Page 15 of Mayfair Madame
“Fucking coward. He’s only worried about his bottom line.”
I recalled the conversation I’d had with Rupert yesterday. I should have known better, thinking I could hide something like this from him. He had eyes and ears everywhere.
“So, sweet girl. Tell me what happened at Emmeline’s party. Seems you got yourself into a bit of bother.”
I gave him a blow-by-blow account, forgetting nothing. I’d learnt from past mistakes that he knew when I was lying or not being completely honest with him.
Never one to mince his words, he voiced his opinion of both Clement and Benjamin, which was much the same as my own.
“I’m not sure how much weight my testimony carries, Rupert,” I said. “I know I should prosecute, but I don’t need the terrible publicity for the business. We get enough hassle as it is.”
“He shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it, Naomi.”
“I know that, but he will because of who he is and who he knows. People like him never get punished for what they’ve done. I know for a fact that he’s done it before. Emmeline filled me in, but nothing came of it. I’m thinking of dropping the case.”
“There’s more than one way to skin a cat, you know. You’re talking to a master. You do what you think is best for you and your business, but let me deal with him and Winthrop. I have a finger in many, many pies.”
“Do I want to know? I’m not sure I do. I still need him to drop his case, though.” I nibbled my lip. Was this the right thing to do?
“I’ll send over my lawyer, and we’ll sort something out. Rest assured, my dear Naomi, you have nothing to worry about, and he won’t go unpunished. Now, what are we doing for your birthday?”
The rest of the conversation had me dodging his insistence that I have a party to celebrate, but at least things were clear about what to do with Benjamin.
A small cough brought me back to the present.
“Sorry. I was miles away. What did you say?”
The detective spoke again.
“Miss Reeves, we can go back to your statement and see where we go from here. I’ll warn you, though. I’m not sure you would win a case against him.”
“I had already come to that conclusion, and I no longer need to.”
A look of confusion appeared on their faces.
“What do you intend to do, Miss Reeves?” Ellie’s soft voice washed over me.
“I’ll be dropping the case against him.” Confusion turned to shock, but it was what I had to do.
“Are you sure that’s wise, Miss Reeves?” Detective Holland looked at his partner. “It’s not an open-and-shut case by any stretch, and we’re not saying it’s a lost cause.”
“I’ve spoken with a lawyer. He’ll be contacting Lord Godfrey later today. Hopefully, we can come to a mutual agreement and put an end to this charade.”
“But he assaulted you.” Ellie’s voice rose.
“He did, but I also clobbered him over the head with a bottle. We both acted rashly.”
As much as it pained me to say these words, Rupert had promised me retribution, and I had far more faith in him than I did in the police force. Ordinarily, had I not assaulted a member of the nobility, I might have stood a chance, but we all knew how it would end. At least this way, I knew Rupert would come through for me.
I was ninety-nine per cent sure he wouldn’t break the law, but that one per cent niggled. His lawyer had said the less I knew, the better right now.
“I am sorry I wasted your time, bringing you here in person when I could have told you over the phone, but I’ve only recently received confirmation from my lawyer.”
Plus, I got to see Ellie again. How could I have forgotten how alluring she was?
“Well, I guess that’s it.” Detective Holland stood, but Ellie remained seated, her lips pursed and knuckles white.
I hadn’t meant to upset her this way. Maybe I was being selfish, or perhaps she thought I was letting him get away with it. I couldn’t and wouldn’t let that happen.
