didn’t see anything in the account books that would help, did you?”

  “On the contrary, I did.”

  Anna gave him a surprised look. “You did? What did you find, my lord?”

  “As I had told you before, there needed to be a pattern. I was looking for something I recognized as what I call the vital three. It’s three elements I use to compare different sets of books and account to each other to find out what type of accounting procedure was used. There are consistencies to the way each person behaves in business, characteristics that can help spot their deal among many others. I was already somewhat familiar with the Duke’s dealings with my company, but did not have a firm grasp on what it entailed. I have never directly worked with him. But, I was kept informed of all deals before they closed through the company.”