by Platt, Meara
Belle must have been watching him, for she suddenly rushed to his side. “What have you found?”
“Nothing.”
Honey now joined her and gasped. “Is that a secret drawer?”
Blast. He ought to have waited and quietly come down here on his own later. “It isn’t important. Go back to reviewing the other papers.”
But neither sister budged. “There’s something inside. Looks like an official document. And there’s a newspaper clipping with it.”
Belle peered over his shoulder, stopping him when he tried to shove the drawer closed. “What are you doing? This must be important. What can it be?”
Finn did not want either sister reading these papers before he had the opportunity for a first look. This was the secret, the one that could destroy lives. Their father had held it back from his own family for a reason. “Let me see it first.”
Belle was still hovering over his shoulder. “Why?”
He muttered an oath under his breath, cursing himself again for his stupidity. He’d opened his big mouth, and now Belle and her sister knew these documents existed and were curious to learn what they contained. Even if he held them off this evening, how long before they crept down on their own and went through the contents?
“Bollocks!” Joshua suddenly yelped and hauled another body into the study.
“Damn it, what now?” Finn groaned.
Another Farthingale. The oldest cousin, Holly. Not that any of them were old. Although widowed, Holly could not have been more than four and twenty. Perhaps five and twenty at most. She was a handful in Joshua’s arms, squirming and struggling as he held a hand over her mouth and had her pinned against his body while she tried to club him over the head with what appeared to be a candlestick. Or was it a fire iron?
Ouch! She landed a solid blow on Joshua’s head. Good thing he had a stubborn, thick skull. Still, that was going to hurt.
“No, Holly! Stop! It’s us. It’s all right. Finn and Joshua are helping us out,” Honey said, also keeping her voice to an urgent whisper.
As Honey’s words finally penetrated, Holly stopped struggling.
Joshua released her with a groan and staggered into a chair, rubbing his head. “Christ Almighty! You pack a wallop.”
“I’m so sorry.” She went to Joshua’s side. “What are you doing in here? I came down for a glass of milk and thought I heard an intruder.”
Joshua frowned at her. “So, you decided to come in here and investigate on your own? What would you have done if I truly was an intruder? Or if there was a band of thieves in here? You should have run for help instead.”
She pursed her lips and responded with a frown of her own. “It seems to me I was doing just fine. How badly did I hurt you? Oh, dear. You’re bleeding. You’ll have a nasty lump in the morning.”
Finn came to his brother’s side. Although they often joked and wrestled and punched each other, it was always done in good fun. But to see his brother seriously hurt…nothing else mattered at the moment than to have him tended to at once. “Josh, how bad is it?”
“I’ll be all right. Sore, but I’ll heal. She landed one good thwack to my head with whatever instrument of torture she was carrying.”
“A candlestick,” Holly said, her eyes now tearing. “You have a small cut where I struck you.” She withdrew her handkerchief.
Honey ran to a side table where her father kept bottles of scotch, brandy, and other spirits. She grabbed the brandy. “Here, Holly. This will do to cleanse the wound. Will he need stitches?”
“No, it’s just a tiny cut. Grit your teeth, Captain Brayden. This is going to burn.” Holly soaked her handkerchief in brandy, paused a moment to allow him to prepare himself for the pain, then placed the brandy-soaked handkerchief to his head.
Joshua inhaled sharply. “Mother of– Ow! Were you Attila the Hun in an earlier life? Ow! Or a Spanish inquisitor? Gad, you’re a lethal lass. Are you done yet?”
“Almost done.” Holly set aside the handkerchief and began to inspect the rest of his head. He flinched every time she poked and prodded. “My goodness, is every man as big a baby as you?”
“Is every Farthingale female as bloodthirsty as you? I’m fine. Stop pawing me with your clumsy fingers.”
As Joshua continued to grumble, Finn and Honey exchanged a grin in relief. The blow had not been a direct hit, but a glancing one. It left only a small cut. There would be a lump by morning, hopefully one that would subside quickly.
Finn resolved to stay by his brother’s side for the rest of the evening. He could sit in his brother’s chamber and watch over him while reading through the ledgers. It was an efficient use of his time since he had to remain awake all night to read these shop accounts anyway. He rose to return to the desk and stuff the damning contents back in the hidden drawer but realized he was too late. “Belle?”
While everyone had been hovering over his brother, Belle had stayed by the desk and picked up those secret documents. Her face was ashen even in the golden glow of candlelight. He noticed her hands were trembling. “Sit down, love,” he said, taking the papers from her.
This was bad.
She sank into her father’s chair and buried her head in her hands.
Finn quickly perused the newspaper clipping and the document contained with it. A marriage certificate between Constance Ewell—since Constance was Belle’s mother’s name, he assumed it was her—and a Matthew Fenton. This was dated twenty-six years ago. He then read the clipping, which appeared to be the obituary of one, Matthew Fenton, who died last year. Believed drowned at sea twenty-four years ago. Returned to England one year ago.
Blessed saints! This was worse than he ever imagined. He studied the marriage certificate and the clipping, hoping he’d made a mistake. But the truth stared him in the face. Constance, believing her first husband to be dead, had married Edgar Farthingale and given birth to their two daughters, Honey and Belle. This had been a second marriage for Constance. A bigamous marriage because Matthew Fenton had been alive until a year ago. Which meant Honey and Belle were illegitimate offspring.
Finn knelt beside Belle and took her hands in his. Still, she would not look at him. “Belle, it makes no difference to me. It’s you I want, not some stupid piece of paper.”
“But it matters. When word gets out, no one will want to have anything to do with Honey and me.”
He lifted her out of the chair and wrapped her in his arms. “I’ve just told you, I don’t care. Once you and I are married, no one will care.”
Her eyes were filled with pain as she finally met his gaze. “You must care. How can you not? Attaching yourself to me would ruin your sterling reputation. I’d destroy in a single day all you’ve worked so hard to achieve.”
“Belle, I make people money. Yes, they may shun us in public for a few months until the next scandal comes along. Who gives a damn? But at the end of the day, they’ll still seek out my advice. My family and yours will never shun you. I’m well connected. Indeed, so are you. The only possible way you can ruin my life is by not marrying me.”
Honey came to their side and took a moment to read the marriage certificate and news clipping. “Oh, dear.”
Finn noticed her legs begin to buckle and took her in the circle of his arms along with Belle. He held the two sisters as they began to cry. “Listen to me, both of you. This will all work out. The Farthingales and Braydens will protect you. This is what families do for each other. Honey, you will come through this. I promise you.”
“It’s all right, Finn. Don’t make promises you know you can’t keep. Marry my sister, and do it as soon as possible.”
“No, Honey! How can you goad him to act so foolishly?”
“It isn’t foolish.” She sighed and turned to Finn. “Belle is stubborn. It will take persistence and determination to convince her this is the right choice. As for me, I wasn’t keen on marrying anyway. But I may have to come live with you and Belle if we can’t save the business, and the family is le
ft penniless. I’m sorry to be a burden—”
“You’ll never be a burden,” Finn said. “We’ll sort through this mess.”
Finn turned to his brother.
Joshua nodded. “You have my oath, I won’t breathe a word of this to anyone.”
Holly was wringing her hands. “Nor will I, not even to my sisters. Captain Brayden, we’d best leave them now. Your brother and my cousins will confide in us further if they think we can help. Otherwise, it’s none of our business.”
She helped him up and propped her shoulder under his arm to keep him balanced, for Joshua, despite earlier assurances he was fine, did not appear all that steady on his feet. Perhaps he was playing it up a bit because he enjoyed Holly’s tender ministrations. Finn couldn’t worry about his brother just now. He ran a hand through his hair in consternation and studied the two distraught sisters. He sat them down, his attention particularly on Belle for fear this unwanted news would bring on a breathing attack.
Although her breaths were erratic, it was only from crying, and she appeared otherwise composed. “Belle, I mean it. This doesn’t change my feelings for you. I offered for you before, and I’m offering again. I want to marry you. Not out of pity.”
She looked up at him with tearful eyes. “Out of what then?”
“Out of sheer selfishness. I want you by my side always. I want you to be my wife, and I don’t want any other man to have you. I also happen to love you. If you love me, then you’ll understand what I mean when I say that I can’t be without you. It’s as simple as that.”
She nodded. “I do know.”
“Then let’s not wait. I’ll obtain a special license, and we can be married before the week is out.”
“No, Finn. This is your protective instinct on fire just now. Let’s see what happens over the course of this week. There’s still plenty for us to do. As it is, we’ll have to confront my parents, but let’s hold off until after the garden party. I want them to enjoy their friends and not feel ashamed.”
Honey agreed. “We’ll have to keep them out of the study somehow. Father will know something is wrong at once since we can’t lock the drawers without a key. Even if we could manage to lock these drawers, I’m sure he’ll notice his papers have been shuffled around.”
Belle groaned. “No wonder they’ve been acting so strangely these last few months. That must have been when they learned Matthew Fenton was alive.”
“What a horrible man,” Honey muttered. “He could have had the good grace to remain dead. I wonder if Mama loved him.”
“It doesn’t much matter, does it?” Belle mused. “She made a new life with our father and never saw him again…or…perhaps she did, and they all tried to keep it quiet. I don’t know.”
Finn took her hand and gave it a light squeeze. “It does no good to think about it now. We’ll discuss it with your parents after the party. For now, let’s go through the ledgers and papers just as we planned and see what else we can discover. Never mind about the safe for now. I think these documents were the important ones your father was desperate to protect.”
Honey nodded. “The safe only holds my mother’s jewelry, the most important pieces. Assuming the villain hasn’t taken those yet. With luck, your Mr. Barrow will supply us with his name. He’s obviously a disgusting pig who’s been blackmailing our parents and attempting to destroy our family.”
It didn’t take Belle and Honey long to read through the correspondence and documents, none of which proved particularly noteworthy. Finn replaced the marriage certificate and newspaper clipping in the hidden drawer and then put the other documents and letters back in place. However, he took the ledgers upstairs with him.
“Remember, keep your father away from his study tomorrow. We’ll discuss our findings with him after the garden party.”
“And make him tell us what else he’s been hiding from us all these months.” Belle sighed. “I wish we could cancel the party.”
Honey agreed. “We’ll have to politely reject Lord Wycke’s invitation to his country home. I’m sure the scandal will have broken by then, and he won’t want us around for his weekend party. I’ll convey our apologies.”
“I’m so sorry, Honey.” The pain in Belle’s voice was noticeable.
Finn ached for both of these innocents, for they had no hand in this disaster, but they would be the ones to suffer most for it. He could protect Belle and would do whatever he could to protect her sister, but he feared it wouldn’t be enough. If news broke of their circumstances, who would be strong enough to not care and court Honey?
The three of them quietly made their way upstairs. Finn intended to disappear into Joshua’s room with the ledgers, for he had a full night of reading ahead of him. First, he waited for Belle and Honey to enter their bedchambers.
Belle stayed by his side instead, kissing him on the lips. “Wake us if your brother is having difficulty or if you find anything of note in the ledgers. I think I’ll sleep with Honey tonight. Otherwise, you’ll both stay up all night, worried that I’ll have another attack once I’m alone in my bed. I can’t have each of you creeping in and out of my room all night long.”
He cast her a mirthless smile. “Indeed, can’t have us disturb your sleep.”
She kissed him again. “I don’t think I’d mind too much if I opened my eyes to find you looking at me.”
Finn kissed her back and grinned. “Nor would I ever mind waking to your beautiful smile. Goodnight, love.”
Once certain Belle and her sister were safely inside, he entered Joshua’s room. His brother was stretched out on his bed with a hand over his eyes. He’d taken off his clothes, all but his trousers. “When you step into trouble, Finn, you really step in it. This is bad for them,” he said, referring to Belle and Honey. “They’ll be outcasts in Society.”
“We’ll support them, and so will the Farthingales. It’ll all work out.” He settled in a large chair by the hearth, lit a lamp for himself, and opened the ledgers, starting at a point six months ago and working his way forward. That seemed about the time this downward spiral began.
Joshua remained awake. “I’d help with the ledgers, but my head is pounding.”
“I know, Josh. I have it in hand. It won’t take me long to pick up on what’s really been going on in the business.”
“Finn, did you mean it when you told Belle that whatever happens, you still want to marry her?”
He glanced up from the ledgers. “Yes. Why? Do you have a problem with it?”
“No, of course not. I’m happy for you.” He sank back against his pillows. “I just wondered how it felt to love someone so deeply, nothing else mattered but to protect them and make a good life for them. Is it a very odd feeling?”
Finn gave the question serious thought. “Surprisingly, no. It is a very right feeling. You’ll know it when it hits you.”
“Is it like being hit over the head with a candlestick? Lord, that thing was heavy. And how does someone the little size of Holly pack such a solid punch? I feel sorry for the man who tries to kiss her before she’s ready. She’s awfully young to be a widow. I wonder if she loved her husband.”
“She’s a Farthingale. I expect she did.” He glanced down at the ledgers once more.
“But she had to have been very young when she married. Perhaps too young to understand what true and lasting love is all about.”
Finn sighed. “Perhaps.”
“Damn, she hit me so hard, I’m still seeing stars. So, this is what love feels like? I’m not sure I’m ready for it.”
“Then why are you still going on about it?”
Chapter Twelve
Belle’s stomach was in knots, and she hardly slept, for how could she or her sister rest after what they’d learned? By morning, they were both distressed and exhausted. “Honey, there’s nothing we can do about this horrible revelation. So, put it out of your mind. We’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
Honey nodded. “Agreed.”
Belle peered out th
e window, somehow believing the world had been swallowed up. But in fact, the sun was shining, and there was a delightful breeze blowing into her sister’s bedchamber. She hurried back to her own quarters, washing and dressing in preparation for the party that was to be held today.
While Honey stayed close to their mother to assist her in the morning chores, Belle found one excuse or another to hover in the hall, her purpose to prevent her father from entering his study and discovering his drawers had been broken into. Fortunately, her parents were in a particular dither preparing for the garden party, and since his foot was still paining him, he mostly sat in the drawing room and allowed the staff to attend him.
Holly, Dahlia, and Heather helped distract her parents as well, although only Holly knew the terrible secret revealed last night. Their mother spent most of her time between the kitchen and the elaborate tables set up outdoors in their garden, often accompanied by Honey or one of their cousins.
Belle had only to remain near the study and intercept anyone who approached it.
Her tension eased as guests began to arrive, mostly old friends of her parents who needed to be settled in their guest quarters because they would stay the night. For a few, it was too far to travel home after the party. Once again, her cousins stepped up to assist them, leaving Honey and Belle free to do whatever they needed to do.
Finn and Joshua had gone out earlier to meet their Bow Street runners. It hadn’t taken them long to return. Belle was jumping out of her skin to know what they’d found out. Honey hurried over to join them the moment she spotted the two men striding toward Belle. “What news?”
Finn glanced around, surveying the guests now milling in and out of the drawing room and those casually sauntering through the house. “Not here. I don’t want us to be overheard.”
“Take a walk with us in the garden,” Belle suggested. “Joshua, how are you feeling?”