A Change of Fortune

by Jen Turano

  “How could you dare take these children?” Eliza began, her temper increasing steadily as Ben clung tightly to her arm.

  “How dare you ruin my life?” Sally returned.

  “You ruined your own life, Sally. There was never any need for you to steal from my family. My father paid your husband well.”

  “He did not pay him well enough to provide us with the type of life I wanted.”

  “You’re the daughter of impoverished parents. That you cannot appreciate the sacrifices they must have made to provide you with an adequate education is truly revolting. You were able to become a governess, and as such, you were able to meet and marry Bartholomew, which elevated your status significantly.”

  “I wanted a title and wealth to go with it.”

  “Then why marry Bartholomew?”

  “He did provide me with a title and wealth, albeit through somewhat unorthodox means.”

  “You stole my title and my wealth,” Eliza snapped.

  “You were in no danger of losing your title. As for your wealth, you were engaged to an esteemed member of society. I hardly thought you would miss the funds.”

  Eliza realized the conversation was getting them nowhere. She forced aside the words she longed to vent and took a deep breath. “Why did you kill your husband?”

  “Bartholomew’s death was an unfortunate accident.”

  “He accidently got in the way of a bullet?” Agatha asked as she strode into the room and joined Eliza.

  “He should have listened to Eugene’s counsel instead of letting his regrets get in our way,” Sally said.

  Eliza tilted her head. “Just out of curiosity, how does Eugene fit into all this?”

  “That is none of your business.”

  Agatha moved forward and smiled as she cocked her pistol. “We’re making it our business.”

  Sally eyed the door, obviously thought better of making a run for it, and released a dramatic sigh. “If you must know, Eugene is a distant cousin of mine. He sought me out a few years ago when he visited England, and it was he who convinced Bartholomew to delve into a bit of embezzlement and split the proceeds of that embezzlement between us.” She let out a small sigh. “Bartholomew balked at first, but he agreed to the plan because I longed for a better life. We made arrangements to meet up with Eugene here after my husband took all there was to take from Lord Sefton’s estate.” A brief glimpse of what appeared to be pain flashed through Sally’s eyes. “He never could refuse me anything.” Her gaze hardened. “I was happy here until you arrived and destroyed everything.”

  “You can have the chest,” Eliza said. “I only want the children.”

  “Now, that does pose a dilemma,” a male voice drawled from the doorway, “because, you see, I’ve decided to keep the children as well.”

  23

  Any thoughts on how we can get out of here?” Agatha whispered five minutes later.

  “Not a one,” Eliza whispered back, struggling to loosen the bindings that were securing her hands behind her back. “I can’t believe we were overpowered by those thugs so quickly.”

  “There were five of them,” Agatha said before she blew out a breath. “Do you think maybe you misunderstood God’s intentions? Perhaps we weren’t supposed to search for Piper and Ben on our own.”

  “I didn’t misunderstand,” Eliza argued quietly. “If we hadn’t found them, they would be terrified at the moment instead of receiving comfort from our presence.” Eliza caught Piper’s gaze and sent her a wink, which Piper returned.

  “But still,” Agatha muttered, “it might have been prudent to bring reinforcements.”

  “What are you two discussing?” Sally asked, leaving her spot by the door to saunter closer to them.

  “We were contemplating how you’ll handle residing in jail,” Eliza said.

  “You silly girl,” Eugene drawled, coming back into the room and stopping next to Eliza as he sneered down at her. “By the time anyone finds your body, Sally and I will be long gone from here.”

  “Body?” Agatha mouthed in horror.

  “Unfortunately, you’ll have to be disposed of too, my dear,” Eugene said, swinging his attention to Agatha.

  Eliza cleared her throat, determined to delay Eugene and his dastardly plans for them for as long as possible. “Why do you want to keep the children? You hardly seem the fatherly type.”

  “They’re a part of my dear Mary Ellen,” Eugene said.

  “So you were acquainted with Mary Ellen,” Eliza said.

  “How did you reason that out?”

  Eliza shrugged, the motion causing her to list to the side. She struggled back into an upright position. “It seemed too much of a coincidence—her death, your involvement with the Beckett business ventures, and then there was the horse.”

  “What about a horse?” Eugene asked.

  Eliza smiled. “Come now, Eugene, it really wasn’t well done of you to bring that particular horse back to town. Diamond is very distinctive, and she’s what led me here to you.”

  Eugene’s face turned purple as he spun around to confront a now visibly nervous Sally.

  “You dared to take out the horse?”

  “I only rode to the market. You couldn’t very well expect me to walk, and you did take our only carriage. Besides, Diamond hadn’t been seen for over two years. It was ludicrous to think anyone would recognize her.”

  “But someone obviously did,” Eugene hissed. “I thought I’d made myself very clear in regard to Diamond. No one is to ride her except me.”

  “I remember riding my mother’s horse once,” Piper said, drawing Eugene’s attention away from Sally. “I was really little, and my mother held me in front of her and took me around the park.”

  Eugene beamed at Piper, causing a tremor of fear to course over Eliza. She could only watch helplessly as he leaned over the little girl and brushed her hair away from her face.

  “My adorable little girl,” Eugene began, “you will be allowed to ride the horse whenever you like, seeing as Mary Ellen’s blood resides in your veins.”

  “I don’t like blood,” Piper said, pulling back her head as her eyes narrowed. “You’re not a very nice man, and I want to go home right this very minute.”

  “I’m afraid that won’t be possible, pumpkin,” Eugene replied with a rather frightening smile. “I’ve decided I want you to live with me. I loved your mother very, very much, and you should have been my daughter.”

  “I already have a father,” Piper replied, her expression turning mulish.

  “I will take over that role, and Sally will become your mother.”

  “That boy called Eliza ‘Mama’ when she came into the room,” Sally said, her eyes glittering as she stared at Ben. “I don’t think he’ll come quietly.”

  “He’s only a child, Sally, hardly difficult to manage,” Eugene said, switching his attention from Piper to Ben. He leaned over and put his face right in front of Ben’s. “Sally is going to be your mama now, child, and I will be your daddy. Doesn’t that sound delightful?”

  Eliza watched as Ben’s body tensed, and before she could get a single word of warning out of her mouth, he launched himself straight at Eugene, clamping onto the man’s face with his little teeth.

  A roar of pain erupted from Eugene’s mouth as he forcefully pried Ben off him and threw him to the ground. Eliza screamed and struggled to get free when she saw Eugene’s fists were clenched. She knew he was more than capable of retaliating, knew he would have no qualms about using those fists against a small child. To her horror, Ben had picked himself off the floor and looked as if he was thinking about giving Eugene another bite.

  “Ben, no,” Eliza yelled.

  Ben drew in a ragged breath, turned his head, and then, to Eliza’s relief, ran to her side and jumped into her lap, his trembling arms snaking around her neck as he buried his head against her shoulder.

  “Leave him,” Eugene spat when Sally moved to retrieve him, wiping a smear of blood off his fa
ce. “He obviously has more of his father in him than his mother. He will stay behind. The girl will suffice.”

  Piper suddenly gave a rather wicked grin. “I bite harder than my brother.”

  Eugene glared at her for a moment and then shrugged. “Fine, join your brother. I have no further use for you.”

  Piper scampered across the room and plopped down by Eliza’s side. Eliza blinked and then stilled when she realized Piper was pressing something that felt very much like a knife into her bound hands. She swallowed a laugh. Eugene had no idea who he was dealing with, and she had the strangest feeling they would be all right. She decided then and there her best plan of attack would be to keep him distracted as she tried to free her hands.

  “You were in love with Mary Ellen?” she asked, sawing at her hands as discreetly as possible.

  “I was,” Eugene said, his voice softening in a split second. “We met at a dinner party here in town, and I quickly realized she wasn’t happy with her lot in life. She deserved more than her husband was willing to give her, and I was perfectly happy to shower her with affection. I adored her.”

  “But . . . something interfered with your affections,” Agatha said.

  “Her husband,” Eugene snarled. “I have come to believe he was threatening her, which is why she refused to run away with me.”

  “May I assume you and Mary Ellen shared a close relationship?” Agatha asked.

  Eliza had the distinct impression Agatha was taking over the task of distracting Eugene in order to allow her time to cut through her bindings. “If you’re asking if we shared an intimate relationship, the answer is no,” he said. “Mary Ellen was a true lady; she wouldn’t even consider the idea, although I must admit I derived satisfaction from the fact that her husband believed her to be unfaithful. I knew his jealousy would one day force her into my arms.”

  Eliza stilled and looked up. “But your plans were ruined when she had that unfortunate accident.”

  “Yes, of course. That accident kept us from being together forever.”

  The truth hit Eliza square in the face. “You killed her,” she breathed.

  Eugene’s face turned white. “I loved her.”

  Eliza ignored his comment as the pieces of the puzzle began to tumble into place. “That’s how you got information on Hamilton’s company,” she muttered. “Mary Ellen gave it to you.” She lifted her head. “You were blackmailing her, weren’t you?”

  “You’ve lost your mind,” Eugene raged.

  “Explain the horse,” Eliza demanded. “How did you come to have her?”

  “I found her,” Eugene said.

  Eliza arched a brow.

  Eugene glared at her for a moment before his shoulders suddenly sagged. “You don’t understand. I didn’t have a choice.”

  “Murder is always a choice, Mr. Daniels,” Eliza said, realizing by the faraway expression in Eugene’s eyes that he wasn’t listening to her.

  “She wouldn’t leave him, and that angered me. She tried to end all communication with me. That’s when I was forced to resort to blackmail, although, at the time, I didn’t actually want the information on the Beckett company. It was simply the only thing I could come up with on the spur of the moment.”

  “You blackmailed Mary Ellen into giving you information you didn’t even want?” Agatha asked.

  “Blackmail is tricky,” Eugene said. “As I said before, I settled on Hamilton Beckett’s business because it was an impulsive decision, one I made for the sheer purpose of keeping Mary Ellen in my life. I had no idea the lady would turn obstinate, forcing me to . . .” His mouth snapped shut.

  “Kill her?” Eliza finished for him when Eugene remained silent.

  “I learned she was still fond of her husband,” Eugene spat. “On the last day of her life, she came to me and handed over a two-year plan she’d pilfered from her husband’s office. After she gave it to me, she told me she was finished, that she wanted nothing else to do with me and that if I didn’t leave her alone, she would confess to her husband what she’d done.” His eyes took on an insane glint. “I couldn’t very well allow her to live after that.”

  “Cover your ears,” Eliza whispered to Piper and Ben, who immediately did what she asked.

  Eugene continued as if he hadn’t noticed her distraction. “I hit her . . . hard . . . and she fell to the ground, begging me to leave her alone. I was consumed with rage. I advanced on her, hitting her until she was quite dead. I put her on her horse and took her down by the Hudson River. I stood there for an hour, waiting for her to fall off, but the stupid horse would not cooperate until I threw a rock. I thought that was the end of it, but the horse followed me, and I took it as a sign I was meant to keep her, a lingering reminder of my gullibility. I knew perfectly well the horse was very distinctive, so I spirited Diamond away to a farm in the country. Only recently did I bring her back to town. I was going to have Bartholomew claim he’d purchased the animal, but we all know what became of him.”

  “Why did you decide to seek revenge against Hamilton?” Eliza asked.

  “Because I realized her husband was the real reason she’d rejected me, not because she held him in affection, but because he’d most likely threatened her. I set out to ruin the man, not realizing he was too wealthy to bring to absolute destitution. I had to settle for knowing I was a thorn in his side.”

  “But why have Bartholomew steal all my money?” Eliza asked, biting back a yelp as the knife finally broke through her bindings and nipped her skin. She carefully slipped the knife into Agatha’s hands, all the while keeping her attention on Eugene’s face.

  “My dear, deluded girl, your fortune had nothing to do with the Mary Ellen business, it was simply a means to an end. I always dreamed of great wealth but . . . I must admit it is odd how you became involved with the Beckett family.”

  “Almost like fate,” Hamilton snarled from the doorway, a pistol pointed at Eugene, Gloria by his side with her own pistol at the ready.

  Eliza jumped to her feet, scooped Ben up on her shoulder, and grabbed Piper’s hand, her eyes darting around for the quickest route of escape.

  Hamilton rushed to her side, bloody and bruised, and Eliza had never been so happy to see someone in her entire life.

  “This way,” he ordered as he snatched Piper into his arms, spun on his heel, and headed back to the door.

  “Run, Eliza,” Mrs. Watson bellowed as she flew past Eliza to join Gloria. “Get the children out of here.”

  “Go,” Agatha yelled, finally free of her bonds and wrestling a gun away from Sally.

  Eliza nodded and sprinted after Hamilton, the sound of gunfire making her jump. They thundered down the hallway and arrived at the stairs, Hamilton suddenly putting Piper down when he was confronted by a large man wielding a knife.

  “Find the servants’ stairs,” he yelled as a sickening thud met Eliza’s ears. Before she could even take a step to grab Piper, Hamilton spun around again, picked Piper up, and grinned as the thug lay motionless at his feet.

  “Impressive,” she breathed.

  “Thank you,” Hamilton returned as they raced back the way they’d come, Piper yelling instructions as to where to find the other set of stairs.

  It didn’t take them long to reach the bottom. Hamilton paused at the door and carefully opened it to check if the coast was clear.

  “Did you find them?” Zayne yelled as he brought down a vase on top of a man’s head, causing the man to crumple to the ground.

  “I did, but I had to leave Agatha, Mother, and Mrs. Watson all alone up there.”

  Zayne didn’t bother to reply as he rushed past them and raced up the stairs.

  “We’re going to have to skirt the edges of this room, Eliza,” Hamilton said. “From what I can tell, the police have arrived and there’s a bit of a brawl going on at the moment. Think you’re up for it, or should we try another route to escape?”

  “Who is to say another route won’t be filled with only thugs?” she muttered.<
br />
  “Forward it is,” Hamilton said as he gestured for her to follow him.

  Eliza pressed Ben’s head into her shoulder as they dodged fighting men and finally reached the door. Hamilton snagged her hand and pulled her out of the house. Eliza stumbled when her eyes took in the chaos erupting on the front lawn. Police officers swarmed around the house, and there were men lying in the middle of the street, their hands bound behind their backs.

  “Over here,” Theodore called as he appeared around the side of a carriage and stepped over the form of an unconscious man. “You’ll be safe in my carriage.”

  They ran to his carriage, and Hamilton shoved Piper inside before he turned to take Ben from Eliza, gently setting his son on the seat.

  “You didn’t put me down that nicely,” Piper complained, causing Hamilton to grin at his daughter.

  “I do beg your pardon, Piper. I assumed you were made of sterner stuff.”

  “I am, but you didn’t have to throw me in here.”

  Eliza was surprised when a laugh escaped her throat. She climbed into the carriage and sat down, scooping Ben into her lap.

  Hamilton joined them and shut the door, peering out once to ascertain there were guards watching over them before turning his attention back to Eliza.

  “Thank God all of you are safe,” he muttered, his eyes welling with tears.

  Eliza blinked back tears of her own. “But how did you know where to find us?”

  “We were following Eugene’s men, and only knew you were here when we saw Mrs. Watson and my mother out on the street. I had only just brought my horse around the corner when my mother, of all people, came rushing up to me.”

  Eliza sat forward and reached for the door. “I completely forgot about your mother. We have to go back. She’s still in there.”

  “My mother is perfectly capable of handling herself, and she’d kill me if I let you out of the carriage. Besides, Zayne went to help her, remember?”

  “Grandmother had a gun,” Piper said, speaking up.

  “So did Mrs. Watson,” Eliza added.

  “Do you think they shot that bad man?” Piper asked.