Austin took a deep breath and nodded. “I took a holiday to Dover for Guy Fawkes Day, and when I returned I was informed that William had had a stroke. My father was orchestrating his care, John Henry had been brought from London, and I was to act as trustee of the estate. I was overwhelmed by so many sudden changes but had no reason to believe it was anything other than what I’d been told. A week or so later, my grandmother sent her solicitor asking for access to the earl’s private papers. I refused him and that afternoon grandmother showed up and said William had been planning to cut her off, that this woman he was with was giving him bad advice. She explained that her solicitor was only protecting her, assuring there were clauses built into documents pertaining to the earldom that demanded she be cared for once Liam took over. She was worried that Liam’s mother held a grudge and that because of her influence, Liam wouldn’t honor the existing financial support agreements once William passed away.”
“So she knew that he and Violet were seeing each other?”
Austin was quiet for a moment, as if considering the possibility. “Perhaps,” he finally conceded, glancing at the letters Liam still held in his hand. “But at the time I believed she was simply talking about her past history with Liam’s mother—she said nothing about a current relationship between William and the former countess.”
Liam interrupted, putting the discussion back on track. “What happened after she informed you of the intended forgery?”
Austin ran his hand through his hair and his shoulders slumped. Sadie glanced at Liam, who stood straight, his arms folded over his chest and his chin up—finally looking confident and in control. It was a stark contrast to the appearance of both men in the library yesterday. Now Liam looked like an earl, and Austin looked like the powerless cousin. Sadie wished she could tell Liam about what they’d discovered in the Bible before they continued, but she didn’t want to interrupt Austin’s account.
Austin took a breath. “I told her she needed to take the financial concerns up with Liam, not me, that as trustee I did not have the power to make those kinds of decisions and I would not be party to fraud.”
What a hero, Sadie thought, but she kept it to herself so that Austin would keep digging his own grave.
“That’s when Grandmother told me that William had not had a stroke. My father had created a scenario through which my grandmother could assure her future—a future that up until now hinged upon the men she was dependent on. She was an old woman, she said, and she deserved to have such assurances that had been denied her all her life because of her gender.” Austin looked at the ground. “I’d never seen that side of my grandmother,” he said slowly. “I had no idea she felt so beholden to her father and then to her husband; no idea that she was so bitter toward her station that, as she put it, relegated her to nothing more than a bartering chip within the shifting powers of the Crown. When I said I wouldn’t be party to the forgery, she told me she knew about my relationship with Lacy.” He closed his eyes briefly. “I couldn’t believe it. I’d worked so hard to keep Lacy a secret. William had given Lacy a job at Southgate so that I could see her within the course of my working for him—he understood the position I found myself in and was trying to help me navigate what lay ahead of me. To find out my grandmother knew was shocking enough, but then she said that if I went along with this she wouldn’t stand in my way of marrying Lacy when it was all over.”
“You weren’t planning to marry this girl before then?” Liam asked.
“I was,” Austin said strongly. “I proposed to her last summer—but I needed to establish myself before I could break away from my family—who I knew would not consent to the match.”
“And my father was helping you to do that,” Liam added.
Austin let out a long breath, and nodded. “Yes,” he said, and the single word seemed painful for him to say. “But he couldn’t help me anymore. I was told that if I did not go along with the plan my grandmother and father had put together, I would lose everything. I would be cut out from my inheritance and unable to benefit from any of the advantages associated with my family name and station. She would see to it that I was removed from my position within the earldom as well.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Sadie said, unable to hold it in. “You have a degree from Oxford, you have two years’ work experience with the earl, and you’re a grown man.” Which in Sadie’s mind just made the heir angle that much stronger. He could say that he’d gone along with this because of Lacy and his family, but the truth was that by helping this come together he assured himself the earldom some day. That was motive worthy for this conspiracy.
Austin shook his head. “I don’t expect you to understand,” he said softly. “And saying it out loud makes it sound different than it felt—but I’ve never had to go at anything alone. I went to Harrow and Oxford because of my family connections. I gained employment because of William. I would need a way to support my own family in the future. Within the offer my grandmother made me was a straight shot to all those things, or a brutal destruction of those same assets. But Lacy was the linchpin. More than anything, I wanted her in my life, but I’d always known I would have to choose her over my family one day. My grandmother was giving me the chance to have both—Lacy and a secure future. It was an offer I couldn’t resist.”
“I don’t believe for a second that your grandmother made any kind of deal like that,” Sadie said, shaking her head. “She’d already gone to great pains to break up Liam’s parents because of Violet’s inferiority. There is no way she would accept Lacy as a countess.”
“A countess?” Austin said, almost laughing.
“Yes,” Sadie said with an arrogant nod. “But not until the three of you figured out how to get rid of Liam.”
Sadie had never heard such silence; there was almost a vacuum effect to the air around them. Austin and Liam looked equally stunned.
“What?” Liam finally asked, turning toward her.
Sadie fairly tingled with excitement to relate the rest of what she suspected as if it were fact. “A hundred and fifty years ago there was another man who fell in love with a woman not worthy of his station. He renounced his heritage and married her anyway. After his death, his widow changed her children’s names for reasons I can only guess at—imposing her last name instead of the family name of Martin. A boy by the name of Horace Martin became Horace Melcalfe and, aside from Liam, holds the next direct male line for the title. I believe that Dr. Robert Melcalfe is a direct descendant of that boy, which is why he was party to this conspiracy. He is not only a potential heir to the Earldom of Garnett, but so is his son.” She turned to look at Liam. “Your Aunt Hattie was willing to kill her own brother, so it only makes sense that your death would be an even easier line for her to cross.”
“The Book of Heraldry was altered,” Breanna cut in, looking from Liam to Austin and back again. “Horace Martin does not exist within its pages, but the family Bible shows there were three sons born to the third earl and the personal history confirms it.” She looked at Austin and her eyes narrowed. “Your grandmother likely learned it when she had the Book of Heraldry compiled and she’s held onto this knowledge for thirty years, waiting for her chance to use it to her best advantage.”
Sadie picked it up when Breanna stopped talking. “But she was running out of time. William was on to you and your grandmother, Austin. He had found the family Bible at the Dowager cottage, and he was beginning to understand why your grandmother was so determined that you work for him. When she came down with your family for Guy Fawkes Day, I believe he not only confronted her about his suspicions, but he also told her about Violet—that they were getting remarried. Your grandmother realized that this plan she’d put in action years earlier was about to come to nothing. Whether or not Dr. Melcalfe knew about this beforehand, he obviously went along with whatever it took to fake the earl’s stroke and keep him in a coma.” She shook her head.
Austin was absolutely speechless for several seconds. It wa
s almost disappointing. Sadie expected him to argue, to fight it out, to try to save himself. But he didn’t.
“Your motive for participation doesn’t hold water, Austin,” Sadie continued when it became apparent he was at a loss for words. “Lacy is not and never will be fit to be a countess in your family’s eyes—it’s my guess that she was simply a dalliance that you have put up as motive. But it’s not going to protect you from the truth that is, even now, coming to the surface.”
“Are you sure about all this?” Liam said, turning to Breanna. Sadie kept her eyes on Austin; he looked anxious—as well he should, now that everyone knew the extent of his secrets. Liam turned back toward his cousin. “Why were you looking through the pedigree yesterday?”
Sadie glanced at Liam with a bit of concern; he seemed hesitant to accept that the conspiracy against his father was only part of the plan. She could imagine it was hard to swallow—that your father was being murdered and you would be next—but she hoped he wouldn’t let the denial overwhelm the facts. That would be dangerous indeed.
Austin closed his eyes slowly, then opened them again. “I knew something was wrong,” he said. “I’ve been on eggshells throughout your whole visit, Liam. I worried you would suspect something, scared that you would ask to review the documents that weren’t even on the premises right now. The staff was equally terrified of being discovered, and then John Henry disappeared. I called my father in a panic but he refused to come down. My grandmother assured me that everything would be fine, but she wouldn’t come down either. You were protective of your father, the staff was edgy, and you—” He looked at Sadie. “You were asking questions, showing up where you didn’t belong, and were not the least bit intimidated with my attempts to put you off.” Sadie took a little pride in that, but hoped it didn’t show on her face. That would be inappropriate.
Austin continued. “In the weeks before William had his stro— became ill, he was spending a great deal of time in the library, poring over the Book of Heraldry and the personal histories of the past earls. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I did wonder why my father and grandmother would do this now. They knew Liam was coming for the holidays, they knew he’d be familiarizing himself with matters of the estate, and it didn’t make sense that they would instigate all of this right now. There had to be a reason they would take these risks to provide for my grandmother now—not a year ago, not five years in the future, not even after Liam’s visit. I was trying to figure that out, but I never did.”
Sadie was tired of the story and felt that he was trying a little too hard to look a little too dumb. “I think you were looking in the Book of Heraldry to make sure there was nothing there that would implicate you in that layer of the deception,” Sadie said. “You’d worked so hard to pull this off, and even killed John Henry when you realized he was going to blow your cover, and—”
At this Austin shook his head, almost startling Sadie with the quickness of his movements and causing her to lose her train of thought.
“I had nothing to do with John Henry,” Austin said strongly. “I didn’t kill him and I didn’t know anything about being a potential heir.” His voice turned pleading. “All I knew was that my grandmother offered me what I wanted more than anything—Lacy.”
Sadie took a step toward him. “Do you honestly believe your grandmother would have let you have her? You were going to be earl someday.”
“I didn’t know anything about that!” he said, his voice rising. “And it doesn’t make sense. She would have told me if I was a potential heir—everyone would have known. Things like that don’t remain a secret.”
“Unless someone is willing to do anything they can to keep it a secret for thirty years. If anyone found out too soon, your plan would never have worked. That your grandmother could also break up Violet and William for a second time was just icing on the cake and perhaps one of the reasons it happened now instead of later.”
Austin lifted a hand to his forehead and turned away. “I can’t believe this,” he muttered. For the smallest moment, Sadie wondered if perhaps he was as ignorant as he claimed to be. He knew the gig was up, why not admit his part? Then again, he stood to lose a lot if he admitted culpability. It was far less serious to be part of a conspiracy to commit fraud than to murder a man in cold blood because it would help you get a title.
“Did Lacy know?” Sadie asked. Grant and Mrs. Land had both said Lacy didn’t know—but Sadie wasn’t sure she believed it.
Austin paused, then shook his head, turning back to face Sadie with a morose expression on his face. Breanna and Liam seemed content to let Sadie ask the questions. “She thought William had had a stroke,” Austin said. “And she was nervous when my family was around in the beginning, but I didn’t want her to know; I didn’t want her to feel . . . responsible in any way.”
“Does she know now?” Sadie asked.
If possible, he looked even more dejected. “She won’t answer my calls. I don’t know what happened yesterday, who told her to leave or why. I have no idea where she is, but I’ve no doubt she’s lost to me now.” He paused and then turned away. Sadie thought she caught sight of tears in his eyes. “Lacy is a good woman,” he said, staring at the front door. “When she learns I was part of this, when she understands what I’ve done—if she doesn’t already know—her conscience will demand that she move on without me. I’ve made a terrible mistake—several terrible mistakes. Lacy will never forgive me, and I’m hard-pressed to think that she should.”
Sadie was searching for another question when there was a knock at the front door. She turned to see Inspector Kent open the door and enter the foyer with another officer behind him. She was a little disappointed not to have a few more minutes for her own interrogation—it was going so well.
Sadie moved to the side as the inspector walked toward Austin.
“I believe you and I are due for another chat,” the inspector said to Austin, who raised his eyes to look at the men in absolute fear. “Is it necessary for me to remind you of your rights in regard to speaking with us?”
“No,” Austin said. “But these women, as well as Liam, have informed me of things I was as yet unaware of. I feel that their information is as important as my own.”
“You don’t say,” Kent said rather dryly. “Well, by all means, let’s all go down together.”
Chapter 43
~
Alright,” Sadie said Monday morning as she closed the top of her suitcase and wrestled with the zipper. “I’m done.” She looked up at Breanna who was still shoving things into her backpack. They’d been at the police station until nearly ten p.m.—but at least they got to leave. Austin was still there, and Lady Hane and Dr. Melcalfe were likely still giving their version of events to Scotland Yard in London while their lawyers began scrambling for a defense. As for Liam, he’d been questioned for several hours about the part he’d played in moving John Henry’s body and withholding information from the police. They’d let him go home, but insisted he surrender his passport and remain in Devonshire until they completed the investigation and determined what charges he would need to answer for.
On the way home from the police station, they’d stopped at the hospital for an update on the earl. Dr. Sawyer had identified the medication used to keep the earl incapacitated and was working with a team of other physicians to remedy the situation. The earl was conscious, but not communicative—they said it could take up to a week for the medication to be fully flushed from his system. The three of them hadn’t arrived home until midnight, where Sadie had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. When morning arrived, Sadie was sure she could have slept the entire day. But they had a plane to catch.
“I’m almost finished,” Breanna said, tucking her wet hair behind her ear—she’d just gotten out of the shower and was still dripping all over the place. “Mrs. Kinsley left some things in the fridge for breakfast—but I don’t think we have time to cook anything.” She looked up and eyed her mother w
ith a visual reprimand.
“I know, I know,” Sadie said. “I’ve already accepted that, but you better hurry, I’m in no mood to save you anything. I’m going to have to start a diet come next week, but I plan to live life to the fullest until then.”
Breanna chuckled and went back to her packing, which Sadie thought ought to be called stuffing since that’s all she did—stuff things into her backpack. Sadie slung her duffel bag over one shoulder, her oversized purse over the other, and pulled both suitcases toward the door, grateful they were on wheels. “I’ll see you and Liam in the kitchen,” she said.
“Okay,” Breanna replied, pushing her pajamas down the side of the canvas. “Liam called Kevin to pick us up. He should be here by 10:30 or so.”
Sadie nodded, let herself out into the hallway, and headed toward the stairs. She was missing the staff right about now, which was a sign that she was becoming soft. It took several minutes to wrestle her suitcases down the stairs, but she finally deposited all her luggage in the middle of the foyer. Hopefully Kevin would load them in the car.
She headed for the kitchen to get something to eat.
“Hello?” she called as she entered the kitchen. The lights were off, so she flipped the switch and the room flickered to life. She went to the fridge and pulled out a few items, including several scones that made her smile, even if they were pre-frozen. The diet loomed before her, but she decided that scones wouldn’t count—she had a recipe to perfect once she got home and would need something to keep her from feeling sorry for herself.
Sadie went about preparing herself a breakfast of juice, scones—complete with clotted cream and strawberry jam—and a banana. She had just sat down on one of the stools by the butcher-block table in the kitchen when she heard the outside door begin to slowly open.
Sadie’s first reaction was instant, mind-numbing panic. No one was supposed to be here and though she was an adventurous girl, she was not in the mood for anymore surprises. Mustering all the courage she had left, she turned in her seat to see who it was—her mind conjuring the possibility that Austin had escaped and come back to the estate to kill them all.
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