Page 89 of Pursued Beyond Treachery
Chapter 29
Somewhere in the house, a clock chimed midnight. Johnathan hoped Susannah was sleeping well, for he’d yet to settle his mind enough to rest. Neither Al nor Eddie had returned, but Javenia and her mother had left over an hour before with a promise to visit in the morning.
The way she had placed a hand on his arm and promised him all would be well should have comforted him, but there was sadness behind her gaze. Where had it stemmed from? Had Susannah said something that led Javenia to pity him? Had Nate been wrong?
He paced in front of the dying fire of the sitting room. It was not good for him to be left with his own thoughts. Without someone to reassure him he’d convince himself it was all a lie. That Susannah didn’t love him. And if his fears collided with his overpowering love for her, he’d not be able to voice all the beautiful thoughts inside his head. Ones filled with hope for the future and undying love for the girl who had grown into an extraordinary woman.
The front door opened and male voices filtered in from the hall. Johnathan moved to intercept them.
“John,” Eddie said in surprise. “I’d not expected to see you here. I wish I’d known or I would not have roused a messenger to take the note I sent round to Newhurst House.”
Johnathan’s gaze moved to a rumpled looking Al. His appearance gave far more answers to the unasked questions between them than anything else. That Al had allowed himself to become anything less than completely presentable meant he’d had a rough time of chasing Mr. Wallace out of the city.
“Is he gone?”
Al nodded. “Thanks to a little help from a certain lady, I doubt he’ll be back.”
“Lady?” John asked.
“Yes.” Al motioned for them to follow him back into the sitting room Johnathan had just exited. “Javenia always says when you need information on unsavory characters, consult with Lady Braithwaite, who I had the unprecedented luck of meeting with while I waited for Mr. Wallace to pack his things. It seems she hears and knows most everything that goes on. She arrived at his door escorting Miss Wallace, whom he’d left to her own devices at the ball. Needless to say, their father was livid at his son's oversight.”
“I knew the search for his sister was a ruse.” Johnathan took a seat on the plush blue settee. “So not only is he a cad, but a dissolute brother. I am not surprised.”
Eddie, who had taken up one of the embroidered chairs, spoke up. “I am. For my part, I’m aghast at all that has transpired. He seemed so sincere.” He turned to Al. “What time did you say Lady Braithwaite arrived with Miss Wallace?”
“I did not note the hour, but probably right before eleven.”
“Interesting. She must have made good time, for I saw her carriage on Margaret Street on my way to the Guthries. That’s inthe complete opposite direction from the Wallaces. How could she be there, and yet know of Miss Wallace’s situation?”
Al straightened. “To tell the truth, I do not know how Lady Braithwaite came to know. Perhaps she came upon the lady walking home. But leaving his sister is not all the sins I have to lay at Mr. Wallace’s door. You should have seen the man’s face when Lady Braithwaite came in and pulled a jade comb from her hair. Poor man went whiter than a sheet. I’m not sure of the significance but he did not put up a single protest after that.”
“Was not that the comb he claimed to have purchased for his sister?” Johnathan asked.
Al shrugged.
Gripping the arms of his chair, he asked, “Was it carved in the shape of lotus flowers?”
“I believe it was.”
“That is the very comb he showed us on Bond Street, proudly declaring his intention to give it to his sister.”
Eddie leaned forward. “Are you in earnest?” Then he flopped back. “What a lout. This man gets filthier the more I learn about him.” Then his face froze. “You do not think Lady Braithwaite and Mr. Wallace…”
Al chuckled. “Not likely. That lady is more likely to fight a duel with the scoundrel than enter an understanding with him. No, I suspect it came from some mistress or another. But there is more.”
Johnathan and Eddie waited for Al to continue, the crackle of the fire punctuating their interest.
“It seems last season Mr. Wallace had to leave for nearly the same reason he now faces. Apparently he’d been keeping company with Lord Ansley’s cousin, a Miss West, who had a rather significant dowry. When Ansley learned of Mr. Wallace’s dissolute manners, as well as a scheme for the couple to elope to Scotland, he put an end to the matter, paying Mr. Wallace ahundred pounds to keep silent and leave London. Ever since, our Mr. Wallace has found a way to make quite a tidy sum. It seems Ansley is not the only one who will pay for him to disappear.”
“Or in the case of Mrs. Guthrie,” Johnathan said, “To appear where he was not wanted.”
“Exactly,” Al said.
“So how do we keep him from reappearing?”
“We don’t.” Al grinned. “When his father learned of his dealings, he swore to ship him off to India. With the elder Mr. Wallace’s place in the House of Commons, he cannot have any scandal connected to his name. Either Mr. Wallace goes to India as his father directs or risk losing his meager inheritance as a second son.”
“Meager?” Eddie glanced at Johnathan, then back at Al. “He’d led Susannah to believe he had substantial holdings separate from his father’s estate.”
