by Fanny Finch
“Thank you for the compliment, sir,” she said without giving back one of her own. Frantically, she tried to think of one to give him but nothing came to her mind. So she smiled awkwardly and turned her head to look around her.
“This land is so beautiful,” she said softly. “I am always astounded by it. It is truly amazing. Oakmere Abbey is so close by, we can see the beautiful colors of the flowers in their garden, as well as enjoying ours up close.”
Sir Henry was looking all around him, a look of satisfaction on his face. “Yes, it is truly beautiful, Miss Lavinia. It is a shame it will need to be sold off.”
Lavinia almost tripped on her own feet. Her breath caught in her throat. She immediately thought of the Marquess and his warning that there would be greedy men after her hand. But she did not want to believe one of them would be Sir Henry. He was supposed to be like a brother to her. He was an old friend, not just another suitor.
“I beg your pardon?” She could not help the question from being spoken. It was out before she could stop it.
Sir Henry looked down at her directly, right into her eyes. “Yes, it will be such a shame. It will go for a nice price, though. I know. I have been looking into this for weeks now. Anonymously, of course.”
Lavinia felt a sudden streak of panic. “S… Sir Henry, what are you speaking of? Are you saying you will be selling my family’s land and property?”
Sir Henry looked straight ahead of him and shrugged. “We will need the money, Miss Lavinia.”
Lavinia frowned, thinking of the huge fortune that would be going to Sir Henry. “Why is there such great need?” she asked curiously, trying to hide her fear.
“I have rather large amounts of debt I owe that I have lost in gambling. It is excellent timing that all of this happened just now, when I need it the most.”
Lavinia wanted to cry. She looked up at him again but the sneer on his face disgusted her and she had to look away.
“You cannot sell my family home. Why do you think I will accept that?”
He looked directly at her. “You do not need to accept it, Miss Lavinia. You will be my wife. You will not be in charge. I will make all the decisions for both of us.”
“Where will my mother go?”
“I will find a nice cottage for her somewhere.”
Lavinia was struggling to hold in her tears. “But, Sir Henry, I do not want my mother in a little cottage somewhere. I want her warm and happy and comfortable in the home we have owned for centuries.”
Sir Henry laughed. “Ashdown’s blackmail has taken a toll on my family’s financial situation. That and the gambling debts are needing to be paid and soon. I do not want to lose my life over a few pounds.”
“But, Sir Henry…”
“You must not fight this, Miss. I am sure your father had a nice dowry for you set up. We will live on that until things get better.”
“But how will things get better if we have no home?”
Sir Henry shook his head. “They will get better when I win. Every time I win, it will help us along.”
“But what if you lose?” Lavinia did not want to be having this conversation. All she wanted to do was run away. Run far, far away. But she could not break from her home. She could not let it be sold. She had to do what she could to fight for it. It would make her mother proud.
“Sir Henry, did you spread the rumors about myself and Sir Franklin?”
She could tell by his evil grin, it had been him.
He nodded, confirming it. “I certainly did. I saw that the Marquess had become a viable candidate for your hand. I need the money the sale of this property will generate to pay my debts so I am the only one who can marry you.”
“You were threatening the lives of the men who wanted to court me. For money?”
“Yes, little lady. For money. Of course. You provided me with the perfect excuse when you stormed into Sir Franklin’s house. If anyone else had seen you, they would have spread the rumor themselves. You were certainly in his arms, were you not?”
Lavinia felt her anger rising. “I was not, sir.”
He grinned. “That is not what I saw, Miss Lavinia.”
“You will not get away with this, Sir Henry.”
He chuckled. “I already have. Your reputation is ruined. It’s either me or Sir Franklin. Which one will you choose?” He asked the question in a taunting voice.
Lavinia turned away from him, taking her hand from his arm. He was staring at her as she dashed back inside to find Anna and tell her the truth about her brother. She was certain Sir Henry had been hiding his true intentions, even from Anna.
Exhausted by the stress on her heart, Lavinia went to her room after unloading on Anna, who was surprisingly supportive. She was asleep in less than sixty seconds.
Chapter 30
Myles turned away from the Bronson home at the last minute. He did not want to go haphazardly in without thinking. He wanted to know what he would say, how he would approach her. The fact that she had gone to the Ashdown townhouse in the first place still bothered him.
He considered what Federline had told him and was still considering both side the next day when an unexpected visitor paid him a visit.
When his butler pushed open the door and announced that Miss Anna Astor had arrived, Myles stood up in surprise. He bowed to her when she swept into the room. She looked indignant. He knew she had to be there to plead her friend’s case. He would listen to her. Just as he had listened to Federline.
“Miss Astor. Please do sit. Is there a reason for your visit?”
“I am quite sure you know the exact nature of my visit, my lord,” Miss Astor replied in a test voice. “I am shocked that you have not reconsidered Lavinia when you know how much she loves you. Now she is being forced to marry my brother, Sir Henry.”
Myles raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Does this not please you, Miss Astor? You will be sisters with her.”
Miss Astor shook her head, her frown deepening. “This distresses me, my lord.”
“Why do you have such a reaction? Sir Henry has been her friend for many years, just as you have.”
“You do not understand, my lord. My brother is not who he says he is. He is an imposter of personality. He has told Lavinia that after they are married, he will sell their home and land, including Oakmere Abbey, to pay back his gambling debts. He believes the dowry that Sir Edward had inevitably left behind will help them live until he is able to gather more winnings.”
Myles was enraged as soon as Miss Astor mentioned Sir Henry was planning to sell the home. The rest of what she had said just furthered his anger. This was exactly what Sir Edward did not want to happen. His own stubborn pride had derailed the entire plan.
He should have listened to Lavinia. He should have believed her and let her tell him what she needed to tell him. He should have been kind to her.
He shook his head, dropping into the chair behind his desk. He put two fingers to his forehead between his brows and rubbed a circle into his skin. “I cannot believe this. I did not expect Sir Henry to be such a threat.”
“I thought he truly loved Lavinia. They have always gotten along. But he has admitted to something else, my lord. He was the one who spread the rumors that Lavinia was seen with Sir Franklin, even though she was not. And the letter that was excerpted in the paper… that was my letter to Sir Franklin, Sir.”
Miss Astor’s cheeks colored a deep red. Myles gazed at her in amazement. “It was your letter?”
“Yes, my lord. During a very weak time in my life, I thought that Sir Franklin was the man I would marry. He played with my heart and when I refused to be… more intimate with him, he tossed me aside. But during the relationship, we exchanged some letters of this type. Since the break of our relationship, if that is what it can be called, he has been blackmailing my family with these letters.”
Myles was stunned into silence. He stared at her in disbelief.
“When Lavinia went to Sir Franklin’s,” Miss As
tor continued in a quiet voice. “She was going to confront him about the blackmailing and to demand that he stop. When he laughed at her and pulled her inside, Henry happened to be there to rescue her. My brother had this planned out from the beginning, my lord. He counted on Sir Franklin being the rake that he is.”
“And he used him to get me out of the game.”
“Yes, my lord. I am so sorry. I do not know what is wrong with my brother.”
“Your brother’s behavior does not reflect onto you, Miss Astor. You have been a faithful and loyal friend to Lavinia. I wish I had given her the same amount of respect when she tried to explain about the paper. It seems absolutely nothing I thought was true was actually true. I must get to her and apologize. I must keep her from marrying Sir Henry.”
Miss Astor’s face turned to one of relief. “Yes, that is the best plan, sir. But how will you do it?”
“I am not sure. Perhaps we should discuss it. You know Lavinia very well. How would you approach apologizing for something of this nature?”
Miss Astor giggled, lifting one hand to cover her mouth. “My lord, I do not think I could find myself in a predicament such as this with Lavinia.”
“Well, you are a woman, are you not?” There was a hint of amusement in the Myles’ voice. He could not help it. Learning that he had absolutely no reason to doubt the loyalties of the woman he loved had made his day. He would be laughing within no time.
He could not help feeling a bit giddy that he would have her in his arms before he knew it. She would be his wife.
And her family would keep Oakmere Abbey, their home, and the land they lived on.
“I am a woman, yes, that is what I was told.” Miss Astor laughed her response.
“How would you want a man to apologize to you? How would it be its most sincere?”
“In this situation, she will believe your apology, even if you did not mean it.”
“I do mean it.”
Miss Astor giggled. “I know you do, my lord. But she is also to blame so do not feel too guilty.”
“How is Miss Lavinia to blame?”
“She should have controlled her emotions,” Miss Astor replied, crossing her legs and sitting up straight in the chair with her hands folded over her knee. “She should not have gone running out to Sir Franklin’s, adding fire to the rumors already circulating.”
“I cannot blame Miss Bronson for that. If I were your friend, I would do the same. I have a friend I can think of right now that I would go to battle for.”
Miss Astor nodded, giving him a soft grin. He scanned her face, thinking that she was pretty, her coloring the complete opposite of Lavinia, with dark hair and dark eyes. It was funny that he mentioned Federline and was now thinking what a good match he and Miss Astor might be.
It was a thought he might explore further when there was time and nothing else to discuss. Federline would need someone to help him when his eyes went completely. Miss Astor was the kind of woman who would take care of him.
If there was a spark of attraction between them, it could possibly blossom into something beautiful, like his own love for Lavinia.
“I would believe you, my lord,” Miss Astor said.
“How long do I have before I am too late in winning her back?” Myles asked, rest one forearm on the desk in front of him and drumming his fingers as he thought. He had to find the best way to salvage Lavinia’s reputation and let the truth be known by everyone in London.
“She is stalling for time but her mother wishes for them to be married within the month. The marriage banns will be the first announcement and I believe Lavinia’s mother plans that for next Friday or Saturday.”
He furrowed his brows in concern. “Miss Astor, if word gets out that your brother has a gambling problem that has made your family destitute, it will be devastating to your reputation. Is this what you want?”
“I do not see that I have a choice. Lavinia cannot live a life of misery and lose her home because my brother is a rake and we did not realize it till now.”
“I am sorry that you have to speak of your brother this way,” Myles said as he sat back in his chair. He watched her sad face speak with mild humor and admired her for it. It was not every day a person found themselves doubting the one person they thought they could always trust.
Miss Astor shook her head. “I have known about his gambling for some time. But I was under the impression it was the blackmail that was keeping my family locked into debt. Now I realize that he was paying his gambling debts and continuing to gamble with all the family finances that were left. Oh, and there is one more thing I must mention to you, my lord.”
Myles was not sure he could take much more of these revelations. He braced himself.
“What is it?” he asked, tentatively.
“Henry told me late last night that he was also paying off a man who was doing an investigation into him so that nothing would be reported back to you. He mentioned the name Gentry. Do you know someone by that name, my lord?”
Myles felt a flash of anger pass through him. That was why Mr. Gentry had not reported back with much on Sir Henry. He may have told Gentry to focus more on Sir Franklin, but his first task was to find out about anyone showing interest in Lavinia.
He growled under his breath. What a waste of his money. To be so easily taken by his greed. Myles was surprised he had gotten any information at all out of the man. Myles snorted. Gentry must have figured out quick that Sir Franklin would never pay him the money he needed to keep his mouth shut. Once he knew Myles was following him, he would tell Gentry to go find another line of work.
Then Myles would find out what he had done and he would lose his job. So he approached the softer of the two and broached the idea with him.
“I am sure the man you hired just wanted a few more coins in his pocket,” Miss Astor said in a resentful voice. “But it is money Henry gave that we did not have to spare.”
“I understand, Miss Astor. I must figure out how to fix this. Nothing is more important.” He gave her a close look. “Shall we work together as a team to fix this situation, Miss Astor?”
Miss Astor smiled at him. “I would like nothing more than to help you with this, sir. I would be overjoyed to have Lavinia as my sister but I want her happiness much more than my own selfish whimsies.”
“You are a kind and loyal friend, Miss Astor. Lavinia is blessed to have you.”
Miss Astor blushed in a gently pretty way and the Marquess was certain she would be an excellent match for Federline.
“Thank you, my lord.”
“We must find a way to save Lavinia’s reputation, Miss Astor. I am willing to listen to any suggestions you might have.”
“Oh, my lord, I will have to think about it. Sir Franklin must be dealt with. The blackmailing has to stop. Lavinia’s reputation needs to be saved. I feel as though it is up to us to make this happen. I wonder why that is?”
“It is probably because we are the two people who love her the most. I know her mother also loves her,” Myles cracked a grin when he added the last part. “But not the way we do. You as her friend. Me as her future husband. Our love is different. We did not change her nappies.”
Miss Astor laughed brightly and Myles smiled. Everything she did made him more and more sure she would be perfect for Lord Federline.
He made a mental note to make sure to introduce the two of them. He was still surprised by the fact that Lavinia and Lord Federline were old friends. Perhaps Anna already knew him.
He hoped not. He had never been a matchmaker before. It was some fun.
“Let’s get Lavinia back, Miss Astor.”
Miss Astor’s eyes looked at him hopefully.
He would get her back, no matter what the cost.
Chapter 31
Lavinia was squirming uncomfortably seated too close to Sir Henry for her liking. He was the one who had come and sat down next to her. All she wanted to do was read her book.
She was required to be at
Astor townhouse, whether she wanted to be there or not. She was hopeful that Anna would return soon with the gift she said she was bringing for their engagement announcement party that evening.
Unlike her meeting with the Marquess, where she had been so excited to go out and find a beautiful dress to where, she did not care what she looked like tonight. Anna would make sure she was dressed nicely in a beautiful gown, with her hair done perfectly and looking bright, fresh, and clean.
But she did not care. She did not want to have her engagement to Sir Henry announced. It would only make it more final. It would mean the time for selling her home would be drawing nearer.
