The Christmas Heiress

by Adrienne Basso

  CHAPTER 18

  It was very late. The fire sputtered weakly, the lamplight barely flickered. Dawn would arrive in a few short hours and Edward had not readied himself for bed, for sleep was an impossibility. His mind refused to rest with his thoughts in such turmoil, with his emotions in such an ice-cold state of confusion.

  His eyes had not deceived him earlier this evening. Charlotte had clearly slipped a note into Jonathan's pocket at the card table and had also tried very hard to remain unnoticed as she did it. Edward did not want to be irrational or excessively suspicious; he did not want to believe it meant anything dire, yet the memory of being left a few days before his impending wedding lingered in the earl's mind.

  Edward struggled to stay calm, reminding himself repeatedly that things were not always as they appeared, that it was foolhardy to jump to conclusions without knowing all the facts. On the surface it seemed ridiculous, almost melodramatic to believe that Jonathan and Charlotte had formed a romantic tendre, and yet the closeness they shared was very evident.

  Even LadyJohnson-Meyer had remarked upon it the other evening, suggesting they would make a fine match. And Edward had sensed that Charlotte was being evasive at the sledding party when he asked about his brother's melancholy mood. She seemed to know something, but instead of discussing it, she had tried to deliberately distract him from the issue.

  Edward sat down in the chair in front of the dwindling fire, rubbing his chin with his thumb, telling himself this was insanity. He would not believe the worst. Yet it was difficult to tell himself this could be an innocent misunderstanding with circumstances indicating otherwise and the bitter taste of betrayal lingering in his mouth.

  Refusing to simply wallow in his misery, Edward crossed his bedchamber, knowing he could not wait any longer to confront Charlotte. Determined, he yanked open the door, but came to a sudden halt. Charlotte stood in the chamber doorway, wringing her hands in agitation, a crumpled piece of parchment sandwiched between her fingers. Jonathan's letter.

  "Charlotte!"

  "Oh, Edward, thank heavens you are here." Without waiting for an invitation, she barged past him into the room. "Something dreadful has happened. I must speak with you at once. Is your valet about?"

  "I dismissed Thompson hours ago."

  "Good." She nervously paced in front of the window, then stopped and turned toward him. "Hurry and shut the door. I do not think anyone saw me, but we must be careful. Now more than ever."

  The dread within him began to build. "This could not wait until breakfast?"

  "No, by morning it will be too late. To be honest, in all likelihood 'tis already too late." She took an audible breath. "This will not be easy for you to hear, Edward."

  "Does it concern my brother?"

  Her eyes widened. "How did you know?"

  He gave a humorless laugh. "My head is not always consumed with business. I am aware of other things happening around me, though apparently I am powerless to control them."

  She shot him a narrowed-eyed gaze. "You knew and yet you never said a word to me about it?"

  "I suspected. I also foolishly hoped my suspicions were wrong." Edward struggled to maintain a nonchalant facade.

  "I wish you had told me," she said in a forlorn tone. "Perhaps between us, we could have prevented things from getting so out of hand. When Jonathan first approached me-"

  "Ali, so he was the instigator of this relationship," Edward said, his voice crackling with the annoyance he could no longer contain. "I had wondered."

  "I accept an equal share of the blame." Charlotte pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "I was not coerced. I participated of my own free will. But I never fully realized the depth of Jonathan's passion, the lengths to which he would go to have what he wanted, until it was too late.

  "Please believe me when I tell you that I regret my part in all of this, that I never meant for it to happen. I would do anything to prevent you this distress, to spare you this hurt. My only hope is that in time you will be able to forgive me."

  Edward's heart chilled. "A pretty speech, Charlotte. I suppose I must feel grateful that at least you have had the courage to tell me in person. Far more civilized than my former fiancee treated me. I wonder, does this mean my taste in women is improving?"

  Charlotte frowned. Edward could tell she was trying to gather her thoughts, trying to understand what he was implying. He saw in her eyes the exact moment she caught his meaning.

  "You thought that Jonathan and I were ... that we ... how could you think ... after all that you and I have been to each other you believed I would carry on with another man?" She stopped sputtering and gulped in a few controlling breaths. "And not just any man, but your brother?"

  Edward had not imagined she would be so upset. "What was I supposed to think? Last night was not the first time I have seen the two of you exchange notes."

  "So you thought I came here to tell you that I was jilting you?"

  Edward cast her a cool look. "Technically, we would have to be engaged in order for you to throw me over for my brother. I have proposed to you several times over the last few days and still you do not wear my ring upon your finger."

  "I have not rejected you," she said half-angrily.

  "Nor have you accepted me." His gaze ran over her, taking in her blue silk dressing gown, the curves of her lovely silhouette, her loose flowing hair tied back with a single ribbon. His chest squeezed. "Are you waiting for a better offer?"

  "From your brother? Don't be ridiculous. You are the one with the greater income and the aristocratic title." She stared at him with an odd flicker in her eyes. "However, I must concede you have raised an excellent point. You are only an earl. Perhaps it would be prudent for me to set my sights on a duke. Do you know of any under the age of sixty, perchance?"

  Edward wanted to shout with frustration. Charlotte's earlier demeanor of distress had vanished, giving him a strong feeling that he had misread something about the situation between her and Jonathan. He turned a fierce gaze upon her. Why did his dealings with her always have to be so damn complicated?

  "Why did you come to my chamber, Charlotte? What has upset you so greatly?"

  She held on to her indignant anger a moment longer. "I consider Jonathan a dear friend, nothing more." She moved forward and touched Edward briefly on the arm. The small gesture went straight through him, making his heart lurch with longing and desire. "'Tis Jonathan and Evelyn who are involved. I am so upset because they have run off together and I came to you hoping there was something we could do, yet I fear it is too late."

  "Evelyn?"

  Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Miss Evelyn Montgomery.

  "My mother's companion?"

  "The very same."

  Edward closed his eyes and swallowed against the tightness of his throat, waiting for the surge of relief to recede. He could not believe how fast his heart was beating. Charlotte had not betrayed him with another man. A thousand endearments crowded his mind, but he voiced none of them. The opportunity to win her for himself still existed. But first this new problem must be sorted out.

  Jonathan and his mother's companion? Whatever could his brother have been thinking? Or rather not thinking, just acting, and irresponsibly to boot.

  Edward frowned. "I was unaware Jonathan and Miss Montgomery had formed an attachment for each other. How is that possible? Miss Montgomery is nearly always at my mother's side and I have rarely observed her in conversation with my brother."

  Charlotte turned and walked to the window. "A marked attention to each other would have been noticed and most certainly stopped. It could have even resulted in Miss Montgomery's dismissal, no doubt without a reference. Instead the pair have been communicating through the numerous letters I have been delivering for them. If somehow I were caught, no one would ever question or challenge me, so it was safe. Those were the letters you saw me exchanging with Jonathan."

  "You encouraged this relationship?" Edward caught her wrist, spinning her
back toward him. "Have you lost your mind!"

  "I had no idea their feelings had progressed to this stage. I thought it a harmless, innocent flirtation."

  "Apparently that is not the case." His voice calmed and the hold on her wrist gentled.

  Charlotte held out the crumpled note. `Jonathan slipped a note under my bedchamber door. I'm sure he intended me to find it in the morning, but I was awake and the moment I saw it, I read it. His message thanked me for all my help and promised faithfully to protect me by keeping my role in his romance with Miss Montgomery a secret.

  "As I came here to tell you about it, I passed your mother's bedchamber door and noticed a letter had also been left for her, though it was not placed completely beneath her door. Disregarding any sense of propriety, I opened and read it, and thus confirmed the awful truth of the situation."

  Edward took the second letter Charlotte offered, scanned it, then silently cursed. "News ofJonathan's elopement will crush my mother."

  Charlotte nodded. "I cannot imagine a worse beginning to their married life. This marriage is doomed before it has even begun. Even with complete family support behind him, it would have been difficult for many to accept such a socially inferior woman as his bride, but eloping will create a scandal from which they will never recover."

  "Jonathan has never cared overmuch for the opinion of society," Edward said slowly, hoping the situation was not quite so dire.

  "He will care when he and his wife are shunned, when his children are ignored, when his family refuses to give him their blessing and acknowledge this marriage." The lines of worry in Charlotte's face grew deeper. "Will you shun him too?"

  Edward glared at her in silent reproach, refusing to dignify her question with any sort of answer. He would never forsake his brother, especially now when he was needed most. Edward knew all too well how it felt to be on the receiving end of their mother's cold barbs of displeasure. It was something he would spare his soft-hearted brother if at all possible.

  He picked up his glass and headed for the small table in the sitting area of his bedchamber. "I need a drink."

  Edward lifted the stopper off the crystal decanter and poured a generous serving of wine into the glass. "Would you like one?"

  Charlotte shook her head. "Too much wine muddles my head when I'm upset. We need to formulate a plan. Quickly."

  Edward took a long sip of his wine, then paced the room, thinking. "Is it possible they are still in the house?"

  "No. After reading your mother's note I went directly to Evelyn's room. She was not there and all of her personal belongings and clothing are gone. I was afraid to wake any of the other servants and make inquires, fearing it would only alert them that she has gone missing."

  "And Jonathan?"

  "I leave it to you to search his room, but I am certain you will discover the same."

  "You are probably right. But there might be some clues as to their destination. Wait here." Edward downed the remainder of his wine, set the crystal goblet on the table and strode from the room.

  Jonathan's valet was nowhere in evidence. The bed was turned down, but the sheets and coverlet were undisturbed. No one had slept there tonight. A quick perusal of the wardrobe confirmed several articles of Jonathan's clothes were missing, as was his leather traveling satchel.

  Charlotte was pacing by the window when Edward returned to the bedchamber. "Well?" she asked anxiously. He shook his head and her shoulders sagged. "How long ago do you think they left?"

  "An hour, maybe two. They would have had to wait until the house was quiet and the majority of the servants had gone to bed before slipping away."

  Charlotte swallowed. "Is there any chance we can overtake them on the road?"

  "It's possible, but we have no idea of their direction," Edward replied wearily. "The logical choice is Scotland, but if Jonathan planned this, he might have a special license with him. If so, they can be married anywhere."

  "They must have taken a carriage," Charlotte surmised. "One of the stable hands might have seen or heard something. If you know which way they are headed, it shouldn't be too difficult to track them."

  "I'll go and see what I can find out." He reached for his black evening coat, thrown carelessly over the back of a chair, and slipped it on. It would offer some protection from the biting cold, since there was no time to hunt down his overcoat. "I won't be long. Try not to worry."

  Charlotte bit her lower lip and nodded.

  The full moon provided sufficient light for Edward to reach the stables without losing his way or stubbing his toe. Fortunately, the first servant he questioned was the very man who had hitched the horses to the light traveling coach that Jonathan had taken.

  It was no small measure of relief to discover that the servant had no idea Jonathan was not alone when he undertook this journey. At least his brother had been smart enough to protect Miss Montgomery from the staff's curious eyes and wagging tongues.

  After assuring the nervous stable hand repeatedly that he had done nothing wrong, and then swearing him to silence, Edward hurried back to the manor, trying to calculate how much of a headstart the pair had really gotten.

  The roads were too frozen for any mud to have formed that could mire the carriage wheels and slow their progress, but the wheels could become damaged from a broken road, and if they were trying to avoid detection, it would make sense to travel on as many of the poorly maintained, back roads as possible.

  With a little luck, expert driving and a faster set of horses, they could be overtaken. Her eyes huge in her pale face, Charlotte relaxed a little and nodded enthusiastically when he shared the news with her.

  "What will happen once you find them?" she asked.

  Edward ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. "I'm not sure. I guess I will try to persuade them to return home. If no one has realized they were gone, we can act as if this madness never happened and their lives can return to normal."

  "What if you are too late? What if they are already married?"

  "That will certainly present an entirely different set of problems. I don't know what I shall do. Truly, I cannot think that far ahead. The first order of business is to find them."

  Edward moved to his wardrobe and began changing his clothing, substituting his formal evening wear for riding breeches and boots and a warm wool jacket that could withstand the cold.

  "I am coming with you," Charlotte announced. "I can be ready immediately. Where shall I meet you?"

  Edward paused in the act of pulling on his left riding boot. "I never said you could come."

  "You need me, Edward," Charlotte insisted. "If you find them before they are married, you will have to convince Jonathan to return. He will not be easily persuaded, but it will be harder for him to ignore both of us."

  Edward shook his head. "You must stay here and somehow explain my absence. And Jonathan's and Miss Montgomery's. That will be no small task."

  "My place is with you," Charlotte said forcefully. "If we cannot convince Jonathan to abandon this elopement, we might succeed in changing Miss Montgomery's mind. Though I do not claim a close friendship with her, she will be more inclined to listen to a woman, and I can offer her a feminine shoulder to lean upon."

  Charlotte's reasoning made sense, but Edward was not yet convinced. "It will be difficult enough for me to leave without attracting the attention of half the household. How can we both do it?"

  Charlotte sat on the edge of the bed. "'Tis Christmas Eve. Everyone will be busy with the final preparations for tonight's ball and hopefully too busy to notice we are gone."

  Edward groaned. He had forgotten about the ball, a complication that would make it nearly impossible to hide what had occurred between his brother and his mother's servant. "Miss Montgomery's absence will be instantly obvious. My mother depends on her exclusively and never more so than when a special event is to take place."

  "You are right. What we need is an ally in the household. Someone who can create a plausible excuse t
hat the countess will easily believe as to why the four of us are not available to assist her with the preparations for tonight's festivities." Charlotte impatiently tapped her foot. Then, for the first time since she had entered his bedchamber, Edward saw Charlotte smile. "And I have just thought of the perfect person for the job."

  The minutes passed and dawn brought a bright streak of pink and purple to the winter morning sky. With Jones's help, Charlotte dressed warmly in a blue wool gown and donned her sturdiest walking boots. Carrying her cloak, bonnet and gloves, she slipped quietly from her chamber and hurried down the hallway.

  She paused outside her grandfather's bedchamber, knocking softly on the door. Lord Reginald had always been an early riser and she hoped today would be no exception. He called for her to enter and she found him out of bed, standing by the window in his purple robe, enjoying the sunrise.

  As she approached, Charlotte was struck by a strong chill and wondered at its cause. It was then she noticed that Lord Reginald was not admiring the view but rather puffing on a cigar and blowing smoke out the open window.

  "Grandfather! You are not supposed to be smok ing those nasty things." Charlotte stalked across the carpet and tried to grab the offensive object, but Lord Reginald twisted and turned, evading her questing hands. "Dr. Harper said they were not good for your lungs, especially in cold weather," Charlotte continued in an angry tone.

  "Oh, hang Dr. Harper. The man's an old sourpuss who's never had a bit of joy or excitement in his life." Lord Reginald turned his back and puffed harder on the cigar, the pungent aroma filling the air.

  Charlotte's nose wrinkled. "How can you tolerate that odor at this hour of the morning?"

  "I like the smell," he exclaimed. "It reminds me of my gentlemen's club."

  "It smells like burning rubbish." Charlotte reached a second time, but again failed to capture the cigar. Sensing her growing agitation, Lord Reginald took a final drag. Then with a dramatic sigh he extinguished it and tossed the cigar out the window, staring forlornly down at the pavement below where it landed.