Brushed by Scandal

by Gail Whitiker

  It was enough to make a saint turn to the devil!

  But even as anger and disbelief swelled at the thought of Peregrine having betrayed her father’s secret, common sense told her it couldn’t be true. Peregrine would never reveal what he had seen. She had been there with him the day he’d found the necklace. She had seen the anguish on his face and known that he’d suffered over that discovery as much as she had.

  No, Peregrine wasn’t the one who’d started the rumour. Barrington was right; the person who wished her father harm was definitely the one behind all this. The lie was just one more piece in a carefully devised plot to incriminate her father, and whoever had laid the groundwork for this unspeakable crime had done their job well. Her father’s reputation couldn’t hope to survive a constant barrage of rumours and innuendos. He would be destroyed, given the cut direct by those who mattered in society. Even those who might have the courage to defend him risked being cut, and those who believed him guilty would never speak to him again. But there had to be a way of finding out who it was and of exposing him for what he’d done.

  Anna thought back over everything Barrington had said…. a maid in the baroness’s house…gone in to check on her mistress…saw him take the necklace…

  So, a maid had seen her father take the necklace. Which maid? The same one Anna had seen kissing her brother in the darkness of the deserted study? A very pretty maid who’d left the baroness’s employ shortly after the necklace disappeared—

  Anna gasped. Was it possible? She’d seen Edward and the maid together before the necklace had disappeared. Then the maid had left and a few days later Anna had discovered that Edward had acquired a new mistress. She’d overheard him talking to one of his friends about a girl named Eliza.

  Coincidence—or something more calculated?

  * * *

  Unlike many of his friends, Edward didn’t keep his mistresses close at hand. He preferred to put them up in a house on a quiet street south of Regent’s Park. Fortunately, Anna had stumbled upon the address one day whilst cleaning out a desk drawer and committed it to memory.

  Now, as she stepped out of the carriage onto what was a clearly less than affluent street, she was glad she’d thought to do so. She scanned the row of plates and found Number Nineteen second to last in the row—an unprepossessing brick townhouse with dark shutters and blackened chimney pots.

  Paying the driver a guinea to wait, Anna took a deep breath and started towards the door. Her heart was pounding and though part of her wanted to turn around and get back in the cab, curiosity and a need to discover the truth drove her forwards. She raised her hand to the knocker and brought it down sharply, three times.

  An older woman wearing a white apron over a stiff black gown opened the door. Her face was hard and unforgiving as she stared down at her caller. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Is Miss Smith in?’ Anna enquired.

  Watching the woman run a critical eye over her appearance, Anna was glad she’d thought to wear the clothes she had. Dressed in a plain gown and pelisse in a nondescript shade of brown, a straw bonnet the style of which was a few years out of date, and leather gloves that were far from new, she resembled nothing so much as a governess or a servant, an assessment clearly shared by the housekeeper. ‘What would you be wanting with Eliza?’

  ‘I’d like to talk to her, if I may. We used to work together at Baroness von Brohm’s and I was wondering—’

  ‘Justine, is that you?’ a voice floated down from the landing. ‘How did you get—oh!’

  Eliza Smith was halfway down the stairs before she realised that her visitor wasn’t who she thought. Her pretty face fell and her smile disappeared. But when she looked at Anna again and recognition dawned, her expression of disappointment changed to one of fear. With a muffled cry, she bolted back up the stairs.

  ‘Miss Smith, wait!’ Anna cried. ‘I need to talk to you!’ She went to move past the housekeeper, but found her way blocked. ‘Kindly step aside.’

  ‘I don’t think the girl wants to see you,’ the woman said.

  ‘Well, I’d like to see her,’ Anna said. ‘If you’ll just let me through…’

  It was like trying to move a mountain. The woman wouldn’t budge and, given that the doorway wasn’t wide enough for Anna to go around her, she was stuck. ‘Why won’t you let me see her?’

  ‘Because the master said I wasn’t to let anyone in and I know better than to disobey,’ the woman said. ‘He’d have my job, and I’ve six mouths at home to feed.’

  Recognising desperation, Anna stepped back, her eyes narrowing even as her stance straightened. ‘How much does your master pay you?’

  The woman’s cheeks flushed, both as a result of the autocratic tone and by Anna’s sudden change in stature. ‘That’s none of your business.’

  ‘It could be.’ Anna opened her reticule and taking out a coin, held it in front of the woman’s face. ‘This would feed your family for a month.’

  ‘That’s a guinea!’

  ‘It is. And if you let me pass, it’s yours.’

  ‘Who are you?’ the housekeeper asked, staring at the coin like a hungry dog eyeing a bone. ‘Maids and governesses don’t carry that kind of blunt.’

  ‘I am neither a lady’s maid nor a governess. And I have plenty more of these.’

  It was shameless blackmail, but Anna suspected it was the only way she was going to get what she wanted. She needed the woman’s co-operation and, if necessary, she was prepared to buy her way into the house. Fortunately, she didn’t have long to wait. The housekeeper grabbed the coin and jerked her head in the direction of the stairs.

  ‘Go on then, but be quick about it. Gold won’t keep me safe if he comes round and finds I’ve let you in. Five minutes is all you get!’

  Deciding it would have to be enough, Anna ran up the darkened stairway, her soft-soled boots making no sound on the threadbare carpet. Turning right at the landing, she found herself standing in front of a closed door. ‘Miss Smith?’ she called, trying the handle and finding it locked.

  ‘Go away!’

  ‘Eliza, please! I need to talk to you!’

  ‘I’ve got nothing to say!’

  ‘That’s not true. You can help a lot of people by talking to me,’ Anna insisted.

  ‘I don’t care about other people,’ came the girl’s muffled reply. ‘Nobody cares about me.’

  ‘I care,’ Anna said. ‘And if you’ll let me, I’ll get you out of here.’

  Silence followed her rashly offered promise, leaving Anna to wonder if she’d said the right thing. If this was the girl’s only home, she might not be all that anxious to leave. But looking at the water stains in the ceiling, the faded and peeling wallpaper, and the warped floorboards beneath her feet, Anna couldn’t help thinking how lowering it must be to come home to this every night.

  ‘Eliza, please!’ Seconds were ticking by. Any minute, the housekeeper would appear at the bottom of the stairs, demanding that she leave, and Anna wasn’t so naïve as to think she would get a second chance at getting back inside. ‘I promise you won’t come to any harm. Just open the door.’

  Out on the street, Anna heard a vendor raucously hawking his wares. She heard the sounds of children laughing and the clatter of carriage wheels as they rattled past the front door. Normal, everyday sounds—and still the door remained closed. Which meant Anna had no choice. She only had time for one last desperate attempt.

  ‘You won’t get away with it, Eliza,’ she said quietly against the door. ‘I know you took the necklace. And I will go to the authorities if you refuse to talk to me.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  That was all she said. Fear or anger would compel the girl to open the door now because it didn’t matter whether the accusations were true or not. A servant accused of stealing from her employer couldn’t hope to win her case.

  Eliza Smith was obviously smart enough to know that. Moments later, the door opened and she stood silently in the doorway.

  Anna caug
ht her breath. The girl facing her now wasn’t the same pretty maid who had served her tea at Julia’s house. Her once-shining hair hung lank around her small face, her complexion was ashen and there were faint purple shadows on her cheeks and around her beautiful green eyes. Dear God, what had Edward done to her? ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘Fine.’ The girl lifted her chin, but Anna saw the way her lips trembled. ‘What do you want?’

  ‘To ask you a few questions.’ Anna made no attempt to move forwards. ‘I think you know about what.’

  The girl didn’t say a word. She simply turned and walked back into the room, every step a reflection of her state of mind. Anna followed, mutely taking in the details of her surroundings. The walls were papered in the same faded maroon silk as in the hallway, the curtains were pale grey and frayed at the edges, and the bed and dressing table…well, she’d seen better furnishings in a boarding school. Her brother obviously hadn’t expended any time or money on the upkeep of this house.

  ‘How did you get past Betty?’ Eliza asked in a flat voice. ‘She was told not to let anyone in.’

  ‘I bribed her,’ Anna said, closing the door. ‘I wasn’t going to leave without seeing you.’ She took a few steps into the room, and then stopped. ‘What happened to you, Eliza? Those bruises on your face—’

  ‘I fell,’ the girl said, abruptly turning away. ‘And hit my head on the door.’

  ‘Eliza—’

  ‘It was foolish you coming here,’ Eliza said, an element of fear in her voice. ‘My gentleman could be back at any time.’

  ‘I know who owns this house, Eliza,’ Anna said gently. ‘And judging from those bruises, you would do well to get away from him as soon as possible.’

  ‘I can’t,’ Eliza said, shaking her head. ‘He’ll kill me.’

  ‘No, he won’t,’ Anna said. Her brother might be many things, but a murderer wasn’t one of them. ‘But I need you to tell me the truth about your relationship with Edward and about the baroness’s necklace.’

  The girl collapsed on to the bed, her dark hair falling forwards. ‘I can’t!’

  ‘Yes, you can,’ Anna sat down beside her. ‘If you did nothing wrong, you have nothing to be afraid of.’

  ‘But I did do something wrong.’ The girl looked up and Anna saw tears forming in the huge green eyes. ‘I didn’t want to, but he told me it would be all right. That I wouldn’t get caught.’

  ‘He being my brother,’ Anna clarified.

  The girl nodded. ‘He told me the baroness had so many other lovely bits of jewellery that she’d never miss that one piece. And he told me he’d protect me if anyone came along asking questions.’

  ‘But if you knew that what you were doing was wrong, why did you do it?’

  Eliza stared at the dirty bedcover. ‘Because he asked me to. He said that…if he had the necklace, he could sell it and then we’d have the money we needed to run away together.’

  The cruelty of the lie stabbed at Anna’s heart. ‘And you believed him.’

  ‘I loved him,’ Eliza said, dragging the back of her hand across her eyes. ‘I did from the very first time I saw him. I would have done anything to make him happy. Anything.’

  ‘But you must have known it couldn’t work between you. What about the difference in your situations?’

  ‘Edward assured me that it didn’t matter.’ Eliza looked at her and Anna saw the naked hope shining in her eyes even now. ‘He said that because I spoke properly and carried myself well, no one would know I wasn’t a lady. Especially when I was all dressed up. And I did have nice clothes when I met him.’

  Suspecting that the clothes were cast-offs from a previous employer, Anna said, ‘You were lucky that your former mistress was so generous.’

  Eliza bit her lip, guilt adding to the misery on her face. ‘They weren’t from an employer, my lady. They were from a gentleman. I did work as a lady’s maid, but when the mistress found her son trying to break into my room, she said I’d have to leave and that she wouldn’t provide me with references. So I left, and when I couldn’t find decent work, I ended up in a brothel.’

  Anna sighed. It wasn’t an unusual story. Girls in Eliza’s position had very few avenues open to them, even those who, like her, were fortunate enough to have some degree of education or training. ‘That must have been very difficult for you.’

  ‘It was horrible,’ Eliza said bluntly. ‘But, it could have been worse. Mrs Brown, the woman who kept the place, made sure we had good food and there was always medical care if any of the girls needed it. She told me her clients were very particular about that kind of thing and that she couldn’t afford to have any of her girls getting sick.’

  Anna nodded, knowing how miserable the lives of girls forced into prostitution could be. Even for those who had the good luck to find an establishment where the abbess cared about their welfare, a girl’s worth diminished with every year that passed. As her looks faded, so did her value. ‘Were you there long?’

  ‘No. I met the Colonel…the gentleman I mentioned…on my first night. He was a kind man. I think he knew how frightened I was and he was…very gentle with me,’ Eliza said, avoiding Anna’s eyes, though two bright spots of colour stood out on her cheeks. ‘Afterwards, he asked me about myself, where I’d come from and if I had any family. I told him I’d been born in Leeds, but that I’d moved to London after my parents died. I explained that I’d been a lady’s maid and told him why I’d had to leave. He was quiet for a bit, then he asked me if I might consider working for his wife. Apparently she needed a maid; when I reminded him that I didn’t have any references, he said it wouldn’t be necessary and that I was to present myself at his house at ten o’clock the following morning.’

  ‘And you were given the position?’ At Eliza’s nod, Anna said, ‘You were exceedingly fortunate.’

  ‘Yes, I was. Of course, there was one small…additional requirement,’ Eliza added, again avoiding Anna’s eyes.

  ‘That you become his mistress?’

  Eliza nodded. ‘He said he and his wife hadn’t shared a bed in years due to her being so poorly. He asked if he could see me, and when I said I didn’t like the idea of him coming to me in the attic, he told me he’d be careful. It was all right for a while, but I think his wife saw the way he looked at me and knew what was going on, so she asked me to leave. She wasn’t mean about it. She said she knew her husband kept mistresses, but that she wasn’t willing to live with one in her own home.’

  That was fair enough, Anna thought. She couldn’t imagine any woman being happy about seeing the face of her husband’s mistress in the mirror every morning as she brushed out her hair or fastened her gown. ‘What happened after that?’

  ‘The Colonel felt so bad about my having to leave that he said if I was willing to…continue with the arrangement, he’d put me up in a nice little house and buy me clothes and make sure I had everything I needed. Since I liked him well enough and thought it would be an easy life, I agreed.’

  ‘Yet you left him.’

  Eliza began fidgeting with the edge of the bedsheet. ‘It was never my intention to be somebody’s mistress, my lady. Even though the Colonel wasn’t demanding, I didn’t feel right about…what I was doing. So one day, I looked through a newspaper he’d left on the dining room table and happened to see an advertisement for a lady’s maid. I thought I didn’t have much of a chance, but I desperately wanted the position, so I put on the nicest of the gowns he’d given me and wore new gloves and a bonnet so I would look respectable.’

  ‘And you went to see the baroness?’ Anna said.

  Eliza nodded. ‘She was ever so nice. She didn’t seem to care that I had no references. She said she liked the way I looked and that I had a nice way about me. She told me what the wages were and said I could start right away. And I did, as Miss Eliza Smith. I thought it would be best to start with a clean slate. I left the Colonel’s house that very day.’

  ‘Did you tell him about the position?’

&nbs
p; Eliza shook her head. ‘I didn’t have the heart to. But I only took one of the dresses he bought me, apart from the one I wore to the interview.’

  ‘So you didn’t leave the Colonel because of my brother?’

  ‘Oh, no, my lady!’ Eliza said quickly. ‘The first time I saw Edward was just before the baroness’s dinner party. I was on Bond Street, picking up some things for her ladyship when I saw him walking towards me. I remember thinking I’d never seen a more handsome man in my life. I saw him twice more after that, and each time I did, my knees would go weak and I’d feel all quivery inside, as if I was filled with feathers. I’d never felt that way about a man before. Then when he turned up at the baroness’s dinner party and I saw him with that other gentleman, I thought I was going to faint dead away.’

  ‘But you didn’t,’ Anna said drily.

  ‘No. Mr Hansen told me to be off and I had to go. But I was that upset, I couldn’t settle to anything, so I went into the study to tidy up. Edward must have seen me and followed me. Then when you came in—’ Eliza broke off, her face turning bright red. ‘Well, you know what happened.’

  Anna did, aware that the sight of her brother and Miss Smith locked in a passionate embrace would stay with her for the rest of her life. ‘So you became Edward’s mistress,’ she prompted.

  The girl nodded ‘I lived for those moments, my lady. They were the only thing that kept me going. Please don’t misunderstand, it wasn’t just about being with him. Or about the fact he was a gentleman. It was just that…no one had ever made me feel the way he did. No one had ever said…they loved me before.’

  Anna felt her heart go out to the girl. Poor Eliza. She was no different than Mercy Banks or Cynthia Wicks…or herself when faced with a man who made her bones melt. Reason and logic flew out the window when rational thought was banished by irrational desire.