The Secrets of Seduction (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 7)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  “I understand,” Malcolm replied. Instead of the frustration that he probably should feel, Malcolm was stunned to realize that he only felt relief. Relief that he didn’t have to make medical decisions on his father’s behalf.

  The surgeon bowed her head with a heavy sigh, then looked directly at Malcolm. “I’ll give you some privacy. If you can change his mind, please let me know. I’m standing by, ready to perform the surgery.”

  Malcolm nodded and the surgeon started to walk away. But Malcom lifted his hand and the woman stopped, looking up at Malcom patiently. “If the surgery was successful, how much more time would he have?”

  The doctor shuffled her feet. “I honestly couldn’t say my lord. I don’t know how much damage was done during this last attack. And it’s very possible that he’s had several micro events that he passed off as nothing. Sometimes, a small heart attack manifests itself as heartburn or just an ache in the arm. Maybe a bit of indigestion. Has your father mentioned any of these symptoms recently?”

  Malcolm shook his head. “I haven’t heard from my father about anything like that,” he said, not bothering to mention that he’d been estranged from his father for more than a decade.

  “I understand,” she sighed. “If you can change his mind,” she repeated, but left the sentence hanging this time. It had already been said.

  Malcolm looked down at Ella. The concern in her eyes soothed him. There was a deep level of frustration bubbling up in him, but not for the reasons others might think. He wanted his father alive and able to suffer for his crimes. Only one of which was killing his mother. There had to be others.

  “I’ll…”

  “I’ll go in with you,” she volunteered.

  Relief surged through him. He hadn’t wanted to ask. After this morning, he wasn’t sure where their relationship stood. But with her standing beside him at this particular moment, he knew how he felt about her without any doubt. He loved her.

  Bending, he kissed her. Just a brief brush of his lips against hers, but it was enough. For this moment, it was enough. Later, he promised himself a longer taste of Ella. He’d make love to her until neither of them could move.

  Straightening, he eyed the doorway of the hospital room. He really didn’t want to go in there.

  Stepping through the doors, he looked in at the man lying in the hospital bed. His skin was almost the same shade as the sheets. He had an oxygen tube going to his nose and an IV running into his veins. There was a heart monitor, but other than that, nothing. Apparently, he didn’t want anything else going into his old, withered body.

  “It’s about time you got here,” Edward Reynolds grumbled.

  His eyes flickered open and he glared at Malcolm. But the old, rheumy eyes didn’t have the same impact that they’d had decades ago.

  Malcolm’s fingers tightened around Ella’s hand. “I understand that you’ve refused heart surgery.”

  “No surgery,” he insisted firmly. “I’ll be fine! I just need a bit of rest.”

  Malcolm nodded his head. “I understand. Ella is another witness to your refusal of medical treatment.”

  The man’s eyes shifted, taking in Ella.

  “Who the hell is she?” the old man sneered.

  “My fiancée,” Malcolm said firmly, his fingers tightened on Ella’s hand, silently asking her to not argue.

  “Over my dead body!” he gasped, obviously trying to yell. “You haven’t gotten my approval to marry, you heartless son of a bitch!”

  Malcolm felt Ella move closer to him and wrapped his arm around her waist. “As I understand it, you’ve given me legal authority to maintain the estate and your businesses, but not your medical decisions. Is that correct?”

  Edward chuckled. Sort of. “Yeah, you were an ungrateful son, but you’ve got a hell of a head for business. Do what you need to with the estate.” He chuckled. “Why don’t you weave your financial magic over my accounts? I’ll come out of here a wealthy man.”

  Malcolm inwardly cringed at his words. “So, you’ve run through your inheritance and want me to take over and replenish the family coffers, is that it?”

  “Hell yes! You’re wealthy enough for the two of us. Besides, you owe me! It’s about time you took over and fixed everything.” He smiled smugly, and closed his eyes. “Go away.”

  Malcolm glanced down at Ella. She shrugged, obviously confused by the old man’s words. “Let’s go,” he murmured.

  As soon as they left the room, the doctor stepped forward. “I heard,” she sighed. “I’m sorry, my lord. If he changes his mind, I’ll have my staff call you.”

  Malcolm nodded, his hand taking Ella’s again. “Thank you,” and he headed for the exit.

  The chief of police was walking in just as they were walking out. “My lord!” he called out, nodding his head politely. “I understand that you asked for my presence?”

  Malcolm stared at the man for a long moment, then shook his head. “False alarm. I apologize for calling you here.”

  “No bother,” the man replied cheerily. “If there’s anything I can do to help you in this time of need, please feel free to contact me.”

  Malcolm nodded curtly, then left the hospital, Ella in tow.

  Chapter 11

  Ella stared at the enormous, stone house as Malcom drove up the gravel driveway. She hadn’t seen the house in years, and it looked a bit more worn than she remembered.

  “He hasn’t taken care of the house or grounds in forever,” Malcolm muttered, mirroring her thoughts.

  “Yeah, it looks pretty desolate.”

  He parked in front of the house and, immediately, the front doors opened. An older woman stood there waiting, her fingers twisting at the apron in front of her.

  “How is the Duke?” she asked as Malcolm approached. “Will he be coming back?”

  Ella watched the woman’s expression as Malcolm shook his head. “I’m sorry, Beth, but he’s dying and he’s refusing medical treatment. So, there’s nothing the hospital can do for him.”

  The woman showed a mix of emotions. Worry and relief were what popped into Ella’s mind.

  “Well,” she whispered. “That’s…” she shook her head, not sure what to say. “That’s a shame.” Turning, she moved so that Malcolm could enter the house. “Will you be needing my services if….” she stopped, swallowing.

  Malcolm knew what she was asking.

  “I don’t know what’s going to happen with my father, Beth, but you’ll be taken care of. Why hasn’t he allowed you to retire?”

  Beth’s weathered hands moved to her apron once again. “No retirement,” she whispered. “Me and Harvey, we’ve worked for your father for…well, we don’t earn enough to retire, my lord.” She looked down at her feet, obviously ashamed.

  Malcom took the woman’s aging hand in his. “I’ll arrange for a healthy retirement for you,” he told her gently. “You were kind to my mother during her life. I appreciate that.”

  The woman’s eyes widened with hope, then tears sprung into her eyes. “Oh, sir, that’s…she was a good lady! She didn’t deserve what your father did to her.”

  “No one does, Beth. He was a brutal man.”

  Beth pressed her lips together, but didn’t reply.

  Malcolm lifted Beth’s hands slightly. “As of this moment, consider yourself retired. Why don’t you go talk to Harvey and figure out where you’d like to live? I’ll arrange for a house and an income for both of you. You’ve both worked for my family for more than fifty years. You’re entitled to a quiet, relaxing retirement.”

  The woman’s eyes widened further, and she sobbed, pressing Malcolm’s hand to her cheek. “Oh, thank you, my lord!” she whispered, too overcome with relief to say anything more.

  “Go talk to Harvey,” Malcolm urged. “And don’t thank me. This is only what you have earned.”

  The woman’s trembling fingers moved to cover her mouth as she nodded and turned away, eager to find her husband.

  “Why didn’t she have a
retirement plan?” Ella whispered.

  “Because my father basically made both of them indentured servants. If any staff member broke something, they were threatened with criminal charges or offered the chance to repay their debt to him through labor. Free labor. I’d imagine that Beth and Harvey were told that they’d broken items in the household, those pieces’ value was then doubled or tripled by my father’s mercenary imagination, and then each of them were required to sign a confession of what they’d done with the verbal agreement that they would work off the costs of each item over time.”

  “Verbally?”

  “He couldn’t put the agreements in writing because his actions were…are…illegal. It’s basic slavery, forcing someone to work for no wages. He could spin it however he wanted, but it’s still slavery.”

  “That’s horrible! Why didn’t you stop him before now?”

  “I tried. I’ve been in contact with Beth and Harvey over the last few years, letting them know that I would protect them and cover their legal fees if they would testify to what my father was doing.”

  Ella understood. “But they were too afraid of him, right?”

  “Yes. Afraid and not sure how to earn a living without a recommendation from my father after so many years of employment. No matter what I said to them, they lived in fear.”

  Ella sighed and moved closer, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I suspect that you’re going to have a lot of issues like this to tackle once you’ve taken over the estate.”

  “Yes,” he agreed, holding her close. “But for now, let’s see what else is going on, shall we?”

  She pulled back and smiled up at him. “How can I help?” she asked.

  He reached out, touching her cheek. “How about writing up everything he’s done? As soon as you discover one of his atrocities, document it. Write about it. Get it all out there for the rest of the world to know about. Tell the story. I don’t want anyone to revere my father. I don’t want anyone to speculate or mourn his passing.”

  Ella’s chin trembled but she nodded. “I can do that,” she told him with absolute conviction.

  Over the next four days, Malcolm went through the papers in his father’s study, handing her anything that might even hint of illegal or unethical activities or have any reference to a club or symbol with a flame, palm or something close to it.

  Ella wrote furiously, cross-referencing everything with outside information. There were illegal payments to the local police, not just the chief of police, but to several of the police officers. Malcolm gave her several invoices that didn’t make any sense, so Ella got help from her editor and the newspaper’s accountants. There were other issues, such as drugs and prostitutes that had been purchased for his dinner parties, a few pictures and handwritten notes that Malcolm suggested were blackmail …the list of Edward’s crimes seemed endless. All the evidence pointed to a man who considered himself to be above the law.

  It was a massive article. She worked closely with her editor and the legal staff at the newspaper to ensure accuracy and to protect the newspaper from lawsuits. They tried hard to keep it quiet, not wanting anyone else to know of the breaking news ahead of time. News that one of Britain’s great aristocrats, and a Duke at that, was a very bad man was huge news! It was a scoop that Ella wasn’t willing to give away to anyone else.

  Chapter 12

  “This doesn’t make sense,” Ella muttered to herself as she flipped from one page to the next. Malcolm was at the hospital, talking to his father. Edward answered all of Malcolm’s questions about his financial issues, assuming that his son was taking over everything. Malcolm didn’t disabuse Edward of that idea, wanting to get all of his illegal activities documented and stopped. The doctors said that Edward had only a few more days, maybe a week, to live. His kidneys had already stopped working and he was living on dialysis machines. His liver was becoming toxic and his heart was barely pumping enough oxygen to keep him alive.

  Initially, Ella had a bit of an ethical dilemma about Malcolm getting information from Edward when he didn’t know that his crimes would be revealed. But as they dug deeper, and after a long conversation with her editor and the legal team at the newspaper, Ella realized that Edward had every right to stop talking and explaining and it was better to stop the crimes the old duke had perpetuated over the years. The man was black right to his soul, she thought as she started reading another document, trying to connect all of the dots.

  “Something is missing,” she muttered, shaking her head. Picking up her phone, she dialed Malcolm’s number. When he picked up, she explained, “Hey, the information you gave me about the shipments on the eighteenth don’t match up with the orders. Were there other pages that explained the contents?”

  “They might still be in my father’s study. I left several files out on his desk. Why don’t you go over there and look? I’ll be there as soon as I’m finished here at the hospital.”

  “Sounds great.”

  “I’ll have Beth let you in.”

  “I thought she was supposed to be relaxing somewhere on a beach.”

  He laughed slightly. “She refuses to stop working until I’m finished cleaning up this mess. Harvey as well. They were able to fill in some of the blanks too, so it’s good that they are still around.”

  “Okay, I’ll bring her some muffins from the village. Ingrid makes the best!”

  “I agree. Save one for me,” he said, then rung off.

  Ella smiled, thinking about Malcolm’s sweet tooth. The man really loved dessert. And Ella loved that he enjoyed desserts as well, since sometimes, she was the dessert!

  Gathering everything up into her arms, she turned and…dumped it all back on the desk before racing into the bathroom. She made it just to the toilet moments before her stomach heaved. For several minutes, she heaved and groaned as the nausea continued until there was nothing left for her to throw up.

  Afterward, she sat on the floor, staying as still as possible. This was the third morning that this had happened and Ella was truly sick of feeling miserable. “What in the world is going on?” she whispered, her palm against her forehead as she tried to make sense of her body.

  Then it hit her. The one word. The word that had happened to both of her friends.

  Pregnant.

  “Oh no!” she whispered. “I can’t be pregnant!”

  Her thoughts flashed back to that morning she’d found her birth control patch on the floor. It had somehow come off and…and she very well might be pregnant! “Oh no!”

  She sat there for several stunned minutes, not sure what to think. Well, besides panic! Yes, she was pretty panicked at the moment! Panicked and scared!

  Her hand moved to her stomach. A baby. Malcolm’s baby. Her baby! Wow!

  She wanted to tell herself that she wasn’t happy about being pregnant. But…deep down inside, she felt a bubble of happiness. That bubble grew and grew, expanding until she felt almost light headed. Her first instinct was to rush over to the hospital so that she could share the news with Malcolm at once.

  She pulled herself to her feet using the counter and looked into the mirror. A baby! Wow! She’d never planned on being a single mom, but at this particular moment, she was too excited at the prospect of this baby to worry about all of the issues that come from being a single parent. Malcolm would help, she knew that. Over the past few days, she’d come to know what a good man he was. What a strong, capable man with a very strong moral and ethical compass. No, he wouldn’t abandon their child.

  He’d probably propose, but she’d have to say no. She loved him, Ella acknowledged. Loved him with all her heart. She admired him, respected him, and loved him completely. But…they couldn’t make a marriage work with just one person in love with the other. She’d watched her parents and knew that marriage was difficult. It was only because of the powerful love that they shared with each other that helped them through those hard times.

  So, marriage was out of the question. Which only brought to mind…wh
at did she do about their affair? It was still burning hot. So…should she break things off now? Or just continue to enjoy this affair for as long as it lasted?

  She’d have to tell Malcolm about the baby, that wasn’t even a question. But how? And when? After all of this mess with his father was finished? After his father passed away? Everything was such a mess right now.

  Of course, perhaps she should confirm the pregnancy first. Just because she’d been sick the past few mornings wasn’t absolute proof that she was pregnant.

  Then again…she’d been exhausted every afternoon. And now that she thought about it, her breasts were extra sensitive lately. Last night, she’d almost climaxed when he’d touched her breasts. “Wow!” she whispered, grabbing her tooth brush and brushing her teeth, scrubbing away the horrible taste in her mouth.

  “Work!” she exclaimed. “Time to work. There would be time later to figure out the baby thing.”

  Ella drove over to the estate, smiling as Beth opened the door. “Hello! How are you doing today?” she asked of the elderly housekeeper.

  Beth’s features broke out into a grin. The woman seemed to have lost twenty years from her face over the past few days. Since Edward’s heart attack and Malcolm taking over all of the duke’s business affairs, the stress of Beth’s world had eased dramatically.

  “Harvey and I are considering Greece for our retirement,” she announced happily. “We found a small place in a tiny village that looks lovely.”

  Ella laughed and touched the woman’s shoulder. “Greece is incredibly beautiful!” Ella didn’t say more, because every day, Beth came up with a different option for their retirement.

  “I just don’t want to impose too much on his lordship,” she replied, referring to Malcolm. “I won’t take his offer for granted.”

  Ella looked directly into Beth’s eyes. “You won’t be relying on Malcolm’s generosity, Beth. Malcolm has reserved funds from Edward’s accounts, earmarked for your retirement. Although, I suspect it is going to take a while for you to accept that your life has changed now.”