by Laura Landon
She scanned one article, then the next. She stopped at the mention of her father, the Earl of Gilchrist. The article stated that her father would be hosting a ball next week to announce the betrothal of his second daughter, Lady Vanessa.
Isobel’s heart thundered in her breast. Her hands shook with nervous excitement. This is what she’d hoped to find. This is the news she’d prayed would be there. News that her father was announcing the engagement of his daughter, Lady Vanessa, to the Marquess of Partmoore. News that Vanessa would be safe.
She read slower, concentrating on the words.
Society is abuzz concerning news of the Earl of Gilchrist’s second daughter, Lady Vanessa. All of Society anticipated the announcement of Lady Vanessa to a certain Lord P., but the marquess’s unexplained departure from London halted any such speculation. Our questions have now been answered.
It seems that Lord Gilchrist would rather make sure one of his daughters became a duchess rather than a marchioness. After the mysterious disappearance of Lady Isobel, that obligation fell to Lady Vanessa.
According to confirmed sources, the ball to celebrate Lady Vanessa’s engagement will be held on Wednesday next, and the wedding will take place not long after. Highly unusual, but that will hardly surprise our readers.
We wish Lady Vanessa a long and healthy life.
Isobel stared at the words in front of her, hoping she could change what they said. But no matter how long or hard she stared at them, the words didn’t change. Her father intended to force Vanessa to marry Balsam. Her father had sacrificed his daughter to a certain death in order to gain admittance to the Fortune Club.
Isobel looked at the paper again but found that her hands were empty. The paper revealing her worst nightmare was on the floor at her feet. Her fingers trembled as she gripped the arms of the chair.
The room spun in dizzying circles, and Isobel struggled not to lose consciousness. Blood pounded inside her head, and she tightened her grip on the arms of her chair to remain upright.
Her eyes filled with tears, and the words swam before her. She lifted her head and her gaze locked with Alex’s.
“You know,” he said. He walked around the desk and pulled her into his arms.
Isobel struggled to take in the air she needed to breathe. “Damn him,” she said in a strangled whisper. “Damn him!” she said again while the tears pooled in her eyes then streamed down her cheeks.
He held her until there were no more tears inside her, then she stepped out of his arms. “What does your sister say?”
“No doubt the same as what is in the paper, except, according to staff gossip, none of Lord Partmoore’s staff knows where he went. His departure was very sudden. He left without even taking his valet with him.”
Her blood turned to ice. “I would ask a favor, my lord. I would ask to borrow a carriage and driver. I need to return to London.”
“Yes, of course. I will have a carriage waiting. We can leave as soon as you are—”
“No! You will not accompany me. I will go alone.”
He grasped her by the upper arms. “You will not go alone. I will accompany you. I will be at your side when you face your father. And I will do whatever is necessary to save your sister from marrying Balsam.”
She shook her head. “I refuse to let you take such a risk. You wouldn’t be safe.” She took a step away from him. “Do you think the Marquess of Partmoore decided to leave London so abruptly on his own? Of course he didn’t. My father is responsible for his disappearance. We can only hope he is still alive.”
The shocked expression on Alex’s face would have been humorous if the situation weren’t so tragic.
“Are you saying your father is capable of murder?”
Isobel opened her mouth to answer, then hesitated. Once she told Alex what she knew, it would be impossible to take back the words. As if it were possible to erase the horrendous acts her father had committed.
She considered her options, then released a heavy sigh. “Yes, that’s exactly what I am saying.”
“Who has he murdered?”
Isobel lowered her gaze. She couldn’t face him.
“Who, Belle?”
“Viscount Harbinger. The Earl of Springton. Those are the two I can prove.”
She felt lightheaded. This was the first time she’d admitted what she’d witnessed. The first time she’d told another living soul what she knew.
Her legs threatened to buckle beneath her, but strong arms wrapped around her to support her before she collapsed to the floor.
“Sit,” he said, helping her to the sofa, then sitting beside her. “Tell me what you know.”
She shook her head. Once she revealed what she knew, Alex would be in as great a danger as she was.
“You have to tell me, Belle. I need to know. Why do you say you can prove your father killed Viscount Harbinger?”
Belle struggled to say the words. Finally, she managed to speak. “Because I saw him.”
“What?” Alex reached for her hands and held them. “When? How? Why would he kill Harbinger?”
“Because Lord Harbinger was in love with my mother.” Belle hesitated a few moments, then related everything she knew. “Do you remember I told you that Father forced Mother to go to London with him? And that when she returned to the country she was terribly ill? Well, Father didn’t bring her home. Lord Harbinger did. He took her away from London and brought her to the country so she could get well. He was convinced that Father wouldn’t let her get the rest she needed if she stayed in London, so he kidnapped her and brought her to Gilchrist Manor.”
“Did your father follow them?”
“Not immediately. It was the height of the Season. Parliament was in session. A missing wife wasn’t as important as influencing the powerful members of several committees on which he served. He didn’t arrive until a week later. More than enough time for Lord Harbinger to be gone from Gilchrist Manor. But Mother was terribly ill, and he refused to leave her.”
Isobel fought the tears that threatened to fall. Alex pulled her closer to him and held her until she’d recovered enough to continue.
“Lord Harbinger was with Mother when Father arrived. There was a terrible row. Father was furious, but Lord Harbinger knew he would be. In fact, I think he counted on it. I believe he secretly hoped that Father would call him out and Lord Harbinger would have the opportunity to rid the world of the monster he considered Father to be. But I could have warned him that Father would never do anything so noble as defend his wife’s honor.”
Isobel stopped for a few moments. Everything that happened that night came rushing back in vivid clarity.
She brushed another tear from her cheek and continued. “Father demanded Lord Harbinger leave his house, and he did. But not before he told Father he would be back in the morning, and they would settle the matter.”
“Except Harbinger wasn’t alive in the morning to settle anything, was he?” Alex said. “I remember hearing that Lord Harbinger either died in a hunting accident or was killed by highwaymen. Neither were true, were they?”
Isobel shook her head. “Father followed Lord Harbinger to the stables and shot him in the back when he was saddling his horse.”
“And you saw it,” he finished for her.
She nodded.
“Does your father know you saw him kill Lord Harbinger?”
She shook her head.
“Did anyone else witness it?”
“Clancy, the stable master. And Huey, one of the stable hands. They came out of the back room when they heard the gunshot.”
“How did your father explain what had happened?”
“He said he saw Lord Harbinger saddling one of the horses and thought he was a thief. Then he ordered them to get rid of Lord Harbinger’s body but to make sure he wasn’t found on Gilchrist land.”
“And Lord Springton?”
Isobel thought back to the violent argument she’d overheard between her father and Lord Springton. “Fat
her and Springton had business dealings. Evidently, Father invested money in a project Lord Springton assured him would be highly profitable. The business venture failed, and Father lost a great deal of money. He was furious.
“Their argument woke me. I made my way down the stairs and listened from the room next to where Father and Lord Springton were. Father demanded Springton repay the investment. Springton argued that Father knew the risks when he entered the agreement.
“When Springton left, Father called in his man of business and told him Springton needed to meet with an accident. A fatal accident. A few days later Lord Springton was found murdered outside a well-known gaming club. Of course, everyone assumed he’d been set upon by footpads.”
“But you knew differently.”
Isobel nodded. “I tried to warn him. I sent a note telling him he wasn’t safe, but he either didn’t heed my warning, or . . .” Isobel swallowed past the lump in her throat.
“Who is your father’s man of business?”
“Rutherford. Linus Rutherford.” Isobel looked into Alex’s face. His determination was as obvious as if he’d spoken his intentions aloud.
Alex thought he could slay the dragon. He thought he could battle her father and come out victorious. But he couldn’t. Two men had already tried. More, perhaps. But two that she knew of. And both of them had failed. There were grave markers to prove it.
Isobel rose. “There’s nothing you can do, Lord Halverston. I will not allow you to think there is.”
He stood in front of her. “And what do you think you can do?”
“What I should have done from the beginning. Stand up to my father. Tell him I know what he did. Protect Vanessa.”
Alex studied her for a moment, then walked to the door. With his hand on the knob, he turned back to her. “I think you are right, Belle. You have no choice but to confront your father and tell him what you know. You must end this once and for all.”
The relief she experienced was overwhelming. “You will allow me to leave?”
“I will.”
“And you will remain here?”
“I will not,” he announced with as much determination as she’d ever heard.
“You intend to put yourself in danger, even after you know what my father is capable of?”
“I intend to stop your father from destroying any more lives. You can’t do this on your own. You need me to help you. Just as I needed you to help me.” He paused and smiled. “As I will always need you to help me.”
With one hand still on the door, he extended his other arm toward her. Isobel rushed to him. He kissed her on the forehead, then opened the door. Holmes stood on the other side.
“Have a carriage readied. Lady Isobel and I will leave for London as soon as possible.”
“Yes, my lord,” Holmes answered, then rushed to do his master’s bidding.
Alex turned back to her. “Pack your belongings. And promise me you won’t worry, Belle. Your father can’t harm me.”
Isobel struggled to put a smile on her face before she left him, but it was difficult.
Killing came as easily to her father as breathing.
Chapter 20
Isobel smoothed the folds of her black dress. As soon as they reached their destination, she’d be free of it. Were it under any other circumstances she might actually look forward to resuming her genteel wardrobe. But today she merely felt safe in her disguise.
The trip to London seemed to take an eternity, and yet they reached the outskirts of London sooner than Isobel was ready to face what she knew would await her. Alex repeatedly attempted to assure her that they would be able to rescue Vanessa, and she believed him. She was confident they could secure Vanessa’s freedom. She just wasn’t so sure about her own. Isobel was walking into a trap, and she knew it.
Her father wasn’t about to sever a connection to the Duke of Balsam. Her father was too desperate to be a member of the esteemed Fortune Club. And the duke was his key to achieving that goal.
A noose tightened around her neck. Her life was playing out the same as the heroine in one of the gothic romance novels Alex’s sister sent. She felt as if she’d reached the point in the story where the reader doubted there was any hope for a happy ending. She’d reached the point when she couldn’t stand the suspense any longer and had to turn to the back of the book to make sure all would end happily ever after.
Except the characters in her story wouldn’t find their happily ever after. Her father would never allow her to marry Alex. Or Vanessa to marry the Marquess of Partmoore—if he still lived. They were doomed to be miserable for the rest of their lives.
“You’re worrying again,” Alex said, reaching for her hand and holding it.
Isobel held on to his hand as if it was her lifeline. “Not worrying. Just anxious. I need to see Vanessa and make sure she’s all right.”
“The ball to announce her engagement isn’t until tomorrow night. There will be time. If it’s possible, I’ll find a way for you to see her before then.”
They entered London, travelling over the rougher streets in the poorer sections of London, then over smoother streets that told her they were nearing the Mayfair area where Lord Halverston lived. His town house wasn’t far at all from Gilchrist Manor.
Isobel looked out the window and recognized some of the houses they passed. “What are your plans?” she asked. She knew he had something in mind. He wasn’t the kind of man to walk into any situation without knowing what might happen.
“I’ll send for Claire and her husband, the major. I’ll also send word for my brother, Barnaby, to join us. We’ll explain our situation and come up with a plan.”
“But you already have something in mind, don’t you?”
Alex gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “I might have a thought or two, but it never hurts to listen to other ideas.”
“Thank you, Alex. I don’t know what I’d do without your help.”
“Nor I without your help, Belle.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. As long as she was near him, there was nothing to fear. As long as she had him with her, nothing could harm her. Unfortunately, her father would see to it that they couldn’t be together much longer.
Isobel nestled close to him until the carriage drew to a stop in front of Halverston House. The carriage door opened, and a tall, imposing man stood at the curb, waiting to help them dismount.
“My lord,” he greeted Alex.
When they were out of the carriage, the man Isobel assumed was the butler led the way to the house. When they were inside, he took their cloaks and hats and gloves, then turned back to his master for further instructions.
“Channing, allow me to introduce Lady Isobel.”
“My lady,” Channing said without the slightest hint of disapproval. He showed no surprise at all in the contradiction between her housekeeper’s gown and her title. He merely greeted her as if it was common for his master to bring home a strange lady.
“Please have Mrs. Flowers show Lady Isobel to a room, then see to her needs.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The butler walked to the stairs, as if he knew she needed a moment of privacy with his master. “What are we going to do?”
“You’re going to go to the room Channing shows you. I’m going to send for Barnaby and Major Bennett. Channing will come for you when they arrive. Until then, you’re going to rest.”
“But—”
Alex reached for her hands and held them. “And you’re going to try not to worry. Everything will be fine.”
Isobel struggled to put a smile on her face. She wanted to believe that he was right. That everything would be fine. But he didn’t know her father.
If he did, he’d know it was unlikely that anything would be fine ever again.
. . .
Alex walked into his study and poured himself a glass of brandy. He took it to his desk, then pulled out two sheets of paper. He needed to send messages to hi
s brother and his brother-in-law. Between the three of them, they’d come up with a plan to defeat Belle’s father.
Alex took a sip of his brandy, then wrote the first message. He’d just finished the second missive when Channing appeared. “See that these are delivered immediately,” he said, holding out the letters.
“Yes, my lord.”
The butler left, then returned when he’d instructed a footman to deliver the letters.
“Is the lady settled?” he asked when Channing stood inside the door.
“Yes, my lord. Mrs. Flowers is with her. And the maid Mary.”
“Very good.” Alex rose from his desk and walked to the window. “Tell Cook there will be five for dinner, then have her prepare a tea tray for Lady Isobel and another for my guests when they arrive.”
“Yes, my lord. Will there be anything else?”
“No, Channing. That will be all.”
“Yes, my lord,” the butler said, then turned and left the room.
Alex stared out the window as he considered the options they had. He didn’t doubt Belle had been accurate in describing her father’s ruthlessness. He didn’t doubt that Gilchrist had committed more than one murder. Belle had witnessed at least one of them. The question was . . . how could Alex protect her? How could he prevent the Earl of Gilchrist from giving one of his daughters to the Duke of Balsam? If not Isobel, then her sister, Lady Vanessa. With potentially tragic consequences.
Alex didn’t doubt that Belle would do whatever she needed to do to protect her sister. Even marry the Duke of Balsam herself.
Alex pushed himself away from the window and paced the room. He stopped when he heard a knock at the front door. He waited until the door opened, then walked toward Barnaby.
“Alex,” his brother said, clasping him around the shoulders, then giving him a warm hug.
“Barn.” Alex returned his brother’s greeting. He was truly glad to see him. The last time he’d been with Barnaby was shortly after he’d been rescued. Alex wasn’t proud of the way he’d behaved then. Those days were some of the darkest days of his life.
