A Season for Scandal

by Golden Angel

  “Very well,” Josie’s father said with a stiff nod. He cast his glance over the room, his expression only softening when his gaze landed on his daughter. Josie dropped her head. Disappointing her father was far, far worse than her mother. Her mother was always disappointed in her, but her father…

  “I’m sorry, Papa,” she whispered.

  A moment later, booted feet stood before her, and her father bent down to give her a kiss on the top of her head.

  “Do not worry, sweetheart. I will make this right. Oliver will make this right.” There was a darkness to his tone that made Josie’s heart ache. Oliver was Elijah and Joseph’s father, and he had been friends with Josie’s father for decades. If this caused a split between the families…

  “I do not think Joseph actually sent the note.” Despite her hopes, she did not wish to marry him under such circumstances, especially not if he still wanted to marry Miss Bliss.

  “I will make this right,” her father repeated.

  It was her own life, yet she had no say. All she could do was watch as her father and Rex strode out the door into the night, heading to Stuart house to… well, to do whatever it was he thought would fix the situation. Likely to demand Joseph marry her.

  What an awful, awful mess.

  “What actually happened?” Lily asked, squeezing Josie’s hand, refocusing her attention. There was nothing she could do about her father. She filled her friends in on the details, not sparing her description of her poor decisions.

  Miraculously her mother stayed quiet during the entire recitation, appearing to be still stunned into silence by her father’s order. Josie was thankful for the reprieve, though as she finished her recitation, her mother started sniffling again, her skin beginning to redden and blotch, a sign she was actually in distress. Josie braced herself for the oncoming recriminations, but to her shock, her mother jumped up and rushed over to Josie, wrapping her arms around her.

  Rose-scented perfume, the scent her mother always wore, flooded her nostrils as her mother hugged her tight, and tears sprang to Josie’s eyes at the sudden show of motherly support.

  “That… that… vile blackguard! How dare he! Young women should be able to walk along garden paths without being accosted by villains!” The utter indignation in her mother’s tone brought more tears to Josie’s eyes. She had been blaming herself for going into the gardens alone, but her mother was correct.

  What kind of vile human assaulted a young woman because she was alone? She should have been safe. Her largest concern should have been that she would be ruined because people assumed she went willingly with some man into the darkness, not being attacked and almost ravaged.

  And now she was at the mercy of more men, waiting for her father and the Marquess of Stuart to decide her fate.

  It was thoroughly infuriating, which was why tears ran down her face as the emotions as the events of the evening caught up with her. She felt like a wisp on the wind, blown about, with no say about where she went.

  Chapter 3

  Elijah

  “I did not write that note.” The anguish in Joseph’s voice was unmistakable. Pacing back and forth across the floor, he looked ready to fall apart.

  Elijah could not blame him. The life he wanted was falling apart around him, and he had not even been at the ball. He had been blissfully unaware of the drama until his father’s footman had arrived to pull him away from the Farthingale’s soiree.

  “Do not be a fool. Of course, you didn’t.” Their father rubbed his forehead, drawing attention to the ever-growing amount of grey in his dark hair and the wrinkles creasing his brow. His elbows propped on his desk, he stared straight ahead, eyes unseeing, his mind clearly racing with the implications of the evening. He seemed at a bit of a loss. For the first time, he truly appeared to be old. Seeing him so stressed made Elijah even angrier at the entire situation. “No one thinks you did.”

  “No, but someone did and ensured it would be found and that everyone would think I had. Someone set this up.” There was no doubt in Elijah’s mind. Josie said someone had jostled her in the ballroom, and she had lost the note. Since she did not have the mind of a spy, Elijah did not blame her for not realizing it was on purpose. Elijah banged his fist against the bookshelf he was standing beside. The pain was slight and not nearly distracting enough from his turmoiled emotions. “They deliberately coaxed Josie into the gardens, using Joseph’s name, and attacked her. But why? For what purpose? Is there some rival for Miss Bliss’ affections we are unaware of?”

  “No, no one.” Joseph shook his head, disgruntled.

  Though Miss Bliss seemed to suit him very well, another year unwed, and she would be considered firmly on the shelf. Though she was a sweet young lady, the number of suitors vying for her hand was very low. In Elijah’s opinion, she would make an ideal wife—quiet, unassuming, and undemanding. However, she did not have a large dowry, her parents were only modestly well-connected, and although she was beautiful, it was not in a way that stood out. He believed Joseph was right about his lack of rivals.

  “Maybe as a distraction?” Adam, their youngest brother and the most unassuming of the three of them, piped up. His normally cheerful expression was somber, his eyes slightly unfocused as he ran through all the various scenarios. Out of all of them, he was the best strategist and the best at seeing patterns in information, making him an invaluable codebreaker.

  “A distraction? From what? Why ruin three lives for a distraction?” Joseph fumed, pacing back and forth across the carpet. He scowled at the ground. Though Elijah had confiscated the letter from the gossips, it had already been too late. Truthfully, taking it might work against them, too.

  Would the Blisses even allow Joseph to propose to Miss Bliss with this scandal hanging over his head? They must be desperate to marry her off by now, but how desperate?

  A knock at the door had all three brothers whirling around. Elijah’s heart jumped in his chest.

  “Come in.” Father’s voice was tight as though he was bracing himself.

  Cooper, the butler, opened the door, holding a note in his hand. As always, his expression was faultlessly blank. He was every inch the proper butler. No one looking at him would ever guess he was also a deadly assassin and one of the Marquess’ guards.

  “This arrived for you, my lord.” He came forward and handed it to Elijah’s father, retreating from the room as quickly as he’d arrived.

  “What is it?” Elijah asked before father even had it open. Father glanced at him with a touch of reproof, and Elijah subsided, though it was hard to contain his impatience. He was a man of action, but right now, there was nothing he could do, and it chafed.

  Thankfully, his father did not make them wait, reading the note aloud. From the first word, the tension around the room intensified.

  Uncle,

  The man who gave the note to Josie has disappeared into the wind, but one of the footmen insists the man was an unknown Frenchman. However, the French delegation was at the Richmonds tonight, and none of them were missing. I will leave it to you to investigate that avenue further.

  The gossip is already spreading that Joseph lured Josie to the gardens to dishonor her, and Elijah is lying to save him. The Blisses left their ball early, Miss Bliss appearing in distress.

  I believe this is an attempt to distract you from finding the traitor, a retaliation for uncovering Collins, or both. Do try to focus.

  All my love,

  Evie

  The room fell silent for a short moment before Father growled.

  “I am going to wring that fool girl’s neck when I get my hands on her.” There was no heat to his voice, and they all knew the truth. When Evie did inevitably turn up again, they would all hug her, scold her, and be relieved she had come through another one of her self-imposed missions unscathed.

  At least, Elijah hoped that was what would happen. Though Evie had been in dangerous situations before, this one might be the most dangerous since she was completely on her own
, rather than having convinced Father to let her join. She’d always had some kind of backup before.

  “At least we know she’s still in London,” Adam said, raking his hand through his hair. He leaned his head back against his chair, closing his eyes, appearing almost limp with relief. At his words, the rest of them were able to relax slightly as well.

  They had not been sure. After rescuing her friend Mary from Rupert Collins a few weeks ago, Evie had disappeared into the wind again. Elijah was now sure she had been the servant girl who had met Josie a few days ago at the bookshop. It was the only thing that made sense.

  Which meant when he got his hands on Josie again…

  The visage of her pale, frightened face flashed through his mind. He could not be too harsh on her after the ordeal she had gone through tonight.

  What a mess.

  “I think she and Adam must be right about trying to distract us,” Elijah muttered. “Though the idea of retaliation has merit, too. It would explain a lot.” They had unmasked Collins, who had admitted to organizing the assassination attempt on the Duke of York but claimed he had done so at the behest of another after they blackmailed him. Someone whose identity he did not know.

  They had searched for Collins’ puppet master but had not gotten very far in the past few weeks. Though, if they assumed this was a distraction, perhaps they knew more than they realized. Elijah resolved to go over all the information they had gathered again. Perhaps they had missed something or not realized the importance of something they found. He would focus on the French connection.

  “We will have to divide our attention.” Father sat up straighter, energy flowing back into his body as he began to marshal his thoughts, creating a plan of action. Relief flooded through Elijah. Though he knew Father could not control everything, with him at the helm, it was hard to think anything could go wrong. “There’s no help for it. We need to redouble our efforts to find out who orchestrated all this and investigate the French more thoroughly. I do not believe they could have done this on their own. Someone is masterminding this, who not only knows who I am but knows our family and how to manipulate all of us.” His countenance darkened.

  While it would have been comforting to think their enemy was foreign, the evidence to the contrary was piling up.

  “What about Josie?” Elijah asked. She was the crux of the immediate problem.

  Father hesitated, then looked at Joseph, his jaw tightening. Joseph paled, taking a step back.

  “No… I… I want to marry Priscilla.” His eyes darted around the room at Elijah, Adam, and Father, seeking support or possibly escape. It was not his fault his name was on the note. There was nothing he could have done, but his reputation would be tarnished by this. Everyone would think he was a rake, and eyes would be on both him and Elijah, probably Adam as well. It would affect their social standing at home, with the Pennyworths being neighbors. Everyone in Derbyshire loved Josie.

  “That might not be an option anymore,” Father said grimly. “If you do not marry Josie and marry Miss Bliss instead, assuming her parents allow it, the gossips will be relentless with all three of you. None of you will escape unscathed. Josie will unlikely find a husband, and the ton will turn on you and Miss Bliss. Is that what you want?”

  “No, of course not…” Joseph’s voice trailed off, and they could all hear the unspoken ‘but.’

  But he was in love with Miss Bliss.

  But he did not want to marry Josie.

  Their villain, whoever he was, had set his trap well. No matter what Joseph chose to do, it would distract the family and keep the ton’s eyes fixed firmly on them. Unless they managed to do something unexpected.

  Elijah’s jaw clenched.

  A knock sounded at the door again, relieving him of a decision for a few more precious moments. Cooper opened the door, and there was something about his expression or stature that drew their attention. An ominous quality hung in the air about him.

  “Squire Pennyworth and the Marquess of Hartford are here to see you, my lord.” Though his expression did not change one iota, there was still a hint of warning in his voice.

  Father drooped again, his shoulders dropping. He and the squire had been lifelong friends, but here they were at odds. To save the future of Pennyworth’s daughter, he would have to sacrifice his son’s.

  You know what you have to do. It is not that great a sacrifice. Perhaps it is not what Josie would want, but it is better than being married to a man who wishes he was married to someone else, and this way, at least Joseph will be able to find happiness.

  Though he would be saddling himself with a wife who was in love with his brother.

  Still.

  Did he have any other choice?

  When Squire Pennyworth walked into the room, his usually cheerful face was grave with the seriousness of the situation, and he looked as old as Elijah’s father did. This was weighing heavily on both of them, and it was within Elijah’s power to fix it.

  Hartford looked at Elijah, his golden eyes contemplative. He lifted an eyebrow. Elijah thought Hartford anticipated what would happen. He knew Elijah too well.

  “Welcome, Squire Pennyworth,” Elijah said, stepping forward before anyone else could say anything. This was the only solution that would free his brother and lift the burden from his father. Adam could make the same offer, but it would not have the same effect as it would coming from him, the future Marquess. Suspicion of exactly who had caused Josie’s dishevelment would shift, and everyone would consider the matter resolved once she was married to him. “I am glad to see you this evening as I would like to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”

  Chapter 4

  Josie

  “What is taking them so long?” The wait was becoming interminable.

  Josie paced around the drawing room, Lily and Mary watching her from their places on the couch. After her initial show of support, her mother had devolved to her usual histrionics and taken to her bed. Josie had passed some of the time by changing her dress—which had caused her to cry all over again as she was forced to face the tattered fabric and the memories came rushing back—before taking up camp in the drawing room with the door open, so they would know the moment her father and Rex returned.

  “I cannot imagine the discussion is easy,” Lily said soothingly, but Josie did not want to be soothed. She wanted to be there and to have a say in her future. Everything about her was jittery right now, as if her skin was too tight around her body, and her insides were being squeezed and squished.

  A soft knocking at the window on the far side of the room had her spinning around. She did not know what she expected to see, but Evie’s face under a boy’s cap was not it.

  “Evie!” They all whispered her name together and rushed to the window to open it and pull her in. Not that she needed their help, despite the window being at her shoulder height, but Josie needed something to do.

  Dressed as a boy in rough breeches and a loose shirt, her dark curls tucked under a brown cap, and smelling faintly of horse, Evie looked out of place in the fancy drawing room.

  “Where on earth have you been?” Lily asked, frowning as she gave Evie’s outfit a once-over.

  “Listening to the gossip in the stables,” Evie said, shrugging one shoulder. “No one pays attention to the grooms and tigers.” Interesting. Josie could only imagine the tigers, the young boys who were actually seated on the carriages behind their patrons, overheard quite a bit.

  “What are they saying?” Josie’s hands gripped her skirts, fingers digging into the fabric. She already knew it would not be good, else Evie would not have come.

  Dark eyes met hers, full of sympathy. Blast. It was worse than Josie thought. Evie was rarely sympathetic.

  “It is flying already, despite Elijah’s confiscation of the note. It might have been better for you had he not taken it, though not for Joseph.” Evie’s lips twisted in an unamused smile. “Some are quite sympathetic to you, feeling Joseph played on your long ac
quaintance to lure you out. Others think you two must have been meeting in secret all this time and playing Miss Bliss for a fool.”

  “And?” Josie asked when Evie hesitated. There was more. There had to be, else Evie would not have paused—a definite pause, not a finish.

  “A few think you must have set it up to try to trap him into marriage,” Evie said in a rush, and Lily and Mary both gasped in indignation. Josie closed her eyes, guilt seeping through her. Was that not exactly the outcome part of her had hoped for?

  “As if she would need to trap anyone into marriage.” Mary snorted. “The gentlemen are lining up to beg for her hand. She has already turned down five proposals this Season.”

  Yes. Yes, she had, although now, she almost wished she had not. She hadn’t wanted to marry any of them, but she had not imagined a life unwed either. Even after realizing Joseph was likely to propose to Miss Bliss, Josie thought she would have time. Time to go home to lick her wounds and heal her battered heart and eventually find someone to marry. She had not thought it would be difficult, considering the five proposals she had received in her first season.

  What a little fool she had been, not realizing how quickly it could all be taken away through no fault of her own.

  Not no fault. You did not have to go out into the gardens.

  Shut up. The risk was small if the note had truly been from Joseph. We would have walked out together with no harm done to my reputation, thanks to our long acquaintance. This is the fault of the villain who tricked and assaulted me. Young ladies should not have to worry about such knavery. It is that man’s fault!

  Though it did not assuage her guilt, she clung fast to the knowledge that her person should have been perfectly safe. Even her hysterical mother had thought so. Any man who would intentionally assault a young woman alone at a ball rather than assist her was a blackguard in gentlemen’s clothing. Josie was not responsible for his actions, only her own.