‘And I you,’ Sophie said, kissing Jane on both cheeks. ‘But you do not look at all well.’
‘I am not,’ Jane said with a sigh of resignation. ‘But I shall recover, in time.’ She glanced towards the door. ‘Robert will be down shortly.’
‘You didn’t tell him I was coming?’
‘You asked me not to.’
Sophie nodded. It was only natural that Jane should be curious, but she had no intention of revealing any of what she planned. That would be for ever between herself and Robert. If she was to burn in hell for what she was about to do, she would go to the devil alone.
Suddenly, the door opened and Robert walked in. ‘Jane, I thought I heard someone at the—?’ He broke off and his face went pale. ‘Sophie!’
‘Good evening, Mr Silverton.’
For a moment, they stood there: three actors in a play, each waiting for the other to speak his lines. When no one did, Jane walked over to Sophie, kissed her on the cheek and left. And in the seconds that followed, Sophie knew how a prisoner must feel while waiting for the judge to pronounce sentence. She’d had no idea that silence could be so terrifying.
‘What has happened to bring you here?’ Robert said softly. ‘Dare I hope you’ve changed your mind?’
Sophie stared at his tall, upright figure and wondered how was it possible to be so vibrantly aware of a man, so desperate for his touch that her body quivered at the very thought of it. ‘The only thing that’s happened is that I’ve realised what my life is going to be like once I am married to Mr Oberon.’ Sophie slowly untied the ribbons beneath her chin and slipped off her bonnet. ‘And I knew I could not go to him without seeing you one more time. Alone.’
She heard his harsh rasp of breath. ‘Don’t marry him, Sophie. I beg you!’
But she only shook her head. ‘I will not change my mind, but if the rest of my life is to be lived in darkness, I would ask for one bright memory to carry into it. Give me that memory, Robert,’ she said, stopping before him. ‘You’re the only one who can.’
They were so close that Sophie could feel the warmth of his breath on her face. At one time, she would have thought it impossible that she would be willing to sacrifice everything for one brief moment of intimacy, but she had lain awake too many hours going over what she wanted to say to back down now. Before she’d met Robert, she’d had no idea what it was to truly be in love. Now, she did. And with the thought of losing him, nothing else seemed to matter.
When he didn’t move, Sophie placed her bare hands against his chest, tilted her face up to his and kissed him. Kissed him with the desperate longing of one who knows it will be the last time. And though his lips remained stiff and unmoving beneath hers, she didn’t back away. If he rejected her, it would not be because she hadn’t done her best to seduce him.
But Robert didn’t reject her—and Sophie knew the exact moment his resistance broke. She heard his anguished groan and felt his arms come around her, crushing her against him. His mouth covered hers hungrily and she trembled as his tongue slipped between her lips, coaxing them apart. Sensation flowed through her veins like liquid fire. The taste of him was intoxicating, the scent of him enough to make her senses swim. There was only this man, this time, this moment. She felt his hand at her breast, a light, fleeting caress, but it was as though a whirlwind swept through her body.
More. She needed him to go on caressing her so that when another man touched her, it would be Robert’s caresses she remembered. Robert’s face she saw. Robert’s love that filled her heart.
‘Dear God, Sophie.’ His voice was tortured, his breathing harsh. ‘If I don’t stop soon—’
‘I don’t want you to stop!’ she said urgently. ‘Make love to me, Robert. Just once, so I’ll know what passion really is.’
She felt his lips against her hair. ‘You haven’t thought this through, beloved. If you truly intend to proceed with this abysmal marriage, it would be madness for us to be together. You must know that!’
Sophie weakly rested her forehead against his chin, her body thrumming with emotion. ‘I do. But for once in my life, I don’t care. I don’t want to be sensible. Please don’t ask that of me.’
‘I have no choice. I can’t do something that will make your life more a living hell than it already is. The body doesn’t lie, Sophie,’ he whispered. ‘Oberon will know you’ve been with another man.’
‘But he doesn’t need know it was you!’ Sophie gazed up into his eyes. ‘He already believes the worst of me. Let him think it happened before I came to England.’
‘It would not make his rage any the less terrifying, nor would it lessen the punishment he metes out. I cannot do what you ask, Sophie,’ Robert said. ‘God help me, I would never know a moment’s peace again.’
With that, he put his hands on her arms and gently pushed her away.
Sophie closed her eyes, fighting to quell her feelings of disappointment and frustration. He was right, of course. It would be madness to go to Oberon after having made love to Robert. She could tell him what she liked, but she knew he would suspect Robert of being the one, and there was no telling what form his anger and revenge might take. And was the purpose of this marriage not to ensure the safety of those she loved?
‘Forgive me,’ he whispered, standing with his forehead pressed against hers.
Sophie closed her eyes, fighting back tears. ‘No. I’m the one who should be asking forgiveness. I was thinking only of what I wanted, without regard for the future. The choice to marry him is my own. I should not have asked you to put yourself at risk by indulging me in such a way.’
‘I would indulge you in every way imaginable,’ Robert said, his voice heavy with longing. ‘There is nothing I want more than to make love to you, Sophie. But not when I know what he will do when I’m not there to protect you.’
‘Then kiss me goodbye,’ she said, gazing up at him. ‘And know that whatever he has to take from me, I give you willingly.’
His mouth was not gentle. The kiss was savage. Demanding—and Sophie welcomed it. She buried her fingers in his hair, dragging his head down as she pressed her body even closer to his, seared by the passion that burned between them. This was all she would ever have. One moment in an eternity of loneliness. One moment that would become the memory she would cling to for the rest of her life.
All too soon, it was over. Robert kissed her once more, then gently pushed her away. Numbly, Sophie picked up her bonnet and put it on, tying the silken ribbons beneath her chin. Without looking at him, she turned and started towards the door.
‘Sophie.’
She stopped, but didn’t turn around. ‘Yes?’
‘I’m following a lead. I can’t tell you more because I don’t know what I’ll find. But I won’t let you go until I’ve exhausted every possible avenue.’
Sophie nodded, but kept her gaze on the floor. ‘Then I will go to bed hoping for good news, my love. Because if you cannot find that avenue within the next twenty-four hours, there will no longer be any need to look.’
Chapter Sixteen
Adrian Brocknower was leaving. That much became evident the moment Robert stepped into the dilapidated room at the top of the stairs, on a street where no self-respecting gentleman would ever admit to keeping rooms. The narrow bed was bare, the wardrobe doors flung back, and there was a portmanteau lying open on the rough wooden floor.
‘I’m glad I didn’t wait any longer,’ Robert said as he watched the sole occupant of the room throw clothes haphazardly into the case. ‘Or I would have been forced to add yet another vacated address to my list.’
The young man whirled, his face twisted in fear. ‘Who the hell are you?’
‘A friend. Parker sent me.’
‘Parker?’
‘Yes. We met this morning at Angelo’s,’ Robert explained. ‘He gave me your card and said to mention his name. I take it you are Adrian Brocknower?’
Hearing Parker’s name seemed to have a calming effect on the younger man, but h
is look was still guarded as he returned to his packing. ‘For now, but I won’t be much longer.’
Robert quickly took stock of the other man. In his early twenties, he was of middling height and slim build. His dark hair was unkempt and his long, narrow face bore the unmistakable stamp of fear. ‘You’re running away.’
‘Disappearing, actually.’ Adrian reached for the small collection of books on the desk and dropped them into the case. ‘I don’t intend to be here when he finds out what I’ve done.’
‘He?’
‘You know who.’ Adrian looked up. ‘If Parker sent you, he’s the reason you’re here.’
‘All right,’ Robert said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. ‘What exactly have you done?’
Adrian pulled open a drawer and emptied the contents. ‘I’ve uncovered a fraud, haven’t I? And I was foolish enough to tell my employer about it.’
‘Your employer being Sir Thomas Buckley.’
‘That’s right. I told him I’d found inconsistencies in the paperwork. Documents that should have been registered left unsigned. Monies that should have been invested. And when I brought it to Sir Thomas’s attention, he told me I’d meddled in areas that were none of my concern and said my services were no longer required.’
‘He turned you off?’
‘On the spot. When I tried to explain I was simply following procedure, he had me escorted from the premises, without a letter of recommendation or my final pay. He also threatened me with legal action if I breathed a word of this to anyone.’
‘And have you?’ Robert enquired.
‘Parker knows. He advised me to write it all down, so I did. All the names, all the dates, as well as how much money each person invested and where it was supposedly allocated.’
‘Supposedly?’
‘You can’t put money into something that doesn’t exist.’
Robert’s eyes widened. ‘So there was a scam. No wonder Sir Thomas’s clerk didn’t want to talk to me.’
Adrian tensed. ‘You didn’t go round the firm, did you? Asking questions? Looking for me?’
‘I did go round, but not because I was looking for you. I was hoping to speak to Sir Thomas,’ Robert said. ‘But after being politely but firmly rebuffed, I learned that you had handled much of the paperwork for Sir Thomas and that made me think you might be the one I needed to see—especially once I found out you were no longer with the firm.’
‘Yes, well, that’s probably for the best,’ Adrian said. ‘I wouldn’t want to be in Sir Thomas’s shoes when word of this gets out. From what little I’ve heard, Mr Oberon is not a forgiving man.’
‘Would he have reason to suspect you?’
‘I’m not willing to take the chance. He didn’t know Sir Thomas handed most of the paperwork off to someone else, and Sir Thomas didn’t think I was smart enough to find anything wrong.’ Adrian shot him a derisive look. ‘I was only a clerk, after all.’
Robert smiled. It never paid to underestimate one’s subordinates. ‘Where is this list of information you’ve compiled?’
‘Before I tell you that, I want your word as a gentleman that you won’t tell a soul who gave it to you.’
‘You have it,’ Robert said without hesitation. ‘But when Oberon is charged, he’s bound to know someone betrayed him. And there aren’t that many people in the game.’
‘That’s why I’m getting out of London. If this all blows up, Sir Thomas will point the finger of blame at me, and by the time that happens, I’ll have changed my name and be living somewhere Oberon will never find me.’
‘With luck, he won’t get out of prison long enough to try.’
Adrian laughed. ‘Oberon won’t go to prison. His father’s a peer.’
‘He will if I have anything to do with it,’ Robert said quietly. ‘He’s ruined too many lives to go free.’
‘Well, I wish you well with it, sir, but I’ve seen money and power triumph over justice and truth too many times to believe it works the other way round.’ With that, Adrian walked across to the open wardrobe and leaned in. There was a sound of wood splintering, and moments later, he re-emerged holding a slim, leather-bound journal. ‘You can read it if you like,’ he said, handing it across. ‘I never want to see it again.’
Robert took the journal, but didn’t open it. ‘Why didn’t you show this to the authorities?’
‘And risk going up against the likes of Lord Oberon? Not a chance. They’d have charged me with fraud rather than put the blame where it belonged. No, if you hadn’t come along, this book would likely have ended up in the Thames. Or with Parker.’
Robert looked down at the journal. Parker again. He was growing curious about this man who operated in secret and seemed to know things about people most others didn’t. ‘I’m very glad to have this, Mr Brocknower. Perhaps I can use it to help some of the people Oberon has swindled.’
For the first time, Adrian smiled and in doing so, looked less like the fearful young man circumstances had forced him to become. ‘I just want to see justice done. Wealth and privilege don’t deserve to be in the hands of a man like that.’
‘No, they don’t.’ Robert put the journal on the bed and pulled an envelope from his pocket. ‘I don’t know where you’re going, but this will either help get you there, or establish you once you arrive.’
Adrian stared at the envelope, his face flushing when he realised what it was. ‘I’d like to say I don’t need this, but I do. Thank you, sir. I’m glad I had the pleasure of meeting you.’
‘The pleasure’s all mine, Mr Brocknower.’ Robert turned to go, and then stopped. ‘By the by, who is this Parker chap?’
‘Sir Barrington Parker?’ Adrian laughed. ‘To tell you the truth, I don’t know much about him. He came to see Sir Thomas a few times and I once heard him mention Mr Oberon’s name. I thought he might be a friend of his, until I chanced to meet him in the street and he told me to watch myself around him.’
‘Did he say why?’
‘No, but I found out soon enough.’
Robert smiled. ‘I’ll leave you to your packing. I have a few appointments of my own to keep before this night is over.’
Oberon was at his club when Robert caught up with him. Just as well. He was less inclined to commit murder with that many witnesses around. ‘Evening, Oberon.’
‘Well, well, if it isn’t my old friend, Silver,’ Oberon said, leaning back in his chair. ‘And looking very serious, I might add.’
‘I have been engaged on serious business,’ Robert said.
‘Why don’t you join me for a drink and tell me about it?’ Oberon invited. ‘I shall enjoy spending my last hours as a bachelor in the company of my good friend. Stokes! A brandy for Mr Silverton!’
Robert studied the man with whom he had gambled away more nights than he cared to remember and wondered that he had ever thought him a friend. Now, he could only see him for what he was: a desperate, conniving man who took no responsibility for his actions. One who felt no qualms about destroying other people’s hopes and dreams.
A man who would ruin an innocent young woman’s life in a twisted attempt to thwart another’s.
‘So, Robert, what business have you been engaged upon that has you looking so glum?’ Oberon asked. ‘Although, perhaps before you tell me, I should demand that you settle the terms of our wager. You owe me for not having told me the truth about my bride.’
Robert didn’t so much as blink. ‘The truth?’
‘About her being a farmer’s daughter, of course,’ Oberon said, laughing. ‘What a turnabout, eh? A viscount’s son marrying the daughter of an impoverished French farmer. My, how the ton would laugh if they were to hear such a tale. How I would be roasted for having allowed myself to be taken advantage of by a beautiful face. But they won’t, of course, because I have already concocted a delightful new background for my beautiful bride. Shall I tell you what it is?’
‘Oberon—’
‘No, really, I insist you listen. You’l
l find it quite amusing. The young lady is actually the only daughter of the Comte de Shaltiere, a noble Frenchman who, sadly, was killed in a tragic accident just north of Lyon. His wife, the beautiful Comtesse de Shaltiere, died too, leaving Sophie and her brother to be raised by a kindly aunt whose name I cannot remember and who no one is ever going to find.’
‘You’re wasting your time, Oberon.’
‘No, in fact, I am making extremely good use of it,’ Oberon said. ‘I’ve had to because you’ve not been the good friend I believed you to be. A good friend would have told me about Miss Vallois’s origins, as I understand you learned of them some time ago.’
‘It came up in conversation.’
‘And you did not think it important enough to share with me?’
Robert met the belligerent gaze with equanimity. ‘My decision not to say anything had more to do with protecting her good name than yours.’
‘Yes, no doubt you and the Longworths were in collusion. Making sure no one ever found out that the beautiful Miss Vallois was actually a farmer’s daughter.’
‘There was no collusion and it was never the Longworths’ intent to make anyone believe Miss Vallois was something she was not.’
‘Then why dress her up in fine clothes and present her as though she were a lady?’ Oberon snapped. ‘What was that if not a calculated attempt to convince society she was well born?’
‘Miss Vallois may not be well born, but she is every inch a lady.’
‘Rubbish! She is a farmer’s brat. The sad consequence of peasants rutting in the fields.’
Robert had to fight the urge to lean across the table and grab Oberon by the throat. ‘If you feel that way, why not call the whole thing off?’
‘Call it off? What, so that you can march in and marry the chit yourself? Oh, no, Silver, I won’t let you trump me in this. There’s far too much at stake. Besides, I have my pride.’
‘But I love her,’ Robert said quietly. ‘Can you make the same claim?’
Courting Miss Vallois Page 22