The Duke's Broken Heart Page 16

  He paid a call on Everett and was pleased to see him alone.

  After the formal greeting, John sat in his customary chair facing Everett’s desk. Everett sat in the chair next to him.

  “I’m again in luck to see you alone. Each time I call, I expect Phin to be here with you.”

  Everett sighed. “He’s already been by, and I expect him later this afternoon. I imagine he is attempting to pay a call to Charlotte right now.”

  John shook his head. “I was just there and didn’t run into him. But, no matter. I would tell him what I’m about to tell you.” John paused. “I invited Genevieve and Charlotte to my country estate. I expect their visit would last a fortnight. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were shorter, but something needs to be done. We went to a play; it wasn’t much of a success. Charlotte practically ran to my box and stayed there a long time past the ending before she was ready to leave.

  “I plan to deposit them up there, spend a few days making sure they’re settled in. It’s always busy at the castle with my two sisters and their families in residence.

  “After I’m sure they are comfortable, I plan to be called away to London on business. Once back here, I will join the search for an answer to this problem.”

  Everett looked at John, leaning back in his chair, smile on his face. “If I may be so bold, is it your intention to marry her aunt once Charlotte is squared away?”

  John smiled, and his eyes sparkled. “If she would take me today, I would be out getting a special licence rather than sitting here talking to you.” He shrugged. “We need to pull off one ‘happily ever after’ at a time.”

  Everett gave a short laugh. “When are you planning to leave?”

  John blew out a long breath. “As soon as Charlotte agrees to the plan. She’s walking a fine line, Charlotte is. If she goes, she will spend her time in the country wondering if Phin had called on her. If she insists on staying, she needs to own to loving Phin and needs to marry him not knowing if his name will ever be clear.”

  Everett grimaced. “I’ll do my best to keep it quiet until you leave. Send me a note when you get back?”

  John grinned. “You can count on it.”

  ***

  John Beasley visited. Phin always liked John, and when John said he was courting Aunt Genevieve, Phin slapped him on the back, “Well done.”

  “The ladies are a mess, Phin. They are both broken up about you, and Charlotte insists she will become a spinster; she wants no other. There is a cloud over you, and I promised the ladies I’d help you remove it.”

  “That’s not a promise you can keep. I’ve been through this hundreds of times. It’s not possible to prove something didn’t happen. If I could, I would have by now.”

  John sighed. This problem had been weighing on him too. Without that journal, he understood Phin’s despair.

  “I have a confession to make. I learned from your father about a journal he kept. His entries included information about bank accounts and their balances. He offered to show this journal to me to prove he had the right to Mercy’s dowry account.

  “I told him no. But that’s not why I’m bringing it up. I’m bringing it up because if we had that journal, and it gave information about his gambling, and the money he took to feed his habit, we can show it as hard evidence, and the clouds would no longer be over your head.

  “I told Everett. I didn’t want to get your hopes up, and neither did he. While you and he were conducting business the other day, Mercy, Josie, and your staff searched your townhouse looking for the journal.

  “They didn’t find it.” John’s shoulders slumped. “They didn’t even know what it looked like to know it if they found it. But it was a try.”

  Phin looked at John until John broke contact. “It’s a blood red colour, soft leather, inch thick. They’d have known it if they saw it.”

  “So, it does exist.”

  “It did exist. It was probably thrown out years ago. Look, John, I appreciate your help. I’d do just about anything to be with Charlotte. But this is my problem and putting hope in a beat up red book full of an old man’s rantings isn’t going to solve it.”

  ***

  Journal Entry – Phineas is gone. I told him to leave, and he did. That boy left me with nothing. An allowance! I’m the father; he’s the child. An allowance that covers expenses only. He’s a terrible son. Close my accounts? I was keeping them open for when I win back the money in those accounts. He has no faith in me that I will win back Mercy’s dowry. Close that account!! How dare he? I should have disowned him years ago. I’d have my accounts open for depositing my winnings. Should have thrown him out years ago.

  Chapter 19

  Charlotte wanted to grab her trunk out of the footman’s hands when he was securing it to the carriage roof. Why did she agree to visit John’s country estate? Aunt Genevieve was so excited at the prospect and talked about it day and night, that’s why.

  ‘John has two sisters I want you to meet,’ she said, quite a few times. ‘John has a granddaughter your age, Charlotte. You can ride with her every day,’ she repeated.

  Charlotte sighed, happy the coach ride to John’s estate was only half a day. She looked out the window while Genevieve and John chatted nonstop.

  The countryside was green; the air was fresh, and Charlotte had forgotten how peaceful it was. She closed her eyes, listening to sheep and cows. The incessant sound of horse hooves drumming the cobblestones was absent.

  When they pulled up to John’s home, elegant on the top of the hill, bathed in the sun, Charlotte finally felt comfortable with her decision to come. Inside, the castle wasn’t dark and damp as she expected.

  The rooms were beautiful, decorated with a refined eye. The brocades were from India, the rugs from the Middle East, tapestries from France, and antiques from China.

  Genevieve’s head swivelled, not knowing where to look next, and Charlotte smiled. Her aunt looked so happy. Had Charlotte really been so selfish? Genevieve did everything for her. Charlotte didn’t want to come here at first, but she had changed her mind the minute she saw Genevieve’s face. A face filled with joy.

  John asked them to join him once they freshened up in their bedchambers, and so Charlotte knocked on her aunt’s door to see if she was ready for tea. Her aunt opened it and took Charlotte by the wrist, pulling her in.

  “Are you all right Charlotte?” she asked. Charlotte knew she was trying to act with reserve. She gave her aunt a smile. She wasn’t pulling it off.

  “I’m fine, Aunt Genevieve. I’m so happy we came here. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Genevieve beamed. She couldn’t have wiped the smile from her face if she tried. “It is. Are you ready to meet the family?”

  “Yes, I am. Let’s go.”

  Charlotte and Genevieve entered the parlour, which was crowded with John’s relatives. Two sisters, three nieces, one nephew, and two toddler grandnieces. Charlotte froze. She was an only child, and her only relative was Genevieve.

  “Oh, my,” Genevieve said. “Are you all really relatives of John?”

  Those in the room laughed. John stepped forward, a sparkle in his eyes, and introduced Genevieve and Charlotte to his family. They sat for tea.

  John’s older sister started, “So Genevieve, how did you and our Johnny meet?”

  Before she could answer, John jumped in. “Ignore Jane, Genevieve. She thinks she’s funnier than she is.”

  Charlotte was seated next to Molly. She turned to her and smiled. “Shall we go riding in the morning, Charlotte?”

  Jane piped in before Charlotte could answer, “Molly, she just travelled from London. She may want to rest tomorrow. You can go Thursday, dear.”

  “Actually, I’d love to go riding if you all wouldn’t find me rude to rest tomorrow afternoon.”

  John’s younger sister, Mary said, “Great. Now that’s been settled, let’s tell these ladies what John is really like.”

  There was an uproar of laughter in the parlour and
a groan from John. Genevieve and Charlotte looked at one another and smiled.

  ***

  Mercy waited until Phin left to go to see Everett before she called in Foster.

  “Yes, My Lady?”

  “Foster, we have a very important task that must be done immediately and with complete discretion. Only you, the servants, and I can know. Am I able to rely on you?”

  Foster stood tall and quickly answered, “Yes, My Lady.”

  “You must split the servants into groups, and each group must be assigned a room. They’re looking for my father’s journal. Have you ever seen it, Foster?”

  Foster grimaced and shook his head. “No, I don’t believe I have.”

  Mercy nodded. “Be sure to ask the servants if they have ever seen it. It would be so much easier if we knew what it looked like.”

  “My Lady, are we to search the attic, basement, the stables?”

  “Everywhere. Foster. Do you know of any secret hiding places in his home? Under floorboards, behind paintings, hollowed out mantles and such?”

  “No, My Lady. I’m not aware.”

  “When you give our instructions, you must be sure hiding places are sought out in every room. And every room is to look untouched.

  “Josie will be over to help. She and I will take my father’s bedchamber and his office. Everett has promised to keep Phin occupied into the afternoon. But if he should come home suddenly, you must bring the house back to normalcy within a matter of minutes, understood?

  “Yes, My Lady.” Foster stood for a moment, a questioning look in his eyes.

  “Foster, please speak, this cannot be accomplished if you aren’t clear on the job ahead.”

  “My Lady. Is His Grace unaware of the search?”

  “Yes, Foster. Everett or I will tell him about it later.”

  “My part in all this, My Lady? You want me at the door, should His Grace come home?”

  “No, you are to do much, much more. However, it must all be done while at your post in the front hall. You must round up the servants, explain, and give them their assignments. You must group them, one senior with one junior servant and always two on a search. You must be there for their questions and for when one room is complete so you can assign them another room. Understood?”

  “Yes, My Lady. Shall we begin now?”

  “Yes, Foster. Send Josie to the office when she comes. I’ll start there.” Mercy turned to leave but stopped. She turned back. “Foster? Thank you.”

  Foster bowed. “You’re welcome, My Lady,” he said with a smile.

  Mercy thought Foster would find this search great fun. She turned, headed for the office.

  Josie came shortly after Mercy began her search. They split up the work and did an exhaustive search of Phin’s office. She had thought snooping would be fun, but it proved not the case. The books and papers there were incredibly boring. Page after page of the price of sheep’s wool. Price of bolts of fabric by type of fabric and colour.

  The good news was Phin didn’t lock his cabinet or his desk drawers. The bad news was there was nothing to find.

  Mercy started on the shelves of books floor-to-ceiling against the length of one wall. Josie looked for a secret hiding place. Josie turned over every piece of furniture, rolled the rug up, check for loosened floorboards, took every painting off the wall, and checked around the hearth and in the fireplace.

  “Anything?” Mercy yelled from the top of the ladder attached to a bar running across the bookshelves.

  “No, you?” she responded, continuing to search on the window seat as she spoke.

  “I’m almost done with nothing to show for it,” Mercy continued.

  “Me too,” Josie answered. “We’ve spent hours in here. I don’t think we missed it.”

  “I wish I knew what it looked like. Red? Brown? Small and thick? Large and thin?”

  Mercy and Josie looked at the room and were satisfied it didn’t look touched. They headed for Foster.

  “How’s it going here? We had no luck in the study.”

  Foster bowed to the two of them. “The staff is taking on the project with enthusiasm. I surmise it’s a great adventure from the usual day-to-day activities. No one has ever seen the journal, so we still don’t know what it looks like. Almost all have finished with one room and gone on to the second.”

  “We’re going to Phin’s bedchamber next. I fear I should take Malcolm with me.”

  Foster looked into her eyes, “I think that’s wise, My Lady. I’ll let him know you are headed there. I’m sure he’ll meet you there shortly.”

  “Thank you, Foster.”

  Phin’s valet was waiting for Mercy and Josie when they walked through the door.

  “Malcolm, thank you for joining us.”

  Malcolm bowed, a grave look on his face.

  “I know you are familiar with every single item of clothing Phin owns, but could I ask you to check the dressing room for a hiding place? Perhaps in the floorboards or in the wall somewhere?”

  “Yes, My Lady.”

  “And Malcolm, while you’re doing that, Lady Josie will be looking for hiding places in here, and I will be searching contents of the room.”

  “Very good, My Lady,” Malcolm said as he went to his dressing room, for it wasn’t Phin’s room. Phin was barely allowed in it. It was Malcolm’s room.

  When Malcolm was done, he helped Josie search for hiding places while Mercy finished with his personal items. They were done in three-quarters of an hour.

  “Well, that proves it,” Mercy said.

  “Proves what?” Josie asked.

  “My brother is the most boring man on earth. Not one good, juicy piece of paper. All straightforward business-related piles of boring.”

  Eventually, the entire house had been searched, and Mercy thought it had been done thoroughly. She gave Foster coins to pass out, rewarding the servants for their hard work.

  There was no Journal.

  ***

  Charlotte loved John’s estate and his family. There was laughter throughout the day, every day. She felt rejuvenated.

  She and Molly rode every day. They shopped in town together. They hosted the village children for games together.

  Charlotte quickly learned that country life didn’t vary greatly. The number of people she saw day in and day out was the same. And it was much less formal. Charlotte had been close to Mercy, but the two were rarely alone together. Molly and Charlotte, on the other hand, spent most of each day together and alone. Having only had one person to confide in before visiting the country, Charlotte was relieved she had someone she knew she could trust.

  Molly turned to Charlotte while they were walking at a leisurely pace out of town, headed for the castle. “Charlotte, when the time is right, I want you to know I’m a good listener. I can also keep a secret. My mother taught me that. You have no idea of all the things she and I have kept from Uncle John.”

  They both laughed. Then Charlotte breathed deep and thought.

  “If it wouldn’t put you out, I’d love the shoulder to cry on – not literally. But I hate when friendships are one-sided, so every now and then, you will need to divulge something to me. Deal?”

  “Deal. Although my life is so boring, there isn’t much to divulge.” She turned to Charlotte. “So spill.”

  “This seems so strange. Being able to tell you things without having to look around the room to make sure no one is watching or listening. I love the country. Wait, I just had a thought. Why don’t you come back to London with us?”

  Molly shrugged.

  “Will you think about it?”

  “I will. I promise.”

  “So,” she started, having decided to trust Molly completely, “you must know that I am going through a difficult time because of a man.”

  Charlotte told Molly everything up until the flowers she turned away while she walked down the townhouse steps to get into the carriage on the way there.

  “So, you love him, and he loves
you, but if you married, you’d have to live your life under a cloud because of his false reputation?”

  “Yes. You got it.”

  “I need to ask some questions because I’ve never lived in London, and I don’t know how the ton works. First, what would your life be like if you married? Would no one talk to you?”

  “No. They’d talk to us. They’d invite us to their parties, but then they would all watch carefully and afterward, talk amongst themselves about everything we did wrong.”