“That something being the Duchy of Penrith,” Sebastian suggested.
Wilsden inclined his head. “Exactly so.”
“But, if I die the title becomes extant.” Abbey’s head pounded as she struggled to come to terms with the defection of two people whom she greatly esteemed.
“Indeed, which means the Crown will once more have the gift of the duchy within its power. The prince can’t risk leaving our corner of the West County without a duke to keep the populace in order. He will require someone whose loyalty is beyond question. Someone whom he can depend upon to keep control of affairs in that part of his realm. Someone who has successfully kept the duchy profitable and the local populace in order since the demise of your dear father.”
Sebastian curled his upper lip as he looked disdainfully at Lord Wilsden. “And he need look no further than you.”
“Precisely.”
“You’re already respectably established in the area and have demonstrated the extent of your loyalty on several occasions by making substantial loans to the prince by borrowing from the estate.”
Abbey blinked. “You did what?”
Wilsden’s languid smile faltered very slightly. “You appear to have made a thorough study of my affairs, Denver.”
“I’ll confess you had me confused for a while.” Sebastian squeezed Abbey’s waist with the arm that surrounded it, presumably because he could sense her fulminating anger. “For a while I thought it was Charlie behind the attempts on Lady Abigail’s life but, of course, that’s what you intended me to think.”
Wilsden snorted. “That Johnny raw doesn’t have the backbone for such rum capers.”
“You wanted us to believe it was your dearest wish to see him married to Lady Abigail. But you also made sure it was easy for anyone with a curious disposition to discover his affections were engaged elsewhere, leading to the obvious conclusion that Lady Abigail stood between him and his heart’s desire.”
“I was well aware she would never seriously consider him as a husband, especially if Bevan didn’t endorse his candidature.” He shrugged. “Still, it suited my purpose for people to suppose otherwise, especially when our rather inventive methods for doing away with her failed. We knew it would become obvious eventually, even to one as trusting as she is, that not all of her recent accidents were actually accidents. It was simply a matter of time before she realised she was in danger. When that happened we had no idea whom she might turn to, but didn’t expect her to look outside the family.”
“And you couldn’t afford to continually fail, not now she’s being pursued by so many gentlemen,” Sebastian said. “She could marry at any time and all your efforts to obtain the duchy would have been for naught. Her new husband would assume the title of second creation duke and doubtless sire a nursery full of heirs to make the succession secure. More to the point, the management of the duchy’s affairs would then fall to his lot and your lucrative stewardship would come to an end.”
“Quite so. That would be exceedingly inconvenient.”
Wilsden paced the room with agitated strides, appearing like one of the caged tigers Abbey had seen in Vauxhall Gardens and felt such sympathy for. Sympathy was the last emotion she entertained towards her godfather and she looked upon him now with an expression of intense disappointment.
“I’d come too far to risk her disobeying her uncle and marrying before the end of her season. Even girls as obedient as Abbey are wont to act with spontaneity when they think they are in love. And so we had to do something to prevent her immediately.” He slammed his clenched fist into the palm of his other hand. “The duchy should have been in my family from the very first but we were gulled into backing the wrong horse. In ’66 my father was for The Duke of Grafton, whereas Carstairs supported Rockingham. As luck would have it, Rockingham was made head of the treasury that year. He persuaded the king a dukedom should be created in Penrith and bestowed upon a deserving subject. Someone of integrity needed to be appointed to quell the dissatisfaction being openly expressed by the tin miners. And so, using his influence, Rockingham ensured it was conferred upon his ally, Carstairs. My father was devastated, never quite got over his disappointment, and never forgave Carstairs for fulfilling the role that should have been his.”
“And never forgot,” Sebastian said, shaking his head. “It really isn’t healthy to bear grudges for so long, Wilsden.”
“Bah, you don’t know the half of it!”
“No, but you are about to tell us.”
“For what it’s worth, Abbey’s great-grandmother was a formidable political hostess, who was as beautiful as she was ruthless. She wielded considerable power behind the scenes, and no one is precisely sure what lengths she went to with Rockingham to further her husband’s ambitions. It is a subject to which I have devoted many hours of conjecture but the answer must be obvious to a man of your ilk, Denver.”
Sebastian shrugged. “Sorry, Wilsden, you’ve lost me.”
“The whore!” he roared, colour invading an expression both pained and furious. “Suffice it to say we had no similar weapon with which to fight back. Matters were made worse when Rockingham only lasted two years at the treasury before being replaced with our man, Grafton.” Wilsden’s booming laugh bore no traces of humour. “How was that for poor timing?”
“Rather than besmirching the good name of Abbey’s great-grandmother,” Sebastian replied, “has it not occurred to you Carstairs was considered the better man for the job for reasons of greater gravitas?”
Wilsden glowered at Sebastian. “What bag of moonshine are you implying now?”
“I’m merely reminding myself of the facts,” Sebastian replied, calm in the face of Wilsden’s growing anger. “It is common knowledge the ingression of water into the shafts of the tin mines was the worst problem the miners faced in Cornwall at the time. Steam engine driven pumps were proving to be the answer, but they were expensive and their introduction was slow to come about. Carstairs was something of an authority on the subject, doing much to educate the mine owners as to their benefits. He championed their introduction and avoided further unnecessary loss of life.”
“How do you know that?” Abbey asked. “I had absolutely no idea.”
Sebastian winked at her. “I made it my business to find out.”
“Anyone could have gained the knowledge he supposedly possessed,” said Wilsden, sneering.
“Perhaps, but Carstairs understood its importance, and not simply because he wished to be rewarded by the Crown.” Sebastian stretched his long legs, looking bored, but Abbey could sense he was alert and ready to act in her defence. “But we digress. Do continue with your story, Wilsden. You were keeping Abbey and me royally entertained.” He grinned. “No pun intended, of course.”
Wilsden looked at Sebastian with dislike but couldn’t resist the opportunity for further boasting. “My father, on his deathbed, made me promise to one day see the duchy conferred upon our family, where it should have been in the first place.”
“And you are willing to resort to murder in order to achieve your end?”
“It is necessary,” Wilsden replied with an indifferent shrug. “One can’t fight a war without incurring casualties, Denver. As a war veteran yourself you ought to be the first to appreciate that fact. My father was adamant about remaining on congenial terms with the Carstairs family, much as we privately disliked them. It was by paying heed to that advice I became Abbey’s godfather and finally got my hands on the duchy’s wealth when her parents departed this world.”
Abbey was convinced the colour must have drained from her face as a repellent thought occurred to her. “Don’t tell me you had anything to do with—”
‘Their accident? No, my dear, I regret I can make no such claim, although when it happened I was sorry not to have thought of the idea myself. Their accident occurred by complete chance but when it did I knew my moment had at last arrived.”
“You waited for long time to put your plan into action,” Sebast
ian remarked.
Abbey thought he seemed totally unmoved by the tale that spilled with vitriolic spite from Wilsden’s lips. But then, it must be easy for him to remain detached, she supposed. She was having a much harder time of it and how she managed not to spring at her godfather and scratch his eyes out was beyond her understanding.
“As I told you before, we have learned as a family to understand the importance of patience. I knew another accident so soon after the demise of Abbey’s parents would attract unwanted attention. And so I was prepared to wait, secure in the knowledge I would eventually be successful.”
“But you tried very hard to have Abbey live under your roof.”
“Don’t tell him everything!” Mary cried.
“It hardly matters now.”
Yes, because he doesn’t intend to allow us out of here alive.
“Satisfy my curiosity.” Sebastian said.
“By all means.” Lord Wilsden sneered.
“You’re being foolish.”
Everyone ignored Mary and she subsided into a simmering silence.
“Had I been successful,” Lord Wilsden said, “it would have settled matters most conveniently and no one need have died. Abbey would have been thrown constantly into Charlie’s company when at her most vulnerable. I would have ensured she damn well relied upon him for everything and, if I’d had my way, they would have been married long before now. Charlie would have been the new duke, but in name only. He would never have been able to run the duchy efficiently and I would have had ultimate control.” He slapped his palm against his thigh, the noise unnaturally loud in the otherwise quiet room, causing Abbey to start violently.
“But even then I thought I would have my way. It didn’t matter if Abbey wasn’t living under my roof since I already had the prince’s ear. He wasn’t regent at the time but everyone knew his father was acting more bizarrely by the day and it would only be a matter of time. But Bevan, damn him, was determined to secure the succession through Abbey and spoke to the king’s advisors about it far sooner than I anticipated, leaving me no opportunity to counter his measures. I knew if I tried to influence the decision by asking the prince to intervene, it would immediately go against me. The king and his son weren’t on good terms and His Majesty would be more likely to act against the prince’s advice. And so, once again, my timing was appalling, especially,” he added with a twisted laugh, “as the prince assumed the regency almost immediately thereafter. But by then it was too late and I couldn’t attempt to overturn parliament’s decision in respect of the succession without arousing Bevan’s suspicions.”
“You enjoy manipulating people, Wilsden, and I concede it took me a while to realise what you were about,” Sebastian said.
“How did you find me out?”
“It was something Bevan said about Lady Abigail’s personal fortune not being entailed that first alerted me. Lady Abigail told me when we first met that her great-grandmother had ensured the entail through the female line, but of course that only referred to the Carstairs fortune and not, as she had supposed, the duchy. It wouldn’t have been possible to make advance arrangements in that respect. Only a royal decree and act of parliament could make that provision when circumstances dictated. Therefore it could only have happened after her parents died.”
“You appear to have thought it all through,” Wilsden said grudgingly.
“I knew from your stewardship of the duchy, and willingness to borrow from its coffers whenever the mood took you, that you considered it your personal fiefdom. I couldn’t imagine you taking kindly to handing the reins over to Abbey’s eventual husband.”
Wilson snarled. “The thought was intolerable.”
“Carstairs wasn’t discouraged by the fact that his wife had only produced one child, a girl.” Sebastian touched Abbey’s hand. “Or that his other children didn’t survive their infancy. They were still young and an heir was bound to follow. Indeed, at the time of their demise the duchess was in an advanced condition again. This time she was bound to produce a healthy son, who would survive infancy and inherit the dukedom. That included the Penrith estate with its vast income and extensive lands. Carstairs’ personal fortune, his other estates and town house which are independent of the duchy, would be divided between his other sons, if he had any. A substantial portion was set aside for Lady Abigail and any other daughters’ dowries.”
“But there was no time for them to produce more children.” Tears spilled down Abbey’s face as she spoke.
“Carstairs had already sired one son,” Sebastian said, fixing Wilsden with a harsh look. “Lady Abigail’s brother did not die of natural causes, did he? That was the missing part of the puzzle that so eluded me but which fell into place as soon as I saw you walk in here today.”
Wilsden inclined his head, seemingly proud of his evil activities. “Exactly so.”
“You!” Abbey gasped, her voice shaking with emotion. “You killed my brother? I thought he and my sister both died of natural causes.”
“Your sister did,” Sebastian said with a sympathetic smile. “That supplied Wilsden with the inspiration to do away with your brother, whom he couldn’t permit to flourish. It is not uncommon for siblings to perish from the same malady and so no one suspected him for a moment.”
Abbey buried her head on Sebastian’s shoulder and fought to contain her sobs. She absolutely did not wish to show any emotion in front of her wicked godfather but, by heaven, it was difficult!
“Your determination to be a leading force in the Carlton House set was all part of the plan, presumably,” Sebastian said.
“My loyalty to His Royal Highness has never been in question,” Lord Wilsden replied pompously. “But it didn’t hurt to be seen by him, to be in his company and take every opportunity to remind him I was making a good job of my stewardship.”
“Is all this really worth committing murder for?” Sebastian asked, yawning.
‘Thank you for reminding me. Have you ever noticed,” he asked, turning to address Mary, “how often accidents of a similar nature occur within the same family? It is really quite remarkable. What consternation will reign when Abbey and Denver have the misfortune to overturn their curricle in this unpredictable weather, perishing in the process. You know how ignorant and superstitious people can be. They will say that the Carstairs family is truly cursed.”
“You really are out of your senses, Wilsden,” Sebastian said, hiding a yawn behind his hand. “Only an utter clunch would expect us to willingly enter a conveyance, knowing you’ve tampered with it in some way, and calmly driver ourselves to our graves?’
“You are being very insensitive, my lord,” Abbey said, her tears replaced by calm determination to show this man that she wasn’t quite the wilting violet he seemed to suppose. “My godfather has gone to considerable trouble to devise a fitting end for us both and all you can do is mock.” She shook a finger at him. “Shame on you, sir!”
“I accept your rebuke, but my opinion remains unchanged. Your godfather hasn’t thought about the consequences.”
“It will work well enough,” Lord Wilsden said, sounding a little less than sure of himself.
“We’ll do our best to oblige you,” Sebastian assured him, winking at Abbey.
Lord Wilsden appeared shaken by his sudden mood of co-operation. “Well of course you will. What alternative do you really have? I expect you think you will manage not to turn the curricle over, but I’m afraid an accident is inevitable.” He rummaged in the folds of his cloak and withdrew a pistol.
Sebastian laughed in his face. “You can’t possibly shoot us both and expect to get away with it.”
“Why not? A lover’s tryst gone wrong. It is all over the house you intended to bring Abbey here with the purpose of persuading her to elope with you. Everyone was most disapproving. I shouldn’t be a bit surprised if Evans turns up any minute now and saves me the trouble of finishing you off by doing the job himself.”
“And saving Lady Abigail?”
“Ah yes, there is that. Thank you for point it out. Perhaps I had better attend to the matter before he gets here. Now, what conclusions will be drawn when your bodies are found?” He stopped his pacing directly in front of them, his glowering features twisted with bitterness. “When Abbey remembered her duty and declined to be a-party to an elopement, you decided you would prefer to see her dead rather than lose her to another man. Of course, once you saw your lady love perish at your own hand you were overcome with remorse and decided you no longer wished to live, either.”
“I had no idea you could be so romantic, Wilsden,” Sebastian said, yawning again.
His languid attitude made Abbey want to laugh. They weren’t behaving as her godfather wished them to and she could see it was making him wary. What was less clear was Mary’s part in all this. She had barely spoken a word but still stood staunchly at Lord Wilsden’s shoulder. Hopefully, she would take her turn to explain herself.
“Yes,” Lord Wilsden said, sounding as though he wanted to convince himself as much as them. “That might work better than the uncertainties of a carriage accident, much as I preferred the poetic justice of my first scheme.”
“You surely can’t expect to get away with cold-blooded murder?” Abbey turned a scornful glance upon her godfather.
“Are you not going to beg for your life?” Mary asked vindictively.
“What, appeal to your better natures? Thank you, but no. It would be a waste of time anyway since it is obvious neither of you has a conscience.” Abbey tossed her head, enjoying herself in a perverse sort of way by showing no fear, even if she was petrified. “I expect it would give you satisfaction to see me either swooning or feinting in Lord Denver’s strong arms. Again, I’m sorry to disappoint, but I am not given to swooning. I tried it once when there was something I particularly did not wish to do. Bea saw straight through the ruse and laughed at me for being so theatrical. It quite put me off swooning for life.”
The Duke's Legacy Page 20
