“I would get by on the small stipend I would receive. But I worry about my servants and tenants. Do you think your solicitor has any word yet on the legality of the new clause?”
“We have an appointment to see him later today. I hope he has found something.” He smiled at her reassuringly. “We will find a solution to this. We must.”
Evelyn liked the use of the word “we.”
The carriage drew to a halt in front of an imposing mansion. A footman opened the door, then Joseph helped her out. She looked up at the limestone home and a shiver went through her.
“What is it?”
“I can never enter this home without thinking of my father’s death. I found him at his desk, already gone.”
Joseph took her hand. “You do not have to do this. You can return to Lynwood House while I talk to your cousin.”
She shook her head and squeezed his hand. “I am not a coward, sir. But I am dearly glad you are here with me.”
“There is no place I would rather be.”
She was about to respond when the door opened, revealing a dour butler. It was not the same one who’d served her father. Her cousin had turned him out almost immediately, but Evelyn had been able to secure him a good position in town, since he had not wished to leave London. This butler was the severe and disapproving Forsyte. Pip had been especially proud that they’d been able to poach him from a prominent marquess.
None of the family was there to greet her though she’d sent a message that morning informing them of her visit. But it was a cold December day and she could hardly expect them to come outside. Joseph escorted her up the stairs, to ensure she did not slip on the icy steps. If there was anything else in his strong hold, she did not know.
But she could hope.
Forsyte bowed to her, eyeing Joseph warily. “Welcome, Lady Evelyn.” He took her cloak, while a footman helped Joseph.
“Thank you, Forsyte. This is my friend, Inspector Joseph Stapleton, of Bow Street.” She and Joseph had decided it would be wise to let her family know of his profession straight away. It could be useful in persuading them to abandon any plans that were not quite legal.
The butler’s brows rose just the slightest amount. “I shall announce you to the earl and countess. If you will be so kind as to wait in the sitting room.”
The sitting room was so changed Evelyn might not have recognized it. It was completely done over in the Chinese style with red silk wallpaper and ornate overstuffed chaise lounges.
“It’s very….colorful, isn’t it?” asked Joseph.
He was being polite, but it was obvious from his look that he thought it was as gaudy as she did. For the first time since they’d set out that morning, she felt like laughing.
“Evelyn, my dear!”
Evelyn turned to see Pip enter the room with arms outstretched. Her cousin’s wife was seven years older than Evelyn and a beautiful blonde. Her pale blue eyes were highlighted by the light blue morning gown she wore. And while Pip was the mother of two children, her figure was still as trim as when she’d first married.
They touched cheeks.
“Pip, you look as lovely as ever.”
The countess blushed. “And you are as kind as I remember. I believe time is catching up to me. I am trying to avoid my vanity mirror as much as possible since it seems every time I glance in it I find another wrinkle.”
Pip might have a wrinkle or two, but they did nothing to diminish her beauty.
“Penelope, Countess of Larsen, may I present Inspector Joseph Stapleton.”
Pip smiled warmly at him, with no trace of surprise. Forsyte must have been thorough in announcing them. “I hope you are not here in an official capacity, Inspector.”
“I am here at Lady Evelyn’s request,” he said, bowing to her.
“You are most welcome in our house. And here is my dear husband come to greet you both.”
The earl was a portly man nearing forty. He was dressed in Bond Street’s finest, though the telltale squeak of a male corset marred the fashionable effect somewhat. After welcoming Evelyn and Joseph, he delicately lowered himself into a chair, looking none too comfortable.
“Cousin, I am so glad you have come to town,” he said. “Dare I take it that you are going to accept Robert’s proposal?”
“No, Reginald, I fear I have not changed my mind about cousins marrying.”
“Then are you here to announce another betrothal?” He suddenly looked at Joseph with worry evident in his eyes. “You don’t mean to marry the policeman, do you?”
Evelyn blushed brightly. “I have no plans to marry at this moment. I have come to town to attend to some business.”
“But what kind of business does a lady have? I have told you time and time again that you need only leave those affairs to me and I shall look after them well, even if it means I have to go to your estate for a month or two. My dear wife would not mind. We are family, after all.”
“We are,” said the countess with a smile for Evelyn. “I cannot imagine why you would want to conduct business on that farm when Lord Larsen would gladly do it for you.”
“Thank you for the generous offer,” said Evelyn. “But I enjoy everything pertaining to the farm and look forward to returning as soon as my business here is concluded.”
“Pray do not tell me you’re thinking of leaving already,” said a voice at the door. “You have only just arrived.”
Joseph was then introduced to Robert Williams, considerably younger and thinner than his brother, though with the bloodshot eyes and mottled skin of dissipation. Robert bowed over Evelyn’s hand, then kissed her cheek much too close to her lips. It was only due to the lady turning her head that he did not connect.
“What will you be doing while you are in town?” asked Robert, as he slouched into an uncomfortable chair, then winced at the jolt it gave his head. “Will you be going to any of the dreadful ton events Pip is always trying to get me to attend?”
“You should attend them, Robert,” said Pip. “You are at an age when you must think about marrying. Of course, you should have not just a care for marriage itself, but also to whom you marry.” Here, she gave a pointed look at Evelyn.
“You have my word, Pip, that I have given a great deal of thought to my choice of bride, which is one reason I am looking forward to having Evelyn in residence.”
“Yes, Evelyn,” said Pip. “Do please stay with us. You must know you are always welcome. I realize your trip must have been of such short notice that you did not have a chance to send word. But that will never matter with us. We are delighted to have you stay.”
Though she did not look all that delighted and her smile was a bit forced.
“Thank you, Pip,” said Evelyn. “But I will not be availing myself of your kind hospitality.”
“Then where will you stay?” asked Reginald. “You have no other family and few friends.”
“She is a guest of the Duke and Duchess of Lynwood, at their town house,” said Joseph.
“That is most irregular,” said Reginald. “I didn’t even think the duke and duchess were in town. Aren’t they on their wedding trip? And how do you know them so well that you would be their guest, Evelyn? That will look most odd, indeed, staying at Lynwood House instead of with your own family. Think of the gossip it will cause.”
Joseph continued his explanation. “While the duke and duchess are out of town, Lords Edward, Arthur and Henry, along with their wives, are all in residence and have issued her an invitation.”
Reginald tried to adjust his waistcoat over his belly in an attempt to assert his authority. “I really do not need to hear your opinion on where Lady Evelyn will be staying. Remember your place, man.”
“Reginald!” said Evelyn, barely civil. “Inspector Stapleton is helping me with matters and I am very grateful for his assistance. I asked him to accompany me here today and you will afford him every courtesy. It is what the late earl would have done.”
“I have a few questions
about the late Earl of Larsen’s will, my lord,” said Joseph.
Reginald turned red from agitation. Or, perhaps, it was the corset and lack of breath. “Evelyn! I cannot like having a stranger involved in family business.”
“He is not a stranger, cousin. He is my friend. I have asked him to look into various matters and one of them is the will. Pray go on, Joseph.”
Pip looked quite surprised by Evelyn’s use of Joseph’s Christian name and Evelyn wanted to kick herself for doing so. The last thing she needed was her cousins meddling even further into her affairs.
“When did you first learn that the terms of the will had been changed?” asked Joseph.
Reginald looked most insulted to have to answer to Joseph, but after a grunt he replied. “I was looking through some old papers about three weeks ago and found the one-page codicil. It was stuck to another document. It was a note from the late earl changing the date to the end of this year, instead of Evelyn’s next birthday.”
“May I see it?”
“Are you doubting my word?”
“I am simply being thorough. May I see it?”
“It is at my solicitor’s office. But it is all on the up and up, I assure you.”
“And what reason did the late earl give for changing the date?”
“He didn’t. He simply said this would replace the corresponding provision in his will. Who knew why the old man did anything? God knows the rest of the will was queer enough. Whoever heard of leaving a daughter an estate and that much blunt?”
“Though we were excessively fond of your father,” said Pip quickly. “Weren’t we, my dear?”
“Yes, yes, of course. Well, investigate the codicil if you must, but I can assure you it is real. But keep in mind, Evelyn, that the more time you waste on that, the less you’ll have to find a husband. I don’t know why you won’t save yourself the trouble and marry Robert.”
“Evelyn, dear, you should consider it,” said Robert. “I believe we would rub along quite well on those occasions when we are together. It would solve a great many problems for all of us.”
“I still do not think it is a good idea for cousins to marry.”
“The royal family’s been doing it for generations,” said Pip.
“That might not be the most effective argument for your case,” replied Evelyn. “Thank you for seeing us. I shall call on you again when I have more information.”
“And I shall call on you at Lynwood House,” said Robert.
“Unfortunately, that is not possible,” said Evelyn. “Lady Jane is in her confinement and I do not believe they are receiving guests.” At least not if she could help it.
“Then it is all the more unusual that you are imposing upon them by staying there,” said Pip. “Are you sure you will not come to us?”
“I am sure, but thank you.”
She’d rarely been more sure of anything in her life.
* * *
As soon as Evelyn had left and Pip had departed to pay calls on friends, Reginald summoned Robert to his study.
“I cannot imagine why you have not been able to get our cousin to accept your proposal,” said Reginald between sips of brandy.
“It is not for lack of trying, I assure you,” sniffed Robert. “I sent her two letters just in the past three months and you know how much I hate putting pen to paper.”
“But you will find a lack of funds a good deal more disagreeable if you do not succeed in becoming leg-shackled to the tiresome baggage.”
“I am already afflicted with a disagreeable lack of funds,” said Robert taking the stopper off Reginald’s decanter of brandy, sniffing, then finding it decidedly subpar. “Why should I compound my misery by marrying the chit?”
“Because without Evelyn’s money, Pip and I will face a lack of funds, as well. I do not think I have to tell you how unhappy she would be if that were to happen. As it is, I had to make excuses to her why we cannot go on extended holiday to the continent until this damned mess has been taken care of. Why not compromise the chit and be done with it? We cannot take the chance she will marry someone else, especially with that Bow Street bastard sniffing around her skirts.”
Robert’s face wrinkled up even more than when he was smelling the brandy. “Even Evelyn would not be so déclassé as to marry so far beneath her. It would be social suicide for all of us. Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind having relations with her, though she’s such a managing female she’d probably give me orders in bed.”
“Evelyn is quite comely. Why, I would have a go at her myself if…”
“If she hadn’t already rejected you?”
“She did nothing of the sort. I just had neither the time nor the desire to rusticate and you know the woman never comes to town.”
“That’s the surprising thing, is it not? Why did she come now? And with that Bow Street fellow in tow. He’s a friend of Lynwood’s, which can’t bode well for our plans to sell the Oxfordshire estate.”
“Lynwood’s on his wedding trip and cares for naught other than his duchess. I still cannot countenance he married Rosalind Carson. Such a plain chit. I would never marry a wife with spectacles.” He adjusted his ill-fitting waistcoat once again.
“But here’s the thing, Reggie…” Robert knew his brother hated the childhood nickname, which was why he chose to torment him with it whenever possible. “While I wouldn’t mind the novelty of it at first, I can’t quite abide the thought of bedding my first cousin for the rest of my life, regardless of her looks. There’s something a little too familiar about it.”
“Then keep the lights off and think of one of your mistresses. With the fortune we’ll be getting from Evelyn, you’ll be able to afford more than one, you know. I already have plans on whom to add to my harem, as it were.”
“What makes you think you’ll get any of the money if I marry Evelyn? After all, I am the one making the sacrifice.”
“Because,” Reginald said, his voice like ice, “I could have you thrown in gaol for any number of offenses. And now that we have the acquaintance of a Bow Street Inspector, I suspect my task would be even easier.”
Robert looked his brother in the eye. “You would do well to stop holding my feet to the fire on such old offenses. And you would be wise to remember that any crime I committed once, I can certainly do again.”
That seemed to shake Reginald a bit for his hand was not quite steady as he raised his brandy to his lips. “Keep in mind you might not have to marry Evelyn. If she can’t find a husband by the end of the year, I will inherit the land and fortune and shall be just as rich.”
“And do you mean to share the wealth, brother dear?”
“That is a question you should ponder as the time comes for Evelyn to wed.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It was a brisk winter’s day and the Marchioness of Riverton had insisted on walking the few blocks from her home to Lynwood House. The Marquess of Riverton had questioned her decision, not wanting his pregnant wife to unduly exert herself. The Marchioness, Lizzie, had made her wishes known quite adamantly, telling her husband that she thought exercise was a good thing for both her and the babe, contrary to the “wisdom” of various London physicians. It was a belief shared by her sister-in-law Jane, who was not only a de facto surgeon but in the midst of her second pregnancy.
Marcus had pressed the issue to the point of quarrelling, then they decided there was a need to reconcile, which sent them back to their bedchamber for an hour. The argument started all over again afterward when Lizzie still insisted on walking to Lynwood House.
This time, Marcus kept his objections to himself and accompanied his wife, though he told her they would have a good, strenuous reconciliation when they returned home.
Upon their arrival at Lynwood House, Lizzie was carried up the stairs by Marcus – the staff at Lynwood House having grown quite accustomed to the sight – then Marcus joined the men of the family for a much-needed glass of port, while Lizzie sat down to tea with the ladies.
“This is extraordinary,” said Lizzie after hearing what had transpired with Evelyn and Joseph. “I am quite cross to have missed it.”
“You should have seen them together,” said Melanie. “It was obvious they both care for each other a great deal. I know I still have my American sensibilities, but do you not think it is possible that the two of them might solve the problem by marrying? I believe it would be a very amiable match.”
“I believe they like each other very much, indeed,” said Vanessa. “But I know better than anyone the gulf that exists between the ton and the lower classes. If it had not been for all of you, poor Arthur would have been cut for marrying so far beneath him. As it is, he receives far fewer invitations than he used to, though he is kind enough to say it does not bother him.”
“But it doesn’t,” said Lizzie. “He is head over ears in love with you, Vanessa. That is all that matters to Arthur – to any of us. The entire ton could cut each and every one of us, but we would still have our family and that would be quite enough for me. However, I do not wish to see Joseph hurt. Do you truly think Evelyn cares for him?”
“She does,” said Jane. “Very much. In truth, I do not believe she would be the impediment to the match. I believe he would be the one to say no, not wanting her to lose her friends.”
“God save us from noble men, though we each have married one,” said Lizzie. “But the important question is what can we do to further the match?”
“What if we showed her how good of a husband Joseph would be by introducing her to men of her station who pale in comparison?” asked Vanessa.
Lizzie nodded. “Joseph is a great man, certainly more deserving of the title of gentleman than most men we know. It shouldn’t be hard to introduce her to some sapskulls. But there must be something else we can do to throw them together. I like that she is staying here, though I wish there was a way to bring Joseph under this roof.”
“Perhaps Jane can tell him he needs to be here to check on his injured shoulder,” said Mel.
“I believe he is already well-healed,” said Jane.
“Drat,” said Lizzie. “Not that I regret his good health, of course, especially since he was injured by saving our new duchess. But, mayhap….Jane, I don’t suppose you could poison him.”
Never Turn Away (Kellington Book Six) Page 13