I took a step backwards.
“A great many reasons,” I said, admittedly with a false bravado, my heart beating wildly. I was no stranger to facing down a madman, I just had never thought I’d have to do it again. “For one thing, I am not the true cause of your troubles, it just appears that way. Your sister was bound to fall in love at some point, just as some day she will take possession of her inheritance and then your abuse of her funds will be known.”
He stopped briefly as a look of fury spasmed across his face, then took another step toward me. “It was you who introduced her to Hunter. If she hadn’t have met you, she would still be under my control.”
I didn’t see the blow coming. I would have thought that years living with my father would have honed my senses to anticipate a blow, but the earl’s hand whipped out and struck my face with enough force to send me reeling back into a chair. My cheek throbbed and stung as tears sprang to my eyes. I turned back to face Lord Sherringham, determined to make him admit his crimes.
“And then there’s your brother’s alienation. Don’t you think your many attempts on his life might have something to do with that?” I asked.
A growl issued from his mouth as flecks of spittle dotted his dark waistcoat. The look in his eye was definitely not one of a sane man. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You told him to throw us out, it’s because of you that we will be shamed, disgraced, and dishonored before everyone. He was given everything by his doting mama! All I was given were debts!”
He slapped me again. This time I saw it coming and ducked as he lashed out, but he caught the edge of my jaw painfully. I calculated my chances of either launching an attack or escaping the room, but neither was good. Although he was not a large man, his was the strength of madness, and I was not feeling my best after having fallen from the alcove.
“I could see why you hired Merlin and Percy to do the dirty work for you, but what about the accidents Griffin had in the house? Was it you who loosened the stair rod and poisoned his food, or was it Lady Sherringham?”
A high-pitched giggled escaped his lips. “My dear Letitia is the most helpful of wives.”
“And as for your being turned out of your home, perhaps it was not the best idea to burn down Rosewood.” That last was a guess based on Griffin’s comments, but it hit home.
“Rosewood!” His voice was almost a scream. “He made me do it. The old man wouldn’t let me have it to myself,
he
was to have it as well.”
I was slightly confused by his use of pronouns, but gathered that he was referring to the fact that the old earl had wanted Rosewood to be a home for Helena and Griffin.
“And now this,” I said, pulling out the envelope I had filched from the hall table. “It seems your cohort has something to tell you. Perhaps Maggie Greene wants to tell you about the latest suffrage protest—” I spoke louder as the door behind him opened. “—or maybe she has a question about your role ensuring the suffragettes are arrested.”
Lord Sherringham was directly in front of me, his hands outstretched and almost touching my throat. I looked over his shoulder and delivered the coup de grace. “Or could it be that Maggie wants to talk about how much money you promised to give her when she arranges for Helena to be sent to prison?”
He screamed and lunged at me, digging his thumbs into my throat, sending me sliding toward a long, inky pool.
Chapter Twenty-five
“Can you ever forgive me?”
“Of course. You saved my life.”
“Only by the slimmest of margins,” Griffin said, nuzzling my throat.
“Ahem,” I said, nodding toward Helena and Robert, who were fussing with a tea tray. “You can make amends by telling me what happened.”
Griffin
released me, and allowed me to sit without his support on a brocade sofa. “I didn’t know what to think when we came in to see that bastard Black dragging Helena toward the library. It took us a few minutes to get her free and him disabled, and then she wasn’t in a state to do anything but say the word ‘library’ over and over again.”
“It was horrible,” Helena said, handing me a cup of tea. “I thought Harold would kill you.”
“He might have if Griffin hadn’t broken his jaw,” Robert said, sitting next to Helena on a loveseat.
“You broke his jaw?” I asked, looking at the love of my life.
“It was the only way I could get him to release you,” he said in a raw voice.
We contemplated the recent events in silence for a few minutes, silence made all the more stark by the recent insane screams of Lord Sherringham as he was taken away, struggling, to the local asylum in a straight-waistcoat.
As a woman’s voice sounded in the hall, Griffin rose and excused himself.
“I still can’t believe Harold did that to you,” Helena said as she moved over to sit next to me. “It all seems like a nightmare.”
Our heads turned in unison as a horrible scream rent the air.
“That would be your sister-in-law hearing the news,” I said in answer to her shocked face.
Helena was on the verge of tears, and I was about to ask Robert to take her elsewhere when Lady Sherringham appeared in the doorway, her eyes burning and hands outstretched like talons.
“You have ruined everything,” she screeched, flying at me. Spitting curses, she tried to claw my face. Robert leaped forward and pulled her off before she had a chance to reach me. The countess struggled briefly, then suddenly went limp, sobbing hysterically.
Griffin
arrived, mopping blood from his face where she had clearly attacked him. Waving me back to the couch from which I had risen, he took the countess firmly by the arm and escorted her from the room.
Helena
sat with her face in her hands, weeping. Realizing that perhaps Robert could comfort her better than I could, I slipped out of the room and waited in the hall for Griffin.
Later, when a pale and furious Lady Sherringham had left for the comfort of a sister’s home, we gathered in the sitting room and I recounted the disturbing conversation with the earl.
“Harold truly did plan to have me imprisoned simply in order to steal my fortune,” Helena said, as if speaking the words out loud would make them less painful.
“I’m sorry, Helena,” I said miserably from where I was curled up next to Griffin, cuddled into his side, my fingers twined through his. “I believe it would be kindest to think that the madness had taken over, leaving his mind unbalanced and not at all that of a brother you loved.”
“Yes, that is true.” She leaned into Robert for comfort. “And the madness would explain his attacks on Griffin, as well.”
“He all but admitted the two accidents you experienced at home were the work of your sister-in-law,” I told Griffin. “I assume they were done at the earl’s behest.”
“I thought Sherry was acting a little odd when I came home after this last trip,” he answered, rubbing his chin meditatively. “He seemed to be angry all of the time.”
“To think he would go so far as to kill you.” Helena glanced at the bruises blossoming on my neck. “Both of you!”
“I don’t understand why he wanted to have Helena arrested,” Robert complained, shifting so that Helena was at his side.
I sipped my tea and let Griffin explain it to him.
“I don’t know for sure, but I’ll wager an examination of Helena’s inheritance will show that she was being systematically robbed by Sherry. When you appeared on the scene, Sherry saw at once that Helena was—ahem—fond of you. He knew that even though she could not touch the money held in trust until she was twenty-five, a husband might take more of an interest in her fortune and would demand an accounting.”
“Lord Sherringham would never have been able to carry off the embezzlement of Helena’s inheritance if it were not for his partner in crime, Mr. Hope,” I added.
I turned to Helena. “You must know—your trustee, Mr. Hope, is he in the church?”
“Yes,” she replied wearily, leaning heavily against Robert’s shoulder. “He was the vicar in the parish at Rosewood for years, then he left his post.”
I turned to back to Griffin.
“You wouldn’t remember because you were drugged at the time, but it was Mr. Hope that Freddy intended to marry us. Freddy and me, that is,” I added, blushing at Griffin’s scowl. “I didn’t see much of his face, but I have little doubt that the Mr. Hope, clergyman, who was so obliging to Freddy is the same Mr. Hope, clergyman, who was Lord Sherringham’s friend and co-trustee to Helena. I assume the earl decided to help Freddy in his underhanded scheme after Griffin made known his intentions towards me. I suppose we’ll never know until we talk to Freddy.”
I sat back, pleased with my bit of reasoning.
“But how did your cousin know Lord Sherringham?” Robert asked.
“As I see it, Merlin Jones was the link between the two men. Perhaps not the only one since I caught Freddy with my Union notebook in his hand, so he may well have seen the potential to raise a little capital, and who better to approach than the man who was leading the opposition to the Cause. Freddy has been mentioning, with increasing vigor, the dangerous aspects of a woman involved in suffrage. He obviously tried to play on my fears by hiring Mr. Jones to conduct worrisome, but not really frightening attacks upon me. It just so happened that each time one was arranged, Helena was with me.”
“Helena saw him talking to Sherry, which means he probably passed on Jones’ name as a thug willing to be hired for any number of plans,” Griffin said.
I nodded. “Plans such as kidnapping you from the masquerade ball, attacking you in your study, and so forth. Yes, I’m quite certain you are right.”
“And Maggie Greene? How did she meet Lord Sherringham? And why would she want to have Helena jailed?” Robert’s voice was distinctly puzzled.
“I’m sure she met the earl indirectly through Helena. According to the note she left, which Griffin so obligingly opened, she was passing along information about upcoming Union events to him.”
Helena
looked as puzzled as Robert. “But why would she want to sabotage the Union, Cassandra? I know you don’t support the militants, but surely you can’t believe they want the Union to fail?”
“I think in a way, they do. Maggie probably realizes that there were just too many moderate suffragettes, and that she will never be able to take over the Union. Her plan was to divide and conquer—bring the Union down by giving sensitive information to the police, thereby insuring that the leaders and most active members would be arrested and jailed. Later, when the opposition was silenced, she would pick up the dregs and form a new organization with herself at the helm and a militant policy in force. She may still do it, too,” I mused.
“Well, at least Helena’s safe,” Robert said, gazing at Helena with a silly grin of bliss. She smiled giddily back at him.
“Yes, I think everything has turned out rather well, all in all,” I said, watching Griffin with concern. He had been quiet too long, and I was worried that he was overly tired by the recent day’s events.
His lovely eyes met mine and I’m afraid that, for a time, we all looked silly.
Helena
and Griffin came to dinner that night, and we explained to my family what had happened earlier, as well as what we had pieced together. Mabel was shocked, Joshua concerned, and Mullin delighted with the exciting goings-on of the family.
After dinner, I had a moment to speak to Helena alone and told her about the protest at the candidate’s meeting the following evening. “Mrs. Heywood asked specifically that we attend. She has hand-picked the members, and is placing a great deal of trust in us with this assignment.”
Helena
had recovered from the trauma of the day extremely well, due in a large part, I suspected, to the support and love of Robert. She gazed at him now as he stood talking to Griffin next to the fire, and when she spoke, her voice throbbed with emotion. “I would be proud to accompany you tomorrow. It will be our last demonstration, and is only suitable that it should be an important one.”
“Yes, well—” I cast my own eyes towards the two men. “We have yet to inform them of our plans. I have a feeling we shall meet with a fair amount of opposition. Are you prepared to defy your beloved’s wishes?”
She answered my smile with one of her own. “I should never think of going against Robert’s wishes in any manner,” she said with unconvincing demureness, her eyes twinkling.
“The trouble with you, Helena, is that you avoid confrontation. I used to do the same, but now I realize that there is nothing wrong with a healthy discussion of the issues. In fact, with the right person, such discussions can be very stimulating. Allow me to demonstrate.”
I walked over to Griffin and whispered in his ear, “The Union has moved forward our attendance at the candidate’s meeting. It will be held tomorrow evening, and Helena and I have promised to attend.”
I stepped back and watched the results with great satisfaction.
We spent a good half-hour arguing the point, Helena and me against Griffin, Robert, Mabel, and Joshua. We went round and round, until finally Griffin held up his hand and roared for silence.
“This arguing is useless,” he said in a conversational tone of voice, his eyes meeting mine. “They will go to the meeting.”
I had my mouth opened to make a retort to a particularly unkind remark from Mabel, but shut it in surprise at Griffin’s statement.
“They will?” Robert asked him in disbelief.
“Yes. Cassandra has agreed that this will be her last demonstration. I assume Helena has made a similar promise?”
She nodded, a smile hovering on her lips.
“Then it is settled. They will make this last demonstration with the understanding that they will
in no way endanger themselves
.” He glared at me to make sure I noted the emphasis.
“But, is it safe?” Mabel asked him.
“With Sherry put away, I think it is. Even if Miss Greene found out about the demonstration, and Cassandra tells me no one but the five women who will attend are being told about it, she has no one to give the information to. I can’t see her going to the police; that information would become public too quickly. I think they will be safe.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder, and looked down at me, his amber eyes warm and fathomless. I beamed at him, ecstatically happy that, at last, our future looked bright. We spent a little time discussing the plan, and decided that we were to meet the following day outside of the labor hall hosting the meeting. Griffin and Robert agreed to escort us there and back, but would not interfere.
“Unless we see you in danger of being attacked,” Griffin growled. I considered protesting his arrogant attitude, but decided the protective urge in a male can have its charms. I smiled at him instead.
Robert and I were early the next day, and stood talking outside the hall while we waited for Griffin to bring Helena. Robert told me about a possible job managing a coffee farm in British East Africa. His eyes shined with happiness as he detailed the life he hoped to make with Helena, and how much he would enjoy being in Africa again.