Page 77 of Dangerous Games of a Broken Lady
“Lord Rowntree wanted you for himself. He gave your father a choice—either let him make an offer of marriage to you, or steal the scepter. He had men waiting to expose your father at Westminster Abbey. He meant to ruin your father, too, so he could swoop in and protect you with his wealth and his title. He knew nobody else would be able to marry you, in such circumstances.” He paused in thought. “I wonder what could have changed his mind and made him behave so courteously. Perhaps, the Duke of Bradford threatened him, too? That is the only reasonable explanation I can think of. Maybe, he desires his own revenge over the Duke, which has proven more powerful than his desire to have you for himself.”
Adelaide stared at Jasper in shock.
“What is the matter, Adelaide?”
“How can you know all of that?”
Jasper froze.
No…you cannot be involved in all of this. There is no way you can be. I would have known… wouldn’t I?Her memory trailed back to those peculiar days when her father had retired to his chambers and Jasper had looked drained and weary.Was it the weight of this secret that made you ill? Are you involved, too?
“Jasper… how can you know all of that?” she repeated.
He sighed heavily. “Your father asked me to help him. He was in dire trouble…what choice did I have? He has helped my family so much over the years. I could not have denied him, even if I had wanted to. We had a plan to ensure that he was not arrested, and to ensure that you and your mother were safe. We always had your best interests at heart.”
She stared at him. “You were involved in this, too?”
“I had to protect your father in order to protect you. There was nothing else I could have done, except assist your father and make sure that no trouble befell him.” He offered an apologetic glance. “I believe I know the very young lady who is working for Lord Rowntree and the Duke. She came to us on the evening we planned to steal the scepter, and told us the task was no longer required.”
“The horses… the other night, when you arrived home on horseback. You had been about to steal the scepter?”
He nodded slowly. “Your father refused to see you fall into Lord Rowntree’s hands. He had no choice but to obey. After relinquishing you to the Duke of Bradford, he did not want to have to offer you to a man of equal ill-repute.”
Shocked and torn, she remained silent for several minutes. It would be a long time before everything properly sank in. None of it seemed real, and yet it was dictating their lives as they spoke. Jasper had been part of these fraudulent endeavors, but his intentions had been good. He had wanted to help Ephraim. He had wanted to help her, by proxy.
Oh, you foolish, foolish man,she thought.I am not worth all of this upset. I would have done anything to secure the safety of my father, even if that meant marrying a man such as Lord Rowntree. They have both put themselves in such danger for me, when all they had to do was ask me to obey. I would have done it in a heartbeat, regardless of my love for you, Jasper. Oh, you are foolish men, indeed.
“Can you ever forgive me?” he asked quietly. “I shall not seek your love any longer, if you do not feel I am worthy. I shall understand, for I have done such terrible things. My intentions do not justify the ends. If I could have acted differently, you must believe that I would have done.”
“All you had to do was ask me to marry Lord Rowntree,” she replied. “I would have done it, for the sake of everyone I care for.”
“Your father could never have allowed it, and nor could I.” He smiled weakly. “I was already starting to realize that I loved you, even then. To see you in Lord Rowntree’s clutches would have broken me. It may sound selfish, but I could never have seen it come to pass. Never. I would rather have been caught and thrown into prison before I would have allowed you to fall into Lord Rowntree’s hands.”
“I cannot bring myself to believe what you and my father have done.”
He shook his head. “Please say you can forgive me—forgive us both?”
“If I did not think that your hearts were in the right place, I could not.” She paused. “However, I believe your intentions were good. In truth, you did what I would have done, in the same situation. You have done everything in your power to protect those you love. I would have done the same.”
“So, you forgive me?”
“In time, I shall,” she replied.
He nodded. “I will wait as long as I must, to earn your forgiveness.”
“As for Lord Rowntree, it would appear you are right. The Duke discovered us in the alleyway and… well, I think he may have caused Lord Rowntree serious harm,” she said solemnly. “The two men seem to loathe one another. The Duke told me that he stopped the theft of the scepter. I imagine they had a dispute, that caused Lord Rowntree to put a halt to proceedings.”
“Thus, Lord Rowntree’s revenge is likely stronger than his desire to acquire you by underhand means,” Jasper added.
“I hope this may be the case, for we shall need him.”
Jasper frowned. “Whatever do you mean?”
“We must find a way to turn the tables on the Duke of Bradford. Lord Rowntree is the only man I can think of who may have enough information on the Duke to destroy him,” she explained. “If we can acquire his help, we may be able to set the Duke up in a ruse.”
“Blackmail him?”
“In a way, yes. We must implement him in the midst of a scandal, giving us the leverage we need to make him break the engagement and leave us alone.”
