Page 34 of The Duke's Hidden Scandal
“All I can say is that I am glad you have been at the helm for the last two years,” Edward said loyally. “I do not think this estate would have survived as it has done if your father had remained in place.”
Both men looked at the portrait above the mantelpiece. Once all this was over, Colin agreed with himself that he would have it removed. He thought that a woodland scene or something a little more relaxing might be preferable than his father’s angry gaze.
“It is all these withdrawals I cannot understand. Why would he put so much money into a venture and then change his mind so abruptly? It makes no sense.”
He shuffled some of the invoices and receipts aside and paused as a name caught his eye. A name he was becoming all too familiar with in his father’s correspondence.
It was a letter from his father to Richard Wentworth. Colin frowned at it as it slipped out from between two other sheets, and he pulled it free as Edward watched.
“January 1800,
Richard, I hope you understand that in politics, as in life, we must sometimes make difficult choices. The opportunity that presented itself was too crucial to ignore. I assure you; this is for the greater good. In time, you'll see the wisdom of this move.Until then, I hope we can put this unfortunate business behind us and continue our association as before. – Auric Ludlow"
He handed the letter to Edward with a frown. “What do you think this means?”
Edward read it through several times before he snapped his fingers, rising and going to another stack of papers on the other side of the room.
“I wondered why he might have kept this.”
He returned with a newspaper cutting that had been placed within another sheaf of papers. Edward handed it to Colin as he read the newspaper headline. It was an article dated a few days before the letter to Richard Wentworth.
January 5, 1800 — London
THE DUKE OF EGERTON HAS CLAIMED VICTORY IN HIS BID FOR PARLIAMENT.
DESPITE THE OBVIOUS FAVOR HE HOLDS AMONGST HIS PEERS, IT IS NO SECRET THAT THE RECENT SCANDAL INVOLVING HIS MAIN OPPONENT, LORD RICHARD WENTWORTH, CAN ONLY HAVE PLAYED A PART.
THIS WRITER MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE SCANDAL STEMMED FROM ACCUSATIONS OF FRAUD, WHICH LORD WENTWORTH VEHEMENTLY DENIED AND HAVE SINCE BEEN PROVEN FALSE.
THE ELECTION WAS EXPECTED TO BE EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE BUT, FOLLOWING THE SALACIOUS RUMORS, THE RESULT WENT ALMOST UNANIMOUSLY TO THE DUKE OF LINDENBROOK.
“I AM DEEPLY HONOURED BY THE FAITH I HAVE BEEN SHOWN TODAY,” THE DUKE REMARKED. “I ENTER THIS ROLE TO UPHOLD THE DIGNITY OF THIS OFFICE AND TO EARN THE TRUST OF THOSE WHO HAVE MADE THIS A REALITY. I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO ENSURE THIS PRESTIGIOUS ROLE IS UPHELD AS IT SHOULD BE.”
Colin looked up at Edward as his friend raised his eyebrows.
“It would seem one scuppered the other, though I do not understand why your father would do such a thing.”
“Political power, no doubt; he has always wished to be the lord of all he surveys.”
Edward was silent as Colin shook his head in frustration. “I do not know how to feel about any of this, but I know I am angry with my father. It does not seem that he is blameless and throughout my life, he has found me wanting in almost every respect as his son. Yet, here he is, mired in scandal, corrupt dealings, and ruining friends. What am I supposed to think?”
“I do not know, old boy; I wish I could counsel you in this. You are right, however, that your father would have chased power above anything else. He always wished to have a seat in parliament and took his duties in the House of Lords seriously. Perhaps what began as a rivalry escalated into something more. Do you think Richard Wentworth could be behind the sabotage of your father’s estate?”
Colin looked up sharply. “Oh Heavens, I had not thought of that. What a fool I have been. If Lord Wentworth has hated my father all this time, he might well intend to injure him even after his death and ruin us all.” He stood, walking swiftly to the fire and jabbing angrily at the logs. “But I myself have never done anything to the man; it seems unreasonably petty after my father’s death to still pursue it.”
“Hashe pursued it? All of these transactions are old money. Nothing has been brought to your attention by this third party, has it? Nothing has continued after your father’s death. What if Wentworth was working against your father, promising him good investments, and then when their true nature was revealed, your father recognized the mistake and tried to get out of it. It would explain why there was never a return on anything andwhy he acted so rashly at several periods during the last year of his life.”
Colin returned the poker to the stand and stood watching his friend with a feeling of deep unease in his chest.
“My father’s tone in that letter is beyond reproach,” he muttered. “If I were Lord Wentworth, I would have been furious by his dismissal of such an important event. I have no doubt if a scandal blew up against his closest rival that Lord Wentworth would suspect my father of instigating it. Even if he was innocent.”
“Do you think your father was innocent?”
Colin scoffed. “I think we would both be naive to believe that.”
“Clearly, it has not been forgotten by Wentworth.” Edward continued. “Your father’s death might have put a stop to all of it, but the ramifications of his actions are still being felt today.”
“We need to delve deeper,” Colin said with finality, returning to his desk and pushing the papers aside as he looked at his friend. "This isn't just about my family's legacy anymore. It's about righting a wrong, about clearing the air between all those involved."
