But as hard and as long as Fabian and Alice searched, they came up empty-handed.
“It’s not here,” Alice said with a disappointed sigh.
Fabian hated the worry and defeat in her expression. “The library,” he said. “Your father appeared in the library without warning the morning you attempted to speak to Georgette.”
“You’re right.” Hope returned to Alice’s eyes.
They headed out of the ballroom and through the hall to the library at the other end of the house.
“He could have concealed anything behind the books,” Fabian said, marching toward the shelves at the far end of the room, near the door Lord Stanhope had appeared through. He took a moment to glance into the next room, but the parlor on the other side was dusty and unused. Still, the thought it would be wise to search that room as well.
“He may not have hidden everything together,” Alice said, pulling books from shelves and feeling behind them. She yelped almost immediately and withdrew her cobweb-covered hand. “I’m not so certain I want to search what I can’t see,” she said in a thin voice, then gulped.
“You search the parlor,” Fabian said with a smile. “I’ll check the shelves.”
They spent a good hour going through both rooms with a fine-toothed comb, but once again, they came up with nothing. Fabian’s stomach growled in protest at having skipped breakfast, and his nerves wore thin. They had to find something, anything, to prove Lord Stanhope’s guilt. He would marry Alice even against his mother’s wishes if he had to and whisk her away to his Italian lands—as soon as he was certain they were still his—but he was loath to upset his mother or break with her in any way.
“We have to keep searching,” he told Alice when she wilted with defeat. “Where else would your father think to hide something that no one would find and that he could retrieve later?”
Alice brushed a dusty hand along her disheveled hair. She had a smudge of dirt on her cheek and she was pink and sweaty with exhaustion, but she was still the most beautiful woman Fabian had ever known. Particularly when she flashed from disappointed to inspired, standing straighter, her eyes shining.
“The greenhouse,” she said, her smile returning. “He was where he shouldn’t have been in the greenhouse the day after we arrived.”
Confidence filled Fabian once more. “The greenhouse it is, then.”
But once again, after more than an hour of searching, all Fabian and Alice found were neglected pots, flowers that needed to be transplanted, and a family of mice that had taken up residence near one of the stoves that kept the greenhouse warm.
“He’s going to win.” Alice burst into tears as they met up near the display Fabian had made the day after her arrival. “My father is going to convince your mother that I’m a thief and a whore, and he’ll take me away and marry me off to someone horrible.”
“No,” Fabian said, closing his arms around her and holding her close. “I won’t allow it. I would never allow it.”
“But how can you stop him?” Alice cried against his shoulder. “Your mother will hate me, and her husband is a duke. If a duke says I have to go, then I’ll have to go.”
“Then we’ll go together.” Fabian stroked her head, resting his cheek against her hair. “We’ll go to Italy, even if we have to make our own way until my lands are sorted out. I promise you, Alice, I will never let your father come between us, and I will not let him go unpunished.”
“But how can you stop him?” Alice sniffled. “He always wins, no matter how evil he is.”
Fabian was ready to tell her he didn’t know, but he would move heaven and earth to make things right, when a small sound near the greenhouse door caught his attention. He twisted with Alice still in his arms to find the maid who had been in her room earlier standing just inside the doorway, glancing this way and that, as though a demon would jump out and devour her at any moment. Instinctively, he knew the maid was the key to victory.
“You there, Beth, is it?” he called to her.
“Yes, my lord,” the maid replied. She rushed away from the door and along the narrow aisles of plants to the center of the greenhouse.
“What is it?” Fabian asked on. He could see in her eyes she’d come to the greenhouse specifically to speak to them.
“I can’t go on,” poor Beth wailed, bursting into tears the same way Alice had. “I can’t, I can’t.”
“It’s all right,” Fabian said, using every ounce of patience he had not to grab hold of the woman and shake whatever it was out of her.
“He’s horrible,” Beth continued to weep. “I didn’t want to do any of it, but he said he’d have me fired and thrown out in the streets if I didn’t do as he demanded. He said he’d make sure I had no choice but to become a dirty whore if I didn’t help him.”
A rush of triumph pushed through Fabian. Alice must have felt it as well. She stood straight and blinked away her tears.
“What did my father ask of you?” She stepped forward to put a comforting hand on the maid’s arm.
“He gave me a sack full of valuable things and told me to hide it in your trunk, my lady,” Beth squeaked through her tears. “He told me to make sure it would be found when you tried to leave.”
“Where is that sack now?” Fabian demanded, trying not to frighten the poor girl with the force of his anger.
With shaking hands, Beth reached under her apron, untied something, and drew out a small sack. She handed it to Fabian as though it were poison, then burst into another sob, shaking from head to toe.
“He said he would blame it all on me if I told anyone,” she wailed. “But I didn’t steal anything, I didn’t. You have to believe me.”
“I believe you,” Alice said instantly, wrapping her arm around Beth’s back. “I know what kind of a man my father is.”
The sack was heavy, and when Fabian opened it, all manner of gold and gems winked back at him. There were enough purloined goods in the small sack to sell for a fortune, the fortune Lord Stanhope needed.
“I believe you as well,” he said, closing the sack and clenching his fist around the top. “We must take this to my mother at once.”
“I’m so afraid,” Beth continued to weep. “High sorts blame low sorts, like me, all the time. What if the duchess believes Lord Stanhope? I don’t want to be a whore. I’m a good girl.”
“We won’t let anything happen to you,” Alice said. It amazed Fabian how quickly she had gone from being the one in distress to the one giving comfort with confidence. His heart swelled as he watched her hug Beth and smile at her reassuringly.
“Wicked men do more harm to themselves than good when backed against a wall,” Fabian said, starting for the door and gesturing for the ladies to come with him. “I have no doubt that, given the chance, Lord Stanhope will incriminate himself when confronted.”
They headed back through the frosty garden toward the house. Evening was already beginning to fall, and the servants that weren’t still cleaning up from the ball rushed about, lighting lanterns and making the decorations adorning the house look every bit as festive as Christmas Eve demanded. The interior of the house was brimming with holly and mistletoe as well, and the delicious scent of supper wafted up from downstairs as they passed one of the servant’s entrances.
“Find Lord Stanhope and bring him to my mother and the duke at once,” Fabian ordered one of the footmen as they marched through the house.
The young man nodded and rushed off.
They found Fabian’s mother, the duke, Matthew, and Georgette in a small, cozy family parlor toward the back of the house.
“Mama, I have the proof you need,” Fabian announced as he strode into the room, Alice and Beth following. He held up the sack of loot, dropping it into his mother’s lap when they reached the sofa where she sat.
“What is this?” his mother asked, somewhat uselessly, as she opened the sack. She answered her own question with a gasp.
“Beth, please explain,” Fabian said, stepping to Alic
e’s side and sliding a hand protectively around her waist while nodding to the maid.
“He forced me to help him, my lady,” Beth began, shaking like an ice-covered bough in the wind, her voice barely above a whisper. “Lord Stanhope told me to hide it all in Lady Alice’s trunk so that you would find it there.”
“Good heavens.” Fabian’s mother pressed a hand to her chest as she handed the sack to the duke.
Beth continued with her story, but she had only just begun to explain Lord Stanhope’s attempt at blackmail before the bastard himself strode into the room, two of Holly Manor’s largest footmen flanking him like jailors.
“I have never been so insulted in all my life,” he began before being addressed. “I will not let this attack stand. That little witch is lying. You should hear what she offered to do for me the other night.”
Beth burst into fresh tears and rushed to the side of the room, as if she would hide behind one of the potted pine trees.
Lord Stanhope looked as though he would pursue her, but Matthew stepped into his path.
“How do you know what poor Beth has said?” Matthew demanded.
Lord Stanhope stopped, his mouth dropping open. It flapped for a moment before he said, “She’s obviously a liar.”
“What would she be lying about?” the duke asked, standing by Matthew’s side.
“She—” Lord Stanhope gulped, glancing from the duke and Matthew to Beth to the duchess. His eyes finally came to rest on the sack of stolen goods, which the duke had put on a small table beside the sofa. “There!” he shouted triumphantly. “You found that in my daughter’s trunk, no doubt. I bet she tried to escape without being noticed.”
A bittersweet grin spread across Fabian’s face and he turned to Alice as if to say he’d told her so.
“These items were not found in your daughter’s possession,” the duchess said, rising and stepping to her husband’s side. “Beth brought them to my son. She explained how you attempted to blackmail her.”
“See?” Lord Stanhope flung out his arm in Beth’s direction. “I told you she was a liar.”
“Yes, but you told us before any hint of a lie was brought forth,” Fabian growled, eyes narrowed. “As if you already knew the story you were about to be told.”
A hint of panic filled Lord Stanhope’s eyes, as though he realized too late that he’d played his cards badly. “I…I only said she was a liar because all women are liars.” Too late again, he glanced to Fabian’s mother. “That is, all maids are liars.”
“Beth has been a good and loyal servant these past five years,” his mother said, a hardness accentuating the lines of her face in an expression Fabian knew all too well. His mother wasn’t fooled. If Lord Stanhope was at all intelligent, he would run while he could.
But, of course, the man was a dolt. “Are you insinuating that I had something to do with this?” he bellowed, his acting as pitiful as his intentions. Not a soul in the room believed him, but he preened and sniffed as though he had been badly wronged. “I refuse to stand by and be treated this way. Come, Alice. We are leaving this place at once.”
“My fiancée is going nowhere with you,” Fabian said, glaring at the man. “And I advise, my lord, that you have all of Lord Stanhope’s things thoroughly searched. He would not have offered all of his plunder for discovery unless he held back an even greater share to line his pockets later.”
“Very wise,” the duke said. He gestured to the footmen, who grabbed Lord Stanhope’s arms and held them fast. “Search everything. And call the constable while you’re at it.”
“You cannot have me arrested,” Lord Stanhope shouted. “I am an earl, a peer of the realm. The law does not apply to me.”
“We shall see about that,” the duke said. He gestured for the footmen to remove Lord Stanhope from the room. “I may be needed for the search,” he told the rest of them before following the footmen out.
“I’ll help too,” Matthew said, hurrying after him.
“And I’ll see that Beth is settled,” Georgette said, fetching Beth from the corner and leading her from the room.
“My dear, please forgive me for doubting your innocence for even a moment,” Fabian’s mother said, approaching Alice with a kind smile.
“I forgive you completely, my lady,” Alice said, looking as though she’d rode through a thousand storms and come out intact but exhausted. “You had no reason to trust me, especially with my father speaking against me.”
“I should never have believed such a villain,” Fabian’s mother went on. “I should have believed my son when he told me you are the perfect daughter-in-law. I’m certain we will come to know each other quite well now.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
Fabian’s heart swelled in his chest as his mother embraced Alice as though she were her own. He could see a beautiful future ahead of them, all of them.
“If you do not mind, Mama,” he said, gently taking Alice from her arms and folding her in his. “I believe my fiancée could use a meal and a rest. She should sleep well tonight, now that she has been let out of her captivity.”
“Agreed,” his mother said, her smile turning sympathetic. “You must rest well, my dear, for tomorrow is your wedding day.”
Chapter 10
Christmas Day dawned bright and fresh, with a dusting of snow that made the world glitter as though it were covered with diamonds. Alice had never awoken so happy in her life. She was greeted by sunlight pouring through her window, a warm, cheery fire dancing in the grate, her wedding dress laid out over the end of the bed, and the sure and certain knowledge that her father would never harass her, or anyone else, ever again.
With the duke’s help and influence, every bit of jewelry and coin that had been stolen the night of the ball and before was found. Better still, it was found among Alice’s father’s things, much of which had already been loaded into a carriage, as if he intended to make a speedy retreat. Her father was exposed as a thief and a liar and banished from Holly Manor. More than that, the duke vowed to use all of his influence to make certain that Alice’s father would be shunned in good society, even though, as a nobleman, it would be difficult to bring legal charges against him.
Alice hadn’t seen hide nor hair of her father before he left Holly Manor, fleeing to whatever dark fate awaited him, and she didn’t care. She promised herself she’d write to her Uncle Richard at once, informing him of everything, and of the likelihood that he would inherit the Stanhope title and lands in due course. She thought about penning the letter as soon as she woke up, but excitement about her impending wedding made it impossible for her to sit for more than three minutes on end, let alone compose her thoughts enough to write such a delicate letter. She thought about writing to Imogen as well, to tell her it was safe to come out of whatever hiding she and Lord Thaddeus had gone into, and to Lettuce. Perhaps there was a way to free her sister from her miserable marriage and to bring her home from America after all.
“My, you do look lovely,” Georgette said, interrupting Alice’s scattered thoughts as she entered the bedroom. Alice hadn’t even heard her knock.
“I feel like a feather tossed in the wind,” she said with a laugh, sending a grateful smile to Beth, who had helped her dress and style her hair.
“I can imagine.” Georgette crossed to her and closed her in a sisterly embrace. “I simply cannot believe that you have endured so much at the hands of your father. But all that is over now.”
“Thank God,” Alice sighed.
“And I am quite certain that Fabian will love and cherish you as no woman has ever been loved or cherished,” Georgette went on.
“I pray the same will be true for you when you and Lord Loamley marry.” Alice hugged her back.
Another maid arrived in the room with tea and cakes, but Alice could barely eat a bite. Time snuck up on her, and before she knew it, Georgette escorted her downstairs to where Fabian’s mother was waiting. The three of them bundled up in fur cloaks and hurried across
the grounds of Holly Manor to the family’s chapel at the edge of the property.
Everything was perfect. The small chapel had been decorated as befitted the season, with boughs of the holly that gave the estate its name, ribbons, and candles. Alice felt as though she had stepped into a dream as she glanced around the magical space. That feeling blossomed further when Fabian and Matthew joined them.
“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Fabian whispered to her as he led her to the front of the chapel where the vicar waited. “I’ve never been prouder of anything than I am of marrying you.”
Tears of joy stung at Alice’s eyes. “And I am beyond happy to be marrying you,” she said, blinking up at him. “You’ve saved me in so many ways.”
“We’ve saved each other,” he said.
For a moment, Alice was certain he would kiss her. But with the vicar and his family and most of the guests who were staying at Holly Manor for the party looking on, he restrained himself. Instead, he led Alice the rest of the way to the vicar, then stood by her side as the ceremony was carried out.
It all seemed to happen so fast. With a few, beautiful words, Alice and Fabian became man and wife. Alice could never have imagined that her heart would feel so light as she said the words binding her to Fabian forever. She’d thought she would be so miserable, that she was forced into the union, but the truth couldn’t have been more different. Her father may have set up the match as a way to increase his own fortune, but the marriage, the love that flowered between her and Fabian, was theirs and theirs alone.
The wedding breakfast was far grander than anything Alice could have expected. It was more than just a celebration of two people becoming one, it was Christmas. The food was exceptional. Song and merriment reigned. The family opened its doors to distribute gifts of food and drink to the poor of the neighborhood, then another grand feast was held in the evening.
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