The Perfect Impostor

by Wendy Soliman

  “Julia isn’t the most rational of creatures when she’s intent upon having her own way.”

  “And then Lord Gower. She must have sent him that note when Dupont’s arrival didn’t reveal me as an impostor.”

  “It certainly looks as though she wanted you to be caught.”

  “Yes, but why?”

  Boscombe returned with fresh garments. Leo disappeared into her bedchamber to change and reappeared quickly, fully clothed.

  “Now then, Celia,” he said, casting a scathing glance in her direction. “It’s time to explain yourself.”

  But before she could do so, the door opened and the cloaked figures of a man and a lady entered the room. The woman’s eyes darted round, full of apprehension. Leo recognised her immediately. So too did Katrina.

  “Julia!” they said in unison.

  * * *

  Katrina and Julia looked at one another for a protracted moment. Over the past few days Katrina hadn’t felt charitably disposed towards her friend. She’d been duped into coming here, used as though her feelings were too trifling to be of consequence. But tears were streaming down Julia’s face, and that was all it took for Katrina to forgive her. They fell into one another’s arms, Julia sobbing fit to break her heart. Katrina had never seen her so distraught. The Julia she thought she knew only ever used tears as a tool to get her own way.

  “Kat, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come to this.”

  “Shush, it’s all right.” She placed a hand behind her friend’s back and led her to the chair she herself had just vacated. “Come and sit down and recover your composure.”

  But Julia hadn’t come alone. Katrina glanced up and found Lord Coulton smiling back at her. She bobbed a hasty curtsey, relieved to have him here. She thought of him as a surrogate father, a man with great common sense. He’d always found time to take an interest in her and wasn’t given to panicking in difficult situations. A trait which was about to be put to the severest test.

  “How are you, my dear? This must have been a dreadful trial for you.”

  She managed a brief smile. “It hasn’t been easy.”

  Leo and Lord Coulton were both watching her and Julia as they took their seats. Celia merely scowled at the wall opposite.

  “How did you get in undetected?” Leo asked Lord Coulton.

  “The guests were leaving and so we slipped round the side of the house. I sent a footman to summon Marshall. Julia stayed out of sight whilst I told him I was looking for my daughter. Obviously Marshall was required to see his guests off and so I said I’d find my own way up here.” He regarded Leo with a serious mien. “I thought it best not to enlighten him until we’ve had an opportunity to establish what’s been going on here.”

  “Very wise,” Leo said evenly. “Especially since the duchess’s tiara has just been stolen.”

  The news didn’t appear to surprise Lord Coulton. “Ah, so we’re too late then? There didn’t appear to be any upset below.”

  “We thought it best to keep the matter private.”

  “But—”

  Leo quietened Katrina’s objections with a wave of his hand. “We’ll get to that later, but first…” He nodded towards Julia, who was huddled in a chair, arms wrapped round her middle.

  “My daughter came to me this morning with the most extraordinary tale,” Lord Coulton said. “As soon as I realised you were stuck here in this terrible situation, Katrina, we lost no time coming to your aid.” He paused. “I’m only glad to see that you’ve had Lord Kincade’s support.”

  “Leo?” Julia lifted her eyes, appearing to see him for the first time. “You’re here?”

  “Julia.” He bowed but the gesture was stiff, lacking his customary elegance. Hardly surprising given that he’d once proposed to Julia. This had to be an embarrassing situation for both of them, and Katrina couldn’t help wondering what had happened to turn their relationship sour.

  “I think you owe Katrina and Kincade an explanation, Julia.” Lord Coulton spoke with quiet determination.

  “Yes, I suppose I do.” She glanced at Celia. “I found out that Celia was stealing a few months ago,” she said on a shaky breath. “As you can imagine, I was horrified.”

  “Then why didn’t you do something about it?” Leo asked.

  “I did! I tackled her immediately. She and I have always got along well and I couldn’t believe she would steal from my friends, leaving me open to suspicion when the thefts were discovered. Someone had to have forced her. It didn’t take me long to discover that it was James, an Irish groom who always travels with us.”

  “Which is when you ought to have involved your husband. Or your father,” Leo said.

  “I would have, had the situation been straightforward.” She sighed and dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief. “Only to think that I was happy for Celia. James is a handsome rogue with a silver tongue and a wicked smile. It would have been a fine match for them both. His immediate ambition was to get out of service and set himself up with his own livery yard. He persuaded Celia to relieve some of the rich people we encounter of their jewellery so that he could pursue his dream. Always when the houses are crowded to lessen the possibility of detection, naturally.”

  “How did you manage it?” Leo asked Celia. “Servants are always left in the room with the jewellery when it isn’t being worn.”

  “Oh, there’s nothing unusual about one lady’s maid joining another for a bit of a chat and to share their supper,” Celia said snidely. “Eventually the maid guarding the jewellery always leaves the room for a moment and that’s when I struck. James would be outside, in the livery of the household. It’s easy enough to get hold of the appropriate garb when the house is full of strangers. He taught me how to pick the locks on the jewellery boxes. I passed the loot to him and he spirited it away.” She offered them a noxious smile, clearly proud to have outwitted them all.

  “She’s been my maid for years,” Julia said, “and no one would dream of seriously suspecting her. James used the fact to his advantage.”

  “Risky,” Leo said, rubbing his chin, “but easily enough achieved. My man was only telling me earlier today that it’s bedlam below stairs here at present.”

  “It still doesn’t explain why you didn’t report them,” Katrina said.

  “Well, that’s the difficult part.” Julia paused for so long that Katrina was on the point of prompting her when she spoke again. “Celia knows things about me, you see. Things she threatened to tell my husband about if I gave her up.”

  “Ah,” Leo said. “I see.”

  “Yes, I expect you do.” Julia didn’t look at him. “I’ve made the most dreadful hash of my life. I was unhappy, feeling neglected by Dupont’s constant absences. Then Gower happened to come along…”

  Her words trailed off and Lord Coulton took up the story. “He lured her into an affair. Celia knew all the particulars. Times, places and so forth. But worse, he sent her some letters, written in rather graphic language.” The earl cleared his throat but could do little about the disgust in his expression. “Anyway, Julia came to her senses but Celia took possession of the letters.”

  “If they fall into Dupont’s hands I shall be ruined.”

  “And so you used Katrina to get you out of a tight spot.” Leo glowered at her, apparently unimpressed by the tears trailing down her face. “Why did you not simply go to your father and seek his intervention?”

  “I was ashamed.” She gulped, pausing to blow her nose. “I didn’t want him to think badly of me. Besides, he has business affairs in common with my husband. The scandal would have ruined him and he would have lost his investments.”

  “Celia told her the theft of the duchess’s tiara would see an end to their crimes,” the earl explained. “Julia, to her credit, said she wouldn’t attend the party and didn’t care what happened to her.”

  “Which is when Celia suggested that you attend in my place,” Julia said.

  “And you agreed?” Leo paced the roo
m in a state of some agitation. “Did you honestly think it would work?”

  “On the contrary, I did everything in my power to ensure that it did not. That way, Celia couldn’t blame me and wouldn’t reveal my indiscretion.” She glanced up at Katrina.

  “I never dreamed you would share a bed with Dupont.”

  “Oh, I didn’t.” Katrina patted Julia’s hand. “I’ll tell you how I avoided that later. But what if I’d been found out? How would you have explained?”

  “Very easily. I’ve been respectably ensconced with two female linguists this past week.”

  “What?” cried Katrina and Leo together.

  “I’ve been improving my mind,” Julia said with a defiant toss of her head. “You’re not the only one who can excel in the schoolroom, Kat. Dupont has business to transact with a deputation from Italy on behalf of His Royal Highness and often said that he wished I spoke the language. I thought to impress him with my newfound skill.”

  “And he would believe it was necessary to send an impostor here rather than tell him the truth,” Leo said, scorn underlying the words.

  “It was flimsy, I agree, but he knows how much I enjoy a good joke. Once he got over his shock he would tell everyone at Court that his wife has a double.”

  “And drag my name through the mud,” Katrina said, disgusted. “Thank you very much, Julia.”

  “No, Kat, it’s not like that!” Julia tried to take her hand but Katrina shook off the attempt.

  “You didn’t even stop to think about how it would be for me.”

  “I did and that’s why, when I realised Dupont hadn’t rumbled you, I sent a note to Gower. I knew he would come and see through you immediately.”

  “But your husband would have found out about the deception.”

  “Gower was hardly going to tell him,” Julia said scathingly.

  Leo shook his head. “I still find it difficult to take all this in.”

  “I was desperate. Besides, she owes my family a huge debt. Our papa always preferred her. I was jealous.”

  “Jealous? Of me?” Katrina couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Why?” She frowned. “Our papa? Did you just say ‘our papa’?”

  “You see,” Julia said to her father, her lips twisted into a bitter smile. “She still doesn’t know.”

  Katrina’s head was spinning. Did she mean…? Could it actually be? Dear God, she’d never even suspected.

  Leo and Lord Coulton exchanged a glance as the earl crossed the room and took the seat beside Katrina. He covered her hand with his.

  “My dear,” he said gently. “This is going to come as a great shock to you. But, you see, your father isn’t actually your father.” He paused. “I am.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Katrina gaped at Lord Coulton. “You are my father—my real father?” she asked faintly.

  “Yes, I have that honour. I promised your father you’d never find out, but things have gone beyond that stage now.” He shifted into a more comfortable position and took her hand. “You must know, Katrina, that I’ve always loved you and wanted to publicly acknowledge you as mine. But the agreement I entered into with your mother and father prevented that.”

  “Agreement?”

  “Your mother was the love of my life,” he said with quiet dignity. “I wanted to marry her, but your mother was not quite what my father had in mind for me.”

  “Mama was a seamstress on your estate before she married my father.”

  “Yes, it’s probably where you get your wonderful skill from.” The earl paused, his expression reflective. “However, it was necessary for me to marry for money. The estate was in a bad way. My father gambled away much of its riches.” He drew a heavy breath. “In the end I had no choice but to capitulate. Your mother was expecting you, and I wanted to do right by her, but my father refused to let us marry.”

  The earl patted her hand. “Eventually I approached your father with a proposition. He’d always been keen on your mother and so I told him the truth. If he would marry her and bring you up as his own, then I would make my father appoint him to the vacant steward’s position that he coveted.”

  “I see.” Katrina stared off into the distance. “It explains why Julia and I look so alike.”

  “And why I insisted that you share her education. Your father wasn’t happy but I held firm.” He raised Katrina’s hand and kissed the back of it. “I love you more than you could possibly know. Both of you.” He picked up Julia’s hand and kissed that also. “I’m incredibly proud of you both.”

  Katrina frowned, her eyes resting accusingly upon Julia’s profile. “You knew but didn’t tell me?”

  “I only found out when we were seventeen. I overheard my father and yours arguing. At first I couldn’t understand why a steward would dare to speak so disrespectfully to his employer. Then I realised they were talking about you. Papa wanted you to come up to town when I had my come-out but your father wouldn’t hear of it.” She flashed a brief smile. “It all made sense then.”

  “You ought to know, Julia,” the earl said, “that I was fond of your mother, too, in my own way. She gave me you and your brothers, for which I will always be grateful.”

  “It explains why my father…the man I’ve always thought of as my father, had so little time for me,” Katrina said.

  “He was a bitter man. With some reason, I suppose.”

  “That makes us sisters, Julia.” Katrina glowered at her. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I asked her not to,” the earl said. “I had to honour my agreement with your father, even though your mother was no longer alive. I owed him at least that much.”

  “It must have been very hard for you, seeing my mother about the estate.”

  “It was better than not seeing her at all. And, in case you’re wondering, I never allowed myself to be alone with her ever again. I couldn’t risk it. My feelings were still too strong as, I believe, were hers for me. That ate away at your father, Katrina, and he took it out on you.”

  “I still can’t believe you were jealous of me, Julia,” Katrina said, rallying a little.

  “Well, you were always so good at everything. Do you have any idea how intimidating that can be? In the schoolroom, when we were playing, you did everything to perfection. You never got dirty, never broke the rules, never talked back.”

  “Never broke the rules! We were always playing tricks on poor Miss Tipping.”

  “That’s different. Papa was always telling me that I ought to be more like you,” Julia said peevishly. “It made me so cross.”

  “I fought very hard to prevent your father marrying you off to Fisher.” The earl sighed. “You can have no idea how much the union distressed me. However, I was keeping a careful eye on matters and when—”

  “Oh yes, nothing was more important.”

  All heads turned towards Julia. Even Katrina, who understood her moods so well, was surprised by her vitriolic tone.

  “All you cared about was your precious Katrina.” Julia hugged her arms close round her middle and sobbed tears of self-pity.

  “Go to the bedroom,” Lord Coulton said. Julia took herself off with surprising docility. “Go with her,” he said to Celia. “Take care of your mistress whilst we decide what’s to become of you.”

  “Wait in the corridor,” Leo said to Boscombe. “Just in case Celia tries to make a run for it.”

  With a brief nod, Boscombe quietly left the room.

  “All this talking, Lord Kincade,” Katrina said, breaking the uneasy silence that followed Julia’s departure, “and Celia’s paramour gets farther away. Shouldn’t you be after them?”

  “Two of my best men are keeping him under close watch.”

  “Your brother sent you?” the earl asked.

  “Yes, this is a government matter.” Leo compressed his lips. “I fear that James is more than just an angry Irishman. He’s in the pay of our country’s enemies. I don’t just want to catch him, I also want to catch the people
above him.”

  “I see.” The earl patted Katrina’s hand and stood up to join Leo. “What can I do to help?”

  “Nothing, I thank you. At present this is a waiting game.”

  There was a tap at the door. Lord Marshall entered, looking especially grim.

  “Problem?” Leo asked.

  “Aye, there’s been a suspicious death.” Lord Marshall let out a heavy breath. “Tonight of all nights. One of my footmen, damn the man!”

  “I’m sure he didn’t die just to inconvenience you, Marshall,” Leo said. “What happened?”

  “We’re not sure yet. Looks like he hit his head.”

  “Drunk?” Lord Coulton asked.

  “It’s possible. He has the smell of drink about him.”

  “Where did it happen?” Leo asked.

  “He was discovered in that small courtyard behind the servants’ hall. Don’t know if you’ve seen it. There’s a fountain in its centre.”

  Leo shot a look Katrina’s way.

  Lord Marshall shuffled his feet. “But, well it’s a bit awkward.”

  “You’ll have to report it, but presumably it can be kept from your guests,” Leo said.

  “Aye, I’m well aware what I must do, but I’ll wait until all the guests have gone. The corpse isn’t going anywhere. But first, I thought you should see this. I dare say there’s a reasonable explanation for this being found in the man’s pocket.”

  Katrina stood and leaned round Leo to examine the contents of the earl’s hands. The piece of torn material unfurling on his palm exactly matched the tear in her gown’s bodice, right down to the jet beads and black pearls sewn onto it. A gasp escaped her. Everyone in the room turned to look at her. The robe she’d put on over the gown was gaping open, the rent in the bodice clearly visible.

  “Amos!”

  * * *

  Katrina’s legs buckled and Leo only just managed to catch her before she hit the floor in a dead faint. He carried her to the settee Celia had just vacated and laid her on it. Fortunately Julia hadn’t emerged to see what all the commotion was about. Marshall still didn’t know about the deception, and Leo didn’t have time for explanations. He motioned the men into the corridor.