Colin snorted. “Being born an Emerson pretty much ruined us. The old earl and I got into the biggest fight of our lives when he announced he was marrying you off. And I gave as good as I got. I guess that was one thing the Guards was good for. I finally learned how to fight dirty. I cannot believe Pierce thought he had any power over us.”
“But he did,” said Win. “He controlled father. The two of them could have made life extremely difficult for both you and Nick.”
“Oh, my dear sweet girl,” said Colin. “I am so sorry you stayed in your marriage for Nick and me. We would have gladly suffered any hardship to get you away from him.”
“Well, it…..it wasn’t just you,” said Win quietly.
“Please do not say you suffered on my account,” said Rose.
“It was a mistake to speak of this.”
“No, Win,” said James. “It wasn’t. You must continue. When did he start beating you?”
“He first struck me on our wedding trip,” she said quietly, staring at her hands in her lap. This was so humiliating. But she also wanted her family to know she had not turned her back on them willingly. “I knew it was a possibility in any marriage. But the first real beating did not occur until we returned to London.”
“Why didn’t you come to us?” asked Nick. “I understand why you couldn’t have returned home. But you would have been safe with me. And Colin and I could have withstood any scandal.”
“I tried to run away. I made the mistake of taking my maid into my confidence but she betrayed me. Pierce flew into a rage. He told me if I ever humiliated him by trying to leave again, he would…he would have father marry Rose off when she was sixteen, to a man of his choosing. I could only imagine the type of man that would be. I could not bear for it to happen. I had to protect her at all cost.”
“Oh, Win,” said Rose, choking back tears. “This is my fault.”
“No! Never! It was Pierce’s fault. But I had to make the best of my new life. The hardest part was when he made me cut off contact with all of you, other than what he deemed appropriate. A part of me died inside when I lost you and I couldn’t even tell you why.”
Rose went to her sister and carefully folded her into her arms. “You never lost us. Any of us. Just as you will never lose us again. We are here for you now and forever.”
Win could feel the love of her little sister. The love of the others in the room. It had been so long since she’d felt anything other than hatred and contempt from the man who’d kept her a virtual prisoner. She was afraid she’d awaken to find this was only a dream.
Win couldn’t stop the flow of tears. “I thanked God when Colin inherited the title because I knew you’d be safe.”
“But I couldn’t help you,” said Colin bitterly. He pulled away from Ava when she tried to comfort him. “I had one duty in life, to protect my family, and I’ve failed miserably.”
“Hush,” said Ava. And this time when she took his hand, he didn’t pull away. “There is one and only one person to blame here – Clarence Pierce. I’m glad the bastard is dead and hope he rots in hell.” Then after a moment, she added, “I’m normally not so cold-blooded Win. I hope you don’t think Colin married a shrew.”
Win smiled through her tears. “It is obvious Colin and James both chose well.”
“Unfortunately, we cannot do anything about the past,” said Colin. “But the future is a different matter. You will not hang. Not as long as I have breath in my body. Stemple has connections at the docks from when he worked as a smuggler. We have to get you out of the country before anyone is the wiser. We know you’re innocent, love. But that doesn’t guarantee justice will prevail.”
Win sat up and dried her eyes. “The duke has vouched for me. I cannot flee. It wouldn’t be honorable.”
Colin shook his head. “Lynwood would probably make the arrangements to send you to safety himself. He will not allow an innocent woman to hang. Please say you’ll allow me to set this to rights.”
“I feel strongly about this, Colin.”
Her brother did not look best pleased. But then he sighed. “We can try this your way for now. But if it doesn’t look like you’ll prevail, you will be leaving the country.”
Colin edged James out of his seat next to Win. He took her in his arms and Win was in tears once again.
“We may need some more of Lynwood’s port,” said James, as he poured glasses for the men.
“One for me as well,” said Rose.
“You’re too young.”
“I’m almost nineteen. And on this occasion we might as well get good and foxed.”
“Colin, it’s my turn to hug our sister,” said Nick.
“Take the other side of her. Rose can move as she begins her journey into drunkenness. And, really, I don’t know how she’s familiar with such terms as ‘good and foxed.’”
“I have brothers, do I not?” asked Rose, as she made way for Nick.
“Win,” said Ava. “I know this must be terribly overwhelming, but I was hoping – we were all hoping – that you would move to Wiltshire with us after this affair has been sorted.”
Win’s heart swelled at the very thought, but there were other considerations. “That is your home. You’re the countess. Even if I am acquitted of this charge…”
“You mean when you’re acquitted,” said Nick.
Win wished she had her brother’s confidence in her future. “All right, when I’m acquitted, I’ll still be a murderess in the eyes of the ton. Pierce cannot harm you from the grave, but I’m afraid just bringing me into your home could ruin all of you.”
Colin sighed. “To think I might not ever be allowed to enter the hallowed grounds of Almack’s again, nor sip tepid champagne in an overcrowded ballroom that smells to high heaven. How ever shall I bear it? James, you pour like a miser. Fill my glass – do not simply wave the decanter in front of it.”
“Colin, you and James are already married,” said Win. “You both can choose to live outside of Society. But Nick has not yet chosen a bride.”
“You don’t hear me complaining, do you?” asked Nick.
“And think of Rose and Letty,” said Win. “Not to mention Anna and the children you all will have. Where will they find husbands, if you are exiled from the ton?”
“A husband did not bring you happiness,” said Rose quietly.
“That is true,” said Win, carefully. She knew she would never marry again. She could never trust a man enough to do so. But she didn’t want to give Rose a fear of the institution. “Yet I do not condemn all men because of it. I need only look at my three brothers to restore my faith. You cannot forsake marriage Rose, just because of my experience.”
“Who said I’m forsaking it?” asked Rose. “Perhaps I’ve decided to find a husband outside of the London marriage mart.”
“Yes,” said Colin with a snort. “Rose seems to think she can find a husband closer to home.”
That was odd, thought Win, for the only eligible man near Wiltshire was their childhood friend Nathaniel Gage, Lord Grayson. Then a flood of memories came back from their youth: Rose following her older brothers and Grayson around. Their brothers teasing her, while Grayson had always been so kind. He’d even carried Rose back to the manor when she’d fallen from a tree. There had never been anything between them due to the age difference, but that mattered naught now. And Grayson would be a fool not to fall in love with Rose. Win locked eyes with her sister, as their brothers drank Lynwood’s port.
It only required a split second and a blush for Win to see what her brothers could not. Rose was in love with the Marquess of Grayson, the heir to the Duke of Bancroft. Rose quickly schooled her features, then turned to adjust a pillow on one of the chairs.
But as Win caught Ava’s eye, then Irene’s, she realized that both ladies had the same suspicions she did.
Which meant her new sisters were just as intelligent as she suspected. Ava simply smiled and shrugged. Irene smiled and nodded.
“To brin
g us back to the matter at hand, what is being done for your defense?” asked Nick. “I am sure Olson is already in search of a barrister.”
“Here’s the queer thing,” said James. “He’s finding it difficult to secure one. The few men he trusts are otherwise engaged. And from what Olson knows of the Crown’s prosecutor, we’ll need the best there is.”
“But he does not have the truth on his side,” said Rose.
Win didn’t want to contradict Rose’s sweet assertion, but she knew the truth wasn’t always enough.
“We will simply do what we can to secure the best possible barrister,” said Colin. “Then when this is all over, Win will come home with us, as will James, Irene and Anna. Nick, you’ll simply have to visit more often.”
Nick smiled ruefully. “From what I’ve heard, my dear cousin Simon will soon try to divest me of the title, along with all its holdings. You’d better be careful Colin, or I may be moving to Wiltshire, as well.”
Colin was uncharacteristically serious. “You would be very welcome.”
Then Colin, perhaps fearing he’d strayed too far from his joking persona, continued. “Of course you all will have to put up with the tyrannical Countess of Ridgeway. But let me state this clearly. Everyone – everyone – will always have a home at Ridgeway Manor.”
Win couldn’t help but smile. She might hang for a crime she did not commit. But until then, she would rejoice in the love of her family.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Alex sat back and rubbed his neck. He’d spent most of the day and into the evening studying the ledgers he’d taken from Pierce’s house. His neck and back ached. His desk was too small and there was but one comfortable chair in his chamber. Unfortunately, it wasn’t conducive to poring over ledgers, particularly when one of them was in an undecipherable code. He’d spent hours trying to break it, to no avail.
He was growing more frustrated with this case by the hour.
It was an odd thing, being a barrister. One lived and worked from chambers, then ate in the dining hall, much like life at a college in university. The head of chambers distributed cases and a barrister could not decline an assignment unless he was too busy or not qualified to argue the merits.
However, if he’d had the choice, he would have declined his current case. The more he read, the more he wondered about Mrs. Pierce’s guilt. If she had killed her husband, she’d been most impractical about it. And while there were those who felt women were inherently impractical, Alex did not believe Mrs. Pierce had murdered her husband, but been too feeble-minded to do it well.
Nor did he believe the murder had been an act of passion. Someone would have heard arguing. From all accounts, Pierce had outweighed his wife by five or six stone. It would have been extremely difficult to kill him, even if she hadn’t been beaten mere hours earlier.
Then there was the matter of the ledgers Alex had found in the desk. From what he’d been able to discern, they looked like payments to Pierce, and likely from illegal means. If he had to guess, it would be blackmail or, given his shipping connections, contraband trade. Possibly opium or, even worse, human trafficking. People didn’t keep coded ledgers in hidden compartments for regular business transactions.
That was borne out by the correspondence he’d found. Pierce had received threatening letters from tradesmen whose fortunes had been wiped out when they’d been unable to pay debts to Pierce at interest rates that would constitute usury. A few of the men had threatened Pierce with bodily harm and Alex had the feeling some of them wouldn’t have hesitated to follow through.
So much for the claims that Pierce hadn’t had an enemy in the world.
However, it was doubtful those men would have gained entrance to Pierce’s home and there had been no signs of a breakin. Many of the letters were old, some going back a decade or more. It was unlikely that someone driven to murder would wait that long.
But whatever Pierce had been into had been illegal and he’d made powerful enemies because of it. The list of people who wanted Pierce dead was likely much longer than just his wife.
Alex suddenly realized he’d missed supper. Not an unusual occurrence when he was caught up in a case, but, given his growing distaste for the deceased, he decided a meal would be a good distraction.
He walked through the dimly lit corridors on the threadbare carpet, amidst a slight smell of mildew. The walls were covered with paintings of distinguished barristers. He often wondered if those men from the past had been any more interested in the law than most of his current day colleagues. Many of the men he worked with were simply biding their time until they could find a rich wife.
Alex was not one of them. He suspected he would remain a barrister for the rest of his life. There was little chance he’d be appointed to the courts as a judge. His lineage wasn’t good enough for that. He would live his life from case to case, eating his meals in the communal dining hall and returning each night to his cold bed.
It was rather depressing when he thought about it too much. But he’d chosen this profession. It couldn’t be helped if he was fated to a solitary life.
After descending two flights of stairs, he reached the dining hall where one of the serving lads was still cleaning up. Alex asked him for a sandwich, then looked for a place to sit down and relax. He was hailed by George Peyton, the third son of Baron Grassley. Peyton was six and twenty, lazy and had chosen the law as a profession because it had come with lodgings. He was fond of gaming and drinking, which were particularly bad hobbies for a barrister, though hardly uncommon. Peyton cared little for the law and even less for his clients. And it showed. He’d often remarked that he was only biding his time until he could find a rich earl’s daughter to marry.
“What, ho, Lewis,” said Peyton. “You look terrible. Been out on the town at some soiree in Whitechapel? Or have you made it all the way to Gracechurch Street society?” Peyton laughed at his own jest. He was forever making sport of Alex’s humble background, just as he was always toadying up to the barristers who were sons of dukes and marquesses. After all, some of them might have sisters.
“No, Peyton, I’ve been studying my latest case file.”
“What’s to study? Bow Street has already done your work for you. Lady Winifred is all but convicted. All you have to do is stand in court and utter a few words, you lucky sot.”
“How do you know about my case?”
“Because I’m opposing you. Sir Wilfred gave me the news today. I’d say I envy you since you’ll not have to lift a finger to win, but I heard the murderess widow is staying at the Duke of Lynwood’s house. He’d be a powerful ally and this will give me a chance to rub shoulders with him and his brother-in-law the Marquess of Riverton. It’s too bad I’ll lose, but I’ll do just enough to make it look like I’m trying. I also heard the murderess has an eighteen-year-old sister, Lady Rosemary.”
Alex knew little of the earl’s family, though he imagined they were as toplofty as most in the ton. But he didn’t like Peyton’s predatory way with women. “I cannot imagine the Earl of Ridgeway will look favorably upon you as a future brother-in-law for one sister if you bungle the defense of the other.”
Peyton laughed. “Oh, I don’t want to marry the chit. The family’s much too poor. In debt to their eyebrows, as it were. If I married her, I’d have to keep toiling away here.”
“Perhaps it is good for both the lady and those you represent that you will not pursue a marriage.” Though in truth, Peyton’s withdrawal from the legal profession would benefit everyone.
Peyton laughed. “You’re so middle-class, Lewis. I don’t want to marry the chit, just tup her a few times. I want to see how grateful she is that I’m trying to save her sister, though God knows I cannot win. Especially with you on the case,” he added begrudgingly. “I wish they’d hand you an unwinnable case from time to time. It’d make the rest of us look better.”
Lewis wanted to say he was handed unwinnable cases frequently, yet still prevailed more often than not. But there was
no point in arguing with an ass. And he prayed this Lady Rosemary wouldn’t fall in line with Peyton’s plans.
The serving lad returned with Alex’s sandwich. “I think I’ll eat this in my chamber,” he said to Peyton.
“As you wish. But, for God’s sake, stop working so hard on the case. You’re going to win, but there’s no need to show me up so badly. It’s bad form, old man.”
Alex bit his tongue against saying Peyton could be shown up by the roast beef sandwich, but instead he nodded, then went back to his chamber wondering why the hell everyone wanted Mrs. Pierce convicted quite so much.
*
“Are you certain there’s nothing wrong with him?” It was two in the morning and Ned Kellington was pacing the floor of the bedchamber he shared with his wife and infant son, Daniel. Jane was in the chair by the fire soothing the baby, and rocking back and forth.
Ned took another look at his wife and son, then continued pacing. “I don’t think it’s normal to cry this much. You say he’s not hungry and doesn’t need his nappie changed. There must be something wrong. He’s obviously unhappy with us. We must do something!”
Jane looked at the husband she loved so much, as she cradled the son she adored. She was exhausted and her heart ached to know her son was in this much distress. Yet, she – tenderly and lovingly – wanted to send her wonderful husband to the furthest reaches of Lynwood House. Or beyond. His constant pacing and panicked worrying weren’t doing Daniel or her any good.
But he didn’t know any better. He hadn’t been present when their daughter Violet had been born. He hadn’t even known of her existence until six years later. Jane still felt terribly guilty about that. He hadn’t been around to see that sometimes babies just cry. Jane had experience both as a mother and a surgeon to let her know there was nothing seriously wrong. Daniel simply couldn’t fall back asleep.
“My love,” she said. “Please don’t worry. Daniel is healthy, but the poor babe is having a hard time of it tonight. He has no other way to make his frustration known, so he cries.”
Always Have Hope (Emerson Book 3) Page 7
