Elizabeth sighed. “You see, Sergeant Kellogg couldn’t take Oriel and the baby to live with him until he found a suitable place, but he couldn’t find a job and—”
“Logan told me he was going to give Kellogg a job,” Gideon said.
“Yes, that was very thoughtful of him, but I didn’t know that, and in the meantime Oriel was living here.”
“I’ve heard that baby scream. I imagine you were anxious for Kellogg to claim her,” Gideon said.
“You are such a wise man. Yes, I was, but she needed money before she could leave, and I didn’t see any reason why Thornton shouldn’t help her out. He was only too glad to help a woman he’d never even met, after all.”
“So she pretended to be Berta?” Gideon asked, hardly able to believe it.
“Yes, she did. She only got twenty-five hundred from him though. She could have done much better, but as I said, she’s not very experienced at this.”
“Do you have any more questions?” Jake asked with amusement.
“I understand the business with Oriel pretending to be Noelle so she could get herself to America,” Gideon mused, “and now I think I’ve got the business with Thornton figured out. But what happens when Devoss and Stevenson and the Overman Committee find out that Berta Volker doesn’t exist and wasn’t arrested in Charleston and all the charges against Thornton are bogus?”
“‘Bogus’ is such an ugly word,” Jake objected.
“Those charges won’t hold up, of course,” Elizabeth said, giving Jake a reproving look, “but the Old Man did some investigating and found out that Thornton managed to cheat a few people himself during the latter months of the war. They were more than willing to provide proof of it, and that evidence will arrive anonymously at the MID offices in the morning. This will mollify Mr. Devoss, who will naturally be sorely disappointed when he can’t find any proof that Berta Volker was funding Bolsheviks.”
“The Old Man thinks Thornton will do some serious prison time as a result of his evidence,” Jake added.
“Which means that the two of you won’t have to worry about him coming after you for revenge,” Gideon said with obvious relief, “but when he realizes he’s in trouble, he will certainly go to the newspapers and accuse Elizabeth of cheating him.”
“But no one will believe him,” Elizabeth said with great satisfaction, “because tomorrow the newspapers will all report how he accused two perfectly innocent women of outlandish crimes and in general behaved like a madman.”
She watched as Gideon gradually put it all together and realized what she had done. The expression on his face was glorious. “So no one will ever believe anything he says again.”
“Yes, my darling. Never, ever again.”
He swept her into his arms and kissed her soundly. Both of them ignored Jake’s outraged hoots.
When Gideon finally released her, he turned to Jake. This time he had his attorney face on, though. “And what was all this business with Lord Percy? I know you wanted Logan to break his engagement but—”
“Logan was not going to break his engagement, even if it meant he would spend the rest of his life in misery,” Elizabeth said. “That would also mean that Noelle would be miserable and even poor Rosemary would, too.”
“Poor Rosemary,” Gideon echoed sarcastically. “And I suppose it didn’t hurt that you got a little revenge for Rosemary announcing our engagement.”
“I think I deserve a little revenge, since her meddling put Thornton back on my trail again and that almost ruined my life, but then I found out Rosemary had driven some poor girl to suicide and . . . Well, revenge wasn’t my intention at all at first. At first, we were just trying to give Rosemary a good reason to break the engagement herself,” Elizabeth explained. “So we introduced her to a much more interesting man. A more interesting man who came out of this with more money than anyone.”
“I had to make expenses,” Jake said defensively. “Do you have any idea how much those fancy duds cost?”
“Did you take money from Rosemary?” Gideon asked, outraged.
“Rosemary is a woman,” Elizabeth reminded him. “She doesn’t have any money.”
“But her father apparently has money to burn. He was happy to give me a loan to buy some horses,” Jake said.
“Horses?” Gideon echoed in confusion.
“Yes, to replenish my stables at Hartwood,” Jake explained in his British accent. “Mr. Westerly was quite impressed with all those broken-down racehorses we showed him.”
“But why . . . ? No, wait, don’t tell me. But you said it was a loan. Surely, he made you sign a promissory note.”
“Of course he did. Lord Percy Hyde-Langdon, the Earl of Hartwood, signed it,” Jake said.
“And he doesn’t exist,” Gideon said with a sign. “I’m sorry I asked.”
“Yes, dear, some things are best left unsaid,” Elizabeth said.
“And what about your engagement to Rosemary?” Gideon asked.
“Sadly, she will be jilted when Lord Percy must return to England,” Jake said.
“And when her father tries to collect on his loan, he’ll discover there is no Earl of Hartwood,” Gideon said with obvious disapproval.
“No, darling,” Elizabeth said. “He will discover from the letter that poor Rosemary will receive that Percy has actually lost the family estate and been forced to retire to the Continent to escape his creditors. He will apologize for having deceived her and promise to repay her father when his fortunes improve.”
“Won’t Rosemary come to you to try to find him, though?”
“I can’t imagine she would ever admit he had jilted her, but if she does, I will be outraged and make every attempt to help locate him.”
Gideon sighed. “At least she gets to keep the engagement ring. That was a beauty.”
“Oh, it’s paste,” Elizabeth said. “It will probably turn her finger green in another few days.”
“And having me expose the plot with Thornton and Vane and Berta gave Percy a perfect reason to leave town, so everything worked out,” Jake said.
“I’m not sure I would say everything worked out,” Gideon said, not nearly as impressed as Jake. “Did Anna know all of this?”
“She knew some of it. She helped with Percy, of course, and I’ll explain the rest to her at the proper time.”
“So she didn’t really help you con Thornton?” Gideon said.
“She helped me get him out of my house,” Elizabeth said.
“Out of your house?” Gideon echoed in alarm.
“It’s all over now, darling. We never have to worry about Thornton again. All we need to think about now is our wedding and our new life together.”
* * *
—
By March, the weather was showing signs of warming. Elizabeth had spent the past two weeks thinking about nothing but her wedding, and the day had finally arrived.
“Are you all packed for your wedding trip?” Anna asked as she laboriously worked to close each of the two dozen satin buttons on the back of Elizabeth’s tea-length satin gown. They were in Elizabeth’s bedroom in Cybil’s house. This was the last day she would live here.
“Yes, although we aren’t leaving until tomorrow. We’re staying at the Waldorf tonight, I understand.”
“Hasn’t Gideon given you any idea where you’re going?”
“No, he wants it to be a surprise.”
“How did you know what to pack?”
“He said pack for winter and summer both.”
“So he’s taking you to the Caribbean,” Anna said with confidence.
“Or he’s just trying to fool me.”
“Did you hear that Rosemary Westerly is sailing for England next week?” Anna asked slyly.
“What? You’re joking!”
“She’s taking her mother. She’s say
ing that she is going to inspect her new home before the wedding.”
“But Percy sent her a letter revealing that he was a fraud who had lost his estate and that he was fleeing to Europe. He definitely said he was releasing her from her promise to marry him,” Elizabeth said.
“But she isn’t going to want people to know she was bamboozled by a phony earl,” Anna said. “I think she’s going just so she can tell everyone she didn’t like England at all and decided not to marry him.”
“I just hope she doesn’t decide to take out her anger on me,” Elizabeth said with a shudder.
“I wouldn’t worry too much. I’m willing to bet Rosemary will manage to find some other impoverished aristocrat who is willing to take her in exchange for a large dowry, which her filthy-rich father will provide. She’ll have herself a title before summer.”
“Do you think so? I do hope she ends up in a castle somewhere,” Elizabeth said.
“A drafty, crumbling castle with no indoor plumbing,” Anna added.
They both laughed at that image, but the sound of harp music drifting up from below sobered them instantly.
“Time for the veil,” Anna said. She picked up the delicate confection from where it lay on the bed and settled the lace cap over Elizabeth’s head, taking care not to muss her hair. Then she fluffed out the netting of the veil to fall across her shoulders and down her back.
To Elizabeth’s amazement, tears filled Anna’s eyes. “You’re so beautiful.”
“And so are you,” Elizabeth told her, stepping back to admire the lovely blue gown Anna had chosen.
“But look at you,” Anna said, turning Elizabeth so she could see herself in the mirror.
Elizabeth’s breath caught. She did look beautiful. For a moment she allowed herself just to feel the unadulterated joy of knowing she was going to be married this day to a man she absolutely adored and who adored her in return, a man who didn’t care about her checkered past or her unusual relationship with the truth or her less than honest relatives. She in turn would forgive him for sometimes valuing the truth too much and trusting justice when it so often failed.
A tap on the bedroom door reminded them that they would be wanted soon. Anna opened the door and admitted the Old Man. He wore what appeared to be a brand-new, tailor-made suit. From his silver hair to his mirror-glossed shoes, he looked impeccable, and he actually gasped when he saw her.
“Lizzie, I wish your mother could see you now.”
Elizabeth wished that, too, but she would be happy with the family who was left to her. “Are all the guests here?”
“According to Hazel, they are.” Gideon would frown to hear the Old Man calling his mother by her Christian name, but there was nothing for it now. This marriage would make them family of sorts forever. “They make a pretty respectable crowd, although the numbers from our side are pretty low.”
“Maybe we should have invited Spuds or Dan the Dude,” Elizabeth joked.
“Yes, I would have loved introducing someone named Spuds to Mr. Devoss,” Anna said.
They all laughed at the thought, and the Old Man turned his attention to Anna. “You look awfully fetching yourself, Miss Vanderslice.”
She sketched him a little curtsy. “Thank you, Mr. Miles. Did you happen to notice how my mother is doing?”
“Very well, I think. Hazel is looking after her, and everyone is being very solicitous, although she did take me aside to tell me that David would have been the best man if he had lived.”
“Oh dear, I hope she’s not saying that to everyone,” Anna said, touching a finger to her eye to stem a tear.
“Everyone will understand,” Elizabeth said. “This must be very hard for you, too.”
Anna smiled bravely. “Seeing my two best friends get married isn’t hard at all.” She turned to the Old Man. “How do we know when it’s time for us to go down?”
“They told me to bring you girls right out. As soon as the harpist hears us coming down the stairs, she will start playing the wedding march.”
Anna looked to Elizabeth who said, “Then let’s go, shall we?” Anna picked up Elizabeth’s elaborate bouquet of lilies from the bed and made sure Elizabeth had a good grip on it before retrieving her own bouquet of white chrysanthemums.
Anna led the way, with the Old Man coming behind. Elizabeth could hear the low murmur of conversation that ceased the instant the harpist changed her tune. All heads turned to see them coming. Elizabeth knew everyone there except for one. Cybil and Zelda sat in the front row on the bride’s side. They had gleefully accepted the mother-of-the-bride duties, greeting the guests and getting everyone seated. Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Vanderslice sat side by side on the groom’s side, both dabbing at tears with their lace handkerchiefs. Elizabeth saw Mr. Devoss—sitting on the bride’s side, bless his heart—and her cherished Smith, who took such good care of Gideon at the office. She also saw Mr. Van Aken and his wife, and the rest of the partners from the law firm with their wives, along with several of Gideon’s oldest friends. She had also invited the society reporter, Carrie Decker, who was busily jotting down notes about every detail of the wedding. Carrie had happily reported in the gossip column that a certain RW had been disappointed to learn that her fiancé had sailed for England without even saying farewell. Carrie was grateful enough for the scoop to give Elizabeth’s wedding much more attention than it would otherwise have deserved.
Finally, Elizabeth caught sight of Logan Carstens, who was practically beaming, and the one person whom she had not yet met: Noelle Fortier. The two of them had only arrived yesterday, their sailing delayed because of storms. But from the expression on Noelle’s face, she knew exactly what role Elizabeth had played in her life.
Only then did Elizabeth allow herself to look beyond the guests to the arch of greenery and hothouse flowers under which she would be married. Had she ever worried that Gideon might suddenly come to his senses and realize that marrying the daughter of a con man was a terrible mistake? But no, there he was looking even more handsome than she remembered, his eyes filled with the love she knew he felt for her. And beside him was the replacement best man who had been so astonished to be asked that he had determined to behave with the utmost dignity and decorum. Still, Jake couldn’t resist giving her one of his most mischievous grins.
When they reached the parlor doorway, everyone stood. Anna led the way down the makeshift aisle between the rows of folding chairs, taking her place on the opposite side of the arch. The Old Man looked down at her, his blue eyes shining with what looked suspiciously like tears. He patted her hand where it was tucked into the crook of his elbow. “Shall we?” he asked, and he led her down the aisle to where Gideon waited.
The Old Man sounded a little hoarse when he responded to the question, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” Elizabeth found she could hardly speak above a whisper when asked to repeat her vows, but Gideon had no trouble at all, taking apparent delight in making such important promises. Jake handed over the ring with great solemnity, and before Elizabeth knew it, the minister—the new minister from their church whom she had grown to like very much—pronounced them man and wife.
Gideon’s kiss was chaste enough but held the promise of much more to come. Then the minister invited the guests to come forward and congratulate the newlyweds. Cybil and Zelda, who were both crying by this time, were first in line, followed by Mrs. Bates, who whispered to Elizabeth that now she finally had the daughter she’d always wanted. Mrs. Vanderslice was still weeping, and she hugged Gideon for a long time. Mr. Devoss claimed a kiss from the bride, as did Gideon’s friends and the other partners, although Mr. Van Aken refrained after a glare from his wife. Smith was entirely too proper to actually kiss Elizabeth, so she kissed him on the cheek, which made him blush furiously.
The last guests to come forward were Logan and Noelle. Gideon had gone to the dock to meet them yesterday, but Elizabeth ha
d been too busy with last-minute preparations, so this was her first opportunity to meet Noelle.
Noelle kissed her on both cheeks, in the European fashion, and thanked her profusely. She really was a lovely young woman, and she and Logan seemed deliriously happy.
“You are married now?” Elizabeth asked.
“Oui,” Noelle said. “We are married in France, at my home, but Logan’s maman and papa will have a . . .” She gestured helplessly, trying to find the right word.
“Reception,” Logan said.
“Oui, a reception. You will come, non?”
“We’ll wait until you’re back from your honeymoon,” Logan said. “It’s the least we can do, since we wouldn’t be married if you hadn’t figured everything out.”
“If you only knew,” Gideon murmured for Elizabeth’s ears only.
Elizabeth ignored him. “Of course we’ll come. I look forward to becoming good friends.”
Anna and Jake then took their turns congratulating the happy couple. Anna shed a few tears and Jake managed to tease them a bit.
Elizabeth leaned in to Jake and asked, “Did Logan seem to recognize you?”
“Not at all. He’s only got eyes for that wife of his, but Devoss is sure we’ve met somewhere before. I told him it’s possible. I get around a lot.”
Cybil of course had known him even in his disguise, but then she’d known him all his life. Ordinary people could usually be fooled by a good disguise because they tended to only focus on the most obvious characteristics. Percy’s hair and beard and even his British accent would have distracted most people from noticing much of anything else. The disguise had even fooled Oscar Thornton during their brief encounter at Gideon’s office, which had been the most important ruse of all.
And who would ever suspect that Elizabeth’s brother would be impersonating a British earl?
The guests adjourned to the dining room where a light buffet supper had been set out. Jake, still pretending to be responsible, made sure everyone had been served a glass of champagne and gave a toast to the health and happiness of the bride and groom.
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