Page 42 of One Wicked Secret
Upon hearing the excitement in her voice, he winced. “We can’t stay outside for too long, but I must take you to the woods, Elsa. To retrace your steps before we visit Carver’s cottage.”
“Visit the cottage?” Her blood ran cold. “No, Daniel. After what you told me, I cannot go back there. Please don’t ask that of me. It’s pointless. My mind is a black void.”
He cupped her cheek, though it did little to ease her growing fear. “I’m sorry to ask, but as you reminded me when we inspected the hothouse, the smallest detail might help explain what happened.”
Yes, but he hadn’t found her naked with a dead man in the hothouse.
“If we want peace, we must explore all avenues,” he added. “I’ll be with you. I won’t leave your side.”
That’s what worried her, though she found herself nodding. The problem wasn’t whatsheremembered, but the images haunting his mind. Would they ever be able to sleep together in bed without one of them thinking about that devil Mr Carver?
Daniel looked up from his desk as Elsa entered the study with Clara, who had decided not to wear a pretty eyepatch today. While Rothley asked about Elsa’s health, Rutland’s gaze lingered on Clara’s injured eye, his concern barely concealed.
There were countless reasons why they needed to return to London without delay. The house reminded Clara of her nightmare—waking to raised voices and the sharp crack of the whip that had left her blind in one eye.
For him, having Elsa at Thorncroft provided some stability, a tether to the present that kept the ghosts of the past at bay. But he’d rather die than spend another night in his father’s old chamber. The man’s stench tainted everything, seeping into the furnishings and polluting the air. It wasso unbearable Daniel chose the hard floor over the grand canopy bed, refusing to rest where his father had lain.
He beckoned Elsa forward, pulling out the leather chair. “Come and sit at the desk. In three of your mother’s books, we found information hidden beneath the ex-libris.”
She looked pale and shaky on her feet as she approached. He’d be in Bedlam if he considered how close he’d come to losing her. And so he forced a smile when, in truth, he was on the verge of breaking.
“Only in three? I wonder why my father listed ten.” She sat cradling her left arm despite the support of a linen sling.
Daniel leaned over her shoulder, the scent of violets in her hair teasing his senses, unsettling his composure as he pointed to the first open book. “Rutland managed to separate the plates from the boards with a sharp blade. Beneath the ex-libris inThe Monk, your father mentions Mr Charmers. The writing is small, but you can read it with a magnifying glass.”
Elsa picked up the magnifying glass and studied the script. “So, Mr Charmers convinced my father to invest a large sum in Britannia Shipping, boasting of high returns due to an emerging trade route.”
“Had your father spoken to me, I would have told him my shipping company won the bid for new trade routes through Europe.”
Elsa glanced at him before continuing to read the next line. “He says he was shown shipping logs and financial reports. They must have been fake because he never received the promised returns.”
“He also names a solicitor in London who holds the original documents. Unbeknown to Carver, those helostwere copies.”
She gasped. “Lost? Do you suppose he was working with Mr Charmers to embezzle money from my father?”
“Undoubtedly,” Rothley said, directing her attention to a different book. “Mr Hines is a land agent who convinced your father to purchase a plot south of Greenwich. A plot unfit for development. Carver overlooked the flaws in the contract, which is also missing unless Magnus took it to Geneva.”
Daniel sensed Elsa’s growing concern. Charmers and Hines had a motive for keeping this information hidden.
“Your father also lists his dealings with Lord Grafton and the purchase of bonds from a banking consortium. It was another fraudulent scheme, and Grafton disappeared with the money.”
Elsa sank back in the chair. “No wonder Magnus left for Geneva. Have you checked the accounts? I fear the Edenberry estate is close to bankruptcy.”
“Your family home is safe,” he assured her. “I purchased fifty acres from your brother, increasing the size of Thorncroft. Magnus used the money to pay his creditors.”
“You did?” Elsa studied him, a proud smile softening her features. “Magnus is fortunate to have a friend as loyal as you.”
This newfound understanding helped to heal the rift created by all the lies. Yet Elsa still failed to grasp his motivation. He had bought the land for her, not Magnus.
“Speaking of loyalty,” he began, knowing he couldn’t spare her feelings and be honest, “one of your parents underscored a passage inThe Monk.”
A passage he went on to recite.
“I have lived long enough to know the weakness of human nature, and the treachery of those who should be our nearest and dearest.”
Elsa’s gaze flicked to his. Perhaps she was thinking about the months she’d spent at The Grange—an abandoned wife, forsaken but never forgotten.
“I pray my parents were referring to Mr Carver,” she said. “It’s clear his incompetence or deception added to their financial struggles, but what if they’re speaking about … about?—”
