When she would have protested, he held up his hand. “We will not go over this again, Faith. I do not have time for your childish worries. Why you balk at such an advantageous union is beyond me, but unless you can produce someone of equal status to Morton by the end of the upcoming ball, you will marry him.” He strode to the door and held it open. “This interview is ended, Faith. I wish to return to my work.”
Faith scrambled to her feet, her body shaking. How could he put her in such danger and not see it? Her heart hammered at what she was about to say. “I will not marry Morton, your grace. Of that, be quite certain. I will run away before I allow you to impose that marriage on me.”
“Run away!” His voice boomed inside the room and down the corridor. He slammed the door so hard it bounced open. He thumped it shut before turning to her. His next words came out ominously quiet. “How dare you defy me?”
Shafts of ice sliced down her spine. “I am seeing to my safety, sir. Something you no longer seem concerned about.”
Her father’s face reddened and his fists clenched.
He meant to strike her. Faith braced herself.
Abruptly, he turned away, showing her his back. After a while, she tentatively touched his shoulder. He trembled.
Her compassion welled. “Papa, please. I am sorry to have upset you. I do not mean to defy you. It is just that I am so afraid. I do not know what to do.”
He swung around and pulled her into his arms. He hugged so tight, she thought her spine might crack. Not bothered by the pain, Faith hugged him back. This was the father she had been missing.
“Oh, Faith, can you ever forgive me?” he whispered.
His question warmed her to her core. He did love her! “Papa, I do understand that you wish to see me well settled.”
He leaned back until they could face each other. There were tears in his eyes. “Were it only so simple, my dear.” He released her and took a shaky breath. “I am afraid, it is time for me to confess the real reason for this match. After I am done, I doubt you will regard me in high esteem.”
Bewildered, she shook her head. “Papa, you may tell me anything. I will not judge you, I promise.”
He nodded and, seeming to make up his mind, he led her back to his chair, straightened it, and offered it to her.
Faith sat and her father pulled over a bench for himself.
“I have made a terrible mistake, Faith.” His troubled gaze avoided hers. He was silent for a while as he studied his hands. Finally, he spoke. “You are a good child. You deserve better than what I have given you of late. Only, I thought this marriage arrangement might serve both our needs.”
She took a breath to give her time to reply with respect. “I can see the reason you would want to present such an offer to me, Papa. May I ask why it was so important that I accept?”
He smiled, looking up at her. “You are not my child for naught, my dear. Yes, it was very important that you accept.”
“Why?”
“Because if you refused, something I have done might be reported to the regent, something I prefer he not know.”
Faith sat back in surprise. “The regent? But you seem to be much in his favor. Could you not speak with him yourself about whatever this issue is?”
“It is too late to speak up.”
“Papa, what is this about?”
He returned his gaze to his hands. “Faith, did it not seem odd to you that Sir Phillip Jones and his wife visited us?”
“What does their visit have to do with the regent?”
He fiddled with his cravat, ruining its perfect crispness. “It is widely rumored that Sir Phillip works for the regent on delicate assignments.”
Faith sucked in her breath. “They came to spy on us?”
“On me, or so I suspect.” He stood and paced about the room. “Understand, Faith, that what I did, I did quite by accident. But now, I do not know how to undo it.”
Faith gathered her scattered emotions. Her father needed her now. She had promised she would not judge if he confessed, and she intended to keep that promise. “What did you do, Papa?”
Leaning against the worktable, he faced her. “The night your mother and I visited the prince, he showed us a beautiful set of ruby shoe buckles the king wished to gift Wellington with.”
“So . . . ?”
“So, after we left Carleton House, I found the buckles in my coat pocket.”
Faith realized her mouth hung open and shut it.
“I do not know how they got there. I must have accidentally taken them as they were being passed around, and then walked out with them. I did not drink more than a couple of glasses of port, but my mind is fuzzy about the entire evening. I have no notion how I could have done something so terrible as steal the king’s jeweled buckles.”
“Why not return them and apologize?”
“I intended to, but circumstances interfered. Before we left Carleton House, Granger asked me to accompany him to my club for a drink and a game of whist. I insisted on taking your mother home first since she seemed unwell. Afterward, I collected a new pack of cards from my study but as I put them in my pocket, I found the jewels there.”
“Oh, Papa!” Faith cringed on her father’s behalf.
“Completely rattled, I went for a walk to decide what to do next. I was so deep in thought that I ended up at my club after all. Morton found me before Granger. The young man must have been drunk, for he stumbled around like a fool. Luckily, he had his brother to look out for him. But he did not stay long. Soon after Granger joined us, Morton went home.”
He gave Faith a sickly little smile. “Then Granger said that he had asked to meet me because he had seen me slip those buckles into my pockets. He had not wanted to embarrass me in front of the prince by accusing me at Carleton House.”
“Oh no!” Of all the people to notice such an act. Faith did not trust Granger. “What else did he say?”
“He offered to assist me in returning the buckles. I told him I did not know how it could have happened and reached into my pockets, but the buckles were gone!”
Faith’s heart lurched. “What? How?”
He held out his arms, fingers trembling. “I do not know, Faith. I am surprised I did not collapse from shock. Granger went quite pale. We frantically checked my pockets. We even returned home together, to ensure the buckles had not fallen out while I was in the study to get the card packet. They were not there. Granger was shaking by the time we gave up hope of finding them, appearing as shocked as I felt.”
“What did you do next, Papa?”
Her father shook his head. “We returned to the club to discuss our next move. Faith, he came to my aid that night.”
Granger’s genuine reaction surprised her, until she linked her dilemma to her father’s panic. “In exchange for what?”
Her father had the grace to blush. “Nothing, at first. But the next day, he invited me to join him at his home where his mother was present. Granger had shared my problem with the duchess in hopes that she, too, could be of help.”
He had betrayed her father’s confidence. Faith’s heart thundered. “What did she say?”
“She proposed the marriage bargain. Granger and his mother’s help in recovering the buckles in exchange for your accepting Morton’s hand.” Looking contrite, he returned to his bench. “It was not as if she was asking you to marry Granger. She said that Morton favored this match, that he had formed a tendre for you, but was too shy to approach.”
Morton was shy, true, but he did not lust after her. That was entirely Granger. “I do not believe that.”
Her father shifted on his seat. “I did wonder why they were so insistent on the match when you and Morton had yet to be properly introduced. But the duchess explained that her youngest son was easily duped, so she wanted to ensure
his future bride was a girl of good breeding and character.”
He took her hands. “Whether their tale is true or not, Morton is a duke, and one of the wealthiest men in England. And he is not unhandsome nor unkind. It seemed the perfect match, and I desperately needed help. So, I closed my ears to your distress. To protect my name and reputation, I have been a bad father. I would not see you hurt for the world.”
She looked into his eyes and Faith’s heart warmed. He did love her. She had not been mistaken in that.
“If Granger laid a hand on you, my dear, I swear I will call him out, no matter the consequence. Did he harm you? Tell me. What can I do to make this up to you?”
She squeezed his fingers. “I am unharmed, Papa, and very happy to have my father’s affections back.”
“You never lost that, my dear.”
“Then all I require is to be free of any obligation to marry Morton.”
He nodded and released a shuddering breath. “I suppose there is nothing to do now but to confess all to the prince.”
Faith worried about the consequences of doing so. And then she began to wonder if this whole theft had been instigated to set her father up for a fall. If so, it was an elaborate scheme, and what was its purpose? Simply to ruin him? To gain Faith’s hand in marriage to the duke? Neither seemed a good enough reason. Then she thought of something, a much better plan than her father confessing to the regent.
“Papa, would you speak with Sir Phillip instead? Since he works for the prince, he has the regent’s ear and would be in a better position to speak to him on your behalf. Also, he might be of more use in retrieving those buckles than Mr. Granger.”
And she was sure Sir Phillip could discover if this was a plot to bring down her father.
Her father’s eyes lit at that idea and he gave a firm nod. “I will do it, Faith. I should have thought of that myself when Sir Phillip came to visit us, but I was too flustered to reason clearly. But I will do my duty by you, my dear. I promise. Whatever the cost.”
“Oh, thank you, Papa.” Faith hugged him. Holding onto her hand, he followed her to the door. “Papa, should I pretend the betrothal is in place until you have corrected your situation?”
“Faith, you are an angel. Thank you. That would indeed be helpful. Also, I do not want you to confront the Duchess of Morton alone. Ever. Outside Granger’s hearing, she once intimated that if I balked at the match, she would speak to the regent about my taking those buckles. If opposed, she could become a dangerous woman.”
“I shall be careful with both her and Granger,” Faith said.
“And I will speak to Sir Phillip.”
She gave him an encouraging kiss on his cheek and then curtsied. “By your leave, your grace.”
Faith shut the door of the still-room and leaned against it, happiness bursting inside of her like fireworks on Guy Fawkes Day. The interview with her father had gone better than she could have hoped. Her father loved her.
The knowledge that he intended to bring Sir Phillip onto the case was enormously comforting. With a jubilant heart, she raced past a startled maid in the corridor and up the main stairs to go to her bedroom.
As she approached the door, Mrs. Hutchinson came out. “There you are, Lady Faith. It is time to practice your pianoforte. The Cunningham musicale is less than a week away.”
“I would love to.” She linked arms with the woman, and practically skipped back down the stairs. Her music rang out strong and vibrant, an echo of her churning emotions. Soon, very soon, her problem with Morton would be over. She hoped Daniel would come visit her again so she could share her wonderful news.
Chapter Eleven
TWO DAYS LATER, Faith’s father informed her that he had met with Sir Phillip. A happy glow enveloped his cheeks and she guessed the meeting had gone well.
“Faith, he has another suspect in mind for the missing buckles, and my story merely confirmed his suspicions. He plans to investigate further and will let me know the results.”
Overjoyed, she gave him a heartfelt hug. “May I inform Morton now that I cannot accept his offer, Papa?”
“Not yet.”
“But—”
“I do not trust his mother. She could make matters difficult for Sir Phillip. He needs time to work this out.”
“What if I do not mention anything about the buckles?” she asked, desperate to end this charade. “I can say that I have thought through his offer and decided to decline. I cannot rest as long as Mr. Granger continues to be a threat.”
“Oh, Faith.” He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “I have made your life miserable. All right, tell Morton, but only him. I want his agreement that he will not discuss your decision with his mother. And let us hope he shows better character than his brother at keeping confidences.”
A wave of relief swept through Faith, and she promised to abide by her father’s wishes. She raced upstairs to write to Morton and found her companion outside her room. Did the woman loiter there day and night? “Good morning, Mrs. Hutchinson.”
“Good morning, Lady Faith. It is time to practice your music.”
“That will have to wait. I have an important letter to write.” She stood aside so the woman would leave her. When her companion made no move to go, Faith smiled again, though with difficulty. “I will not need your services.”
“I am happy to wait while you finish.” The woman walked into Faith’s sitting room and lounged on the settee.
Faith shut the door behind her. She gave the woman an impatient glance and went to her desk. Uncomfortable with saying too much in writing, she simply asked Morton to take her for a ride to Hyde Park and sealed the letter.
Mrs. Hutchinson stood. “Shall I arrange to post that?”
“Not the post. This is a missive to the Duke of Morton. A footman can deliver it.”
“Do you think that wise?” The woman stepped closer and spoke as if in confidence. “It seems a little forward that you should be conversing privately with a gentleman.”
“There is nothing private in the matter. I merely ask him to take me for a ride in his carriage.”
“Ah!” Mrs. Hutchinson said, nodding sagely as she took the missive. “You intend to accept his courtship?”
She had misinterpreted Faith’s intention, but what Faith wished to say was between Morton and herself. “Thank you. I shall await you in the music room.”
Mrs. Hutchinson hurried out and Faith went downstairs where she sat before the pianoforte and began her practice. Mrs. Hutchinson joined her soon, and without a word, sat and quietly read while Faith concentrated on her music. After an hour, they ate a light meal, and then Faith returned to her practice. A footman came in and handed a note to Mrs. Hutchinson. She brought it over to Faith.
Recognizing the Duke of Morton’s seal, Faith eagerly opened the missive. Instead of acceding to her request, Morton invited her for tea at his home, in an hour.
Faith sat with the letter, disappointment seeping in.
“Will His Grace be joining us?” Mrs. Hutchinson asked.
“He asks me instead to take tea with him.”
“Why, that will be as pleasant as a ride in the park. Your parents would not wish you to slight His Grace by declining such a generous invitation.”
“I suppose not.” Faith circled the room, uncertain what to do. What if Mr. Granger was there? What of it? He could do nothing with both the duke and her chaperone present.
Still, she did not wish to go to Morton Manor at all. Why could he not have agreed to her suggestion? Well, he had not, and she did not want to wait any longer to resolve this issue of their upcoming betrothal. Besides, now that her father had spoken to Sir Phillip, neither the duchess nor Mr. Granger was a threat to Faith or her family. Her mind made up, she turned to Mrs. Hutchinson.
“Please see t
hat the carriage is made ready. We shall leave shortly. And kindly have Elsie come help me change. Oh, and pray ensure my father knows I intend to visit Morton this afternoon. You will find him in the stillroom.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
In her room, on impulse, Faith wrote another letter, this one to Lady Roselyn to inform her of her intention to go to Morton’s home and speak to the duke about finally putting an end to this unwanted proposal. She hoped Lady Roselyn would let slip that bit of good news to Daniel. With her heart lighter than it had been in weeks, she gave the missive to Elsie to hand deliver after Faith left. Her work done, she finished dressing.
By the time Faith and her companion arrived at Morton Manor, she was on tenterhooks. Mrs. Hutchinson spoke to the Groom of the Chambers about their reasons for coming.
The man nodded as if he had been expecting their visit and escorted them down a long circuitous corridor to carved double doors that led into a humid conservatory. Faith stepped inside and found the room bare but for greenery on two rows of tables. French doors led to a back garden. And beside those doors stood the imposing Duchess of Morton.
The alarm bells in Faith’s mind rang. Where was the duchess’s son? And she did not mean Granger. She was heartily grateful that he was absent.
The duchess waved to her. She wore thick leather gloves and appeared to have been taking cuttings. The wide room with its numerous tall glass windows covered by fluted curtains allowed ample light to filter in. Her hostess dismissed Mrs. Hutchinson, who checked with her mistress. Faith hesitated, but it seemed impolite to contradict the duchess’s order so she finally nodded permission. But she was regretting the decision as the lady shut the door behind her. Something about the duchess’s wary gaze left Faith feeling uneasy.
“My apologies for disturbing you, your grace. I expected to speak with the duke.”
A Scorching Dilemma Page 12
