Finally, as Charlene was about to voice another protest against marrying the chief investigator, Helene turned back from the window.
“If I were in any position to save your father, you know that I would do whatever it took.”
She didn’t say it accusingly, simply matter-of-factly. Then, she got up and breezed from the room, leaving Charlene alone with her anguish.
There was one person that she wanted to talk to about all of this. Eric. It was the reason that she had run to him the previous day. It was the reason that all the rumors were spreading around town.
She couldn’t believe that she had been so foolish as to think she could see him at his manor like that. Still, how else was she supposed to communicate with him? Through letters? They did not have time for such things now. Things were moving too quickly.
If she told him that her aunt was set on her marrying Lord Ambrose, would Eric have some way to help her? Would he and his men smuggle her out of London, at least until it was safe for her to return?
Charlene wondered whether it would ever be safe for her to return. Either her father would hang or he wouldn’t, but either way, the family reputation was tarnished.
And either way, she would have to face Lord Ambrose’s wrath if she decided to slight him.
Why did men seem to think that they could have anything that they wished in the world? Charlene wondered what it must be like to have power like that.
If she could have anything in the world, it would be another moment in Eric’s arms. She wanted to run to him, to fly into his arms and sob with the injustice of it all.
She wanted him to soothe her and to kiss away her tears. To promise her a better future, if she could only be patient and hold off the marquess for a little while longer.
She had felt so calm the previous day, leaving his manor, but now her hopes had come crashing down again.
Helene wouldn’t pressure her into marrying the marquess, but she had made her feelings on the matter abundantly clear. She believed that it was Charlene’s duty to her family, and in particular her father, to marry the man.
Charlene knew that there were certain responsibilities that came with growing up. She knew that being a woman was about more than gowns and balls and things such as Matilda and her peers giggled about in whispers.
But in her family, she had never felt the weight of responsibility quite like she did now. She had always thought that her responsibilities would manifest in helping out with the family finances, in keeping a tidy house, in caring for her aunt and father as they grew older.
She had never thought that she would be required to accept a deal to save her father’s life. She had never thought that she might have to marry, provide suitable heirs, or manage another household.
And then there were all of the duties that would surely come with being the wife of a prominent figure of society. The Marquess’ wife would no doubt have to attend social functions at his side, and host important men at their home.
Charlene felt totally unqualified for the role. Would the Marquess believe her if she said that, however?
She wished again to talk to Eric about all of this. As it was, her thoughts were simply chasing one another around and around in her head.
She didn’t even know if the marquess’ proposal was still possible now that there were rumors about her. Of course she couldn’t go to see Eric now. She had spoiled that forever.
Would the marquess come to see her, in light of the mistakes that she had made? Would he punish her already, even though she had yet to accept his proposal?
She shuddered at the thought of that. He would surely have some sort of rebuke for her.
She wasn’t under house arrest, but she knew that her aunt would be keeping a closer eye on her from now on, especially if she thought that Charlene was in any danger of ruining her chances with Lord Ambrose.
Not only that, but the whole of London would be watching her every move. She couldn’t go running to Eric now when the gossip was already all about the two of them.
Besides, Eric no doubt wanted nothing more to do with her. There would be no more letters. No more stolen kisses. He would turn his attentions to someone else, someone whom he was meant to be courting, and ensure that everyone forgot his involvement in all of this.
That thought hurt more than she could imagine. But then, what did she think would come of this in the first place?
She should never have approached him in the first place, and they definitely should never have kissed. It had been folly to think that she had any place in his life.
Chapter 14
Lord Eric Cumberland, Duke of Havenport
Eric should have known that no good could come of Charlene’s visit to his home.
It wasn’t proper for a woman to visit with a man alone, especially not when they were both unmarried, and especially not when there was no well-known reason for the two of them to be meeting.
Of course someone would notice her visit, and of course the rumors would fly.
To be honest, he was shocked by the sheer number of people gossiping about her visit by the time he awoke the morning after. But then again, Eric knew that there were a good number of ladies who were interested in him.
They were all apparently jealous of Charlene, the spinster who had “somehow” captured his attention.
Eric was disgusted with all of it. What could he really do at this stage, however? If he told everyone that he had simply been attempting to help her clear her father’s name, they would all wish to know the reason why.
And they would want to know why her aunt hadn’t come with her to visit him. After all, if it was a family matter that Eric was helping them with, then Helene should have been there.
That was all. Not to mention the fact that telling the town that he was attempting to prove the man’s innocence would likely only make it more difficult to do.
Whoever had framed the man would know he needed to cover his tracks. The real villain had already proven cunning enough to deceive Lord Ambrose and everyone else involved with the investigation.
The last thing Eric needed was for him to make things even more difficult to solve.
So Eric couldn’t push back against the rumors with the truth. Anyway, the more he argued that he and the spinster had done nothing, the more guilty they would probably look.
The best thing to do with scandals like this was to let them blow over. People would grow weary of talking about this before too long, especially if Eric and Charlene weren’t seen together again in the meantime.
The trouble was, the first thing that Eric wanted to do when he heard the gossip was to rush right over to Charlene’s home and comfort her.
He knew that this must be a difficult time for her. She was already dealing with everything to do with her father, and now she had to contend with rumors too.
And with being fired, word came. Lord Yardley had determined that Charlene must not be the kind of person he wanted to have around his daughter.
It made Eric want to march over there and demand that the man give Charlene her position back. She had made an innocent gaffe, the slightest of indiscretions. That didn’t mean everyone could pass judgement on her character.
They certainly seemed to think that they could, though. Where was the fairness in any of it? Lady Annabelle had come to visit Eric, and no one was calling her a trollop…and other nastier names. But then, there was less interest in gossiping over Lady Annabelle’s visit, Eric supposed.
Everyone had seen the two of them together at the ball. She had made sure of that. That didn’t make it right for her to show up at his home alone. In fact, to Eric’s eyes, that should have seemed even more suspicious than Charlene showing up at his place.
Except that again, no one knew why Charlene had come to visit him. And that was the reason everyone wanted to talk about it. The less people knew, the more they wanted to discuss things.
The real difference was that everyone expected him to be with so
meone like Annabelle. The other women could feel jealous of Annabelle given his supposed affection for her, but there was no way to really fault her. She was accomplished, titled, beautiful, and charming.
With Charlene, on the other hand, the women seemed to delight in listing off her supposed faults. Twenty-five and unmarried, there must be some reason for it they were sure. And they didn’t hesitate to speculate what those reasons might be.
Eric sighed. He couldn’t help feeling agitated. Everywhere he went, there were mean-spirited whispers about the woman. Even here at Whites, the gentleman’s club.
“I just thank God that I didn’t marry the strumpet,” one man said, and a couple of his friends laughed.
Eric rounded the corner just then, clearing his throat loudly. The men looked up and cowered sheepishly. Eric gave them a dark look and continued on his way past.
He had no desire to really be there, but he knew it was good for his reputation. If he hid himself away somewhere, it would only fuel further speculation that he had done something that he needed to be ashamed of.
Which was the same reason that he couldn’t rush right over to Charlene’s house to comfort her. They needed to keep their distance from one another. It wasn’t just his reputation at stake.
Nor was it simply about her reputation. Someone had already framed her father, landing the man in prison with the possibility of a swift hanging death. He couldn’t risk someone deciding to harm Charlene to ensure that Eric didn’t marry her.
He wished that he could send her a message telling her that he was still looking into her father’s death, though. No rumors could keep him from staying true to his promise to her. He was going to prove the man’s innocence. Somehow.
More than that, he wished that he could tell her that if he had to do it all over, he would still kiss her. Even if kissing her, being alone with her, had led to these dreadful whispers.
Unfortunately, the more information he gathered about Lord Henrich’s case, the more it sounded like Dr. Ellington was guilty. Surely that couldn’t be, though.
Eric believed Charlene when she maintained her father’s innocence. What’s more, he had heard the man himself profess that he hadn’t done the deed that he was accused of. His insistence of his innocence had rung true.
Eric doubted the doctor was that skilled of an actor.
How to prove that he had been framed, though? They needed to find the man who had really poisoned Lord Henrich, but that was proving impossible.
There simply weren’t any leads. No loose ends that he could unravel. Whoever had done it had done a good job.
That worried him. If the killer, whoever he was, realized that Eric was trying to help Charlene prove her father’s innocence, would he come after Eric as well? When Eric had first agreed to help Charlene, he hadn’t even thought about the potential danger to himself. Not that it would have changed his resolve to help her.
When Michael told him that he had a visitor later that afternoon, when he had returned from Whites, Eric’s heart leapt with hope. Was it someone with a lead in Dr. Ellington’s case?
Could one of his requests for information have paid off so soon? Perhaps he had been overzealous in his worry and there was still a chance after all.
He couldn’t bear the thought of Charlene marrying Lord Ambrose. He would do whatever he had to do to make sure that that never happened.
He wished that he could help her more directly by offering a counterproposal. He had a feeling that Charlene would be more than happy to accept if it meant that she was free from Lord Ambrose forever.
At least Eric was nowhere near as loathsome as the Marquess was. However, he doubted his tenants, and the rest of the peers of the realm, would approve of his marrying Charlene. Not only that, but the bribe that Lord Ambrose had offered to sweeten his deal was the safety of Charlene’s father.
As long as Dr. Ellington’s fate was still in the hands of Lord Ambrose, Eric couldn’t be seen having anything more to do with her. The last thing he wished was for the doctor to be sentenced to hang out of some spite on behalf of the Marquess.
No, first things first: Eric had to prove, somehow, that Dr. Ellington was innocent and that someone else had committed the crime of poisoning Lord Henrich.
Once that matter was cleared up, he would see if there was anything that he could do about his affections for Charlene. He only hoped that this current visitor came bearing good news.
Except it wasn’t one of the investigators. “It’s the Lady Annabelle. Shall I have tea brought in for you?” Michael asked.
Eric barely kept from groaning aloud. Annabelle. Of course. She would have heard the gossip, and she would be here to make sure that he remembered that, in her eyes, he was meant to be courting her.
She’d no doubt want to list off her own reasons why he should have nothing to do with the spinster.
Tea would make her stay longer. But if he didn’t offer her tea, she would no doubt feel slighted, and the last thing he needed was for more jealous gossip to spread about himself right now.
Especially since as far as the Marquess was concerned, it was probably best for Eric to make it look like he wasn’t interested in Charlene in the slightest. That he truly was courting Lady Annabelle.
Eric sighed. “Yes, please have tea brought in to us,” he said. “But make sure it’s not too hot when it comes in. The sooner it goes cold, the sooner I can send her on her way.”
Michael looked like he was trying not to laugh as he bowed to his master and then hurried off to tell the cook. Eric headed into the other room and found Annabelle waiting for him.
She stood up, her hands pressed together and her face displaying false worry for him.
“Oh Eric, I’m so sorry to come unannounced like this, but I did just want to make sure that you were all right!” she said. “It must be so dreadful to have your reputation questioned all over town.”
“You know how gossip is,” Eric said. “It’ll all be back to normal in a matter of days, I’m sure. In the meantime, I’m trying not to think about it too much.”
The comment was pointed: he hoped she would realize that she had nothing more to say and just leave. But of course, that was asking for too much.
Instead, Annabelle seated herself, and Eric swallowed another sigh and sat across from her. The lady was shaking her head.
“It’s no surprise, really,” she said. “Miss Ellington has never acted as a well-bred young woman. It’s a shock that they allow her to continue to masquerade as an educated young woman of society. After all, she hardly comports herself to be around others. Riding a horse astride, can you believe it? I can only imagine what she must be teaching to the young ladies she chaperones!”
She paused, giving Eric a chance to agree with her. When he remained silent, she pressed on, not seeming to think it was at all awkward.
“It’s not as if her aunt is much better. Lady Helene acts as though there’s no reason in the world why a woman should be married. It’s no wonder the family raised such an unseemly child. You know, I heard her father allowed her to be educated in medicine too.
“And look where that’s gotten Dr. Ellington: accused of murder! One must wonder what sort of things he might have taught his daughter.”
Annabelle lowered her voice, leaning in closer, her eyes earnest.
“I’m sure you realize that you must have no further dealings with Miss Ellington. If she is upset to hear the things that they are saying about her around town, I’m not sure what she might do. But I’d be worried if anything were to happen to you.”
Eric felt his hands clench into fists. He had tried to stifle his anger while Lady Annabelle listed off Charlene’s supposed faults, but this, accusing the other woman of potentially trying to murder him, was too far.
“I hardly believe that Charlene would come after my life,” he said rather stonily, “since she did, in fact, once save my life. As for her father’s case, I would advise you not to proclaim a man guilty when you know
nothing of the man, the situation, or the law.”
Annabelle’s mouth snapped shut with an audible click, and Eric couldn’t help but feel satisfied at shutting her up. Even though he knew that he should probably entertain the woman for longer – especially since their tea hadn’t even come yet – he was through with this meeting and her fake pity.
“As you’ve reminded me, the whole town is already gossiping about me,” he continued. “All because a woman showed up at my manor by herself. As you have done too. I’d rather not give everyone more to gossip about, so I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
Annabelle’s eyes turned stormy, but Eric could see from the determination there that he hadn’t seen the last of her. The young duke stifled another sigh, wishing that there were some way to make her understand he was never going to be interested in her.
A Wicked Scandal For The Bluestocking (Steamy Historical Regency) Page 11