Clue of Affection

by Ellie St. Clair

  “What did he do, might I ask?”

  “He ran a small group of clerks and solicitors,” Mrs. Whitby replied. “My son will be in charge of it all now, of course. I know very little of all the goings on, but he was always quite busy. I believe he had a great number of gentlemen seeking his services.”

  Violet was about to ask more, only for Joshua to reappear in the doorway, throwing her a glance that told her their time was at an end.

  “I do not want you to lack any comfort,” Violet said, quietly, seeing the flare of recognition in the lady’s eyes. “Please, do call on me if I can help in any way. I shall leave my card with your butler.”

  "You are very kind, Lady Greville," Mrs. Whitby whispered, dabbing at her eyes once more. "Sir Whitby has not left me entirely without, however. If I am careful, I should manage. My son is in the army and will return home very soon, so I will not be without company."

  Violet reached forward and pressed the lady’s hand for a moment, truly feeling sorry for the pain she was going through. Then, with a quick word of farewell, she rose and made her way from the house, tucking her hand into Joshua’s arm.

  14

  Joshua held Violet’s questions at bay until they returned to the house, knowing that Taylor would be inside, waiting for them. It would be best to wait until he could review with both of them at once. His heart thumped wildly in his chest as the small diary he had found sat heavily in his pocket, even though it was as light as could be.

  He could tell from Violet’s expression that she was frustrated with his refusal to answer her questions, her cheeks heating with two spots of color and her eyes flashing with annoyance. He could not help but find her quite lovely, despite this, his heart swelling with a sudden rush of emotion.

  Since she had joined him in town, Joshua had to admit that life felt better, somehow, despite the pain and disappointment she continued to carry with her due to his actions. Over and over he had tried to apologize, only to get a fresh glimpse of just how much grief he’d caused her. The new problem was that what he was feeling for his wife was changing with almost every passing day, as he learned more about her. There was more to her than he had ever thought.

  She was intelligent and quick-witted, often passing comments that had both him and Lord Taylor chuckling. Her suggestions had helped bring their investigation forward, and her calm demeanor when she knew she was in mortal danger made him admire her even more.

  Joshua did not think he would be able to find another lady like her, not if he searched for the rest of his life.

  On top of this, he felt she was growing in loveliness, even though she did not always have her maid put her hair up into the most elegant of styles, nor wear the finest gowns. More often than not, her hair was in a simple chignon and her gowns understated, but she was still more beautiful with every passing day.

  The realization that he felt a great deal more for his wife now than when he had wed her sent an explosion of feeling into his stomach, making Joshua shift a little uncomfortably in his seat. How was he ever to tell her such a thing, when he had already told her such sentiments before now, simply to make her his own? She would not believe him, of course, but Joshua silently vowed that he would do everything in his power to make up for what he had done. He would show her that he did truly care for her.

  “Ah, here we are,” Violet murmured, as the carriage drew up to the house.

  “Wait, please,” Joshua said, looking out of the carriage window. “Taylor should be present in a moment and then we must hurry inside.”

  Violet glanced at him, and he was caught for a moment by the intensity of her gaze. Despite everything, he knew that she trusted him to keep her safe and that fact made him smile.

  “There he is,” Joshua muttered, finally able to drag his eyes away from his wife to his friend who awaited them. “Now, quickly, if you please.”

  In a matter of moments, he helped Violet out of the carriage, and they were both outside, climbing the steps to the house as fast as possible with the material of Violet’s skirts.

  A sudden pop made him jump and, as he turned to look over his right shoulder, yet another pop came from his left. The stonework seemed to fizz, a small cloud of dust coming from it.

  “Hurry!” Joshua heard Taylor exclaim. “They’re shooting at you.”

  Joshua did not have time to question what was being said, his brain working slower than normal. He moved so that he was directly behind Violet, pushing her ahead of him. She grasped his hand and tugged him after her, until they were inside and Lord Taylor slammed the door shut behind them.

  “Good gracious!” Violet exclaimed, sagging against the wall and looking quite pale. “They were shooting at you, Joshua!”

  Frowning, Joshua looked down at his coat and saw the spattering of brick dust adorning his sleeve. “No, they were shooting at you, Violet. I must have been in the way.” He reached for her, feeling her tremble under his hands. “Are you quite all right?”

  “I’m fine,” she replied, although she did not move away, her hands resting on his chest as she looked up into his eyes. Neither of them noticed Lord Taylor slowly melt away, leaving them both entirely alone. “Thank you for protecting me, Joshua.”

  It was the first time she had said his name in some time — since his betrayal — and the moment was not lost on him. Feeling bold, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, hearing her swift intake of breath.

  “I could not imagine what my life would be like if anything was to happen to you,” he said, softly. “I know we have not been together long, but you are becoming very dear to me, Violet.”

  He saw her arrested expression, the disbelief in her eyes, but he did not drop his arms, still holding her carefully. “You will not believe me, of course, but that is to be expected after what I did. However, it is the truth, I assure you.”

  She tensed, her blue eyes searching his face for the truth. “If you intend to lure me back to your bed, Joshua…”

  He cut her off, shaking his head at once. “No, not in the least. I leave that entirely at your feet, my dear. When you are ready, I will be waiting.”

  Violet blinked a few times, as though quite surprised by what she had heard. After a momentary pause in which she seemed to be studying his chest, she lifted her chin and looked directly into his face. “And what if I should never come to your bed? Will you take a mistress? It — it is to be expected, I suppose.”

  “No, I swear I will never do such a thing,” he replied, fervently, suddenly quite repulsed by the idea of lying with anyone except his wife. “It is only you that I want, Violet. No one else. If that means that I have to wait for a good many years, until you trust me again, then so be it. I have no one to blame but myself.”

  He meant every word and kept holding her gaze, seeing the way her lips twisted. He could see the confusion on her face as she was not sure whether to believe a single word of it, much as he had expected, but at least she was not running from him.

  “I suppose we had best go and discuss what we found with Lord Taylor,” she finally murmured, stepping back from him as he released her. “Or, should I say, what you found and what I learned.” She smiled at him, no longer as pale as she had been.

  “Quite,” Joshua murmured, taking off his coat and looking around for the butler, who seemed to materialize out of thin air, taking the garment from him. “And a tea tray as well, I think.”

  “So,” Taylor asked, looking quite relaxed despite all that had happened. “You discovered something, then?”

  “I did,” Violet began, glancing at Joshua. “Mrs. Whitby was quite upset, of course, but mentioned that Sir Whitby ran a small company, composed of clerks and solicitors. Apparently, of late, he was quite distracted with all that he had to do, and kept mentioning something about documents.”

  “Documents?” Taylor repeated, his brows furrowing. “What kind of documents?”

  Violet spread her hands. “I don’t know, I’m afraid. I get the impres
sion that Mrs. Whitby was not in the least involved in her husband’s affairs, as most wives are not, so she could not tell me a great deal about what was going on.”

  “That is a shame,” Taylor muttered, passing one hand over his eyes and looking quite frustrated.

  “Although I believe Joshua has discovered something much more promising,” Violet continued, making Lord Taylor look up at once. “Although he would not tell me what it was.”

  Joshua grinned, seeing both sets of eyes on him expectantly. “I had to excuse myself, of course, making sure that the ladies had their tete-a-tete on their own, particularly as Mrs. Whitby was becoming a little upset.”

  “Of course,” Lord Taylor replied, coming to sit down in the chair opposite Violet, but only perching on the edge of it. “I presume you made the most of your time away?”

  Chuckling, Joshua nodded. “Of course. The lady keeps a small staff, and it is not a particularly large house, so I was able to find Sir Whitby's study without too much difficulty.”

  “His study?” Violet repeated, her eyes widening. “Did you look through it?”

  “Of course I did!” he exclaimed, thinking it quite touching that his wife would appear so horrified at such a thought. “I had to, in case we could find anything that would help the case.”

  “And did you?” Taylor asked, his voice growing a little louder in frustration at Joshua’s deliberate sluggishness.

  “I did.” Joshua reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black-covered book and, with gusto, dropped it onto the table that sat between them all.

  “You found a notebook?” Violet said, sounding disappointed. “That’s all?”

  Taylor, on the other hand, shot Joshua a wide grin, before reaching for the book. Obviously aware of just how much of an important discovery this was, Taylor began to leaf through the pages at once, his mouth falling open at one particular point.

  “It is more than just a notebook,” Joshua explained quietly. “There is much more here than a simple diary. Believe me, the man had a great many notebooks and this was the only one I took.”

  Violet nodded, her eyes now on Lord Taylor. “And you have discovered something important?”

  “This book is the key,” Taylor breathed, looking up at Joshua in astonishment. “It appears Sir Whitby was doing his utmost to please whoever was forcing him to work for him.”

  “Why?” Violet asked, leaning forward in her chair and frowning at the book. “What does it say?”

  Having only had a brief look at the book, Joshua had only been able to make a small assumption, but he felt it was the right one. “I believe that Sir Whitby lost a great deal of money at the card table and was not able to pay his debt. In recompense, he was then ‘hired,’ as it were, by the man he owed this debt too.”

  “What was he hired to do?”

  Joshua glanced at Taylor and saw him nod as he continued to read through the book.

  “It appears that Sir Whitby was using his company to ensure that certain documents were changed, to the benefit of this one man, Swinney North.”

  Violet gasped. “His identity is there?”

  “No,” Taylor muttered, quietly. “But it will not be hard to find his true name once we get a hold of one of these men’s wills.”

  “Wills?” Violet looked more than a little confused, her expression so endearing that Joshua had to smile. It was so obvious that she wanted to understand but, having not seen the book, was quite unable to grasp it entirely.

  “Swinney North was asking Sir Whitby to change final wills and testaments,” he explained. “To put his name as the sole heir, or at least, the largest beneficiary.”

  “Oh.” Violet frowned, a line appearing between her eyes. “But would that not be quite obvious that something untoward was going on? I mean, for so many people to have their last will and testament changed to benefit one man!”

  “Ah, but it appears he has been quite careful,” Taylor interrupted, putting the book on his knee and running one finger down the page. “He has chosen men who are of a great variety of ages, and the names here are of men who are very much alive.”

  Joshua nodded, his expression clearing. “So he intends to become extremely wealthy, but simply over a long period of time.”

  “So he will have both power and wealth,” Violet murmured, her eyes widening slightly. “Goodness. It appears we have discovered the reason behind all of this.”

  “Although that does not explain why Sir Whitby was shot,” Taylor replied, closing the notebook and handing it to Violet, who took it eagerly. “If he needed him, then why kill him?”

  “Perhaps he had served his purpose,” Joshua suggested. “If he had changed a certain number of wills already, then Swinney North could easily find another man such as Sir Whitby to continue the work, only at a different firm.”

  “And perhaps he was finally growing tired of doing what he was told,” Violet said, slowly. “He was asked to bring something and said he just needed a few more days. Perhaps he did not want to change this last will and testament. He would surely have to bring a copy to the men who worked for Swinney North as proof of what he was doing.”

  It made sense. “You are quite right, I believe my dear,” Joshua murmured, once again impressed with her deductive reasoning. “It appears that all we have to do now is find out who the sole beneficiary was for the deceased men on this list.”

  15

  “Have you found anything?”

  Frustrated, Joshua shook his head as he joined his wife in the drawing room, his disheartened expression making Violet’s spirits sink.

  “It has been more difficult than I thought to look at documents relating to any of the deceased men,” he said, sitting down heavily in one of the armchairs. “I am not a clerk nor a magistrate, so there is no reason for me to be looking into such matters.”

  Violet saw the discouragement on his face and felt for him. “I am sorry, Joshua.”

  He smiled, although the worry did not leave his eyes. “It is nothing you have done, Violet,” he murmured, gently. “You have been a wonderful help in this situation, and I am in awe of your intelligence.”

  Violet blushed despite herself, finding that she no longer held such anger over what he had done. The time they had shared since she had arrived back in London had slowly forced her to see her husband in something of a different light. He had been doing his best to protect her, and for that, she was grateful. He had thought that being truthful with her would make her refuse to wed him and, if she was honest with herself, that was precisely what she would have done.

  On top of this, she found herself missing him, in a way she could not quite explain. Sleeping alone every night, whilst her husband was in the next room, brought a slow burning ache that could not quite be prevented. It was as if she longed for his touch, finding that there was an affection growing in her heart for him. Forgiving him for what he had done was the final step, the last barrier that would allow her heart to open up entirely.

  "You are too kind, Joshua," she murmured, wandering over to the drawing-room window. "I just wish that we could find the culprit so that we might begin to look to our future."

  Her skin prickled as he came to join her at the window, although his gaze was on her and not on the street below.

  “Do you think of our future then?” he asked, with a hesitancy in his voice that she had not expected. “After all I have done, can you have any hope?”

  Turning towards him, she put one hand on his arm, seeing the uncertain expression on his face. "I think I have come to forgive you," she said, softly. "You are a man who is willing to let me be the person I am, who does not hold me back and expect me to fit into a mold. I am grateful for that. Not many men would be so understanding.”

  Her cheeks burned and she couldn’t quite meet his eyes as she tried to explain all that she felt. "I must confess that I hope for affection and for love one day, and yet I understand that perhaps that might never come. Regardless, I want you to know that
I care for you very much, despite everything that has occurred. Now that I see the kind of man you are, I cannot help but think well of you."

  She had barely finished speaking when his mouth landed on hers, his strong arms encircling her waist and crushing her to him. Violet found that she could not stop herself from responding to him, her arms around his neck and fingers twining into his hair. Their kiss was hot and sweet, burning with an underlying passion that neither of them, as yet, could allow to be completely free.

  Eventually, Joshua broke the kiss, his breathing ragged as he rested his forehead against hers.

  “I hope that assails some of your qualms,” he said, breathlessly. “Believe me, Violet, I have a great deal of affection for you. How much I regret what I did! If you are willing to forgive me, then I will do everything I can to prove to you just how I care for you. The beginnings of love are already in my heart.”

  Violet could not pretend that she did not feel an answering heat rush through her veins, although the feeling was still quite new. Hardly trusting herself, and fully aware that they were in the drawing room, she reached up to kiss him again, delighted when he responded at once.

  When she found the buttons on his shirt, he paused and pulled back, looking down into her eyes.

  “Please,” Violet whispered, not sure what exactly it was she was asking for. “Joshua, please.”

  His lips twisted and he stepped back, making Violet believe that he was about to refuse her – but instead, he walked to the door and said something to a footman, before closing them in alone and coming back towards her.

  “Just so we are not disturbed,” he murmured, trailing his fingers down her cheek. “Are you quite sure, Violet?”

  This was different from the man he had been before, the man who had first made love to her. Back then, he had encouraged and cajoled her, whereas now he was eager to ensure that she was both willing and ready — that this was truly her decision. That in itself was evidence of how reticent he was over his previous behavior.