Page 37 of The Viscount's Forgery
“What painting?” he asked, shrugging his shoulders, his voice light. “I do not know what you are speaking of.”
“You do.” There was not a hint of hesitation now in Lord Suffolk’s voice. “You were seen, Lord Marchfield. You were seen not only by Miss Sherwood here but by others. When the mancarrying the painting got into the hackney, you were there, waiting for him. You had the forgery with you, and the exchange took place as the hackney drove to my townhouse.”
Lord Marchfield’s eyes grew wide. “I am afraid I know nothing of what you speak,” he blustered, though Eugenia could tell from the way he stared that there was nothing but lies in this remark. “I was in a hackney, yes but – ”
“I saw you, Lord Marchfield.” Eugenia could not help but speak, keeping her tone quiet but steady, just as Lord Suffolk had been. “When I stood on the street, I not only witnessed the man with the painting coming out, but when I came to speak with you, I saw the paintingyouhad. You exchanged it for a forgery, just as you have done with many others in Lord Suffolk’s townhouse.”
“Many?” Lord Marchfield spluttered, shaking his head. “My dear lady, I understand that youthoughtyou saw me with a painting, but there was nothing else within the hackney save for myself. I took pity on an errand boy carrying a heavy piece and bade him join me in the hackney, that is all.”
Lord Suffolk closed his eyes, drew in a long breath, and then let it out slowly as Eugenia’s fingers tightened around his arm. It seemed that he, too, was feeling the very same frustration as Eugenia, aware that Lord Marchfield was not only lying but also suggesting that she was mistaken in what she had witnessed!
“You are in a great deal of financial difficulty, are you not?” Lord Suffolk spoke again, opening his eyes and looking straight back at Lord Marchfield. “You have been struggling, aware of theton’s consideration of you and despising it. You have tried very hard to make certain you have enough coin for the Season, have enough to maintain the same standards, but it has been a battle.”
Eugenia watched Lord Marchfield’s face, seeing first the way he set his jaw, followed only by a loosening of it, his gaze beginning to drop low towards the ground between them.
“Your sister marrying me would have meant a greater fortune for her and, no doubt, some of that coin might have been sent to me also. You hoped that, if I were to marry her, I would be able to funnel some of my fortune to you, out of consideration for my wife, yes?”
Lord Marchfield closed his eyes. “I want my sister to marry well.”
“And that is a wonderful desire for any gentleman to have,” Eugenia could not help but say, almost able to feel the pain that Lord Marchfield was in. “I am sure that this lack of coin is not your doing.”
The gentleman scrubbed one hand over his eyes. “But it is, Miss Sherwood. I have made some foolish investments and put money into things that I ought not to have done. Yes, there have been some other concerns as well as my father did not do everything well, but that does not mean all the responsibility is not mine.”
Eugenia’s heart filled with sympathy for him. “I am sure it is not all your doing, Lord Marchfield. It is a heavy burden to bear, however, I can understand that.”
“And you thought to steal my paintings and sell them to save yourself from your disgrace.” Lord Suffolk’s voice was gentle, no anger or accusation there. “I would have told you what paintings I was to purchase and, in the time between that and them being delivered to my house, you had a forgery produced.” He paused, but Lord Marchfield said nothing. “This was another one that you stole from me.”
Eugenia’s heart raced a Lord Marchfield looked directly back at Lord Suffolk. For a long moment, he said nothing, his expression unchanging. Eugenia held her breath, waiting in agony, praying this would not end in fury and upset, just as Lord Marchfield let out a huff of breath and lowered his head.
“I would tell you that I am sorry, Suffolk, but the truth is, I could not see what else to do,” he muttered, pushing one hand through his hair, his shoulders rounding. “I know it was wrong, I know it still, but I had no choice. It was either that or I fell into poverty, and no one would ever, then, look to my sister.”
Lord Suffolk heaved a breath and threw back his head, looking up at the sky, although he said nothing.
“I knew that you had a vast fortune and that all you had was only a display of that,” Lord Marchfield continued, not lifting his head an inch. “The first time I did steal one, it was done with the greatest care and precision, though I had to spend money I did not have on not only bribing the man from the gallery but also on the forgery itself. I left credit notes, but with the money that came from selling the original – albeit in an underhanded, quiet way so that no one of our standing would hear of it – I was able to pay it all and more.” Taking in a deep breath, he spread out his hands and then let them fall heavily to his sides. “I could not leave it at only one. I needed more.”
“You were afraid,” Eugenia said, very quietly indeed. “That does not justify nor excuse it, but it is a reason for what you did.”
Lord Marchfield nodded but still did not look at her or Lord Suffolk.
“You have taken four from me,” Lord Suffolk said, shaking his head. “No, it is five now, is it not?”
“After this most recent one, yes, it is for.” Lord Marchfield sniffed. “I am afraid I cannot even return the last one to you for it is already sold. I – I needed the coin for my sister’s dowry. I cannot afford it otherwise.”
Eugenia’s stomach knotted. The gentleman before her must have been in a great deal of distress if he had been forced to use his sister’s dowry to cover his debts!
“My friend.” Lord Suffolk shook his head and then reached out one hand, putting it on Lord Marchfield’s shoulder. “You should have told me.”
Ever so slowly, Lord Marchfield’s head lifted.
“If you had told me, I would have been glad to have come to your aid,” Lord Suffolk continued, no trace of malice in either his voice or his expression. “I would have told you there was to be no repayment or the like, I assure you.”
“But… but you have always been so proud of your wealth.”
This made Lord Suffolk wince visibly. “Yes, that is true,” he admitted, with a grimace. “I can understand why you might have thought better of such a request. I have, I will admit, always put my wealth and my fortune on display for others to see. There has been a pride and an arrogance about me, which I have only just begun to see in all its darkness. I do not want to valuethingsmore than I value what people offer me by way of friendship and companionship. I see now that having paintings, ornaments, trinkets, and all manner of other things means nothing, not when they are laid out in comparison beside friendships and affection.”
Lord Marchfield shook his head. “I have not been a good friend to you, Suffolk.”
“It seems nor have I,” Lord Suffolk answered, as Eugenia’s heart swelled with a warming affection for him, seeing just how honestly he spoke with Lord Marchfield. “I was entirely oblivious to your difficulties, my friend. I avoided you, truth be told, for I was afraid that you would force your sister upon me again, and I did not want that. I wanted only to enjoy myself, to have an excellent Season, and to bring myself as much happiness and contentment as I could. Saying such things aloud now makes me realize just how selfish I have been, how inward-looking I have become – and how much I want that to alter.”
