On the Duke's Authority (Ducal Encounters series 4 Book 3)

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘You have a thriving family, your grace,’ Mrs Brooke said. ‘I envy you your sons. Come here, Josh, and talk to me.’

  Josh looked up from his tussle with Leo, then glanced at his father. Amos shot the woman a withering look and she didn’t repeat the request.

  The rest of the time passed awkwardly, made easier to handle by the children, who were oblivious to the atmosphere and continued to tumble over one another with their usual excess of energy, persuading Zach and Amos to join in.

  When the children were taken back upstairs, Frankie stood. ‘We dine early,’ she told Mrs Brooke, ‘and will see you then.’

  Without waiting for a response, she and Zach left the room, followed by the rest of the family.

  ‘How did I do with making it clear they were unwelcome?’ she asked Amos as he fell into step on the opposite side of her to Zach.

  ‘Admirably. I have never seen you quite so haughty,’ he replied, chuckling. ‘I wasn’t aware you had it in you.’

  ‘I cannot imagine how such an awful, self-centred woman could have produced such a kind and considerate daughter as Crista, but I am very grateful that she did.’

  Amos smiled at Frankie’s intuition. None of his immediate family mentioned Crista’s name in his hearing very often, but Frankie had sensed it was what he had needed to keep him sane at that precise moment.

  ‘We are in agreement on that point.’ Amos paused at the foot of the stairs. ‘I just wish I knew what they hope to achieve by coming here.’

  ‘I have Adler arranging to—shall we say—overhear their private conversations,’ Zach replied, grinning. ‘Obviously, he won’t do it himself but Mrs Brooke is the type who looks upon servants as being deaf and blind and will speak freely in front of them. Frankie has thoughtfully supplied a maid to help them dress and a footman to provide the same service for Devonshire.’

  ‘I have?’ Frankie blinked.’ How very gracious of me.’

  Zach laughed. ‘It will be interesting to learn what they have to say.’

  ‘Indeed,’ Amos replied. ‘Anyway, I shall let you get on. I’d best go out to the stud and make sure that Cal has everything under control. There’s not the slightest chance of anything being amiss, but I like to pretend that he occasionally needs my advice.’

  ‘I am for my library,’ Zach said to Frankie. ‘Max wants to speak with Lady Marlowe and I would like to hear what’s said. Hopefully a response will have come from my express to Clarence if the roads are passable. I shall see you a little later, my dear.’

  *

  Leona had observed Frankie’s indifference towards Mrs Brooke and that lady’s thick skin in pretending not to notice how unwelcome she really was. If Leona had been made to feel so uncomfortable, she would have gone into Shawford and put up at the tavern, walking through the snow to get there if necessary. She hadn’t realised that Frankie could be so high-handed, but it didn’t take Leona long to accept that it was no less than Mrs Brooke deserved. Leona herself had become preoccupied about Mr Devonshire, unaware that he had been acquainted with her husband. Could that be where she had heard the name before? Had George mentioned him in passing?

  She couldn’t be sure.

  ‘Shall we go to Zach’s library?’ Max Sheridan asked her as they quit the drawing room, leaving Mrs Brooke’s party in sole occupation of it. ‘I have been thinking about your situation and have a few suggestions to make.’

  ‘If you don’t mind, I would like Mr Conroy to join us. We are satisfied that we both face the same adversary, so it makes sense to plan our strategy together.’

  ‘By all means.’ Mr Sheridan smiled affably. ‘I am glad you are in accord. It will make things a great deal easier.’

  They found the duke and Lord Vincent already in the library. The duke poured whisky for all the gentlemen and asked Leona if he could get anything for her.

  ‘Thank you, your grace, but no. I am not yet reduced to drinking whisky—during the hours of daylight, at least.’ Leona smiled at the duke to take the criticism from her words.

  They all smiled back as she sat in the chair closest to the fire at the duke’s bidding. His dogs, as always, had appropriated the rug in front of the blaze but flapped their tails when she leaned over to make a fuss of them.

  ‘Are you acquainted with Devonshire?’ the duke asked. ‘He seemed to be very interested in you.’

  ‘I am sure I’ve never seen him before, and we have definitely not been introduced.’ She frowned. ‘I am still trying to recall why the name is familiar to me.’

  ‘He seemed very shaken by your presence, Conroy,’ the duke remarked.

  ‘Can’t think why. I’ve never laid eyes on the man before either.’

  Mr Adler caused a hiatus in the conversation when he entered the room and handed a letter to the duke.

  ‘This just arrived from Lord Romsey, your grace.’

  ‘Ah, a response from Clarence,’ the duke explained as he broke the seal.

  They all remained silent while the duke read his letter. He raised both brows as he absorbed its contents and then passed it to Leona.

  ‘It seems you were right to wonder about the nature of your husband’s death,’ he said. ‘You have my sympathies, Lady Marlowe. The contents of this letter are distressing, and I’m sure we would all be happy to postpone this discussion until you have had time to consider Lord Romsey’s revelations and compose yourself.’

  Leona scanned the letter quickly and shook her head in bewilderment at its disclosures. ‘I don’t have the first idea what to make of this news.’ She sighed and swallowed twice, biting back the tears that threatened. After a minute she continued. ‘May I read this letter aloud so you can all consider its contents?’

  ‘Of course you may, if you feel strong enough to do so,’ the duke replied with compassion.

  Leona nodded and began to read, her voice at first uncertain, but becoming firmer as she continued.

  ‘Dear Zach,’ she read. ‘I was unaware that Frankie is acquainted with Lady Marlowe or that she was likely to be a guest at the Park. Had I known, I would have warned you that I had not shared all the particulars of her husband’s death with her for fear of adding to her grief.’

  Leona looked up, blinking with confusion. She was met by a sea of sympathy that she felt she didn’t deserve and returned her attention to Lord Romsey’s letter quickly before her emotions could get the better of her.

  ‘Marlowe was not sent to France on an especially sensitive issue, and I had no reason to fear for his safety. Lady Marlowe was told that her husband was set upon by armed assailants when walking back to his lodgings in the early hours of the morning. Paris is every bit as dangerous in that regard as London and what I told her was the truth, at least insofar as it went. What she does not know is that his assailants were heard by a passer-by speaking English. The man valiantly attempted to help Lord Marlowe but was too late. The fatal blow had already been struck and the attackers had escaped.

  ‘And yes, Zach, before you ask, I believe what I have been told. The reputation of the brave man who tried to help Sir George is beyond reproach and he has no ties to the French Diplomatic service or to England either. Subsequent enquiries disclosed that a party of two Englishmen had been staying at an inn close to Marlowe’s rooms. We have thus far been unable to establish their identities, and I doubt now if we ever shall, not after so much time. They will have crept back beneath the rock from which they emerged, no doubt amply rewarded for their cowardly deed.

  ‘The only conclusion we have been able to reach is that Marlowe was murdered in Paris either in the hope of creating a diplomatic incident or because whoever ordered his killing would be more likely to get away with it if it occurred on foreign soil. The former situation almost arose, and likely would have done, had not that witness come forward and if the presence of the two English assailants had not been independently established.

  ‘I should add that Marlowe’s mission had been brought to a successful conclusion two weeks before his dea
th. He had stayed on in Paris for personal reasons, but I don’t know what those reasons were.

  ‘I hope Lady Marlowe will excuse me for not having told her the complete truth and will understand why I was forbidden by my masters from so doing. Anglo-French relations are still extremely sensitive. The claim on her estate by Sir George’s cousin is highly suspicious and you can be sure that we shall be looking into his background very carefully, especially his movements at around the time the murder was committed. I can assure you that Marlowe made a will before he entered the service. That is still a hard and fast requirement made of all diplomats.’

  Leona put the letter aside and blinked back tears. ‘There is more, but the rest is just an assurance of Lord Romsey’s determination to get to the bottom of things,’ she said, handing the letter back to the duke.

  ‘Are you all right, Lady Marlowe?’ the duke asked. ‘You’ve had a terrible shock. Can I get you anything to aid your recovery?’

  ‘Thank you, your grace, but no. I shall be myself again in a moment.’ She swallowed. ‘Actually, I had wondered if George was murdered, so I am not as surprised by Lord Romsey’s disclosures as I might otherwise have been.’

  ‘What made you think along those lines?’ Mr Sheridan asked.

  ‘Unlike Lord Romsey, I know why George stayed on in Paris, even though I was unaware that his business had been completed. You see, I discovered that he was involved with a French lady—a married French lady with a jealous husband.’ She smiled at their shocked expressions. ‘Not very diplomatic behaviour, I’ll grant you, but I suppose men lose all sense of propriety when passion overrides common sense.’ She waved a hand to encompass them all. ‘Not that I spied on my husband. I am no jealous harpy.’

  ‘I am sure no one in this room imagined any such thing,’ Mr Conroy assured her.

  ‘The fact of the matter is that I happened to overhear a conversation between George and his secretary when they thought I was not at home. I was not eavesdropping,’ she added hastily, thinking it important to make the point. ‘They were talking in normal voices and the door to George’s study was open. I couldn’t help but hear what they said.’

  ‘Rather careless of them, if the conversation was so sensitive,’ Lord Vince remarked.

  ‘It was the upstairs servants’ half-day off, so I would imagine they assumed they had the house to themselves. Anyway, when I realised the nature of the subject under discussion, I willingly admit that I then continued to listen rather than make my presence known, as I believe any wife finding herself in that position would have done.’

  Mr Conroy, seated beside her, reached across and touched her hand. ‘It’s not you that has to apologise for your behaviour,’ he said softly.

  She managed a brittle smile, hugely embarrassed by the subject but aware that if these grand people were to help her, they needed to know it all. ‘It gets worse. The lady he had become entangled with was the wife of his opposite number in the French Diplomatic Service.’

  The duke threw back his head and closed his eyes. ‘The fool!’ he said softly. ‘I wonder if Clarence is aware.’

  ‘I doubt it,’ Leona replied. ‘George’s secretary was also his close friend, and I overheard him trying to talk sense into George. He told him that he was playing with fire and that he would do untold damage to Anglo-French relations if he was caught, not to mention finding himself out of employment and with his reputation compromised. Not that he needed to work, but he enjoyed the cut and thrust of diplomacy. George said that the lady’s husband took little interest in her and had a mistress of his own.’

  ‘That is hardly the point,’ Lord Vince said. ‘If the affair had come to light, the Frenchman would have been seen as the wronged party. Even if he and his wife had agreed to go their separate ways, face would still have had to be maintained in public. Your husband’s secretary was right about that.’

  ‘Do you think Yaris would really have gone that far?’ Mr Sheridan asked. ‘If we assume that the Frenchman didn’t get his revenge in such an underhand manner—and given that the assailants were English the chances are that he did not—the next most likely suspect has to be Yaris.’

  ‘I don’t think he would have condoned murder, but I wouldn’t put anything past his mother,’ Leona said bitterly. ‘She could easily have arranged it.’

  ‘Well,’ Mr Sheridan said, ‘we shall leave Clarence to delve into Yaris’s affairs and hopefully find something incriminating. The men who carried out the murder, if they were paid to do it by Yaris, will squeal if caught in order to save their own skins. There is little honour amongst villains.’

  ‘How can you hope to find them?’ Leona asked.

  ‘Oh, there are ways.’ It was the duke who replied. ‘I dare say that as a solicitor himself Yaris is thrown into contact with all sorts of criminally inclined individuals. Clarence will focus his attention on the more violent of his past clients, those whom he has managed to keep out of gaol and who feel indebted to him.’

  Leona sighed. ‘You make it all sound so easy.’

  ‘It will be, if we can find them,’ Lord Vince said with confidence. ‘Once they know that investigations are being made on the Duke of Winchester’s authority, they will quickly become cooperative. You may depend upon it.’

  ‘It’s so very kind of you to involve yourself, your grace,’ Leona said quietly.

  ‘I am happy to help any person when it comes to righting wrongs,’ he replied, smiling. He really was an imposing individual, Leona thought, who wore his authority with the ease of a born leader, much as his eldest son was already showing early signs of doing. She could well understand why villains would prefer to keep on his good side, and was delighted that Frankie had found happiness with such a man.

  ‘Now then,’ Mr Sheridan said, rubbing his hands together as though spoiling for a scrap, ‘since we have had it confirmed both by your husband’s solicitor and by the Earl of Romsey that your husband definitely made a will, I think we should go on the offensive.’

  ‘Of course,’ Leona replied without hesitation, ‘but how?’

  ‘Firstly, with your permission, I shall inform your husband’s solicitors that I have taken over responsibility for your affairs. Then I shall write to Yaris in a similar vein.’ He chuckled. ‘It’s useful being related to a duke. Once Yaris makes the connection through my name, he will be far less cavalier in his attitude, I can guarantee that much. We will tell him that a will definitely exists in your favour and until such time as it is produced, he will have the goodness to vacate your house since he is living there unlawfully.’

  ‘And if he refuses?’ Leona asked, a little overwhelmed by the…well, the overwhelming self-confidence displayed by all Sheridan males.

  ‘Then I shall threaten to report his underhand behaviour to the scandal sheets. It will ruin his business as well as his reputation if it comes out that he is attempting to manipulate a grieving widow for his own advantage.’

  Leona smiled. ‘How very devious of you.’

  ‘I learned a long time ago that it’s sometimes necessary to turn the actions of an exploiter back upon him. I accept that Mrs Yaris is the driving force, but I imagine her reputation means too much to her to risk defying us.’

  Leona nodded. ‘Absolutely.’

  ‘I am sure she hopes to move in more select circles once she gains possession of your estate.’

  Leona took a moment to consider her response. ‘That’s partly what motivates her, but I also think there is an old score that she badly wants to settle. There was a dispute between her and George’s mother. Something about his father, I believe. I have never known the particulars, and George didn’t either. He wasn’t especially interested. But Mrs Yaris has made the occasional acerbic reference to past wrongs, which got me wondering.’

  ‘Is there any way that you can find out?’ Max asked. ‘I don’t suppose it really matters that much, but I find the more one understands about a grievance, the easier it is to reach a resolution.’

  ‘
There is nothing in George’s papers to give any indication. I know because I went through them all. If he has anything dating back to his father’s younger days, it will either be lodged with his solicitor for safekeeping or locked away in the house in Ireland.’

  ‘I shall ask your man to send everything he has to me, so if there’s anything he’s been holding that sheds light on the matter we shall soon know.’

  ‘What of Mr Conroy’s problems with the right of way?’ Leona asked. ‘We believe Yaris is responsible for creating that difficulty as well.’

  ‘I shall make it clear to him that any attempt on his part to interfere with that property will result in recourse to the courts,’ Max replied. ‘That ought to spike his guns.’

  ‘Thank you.’ It was Mr Conroy who responded. ‘I have replied to the lawyers who wrote to me along those lines myself but it will bear greater weight if it also comes from you. I wouldn’t ordinarily ask anyone else to fight my battles for me, but…’

  ‘Nonsense,’ Mr Sheridan replied. ‘It’s disputes of this nature that keep me in gainful employment, and you can be sure that I shall charge you handsomely for my services.’

  Everyone laughed.

  ‘If you will supply me with the name of your husband’s solicitor, Lady Marlowe, I will get started right away,’ Mr Sheridan said, returning his attention to her. ‘There’s no time like the present.’

  ‘Happily,’ Leona replied, moving to the duke’s desk and writing down the details.