Page 62 of The Duke's Hidden Scandal
He took a step forward, surveying the upturned faces of the men before him, a sense of certainty and morality running through his veins.
“My father was being blackmailed.”
There was a murmur of astonishment from everyone in the room. Colin did not look directly at him, but Lord Kilby was as still as stone at the back of the room.
“I have been investigating irregularities in his accounts for many months. I will tell you all now, that as much as I would wish to exonerate my father entirely, he is not blameless. He made some rash decisions and did not investigate what he was doing adequately.” His gaze finally fell on Lord Kilby. “He trusted the wrong people.”
Kilby swallowed convulsively, taking a large swig of his brandy, his skin white as a ghost.
“My father was persuaded, over a series of months, to invest in various schemes. The nature of these schemes were always introduced by the same third party, who handled all of the monetary side of things. As many of you know, Lord Bevins was my father’s accountant, and he is an excellent businessman and friend. Nothing about his character is being brought into question here; everything my father was involved in came from another source.
“I have been through every one of my father’s records to find out the truth, and it has been a long and laborious process. I have been astonished at the level to which my father trusted the man who was responsible for every one of these investments. But he would also become his blackmailer.”
That word was used very deliberately and with perfect timing. Many of the men at the back of the room had moved forward, their interest growing as Colin continued to reveal the truth.
“My father, as I have said, did not do his due diligence. He did not investigate the nature of what the investments were, and some of them were then revealed to be circumspect. I understand that much of the money was lost, and some, I am sorry to say, went straight to the pockets of smugglers, thieves and criminals.”
Another murmur of discontent erupted around the room.
“My father was then in a position where he had sunk a great deal of his capital into these schemes, and it was at this point, when the truth became known, this third party exposed the truth—that the schemes were suspect, even dangerous. He then told my father that if he did not pay him remuneration, he would reveal the truth and ruin him.”
The low muttering was almost a hum now; every face in the room looked utterly appalled. Blackmail was something that every man in the ton had reason to fear, and it was reviled above many other common crimes.
“My father was forced to pay a handsome sum for this man’s silence. Right up until his death.” Colin began to walk down the aisle, his gaze fixed upon Lord Kilby. “This man has no scruples, no common courtesy, no morality of any kind!” he spat. The entire room was silent and still, every eye upon him as he came level with the man responsible for it all.
“I speak of none other but Lord Percy Kilby.”
There was an astonished silence, and then every eye in the room moved to Kilby. He stood frozen to the spot, his glass held in his hand shaking violently now, sweat pouring from his forehead as she glanced about feverishly.
“What rot,” he managed at last, his voice sounding feeble and weak in the heavy atmosphere of the room. “How could you say such things? You have no evidence to speak of!”
Colin lifted a hand, and the footman at the back of the room opened the door. The crowd of men standing before it movedback to reveal a constable and several officers of the law, who walked into the room, their eyes fixed on Lord Kilby.
In the constable's hand were the copies of every document Colin had uncovered, and Kilby saw them just as the rest of the room did.
“I think,” Colin said softly, “that I have enough evidence to satisfy the strictest of judges.”
“Lord Percy Kilby,” the constable said loudly as he stepped forward, “By order of the magistrate, you are under arrest on suspicion of fraud, embezzlement, larceny, and blackmail.” He brandished the warrant for the whole room to see, and as Kilby looked around, there wasn’t a man among them who would defend him.
Lord Kilby’s mouth opened and closed mechanically for several seconds, unable to articulate a single word.
The constable gripped his arm, and Lord Kilby stared at Colin in disbelief as someone beside him plucked his glass of brandy from his fingers and the policeman led him away and out of the room.
When the door closed behind him, Colin breathed a long sigh of relief, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. There was a splintered second of silence, and then all was chaos. Dozens of men began to speak in a cacophony of noise, their voices rising and falling, many of them speaking of their shock and disgust at what Percy had done.
Colin, however, had eyes for just one man. Exhausted and drained after the altercation, there was now only one person who filled his head, and that was Lady Charlotte Wentworth.
In the madness all around them, he walked slowly through the room toward Lord Wentworth, who was the only man standing in silence in the throng. He was staring at the door which Kilby had been led through in utter shock.
“My Lord,” Colin said, raising his voice over the din. “May I have a moment of your time.”
Colin was relieved when Lord Wentworth turned to him, and his eyes seemed to hold an unspoken apology.
“Of course, your Grace, please lead the way.”
Colin moved to the top of the room, through the aisle in the centre of the chairs, and to the far corner where the noise was a little lessened. All the same, he was stopped many times on the journey by those who wished to ask him questions or congratulate him. It took him a full five minutes to secure the private interview, and even then, it was hardly as private as he would have wished it to be.
“My Lord, there is one other revelation that you may not be aware of.”
