Chapter 23 #2
“I won’t be coerced into marriage,” she said, lifting her chin and turning to face her brother first. “And I certainly won’t have Henry forced into it either.
He has made his feelings against marrying me entirely clear, and I don’t wish to be married to a man who doesn’t love me and will only end up resenting our marriage. ”
William’s brows rose slightly, but he said nothing. Henry’s expression didn’t change, but his hands clenched at his sides, and his jaw pulsed.
Charlotte faced him head-on and steeled herself to say what she needed to.
“I care for you, Henry,” she continued, her voice steady despite the pounding of her heart.
“I had hoped…. I had hoped you might feel the same. But I refuse to spend my life bound to someone who doesn’t want me.
Despite what happened earlier, I will not let my brother and mother force you to marry me. ”
She let the words settle between them and the truth of them hang in the air.
Henry took a sharp breath and stepped toward her, reaching for her, but she pulled back before he could touch her, more out of surprise than anything else. Henry’s face fell. He looked suddenly vulnerable, even boyish. The rush of affection she felt for him couldn’t be suppressed.
“Charlotte,” His voice was rough and low, almost pleading. “It isn’t that I don’t want you.”
Her heart twisted, and she sank her teeth into her lip, reminding herself not to get her hopes up. “Then what is it? Why do you keep pushing me away?”
He said nothing, the pulse still throbbing in his jaw. She had never seen him so obviously conflicted. Although she did not wish to push him when he was distraught, she also needed answers, and she knew this might be her only chance to get them. Her hands tensed in the folds of her dress.
“Why can’t you marry me, Henry?”
Still, he didn’t speak. Charlotte’s gaze flicked to William, who had been uncharacteristically silent until now, watching their exchange keenly. He clearly knew something she didn’t, and that made her angry.
“Do you know?” she demanded.
William shook his head. “No. I know that Henry would marry you if he could and that there is a reason he cannot, but he hasn’t told me what secret he is protecting.”
Charlotte’s stomach clenched. “Then tell us now,” she said, turning back to Henry. “Tell us so we can understand. If you don’t, Henry—if you refuse to give me a reason, then I will have no choice but to believe that you simply don’t care about me—about either of us.”
Henry’s shoulders slumped, his entire posture shifting as though the weight of the world had settled upon him.
“I will tell you both,” he said hoarsely, refusing to meet their eyes.
“But I do not expect you will understand.” He gestured toward the seating area near the fireplace.
“Sit down. You must promise me that what I’m about to confess will not leave this room. ”
Charlotte glanced at William, whose face was now lined with concern. Then she turned back to Henry and nodded, her throat tightening. “You do not need to ask that,” she assured him as she and William took a seat. “Tell us, please.”
Henry angled himself toward the window so that his profile was half in shadow.
He stared out at the grounds as though looking anywhere else would shatter his resolve.
Charlotte and William sat across from him, waiting.
The silence stretched, thick and heavy, until at last, Henry let out a breath and spoke.
“Very well.” He closed his eyes, his voice becoming matter of fact and distant.
“I was ten years old when I found out. I overheard my parents arguing. My father—” He paused, shaking his head as though banishing the word.
“The duke. He was furious about something I’d done.
I can’t remember what. My mother kept telling him to lower his voice, but he didn’t care.
He was shouting about how they shouldn’t have expected more from me.
How breeding would always win out, and I was no son of his. ”
Charlotte sucked in a sharp breath. Beside her, William stiffened.
“What are you saying?” William asked carefully. “What did he mean?”
Henry glanced at them, his expression unreadable. “I am not the true heir to the Arundel title. My mother and father couldn’t conceive, so they… found another way.”
Charlotte’s stomach heaved. “You mean—”
“My mother had an affair,” Henry confirmed.
“And then they passed me off as the duke’s son.
He knew, of course. From the very beginning.
They planned it together. He could not let his name die.
They knew no one would ever question them because they were the Duke and Duchess of Arundel.
” A bitter smile curled his lips. “But it was a lie.”
Charlotte’s mind reeled. She could scarcely comprehend what he was saying. “You were raised as his son,” she said slowly. “You inherited his title. That makes you the duke. Your father accepted you and took you on as his heir.”
His jaw clenched. “It makes me a fraud. And my father scarcely tolerated me. He never formally adopted me because it was all so secret and because of that, the title should legally belong to my cousin’s husband.
Which is what my father wished to prevent.
He hated that side of the family and did not want his paternal name and line to die out. In short, I am a criminal.”
William swore under his breath and raked a hand through his hair. “Christ, Henry.”
Charlotte stared at him, at a loss as to what to say.
“I have spent my entire life knowing that my title, my status, everything I am is built on a lie,” Henry continued, his voice tight. “If the truth ever came out, everything my mother and father worked for would be destroyed. Something she reminds me of daily.”
Henry paused then and looked at Charlotte, and there was such naked emotion in his eyes that she almost gasped out loud. “If it were just myself, I would not care, believe me. I am tired of the trappings of high society, and weary of the secrecy. But my mother—”
“She would face ruin,” Charlotte whispered.
“Yes. If anyone ever found out, she would be cast out of society entirely, without a penny to live on, and possibly face prison too. It would destroy her utterly. And I….” He exhaled sharply.
“I would lose everything. Which means, so would any wife of mine. I can offer you nothing but a life of living a lie, under the threat of poverty and disgrace. I could not do that to any woman… least of all you, my darling.”
Her pulse pounded in her ears. Even with this horrific news, her heart leaped to hear him call her darling. “But how could anyone possibly find out, if the only people who knew were your parents?”
“That’s what I thought,” Henry murmured. “But someone here—at this very house party—knows.”
William frowned. “The notes.”
Charlotte looked from one man to another, now thoroughly confused. “Notes?”
Henry nodded. “I have been receiving anonymous letters. The first note warned me that my secret wasn’t safe.
Then the second one demanded that I meet them, but no one ever showed up.
Someone is playing a game with me, and I don’t know what they want.
If they make this public knowledge, I will be finished.
And my mother….” He shook his head. “She will be disgraced.”
Charlotte’s throat constricted. She had come here expecting an argument of some kind, probably another rejection. She’d suspected he was keeping a secret but she had not foreseen this.
William leaned forward, his expression grim. “And you think that if you were to marry, the risk of this coming out increases?”
Henry made a sound in the affirmative. “Marriage means heirs. If I have a son, and my lineage is ever called into question, it could destroy not just me but him as well. I can’t, in good conscience, subject someone else to this. I can’t subject Charlotte to this, or any children we may have.”
Charlotte sat very still, her hands curled into the fabric of her gown.
Her mind spun as she tried to process the seriousness of what Henry had been carrying all these years.
She understood, now, why he’d pushed her away, but all she could feel was deep hurt for the way he had been suffering and outrage that someone would dare to threaten him so callously.
Still… something didn’t sit right.
“Henry,” she said carefully, “what of your true sire? Could he be involved?”
Henry grimaced. “I asked Mother and she assured me that I need not concern myself with him.”
William’s eyes widened. “Is he no longer for this world?”
“I cannot be certain, but she gave that impression.”
“Surely he could have told someone earlier in his life?” Charlotte prompted.
“It’s a possibility,” Henry allowed. “I will ask Mother for more information. But it is also possible that I’m not the only one who overheard my parents arguing about my parentage. Members of the staff may well have become aware over the years.”
Charlotte inclined her head, acknowledging the truth of this.
“If someone at this house party knows, then they must have a reason for waiting. They haven’t revealed anything yet.
That means they want something from you.
And surely that is something more than money, otherwise why not make the demand quickly and be off with the fruits of their scheme? ”
Henry chuckled humorlessly. “Yes, that’s what worries me.”
William leaned back, scowling. “So, what now? You just wait for them to make their next move?”
“What choice do I have?” Henry asked. “If I go looking, I could tip them off and force their hand. And if I try to bring whoever it is to justice by alerting a Bow Street Runner to the blackmail, I will also be exposing myself. As you can see, they have me in quite the bind.”
Charlotte’s insides flipped over as she looked at him. He was clearly exhausted. Defeated and alone.
At least, he had been.
He wasn’t alone anymore.
“We’ll figure this out,” she said softly. “Together.”
Henry’s gaze flicked to hers. “Charlotte—”
“I mean it,” she said firmly. “You are not the only one who has something to lose here. Whoever this is, they are trying to manipulate you. But they don’t get to decide how this ends.”
William nodded. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Charlotte’s right.
Whoever is behind this has made a mistake.
They think they have the upper hand, but they don’t.
You have us. I will not have the happiness of my sister and best friend destroyed by some schemer, nor by the mistakes of your parents.
None of this should be on your shoulders. ”
For a moment, Henry said nothing. He searched their faces, his jaw tight. Then, finally, his shoulders dropped, just slightly. For a moment, he looked almost as though he might cry. “Thank you,” he whispered, his eyes shining. “Both of you.”
There was a moment’s silence, and then Charlotte swallowed. “So, tell me, Henry,” she said quietly but firmly, setting her shoulders back with resolve. “As we are now all in this together. What do we do now?”