Chapter Sixteen #2
Sophia drew a breath before knocking, the sound sharp against the heavy wood. The pause that followed was brief but filled with expectation.
“Enter,” Gabriel said without hesitation. The command was terse, his voice clipped, offering no invitation beyond necessity.
Genevieve followed Sophia inside, immediately aware of the charged atmosphere.
The room smelled of tobacco and parchment, and the scent of cooling brandy lingering in the air.
Maps lay stretched across the desk, weighted by ink bottles and scattered reports.
Gabriel stood rigid, one hand braced against the edge of the desk, his other resting near a document between himself and James.
James straightened slightly at their arrival, offering a brief nod. Gabriel did not immediately acknowledge them, his attention still fixed on the papers before him.
Sophia, ever unafraid in her concern, stepped forward, her voice edged with controlled urgency.
“We need to understand what is happening,” Sophia said. Genevieve was impressed by how authoritative her voice sounded. She was clearly not prepared to be dismissed, and Genevieve wondered if she would be, just as Genevieve herself had been.
Gabriel’s gaze lifted, his expression unreadable. The silence that followed held tension, but after a moment, James glanced toward him. With a slight nod from Gabriel, James stepped forward, prepared to summarize the details that had hardened their resolve.
“The situation is no longer confined to speculation,” he said.
“We believe that Charles Ravencroft is executing a deliberate campaign against Mountwood, attempting to weaken Gabriel’s standing in London.
He has been spreading rumors about financial instability, working to undermine confidence in his business holdings. ”
Genevieve absorbed his words, the implications settling uneasily in her chest.
“But why?” she asked, searching Gabriel’s face. He kept his gaze firmly at the floor, so she was left with no choice but to wait for James to speak.
“Gabriel caught him embezzling many years ago,” he said. “Of course, Gabriel did the right thing and made such crimes known. We are certain this is revenge.”
Genevieve nodded.
“What are the odds that he will succeed at ruining Gabriel’s reputation?” she asked.
James sighed, looking at her apologetically.
“It does not stop at slander, unfortunately,” he said. “He is directly interfering with shipping contracts, pressing merchants to withdraw their agreements and cast doubt on their dealings with Mountwood.”
Sophia let out a slow breath, her brow furrowed in sharp worry.
“He means to bleed Mountwood financially,” she said flatly. “He does not want to just ruin Gabriel’s reputation, but starve him of influence entirely.”
James nodded grimly.
“Precisely,” he said.
Genevieve understood that Charles could resort to being ruthless and unethical by slandering Gabriel’s good name, however, his economic manipulations unsettled her deeply.
It was the final piece of James’s report.
“A trusted source witnessed Richard Harrington in a clandestine meeting with Charles at a gaming hall,” he said.
Genevieve’s stomach tightened, cold dread seeping through her limbs. Her own cousin?
The news struck her with more force than she expected, her hands pressing faintly against the fabric of her gown as her breathing slowed down. She tried to steady herself, to think through the possibilities, but the implications were immediate.
“Why would Richard consort with my enemy?” she asked.
James’s silence was answer enough. The question hung, drawing all the air out of the room.
Genevieve forced herself to swallow the unease and gather her thoughts. While the revelation regarding Richard had shaken her, she could not ignore the observations she herself had made over the past few days.
“There is something else,” she said.
Gabriel’s gaze flicked toward her, his expression unreadable.
“What is it?” he asked.
She took a deep breath. If she was wrong, she would look foolish and give him more reason to push her away. But she was certain of her suspicion. Was she not?
“I have noticed Thomas Wilkins observing me,” she said.
“Nor does it strike one as being harmless. It feels as if he is spying or waiting for something. His positioning always seems deliberate, and his movements carefully chosen. Every time I pass near the gardens, I feel as though I am being measured rather than merely observed. Could he be a spy?”
The words felt heavy, but as soon as she spoke them, she was sure she had touched upon something real.
Gabriel did not dismiss her outright, which was telling enough. He exchanged a glance with James, who pressed his lips into a thin line.
“We lack proof,” he said. “But given everything we now suspect, such behavior is too unsettling to ignore.”
Sophia frowned, glancing between them before speaking again.
“Could the old grievances over water rights be connected?” she asked. “Could Charles be using them to stir discontent among the tenants?”
Gabriel straightened.
“He could,” he said. “It would be an effective method to reawaken past disputes, planting doubt.”
The situation bogged down the entire room. No longer was this merely speculation. Pieces were now falling into place, forming a pattern of calculated interference.
“We need a plan,” James said, breaking a silence that Genevieve could not calculate. He leaned forward, his forearm braced against the polished surface of the library table, the firelight flickering against the sharp line of his jaw.
“We must render his arguments of no effect in London’s social circles before he can act again,” he said, his voice low but certain.
“He relies upon a network of favors and whispered debts. I still have contacts within the Home Office. There are officers who served with me in the Peninsula. Quiet inquiries and well-placed letters could go a long way. If we press in the right quarters, the leverage he wields may begin to fracture.”
Gabriel nodded, his expression inscrutable but keenly attentive.
“Proceed carefully,” he said. “I have no intention of allowing Charles another foothold, but I will not see this family name further mired by reckless accusation. Be sure that you can trust everyone who will get involved if you choose this path. We cannot afford to attract the attention of the wrong people and have word get back to Charles.”
Sophia, seated between them with a sheaf of neatly folded documents, lifted her head.
“I remember an incident with the Turners,” she said, her voice thoughtful. “There was a land dispute. Charles involved himself without consent and promised certain leniencies if they refused to pay arrears. He made a similar offer to the Langfords, though it came to nothing.”
James turned to her.
“That kind of meddling undermines Gabriel’s authority with the tenants,” he said. “If he positioned himself as their advocate, he will have allies still among them.”
Gabriel exhaled sharply.
“Then they must be reminded of where true loyalty lies,” he said firmly.
“I shall speak with the steward. We shall arrange small assemblies in each hamlet and provide winter aid where needed, as well as speak plainly about the estate’s plans for spring.
Let them see the barony is neither absent nor indifferent. ”
Genevieve, silent until now, exchanged a glance with Gabriel before she spoke.
“And Wilkins?” she asked.
Gabriel exhaled once more, a sound that betrayed more than irritation.
“There is nothing yet that can be acted upon,” he said. “But your concern is not misplaced.”
James rubbed at his temple.
“It sounds as if he watches you with too much calculation,” he said, directing the comment to Genevieve. “And too little shame. That seems suspicious at best, and dangerous at worst. Be cautious, Genevieve.”
For the first time since the previous evening, Gabriel showed a shadow of emotion. Concern and alarm crossed his face, almost too quickly to catch, but Genevieve saw it briefly before he regained control of his expression.
“I agree,” Gabriel said. “I will speak with Mr. Winters. He can assign two men to observe Wilkins’s movements discreetly. If there is anything to be found, it shall be.”
Sophia bit her lip, her brow furrowed deeply.
“Do you truly believe him dangerous?” she asked.
Gabriel’s mouth thinned.
“After everything that has happened, nothing is impossible,” he said.
Genevieve folded her hands in her lap.
“Then we must act now,” she said. “Not wait until certainty has turned to regret.”
Gabriel met her eyes.
“We shall,” he said. “I assure you of that.”
Genevieve left the study with Sophia at her side, her thoughts still smothered with unease.
The broken bond between her and Gabriel had now been utterly eclipsed by strategy and wariness.
But despite the sharp turn of their matrimony, one truth remained.
She would not allow herself to be a mere bystander.