She removed pin after pin from her hair and attempted to unlock the door with them. Jake had taught her to pick locks as part of her training for his team of vigilantes but on this occasion the stiff old lock defied her best efforts, leaving her with a collection of bent hair pins and a supreme case of frustration.
‘Ah!’ she cried in exasperation, throwing her hands in the air.
She paced back and forth, trying to decide what Jake would do if he found himself in a situation like this. The door was her only possible means of escape, since the window was too high and too small for her to escape through. But if the door wouldn’t unlock, the guard wouldn’t respond to her cries and she didn’t have the physical strength to force the door open, what other options were there?
There were none.
Then she stopped pacing, aware of voices outside her door. One of those voices was cultured but didn’t belong to anyone of her acquaintance. She regretted her lack of a sturdy weapon, until another thought occurred to her, turning her blood cold. If this man—presumably her captor—showed himself to her then it could only mean one thing. He didn’t care if she saw him because she wouldn’t live to tell the tale. Olivia was suddenly in no urgent wish for the door she had spent the last hour trying to break down to open.
She heard a key turn in the lock and the door swung inwards.
‘You, Mrs Grantley,’ said the strutting young man who stood on its threshold, ‘have interfered in my affairs once too often.’
‘You have the advantage of me,’ she replied with a lofty toss of her head, sending the hair that had tumbled down with the removal of its restraining pins cascading over her shoulders. ‘You know who I am but I haven’t a clue who you are,’ she lied, ‘or why I have been brought here in such an infamous manner.’
The watchman hovered in the doorway but Joseph Cantrell sent him away with a backward flip of one hand. Good! He seemed to think that Olivia would be no match for him in a fight. He was clearly not aware that Olivia was versed in hand-to-hand combat, thanks to Jake’s insistence that she learn to defend herself. Even with the impediment of her crinoline and the trifling fact that she was increasing, she was confident that she could overpower a man who had already underestimated her.
‘Joseph Cantrell at your service,’ he said, sweeping a mocking bow as he stepped into the room.
‘You will excuse me if I don’t pretend that it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.’ Olivia looked down her nose at him, deliberately provocative.
‘I must say, I admire your presumptuous behaviour, assuming that society would embrace a woman who many believe got away with murder.’
Olivia dealt him a withering look. ‘A case of double standards, if ever I encountered one.’
‘I cannot think what you mean to imply, but‒’
‘Then let me speak plain.’
‘I wish you would.’ He yawned behind his hand. ‘Oblige me by getting to the point. I bore easily.’
‘With pleasure. You were not content with being an earl’s cousin and found an equally ambitious accomplice in Luke’s sister who was willing to help you assume the title in your own right. Everything was going according to plan until Luke disobliged you by marrying so unexpectedly.’
Cantrell showed momentary alarm, either at the extent of her knowledge or her willingness to express it, but quickly rearranged his features into a neutral expression. Olivia wondered why she was revealing her hand but since he’d shown his face she didn’t harbour any illusions about being released with an apology for the inconvenience. That being the case, she might as well try and talk her way out of trouble.
‘Luke’s marriage changed everything and a quick plan had to be cobbled together to get rid of Luke sooner than you had intended. He was simple enough to dupe but you are not finding Megan and Sebastian so easy to do away with.’
‘The little upstart and her brat are a trifling inconvenience, I’ll grant you, but they will not stand in my way for much longer.’
‘That might be true but for the fact that you so foolishly abducted me. You clearly don’t realise just how formidable and powerful an enemy you have made of Lord Torbay. He has sufficient resources to destroy you and will use them without hesitation.’
Cantrell looked disconcertingly unconcerned. ‘I think you will find that it was Miranda Southcott who arranged for that fool Hepplewaite to have you snatched. She has been telling anyone who will listen that she’s been badly treated by your family and is out for revenge, so everyone will believe that she took it. You have more reason than most to know how gossip takes on a life of its own, regardless of whether or not it’s based on fact.’ He emitted a mirthless chuckle. ‘Actually, it seems that the less foundation there is to a rumour, the more the good denizens of this fair city enjoy spreading it about.’
‘True. But unfortunately for you, Lord Torbay knows everything I’ve just told you and when I’m missed you are the first person he’ll come after.’ Olivia spoke with a confidence she didn’t all together feel. What she said was the truth, but it wouldn’t do her much good if she didn’t manage to escape before Cantrell killed her. If she could just get him to drop his guard… ‘And believe me, when he’s angry he is no greater respecter of the law than you are.’
Cantrell waved a hand. ‘He might suspect but he can prove nothing.’
‘Which will make no difference to him. You will never be Lord Cantrell. You will be lucky if you see your next name day, in fact, so you might as well turn tail and run while you still can.’
Olivia held her breath, her nerves jangling. She could see that she had given him pause. Which way would he lean? He strutted about her prison, muttering to himself, still frustratingly keeping himself out of her reach. Light from the watchman’s post immediately outside the door allowed her a perfect view of him. It also showed her another welcome sight, which was Jake’s profile.
The breath left her body in a relieved whoosh. How the devil had he found her so quickly? She ought not to have been surprised, since his resourcefulness never failed to amaze her. Obviously, he had disabled the watchman and Olivia hadn’t heard a thing. Cantrell was so focused upon her that he hadn’t either. Jake raised a finger to his lips, telling her that he was holding back so that Cantrell could condemn himself with his own words. Olivia was happy to help that situation along.
‘I still fail to understand why it was necessary to draw attention to yourself by snatching me.’
‘Obviously your abduction was the making of Lady Garmin’s ball,’ Cantrell replied, avoiding a direct response to Olivia’s question. ‘Opinion is divided as to whether Torbay will be better or worse off without you. And I heard it whispered as a given that Miranda was responsible for your removal. That unsubstantiated rumour will be considered a fact by morning, just you see if it is not. Well,’ he added, clearly enjoying himself, ‘it is true that she arranged it so on this occasion the gossips have got it partly right. And I doubt you will see morning anyway.’
Olivia was horrified but not surprised at the manner in which Joseph Cantrell had used Miranda’s thirst for revenge to his own advantage.
‘Unfortunately, my little distraction didn’t work in the manner that I hoped it would.’ His face darkened with anger. ‘Those fools I sent couldn’t even manage to snatch a helpless woman and child. No matter, your disappearance will continue to distract Torbay and I will get another opportunity.’
‘Just as you found an early opportunity to do away with Luke when you heard he had married?’ Olivia stood and took her turn to walk about the room, ensuring that Cantrell’s attention was focused upon her and not Jake, who had taken up a position immediately outside the door. She had already accused him once of killing Luke. He hadn’t denied it, but crucially he hadn’t admitted it either. ‘Arabella influenced her father into sending him away so that you could ingratiate yourself with your family and make yourself indispensable to the old earl, not anticipating that he would die as suddenly as he did. When that happened,
you had to move quickly, before news of Luke’s marriage and the birth of his child became common knowledge. It would be easy enough to bribe the necessary people to ensure that no records of the marriage remained once you had stolen them from Megan when she called in all innocence at Cantrell Court, expecting to be welcomed.’
‘How very clever of you to work it all out, but since you will soon disappear from this earth permanently, I don’t mind your knowing it.’ He nodded towards the direction of the smell, where fellmongers made a living from untreated hides, and Olivia didn’t have to feign a shudder. Cantrell chuckled at her response. ‘I am well acquainted with Warburton’s son—the one born on the wrong side of the blankets. We are business partners, if you will. It won’t surprise you to learn that the favoured son does precious little and lives in the lap of luxury whilst his younger half-brother is obliged to slave away night and day with none of the recognition he deserves.’
‘And he was willing to oblige you by arranging Luke’s murder in return for…for what, precisely?’
Cantrell smiled smugly. ‘The opportunity to do what he does now, but for his own benefit, and from this country. Who better to push investors in certain directions than a man born in the country that provides those opportunities?’
‘He has forged trading links in India on his own behalf rather than through his father?’
Cantrell inclined his head. ‘Apparently so. As Lord Cantrell I would be able to sponsor him and shall do so, once I have cleared up a few trifling inconveniences that I had not anticipated.’
He moved towards Olivia, giving her the opportunity that she had been so patiently waiting for. She gave a convincing cry of terror and stumbled towards him as though about to faint. Taken unawares, Cantrell seemed momentarily unsure of himself. Men almost always are when a woman loses her senses—a factor that Olivia had anticipated. She placed her hands on his shoulders, as though saving herself from falling, turned sideways and used his forward momentum to swing him over her shoulder.
‘God damn it!’ His body hit the hard floor with a heavy crunch of bones. ‘Get in here!’ he yelled, presumably to the watchman.
‘With pleasure.’ Jake was at her side in seconds. ‘I would have done that,’ he said, pulling her into his arms.
‘And deny me the satisfaction?’ she asked, wilting against him.
Chapter Eighteen
‘I believe,’ Jake said, seated in Olivia’s drawing room on the eve of his wedding day, ‘that dipping your toe into society has eradicated your doubts about sullying my name. Dare I hope that you are actually looking forward to becoming my wife tomorrow?’
Olivia settled herself against his shoulder, comfortable with his arm casually draped around her. ‘I am glad we attended Lady Garmin’s ball, if for no other reason than it reminded me of the absurdity of society’s mores.’
Jake kissed the top of her head. ‘And made you realise that you are too good for the lot of them and that they should be feeling as honoured as I do because you have agreed to join their ranks.’
‘Well, of course, I was always aware of that. It was simply a case of reminding myself.’
Jake laughed. ‘Because you wouldn’t accept my word for it.’
‘Naturally not. If you imagine that I intend to be a submissive wife and believe everything you say then you are destined for disappointment.’
‘I am not that unrealistic. I want you just the way you are, Olivia. You infuriate, challenge and beguile me and keep me permanently on my toes. I would not have you any other way. Such is the person whom I have fallen so desperately in love with.’ Amused forbearance was reflected in his expression. ‘However, I might stand a remote chance of reaching old age if you would kindly desist from tossing ruthless murderers over your shoulder. Especially,’ he added, placing a hand gently over her stomach, ‘in your current condition.’
‘I don’t anticipate being in that situation again at any time soon. In fact, I fully intend to be a model wife and mother and cause you no trouble whatsoever.’
Jake choked on a laugh. ‘Excuse me if I do not believe you.’
Olivia pretended to be affronted. ‘This is a sorry way to embark upon married life. My future husband doubts my honesty.’
‘I think you mean what you say. Unfortunately, you don’t seem to appreciate that trouble has a way of finding you.’
‘I can hardly be held accountable for that.’ She smiled up at her oh-so-handsome husband to be. ‘But at least Joseph Cantrell will cause us no further trouble, even if he won’t be keeping an engagement with the hangman.’
‘He is permanently tied to Arabella Cantrell, which is perhaps a worse fate than the noose.’
‘Harrumph!’
‘I am so very sorry, my love.’ He wound one of her curls around his forefinger. ‘I did try to convince Thorndike that he deserved to hang. I made all sorts of promises to him if he recommended that justice be done.’
‘You offered to work one more case for him?’ Olivia scowled. ‘The one he has been at pains for you to take on?’
‘And when he still said his hands were tied I knew there was no hope. The Foreign Secretary thinks Warburton is too valuable an asset to the Company to risk rocking that particular boat.’
‘Because Cantrell threatened to expose his son as Luke’s actual murderer if he himself was brought up on charges.’ Olivia shook her head. ‘That’s disgusting.’
‘I agree with you, my love, but that’s the way the government works. Why do you think they needed my services so regularly when there were situations they couldn’t be seen to associate themselves with?’
‘And they would have disowned you in a heartbeat if you were caught.’ Olivia wrinkled her nose. ‘But still,’ she said, brightening, ‘Arabella and Joseph Cantrell marrying in such haste and leaving England for an indefinite period has every tongue in the capital wagging. The dowager’s reputation has been ruined. She will never be able to show her face in society again, which will be her ultimate punishment.’ Olivia tipped her head to one side in a considering fashion. ‘I wonder where the rumours about Joseph’s hand in Luke’s murder originated.’
‘I cannot possibly imagine,’ Jake replied with a straight face.
‘Even after everything that has happened the horrible dowager still has difficulty accepting that Megan is her son’s legitimate wife and Sebastian the current earl, even if she has publicly acknowledged them as such.’
‘Because the only thing she cares about is her family’s respectability. I think she also imagined that if she changed her tune and welcomed Megan, she would still be able to rule the roost.’
‘Ha!’ Olivia smiled with satisfaction. ‘She will not be the first person to underestimate my friend’s strength of character. If the dowager had accepted Megan in the first instance she would likely have been able to continue bossing her family about. But now she is banished to the dower house and Megan will not permit her to have any influence over Sebastian.’
‘From what I’ve been told, society is already turning its collective back on the dowager and courting Megan’s society.’
Olivia nodded her satisfaction. ‘As they should.’
‘Has she decided how she feels about her father?’ Jake asked.
‘They had a long conversation, but she cannot forgive him for the way in which he attempted to manipulate her and they will never be reconciled. Mardon has had to accept her decision and is already making plans to return to India.’ Olivia flashed a mischievous smile. ‘He will probably see Joseph and Arabella there. I believe that is where they intend to go. They have little money of their own and probably assume that their friend Warburton will support them.’
‘Somehow I doubt it,’ Jake replied. ‘They are no longer any use to the young man, and he will drop them in favour of others who are.’
‘I don’t want to think about them anymore.’
‘They are already forgotten.’
‘As is your friend, Miranda Southcott, I hope.’
‘Good, because I want everyone to be as happy as I am.’
Jake touched her cheek. ‘Speaking for myself, I doubt that any man could feel the joyful anticipation that grips me at this moment. I never thought the day would come when a woman would own my heart as comprehensively as you have captured mine, my sweet. I confess, the strength of my feelings for you sometimes scares me. If I cannot protect you, if my enemies attempt to get to me through you, if anything should happen to Tom, or to our unborn child…’
‘Shush!’ Olivia wiped away a tear and then kissed Jake’s lips. ‘You taught me how to take care of myself.’
‘Even so.’
‘Enjoy the moment, Jake. We none of us know what the future holds. All we can do is give thanks for the here and now.’
‘Such a sensible woman. I don’t deserve you.’
‘That is undeniable, but we appear to be stuck with one another, so you will just have to make the best of it.’
‘Anyway, with regard to Megan,’ Olivia said breathlessly when Jake stopped kissing her. ‘Charles has already helped her so much. I just hope that he has the courage to declare himself.’
Jake looked surprised. ‘You think he actually will?’
Olivia shook her head, thinking of the frank conversation she had conducted with Megan the previous day on that very subject. ‘Oh, Jake! For a clever man you are sometimes incredibly obtuse. He’s head over heels in love with her. The signs are there for all to see but he knows how much Megan adored Luke and doesn’t think he can compete with a ghost.’
Fall From Grace Page 25