Page 59 of Claws and Contrivances
The heavy door fell closed behind them. Griff pushed his head into Rose’s chest, closing his golden eyes against their surroundings.
“Not too much longer, darling,” Rose whispered to him ... and silently prayed that she was right.
Montrose led them past the drawing room they had sat in before, to a long dining room lined with tall windows that overlooked the woods beyond. No covering cloth had been laid to hide any of the scars on the table. Sir Gareth sat at one end, rattling his fingers in impatience as he glowered towards the darkening windows; Miss Thomas sat at the other end, her eyes lowered over the food she pushed about on her supper plate, sharing an unhappy and total silence until Montrose cleared his throat from the doorway.
“They’re here, and they insist upon speaking to you.”
“Finally.” The smile that spread across Sir Gareth’s face as he looked up and saw Griff cowering in Rose’s arms made her spine stiffen with fury. “You pushed your deadline as far as it would go, eh, Miss Tregarth? It’s fortunate for you that my first private viewing isn’t scheduled until tomorrow. Didn’t you wonder why I let you take so long to fret before you finally gave in? I knew you’d hold on to them as long as possible – so I thought, why not let you bear the cost of feeding the little monsters until I needed them back again? It’s not as if I keep them for my own amusement.”
Shrugging expansively, he rose to his feet, the unquestioned master of the room. “But you’re here now in plenty of time for my profits, which will be just that bit greater due to your generosity in looking after my investments for me. Hand that thing over to Montrose and bring the others in if you want me to keep my side of the bargain.”
“Uncle?” Eyes wide, Miss Thomas rose from her own seat. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing for you to worry your head about, Amelia. Just stay quiet and keep your thoughts to yourself. And Miss Tregarth, if you were hoping to fob me off with just one of my dragons, I can tell you, you were far off the mark. I remember this one, and—”
“Amina,” said Rose.
He frowned. “What are you nattering about?”
“Your niece’s true name is Amina,” Rose said firmly, “and I believe everything that happens in this house is her business, because you’ve been stealing from her for months now, and you’ll pay the price for that tonight.”
Sir Gareth’s eyes narrowed. His voice dropped to a dangerous growl as he leaned forwards, propping his big hands on the table. “What did you just say?”
Montrose shifted threateningly beside them.
Rose stood firm. “We’ve seen the terms of your brother’s will. You’ve been deceiving your niece all along. Her inheritance was only ever held in trust under your guardianship until she turned one-and-twenty, not five-and-twenty, as you claimed ... and Miss Thomas?” Rose looked across the long table. “Would you care to remind us all how long ago you had your birthday?”
“Nearly nine months ago,” Miss Thomas whispered. Her eyes were huge and dark in the candlelight against her paling face. “We were still on the ship from India, then.”
“He hurried to force you into signing paperwork when you first arrived, didn’t he? He wouldn’t explain any of it, and he did his best to make you feel like a fool for even having to ask, so you had no idea that he was refusing to let your bankers or solicitors meet you in person, lest they tell you how he was defrauding and deceiving you. He had no right to any of it.”
“This is rubbish!” Sir Gareth’s voice rose to a muted roar. “Amelia! Go to your room while we deal with this slander.”
“I’ll take her there,” Montrose told him, starting forwards.
“No!” Miss Thomas clutched the table in front of her with whitening knuckles. “I will not be sent away. I deserve the truth!”
“It doesn’t matter what implausible story this girl has cooked up,” Sir Gareth snarled. “I know better than you about the laws of this country, and once I finish with her, she’ll know better than to ever share this kind of slander again or—”
“Too late.” Rose murmured to Griff, loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear, “Now, darling. Show everyone exactly what happened this afternoon.”
Silver droplets formed in the air, swirled together ... and grew to reveal a dark-haired and sharp-featured young man in the sober garments of a barrister sitting behind a solid oak desk and rifling through a sheaf of official documents.
As Miss Thomas let out a soft gasp, the young man looked up and spoke decisively. “Yes, this is all perfectly clear. On behalf of Horesham and Austen, I will be issuing a writ of prosecution for both fraud and theft and demanding the immediate repayment of every cent that was taken from our client’s accounts by her supposed guardian. The local magistrate will be notified to have his men escort Sir Gareth and his man-of-business from my client’s premises. They’ll be held in safekeeping until the trustees agree upon the appropriate amount to be repaid and an official court date is set.”
“This. Is. Rubbish!” Sir Gareth bellowed the words, but this time, his final word shook. “This can’t be real.”
Montrose hesitated, still standing halfway between his master and Miss Thomas. “If it is ...”
“It is not. It’s just another wild scheme from this conniving girl! Even if it weren’t, it would take days for the message to reach the local magistrate from London. All we need do is stand firm for one more day, until the first of the sales goes through, then—”
His voice stopped as the scene before them dissolved and reformed.
This time, three different men in the uniforms of excise officers stood together by the side of the local inn as the oldest man barked out a list of instructions. “There are at least six entrances to Penryddn House. We’ll approach from every side tonight. Not a single dragon can be allowed through, and remind all of your men that not only is Sir Gareth himself a perpetrator, every other man inside will be considered accountable for this crime as well. They’ll all face the judge together.”
“Enough!” As the vision vanished, Montrose strode to the window, peering out into the gathering darkness. “They might only imprison or transport you, but I’ve been through all that before. They won’t be so kind to me again.”
“Don’t be a fool, Montrose!” Sir Gareth snapped. “We need to gather up the dragons before we go anywhere.”
