Page 89 of The Wise Daughter
“Is it, Carver?” If Carver could see the path ahead, Aaron didn’t understand it. He couldn’t see anything. He reached into his pocket and clenched the letter Nora had written to his solicitor.
“We must start by announcing the end of your engagement, Your Grace. We shall confirm with Mr. Cornell that Miss Lacy was in clear violation of the marriage settlement. There can be no question that she deserves nothing you so generously promised in that contract.”
Aaron shook his head. “But her reputation.” Everyone would discover the truth eventually, but he wouldn’t make a spectacle of her. He had promised to protect her.
Carver’s voice echoed in the back of his thoughts. Did her reputation deserve protecting when she had tried something so devious? Aaron didn’t know.
Carver removed his hand from Aaron’s back. “Her reputation is her business, and she must face the consequences of her choices, just as you must now face the consequences of yours.” He cleared his throat. “We must attempt to repair the damage she has caused.”
“Damage,” Aaron mumbled under his breath. What cared he for money when the woman he loved was a liar? The real damage was inside. If Nora was truly that dishonest, Aaron was no judge of character, no judge of when to extend mercy or when to give his heart. He was broken, and he didn’t know how to repair himself.
“Take heart, Your Grace. You discovered her deceit before you married her. We should be glad she is gone.”
Somewhere inside, Aaron was furious at Carver for speaking so, but his rational side couldn’t find any reason to argue with him. “Did you really dislike her so much, Carver?”
Carver was silent for several seconds, then spoke so matter-of-factly, so casually that Aaron felt insulted though he couldn’t say why.
“I tried to allow Miss Lacy a place here, for your sake, but I never really trusted her. I know you’re discouraged, but we’ll recover perfectly well, I suspect. I hope Your Grace will consider accepting my advice again, starting with this. You should rest. Leave the work ahead to me.”
Back to their old arrangement then. Little wonder Carver seemed so pleased. This all suited him perfectly well, but as Carver went on repeating his pompous gems of advice, Aaron couldn’t stop thinking about Nora. The betrayal he had initially felt was overwhelming, blindingly so. He rubbed his temple, still unsure how much the opiummight have been affecting him, but to hear Carver speak of Nora as if he had always known she was a criminal shook Aaron out of his groggy wallowing.
Nora was so good. There had to be a mistake in this, a dreadful misunderstanding. Nora would have questioned everything, just as she had questioned the accusations against Mr. Rowe.
So will I.
Without knowing who he was, Nora had pulled him from the mud before he was swept down the river. That was their shared secret, one that Carver had never known. She had offered up her beloved horse when he needed it, even though she had lost everything else. She had dropped to her knees and begged to be a servant. He had lost half his heart to her that night and the rest in the short time they had spent together.
He looked at the letter again, the words so stark, and though the seal of his signet ring was easy to discern, he didn’t really know what her handwriting looked like. Perhaps she did not even write it. He crumpled the letter in his fist. The more he considered it, the less the letter made sense.
There had to be more to the story than what the solicitor sent. Nora wasn’t the sort of woman to engage herself to man after man for the sake of money. Even if those men had given her father money, she might not have had anything to do with their transactions, and though money had been a consideration in their own engagement, he had seen how much it troubled her.
Or was she merely a skilled actress?
Aaron groaned. How desperately he wanted for there to be some explanation that would confirm Nora’s innocence. The letter had hurt him immensely, but he could not simply stop his feelings for her the way he might blow out a candle. He would not give her up until he knew with certainty what had really happened. He would discover the truth.
When he looked up, he saw Carver watching him closely.
“While you rest, Your Grace, I’ll prepare a short announcement for the papers, something tactful, but clear. Mr. Cornell can ensure that your accounts and investments are secure. We can even tear up the marriage contract.” Carver sounded almost jovial, but he might as well have been talking to Aaron’s shadow. “Your Grace?”
Aaron rose from his seat. “Send for my horse.”
“Your horse? What? Now?”
“Now.”
Aaron ignored the worried look on Carver’s face.
“It’s the middle of the night. You need rest, Your Grace. Tonight is obviously taking its toll, and it’s clear you’re still unwell from last night’s feats. Let us look on these matters after a good night’s sleep with the bright light of tomorrow, shall we?”
“No, Carver. This cannot wait.”
“You’re determined to go out? This late?”
“Most determined.”
“But even without considering your health, the ball is still underway.”
“More than half the guests live in the castle. The rest used to. They’ll manage without me, and you can take over any needs in my absence.”
