Page 71 of Sinful Persuasion of a Lady in the Making
You think you’re better than everyone else… You’ll get your comeuppance… You’re no better than me… You and your sweet little family… Think you can cross into a new world… This isn’t the end.
When Sebastian finished reading, he let his hands fall into his lap and he looked into the distance.
“Well?” she urged. “What do you think?”
“Are you going to tell your brother?” he asked, turning to look at her. She could see the worry in his expression, and she creased her brow.
“No, I don’t think we should,” she said. “He will only worry.”
“But, Jenny, this letter, it’s very clearly aimed at your family, and there are certainly no good intentions behind it.”
“I know that,” she said. “But promise me, you must not tell him. Not yet, anyhow. I’d like time to work it out for myself.”
“All right,” he said. “If you are sure.”
“Iamsure, Sebastian. I think the letter may have something to do with my brother and his wife, and I don’t want to worry them. Not yet, at least.”
“What do you mean?”
Jenny paused for a moment, looking into the distance. She could feel Sebastian’s eyes upon her cheek, but she remained silent.
“There must be more to this,” he urged. “It seems as though you have an idea of who the culprit could be.”
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But yes, I have an idea. Whether or not it is nonsense, I can’t tell, but it seems the most likely of options.”
She lapsed into silence again, letting her mind run through the options. She could feel his frustration beside her—not frustration at her, but at the situation, at the fact that he couldn’t fix this and that he didn’t know the answers. When she eventually spoke, she turned to look at him.
“You have heard the Duchess of Lentingdale’s story, surely?”
“A little,” he said. “But you know I’m not one for gossip.”
“The Duchess was born Victoria Heymouth,” Jenny explained. “She went missing when she was just a child, and thanks to a carriage incident, she lost all her memories. Ended up the workhouse, then was rescued by a wealthy benefactor: the Duke of Lentingdale’s late father. In the meantime, a young woman who was involved in the original kidnapping pretended to be her, reunited with the Duke of Salsbury’s family, and acted as Victoria Heymouth for a number of years.”
“Heavens,” Sebastian said. “I had heard something of it, but I dismissed it as nonsense.”
“I don’t blame you. If I was not involved with the family, I’m not sure I would believe such a story, either.”
“But what has this got to do with the note?”
“Alison—Mrs. Jones—helped uncover the truth, and the young lady who impersonated Victoria was sent to prison. The Duchess, unwed at the time, of course, was welcomed back into the family fold.”
“And everyone lived happily ever after,” Sebastian said.
“Except the woman in prison.”
“Yes, but it makes no sense to me still. Why would she hold a grudge against your family? Surely, if she was angry at anyone, it would be the Duchess herself? Or perhaps the Salsburys?”
Jenny took a deep breath to steady herself, her eyes briefly closed as the scenes played out behind her eyelids.
“The woman currently sits in a prison cell… her name is Tina Reynolds.”
“And?”
“And… she is my sister.”
Jenny opened her eyes slowly, wanting to gage Sebastian’s reaction before she opened them fully. But other than looking shocked, he was the same, handsome, caring Sebastian he always was. She sighed with relief.
“Your sister?” he asked, frowning at the ground in a bid to understand the twists of it all.
