Page 43 of The Secret of the Dashing Detective
When Lady Prudence returned to the hall, Matthew quickly packed up his bag and reached out, fixing Juliana’s hair so that she looked closer to how she had when they had entered the room. “Very well. Let us go.”
They followed Lady Prudence – who had changed into a different gown – out the door and down the stairs, back through the maze of rooms and corridors until they reached the front, formal drawing room. The tableau in front of them featured the duke standing on one side of the room, arms crossed with a dark look on his face, his wife by his side with one hand on his arm as though trying to calm him. Their mother sat in a chair in the middle of the room with an uncertain look on her face as though she was under inquisition, and Lady Winchester perched on the sofa, hands on her walking stick with her chin lifted upward in a self-righteous tilt.
“Please, sit,” the duke said as they walked into the room. “My mother has something she would like to say to us all.”
The dowager duchess bristled. “I really do not understand why this is of any importance.”
“I told you to share this weeks ago, Elizabeth,” Lady Winchester said smartly. “When you refused, I gave you the option – to tell Giles yourself, or I would do it for you. You made your choice. Now he knows.”
“Tell us about Hudson Lewis, Mother,” the duke said in a chilled voice, his words startling Matthew, who had taken up a place standing at the back of the room after Juliana and Lady Prudence had flanked their grandmother on the sofa.
“To be honest, I did not even know the man’s name, for it hardly matters,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders, as Matthew noticed Juliana lean in toward her mother, clearly having an opinion on the matter, although she said nothing yet.
“Mother,” the duke warned tersely.
“Very well. I knew your father had been paying off a woman – a Mrs. Lewis – for years. Apparently he sired a child with her. He told me one night in the midst of one of his fits of anger, as if providing me the information would cause me some pain.” She snorted. “I was just glad he found someone else to foist himself upon.”
Juliana and Prudence looked at one another in shock as Juliana let out a cough that Matthew was sure was meant to hide the sound of her surprise at her mother’s words.
“There was a child, and the woman threatened to make it known. I am not sure why it would have mattered – plenty of noblemen have by-blows wandering around. But your father decided that it would mar the reputation he felt was so pristine and he decided that instead he would pay her to keep mum about the situation.”
“And look after the boy.”
They all looked to Juliana, who had finally said her mind. She lifted a hand. “He was Father’s son. Heshouldhave looked after him, financially if in no other way, should he not have?”
“Well, I—”
“It’s true,” Lady Prudence added in support of her sister. “It was his responsibility.”
“That is not the way of things. However, as it were, the boy grew up, moved to London, and apparently your father stopped paying the woman when the boy was finished his education. That is all I know.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” the duke insisted, and their mother looked at him in some horror.
“WhywouldI tell you? What difference does it make?”
“He’s our brother,” Juliana said, but her mother was already shaking her head.
“He isnotyour brother. Not in any way that matters.”
“You’re wrong,” Juliana said quietly before she stood. “Is that all?”
“Is it, Mother?” the duke asked, and she nodded.
“You should have told us as soon as the family came under threat,” the duke said, and the dowager duchess’ eyes widened.
“You believe this man could be the one who is threatening us?”
“Likely not, but heisa suspect,” Matthew said, finally speaking up, and all eyes turned toward him, as though they had forgotten that he was there. “He is one of the leads we are following up on.”
“I am going to go walk about the gardens,” Juliana said, apparently done with the conversation. “I shall return shortly.”
“Do not go alone!” her mother called after her, and the duke looked over at Matthew who nodded in understanding and followed her out.
“Take Abigail!” the dowager duchess added at Matthew’s accompaniment, and he heard Juliana sigh before she asked the butler to find her maid.
When the three of them were finally ready, Juliana walked out the front door, Matthew and the maid following dutifully behind. Once they were a distance away, Juliana stopped and turned around.
“Abigail, would you like to sit on the bench and look out over the water for a time?”
