Brushed by Scandal

by Gail Whitiker

  Because love wasn’t logical. The mistake was in trying to make it so.

  ‘When did things begin to change?’ Anna asked, her gaze touching on the bruises.

  ‘After I took the necklace,’ Eliza said in a dull, flat voice. ‘That’s when he stopped talking about us being together. He stopped treating me like a lover—and started treating me like a whore.’ She looked up and Anna saw the hopelessness in her expression. ‘That’s when I saw him for what he really was.’

  Anna nodded and resolutely got to her feet. ‘You can’t stay here any longer, Eliza. It will be safest if you come away with me now.’

  ‘I can’t!’

  ‘Yes, you can. Obviously the relationship isn’t going to continue if this is how he treats you. Besides, I need you to tell someone the truth about the necklace.’

  Eliza’s lips were pressed tightly together, her head going from side to side.

  ‘Listen to me,’ Anna said firmly. ‘There’s a rumour going around that my father stole the baroness’s necklace. A rumour I have every reason to believe my brother started. And if nothing is done to correct it, my father’s reputation will be destroyed.’

  ‘I know,’ Eliza said miserably. ‘I felt terrible when I heard that. I asked Edward about it, but that’s when he turned on me. He said it was none of my business and that I wasn’t to talk to anyone about what really happened. He said if I did, he’d hurt Justine.’

  Anna frowned. ‘Justine?’

  ‘My sister,’ Eliza said, her eyes filling with fresh tears. ‘Edward said he’d…make it worse for her if I stepped out of line. That’s why he told Betty I wasn’t to have any visitors—or to be let out.’

  Anna stared. ‘You’re not allowed to go out at all?’

  ‘Not unless he’s with me,’ Eliza said. ‘I have to do as he says or he’ll hurt her. And I couldn’t bear that, my lady. Justine’s younger than me and she’s never been as strong. I’ve spent the last two years looking after her. That’s why I was willing to do whatever I had to in order to get money. I promised our mother I’d take care of her.’

  Anna sat back, struggling to come to terms with this disquieting piece of news. Her brother was keeping one girl a prisoner and threatening another with physical harm? What kind of monster was he? He obviously had no conscience at all…

  ‘…and Justine’s been so happy working for the baroness.’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ Jerked from her thoughts, Anna said, ‘Your sister works for the baroness, too? But you were the one I saw—’

  And then the penny dropped. Of course. Eliza was the girl Anna had first seen at Julia’s house, but she wasn’t the same girl who had served her tea on several occasions after that. That had been Justine. And if you didn’t look closely, it would be all too easy to mistake one for the other. Both girls had the same dark hair and the same elfin face, but where Eliza’s eyes were a deep, clear green, Justine’s were a pale misty blue.

  ‘Eliza, did Sir Barrington question you about the theft of the baroness’s necklace, or your sister?’ Anna asked shrewdly.

  ‘That was Justine,’ Eliza said sheepishly. ‘She didn’t know anything about the necklace, so when the butler told us someone was coming to ask questions about its theft, I asked Justine to work in my place. And because she knew nothing, she was able to be convincing when the gentleman questioned her.’

  ‘So you and your sister have been sharing the job without the baroness knowing?’

  A guilty flush suffused Eliza’s cheeks. ‘I didn’t think she’d mind, my lady. I was nervous the first time Justine stood in for me, but she said everything went well and the baroness didn’t question me about it when I went in next, so we carried on.’

  ‘And none of the baroness’s other servants questioned the arrangement?’

  ‘None of them knew. There was only myself and the tweenie on that floor and she wouldn’t say boo to a goose. Cook had quarters downstairs and Mr Hansen’s room was on a separate floor. And Justine and I were very careful about our comings and goings.’

  ‘But why did you do it?’

  ‘To give Justine the training she needs to become a maid,’ Eliza explained. ‘I realised I wouldn’t be able to look after her all the time, or make enough money to support the two of us, so we decided she would learn the skills necessary to go into service. I gave her as much time as I could when we lived with the Colonel—’

  ‘Justine lived with you in the Colonel’s house?’ Anna interrupted. ‘Did he know that?

  ‘I made sure he didn’t,’ Eliza said. ‘I had no choice, my lady. Justine had been working as a nanny to a man who worked at a bank. When he started trying to get her alone, I knew I had to get her out of there before it was too late. So I told her to leave and had her come live with me. The Colonel never knew,’ Eliza assured her. ‘I was the only one who went to him. Justine stayed in the kitchen whenever he came round. She knew what I was doing and she wasn’t happy about it, but neither of us was in a position to complain.’

  ‘Where is Justine living now?’ Anna asked.

  Eliza blushed deeply. ‘At Mrs Brown’s.’

  Anna gasped. ‘Your sister’s staying at a brothel?’

  ‘Only until I can make other arrangements,’ Eliza said quickly. ‘I couldn’t leave her at the Colonel’s, but I didn’t want to bring her here either, so I let her use my room at the baroness’s house until I gave notice. Then both of us had to leave. I couldn’t afford to have Edward know where she was.’

  ‘But to arrange for her to stay at a brothel—’

  ‘It’s the only place I could afford, my lady, and she’s not working,’ Eliza said. ‘Mrs Brown promised me that. She’s letting Justine have a small room in the basement, well away from the other girls. But I have to get her out as soon as I can.’

  ‘Then we shall do so this very afternoon.’ Anna abruptly got to her feet. ‘You and your sister need to disappear until this situation can be satisfactorily resolved.’

  ‘But Edward will come after me,’ Eliza whispered. ‘And Justine, too, if he finds out where she is!’

  ‘He won’t get the chance,’ Anna said resolutely. ‘I’m going to take you to the home of a good friend, then go back for Justine. Together we’ll work out how to keep both of you safe until someone I know can get to the bottom of this.’

  Anna saw how desperately the girl wanted to believe what she was saying, but she also saw the depth of her fear. ‘I’d like to believe you, my lady, but—’

  ‘Believe me, Eliza. I won’t let Edward hurt you or your sister. Now, pack your things and let’s be off.’

  ‘You’ll have to get past Betty first!’ Eliza whispered. ‘And that won’t be easy. She knows Edward will make it the worse for her if she lets me go!’

  ‘Then I’ll find a place for Betty as well,’ Anna said, aware that matters were getting more complicated by the minute—but she had no choice. She refused to see these women’s lives made worse as a result of their association with her brother. She opened the wardrobe and took out the girl’s tiny valise. ‘What will you take?’

  Eliza glanced at the array of dresses hanging in the closet and shook her head. ‘Nothing. I don’t want anything he bought me, because he never really wanted me, did he, my lady? Only what I could steal for him.’

  Anna wasn’t sure how to answer that. What could she say that wouldn’t destroy the poor girl more than she already had been? ‘You must forget what my brother has done, Eliza,’ Anna said gently. ‘When you leave here, you’ll have no reason to see him again.’

  ‘I’d like to believe that,’ Eliza said again, ‘but he won’t take the blame for the theft of the necklace. He’ll tell people I took it, and once that gets around, I’ll be arrested.’

  ‘That’s why you’re not going to stay in London,’ Anna said firmly. ‘I know people in the country. Good people who will be only too happy to give you and your sister positions. My brother will never find either of you.’

  ‘But the necklace—�
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  ‘The necklace has been found and will be returned to the baroness without her ever knowing how it came to be stolen. Now, come along. We have much to do before this day is over.’

  * * *

  Removing Eliza Smith from her brother’s house was one of the easier tasks Anna had to do that day. She hustled her down the narrow staircase and after checking to make sure that Betty was nowhere in sight, opened the front door and pointed her in the direction of the waiting carriage. Then, telling the driver to wait, Anna went back in search of the housekeeper, knowing the poor woman had to be made aware of the situation.

  Betty didn’t have to be told twice. Aware that her employment would be terminated as soon as Edward learned of Eliza’s escape, she threw off her apron, grabbed what few personal belongings she had, and left the house at the same time as Anna and Eliza, with two more of Anna’s guineas jingling in her pocket.

  ‘Can we stop and pick up Justine?’ Eliza asked when Anna gave the driver the direction of the Park Lane home of the Marquess of Bailley.

  ‘There isn’t room,’ Anna said. ‘I’ll go back for her once you’re safely out of sight.’

  * * *

  Arriving at the Marquess of Bailley’s house, Anna walked up to the front door with Eliza at her side and knocked on the door. It was answered in moments by Hilton, the family’s long-standing butler. ‘Good afternoon, Lady Annabelle.’

  ‘Good afternoon, Hilton. Is Lady Lydia in?’

  ‘She is, my lady. In the rose salon.’

  ‘Thank you. Would you be so kind as to take Miss Smith down to the kitchen? She would be most grateful for a cup of tea.’

  The unflappable Hilton didn’t bat an eye. ‘Of course, my lady.’ Signalling a maid, he told her to take the young lady downstairs. Once that was taken care of, Anna made her way to the rose salon and within minutes, she was giving her friend a terse though somewhat abbreviated version of all that had happened.

  ‘You wish me to keep Miss Smith and her sister here?’ Lydia asked at the conclusion.

  ‘Only for a little while,’ Anna said. ‘For obvious reasons, I can’t risk having either of them stay with me. And I promise it will only be for a few days. I’m going to see Sir Barrington right now and tell him everything that’s happened.’

  ‘He’s not going to be happy when he hears that you’ve involved yourself in this,’ Lydia warned.

  ‘Why not? He should be delighted that I’ve solved his case for him,’ Anna protested.

  ‘Not when he learns that you put yourself in harm’s way to do so!’

  ‘I was hardly in harm’s way,’ Anna said drily.

  ‘You think going to Edward’s house and kidnapping his battered mistress isn’t going to spark a reaction?’ Lydia demanded incredulously. ‘I shudder to think what he would have done had he arrived and caught you in the act.’

  ‘He would have been angry and told me to mind my own business, but it’s silly to suggest that I was in any kind of danger,’ Anna said. ‘He is my brother, after all.’

  ‘That doesn’t absolve him. Edward is a wicked man and wicked men are capable of anything. Have you forgotten what happened to Sarah Wentworth?’

  Anna’s jaw tightened. How could anyone forget what had happened to that poor woman? Her husband had mistakenly believed her guilty of having an affair and had had her committed to an institution, even though it was clear to anyone who saw her that there was absolutely nothing wrong with her mind. Nevertheless, she disappeared one night and it was months before someone happened to see her in the asylum and made a complaint to the lady’s father. Even then, it had taken considerable effort on her family’s part to have her released and the resulting scandal had been horrendous.

  ‘Please help me, Lydia. Will you keep Eliza and her sister here? It won’t be for long,’ Anna said. ‘I shall write to a very good friend of mine this very night and see about sending both of the girls to her. Edward would never even think of going there. She runs a small school near York and her sister married well and has a very large house. I’m sure one of them will be able to give the girls some sort of employment.’

  ‘You don’t have to convince me, of course they can stay,’ Lydia said. ‘I shall put them in the room next to mine. In fact, their arrival has solved something of a problem in that my own maid asked for time off to visit her ailing father. If anyone asks, I shall simply say I hired them on a friend’s recommendation. And I shall be sure not to send them out of the house on any errands.’

  Anna pressed a kiss to her friend’s cheek. ‘Thank you, dear friend. I’ll just go back and fetch Justine—’

  ‘Oh, no, you won’t.’ Quickly getting up, Lydia went to the writing desk and took out parchment and quill. ‘I refuse to see you venture alone into that part of town. It’s dangerous; besides, someone might see you and start asking awkward questions.’ She wrote a few words on the paper, sanded and folded it, then rang for a servant. ‘I’ll have John take the carriage and retrieve Miss Smith. A male servant going into that kind of place won’t arouse any suspicions. And he can drop you at Sir Barrington’s on the way.’

  Touched by her friend’s willingness to help, Anna gave her a hug. ‘You are too good, Lydia. I promise I shall make it up to you.’

  ‘Just get this mess straightened out,’ Lydia said grimly. ‘That will be thanks enough!’

  * * *

  Barrington had forgotten what a restful sleep was. For five nights in a row, he’d ended up pacing the drawing room because, for five nights in a row, he’d been unable to think about anything but Anna. She’d kept him awake—and aroused—into the wee hours of the morning. He couldn’t explain why. He had trained himself to ignore what he couldn’t have, to resist temptation in all its wide and varied forms. He couldn’t be bought, bribed, or browbeaten. God knew, enough men had tried and failed. Yet when it came to her, it was as though he had no will at all. He became as docile as a kitten. And like a kitten, he craved her touch. He wanted to wrap himself around her, to immerse himself in her warmth and to lose himself in her body.

  Knowing he couldn’t do any of those things was driving him mad. Even now, as he sat at his desk, staring out the window instead of reviewing papers concerning a complicated case, all he could think about was Anna. Remembering the expression on her face during their last meeting—

  ‘Sir Barrington…’

  Recalling how angry she’d been at his refusal to abandon his pursuit of her father, her misplaced belief that he assumed the earl guilty—

  ‘Sir Barrington?’

  Her—

  ‘Sir Barrington!’

  ‘Yes, what is it, Sam?’ Exasperated, Barrington turned to see his secretary standing in the open doorway, and right behind him—’Anna!’ He leaped to his feet, sending a flurry of papers to the floor. ‘That is…Lady Annabelle!’

  She stepped in front of the younger man, hesitation and uncertainty written on her face. ‘I hope I haven’t come at a bad time?’

  ‘Of course not. Come in. Sit down.’ He stared at her greedily, devouring the sight of her, wondering how it was possible for a woman to grow more beautiful by the day. ‘Thank you, Sam, that will be all.’

  The door closed with a quiet click. Anna came towards him. ‘Are you sure this isn’t a bad time. You seem…preoccupied.’

  ‘I am.’ With you. ‘I was going over the details of a case.’ He glanced briefly at the papers on the floor and then walked around to the front of his desk. Leaning back against the edge, he crossed his arms over his chest and tried not to notice how the sunlight danced on her hair, turning it a warm, honeyed gold. Her complexion was as smooth as alabaster, her mouth a bright red berry, ripe for the taking—

  Desire exploded, hardening him where he stood. And with a degree of resolve he didn’t know he had, he forced it down and away. ‘You look like a woman on a mission.’

  ‘I am. I came here to tell you that I know who took Julia’s necklace. And how it came to be in my father’s wardrobe.’


  His eyebrows lifted. ‘Indeed.’

  ‘My brother’s mistress took it.’

  ‘Elizabeth Paisley?’

  He said the name without thinking, and watched as a delicate line formed between her brows. ‘No. Eliza Smith.’

  ‘Your brother’s mistress is a girl by the name of Elizabeth Paisley,’ Barrington said. ‘I know because I was asked to find her by a gentleman who was…concerned about her welfare.’

  ‘A gentleman by the name of Colonel Tanner?’

  Barrington raised an eyebrow. ‘How did you know?’

  ‘Eliza told me about him. And I remember you speaking to a gentleman you referred to as Colonel that night at the Billinghams’ soirée. I suspected they might be one and the same.’

  Hiding his surprise, Barrington inclined his head. ‘Elizabeth Paisley was originally Colonel Tanner’s mistress. When she disappeared from his house, he began to worry so he asked me to see if I could find her. Initially I was afraid that foul play might have been involved, but when I learned through my visit to Madame Delors that someone else was paying for her clothes, I realised she had simply transferred her affections.’

  ‘Madame Delors?’ Anna said, wide eyed. ‘Is that why you went to see her?’

  ‘Of course. A good modiste dresses a wide range of women and sends the bills to their husbands or protectors. It seemed the logical place to start. Why? Did you think I had some other reason for going?’

  Anna coloured, but firmly shook her head. ‘No, of course not. Go on.’

  ‘Because I knew the Colonel had ordered clothes for Miss Paisley from Madame Delors, I hoped she might be able to tell me what had become of her. After some careful prompting, she kindly provided me with your brother’s name.’

  ‘So you knew about Eliza’s involvement with Edward.’ Anna abruptly sat down. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

  ‘Two reasons. One, because I was investigating her in confidence for another client, and, two, because I was afraid you might ask Edward what his involvement with her was.’

  ‘And so I should! Eliza was the one who took the necklace!’