An Earl's Redemption: Regency Romance (Brides of London)

by Joyce Alec

  14

  “So, what have we to look for?”

  Lydia smiled up at Lord Ancrum, feeling her heart lifting. “We have two guests who left the room during the musical performance,” she said quickly. “One with a green gown and another with a pink satin gown.”

  Lord Ancrum nodded, evidently recalling what they had discussed a sennight ago. They had met on various occasions prior to this afternoon’s walk, but as yet had not had the opportunity to discuss any progress made in detail.

  “I have managed to discover the identity of the young lady with the pink satin gown,” he told her, bringing a rush of excitement to Lydia’s heart. “She is Miss Brinkley. I remember her attending, and in discussion with some others, was able to confirm that my memory was correct. From what I have discovered, Miss Brinkley returned to the room rather quickly, having only gone to the powder room. She was alone, however.”

  “That is exciting indeed!” Lydia replied, feeling truly delighted that he knew at least one of the two. “So, we know the first. Do you know the second?”

  A shadow seemed to cross over Lord Ancrum’s face, making Lydia’s smile fade. “I have been trying to remember but my mind has failed me,” he replied, sounding frustrated. “I recall Lord Paulson making a comment about a lady in a green gown, but as hard as I try, I cannot remember who he referred to.”

  “That is not to be considered a failing, however,” Lydia replied, wanting to encourage him. “You have done very well, Lord Ancrum.”

  His face split with a smile and Lydia felt her heart warm. There was such an obvious mutual affection now that neither of them could turn from it – and this brought Lydia more delight than she had ever thought possible.

  “Thank you, Lydia,” he murmured, speaking her name quietly as they turned into St James’ Park. “You are a great encouragement, truly.” A dark look entered his eyes. “The Bow Street Runners have come to my door again, however. They have spoken to me at length about what I discovered the night of Lord Paulson’s death and I will confess that the manner of their questions has made me somewhat concerned.”

  Lydia swallowed hard, her smile fading quickly. If the Bow Street Runners had returned to speak to Lord Ancrum, then that must mean that they considered him to have a strong motive for killing Lord Paulson. A cloud settled over her mind, but with an effort, Lydia thrust it aside. No good could come from giving into despondency. They had to continue with their own efforts in the hope that something would become clear.

  “I am certain they were just making further enquiries,” she said, trying to put a smile on her face. “We need not concern ourselves overly much. We must instead concentrate on discovering who this lady with the green gown might be.”

  “And speaking to Miss Brinkley so as to discover if she saw anything or to discern if she, too, was being blackmailed by Lord Paulson,” Lydia added quietly, her hand now settling on Lord Ancrum’s arm. She tried not to let herself think about what might happen if Miss Brinkley had, in fact, simply gone to the powder room and if they could not discover the identity of the lady in the green gown, knowing that they would be left without any sort of hope if such a thing were to occur. Instead, she tried to let herself be encouraged, to let herself hope. Her fingers tightened on Lord Ancrum’s arm, making him glance down at her with a look of concern in his eyes.

  “You have not heard from Lady Starling again, I hope?” he said, clearly worried that she was holding something back from him. “She has not spoken to you in this last week?”

  “No, indeed not,” Lydia replied honestly. “I have seen nothing of her nor have any consequences come tumbling over my head, as she promised.” A wry smile tipped her lips. “Mayhap she knows that she spoke foolishly and the matter is now at an end.”

  Lord Ancrum did not look convinced. “Mayhap,” he murmured, his brows lowered. “There is still something about that incident that…” He trailed off, his footsteps becoming slower until they had both come to a complete stop. Lydia stared up at him, her heart suddenly thundering furiously within her chest as she watched him. The color was slowly draining from his face, his eyes widening with apparent terror, and Lydia could do nothing but wait for him to speak.

  Lord Ancrum let out a gasping breath and then ran one hand down over his face.

  “It cannot be,” she heard him say hoarsely. “It cannot be.” He looked at her with a blank expression, clearly overcome with something that he had only just realized.

  “What is it, Lord Ancrum?” she asked softly, hardly daring to breathe, such was the obvious weight of the moment. “Has something begun to trouble you?”

  Lord Ancrum rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, shaking his head in a confused fashion. “I—I have recalled what Lord Paulson said to me the evening I stood with Lady Starling,” he replied slowly, looking into her eyes. “It was Lady Starling who had asked me to aid her in finding a way to remove her from Lord Paulson’s grasp.”

  Lydia blinked rapidly, trying to accept this new information without any sort of outward reaction. Lady Starling had been the one whom Lord Ancrum had sought to help, and yet he had hidden that from her. He had not told her the truth. Closing her eyes, Lydia took in a long breath, recalling the day she had seen Lord Ancrum and Lady Starling driving through the park in a carriage together. Her stomach had turned over at the sight, her heart aching furiously—and that had been before she had allowed herself to admit that she was rather caught up with the gentleman.

  “Why did you not speak to me of this before?” she asked, her voice hard. “Why did you not tell me from the start that it was Lady Starling?”

  Lord Ancrum groaned and shook his head. “I was ashamed,” he admitted, his face coloring a little. “I did not want you to think ill of me and I know the reputation that Lady Starling has. Therefore, I—”

  “Therefore, you chose to hide the truth from me for fear of what I would think of you,” she interrupted, aware that this was, most likely, the truth in all its entirety, but finding that she was still quite angry with him for keeping it from her. “You were trying your utmost to prove to me that you were a gentleman of honor and you did not believe that your association with Lady Starling would show that. Is that not so?”

  “It is.” He was looking at her now with a grave expression, as though he realized just how upset she was and yet was praying that she would understand. Lydia wanted to be rational, wanted to accept that he had simply made a mistake, but all she could feel was anger and frustration.

  “Then is there a reason that Lady Starling came to me in order to force an end to our engagement?” she asked, a little too harshly. “Mayhap there is something you are hiding from me, Lord Ancrum?”

  As she fixed him with her gaze, Lydia saw the color drain from Lord Ancrum’s face and felt her stomach twist with a sudden guilt. She should not have suggested such a thing and yet, before she could retract her question, Lord Ancrum had begun to speak. His brows were lowered, his eyes filled with anger and his expression one of sheer fury.

  “I have never drawn near to Lady Starling, Lydia,” he hissed, taking a step closer. “I have never wanted to do so either. I am aware of her reputation, of course, but it has never been something that I have sought for myself. I made that clear to her from the beginning and in a way, she seemed glad of my friendship, for I did not behave as other gentlemen of her acquaintance did.”

  Lydia swallowed hard, an ache building in her throat. “I see,” she said dully, but Lord Ancrum was not finished.

  “When she told me of her difficulties with Lord Paulson, I could not simply turn around and walk away. I considered myself to be a gentleman willing to come to the aid of those who might need my assistance and, even though I knew I had to be careful, I offered to help extract her from Lord Paulson’s clutches.” His voice had grown a little louder now, drawing the attention of one or two passersby. “Mayhap it was foolish to do such a thing but that is the choice I made, Miss Whitaker. There was nothing more than friendship bet
ween myself and Lady Starling and I certainly do not condone what she said to you about our engagement. I cannot think where she had gotten such a notion, for as I have said, there was nothing of consequence between us.”

  Feeling a little shaken by the volume and sharpness of Lord Ancrum’s voice, Lydia drew in a steadying breath and dropped her gaze to the ground. Lord Ancrum said nothing more, his voice dying away and the words being captured by the breeze. Nothing more was said between them for some minutes, leaving Lydia feeling confused and upset. She wanted to tell Lord Ancrum that she had not meant to speak in such an accusatory manner, and that she was upset and confused over his actions, but the words would not form on her tongue. Instead, they simply stood there for some minutes, with only the wind and the birdsong to interrupt them.

  Eventually, Lord Ancrum cleared his throat and, daring a glance up at him, Lydia saw that he looked heartily ashamed of his behavior. His face was red, his eyes downcast, and his expression one of ruefulness.

  “Miss Whitaker—Lydia, I—”

  “There she is!”

  Lydia whirled around, hearing a hard, angry voice speaking just behind her. Two men walked closer to her, their faces holding identical hard expressions. Stumbling forward, she felt herself enclosed by Lord Ancrum’s arms and clung to him, feeling as though he were her anchor in a dreadful storm.

  “Miss Whitaker, I believe?” the first man said, looking at her with interest. “Daughter of Viscount Templeton?”

  “I am,” Lydia replied, aware of the small crowd that was beginning to form around them. “Who are you, might I ask?” She took in the man, seeing his plain clothes but aware that he was not poorly dressed. All in all, he looked quite respectable.

  “Jones, of the Bow Street Runners,” the man replied with a small bow. “We have need to speak to you, Miss Whitaker.”

  “At once,” the second man replied, gesturing for her to walk with him, but Lydia only shook her head.

  “I shall not go with you,” she stated firmly, her eyes beginning to search the crowd for the person who had directed the two men towards her. “Whatever it is you wish to ask, you may ask it here.”

  The second man’s brows lowered, his expression growing irritated. “I am in no mood for games, Miss Whitaker. A mere conversation is all that is required at this present moment, although you will need to consider each and every answer you give us carefully. Only the truth will do, given that you have been accused.”

  The color drained from Lydia’s face, her hands grasping tightly onto Lord Ancrum’s arm as his other hand slipped about her waist, steadying her. “Accused?” she repeated, aware that every eye was on her, every face turned towards hers with interest. “Of what, might I ask?” She felt her strength begin to fade away but forced herself to stand tall and speak with determination. “And who is it that accuses me?”

  “You were seen leaving the room, Miss Whitaker.” The singsong voice of Lady Starling reached Lydia’s ears, and she turned her head to see the beautiful lady extract herself from the crowd and begin to slowly walk towards both Lydia and Lord Ancrum. “You did not return until after Lord Ancrum had found you. The poor fellow must have been so shocked to see Lord Paulson lying stabbed through the heart.” Her eyes flickered to Lord Ancrum, her expression appearing sympathetic. “And you are an excellent actress, I must say. Pretending to be shocked and horrified when you yourself were the one to kill him.”

  A gasp rippled around the crowd and Lydia felt herself grow nauseous with a sudden fear. The Bow Street Runners were reaching for her, but Lydia shook her head, holding up one hand to them.

  “I did not kill Lord Paulson,” she stated as firmly as she could. “I had nothing to do with his death.”

  “If you would just come with us,” the first man said, as gently as he could. “We just need to speak to you, that’s all.”

  Lady Starling’s eyes glittered, her hateful gaze fixed upon Lydia. “You tried to entangle Lord Ancrum in your little scheme,” she said loudly, so that not a single word would be missed by the gathered crowd. “You forced him to offer you his hand in marriage so that your reputation would not be disgraced—and in doing so, entrapped him forever.” She shook her head pityingly. “But not any longer, Miss Whitaker.”

  “I had no reason to kill Lord Paulson,” Lydia stammered, ignoring Lady Starling’s visible dislike. “I had nothing to do with his death.”

  Lady Starling tutted, as though Lydia were being deliberately untruthful. “You must not pretend that your mother’s difficulties were not a reason for you to wish Lord Paulson gone from this earth,” she replied softly, making a chill run down Lydia’s spine. “Lying will do you no good, Miss Whitaker. The Bow Street Runners will have the truth from you one way or the other.”

  Lydia’s breath became ragged and she looked up into the face of Lord Ancrum, desperate to see some sort of reassurance, some sort of hope there. Lord Ancrum was looking fixedly at Lady Starling, his mouth pulled taught and his jaw set firm. Anger flashed in his eyes and seeing that look, Lydia was reassured that he felt nothing for Lady Starling and all that she offered.

  “We will discuss this further at my townhouse.”

  Lord Ancrum’s voice was loud and filled with authority and even the Bow Street Runners seemed to be aware of it, for they took a small step back from Lydia, with the second letting his outstretched hand fall back to his side.

  “Lady Starling,” Lord Ancrum continued, his arm still protectively around Lydia, “you will accompany us also. I will not allow my betrothed to stand accused of something she did not do—and all of you present, I would ask you to wait before you make your own judgments that you will then, no doubt, spread throughout all of London.” The crowd muttered at this but Lord Ancrum silenced them with one swift motion of his hand. “I will not have rumors about my betrothed spread through the rumor mills,” he said angrily. “Hold your tongues until judgment has been served and the truth comes to light.”

  “Your townhouse, then,” Lady Starling said smoothly, taking a step towards him and smiling up into his face, ignoring Lydia completely. “I should be glad to attend with you, Lord Ancrum.”

  Lydia shuddered violently, the fear of what could happen to her taking a hold of her heart. Lord Ancrum said nothing more but gestured for Lady Starling to move away, and, much to her relief, the Bow Street Runners did the same.

  “I believe I know the truth, Lydia,” Lord Ancrum whispered in her ear as they walked from the park. “You must trust me for what is to come.”

  Lydia looked up at him, her hand snaking around under his arm, holding onto him for support. “I do trust you.”

  “You may hear me say things that will seem to break your heart, but it is naught but a ploy,” he added, just as Lady Starling turned her head to look at them both. “It will all be nothing more than an act, as though I were a performer at the theatre.” His jaw clenched as he returned Lady Starling’s gaze, who smiled at him smugly before turning her head away. “And I will make certain this matter comes to an end.”

  15

  “I would have you seek her out and bring her here most urgently.”

  Frantically, Joseph gave instructions to his butler, who frowned heavily at the dark expression on his master’s face. He told him precisely what he was to do and urged him to send as many footmen out as possible. The butler nodded quickly and hurried away, fully prepared to do his master’s bidding.

  Clearing his throat, Joseph prepared himself for what he was to do next. It had only been earlier that afternoon that he had realized the truth, had come to see just how foolish he had been—and whilst everything, as yet, did not quite make sense, he was quite certain of where the guilt lay.

  His thoughts returned to Lydia. She had been so terribly afraid, but in spite of this, had proven to him just how strong a character she had. In front of the small crowd and the gloating expression of Lady Starling, she had stood tall and declared herself innocent of any crime. It had only been when the Bow Street
Runners had come to take her with them that she had turned to him for support.

  Lady Starling was practically alive with the delight of what she had orchestrated. He had not understood why she had been so eager to separate both himself and Lydia but now, finally, he was beginning to see clearly the truth of the matter. No doubt Lady Starling believed herself to be doing something for which he would be grateful, but in that regard, she had entirely mistaken him.

  Settling his shoulders, Joseph drew in a long breath and walked back along the corridor towards the drawing room. He had not wanted to leave Lydia sitting there alone, but he had not had any other choice, given that he had to speak to his butler about what was required. It also would, he hoped, give Lady Starling the impression that he was not particularly considerate of Lydia, which, whilst being entirely untrue, was what he wished her to think.

  Pushing open the door, he cleared his throat and gestured to the two Bow Street Runners, who were standing by the empty fireplace.

  “A drink, gentlemen?” he asked, the whisky and brandy to the left of the fireplace. “Please, help yourselves. I can see that my staff have been efficient enough to bring the ladies some tea, so please do ensure you have something to enjoy also.”

  The two Bow Street Runners glanced at one another and, after another moment of hesitation, went to pour themselves something from the table. Joining them, Joseph poured a large measure of whisky into a glass and then returned to where he had been standing, able to see Lydia, the two Bow Street Runners, and Lady Starling. Lady Starling was sitting opposite Lydia, looking as calm and collected as he had ever seen her. She was looking towards Lydia, her eyes sharp and a tiny smile lifting the corners of her mouth, giving her a distinctly arrogant appearance. Joseph felt his stomach twist, his repugnance growing steadily, but he fought to keep such emotions from his expression.