Page 88 of The Art of Sinning
“Everything, I think.” Jeremy eyed the man nervously. “Why, what doyouknow?”
“More than she realizes.”
“Aha, I was right! I told her you must have had a hand in putting an end to the ass’s blackmail, but she didn’t believe me.”
“No, she wouldn’t—not with the way things have always been between us.” Blakeborough’s expression darkened. “My sister sees me as the enforcer of rules, the petty dictator of Stoke Towers. She doesn’t understand that, thanks to our absent father and rogue of a brother,someonehad to be in charge. And it fell to me.”
“She does realize that.”
“I don’t think so, or she would come to me with these things. She’s afraid I might restrict her freedom too much. Afraid of what I might do.” The earl’s voice turned regretful. “She’s afraid ofme.”
“She’s not afraid of you. She’s afraid of disappointing you. It’s not the same.”
“She couldneverdisappoint me.”
The fierce certainty in those words took Jeremy by surprise. He’d never seen Blakeborough show that much depth of feeling. “Then tell her that. She needs to hear it. For that matter, tell her the truth about your part in saving her from Ruston. Because right now, she thinks Samuel was her savior.”And that’s why she’s doing fool things like going to brothels looking for your nephew.
The earl cast him a pained glance. “Better that she think him her savior than that she know the truth. It would destroy her. They were close in their youth, so if she knew how he’d betrayed her ...” He uttered a shuddering breath. “I couldn’t do that to her.”
An icy chill wracked Jeremy. “Howdidhe betray her?”
Abruptly Blakeborough stood and stalked to the window, then back. “I only know what Samuel was willing to admit after I caught him attempting to arrange a hired chaise to carry Ruston and Yvette to Gretna Green. It was sheer luck that I was in Preston an hour before Ruston meant to run off with her.”
“Oh, God. That must have been after Samuel claimed he could do nothing to help Yvette, before he turned around and ‘saved’ the day.”
Edwin’s gaze grew murderous. “Probably. Fortunately, the chaise owner admitted the truth when I warned him I would report his participation to my father if he didn’t. He wasn’t fool enough to cross the earl’s heir. Everyone in Preston knew I ran things at the estate. So when Samuel wouldn’t say a word at first, the chaise owner admitted what Samuel and Ruston were planning.”
“To carry Yvette off... with her consent, of course, assuming she would have given in to the blackmail.”
“Ah, yes, the blackmail.” The earl’s face clouded over. “When pushed to the wall and threatened with a visit from our father, who’d already had enough of Samuel’s irresponsible behavior, my brother revealed that Ruston had sworn to destroy Yvette’s reputation if we didn’t let him marry her.” Blakeborough paused to shoot him an uncertain glance. “Thatiswhat you’re talking about, isn’t it?”
“I told you—she revealed everything to me.”
Reassured, Edwin went on. “My damned fool of a brother actually thought he could bullyme, too. Said we had to let the elopement go on, or the family would be shamed. He even tried to weasel out of his own responsibility for the situation. He claimed he’d had no idea about Ruston’s intentions when inviting the man to Stoke Towers.”
“But you didn’t believe him.”
“Certainly not. The very fact that Samuel was arranging transportation for an elopement instead of coming to me to consult about the situation showed he was part of it.”
“So how did you put an end to it without involving Yvette?”
He clenched his hands at his sides. “I called his bluff. I told him I wasn’t letting her go anywhere with that arse. And if Samuel didn’t fix the problem, I’d tell Father my suspicions about his part in it. Since Father had already threatened to cut Samuel off entirely if the idiot took another wrong step, I gave Samuel a choice—regain Yvette’s garter and silence the footman, or lose everything.”
“And he agreed to set matters straight.”
“Oh, yes. He knew I was as good as my word. Once he’d done his part, I called Ruston in and informed him that my friends on the Navy Board would be appalled to learn that a naval officer was attempting to elope with a respectable female against her family’s wishes. I told him I could have him cashiered and make sure he never worked again.”
Jeremy blinked. “Remind me never to get on your bad side. You have connections I had no idea about.”
“I may have slightly exaggerated,” Blakeborough admitted with a smug smile. “But Ruston couldn’t know that. And in the process of defending himself, he blamed everything on Samuel. Said that Samuel had promised to encourage the match if Ruston promised to be generous to Samuel with Yvette’s money.”
“Did you believe Ruston?”
“Sadly, yes.”
“You truly think Samuel tried to sell her to his friend for a piece of the profits.” Jeremy gritted his teeth. “I hate this ass more and more by the day.”
“Which one?”
